Knights: Legends of Ollanhar (31 page)

"How do you deal with it, Lannon?" asked Doomar.
"The violence, I mean. You did a lot of damage on that ship."

"I shouldn't talk," said Lannon, who wanted to
avoid that grim topic. "I need to focus."

"But this is important," said Doomar. "As a
Squire, I need to know."

"I'm a Divine Knight," said Lannon.
"Sometimes Knights have to injure or kill. Combat is a brutal and messy
affair." He shook his head at the memories. "As a Knight in combat,
you will see sights that will scar your soul--the darkest side of
humanity." He took a deep breath and said, "I've even heard soldiers
cry out for their mothers like lost children as they lay horribly wounded."

"I can certainly imagine that," said Doomar,
nodding.

"I'm not proud of what I did on the boat," said
Lannon. "But what choice did I have? I couldn't leave my enemies intact to
operate the warship. My friends are fighting for their lives as we speak."

"Of course," said Doomar. "I don't hold that
against you at all. But how do you get used to the bloodshed?" The Dwarf
shuddered.

"I didn't kill that many soldiers," Lannon
pointed out. "I don't have an exact count, but it wasn't many. I can't
even be totally certain I killed
anyone
." He knew that last
statement was ridiculous, but he was frustrated. He had done his best to spare
his foes, and Doomar's questions gnawed at him.

"Some were facedown in the water," said Doomar.
"I would assume they weren't getting air. Therefore, they were dead or
dying."

Lannon sighed. "Can we change the subject?"
Lannon wanted to point out that the soldier Doomar had hurled against the
warship probably wasn't doing so well, but he realized it would have been
petty.

"Please answer my question," said Doomar.
"How do you get used to it? You have a caring personality, yet you don't
shy away from a fight."

"I don't get used to it," said Lannon. "I'm
always troubled by bloodshed. But as a Knight, my duty is to defend the land
and do what I must. That's your duty now as well--as a Squire. Compassion is a
great thing to embrace, but if someone wants to avoid killing completely, they
shouldn't be a Divine Knight who defends the land. They should seek a peaceful
way of life instead."

Doomar sighed. "I must reveal something, Lannon. I
have an issue with my temper. When someone calls me a monster, I get...upset. I
didn't actually intend to throw that man so hard against the ship. I fear that
I killed him. And I too hate bloodshed. But people make me lash out. What can I
do?"

"Yes, you have a temper," said Lannon, raising
his eyebrows. "But the soldier tried to stab you, remember? You defended
yourself."

"Is that wrong?" the Dwarf asked.

"Of course not," said Lannon. "We all have a
right to defend ourselves, along with our homes, our lands, and our families.
Even our money and goods. People choose their own fate. That soldier chose
his."

"I understand that," said Doomar. "I mean is
it wrong for me to have a bad temper?"

"As a Squire, yes," said Lannon. "You must
learn to control it. I realize that's not always easy for a Dwarf, but it
should be your goal." The truth was that most Dwarves took great pride in
being hot-tempered, even those who had become highly disciplined and honorable
Knights. They relished battle and bloodshed. The odds of Doomar containing that
side of his personality were slim at best. He was already the most passive and
somber Dwarf Lannon had ever met, and really, what more could be expected of
him? Still, Lannon offered the challenge.

"I'll try," said Doomar. "I truly
will."

But Lannon barely heard him. As he looked on in dread, the
largest warship began moving toward the Temple vessel. It seemed to be closing
in for the kill--perhaps with the intent to ram the much smaller ship. Lannon
realized he wasn't going to make it in time. But where was the White
Flamestone? Why hadn't Prince Vannas burned those enemy ships to ash? It seemed
there were only two possibilities--either Vannas was dead or the Flamestone was
lost.

***

As Ethella's warship came within bow range of
The Golden
Promise
, one of her giants fired a spear-sized, smoking arrow onto the
Paladin ship's deck. The arrow burst apart, sending hissing, flaming fragments
all over the deck. The scattered objects burned with crimson fire, quickly
igniting whatever wood was touched, threatening to turn the ship into a
fireball.

