Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar (Ollanhar Series Book 1) (25 page)

“Don’t
shoot!” Taith cried, raising his hands.

“Lay
down on your belly,” the soldier ordered gruffly. “You are now a
prisoner of Bellis Kingdom. If you get up, I’ll put an arrow in you.”

Taith
did as commanded, trembling as he lay on the ground.

Galvia
saw that Taith had been captured, and disgust washed over her. She deflected an
arrow with her smoldering hammer, and then drove the weapon through the armor
of one of Bellis’ Knights, melting through the steel, flesh, and bone that lay
beneath—killing her foe instantly.

One
of the Thallite Giants, looking like a god in his gleaming crimson armor,
seized a Blue Knight and lifted him high into the air, then slammed him against
a pine tree so viciously that the tree cracked. The giant hurled the Knight’s
broken body aside, bellowing laughter.

Galvia
found herself face to face with a Guardian. The Golden Knight seemingly had no
weakness—his armor covering him from head to toe and his helm secured by
latches. Galvia struck a stout blow to his chest, but her hammer was turned
aside by the mighty armor. Instead of retaliating against her, the Guardian
whirled around and impaled a Red Knight that was charging him. He lifted the
Red Knight into the air with his sword and then hurled him several yards.

Galvia
struck the Guardian again when his back was turned—and again her smoldering
hammer could not crush the armor. She managed to knock over the Golden Knight
with the sheer ferocity of the blow, but he leapt up almost instantly, spinning
to confront her. Her heart sank, as she realized that her chosen weapon was
useless against these elite swordsmen.

One
of the Thallite Giants pinned a fallen Blue Knight beneath his boot and was
crushing him, and he roared with laughter as the warrior cried out in agony.
Done toying with his foe, the giant stomped him to death.

A
Blue Knight leapt on a Guardian’s back and tried to unlatch his helm. She
managed to open one of the latches, and then a crossbow bolt lodged in her back
and exploded, killing her instantly. The Guardian tossed the dead Knight aside
and then calmly re-fastened the latch.

Several
of Bellis’ warriors went down—killed by the deadly accuracy of the Blue Knights
and their curved Flayers. But this was a battle not destined to go well for
Dremlock’s warriors, due to the presence of the Thallites and the Guardians.
The Divine Knights fought valiantly—wounding one of the giants to the point
where he could not fight on—but one by one Dremlock’s fighters were
dispatched, until only Galvia, Wreld, and Garaloth remained.

Wreld
and Garaloth had sustained several wounds, with Wreld unable to continue
fighting. The onslaught had occurred so quickly that Galvia hadn’t had time to
even consider surrender, but she did so now, throwing down her hammer and
raising her hands in a gesture of peace. If it had only been her, she would
have fought on, but she wanted to save the lives of the two remaining Knights.

Bellis’
warriors surrounded them, hooting and laughing in triumph—even as the storm
reached them and the rain came. Taith was brought to them, his face pale with
fear, and shoved into the mud.

The
Lawkeeper rode into camp, his cold gaze passing over the dead Knights. He dismounted
and strode up to the captives.

“Prisoners
of Bellis,” he said gazing down at them. “You will be punished for
your crimes. And your punishment will be harsh.”

“You’re
a fool!” Galvia snarled, her heart filled with pain and rage. “What
have you done? You violated our agreement and have started a war!”

“War
was inevitable,” said the Lawkeeper, as rain soaked his silver hair and
dripped from his weathered, cruel face. “I gave you a stern warning at
Ollanhar and it was rejected.” He motioned to the dead Knights that lay
scattered about. “This is the result. Your precious warriors slain
needlessly.”

“Let
the boy go,” said Galvia. “He isn’t a Knight and has no part in
this.”

“Everyone
must be held accountable,” said the Lawkeeper. He glared down at Taith. “Even
sorry little rats like this one.”

Moments
later, a Birlote woman on horseback entered the camp. In one hand she held a
glowing staff of blue crystal that bathed the area in a cold light. She wore a
black robe adorned with blue symbols of evil sorcery, and her silver hair was
set high with black ribbons. Her beautiful face was painted white in honor of
Tharnin. It was Ethella, a priestess of Tharnin who was widely feared and
hated.

