Kingdom's Edge (10 page)

“However, a commander's heart is not his own. I felt the disdain and rebellious attitudes filtering down the ranks. Many of the knights were more loyal to Lucius
than to the King and the Prince. Risking our lives at the hand of Lucius, Ramon and I decided to take the matter to the Prince.”

William moaned on the table as he stirred. Ramon and I walked over to check on him, but he fell back asleep.

As I returned to my stool to hear the rest of Keef's story, I became acutely aware of my hunger. We had not eaten since arriving in Chandril, and all the activity had eliminated any opportunity to eat. I reached for the provisions we had brought for the journey and offered some to the Silent Warriors. They accepted graciously, and while they ate, I waited patiently for the rest of Keef's story, pondering all that he had told me already. Keef finished his food and drank heavily from his water flask. He leaned back on his stool and continued.

“Ramon and I agreed to approach the King's palace at night so as not to draw attention to ourselves. Even at night, the palace is more glorious than anything else I have ever seen. You and William will see it one day, Cedric. All of the Knights of the Prince will see it.

“As we came to the palace, four other knights intercepted us. We greeted them and tried to pass on nonchalantly, but they would not give way. It was only then that I realized just how serious the situation had become. We were men sworn to the King. We trained and fought side by side and even ate our meals together. We wore the same emblem.

“But these four had changed their allegiance. The realization of their actions shocked me. We tried to appeal to their sworn loyalty, but it was clear they had crossed the line.
They threatened to kill us if we would not join them. For the first time in the history of the King's kingdom, two swords of the Silent Warriors met as enemies. A rebellion was born.

“We fought defensively at first, still not wanting to believe what was happening. But when they drew first blood on Ramon, we knew there was no turning back.”

Ramon lifted the portion of his tunic that remained, after having used part of it for William's bandage, and revealed a deep scar that crossed his chest.

Keef continued. “Ramon quickly recovered and slew his attacker. I injured a second to make the fight even, but our skirmish brought attention, and three more knights came to join the fight. I recognized them and guessed them to be loyal to Lucius. I was right. Our situation was grave. We fought back-to-back to provide as much protection for each other as possible, but we could not last long.”

Keef's eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. I sympathized with him, having just escaped our own deaths by a very narrow margin.

“I was never so glad to see the Prince ride up on His white stallion as I was that night. The five traitorous knights ran to the shadows and disappeared. Their boldness temporarily faded in the presence of the Prince. We explained our understanding of the situation to the Prince as we walked with Him to the palace.

“ ‘Come with Me to the King,' the Prince said. Micalem, second in command under Lucius and a brilliant knight as well as an outstanding warrior, joined us inside the palace. His face revealed his sorrow at the news of the rebellion.

“The three of us and the Prince entered the throne room and approached the King. We knelt before His Majesty, and He bid us to rise. ‘It has happened, Father,' the Prince said. ‘Yes, as I feared it would,' the King said. ‘Gather the Silent Warriors who are loyal and prepare for war, My Son.' ‘As you wish, Father,' the Prince said.

“We bowed and left the King. The Prince took us to another chamber. ‘Micalem,' he said, ‘you are now in command of the Silent Warriors. Stay with Me to plan our next move. Keef and Ramon, gather those you know to be loyal and brief them on the situation. Then spread out and gather all other loyal knights. Gentlemen, there is no war more deadly or devastating than a war from within. Be careful.'

“We turned to leave. ‘Keef, Ramon,' the Prince said, ‘well done!' ‘Well done' was all He said, and yet it was all I needed to take on an army. When we go back home, those are the words I hope to hear again.

“We gathered our men through the night, and by morning the lines were drawn. Lucius had claimed over fifteen hundred knights. Some of our finest warriors had sided with him—men such as Envor, Hatlin, and Luskan. Knights we had respected and admired were now our enemies. I still don't understand how Lucius convinced them to turn against the King!

