Knights: Book 01 - The Eye of Divinity (20 page)

Vorden laughed. "I'll think it over, and let you know later."

"Vorden, I already told you..." said Lannon. His words sounded weak, and he knew his resolve had crumbled some. But if he ended up agreeing to go, the thought of taking two more Squires along did not please him at all. He could trust Vorden and Timlin, and possibly even Aldreya, yet he knew little about these two Squires--especially Jerret, who seemed somewhat cocky and was hard to figure out. Clayith, however, had always struck Lannon as being exceptionally polite, kind-hearted, and shy. Lannon had liked him from the first moment he'd met him at the training grounds. Yet could he be trusted? There was no way of knowing at this time.

"At least consider it, Lannon," said Vorden. "You know we can't do this without you--if there is actually a wheel lock down there. So if you don't go, the whole thing is done with. I want to go, and so do Jerret, Clayith, and Aldreya."

"And me!" whispered Timlin, from the doorway. "From what you said, it doesn't sound very dangerous--if it's just beneath the Temple."

"We'll see," Lannon said reluctantly. Again he glanced about, still feeling like they were being watched. Here they were, in the Library, discussing a plan to violate the Sacred Laws--with two more Squires eager to jump in on the action. The whole situation seemed very risky and ready to blow up in their faces. Couldn't Vorden see that, or had his desire to visit the Divine Essence become so strong it had clouded his judgment?

"We can talk about it tomorrow," mumbled Lannon, experiencing a deep urge to get away from this scene. "But don't get your hopes up, Vorden."

With that, Lannon left the library and headed upstairs. As he passed through the shadowy halls, a deep sadness and anxiety filled him. What had happened to his dreams of being a valiant Knight in a grand kingdom? Where was the nobility and the glory? He'd been here less than a year, and already he'd become a law-breaker in a kingdom where things seemed to be falling apart (if one could believe the countless rumors). He felt isolated and detached, floating free and lacking direction. He had always imagined Dremlock would be a place where everything was in solid order, where everyone knew where they stood and laws and rules were set in stone. Now he was seeing a place where the darkness and light seemed melded together, where devious plots were hatched while Knights were too busy or too reluctant to take notice. It disturbed him to think of what they had gotten away with so easily already. What else was going on here that went unnoticed by the Tower Masters? Just how deeply had Dremlock decayed?

The answer seemed to come to him later that night in a dream. He dreamt of the kingdom, and it appeared Dremlock was balanced on the edge of a dagger, with the flames of doom burning on either side. The wind howled down the mountainside, bringing winter's breath and blowing it into his soul. The snow became as thick as the Northern Hills, and shards of ice the size of continents shifted about, changing the face of the land. The ice became unstable, cracking and lurching, creating pockets deep within the stone, earth, snow, and mossy ruin. From out of that ice came a shadowy hand, reaching out over the land and growing ever larger.

"I am the Child of Winter," a voice said. "I lived even before the world was warmed, when nothing existed but the timeless ice."

For a moment Lannon was helpless within that grasp. All the struggles of life seemed pointless, and he longed for things to return to the purity and timelessness of before which the voice spoke of. Then the infinite darkness swallowed him and he realized the Shadow was indeed
deeper
than he could have ever imagined, even deeper than despair itself. There could be no return from such a void.

Eyes appeared in the darkness, crazed and piercing, burning into his soul. The eyes seemed all too familiar, and then he remembered the statue upon the hilltop, amid the ruins of Serenlock Castle. They were the eyes of Tenneth Bard, the Black Knight. A hand, bound in a steel gauntlet, reached forth to claim Lannon's soul.

"I've come for you, Lannon," Tenneth Bard whispered. "Soon you will wish you had died down there in Old Keep."

***

Lannon awoke from the nightmare, chilled yet sweating, with one clear realization in mind. Only the Divine Essence could exist beyond the grasp of the evil. Lannon could trust no one else, for the Deep Shadow was a clever foe, and could seize a person's soul before they realized what was happening.