“Only
four of them left?” mused Ethella, swinging down from her horse. “And
one is a mere Squire by the look of him.”

“He’s
not a Squire,” said Galvia. “Just a boy with no home.”

“He
has a home now,” said Ethella. She smiled, her face a beautiful mask of
evil. “And in this home, we have strict rules. Here, we tell the truth and
share all we know—or the torture rack is brought forth.”

“We
must hurry,” said the Lawkeeper. “There is no telling when the others
will return.”

“Coward!”
Wreld muttered. “You fear Lannon and Prince Vannas, and make war on us
when they are away.”

The
Lawkeeper shrugged. “War is all about strategy, young man. And you have
fallen victim to exactly that.”

“We
could just execute them right now,” said Ethella, pointing her glowing
blue staff at Galvia. “Just burn out their hearts.”

Galvia
glared at her defiantly.

“The
dead Knights must be burned,” said the Lawkeeper, to hide the evidence of
our attack. “Can you do it in spite of the rain?”

“I
can,” said Ethella. “My fire will consume all. We will take their
armor and weapons, of course—as well as their horses. We should leave the
wagons and tents, however. We don’t want to deprive them of the provisions that
they will need for their journey.”

“Why
did you do this?” asked Galvia. “If all you wanted was the Green
Flamestone, and you intended to let us retrieve it for you—then why did you
attack us? It makes no sense.”

“Oh,
but it does,” said the Lawkeeper, tapping his head. “You’re just too
stupid to see it. When the time comes, we don’t want to have to fight an army
of Divine Knights. So we cut down your numbers a bit.”

“Yet
our whole mission may be doomed,” said Galvia. “If Prince Vannas is
dead, Aldreya may opt to return to Ollanhar—especially now that you’ve slain
most of her Knights. Your attack was stupid and pointless.”

The
Lawkeeper and Ethella exchanged a glance. Then the Lawkeeper smiled.
“Killing Divine Knights is never pointless. And rest assured the mission
for the Green Flamestone will continue, with or without Vannas. There is a
dreaded Dark Watchman amongst you, is there not? Lannon Sunshield will not give
up until the Flamestone is in his possession. And then we will ambush him and
kill him, and the stone will belong to King Verlamer.”

“I’ll
kill Lannon myself,” said Ethella, winking at Galvia. “My poison
dagger will slide into his back when he least expects it.”

“You
will fail,” said Galvia, “and Lannon will finish you.”

The
Lawkeeper shrugged. “Either way, you won’t be around to see it. You’re
going to die on this night, Dwarf. It could be a quick death…or a slow one.
It depends on how much information you’re willing to share with us.”

“I’ll
share nothing,” said Galvia.

Ethella’s
face hardened, her smile vanishing. “We shall see.”

One
of Bellis’ warriors—a heavily muscled Knight with a bushy beard—approached
them, carrying Bekka Nightspear’s unconscious form. Though Bekka was tall and
muscular, he carried her as if she were weightless. He dumped her in the mud,
where she lay groaning. “I found her in the back of a wagon. She seems
ill, writhing about and such. Could be a fever.”

Ethella
knelt and touched her. “She has been poisoned by the Deep Shadow—perhaps
beyond hope. Excellent. Take her from the camp and leave her under a tree. Let
Tharnin do its work, that she may come to serve.”

The
warrior looked disgusted. “Why not just kill her and be done with it? She
seems to be suffering and should be put out of her misery. And the other
Knights will return and try to heal her. One less foe to worry about,
right?”

Ethella’s
face darkened. “We do not kill those who have the potential to serve. If any
harm befalls her, you will deal with me.”

“Do
as she says,” the Lawkeeper commanded.

With
a sigh, the warrior lifted Bekka and carried her away.

“Let
us dispose of the bodies quickly,” said the Lawkeeper. “And then we
will probe the prisoners for information.”

“Lannon
will know what happened,” said Galvia. “You cannot hide the truth
from the Eye of Divinity.”

Lightning
flashed nearby, and the trees swayed around them.

