Bloodless Knights (15 page)

The
speaking representative of the party sounded offended when saying, “Aye your
majesty, we shall move along. We are already on an important hunt, and for
yourn information, if ye see them there is a
ten-thousand pound
reward
for the return of the bodies: dead or alive. Hear me? Ten thousand pounds!”

My
head spun when I heard the bounty. I pressed my eyelids together and breathed
slowly. The amount of money over my head was an insane amount. I waited for a
man in the group to betray us, but all remained quiet.

Patrious
broke the silence, “Now
that
is a lot of money. Why so much for a few
men? What is their crime?”

“Your
majesty, I mean no disrespect when I say that is none of yourn concern.
However, I will pass along to thee that they are wanted for treason, and that
shall be good enough. Why dost thou entire crew rides with covered faces?” The
man whined.

“Ye
may bid why, but that is none of
yourn
concern! Further, mind thy
manners whilst around a proper king!” Patrious snapped at the man in a tone
that could tear boards off a building. “That must be serious treason for such a
reward. Also the fact that ye search for mere men, while a beast hovers over
us, tells me these men must be valuable indeed! We shall keep our eyes open for
them. In the meantime, we have work that must be done, so if thou wilt excuse
us. Good den.” I could see the hooves of the horses around me begin to move. I
coaxed Flash forward. We rode deeper into the village toward the bay.

When
we had ridden far enough that I expected we would not be seen, I removed the
hood from my head. We rode near the bay toward the small forest that sheltered
the northern side of the village. Many men were already sawing logs and loading
horse carts with wood. The closer we got, the better I could see the forest.
Numerous canvas tents were pitched; the army had posted camp under the pines. I
knew this was an entirely smart idea constructed by the king. The forest was
easy to protect, the dragon could not attack from above, but the best part was
that my father’s soldiers had no idea the camp was here and it could not be
seen from anywhere.

Patrious
stopped near a short, hairy, old man who barked orders at everyone. The man
quieted and bowed when he stopped screaming long enough to realize the king had
approached. I was too far away to hear their conversation, but the man kept
nodding as Patrious spoke.

Sawdust
was thick in the air, coating my lungs but I moved closer toward the king.

“Brilliant!”
I called as I rode toward Patrious’ left side. Both men offered inquiring looks
my way. “This campsite is perfectly executed.” Falling trees and continuous
sawing created a ruckus I had to yell over to be heard.

Patrious
chuckled, “I’m not a king for naught, sir.” I looked at the little man and
recognized the head fishmonger, Tendril Hudgkins.

I
felt rude staying atop my horse, so I hopped to the ground and firmly shook the
man’s rough and tiny fingers. The fingers were scarred and twisted from many
years of fishing. Sawdust covered his hair and his entire woolen attire. “Dear
Tristen! It’s been ages since I’ve seen the licks on yourn mug! I hear yourn
gonna save us all!”

“Tendril,
ye old coot! I appreciate King Patrious’ confidence in me. With everyone
working together we will resolve the problem.” Tendril’s toothless mouth turned
upward in the best grin he could offer.

“Yourn
a hero, Tristen, everyone knowest that to be true.” Tendril’s smile remained in
place on his face as he continued shaking my hand. The man’s wrinkled, scarred
cheeks were rosy in the cold, “Oh I’m so happy to see ye, lad!” He gave me a
big, awkward hug that made Patrious smile, and I’m sure I blushed.

The
rest of the men from our group, including Asher and Jadorion, had caught up to
us. Valen rode next to Patrious and leaned toward him to whisper something.
Patrious squinted his eyes, but nodded, and said something back. Valen nodded
and responded. The smile on Patrious’ face vanished; he seemed upset. He
scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

“Tendril,
I’m afraid I have some bad news. New information has come to my attention that
we must change our itinerary. I knoweth I promised these men could stay here to
build, and they will still be given that option, but Tristen and I must be on
our way with whoever will follow.” Patrious finally jumped from his horse and
bent down slightly to look Tendril in the eyes, “I will offer all the help I
can. I understand the importance of the boats.”

