Last Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 2) (14 page)

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Prince Tarcious pulled his thick wool cloak tightly around him.  The dungeons were always cool and damp, even in the middle of summer.  But now that autumn was just around the corner, they seemed even colder.  He walked with long, graceful strides, his boots barely making a sound as they touched the stone floor.  He was alone, this time.  The jailor would be an unnecessary witness.  He was expendable, but not easily replaceable.  He would kill him in an instant if he had to, but training a replacement would have been a long and tedious process.

              The dungeons of Tara City had grown over many hundreds of years from simple holes in the stone to a complex prison network.  The upper level held large cells that could house twenty prisoners each.  They were open cages with thick iron bars for walls.  These were for the petty criminals who weren’t necessarily violent or dangerous.  They were constantly overcrowded and diseases spread quickly.  Even a few days in the cells could mean many months of recovery from any number of sicknesses.  Or for the unfortunate, a long and painful death.  The next level down was reserved for the wealthy or the privileged.  Those cells were even furnished with some limited furniture and had oil lamps to read by.  It would cost quite a bribe for a prisoner to get one of these cells.  But at least they were safe from disease or a knife in the back while sleeping.  The lower levels were for those prisoners that were to be forgotten.  Those cells were all carved into the rock and had a single large wooden door instead of iron bars.  It was not uncommon for prisoners to be completely forgotten and then die of starvation.  Only when the jailers smelled the horrible stench of death did they remember that a cell was occupied.

              The lowest levels had oil lamps hanging from the ceilings to give some light to the nearly constant darkness of prison.  The lamp’s oil lasted only a few hours and they were filled but once a day during the prisoners’ only meal.  This gave only a few hours of light to the prisoners of the lowest level.  The rest of their days were spent in total darkness.  As the one meal that the prisoners were given had just been served, the lamps were now full of oil and burned brightly.

              Prince Tarcious suddenly stopped at a particular wooden door.  He pulled a large key from an inner pocket of his cloak and unlocked the padlock that held a crossbar in place.  He pulled on the crossbar and yanked the door open.  The light from the closest oil lamp spilled into the cell.  In the far corner was a pile of hay.  On top of the hay was a man bundled under a blanket.

              “Goshin,” the prince said softly.

              Goshin sat up.  He stretched his muscles one by one before he stood.  He bowed his head slightly in greeting.

              “Are you enjoying your new room?  It seems much more comfortable than the last one.”

              “It is acceptable,” Goshin replied with a gravelly voice.

              Prince Tarcious chuckled.  “Ever the gracious prisoner.  No wonder your people were defeated.  You have no fight in you.”

              “Wars are not fought with but one battle.  And no battle is fought with a single weapon.”

              Laugher burst from Prince Tarcious.  “Oh, the words of the Hurai!  How I love them.  Full of wisdom and poetic as well.”

              “You are here to taunt me, now?  It is a long walk just to insult me.”

              “No, I do not take pleasure in taunting you.  Really, I don’t.  Because if I did, then that would mean that I actually thought about you.”

              “Then why are you here?”

              “I only thought of you when I heard some news about a young Karmon who has been taken into custody by my centurions.  It seems that he has been running around the countryside murdering innocent travelers.  It seems as this young man has kind of a history of murder.  In fact, the murder of the king of Karmon.”

              Master Goshin shook his head.  “That is not possible.  King Thorndale is a beloved king.  There’s not a man alive that would even think of killing the king.”

              Prince Tarcious spread his hands wide and motioned at the walls.  “These walls not only keep you in, but also keeps the news of the world from getting to you.  You see, Lord Neffenmark rose to the throne.”

              “Neffenmark?” Goshin spat.  “What lies are you telling me?”

              “The late great King Thorndale fell honorably in battle.  It seems that an army of Karmons met with an army of Thellians.  Unfortunately, for the kingdom of Karmon, their leader fell in combat.  And from that horrible death, Neffenmark was the one lord who laid claim to the throne.”

              “Not Neffenmark,” Goshin said with strong shake of his head. “Your lies are too easy to see though.  The lords would never have him.”

              “It is true.  As a last ditch effort to keep the kingdom from falling into civil war, King Neffenmark took the hand of Princess Elissa in marriage.  He pledged that their first male offspring would be given the throne once he came of age
.
 
