Bloodless Knights (18 page)

As
I was about to put the final duck scrap into my mouth, Asher and Felicia walked
hand-in-hand through the front door. Asher seemed concerned but Felicia’s
radiant smile had found its way back to her pretty lips. I decided at this
moment that Asher was a lucky man, but if I could find Vivian, I would be the
luckiest of all men.

I
chewed the duck and rested the weighty fork on the table. Asher walked toward
us. Felicia politely waved at us then walked to the bar. When Asher saw the
duck at his table space, he smiled. He looked at me with same concerned
expression, while placing his overturned chair back at the table. He sat down
with a sigh.

“Grammarcy
for the food, sir.” He patted my right shoulder and reached for his fork with
the other hand. He slowly ate the duck, contemplating each piece. He was
extremely quiet and I knew from his demeanor that something was out-of-sorts. I
wanted to burst out and demand he tell me what was on his mind, but I knew he
was as hungry as I was so I let him eat.

Jadorion,
however, was not as polite as I. “So, Sir Ash? What happened with ye an’ the
missus?”

“Jadorion!
Let the man eat! I’m sure when he feels appropriate, he will converse.” I
almost smacked the back of Jadorion’s head, but after our jovial encounter a
few moments prior, it seemed inappropriate.

Asher
continued chewing, and then took a long pull from his beer mug. He swallowed,
loudly clearing his throat. He hunched his shoulders and pushed out another
long sigh from the bottom of his belly. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid I’m going to
have to leave thy cause. My wife wants me to stay here with her. She told me
that when I was arrested she went to see me. Sir Dorian told her I had been
dragged away and murdered, and that she should leave hastily unless she wanted
to meet the same fate. She went to our shack, got my horse and rode here. I
have to stay. She said if I leave that we are no longer married. I can’t have
that.”

I
wiped my eye with the back of my hand and yawned. Fatigue had set-in and the
last thing I wanted to hear was that I was losing an important member of my
quest.

Asher
went on, only in a whisper, “Tristen, ye will always be my leader! My friend! I
do not throw away people from my life. Ye will always be an important person.”
He turned to Jadorion, “And ye, my boy, are like the little brother I never
had. I will value thee as a friend until death.”

Jadorion’s
lip quivered slightly. I yawned again in attempt to cover my concern. “Sir, if
it is thy choice to remain here, that is up to thee. May I remind thee though,
that thou art a wanted man? Ye best be on guard that thy lady doesn’t give away
what has happened in thy life. Also, when Dow soldiers come through this city,
if
they are not already here
, thou wilt want to be sure they do not recognize
thee.”

“Grammarcy,
sir. I knowest thy only interest is our well-being. I thought this through with
Felicia and decided to stay with her. I’m sure ye understand, Tristen! If ye
could have yourn lady back, ye would sacrifice all for her as well.” Asher
picked at the duck with his fork. He had apparently lost his appetite.

I
had to admit that Asher had a valid point. If Vivian had been in the tavern, I
would have grabbed her hand, gathered my things and took the lady on a ride to
far-away-from-here. He was correct; I understood.

“Well,
sir, it’s not my place to tell thee what to do. Ye owe naught, as our rules
have now changed due to this odd situation, therefore go where ye please. I
simply bid that thou art sure this is what ye want.”

Asher
glared at me, “Sir Tristen, of course this isn’t what I choose to do but I need
to be with my lady. I’m not being a coward. I would go with ye but I can’t turn
on her again. See sir, she’s with child.” He whispered the last word. We paused
as we let it sink in then congratulated him. I was proud that neither Jadorion
nor I let the skepticism on our faces be heard in our tones.

Asher
grinned, raising his brows with a memory, “That reminds me sir! Felicia told me
that a few soldiers from Denoi were here this morrow. They were out-of-sorts
about the men in their camp dying. Said that they had been in the woods
chopping firewood, and upon their return, saw their comrades corralled in a
circle around the fire. Apparently a large, orange and black striped cat was
sauntering around the circle. If anyone tried to move, the bloody thing would
roar at them. Supposedly nobody misbehaved, and a black man served them soup
from a pot, as he questioned them separately. The loggers didn’t like the
situation so they watched the going-ons from the bushes, but fell asleep before
they saw what happened.