Tendril
reached up to touch Patrious’ shoulder, “Ye men do what needs to be done. Don’t
worry about us; we will make-do.”

Patrious
stood tall and looked around at the men who were sawing wood and loading carts.
He looked at the bosky landscape of the forest to the vast gathering of white
tents. After a spell, he looked at me with concern, “I’m worried as to how to
precede here, Tristen. Would ye mind walking with me for a bit?”

“I
will follow thee, your majesty.” We excused ourselves from the group and walked
toward the bay. More of the water was frozen than I had noticed from the
previous day. I continued to worry about the cold but kept it to myself. Hooks
and nets laid abandoned among rocks and weeds on a well-used beach made of
dirt.

As
we walked, I inquired, “Your majesty, may I bid how thy wound is healing?”

The
king stopped a moment, and gave me an odd look. He smiled, “Oh! That? I visited
the apothecary at thy kingdom and was rightly fixed up. I entirely forgot about
the hurt until you mentioned it.”

“That’s
great news. Very glad to hear thou art on the mend.” I widened my steps to
close the gap between us.

Patrious
stopped at the water’s edge and gazed across the tarn toward Hereford, his
captured home. He took in a large amount of air through his nose then exhaled
quickly with a large visible puff, “Tristen, I’m worried what may happen to
thee when more persons hear of the bounty amount over thy head. Valen just told
me that he overheard a few of my personal guard’s state they would like to turn
ye over. With the amount of money being offered, these men could retire and
live a wonderful life for the remainder of their days. I’m interested in any
thoughts ye may have about this. We need ye, but thy safety is of utmost
importance!”

The
man turned to face me. His eyes looked older and sadder than they did when we
met. I knew he must be missing his wife and daughters as much as I was missing
Vivian. I was certain he was driving himself mad with worry over their
whereabouts. Anger swelled in me over what this dragon was putting us through.
I couldn’t wait to get my sword through him.

“Before
I answer this, I must bid who Valen is. I was taken aback that he was with
thee.” Patrious nodded.

“Valen
Hawthorne is my tax collector and first in command of my army. He has traveled
more places than anyone I’ve known but decided to remain in my kingdom for the
past three years. I trust him wholly, and would suggest that ye can as well. I
asked him to bunk next to thee last night because I was worried something would
go amiss. I’m not happy that I was right but at least he was there to get ye
out safely. Does this satisfy thy curiosity of him?”

I
thought for a moment, “Aye, it does. Now in response to what we shall do about
me? I will not hide in shame but I will be smart. If anyone may try to turn me
over for an award, they will have to be sure I’m dead. I will travel with thee
by day and venture with my crew by night. This way I can be sure I’m safe.”

Patrious
scratched his beard, “I should be completely honest with thee, Tristen.”

Fear
leapt into my chest, but I stared directly at the man. I kept my face still, as
not to show my surprise, “Honest? Hast thou not been honest?”

“Well,
perchance that wasn’t the correct way to state that. Maybe I should have said
‘I will give ye all the facts I knoweth’. Before ye were arrested, the Friar
approached me, saying he had information from a person’s confession that
provided the answer to this riddle. He told me that
ye
art the puzzle
piece to make us whole again and that
ye
must survive this mission at
all costs. He acted odd when he told me, and would not provide details, but he
was extremely adamant that
ye
can slay the dragon. I do not challenge
the authority of our church leaders so I must believe him.” Patrious looked across
the water again.

I
knew I had a ridiculous look on my face because I felt completely confused and
stunned. The fact that someone had confessed to the Friar that they knew what
was happening, or at least thought they knew, was deeply unsettling to me. I
joined the King in staring at his home. “Let us be on our way dear king. The
day is wasting and we have much to do.”

He
nodded and we returned to our waiting horses. The other men had found work to
do and scattered in various directions. When Patrious neared his horse he
uttered, “Oh, ya! There is something I’ve forgotten.”

