Kingdom's Quest (8 page)

“Do not lose heart, Sandon,” Gavinaugh called to his companion as they were separated.

“Nor you, Sir Gavinaugh,” Sandon called back, but there was sadness in his voice.

Four burly men took Gavinaugh to a rock quarry beyond the surrounding hills of the city. His bonds were not loosed, so his unprotected body bore the full blow of each fist and foot. When he could no longer stand, he fell to his knees and the rocks beneath him turned red with his
blood. The pain of the beating began to fade until it seemed his body was completely numb. He fell facedown with nothing to soften the impact and could vaguely feel the jarring of his body across the jagged rocks beneath him as the beating continued, but the pain was nearly gone. A dark cloud descended from the sky and enveloped his mind, giving him a final escape from the brutality of the thugs.

“There are so many people, my Lord … so many,” Gavinaugh said as he walked beside the majestic Prince along the shore of a beautiful sea that shined like clear crystal.

“Do not be discouraged, my friend. For every one you reach, My words are multiplied a hundredfold and will not return empty. Rise up and carry on.” The Prince stopped and placed a hand on Gavinaugh's shoulder. He smiled a gentle smile, and Gavinaugh felt the warmth of the Prince's glory empower his soul. His words felt like sweet water to his lips.

“I will, my Prince. With all of my strength, I will!”

The Prince left him, and Gavinaugh began to feel very tired.

“What do we do now?” a voice asked.

“There are other Followers in nearby villages. I think we should find them. Even though Gavinaugh is dead, the words of the Prince are not,” another voice responded.

Gavinaugh felt a hand on his forehead, and with that touch, the pain from his entire body crashed upon his consciousness.

“He brought us such hope. Dare we go on without him?”

Gavinaugh now recognized this voice. It belonged to Fredrick.

Gavinaugh opened his eyes and heard the exclamations of his fellow knights as they gasped in shock. He slowly pulled himself to a standing position.

“Of course, we go on,” Gavinaugh said and tried to smile through his swollen face. “The Prince expects no less.”

The four men surrounding him looked as though they had seen a ghost and even backed away from him slightly.

“You were dead, Gavinaugh. I felt your chest and there was nothing. How … how can this be?” Fredrick said in disbelief.

Gavinaugh felt as though he might faint, but Jonnas reached out and supported him. They leaned him against a large stone nearby.

“To live for the Prince brings hope to the kingdom.” Gavinaugh labored to catch his breath. “If I should die in that service, my end will be in honor. Either way I gain. My life is in the hands of the Prince, not the brutes of Penwell.”

The men were still amazed as they searched for a cloth from their packs to wipe the blood from his wounds.

“What I don't understand is why they left this water flask when I am certain they also thought you were dead,” Jonnas said as he handed the flask to Gavinaugh.

He took a drink from the flask, and the water was sweet, like the words of the Prince. He felt the cool sensation in his stomach. Although his body ached, the healing had begun. He looked across the rock quarry and into the vast kingdom beyond. The words of the Prince would bring healing to a land in pain, and the forces of the Dark Knight would one day be crushed by the heel of the Prince. Of that he was certain!

THE DUNGEONS OF PENWELL

After a few days of healing, Gavinaugh resumed his training with the Knights of the Prince in Penwell. He also continued to recruit, and their numbers grew steadily. Under the most severe persecution, Gavinaugh had found the strongest devotion to the Prince. Those who chose to join them did so with full knowledge of the possibility of hardship, so none came halfheartedly.

As the haven of Penwell grew, so did the regional governor's anger. Eventually Gavinaugh was again arrested and thrown into the dungeon.

“You are alive!” Sandon exclaimed. Gavinaugh had been cast into the cell across the aisle. Sandon stood at his cell door and smiled broadly.

“Sandon, it is good to see you!” Gavinaugh said.

“Quiet!”
barked the guard as he turned and left.

“Don't mind him,” Sandon said. “He's just having a bad day. I made Followers of the last two guards, so now they won't let me talk to them anymore.”

Gavinaugh laughed. “Somehow I'm not surprised, my friend.”

The two men rejoiced at their reunion and encouraged each other greatly.

Three days later, the guards brought a third captive into the dungeon and cast him into the cell next to Sandon.

“Weston? What in the kingdom are you doing here?” Gavinaugh asked.

“Well, I heard there was trouble in Penwell, and it didn't take me long to figure out that you were in the middle of it, so I came to see if I could help,” Weston said.

“I see that you are doing a fine job of helping,” Gavinaugh said. “Sir Weston of Cresthaven, meet Sir Sandon of Penwell.”

The two men shook hands through the bars of their cells.

“The governor here was not very tolerant of me once he discovered I was associated with you,” Weston said. “At least he released Keanna, though.”