And that is where this sad tale comes to an end.  As the King Slayer, as I know him, or Conner as he is known…”

              “Conner?” Goshin said, taking a step forward.

              “Conner murdered the king and escaped the city.  But his murderous ways did not end in the kingdom, they continued through my countryside.  First it was a young couple, two young travelers minding their own business, murdered for no reason.  Or at least no reason that I know of.  And then another band of travelers, ambushed and slaughtered on the road.”

              “No, not Conner.”

              “It is always the unsuspecting ones that end up the worse.  Did you know this Conner?”

              Goshin stood still, unable to speak, barely able to think.  He knew that Prince Tarcious was a liar and could not be trusted.  But there was a feeling deep inside of him that was telling him that there was something to this story.

              Prince Tarcious asked with a sinister smirk.  “From what I understand, he has some skill with the blade that is not taught to a Karmon Knight.  It is more of what a Hurai might teach.  I can only surmise that it would be you.”

              Goshin remained silent.

              “Oh, ever the honorable one. You cannot tell a lie, can you?  But telling the truth would hurt just as bad.  So you remain silent.  It is okay, I already know the truth, so you don’t have to try and hide it from me.”

              Finally, Goshin asked, “What do you want with Conner?”

              “So you do know of Conner, then.”

              “Yes.”

              “I have need of his skill set.”

              “He is not a murderer.”

              “I beg to differ.  He has proven himself to be a very able killer.  How does it feel to be the one who trained him to be such an effective killer?  I do want to thank you for training him.  I don’t think I could done it myself. And I will bring him here to show you who he has become.  I will stand and listen as you ask him if he is a murderer and listen as he tells you that he is.”

              “You do not know Conner.  He is stronger than you think.  Whatever you think you can do to him, to try and convince him to do your will.  He will not.  He is a good boy.”

              “When I was young, I was a good boy, too.  But then I grew up.  The good boy grew into a man.  Just as this Conner has.  He is no boy, I assure you.  He is a man and like all men, he is a killer at heart.”

              Prince Tarcious took a step back until he was in the doorway.  “It is always nice talking with you.  Maybe next time we can further our discussion on how the Adversary will be coming home to help rebuild his kingdom.”

              Goshin lifted his head and glared at the prince.  “The creature you call the Adversary is but a deceiver, just as you are.  He will use you and use you up and then discard you when he is done.  He has no use for you.”

              “The signs of the prophesy of the Adversary’s return is clear.  The rising star in the night sky that does not move is but the last sign.  You have shown me that truth.  In time, a very short time, the Adversary will arrive.  And he and I will rule the entire world.  Forever.”

              “The words of the prophesy were burned to ashes in the library.  Those scrolls spoke of a much different ending, one in which the Creator comes to claim the earth as his.  But you do not care for truth, you only care for what the Deceiver tells you.”

              “A great war will happen, I think we can both agree to that.  One in which the world will be changed forever.  I will be prepared for that war, and that is why I need this Conner boy.  I will use him to unlock the next age of humanity.”

              “The Ark of Life?  You think you can find it and use it?  You think Conner will help you find it?  He would rather die than help you.”

              “I will ask him that very question, when he has arrived at my palace.  So we’ll see if he is willing to die for his beliefs.  And if he does, well…there are plenty of Conners in the world.  I will just find another.  But, if he is like any other man on this world, he will value his life.  And in the end, he will help me.”

              The prince took one more step back and he was out of the cell.  He pulled the door closed and set the crossbar down.  With a quick twist of the key, the lock was latched.  He stood for a moment, waiting for any sound.  It usually only took a moment or two for the prisoner to start weeping or even wailing once they were plunged back into the dark solitude of their cell.  But there were no sounds, not even a whimper.  After some time, the prince left, leaving the old Hurai to the cold darkness.

***

Goshin pulled the blanket around his shoulders and dropped to his knees.  The darkness closed around him as the door to the cell closed, but he was not afraid.  At least he was not afraid for himself.  His faith in his God was strong, and he believed with every ounce of his being that he was not alone.  But he feared for Conner and his strength.  He had taught Conner so much, but there was so much more he should have taught him.  His lessons had been about the sword and combat.  They only touched briefly on the strength of mind.  It was his one regret that he had, that he had not stayed to finish teaching Conner what he really needed to know.