“The war was fierce, but we outnumbered them two to one. Their only option was to flee the kingdom or be destroyed. And that, Sir Cedric, is why this land is in peril. The Dark Knight brought his Shadow Warriors, as they became known, to this kingdom. Although this land is the
King's, the Dark Knight is determined to rule it. And if he can't rule it, he will destroy it. You may never have seen the Dark Knight, but you can be sure he is here. Even the Silent Warriors fear his fight, for he is powerful and merciless. Only the Prince Himself is able to overcome him.”

“But why did the Prince come here disguised as a peasant?” I said. “Why not just bring an entire army and retake the kingdom?”

“Because He doesn't want just a kingdom, Cedric,” Keef said. “He wants a kingdom of people with hearts that love and serve willingly. People like you. He wants people who honestly desire to follow the Code. A full-scale assault on this land would destroy that. The King loves these people, and He has provided a way for them to live.”

“The Prince made a way, didn't He?” I asked.

“That's right. I remember the day when the King told us of His plan to save this land. We could not believe He would jeopardize His own Son to save this kingdom. At first we thought it was foolish, but soon we realized it was pure love—love for the people. The Prince understood, and we knew He was the only one capable of being successful.

“We were all at the palace to bid Him farewell. He came from the inner court, and we all knelt before Him. Thousands of knights in shining armor knelt before the Prince, who was dressed in dirty rags. But those clothes couldn't hide the splendor of His character, as you saw.”

“Yes, Keef,” I said. “There was something about that man!”

“We rose and saluted the Prince with drawn swords as He passed between our lines. When He neared the gates,
the King walked to His Son and embraced Him. I saw a tear fall from the King's cheek and moisten the beautiful stones at their feet. Then He left. We tried to provide an escort, but He refused. He took no weapon, not even a sword. He said He would live as the people do for a time, and He limited our mission while He was here.”

Keef's story provided many answers, but there was still one question to ask. “The Dark Knight must have known that the Prince was in the kingdom,” I said, finding affirmation in a nod from Keef. “Why didn't the Dark Knight attempt to kill the Prince before He had a chance to train and to build up our forces?”

Keef leaned forward, rested his left elbow on his knee, and placed his right hand on the other knee. His eyes sparkled as though he was anxious to answer.

“He did, Cedric! Do you remember the last time you and William visited Leinad?”

“Yes, it was just a few days before the Prince revealed Himself as the King's Son in the square.”

“That's right,” Keef said. “Later that day, the Prince, Ramon, and I visited Leinad too. He had kept the sword of the Prince for years, waiting for the day to give it to Him. That was the day—the day when the ‘one who is worthy' would carry the sword and deliver the people … deliver the kingdom!

“When we entered his home, Leinad came and stood before the Prince. He looked into the eyes of the King's Son, then reached forth and placed his hand on the Prince's chest. I could see the burden of fifty years leave his face. ‘Now I rest, for the mighty arm of the King has arrived!'
Leinad said, and he knelt before the Prince. ‘You are a true and faithful knight, Sir Leinad,' the Prince said. He helped Leinad to his feet. ‘Please bring the chest,' Leinad asked Ramon and me.

“We retrieved the old wooden chest from the corner, placed it at Leinad's feet, and opened it for him. He carefully unfolded the cloth that was wrapped about the sword and reverently lifted it to the Prince. ‘Only one is worthy,' Leinad said as the Prince placed His hand about the hilt of the beautiful sword. The Prince raised the sword before Him and proclaimed, ‘Now is the time. Let it begin!'

“At the command of the Prince, two other Silent Warriors escorted Leinad to a ship that awaited to take him to the kingdom across the sea. His mission was complete, and the King had called him home.

“From Leinad's home, we followed the Prince deep into the country on horseback. The Dark Knight knew that he would rule this kingdom forever if he could destroy the Prince. Thus … the challenge.”

Keef paused, gathering details in his mind.