“Keanna? You brought Keanna here?” Gavinaugh asked.

Weston nodded. “When word came to us that you were in trouble, she insisted on coming with me and would not have it any other way.”

Gavinaugh was not happy that she was in a city that was so hostile toward the Followers.

“I thought that perhaps since she found it no longer necessary to kill me, she wouldn't care to ever be near me again,” Gavinaugh said.

“You know, Gavinaugh, you seem to have that effect on a lot of people,” Sandon said with a grin. “Now you have a woman who wants to kill you as well?”

“Yes, what is it about you?” Weston joined in.

“That would be quite humorous, gentlemen, if it weren't for the fact that tomorrow we may
all
be sentenced to death.”

It was a sobering thought, for they knew that the governor was extremely concerned about their influence in the city.

Two more days passed, and their only connection with the outside world was the guard and a small barred window at the far end of the aisle. By day it gave enough light to see the rotten food they were fed, but at night the dungeon cells became black with darkness.

One evening, the darkness came early to their cells as they heard a storm building outside. The occasional crash of thunder echoed down
to them through the corridor. The door to the dungeon opened, and a guard entered with an oil lamp. Behind him followed Governor Thurman. The governor was pompous and carried himself with an air of arrogance. He stopped before Gavinaugh's cell.

“You are a persistent fellow, aren't you?” he said with a sneer.

Gavinaugh stood and walked to the cell door.

“I like to consider myself a peaceful ruler in this province, and you have brought great unrest to my people.” The governor spoke with a condescending tone. He took the keys from the guard. “I could easily have you sentenced to death, but my reputation has already been tarnished by your apparent inability to die. And unfortunately, the people seem taken with you.”

He took a step closer to Gavinaugh. “Why don't we make a deal? How about I have you all whipped and released, and you promise to never come back to my city again?” He dangled the keys in front of Gavinaugh as if to tease him.

Just then a current of air flowed through the dungeon. The guard's oil lamp flickered and went out, leaving them in total darkness. The governor muttered a curse beneath his breath.

“Don't just stand there. Get another lamp!” he shouted to the guard. Gavinaugh could hear the guard stumbling down the aisle and up the stairs to the guard room.

A powerful lightning bolt flashed, and its light was bright enough to momentarily illuminate the cells. What they saw in that instant shocked them all. Two massive warriors stood one pace away from the governor with their swords drawn and a visage of fierceness. The governor choked on his own exclamation and fell to his knees in terror.

“Release them!”

The voice was deep, and the sound of it shook one's bones. Gavinaugh could hear the governor's whimpering in the dark.

A moment later, the guard hurried back to the cells. As his light invaded the darkness, Gavinaugh could not see the warriors anywhere.

“What is wrong, Governor?” the guard asked, alarmed at what he saw.

The governor was cowering on the floor, and his face was white with fear. The guard helped him stand, but his knees could barely hold him up. He fumbled with the keys and finally found the one that opened Gavinaugh's cell. His hands were shaking so violently that he could not place the key in the keyhole. He finally gave them to the guard.

“Release them,” he whispered.

“What?” the guard asked.

The governor looked at him and then shouted.
“Release them!”
He looked around as though a monster were coming to devour him.

The guard moved with great urgency and opened the cell doors. Gavinaugh, Weston, and Sandon exited their cells.

Gavinaugh approached the governor, who looked as though he might run.

“This isn't about you keeping your power intact in the region, Governor. It's about the King destroying the powers of darkness in the kingdom.” Gavinaugh turned, and the three men left the dungeon.

They went to the haven, and there was great rejoicing among the knights. Keanna looked relieved to see them, and Gavinaugh was pleased to see her.

In the days that followed, the persecution of the Knights of the Prince all but stopped, and they were free to recruit, build, and train without threat of imprisonment. The haven quickly became a strong force in the region in spite of the challenges that had hindered its beginning.

Gavinaugh looked for opportunities to spend time with Keanna. He was careful to temper his actions despite his growing fondness for her, for there were times when he feared she still held hi
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m in contempt. At other times, she responded kindly but always remained quite reserved.

One evening, Gavinaugh went to check on Triumph and found
Keanna caring for him. There was a connection between her and the animal that he did not fully understand, but he didn't mind.

“How's Triumph tonight?” he said as he approached and stood on the opposite side of the horse.

“He is a magnificent horse. I've never seen another like him. Where did you get him?” she asked.

“He was a gift from a stranger my mother showed kindness to.”

Triumph nickered as Gavinaugh stroked his neck. “He seems quite taken with you.” He smiled at her.

Keanna stopped her grooming and came to the other side of Triumph's neck. She looked at Gavinaugh across Triumph's nose. Her eyes gleamed in the evening night, and Gavinaugh drew strength from her gaze.