              King Thorndale had asked him to train Conner to be the princess’ champion.  And he did that.  He taught Conner enough to wield a sword to protect the princess.  But there was more to being a man than just being able to swing a sword.  It broke his heart that he would not be able to be there for him, that he wouldn’t be able to finish the training.  But there was nothing more he could do about it.  Worrying about it would not help.  He just closed his eyes and spoke to his God, hoping that he would listen.  Conner needed more than himself right now, because the forces of evil were stronger than any one man could handle.

              As he knelt on the hard ground, Goshin began to wonder why he was still alive.  There was really no reason for it.  He was a threat to Prince Tarcious.  Not because he posed a physical threat, but because he did not believe in the lies and deceit that came out of the prince’s mouth.  Sharp swords were dangerous, but sharp words were even more dangerous.  The right words at the right time could change the course of events in his favor.  He just needed to bide his time and not lose faith.  He clung to that small thread of hope, knowing that at any time it could snap and he would be dead.  But even a thread of hope would be enough.  He would use it to stay alive and stay strong.  He would not give up, for he knew his God still had plans for him.

              The small light that came through the doorframe went away as the nearby oil lamp finally burned out.  He went from near total darkness to complete darkness.  He lowered himself onto
the bed of rotten hay and let himself sleep.

Chapter Twelve

Queen Elissa pulled the cinch underneath her horse’s belly until it was tight enough to buckle.  She took a step back from the spotted grey mare, lamenting that it wasn’t Lilly.  She missed her white horse enough that she found the thought of a casual ride unappealing.  But when she looked over at Melanie, who was giddily saddling her own horse, Elissa pushed aside her own feelings.  It had been weeks since she had much time with her best friend, and the only way that she could be sure that they would be able to spend uninterrupted time would be to get out of the city.

              The stable hands had been insistent about preparing their horses, but Elissa and Melanie had been saddling their own horses for years.  It was part of their ritual and it made Elissa feel as if it was just like before she had become queen.  Even though it hadn’t been more than a few weeks, it seemed to Elissa like it had been years.  But all the fun and excitement of an adventure outside of the city quickly came back to her as soon as she threw the saddle onto the back of her horse.

              Melanie looked over at her and smiled.  Elissa smiled back.  It was a little odd to be with her, Elissa realized.  One day they were two girls just like one another.  Both raised in the castle and groomed for a comfortable life as a nobleman’s wife.  But now Elissa lived another life and she felt uncomfortable around Melanie.  It wasn’t that she felt any differently about her friend, it was just that she didn’t know what to say or how to act.  She was different.  A queen now.  A widowed queen, she reminded herself.  Her hand went up to her cheek which no longer showed the bruising of Neffenmark’s anger, but she would never forget the pain that he had inflicted.  Both physically and emotionally.

              Elissa looked at her horse, seeing that it wasn’t Lilly and knowing that Conner and Lilly were together.  A slight smile crossed her face as she thought of him.  She missed him and hoped he would come back soon.  But she was busy running her kingdom, at least as much as Lord Martin allowed.  Yet there really was no one around to talk anymore.  Melanie was a fine enough of a friend, but like most of the other ladies in the castle, she was pretty shallow.  Conner, even though he was a commoner and a peasant, was a deep thinker.

              “Prince Toknon has not left the city, yet.” Melanie said with a sheepish grin.

              Elissa froze with one hand grasping Lilly’s reins and the other on her shoulder.  The sound of his name caused an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, especially with the thoughts of Conner so fresh in her mind.  As much as she thought about Conner, she also thought about Prince Toknon as well.  He was handsome enough and although he could be a bit stiff at times, he was pleasant enough to be around.  More importantly, he was her equal in stature.  He was a noble, heir to the throne of Thell.  In almost any other circumstance, it would not even be a decision to think about.  Joining their two kingdoms through marriage seemed so right.  But it also felt so wrong.

              After moment, she replied, “Yes, know.”

              “He was training on the tournament fields with the city guard.”

              “I had not noticed.”

