Kingdom's Edge (14 page)

“You are not the true king of Arrethtrae,” I said. “You have betrayed the people and lied to them. You care only for power and control. You are not who the people think you are … I see what a truly evil leader you are.”

Histen glared at me with eyes that spewed hatred like poison from a viper. His hand tightened around my neck, nearly closing off my air. I felt the rocks in the wall behind me press into my head and back.

He leaned into my face. His handsome features were twisted into a gut-wrenching evil countenance. My vision started to blur, and my mind was beginning to fade. In my waning, I saw a vision of the Prince standing on the roof of the building across the alleyway.

Death must not be far away
, I thought.

“You are right about one thing, peasant,” Histen said in a deep guttural voice that was nearly a whisper. “I am not who the people think I am.” I knew he wanted to kill me. Hate seemed to completely possess him. “I …” His grip tightened. “Am …” Tighter … I could not breathe now. “… Lucius!”

His right hand revealed a dagger that would soon spill my blood. He pulled back to strike. From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Shadow Warriors raise his sword to slay William, who was still facedown on the ground.

This is the end
, I thought. I was to die at the hands of Lucius—the evil enemy of the Prince. In my final moments, the vision of the Prince seemed so real. His sword was drawn, and He beckoned me to … to … fight?

The dagger started its deadly plunge toward my chest. Time nearly froze.

I could not fail the Prince and die such a feeble death. He had trained me for this very fight—a fight against the evil one.

The dagger flashed closer.

Maybe I would die, but only after exhausting every fiber of strength and will in my body.

Yes, my Prince, I will fight … fight for You!

The dagger was nearing its target—my heart. With all my strength and speed, I swept my left forearm across my chest to deflect the dagger, now only inches from my chest, and simultaneously turned my body. It was just enough—the dagger skinned my left shoulder and struck the rocks behind me.

My body was turned slightly to the left, and my right hand found the hilt of my sword in an instant. I heard Lucius curse and recoil for another strike, but I beat him to it. My left hand joined my right at my sword as I partially withdrew it from the scabbard with great force. My fisted hands and the hilt of my sword struck Lucius's stomach. His suffocating grip on my neck was immediately broken as he doubled over from the blow.

“Move, William!”
I shouted as I saw the blade of the Shadow Warrior descend on him. William rolled with the speed of a panther. The sword missed him and hit the ground with tremendous force. A shower of sparks flew in all directions.

There was a moment of chaos that allowed me to spring toward William. My sword was now fully drawn, and I lunged at the Shadow Warrior who was making another strike as William tried to scramble to his feet. My sword found its mark, and the Shadow Warrior collapsed in an instant.

Lucius tried to give orders, but the air had left his lungs; he could only gesture toward us.

William was now on his feet with his sword drawn. We were side by side and ready to fight, though I knew this fight would be our last. The three remaining Shadow Warriors advanced quickly—then hesitated, looking past us at something approaching from behind. I did not dare turn around and see what it was.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” came Rob's familiar voice from my right. “It looks like you are in need of some assistance.”

Rob joined to my right and Barrett to William's left.

“We will fight for the Prince and for our brothers,” Barrett said.

Our brief moment of relief quickly transformed into the seriousness of battle with our brothers in arms. Rob and Barrett joined us either to save us or to die with us. There was no worse enemy than this, and we all knew it.

“Kill them!” Lucius shouted.

We took our stance and prepared for the onslaught, but they still held back.

“They were trained by the Prince,” one of the Shadow Warriors said over his shoulder. He did not take his eyes off of us.

Lucius moved forward with his sword drawn. “Attack or I will kill you myself!” he yelled to his men as he lunged toward me.

The Shadow Warriors followed … each one to one of us.

The battle began.

The rage on Lucius's face matched the fury of his sword. It was a duel to the death, and I knew I must rely on the Prince's training. Lucius was quick and cunning. Our swords met in a ferocious volley of thrusts, cuts, and slices.

The Prince had prepared me for this battle. I saw Him in every motion of my sword. My muscles had memorized the moves, and my sword seemed to know exactly what to do. I felt the Prince in my arms and hands. I gave control to Him. My sword flew to match each cut and thrust of this beast. The sword of the Prince would protect me … deliver me. My confidence during the battle was surreal; all fear was gone. I had been trained by the Master Himself—the Master of the Sword!

The close quarters of the alleyway forced the four separate
sword fights to spread out. The clashing swords echoed off the walls, which added to the intensity of the battle. I saw Rob take a cut across his shoulder, but it was not deep. He, William, and Barrett fought like the valiant warriors they were trained to be. The Shadow Warriors were huge, but we were fast and knew their tricks. The battle raged on.