“Yes,
we must hurry,” said Ethella, gazing at the sky.

Soon
a large tent roof was erected on six poles, and the prisoners were put in
shackles beneath it. Galvia was certain she could escape the shackles, but an
escape attempt would only earn her a quick death and might put the others at
risk. She felt she owed it to the others—especially to young Taith—to keep
herself alive long enough to find a way out of the situation.

Nearby,
the bonfire surged to life again in spite of the wind-blown sheets of rain that
swept the campsite. Fueled by the fires of Ethella’s sorcery, the blue flames
could be not be smothered out. The dead Knights were dumped atop the blaze,
where the flames engulfed them eagerly, flickering like serpent tongues. The
fire burned so hot that large blue and white sparks burst out and danced across
the muddy ground, hissing as they came in contact with the water.

Galvia
groaned in despair, as the bodies of her fellow Knights were burned away. Their
names ran through her mind—Caldan Stonehammer, Tessa Silverbow, Kellen
Ironback, and others she knew well. Young Knights with promising futures, now
gone from the world with only ashes to mark their passing.

The
Lawkeeper smiled down at her. “They had it easy, you know. For you, death
could come much more slowly.”

Garaloth
gazed at Galvia. “How could this happen? On a night when…”

“When
what?
” asked the Lawkeeper, leaning close to the Red Knight.

“Be
silent, Garaloth,” said Galvia.

The
Lawkeeper nodded. “You’re hiding something important. I can feel it in my
bones. But you will reveal the truth soon enough.”

Rain
poured from the tent roof, coming down in rivers on all sides. Some of it was
blown in by the wind, blasting the Lawkeeper and his prisoners periodically.
The tent roof swayed in the wind, the poles seemingly ready to snap. For the
four prisoners, life had turned sour amidst the raging storm. They could only
hope that Lannon and the others returned in time to save them, but it seemed
unlikely. The warriors of Bellis were determined to deal with the situation
quickly and then move on, leaving only the dead behind.

***

Before
the Pit Crawlers could strike, Lannon beheaded one of them. His stroke was so
swift that it appeared the beast’s head simply fell off. The headless body
writhed about and then dropped to the water with a splash. The head floated
toward Lannon, the jaws still moving, and he seized it and tossed it away.

The
other Pit Crawlers hissed and struck furiously at the Knights. Their mouths
stretched open wide to expose their fangs, their humanoid faces gone crimson
with rage and their yellow eyes reflecting pure evil. Their dark, scaly bodies
rippled with muscles that were eager to crush the life from their foes.

 
One of them struck at Jace, and the sorcerer
smashed his fist down on its head, causing the beast to go berserk and lash
from side to side. It crashed into its fellow Pit Crawlers and caused Lothrin
and Dallsa to have to duck. Finally the crazed serpent swam away frantically,
twisting from side to side as it shot across the water. It went straight into
the cavern wall with a thud. Then it lay still.

Another
Pit Crawler bit at Aldreya—its teeth clamping down on her shoulder. The other
Knights groaned in despair, thinking she would be fatally poisoned. But Aldreya
twisted away from the beast unharmed, her sorcery having shielded her flesh
from the venomous fangs, and she hurled a fireball into the Pit Crawler’s face.
The beast erupted into green flames. It thrashed about in pain and rage, went
under the water (which did not smother the flames) and finally swam away to its
doom.

Jerret
smashed aside a striking Pit Crawler with his broadsword, then swung at it and
missed as the beast reared back. It struck at him again, and again he knocked
its head aside, the stout muscles of his arms delivering a crushing blow. But
the Pit Crawler wasn’t finished—striking at him a third time even though it
was bleeding from its mouth. This time Jerret beheaded the beast.

Vorden
blocked a serpent strike with his spiked shield, and then smashed the shield
against the beast’s head, tearing through the skull. Vorden seemed to fight carelessly,
heedless of the danger around him—focusing only on that lone attacker. He
motioned the Pit Crawler toward him and mocked the creature, as if he wanted to
toy with it.
 
Daledus, however, leapt to
Vorden’s aid and finished off the beast with a single stroke of his huge battle
axe.