Bloodless Knights (11 page)

Ash
motioned Jadorion to stay where he was then he and I moved around the side near
the willows. Just as we were about to “pounce” on the unsuspecting soldier, a
harsh sounding voice came from the boat.

“Who
goes there?” Asher and I froze in our hiding places. I recognized the voice
immediately as belonging to Aximos Tuttle; a dear friend of mine. I quickly
debated in my mind whether or not to trust him. I realized it was three against
one and Aximos would probably cower to his superior officers.

“Aximos?”
I whispered, “Its Tristen, Asher, and Jadorion. We could use thy help.” I
decided to stay covered by willows until I knew just what Aximos was going to
do. I waited to hear a drum but there was simply silence.

“Well,
then, come on out of the shadows and get in this boat!” Aximos demanded as the
boat came toward us. “What are ye boys doing out here? I figured everyone went
to hide from that despicable dragon.”

Aximos
spoke to us as if he had no idea what had been happening in the kingdom for the
past few days. I could barely see the outline of his face in the dark with the
crazy hair pattern growing all over his chin.

Aximos
was probably the oldest soldier in the palaces army. He had seen the most
battles and suffered through more loss and bloodshed than any other. He would
never let on that he had been affected by it. Even when his devoted wife had
passed away before he returned from war, he didn’t shed one tear in the sight
of anyone.

Asher
and Jadorion carefully climbed on the boat while I held it steady. Aximos stayed
seated on his chair, his hat keeping the rain off his face as he slowly rowed
the boat.

“We
are escaping from jail, Axi.” I plainly stated. Aximos laughed heartily.

The
thick silence hovering around the boat quickly devoured Aximos’ laugh. “Are ye
serious?” The man asked sternly.

I
put myself on the boat as gently as I could. I had apparently rocked it enough
with my revelation. After sitting on a small wooden bench, I touched Aximos’
rough hand and said, “Aye, Axi. My father has completely lost his mind and
threw two of his soldiers in the can. Jadorion bailed us out and here we are.”
I tried to make a funny joke of it, but saying it out loud infuriated me
further.

“So,
let me get this right son, thou art escaping from yourn own castle?” Axi
whistled lowly. “That’s some crazy shite!”

It
was my turn to laugh. I did so lightly. I was in an unhappy mood, “Aye my,
friend. I can’t believe it myself.”

Aximos
gently glided the boat to the end of the moat opposite where we boarded. He
assured us he would keep our departure under wraps and wished us a safe
journey. Before I knew it, he was back to his pathway on the water. He was a
great soldier, always doing his job. I suddenly wished I had told him so before
he cruised away.

As
soon as our feet touched the dirt knoll, we hurried away from the water. Asher
and Jadorion had been as quiet as mice in a cat house. I decided to ask
Jadorion again the question that had been burning my brain to ash, “Jad, ye
gave my message to m’lady?”

Jadorion’s
long legs speedily carried him over the rocky terrain, “No, Tristen.” He
stopped and looked at me through the dark, “When I left the sewer I told the
friar I was s’posed to get a message out for ye. He asked me what it was and
said he would do it. I told him, then he left so I ‘sumed he delivered the
message.”

Dread
filled my soul. I felt punched in the gut knowing there was probably zero
chance the friar had spoke to Vivian. I walked ahead of the men. Rain poured
over me and after looking around for a suitable place to think. I stopped under
an oak tree with large leafless branches and sat on the muddy ground with my
back pressed against the hard, sappy wood of the tree. I was soaked to the bone
and didn’t care about rubbing mud into the mix.

I
pulled my knees close to my chest, rested my forearms on my thighs, then placed
my forehead in my hands and pondered which direction I should go. I didn’t
think Vivian would have waited this long for me at the tree but I didn’t want
to leave her waiting if she had. I knew that Patrious was waiting for me as
well but Vivian was my most important concern. I would lose a lot of time going
to the Lists when I needed to go the opposite direction to meet the army. I was
confused and lost. I wished against hope that Vivian would still be at the Lists.