              Melanie lowered her voice and said, “He had stripped down to just his trousers.  No shirt.  He is a very strong man.”

              “Melanie!” Elissa angrily shouted.  “Enough of this!”

              Chastised, Melanie lowered her gaze and apologized.

              Elissa let out a sigh and said, “Melanie, I know what you are trying to do.  Prince Toknon is nice enough, and I can probably get past the fact that he is heir to the throne of a kingdom that only a few weeks ago was our sworn enemy.  But he is not Conner.  Not even close.”

              “But Conner is not here,” Melanie said.

              “I know,” she said softly.  Then she turned and looked at Melanie and said, “It is too soon.  Just give me some time.  Maybe someday.  Maybe never.  I don’t know, I am just very confused right now.”

Elissa glanced up and noticed a soldier in worn leather armor brushing his horse just outside of the stables.  “Time to ride,” she said as cheerfully as she could.

              They led their horses out of the stable.  As soon as they approached their escort, he turned and said, “Ready to ride, Your Majesty.”

              Elissa let out a shriek and ran up and hugged him.  “Marik!  What are you doing?”

              “I was given the honor of being your escort for your ride.”

              “What a pleasant surprise!” the queen said.  “But just you?”

              “Am I not enough?  Thell is now our friend, remember.  So I don’t think we have to fear anyone trying to kidnap you.  Not to mention, Prince Toknon is still around, making mincemeat of the young guard.”

              “But there’s bears and wolves out there!” Melanie exclaimed.

              Marik turned towards her as a father would to a young daughter.  “We’ll stay to the coast away from the deep part of the forest.  We’ll have nothing to worry about.”  He tapped the longsword strapped to his side.  “If we must, I am an able swordsman.”  Then he tapped the bow hanging from the saddle.  “And a better bowman.  I think we’ll be fine.”

              Melanie tossed her head back, and said, “Very well, then.  Lead on!”

              Marik chuckled and mounted his horse.  He led them through the city and out South Karmon’s main gate.  It was the middle of the morning and the sun was already up high in the sky.  There were some clouds to the west, but most of the sky was clear.  With the sun beating down on them, it was warm enough to ride without cloaks.

              As soon as they passed through the gate, Elissa and Melanie let out a cry, startling other travelers on the road.  With a whoop and a holler, they kicked their horses into a run.  Marik rode a light war horse that wasn’t quite as fast the lean riding horses that the girls rode.  He was able to stay close enough, but they were not making it easy.

              They stayed to the main road that led north along the Gulf of Taran.  It was a well warn two-track road that the merchants used when traveling back and forth between Karmon and Taran.  It was mostly flat and easy on the horses.  But what Marik liked most about it was that it was safe.  There were not many trees near the road, so no hiding places for ambushes.  It was easy to spot strangers and other travelers from quite a distance away.

              A couple of miles from the city, the girls pulled their horses from a run to an easy walk.  Marik kept behind them enough to be discrete.  Although he was curious about their conversation, he had been around enough ladies to know that their conversations were generally not interesting to him.  His eyes moved around, scanning the open land ahead and to their side.  Every so often he would glance behind, just to make sure that no one was trying to sneak up on them.  He knew he was being overly cautious, almost to the point of paranoia.  But he had good reason to be wary.  No one had ever expected the princess to be kidnapped, much less to be kidnapped by the highest ranking knight of the kingdom.

              He grumbled to himself as he thought once again about his old friend Brace Hawkden.  He wished he could have said a proper good bye, but at least he hadn’t died alone.  He was glad that Conner had been there for him, to be with him in his last moments.  He still did not quite understand what drove him to join up with Neffenmark and try and start a war between Thell and Karmon.  In the end, Sir Brace had admitted how wrong he was, but that still did not explain how he got to that point in the first place.  He knew that Brace believed that he was doing what was best for the kingdom, but Marik could not for the life of him figure out why he would think kidnapping the princess would help in any way.  But the past was the past, and he needed to move on just as everyone else did.  Karmons and Thellians were mingling in South Karmon, which was a tough sight for him.  He just tried to keep reminding himself it was for the best and they really were no longer enemies.