When he fell asleep again, much later, he dreamt of the wondrous light in the crystal chamber. Again the Essence spoke to him, demanding he come to it, telling him it would share its secrets with him.

"Come to me swiftly!" it urged, "or all will be lost."

When Lannon awoke in the morning, that sense of urgency remained with him. He considered telling Garrin or Taris everything, but then decided that would undoubtedly ruin any chance he had of ever visiting the Divine Essence. They were great Knights, who had worked hard to gain their positions, and they would be very reluctant to break the Sacred Laws over a mere dream.

Yet Lannon knew he must go. His fears, however dark, must be put aside forever, until he attained his goal. The Deep Shadow thrived within Dremlock. No one doubted that. And Lannon had grown paranoid during the winter months, wondering if a simple stare in his direction was sinister in nature or if a shadowy figure on the wooded trail at dusk would mean his doom. His friends felt it too. The rumors had gotten to them as well, and like Lannon, they too looked to Dremlock's god-king for help.

He needed to know more about the Eye of Divinity and how it could combat the evil. He needed to know if there was anyone left in Dremlock he could trust. And he needed to know just what his destiny was.

Kuran Darkender had dreamt of the Divine Essence. He had acted on that dream, and Dremlock Kingdom had been born.

Only the Divine Essence could give Lannon the answers he sought.

Chapter 11:
 
The Fire and the Shadow

Four days passed after Lannon's dream, and still Vorden made no specific plans to visit the Divine Essence. The tables had turned, and now Lannon was the one trying to persuade Vorden to go. Yet Vorden seemed detached and uninterested in anything but his training. Meanwhile, Lannon grew ever more impatient. The dream stayed fresh in his mind, and each night in his sleep he believed he could feel the Divine Essence calling to him, demanding he come to it. His need to visit the god-king became overwhelming, crushing any lingering doubts or fears.

"Why are we waiting so long?" Lannon finally asked Vorden one evening. "We should get this over with."

Vorden shook his head. "Something's wrong, Lannon. Why would Jerret and Clayith want to go with us? They can't really sneak out of their quarters like we can, because they bunk with the other Squires. Jerret might be brash enough to try it, but Clayith--that's just not like him. I have a bad feeling about this."

"So we're not going?" Lannon shook his head. "This is ridiculous, Vorden. Now that I'm all ready and everything, you change your mind."

"What are you talking about?" said Vorden. "You're the one who didn't want to do this. What changed
your
mind?"

Lannon shrugged. "It's not important." He didn't know if he should tell Vorden of his dream or not, but he doubted it would make any difference either way. Vorden did things to suite his own needs.

"Why not go without them?" said Timlin. "We could go tonight, and they'd never know about it." He seemed strangely eager to try this adventure, considering how terrified he'd been down in the mines.

"That's a great idea!" said Lannon.

"No, it isn't," said Vorden. "They might have already told on us, and then someone might be waiting at the Temple to catch us sneaking in. I want to see the Divine Essence as bad as you do, Lannon. Maybe more so, since I came up with the idea. But I think we need to wait a while--maybe even a month or two."

"A month?" said Lannon. "I can't wait a month!"

Vorden gave him a piercing stare. "What's wrong with you, Lannon? You don't seem like yourself lately."

Lannon thought about it. He certainly didn't feel like himself. He felt scared and isolated, overflowing with anxiety. He needed to talk to someone he could trust, and the only one he could think of was the Divine Essence, which he felt was the answer to all his problems. He had seen nothing of Taris or Furlus lately, and Garrin seemed distant, as if he had much on his mind.

"Alright," Lannon said, swallowing hard. "I guess we wait."

Vorden nodded. "What else can we do?"

Even as Vorden finished that statement, the door to their room was yanked open and in stepped Jerret and Clayith. They wore armor and weapons (which was perfectly acceptable in Dremlock--and even encouraged, since the Knights wanted the Squires to get used to such adornments). It was snowing hard outside, and they were covered in heavy flakes and panting hard.

Jerret nodded to them, grinning.

For a moment there was total silence in the room, and nobody moved. Then Jerret fixed his gaze on Vorden.