Then
I wondered if friar had in fact given her the message. If Vivian was waiting at
my home then I needed to go there. I wanted to go ask Friar Thespis if he had
reached her but I knew I couldn’t risk going back to the castle and being
caught again.

Asher
approached me with Jadorion cowering behind him, appearing almost scared to
face me. Asher squatted down in the mud next to me and cleared his throat. “The
kiddle and I are going to the Lists to see if yourn lady is there. Go home and
get everything ye need for our journey and also check if yourn lady went there.
Once Jad and I survey the area, we will return to yourn home so wait there for
us. Ye have helped both of us and been a good friend to me for a long time.
We’re going with ye no matter where ye go.” Ash patted my shoulder and stood up
with his hand held out toward me.

I
grabbed his rough, moist hand and stood up. Tears of relief threatened to fall
from my tired eyes but I kept them locked behind my lashes. In my tired state,
it hadn’t occurred to me to engage my friends in helping me but I was happy
they volunteered.

I
sauntered toward Jadorion and took his hand in mine. I gave it a firm shake,
thanked him and told him to be strong. His teeth lit up the dark and I knew he
was relieved I forgave him for letting me down.

“Time’s
wasting. Let’s go. If we aren’t at yourn house in two hours, please leave us,
and we will go find Patrious.” Asher put his hand on Jadorion’s shoulder. The
men looked at me then turned and walked the direction of the Lists.

I
headed toward home and cursed at the downpour that made the rocks and tree
roots feel like daggers under my aching feet. I suddenly felt blessed for all
the times I had my horse with me and I wished for one now. Walking seemed like
a tedious waste of time. I whistled a bit to keep my spirit in check. It wasn’t
long before I realized I had just escaped from jail and it may serve me well to
keep my mouth shut. That thought made me chuckle. I noticed the mud and felt a
deep cold that made me pull my light cloak tighter. I laughed again thinking
that anyone in their right mind wouldn’t be out on this night, but then again I
knew that at least three of us were. I quickened my pace but kept as silent as
I could.

After
traveling about a league and not seeing one soul, I observed the outline of my
home. Something seemed out-of-sorts. As I approached the gate, I noticed that a
part of the house seemed to be missing. I rubbed my eyes, blaming lack of sleep
for playing tricks on me but as I got even closer I could tell there was a
serious problem with the front kitchen area. I admitted to myself that as lack
of sleep may affect my eyesight, it certainly wouldn’t cause me to make up the
pungent aroma of burnt wood and the sound of stones and masonry falling around.

I
circled round the house and expelled a defeated sigh. I thought to call
Vivian’s name but the sight of burned embers and exposed beams made me believe
that she probably wasn’t lingering in the mess. All I could do was stand with
my fists clenched and grinding my teeth together in anger. The home I had
worked so hard to perfect had been violently torn apart by the fingers of
flame. The woman I felt drawn to was being ever pulled away from me. My brother
was dead. My mother was dying and my father hated me. I did all I could think
to do, and fell to my knees in prayer to my Lord.

As
a knight of the kingdom, I was required to pray often. Praying wasn’t new to
me, but praying in cold mud was an experience I didn’t enjoy and didn’t want to
continue either. As I was about to stand, I could hear the hooves of a horse
approaching. The horse seemed to be meandering. The steps would get louder and
softer. I stepped behind the large trunk of my favorite oak tree and peeked
around the jagged bark as I heard the hooves grow louder in the sloshing mud.

In
the darkness all I could see was the shape of a horse that appeared to be
packed down. There was no rider but I wanted to stay incognito until I knew it
was a lone horse sans a companion. The horse stood still for a few moments then
headed right toward me. I held my ground, knowing full good and well that he
had caught my scent. As the horse came closer, I approached him; Flash had
returned home without Vivian.

I
reached out my hand to pat Flash’s head and it occurred to me that in just a
few short hours, the gelding and I had become a team. He seemed to take to me
and I was happy to see him. I still felt sad over Glory and I knew Flash could
never fill his horseshoes, but it seemed like he was sure going to give it a
try.