              As his mind was thinking about the kingdom to the north, a small group of wagons far in the distance caught his attention.  There were three horse-drawn wagons in the caravan, moving slowly from the north.  He could not pick out any other details as they were just at the limits of his vision.  It would still be some time before they would cross paths, but he rode up to the girls anyway

              “Wagons,” Marik said loudly from behind.  “Ahead, past the hill.”

              The girls stopped their horses and waited for Marik to trot up beside them.

              “What do we do?” Melanie asked.

              “Are they not merchants coming to the city?” Elissa asked.

              “I am sure they are,” Marik answered.

              “Do we go and hide?” Melanie asked with a quivering lip.

              Elissa glanced at Marik with a smile and let out a soft chuckle.  “Oh Melanie!” the young queen exclaimed.  “They are just travelers.  They offer us no threat!”  But her eyes fell on Marik.

              Marik caught the look and he noticed a bit of fear in her eyes.  He was a bit surprised that the queen was able to maintain such a positive bearing with her words and tone of voice.  Her eyes clearly told him that she was feeling the same fear that Melanie was, but just not showing it.  “They are of no threat,” Marik said firmly.  “They may be seeing us and asking the same thing of us.  We are far from the wild plains of Taran where bandits roam freely.  Karmon is safe for travelers.  We will continue on, but I will take the lead.”

              “Maybe we should head towards the forest and go around them,” Melanie suggested, unconvinced that the travelers ahead of them offered no threat.

              “No,” Elissa said firmly.  “We will go on and greet them as friends.” 

              Marik tapped his heels to his horse and it started forward at an easy walk.  Melanie and Elissa let their horses fall into step.

              In the minutes that it took the two groups to approach one another, Elissa, Marik, and even Melanie began to feel better about the caravan.  The three wagons were each pulled by a heavy, plodding horse.  The last wagon, however, had a horse tethered to the rear.  It walked with its head down, as if it were tired or maybe bored.  But it was clearly not the same as the work horses that were pulling the wagons.  It had a shimmering white coat that gleamed bright in the sunshine.

              “Hail!” Marik called as soon as he reached the first wagon.

              The man who sat atop the lead wagon gave a quick pull on his horse’s reins and gave a grunt in greeting.  He glanced back at his companions, who had all come to a stop.

              “What news from the road?” Marik asked with a friendly smile.

              “It is a long road,”
             
the man said with a rough accent.  “It’ll be good to bed down under a roof.  The past week has been a bit wet.”

              “The weather is changing fast,” Marik said.  “We may even have a dusting of snow soon.”

              “Aye,” the man replied.  “The winds are from the northeast.  It’ll be a bitter cold winter, I fear.”

              Marik looked at the queen and Melanie.  They were a few feet away, whispering between themselves.  Their eyes were on the white horse that was tied to the last wagon.

              “Coming from Taran?” Marik asked.

              The man shrugged.  “Of course.”

              “So what is it that you’re carrying?”

              The man scratched the stubble on his face.  “Not sure that’s any business of yours.”

              Marik watched the man’s right hand fall to the hilt of a sword that was buried under a wool blanket.  He gave the man a friendly smile.  “Of course not, I was just curious.”

              “We’ll be on our way, now,” the man said.  “A hot dinner and a warm bed is in order for us.”

              “Very well,” Marik said.  “But one more question.  The white horse.  Where did you find her?”

              The man turned in his seat to look back at the horse.  “She is ours.  A quality mare indeed.  We are bringing her here to sell.  Are you interested?”

              “I’m interested,” Marik said.  “But not in buying.”

              The man turned the end of the blanket down so that the hilt of the sword was clearly showing.  “There are three of us.  And it is you and two girls.  And you think to take our horse?”

              “She is not yours to keep,” Marik said, resting his hand on the pommel of his longsword.

              “We are in sight of South Karmon, and you would rob us?” the man asked.  He glanced down at his sword to be sure it was in easy reach.  The other two merchants had climbed down from their wagons and walked towards the lead wagon.  Both had brought their swords with them.

              Marik looked at the approaching men and smiled.  “You would draw your swords on a Karmon Knight?”

The men hesitated a moment, looking at one another.

Then Marik added, “And upon the queen as well?”

              The two men that were approaching topped in mid-stride.  The lead man’s eyes grew wide and he said, “The queen?”