"So are we doing this or not, Vorden? I'm tired of waiting."

"I don't think so," said Vorden, choosing his words carefully. Casually he signaled to Timlin--a hand sign the Squires had just recently learned that meant
passage check
. Timlin hopped up and went to the door, peering out. He gave a quick signal back indicating the hallway was clear.

This bit of silent communication had not gone unnoticed by Jerret. "So you don't trust us," he said, with a humorless smile.
 
"I thought that was it. Why didn't you tell us that from the start, instead of wasting our time?"

"It's not that," said Vorden. "I'm just wondering how you two can pull this off. Won't the other Squires notice you're missing?"

 
Jerret smiled. "Probably. But what's the big deal? We'll just get in trouble, and have to do cleaning chores and the like for a while. But I think it's worth it. You three aren't the only ones sneaking around--Squires do it a lot. I think the Knights are really distracted right now and don't notice what's going on right under their noses. Cartlan's supposed to do a count on us each evening, but he usually doesn't bother."

"What if they search for you?" said Vorden.

"They won't," said Jerret. "I can guarantee it. They're not going to waste time looking for us." He laughed. "You really have been living in a cave! Do you think they'll awaken the High Council and send a legion of Knights to find us? If they even find out we're gone, they'll just wait until we come back to punish us."

Vorden's face burned red with embarrassment. "I was just trying to cover everything, Jerret. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"Sure," said Jerret. "So are we in, or not?"

"One more question," said Vorden. "The West Tower has door guards. How'd you get past them?"

Jerret chuckled. "We never went back after training. We've been hiding out in the woods all evening, freezing our skin off."

Vorden sighed. "This doesn't look good, Jerret."

"We took a risk," said Jerret, "and we're probably going to be in trouble. But that's our problem, not yours. So at least make it worth our while."

"Yeah," said Clayith. "Make it worth our while, Vorden."

Vorden fell silent for a time. Then he said, "Alright, we'll do it--but only if Lannon and Timlin agree. I'm not their boss or anything."

"I want to go," said Timlin. "I don't care what happened last time. This time it's going to be better. We're going to see the Divine Essence!"

"Let's just get going," said Lannon. He pulled his weapons and armor from beneath his bed and started putting them on.

"I guess it's decided then," said Vorden, nodding with approval at Lannon. "Looks like you're leading this adventure."

Lannon shrugged. "I don't care who leads. I just have to see the Divine Essence, and I'm not turning back until I do."

Clayith was staring intently at Lannon. He smiled, and Lannon thought Clayith looked like a bird of prey, with his hooknose and pointy chin. Clayith was the largest and strongest of all the Squires. But accompanying that physical strength was a gentleness that ran as deep as any Lannon had ever seen. Clayith saved drowning moths from water pools, and he defended any small creatures (even bugs) the other Squires sought to maim or squash. He always spoke in a soft voice, and never seemed to think very highly of himself but always gave praise to others.

Lannon had often wondered how, when the time came, Clayith would be able to kill. For wasn't that what Knights always did--
kill Goblins?
What were the Knights thinking when they chose Clayith Ironback, who would not hurt a bee that stung him? Had they somehow missed seeing that huge part of his personality, or had Clayith disguised it from them?

"Just tell me what to do, Lannon," said Clayith.

Lannon laughed, and marveled at his own progress. Less than a year before he had been an isolated lad with no friends. Now he had someone looking up to him, thinking of him as a leader.

"That's okay, Clayith," he said. "I'm not actually in charge here."

"A skull-and-bones formation, then," Clayith said, chuckling.

"Huh?" said Lannon.

Clayith frowned. "Its...leaderless. That's what I meant. A dead unit, so to speak." Clayith shook his head, as if to clear it. "I don't care!" he muttered, half under his breath, and then turned away.

"Are you okay?" said Lannon.

Clayith turned back, smiling in his kindly way. "I'm sorry, Lannon. Sometimes my thoughts get mixed up. Its...the dark."

"The dark?" said Lannon.

