Kingdom's Edge (11 page)

“The thunderstorm was now upon us, and day turned to night. The lightning flashed from cloud to cloud, and the ground shook with the roar of thunder. Our horses pawed the ground nervously.

“Lucius advanced again. His fight teetered on the edge of recklessness—he was taking risks he had not taken in the beginning. He appeared to be obsessed with destroying the Prince and willing to risk injury to himself to do it. But the Prince stood firm, and there was no breach in His defense. Lucius's ferocity was wearing him down, and the fight began to tilt. The Prince advanced with such power and speed that Lucius found himself in retreat. The sky began to unload its burden of water in a steady rain that soaked my clothes instantly.

“Lucius attempted a more offensive posture, but the Prince was now in control, and I'm sure Lucius knew it.

The Prince paused and stared at His archenemy. The scowl on Lucius's face revealed his hatred for this enemy and also, I think, his understanding that the future of Arrethtrae belonged to the Prince!

“The Prince advanced with combinations and maneuvers I had never seen before. His dominance over Lucius was unbelievable! It was time for the end, and the Prince brought forth a sequence of cuts that nearly paralyzed Lucius. One massive blow caused Lucius to lose his balance and his sword. The grisly weapon of the Dark Knight was finally still, and Lucius lay prone before the Prince.

“The entire line of Silent Warriors cheered in victory. The Prince glared at this enemy of two kingdoms and spoke. ‘My Father loved you, and you spurned His love. He has postponed your judgment for now. Your final destruction is yet before you, but it is a certainty!'

“The Prince withdrew and mounted His stallion. We rode to a distant camp. He was tired, and we guarded Him while He ate and slept.

“Two days later you saw Him in the square. From that day on, our involvement in His mission has been extremely limited. It was hard not to be by His side. When they took Him to the tree, a thousand Silent Warriors were ready to wipe out the entire city. But He forbade us. He did it for you, Cedric. He did it for all the people who will follow Him.”

My eyes filled with tears again as I remembered that day in the square. How could anyone care that much for me?

There was a long silence before Ramon spoke. “It is time to leave, Keef.”

“Yes, Ramon, I suppose you are right. Take care, Cedric.
And remember, the story did not end at the tree. For you and your people, that is where the story begins.”

“Thank you, Keef,” I said. “Thank you, Ramon. I will not forget you. May we meet again someday!”

“We will, Cedric,” Keef said. “We will!”

And with that, they donned their crude cloaks again and entered the streets. As the door closed, William stirred and awoke.

“Lie still, brother,” I said.

“Where are we, Cedric?” William asked. “I thought we were going to die. What happened?”

I chuckled. “I don't think you're going to believe me, but I'll give it a try anyway.”

NIGHT OF KNIGHTS

The Knights of the Prince grew tremendously in numbers, and the anarchy of the kingdom seemed to match our pace. The kingdom of Arrethtrae was on the verge of self-destruction, like a volcano ready to erupt. We built and strengthened, but the Dark Knight countered with discord and chaos.

We sent recruiters for the Prince to every city in the kingdom. We worked hard for years, and eventually nearly everyone—men, women, and children—heard the story of the Prince and was given an opportunity to join us. It was during these years that many valiant men and women rose up to fulfill the mission of the Prince.

Our beloved city of Chessington seemed to be the Dark Knight's focus. We began seeing more and more of the Shadow Warriors. They were disguised as commoners, but we could tell they were much more than that.

The Noble Knights faded into history and either gave
way or were absorbed into a new form of government. The city chose a strong man by the name of Alexander Histen as its governor.
Strong
is a broad description of Governor Histen. It applies to his physical strength as well as his political might. His charisma seemed to magnetize the people to his cause.

I did not like him nor was I fooled by his sweet rhetoric. As chaos increased, so did his control over the people. It was “necessary,” so Governor Histen said, “to maintain security and peace in the city.” He convinced the people it was for their own good. The desperate citizens swallowed it all, for they had no choice.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how much of the chaos was generated by Histen himself. It was just as Keef had told me.