“What was the challenge?” I asked, too impatient to wait for him to continue on his own.

After another moment of thoughtful silence, Keef continued. “The Dark Knight challenged the Prince to a single duel, hoping to kill the Prince and end His mission before it began. The Prince accepted because He knew it was His final preparation for the monumental task before Him. Defeating the Dark Knight would confirm Him as the only true authority in Arrethtrae.

“On the crest of a hill near the base of the Northern
Mountains, we joined with two hundred mounted Silent Warriors. Apprehension hung in the air. Across a span of rugged terrain, many of the Dark Knight's Shadow Warriors lined the horizon. The Prince rode before our solemn line. ‘This is neither the time nor the place for battle,' He said for all to hear. ‘This fight is for Me alone!'

“The Prince rode to meet Lucius midway. As the distance between the champion of darkness and the champion of light closed, a silence fell upon the countryside. Even the birds stopped their song. It was as though nature itself recognized the potential peril of the land. Dark clouds had rolled in and obscured the sun, but now the air was silent—a calm before the storm. I remember thinking how ironic it was that the fate of all the people of Arrethtrae would ride on the outcome of this single fight, and they were completely ignorant of its happening.

“With only a few strides between them, Lucius and the Prince dismounted and drew their swords. The ultimate battle between the two best swordsmen that ever lived was about to begin. Hatred versus love. Bondage versus freedom. The Dark Knight versus the Prince. The future of Arrethtrae was unfolding at this very moment.

“They slowly circled each other at a safe distance, calculating and planning their strategies, it appeared—feeling the terrain, anticipating strengths, looking for weaknesses. The silence of the countryside gave way to an eerie, low growl that built in strength and emanated from the unified voices of the Shadow Warriors. It was the taunting war cry of a vicious enemy, heightened by the distant thunder of storm clouds.

“Micalem was first to respond. ‘Honor … glory … power … the Prince!' he shouted. ‘Honor … glory … power … the Prince!' The chant flowed down our line until the words resonated off the hillsides and mixed with the opposing growl in a bizarre and unnatural song. The rhythm and intensity increased with the roar and flash of lightning—all in anticipation of the first strike.

“Lucius and the Prince simultaneously positioned themselves and readied their swords. Lucius struck first, and both lines of warriors yielded to silent observation as the fight ensued. Lucius engaged with a quick combination, and the Prince met each stroke with precision.

“I realized that my heart was pounding and my muscles were taut. I tried to relax, but could not; too much was at stake. The fight quickly developed into a ferocious volley of cuts, slices, and thrusts. The steel of their blades screamed through the air unceasingly. Two unyielding masters were in a battle to the death. Lucius attacked with the speed of a viper, and the Prince countered with the power of a lion.”

Keef leaned back and drew in a deep breath. “I am a warrior well acquainted with battle, Cedric. But I must admit that the intensity of that duel between Lucius and the Prince made it frightening to watch.”

I glanced at Ramon. His eyes were shut, and a nearly imperceptible nod affirmed Keef's feeling of unease during the fight.

“At one point in the fight, Lucius aggressively advanced with a quick series of combinations that caused the Prince to move back. His foot caught on a stone behind Him, and He fell. Lucius instantly brought down a powerful vertical
cut on the Prince. Flat on His back, and with no time or place to move, the Prince executed a quick parry that deflected Lucius's blade. The sword tore into the ground to the left of the Prince's shoulder.

“The Prince rolled to the right and onto His knees, but the maneuver momentarily exposed His back to the enemy. Anticipating Lucius's next move, the Prince swiftly locked His sword above His head and caught Lucius's next vertical cut. The Prince rotated on one knee and exploded a horizontal slice that moved at blinding speed full circle around to Lucius. Lucius jumped back as the tip of the Prince's sword grazed his chest. This gave the Prince enough time to recover and reestablish His position. I heard Lucius curse over his lost opportunity.