Clayith cleared his throat. "I mean--that's what I call it when I blank out."

"Clayith's crazy," said Jerret, with a laugh. "He talks to himself sometimes, like an old man. Don't worry about it, Lannon. He's totally harmless."

Lannon nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "It's alright. I don't mind if you do that, Clayith."

Clayith's mouth formed the words
dead unit
one more time, and then he clamped his lips together for a moment, before adding, "I'm watching your back, Lannon. Let's go!"

"What's our plan?" said Jerret.

Vorden thought for a moment. Then he looked to Lannon and said, "It's your call this time. What should we do?"

Lannon hesitated, thinking carefully. He tried hard to come up with something brilliant, while the others fidgeted impatiently, but at last he gave up and settled for something simple. "We should split up, at first," he said. "Jerret and Clayith can go on to the Temple and wait for us. Then, after a bit, we'll follow them. Once we're all at the Temple, Timlin can sneak in and check the place over. If it's clear, we'll all go in and...I guess just go on from there together."

"Why split up at first?" said Jerret, with a look of distrust.

"We won't get in as much trouble if we're caught," said Lannon. "It would look very suspicious if Blue and Red Squires were all sneaking around in one group. And our best chance to be seen is when we're journeying to the Temple."

Jerret nodded. "I guess that's true."

"Good plan," Vorden said. "But what about Aldreya?"

"She's in the Library," said Jerret. "We saw her on the way up. Should we have her go with us, or should we just forget about her?"

"She can go with us," said Vorden.

"She's pretty," said Jerret, smiling. "She can go with me and Clayith."

"She's from the East Tower," said Vorden, giving him a hard stare. "If you two got caught with her, the Knights would know something's up."

"Is that your real reason?" said Jerret. "Or are you afraid I'll ruin your chance to get close to her?"

Vorden's face was stony. "What are you talking about, Jerret? Have you ever heard of the Sacred Laws?"

"Sure," said Jerret. "But they don't mean much, apparently. We're going to be breaking them anyways."

"Show some manners," Vorden said coldly, straightening his clothes. "I have no interest in Aldreya other than...for the sake of this mission, I guess."

"You're a tough one to figure out, Vorden," said Jerret, "Sometimes you seem cut from rough cloth, and other times you seem like some well-to-do snob with your neat hair and talk of manners. I can’t understand you."

"Why?" said Vorden. "Because I believe in what Dremlock stands for, even if I'm forced to break the Sacred Laws when I know it's the right thing to do? I just don't like what you're hinting at."

"Fine," said Jerret, with a shrug. "I guess I won't mention it again." Then he mumbled, "I must have touched a sore spot or something."

Vorden glared, his hands knotted into fists.

"Anyways," said Lannon, in an effort to change the subject before the situation turned ugly, "I just hope the hidden passage to the Divine Essence isn't guarded by those Dark Knights like that Garndon fellow."

"Dark Knights?" said Jerret, with wide eyes.

Clayith stepped forward, staring at Lannon with an odd, troubled expression--as if Lannon had said something confusing or appalling.

"Don't say such things!" Clayith hissed.

"Never mind," said Lannon, feeling his body recoil. Something about Clayith's expression, or way of standing, made Lannon feel almost physically ill. Did Clayith hold some hidden, important knowledge?

"I guess I wasn't supposed to mention that," Lannon added. "So forget I said anything about Dark--"

"Quiet!" Clayith put his finger to his lips.

"You're better off not knowing," said Timlin to Jerret, with a giggle. "That's our secret. Right, Lannon? Right, Vorden?"

"Not anymore," said Vorden, sighing.

After Jerret and Clayith left, the Blue Squires sat around for a while talking things over. The wind howled fiercely outside the tower, and now and then puffs of glittering snow would blow in from beneath the window shutters. They agreed that the Red Squires seemed trustworthy--though all three boys noted that Clayith seemed to be acting a bit strangely. But Clayith always had been somewhat quiet, and they reasoned that this was probably just a side to him they had never seen before. He was, after all, the kindest Squire any of them knew.