“When
the sun arose, they woke up and noticed that nobody was around. The men checked
on their crew, only to find they had died.” Asher paused to eat another glossy
bit of duck.

“The
soldiers who visited here claim to have heard no noises and were not awakened
before the morrow. Felicia said the men were terrified. They only remained here
long enough to eat and drink, and then they left for home. There is a strong
feeling in this place that a dark magic is over the land. Everyone is scared.
What do ye make of what we saw, and what the soldiers said?” Asher took another
pull from his mug.

I
scratched my itchy face, desperately wishing for a shave. I opened my mouth to
respond to Asher when the tavern door burst open, and the dapper King Patrious
glided through. He was alone.

Patrious
quickly scanned the room with inquisitive eyes. His concerned gaze stopped on
my face and he marched to our table. Every patron watched the king with wide
eyes.

“Your
majesty…” Patrious raised his hand to quell my words. He leaned in to whisper
at us.

“Please,
kind sirs, we saw a fire and worried ye had been involved in it. We rode as
quickly as we could to find thee. Please, come with me post-haste! There are at
least five-dozen Dow uniforms riding upon us as fast as they can go. We will
not stay at the inn tonight. Our men are outside the city gates waiting to
brave the Mistrust Forest. Let’s get yourn horses and leave at once.”

I
shook my head, “Asher isn’t going with us, your majesty. Jadorion and I will
get our horses and meet thee beyond the gate. Take thy men and ride. Jadorion
and I will be right behind thee.”

Patrious
peered at Asher with his head tilted slightly, then shrugged and marched out as
quickly as he entered.

I
took over staring at Ash, “Well, my friend, I guess our trek ends here. Ye
heard the king; our brother soldiers are on their way. Be safe! I hope Felicia
keeps ye hidden away.” I patted the man’s grimy hand. He grabbed mine.

“Tristen,
I hope we meet again. Ye will always be my brother.” Asher’s eyes suddenly
looked lost and tired. It was apparent he didn’t fully think he was making the
correct decision, but I wasn’t going to turn him against his lady and alleged
child.

I
put my other hand atop his and pulled him to my chest. With a pat on his back,
I said, “Dearest, Ash, I whilst always wish thee well.”

I
looked for Felicia; she was nowhere to be seen. Jadorion handed my pack to me
then lifted his, carefully pulling it over his shoulder.

I
smiled at Ash and waved. “So long, my friend. Be well.”

He
offered a slight smile in return. “Fare thee well my brothers.”

Jadorion
nodded Asher’s direction. We turned and abruptly left the tavern.

#
# #

The
chilly air slapped my cheeks as I walked through the door and onto the street.
The light was blinding. I couldn’t believe it, but it was snowing. The flakes
were small and far between, but the sky seemed eager to throw snowballs at us.

“Let’s
hurry out of here, Jadorion.” I didn’t wait for him to say anything, just led
the way to the horse stables. We bid a brief farewell to Asher’s horse and were
on our way in no time. I had never seen Jadorion move as fast as he did. It was
tough for me to decipher whether or not Jadorion’s silence was concern or
depression. He wasn’t being the Jad I knew; then again, I wasn’t being the man
I knew!

Our
horses raced to the gate as the gatekeeper swung the door open. We galloped
through it.

In
the distance I could see a cloud of smoke still billowing where the camp had
been. In the foreground of the scene was a massive dirt cloud shielding an
unaccounted number of riders. I guessed the entourage was the soldiers Patrious
spoke of, so we veered right and went around the back of the city, toward
Mistrust Forest. The thought made my gut hurt.

I
had never personally been in the forest but the stories people had brought with
them after leaving it were often horrible. Allegedly, the forest could pull a
person’s worst thoughts and fears from their mind and bring them to life right
before their eyes.