I
grimaced, hoping he wasn’t about to report more hidden agendas. He didn’t
speak, just opened his quiver that was emptied of arrows, and drew my sword
from it. He placed it across my waiting hands and smiled, “Back where the
beauty belongs.”

“Grammarcy.”
I whispered. Many bloody battles flooded my mind as I held the sword. As much
as I wore the blade with pride, it was also with shame at the lives I had taken
in the quest for peace. I hung the weapon at my side and climbed upon Flash.

I
pulled my boot straps tight and repressed a sudden anxious urge to explode. The
madness had to end, including finding Vivian. I was tired of the helpless
feeling I had regarding the woman. I wanted action!

“We
need food.” Patrious bellowed. “Follow me.”

We
rode into the forest where the inviting smell of fire and frying meat permeated
the air. The trees were thick until we came to a thin stream that flowed to the
bay. A large clearing was packed with loud men of all ages and sizes, gathered
around the fire waiting for food. Three men cooked fish as fast as they could
in lard-coated pans. The sweet aroma of biscuits filled the glen. I suddenly
felt starved.

Asher
was laughing with some men I did not know. Jadorion was seated on a fallen tree
near Phinus, who I hadn’t seen since the tournament. I waved at him. He smiled,
waved and called, “Hiya, Sir Tristen! I’m so glad to see thee!” I knew when I
saw the men around us eyeing me and then whispering ending with silence that
word had already spread like fire on whale oil; there was no controlling it.

The
speedy silence was unsettling. All eyes were on me. Patrious was still close
enough that he saw what happened. His authoritative voice boomed in the
clearing, “Aye, this is Lord Tristen, in the flesh! Take a good look at him.
Thy allegiance is to him before me. If any here cannot live by that creed,
leave now!”

The
king waited for deserters. Nobody moved. “Very well then, carry about thy
business and let us eat our breakfast!” Patrious jumped from his horse speedily
enough that he almost fell to the ground. He waved to some men, shook some
hands, but never stopped rushing toward the food. As I followed behind him, I
received pats on the back and handshakes as well. I found there were actually
many men in the crowd who I recognized. Some were friendly, a few were not, but
I felt slightly better knowing that a few soldiers knew the situation with my
father and they would be quick to watch my back.

We
finally made it to the food line where a tall, dark-haired man placed in my
hand a large, flat stone covered with food. The hot, garlicky fish barely
touched my tongue before I swallowed it. When my belly was full, I was ready to
leave Bendixon. I found Asher in the crowd, “Sir, we’re leaving as soon as ye
eat.”

Asher
looked startled, “What? Aren’t we rebuilding the village?”

“Some
are, but we are going ahead while Patrious discusses options with the men.” I
fibbed. I hadn’t discussed my plan with Patrious but I was going to do what was
best. As I had assessed the group, I decided that Asher, Jadorion and I would
ride on to St. Anthony’s town ahead of the rest. I wasn’t feeling comfortable
with the idea of traveling with a crowd comprised of too many unknown faces.

Asher
nodded, and then went to talk to Jadorion, while I turned to approach the king
who was sitting with Valen and some other soldiers.

“Your
majesty, a word?” I signaled with my head toward a vacant spot in the clearing.
He nodded, finishing the last of his food and disposing of the stone he held on
his lap.

Patrious’
booted feet silently touched the ground as each step brought him closer to me,
“What is it, Sir?”

I
lowered my voice and tried to keep my garlicky breath out of the king’s face,
“Your majesty, I’m going to take my men and ride ahead to St. Anthony’s town
while ye discuss the plan with the soldiers. I believe I would feel safer
riding with persons that I trust. We will stay at the inn there and wait for
thee. I don’t want to tempt anyone to betray us.”

A
long pause wedged between us before Patrious sighed, “Aye, Tristen, I imagine
thou art correct about going ahead, but I would feel better if ye took some
more men with thee.”