Over the next year, Alexander Histen widened his sphere of influence to include most of the surrounding cities and villages. Histen scoffed at our story of the return of the Prince and denied altogether the King's authority in the land. He labeled us as haters of peace and harmony, the very antithesis of what we were. His propaganda worked, and our mission became much more difficult. Serious persecution returned. Many of the Knights of the Prince were beaten and imprisoned for the crime of causing a disturbance in the city. My own scars testify to such atrocities.

In spite of this, we still found people hungry for hope. They yearned for truth and peace with freedom as a companion, for the peace they tasted now was falsely induced under tyrannical rule.

Eventually, Histen changed his title to Governor Supreme.
It was clear to us that he cared for only one thing—total control of the entire kingdom.

During these difficult times, our belief in the Code is what kept us together.

“How long will this go on, Cedric?” William asked as we walked toward the meeting place.

Barrett's shop had been discovered and burned some time ago. We found a safer place for him and his family on the outskirts of the city, but our new meeting place was still in the heart of the city.

“It does seem nearly impossible to continue, doesn't it,” I said. “It's been so long since the Prince left us, and yet I know He will be true to His word and deliver us from this bondage.”

The moonlight lit our path, and we moved carefully down the streets and alleys, ever vigilant to watch all sides.

“Ironic, isn't it?” William said quietly. “When we first met the Prince, we felt we were in bondage to poverty, but now we know what true bondage is. I don't see any end to Histen's desire for power and control of the people.”

We turned onto another alley and began walking down it.

“Nor do I, Will—”

I stopped midsentence, and we both took cover in the shadows. Other men occupied the alley already. We were not seen, for they too were deep in conversation, and they were walking our way.

They paused some fifty feet away. Both men were broad and tall. I had never seen either one before, but I recognized their posture. Fear began to grip my heart, and I fought to maintain control of it. Though they were dressed
in common clothes, I knew they were either Silent Warriors or Shadow Warriors.

William and I froze in the shadows and strained to hear their conversation. They spoke softly, but their deep voices carried far enough for us to hear.

“—nearly complete with his preparation plans in the North,” one of them said.

“How is Kelson doing in the south? We must be ready in all quadrants or the mission will be delayed. Time is short,” the other one said.

“He is nearly ready, but I must tell you—”

Crash!

A door beside the two figures burst open, and a huge, menacing man lunged toward the two figures with sword drawn. Across the alley, two more monstrous men flew toward the same two figures, each flashing a wicked looking sword.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures threw back their cloaks and drew their swords. Back-to-back, they faced their enemies. They had the look of serious determination, but not the look of hate that was on the faces of their three attackers

The swords flew at blinding speed. We heard a thunderous and continuous clash of steel upon steel. I had seen the skill of a Silent Warrior against mere men, and I had fought against a Shadow Warrior firsthand, but never before had I seen two such formidable forces meet face-to-face. The fight raged on in a flurry of slices, cuts, and thrusts—a precise picture of good versus evil.

“William,” I whispered, “we must help them!”

“I am ready,” he said.

Though my stomach rose to my throat, we drew our swords and ran toward the battle.

“For the Prince!” William shouted.

At those words, one of the Shadow Warriors left his fight and lunged toward us. Anger burned in his eyes.

William and I traded offensive and defensive posturing to keep the Shadow Warrior distracted. Our past encounters with the Shadow Warriors had taught us a great deal, and we had grown in strength, skill, and experience. William defended against a combination, and I saw an opportunity, which I took.

The Shadow Warrior screamed a curse at me as my sword passed under his left arm and separated the flesh beneath his ribs. He charged me with a full-force blow that sent me stumbling. He seized the momentary break in our fight to escape between two buildings, clutching his side as he went.

We moved toward the other fight, but these Shadow Warriors also took flight. All of us scanned the area for further threat, but found none.

After a moment of silence, interrupted only by heavy breathing, we sheathed our swords.

“Thank you for your help,” one of the Silent Warriors said. “Normally we avoid such confrontations, but lately it has not been possible. Their presence here is growing quickly.”

“Yes, we've noticed as well,” I said. “What does it mean?” He searched my face with narrow eyes. “You are Cedric?” “I am. And this is William.”

“We must go. Time is short—very short. Tell your people to be ready!”

He nodded to his companion toward one side of the alley, and together they left us quickly and quietly.

“Be ready for what?” I asked, but there was no one to answer.