Our
horses didn’t have the chance to get enough rest, and the air was brutally
cold, causing them to go extra slow. After about two leagues, Jadorion
requested a short rest.

We
stopped under a tall oak tree. The snow was getting heavier. If Jadorion’s
lungs and throat hurt as much as mine did from cold, I knew he was suffering
more than he let on. We both searched our packs. I found a scarf my mother had
made me. Memories of my mother flooded over me like a dam breaking. My mother.
I didn’t even know if she was still breathing. I bit my lip, then, of course,
thought of my precious Vivian. Focusing on the most important women in my life
urged me to move forward quickly.

I
wrapped the scarf around my head, exposing only my eyes. We decided to be extra
prepared, and wear our armor. We didn’t know what adventures awaited us in the
crazy forest. I also didn’t want an arrow or dagger in the back. I retrieved
all my armor pieces from the large bag. Jadorion followed my lead and salvaged
some orphaned armor from his bag. I knew it wasn’t made for him and was
oversized for his thin frame, but it would protect him if he needed it. And I
hoped he didn’t need it.

I
wrapped my cloak tightly around me, hiding the crest of my family. It was then
I noticed the shield hanging from my pack. Another crest coated the front of
the shield. Horizontal red and yellow stripes covered the middle and on each
side were bull horns pointing upward. Sudden hatred for the symbol welled-up in
my chest as my arms reached for the vile thing and threw it to the ground.

Jadorion
seemed shocked, at first, then smiled at me and stomped on the wretched thing.

I
chuckled at his joy and patted him on the back.

Once
we were suited, and all marks of my family were hidden or removed, we returned
to the backs of our horses and rode hard toward the woods. As we neared, I saw
a welcome site for once on the voyage: Patrious, Valen, and about eighty men;
some of which I had seen in Bendixon.

We
said no words, simply made a fist with our right hands, then brought our arms
to a ninety degree angle; the knight’s salute. Every horseman turned and rode
into the boding forest.

The
trees and briars were thick. It took a few tries before we found a suitable
opening for all riders. Judging by the overgrowth, the dense forest had few
visitors. Swords came from sheaths as each man chopped and cut through the
branches and thorns. I still wished we had a different way to go to Hereford
but there was no turning back now.

After
cutting through some course, thick tree appendages, we came into a clearing and
found that the bottom branches of the trees were above us. The forest was tall
above us, instead of surrounding us. The air seemed slightly warmer; however,
buds from spring flowers carpeted the rocky ground. The tightly wound tree
branches offered a nice shelter from the snow, and we moved easily through the
woods. We traveled in silence for a few leagues, without incident. I began feeling
at ease with the whole “evil” forest.

As
I passed under a large pine tree, a large drop of water fell on my head. At
first, the drop was ice cold but as it settled over me it became hot, causing
me to rub my head. Oddly, my hair was not wet and the heat ceased. A strange,
numb feeling settled over me but I shook it off and continued forward.

As
I kept my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, I saw an eerie sight
above us, as we neared what sounded like a rolling river.

Hanging
from a rope, on a wide and thick tree branch, was a body of what appeared to be
a woman. She was wearing a golden satin gown that I had seen before; her black
hair was short and chopped at horrid angles. The body turned slowly my
direction and as it rotated, I saw the lovely ruby lips, and tiny nose I loved.
The bright green eyes of my lovely Vivian had turned black and her melodic
tongue turned a putrid blue, as it protruded from her lifeless lips. My lady’s
delicate scarf was tied tightly around her neck, in what seemed to be fingers
of a choking grip.

“No!”
I screamed loudly, hurling my body from Flash’s back. I ran to my departed love
and reached for her in attempt to release the dreadful noose. Just as I almost
had her leg, something that felt like claws tore into my elbow. Somehow the
thing had me right above the vambrace part of my armor and right below the
rerebrace; I was totally vulnerable.