Lucius thrust. I parried and countered, but he caught my cut with the flat of his sword. He quickly countered with a cut across my chest.
Whoosh!
I leaped back to miss his blade and lost my balance. I fell to my knees. Lucius pounced toward me with a vertical cut that I caught with my sword just above my head. I threw my left leg in a circular motion to trip him, and his legs flew out from under him. I seized the opportunity to scramble to my feet. Lucius recovered quickly, and we engaged our swords again.

I saw William counter a cut with a quick thrust that found its mark. The Shadow Warrior dropped his sword and clutched his chest as he fell to the ground.

William was closest to Barrett and joined him against his foe.

The fight quickly turned in our favor, and I saw the exasperation on Lucius's face grow more vivid with each passing moment. He backed off quickly as Barrett's opponent fell from a fatal wound. The last Shadow Warrior turned and ran up the alley. Lucius quickly mounted his stallion and galloped away.

“I will be back to kill all of you!” he screamed.

“Praise to the King and His Son, the Prince!” we shouted in return.

The battle was over; the Knights of the Prince had prevailed. We breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” I said to Rob and Barrett. “You came not a moment too soon.”

“I was worried when you didn't show at Barrett's, so we decided to come for you,” Rob said as Barrett bandaged his arm.

“And I'm glad you did,” William said.

He looked a mess because of the blood from his initial head wound. The bleeding had nearly stopped, and I washed the cut with clean water.

“I don't know about you, gentlemen, but I'm ready to go home,” I said.

The rush of the fight was leaving my body. I was tired … bone tired.

On our journey back south, we moved carefully, avoiding all possible contact with people.

I thought about the dark shadow that now hung over Arrethtrae. Lucius's power was going to grow with each passing day. These were becoming dark days indeed.

My Prince, when will You return?
I thought … I yearned.

TAKEN!

“Awake, Cedric!”

The words sounded hollow and distant. I tried to understand them, but my mind refused. I had found that place in sleep so deep and peaceful that one would rather have a roof fall on him than awaken. I sensed a tugging on my arm and fought to gain consciousness, but my recovery was slow.

“It is time. We must go immediately. Wake up!”

My eyes focused on the massive frame bent over me. “Keef, is that you?” I asked groggily.

“Yes, my old friend,” Keef said. “The time has come to go home. Rise up and come with me. We are all going home!”

I thought I saw him return an object to his pouch.

My limbs felt as heavy as lead, but I managed to grab his arm, and he swung me to my feet.

“It is very good to see you, Keef.” I smiled and wiped away the sleep. “What is happening?”

“It is the King. He has called us all home to His kingdom. The Silent Warriors are spread throughout the land and are gathering the Knights of the Prince this very moment. Ships are waiting for us. We must move everyone quickly and quietly before the Dark Knight discovers us.”

I wondered how Keef and the other Silent Warriors would be able to orchestrate such a rescue and exodus quietly and smoothly.

“Hurry, Cedric,” Keef said. “We must move quickly. Do not take anything except your sword. Move toward the ships at the docks. You must not speak to anyone until you reach the ships.”

“Why not?” I asked. “Shouldn't I help you gather the knights?”

“That is not possible. You see, not everyone who claims to be for the Prince will be taken. The Silent Warriors have been watching everyone claiming to be a Knight of the Prince, and we know those who are truly His followers.”

Keef read my concern as I thought of all the people I had labored to reach for the Prince. Who would be missing when I got to the ships?

“I'm sorry, Cedric,” Keef said. “I must leave now and gather more of the knights. I will see you across the sea, my friend. Take care and do not waste any time. The Prince awaits you!”

“Farewell, Keef,” I said as we exited my home.

He turned north, and I turned south toward the docks.
Please, let all my close brothers be there
.

I walked a few paces and turned back to ask Keef a final question, but he was already gone. Did he say the
Prince awaits, or was my mind still foggy with sleep?

There was a silent exodus of people out of the city. Men, women, and children sprinkled the streets and alleyways—all heading south to the docks. As I moved, I couldn't help but increase my speed with each step.

Would the Prince be waiting at the ships, or must I wait until after the voyage to see my friend, my teacher, my Lord?

I recognized most of the people silently making their way to the ships and smiled a salutation.

I stopped to help carry a little boy belonging to a family with six children. The mother and father's arms were already full of smaller sleeping children. It slowed my pace, but I did not care. We were all going home!

I wondered how we could possibly get everyone out of the city without being discovered. Surely someone would awaken and reveal our flight.

As these thoughts occupied my mind, I nearly tripped over a motionless body on the side of the street. I stopped to help, thinking this person was one of our own and was hurt. As I bent closer to the body, I realized it was a man sleeping so heavily that he nearly seemed dead.