I
could see by the packs on Flash’s flank that Vivian had indeed prepared to meet
me at the Lists. I couldn’t imagine why he was here without her. Why wouldn’t
she take a horse loaded with supplies? Would she really leave a horse and walk
away to wherever she went? It seemed Thespis never delivered the message to
her, but what if he had and her response was to leave me for good? What if the
dragon or big cat had got to her? I felt helpless as my mind shuffled through
many questions and no answers. What I would give for Flash to open his lips and
speak to me.

“Where
is Vivian?” I knew Flash wouldn’t answer me but I decided to ask anyway. I
deceivingly hoped it would help me feel better. Of course, the damp horse stood
silent in the mud. It seemed the rain was letting up, but the chill in the air
was not – if anything it was getting colder.

Although
Flash returned home unassisted, I didn’t want him to wander away so I took him
to the barn to dry and rest on some crisp hay. The barn seemed to be the way I
left it and nobody was inside.

I
went to what was left of my house in search of dry clothes. I found a candle
and lit the wick with a beam that was still slightly glowing from dragon arson.
The light exposed a menagerie of twisted wood and piles of stone. The few
belongings I owned that had been stored in the dismantled area of the home were
either disheveled or completely destroyed. Walking through the devastation
impressed upon me that belongings and fine houses could be ruined at any moment
in time. My thoughts turned to Vivian. I had no idea where she was and no idea
where she was going. I didn’t even know which direction to turn that would
possibly take me to her. That was the thought that tore through me the deepest:
losing a person from my life who I valued more than any of the belongings I was
standing amidst.

My
feet unwittingly dragged me to the hill of rubble where the fireplace had been.
I remembered the smell of Vivian’s delectable baking bread and the tea she
heated in the morning. Images of her silky hair, glossy green eyes, high
cheekbones and divine smile, ran too speedily through my thoughts. If only I
could grab the memory between my fingers, I would hold that moment forever.

I
let myself dwell for a while longer. I noticed my armoire was slightly ajar and
made way toward it. I reached for the swirly-shaped iron handle. It was
slightly warm but I pulled it open anyway. A few of my training swords were
inside, as well as some chainmail and pieces of armor I had used as a squire.
There was also a lot of clean, but most important,
dry
clothing inside.
They smelled like a campfire, but didn’t appear to be burned. I was used to the
campfire smell and it didn’t bother me anymore. As a young lad I would play a
game with Brendan called “Smoke Monster”. It wasn’t a complicated game; we
would simply run around a fire trying to avoid getting caught in the smoke. We
would ask our mum to be the judge of who smelled most like cedar and flame; she
would always tell us that she couldn’t decide and we would simply call a tie.
Silly childish game, but remembering it at this time made me long for the
simple and easy diversions of childhood.

I
rested the candle inside of the armoire, careful not to burn anything that
hadn’t already been. My frozen hands peeled away the drenched clothing that
hung heavily around my frame. The chilly air swept over my skin like a blanket
of hot needles. I shivered and drew in a long, painfully cold breath. With
spring bearing upon us, the sudden frigid winter-like cold was a rarity indeed.

Pulling
on a light tunic and a dark pair of leggings warmed my bones slightly. I found
some green woolen socks my mother had made me and searched for boots. There
were none to see. I guessed that Vivian had packed them with the other things.
I also noticed my armor wasn’t anywhere and hoped she had cased that as well.

I
chose my favorite sword from the bunch; a long and ornately engraved piece I
had never used in battle, but for show. It was sharp and functional and
appeared heavy but was actually peculiarly light. Blacksmith, Ladamar, had
forged it for me as a gift upon the defeat of Ravenal, a place he detested
because soldiers who had slaughtered his parents had been from the city. When
Ladamar gave the sword to me, he had said there were no words to thank me so he
forged a sword named ‘Words’ hoping that Words would protect me forever.