The ship's deck was utter chaos as crewmen scurried about
with buckets of water in a frantic effort to extinguish the strange flames.
Meanwhile, arrows tore across the deck. A young Paladin Hopeful went down, her
thigh pierced with a feathered shaft. Another one caught an arrow to the throat
and died instantly. Huenov and the Rangers fired back in an effort to provide
cover.

Then Huenov cried a warning from the lookout: "They're
trying to board us!" He then proceeded to shoot at several large rowboats
packed with fighters that were approaching from the two warships. A few
soldiers went down from his arrows, but the rowboats continued on swiftly
across the waves.

Aldreya ordered Prince Vannas to hide behind some crates.
The prince obeyed without question, sullenly hunkering down in his hiding
place. He lay there looking miserable, the fight seemingly gone out of him.

Due to the flames and the arrows,
The Golden Promise
was not able to prevent Bellis from boarding. Ethella's soldiers hurled
grappling hooks over the rails and swiftly scaled the ropes. Soon the deck was
flooded with soldiers--agile fighters who wore black, lightweight armor that
protected them from head to toe. Ethella's archers were forced to be more
selective with their attacks, however, for fear of hitting the invading
warriors. The battle was going to be decided at close range, with blades.
Ethella's goal was to finish things quickly before Lannon could arrive--but she
wasn't certain of victory, for as the fight raged on, her huge warship moved
out of range again, leaving the smaller one to fend for itself.

The invading soldiers were elite swordsmen called Stormers
(so-named because of the coordinated fury of their attacks). They charged the
Knights and crewmen, their crimson swords matching the color of the
late-afternoon sun. They were used to swift victories. In fact, they had never
lost a battle. They were part of King Verlamer's elite Hammer Force--groups of
extermination squads who struck fast and hard and with supreme skill. They
didn't take prisoners. Their goal was to slaughter everyone as quickly as
possible.

Yet Galandra struck first--shooting one between the eyes
with her slingshot. The metal slug shattered bone and dropped the attacker
instantly. She gave a weird cry of victory as her foe slumped to the deck.

Two of the warriors charged at Jerret Dragonsbane. Their
attack was so flawlessly coordinated it seemed Jerret was encountering a single
foe that fought with two swords. They moved with mesmerizing grace and skill.
But the barbarian was ready. After blocking their strokes with his broadsword,
he drove the burning blade through the heart of one. The other fighter tried to
impale Jerret, but he smashed the sword aside and beheaded the man.

One of them charged at Bekka, his crimson sword held high.
With a scowl, she cleaved his sword in two and then drove her blade deep into
his chest. She lifted him into the air and flung him away. On instinct, Bekka
ducked another sword stroke aimed at her neck and whirled around to find
another Stormer facing her. Without hesitation, her fiery sword came down with
terrible force on his skull and she drove her foe's lifeless body to the deck.

Bekka then ran to help Saranna and Brakthas, who were
struggling against four Stormers. An arrow--fired from the remaining
warship--flew at her chest, but she deflected it on instinct with her burning
blade. She never slowed, leaping straight at the black-clad warriors and cutting
into them, the powerful muscles in her arms rippling as her fiery blade hacked
at her foes.

Brakthas was bleeding heavily from a sword wound in his
side, but he fought on, giving occasional battle cries as he struck at his
foes. His bare chest was streaked with blood, and he seemed ready to collapse.
But just when it appeared he could not fight on, he leapt on an enemy's back
and yanked his dagger across the warrior's throat. His face was grim and
terrible to behold as he shoved the lifeless body away from him. Moments later
he took an arrow to the leg and went down. Galandra seized his arms and pulled
him behind some crates.

Several crewmembers fell, pierced by Stormer blades and
arrows. It was a disheartening sight, seeing these young servants of the Temple
cut down. The two Paladins did their best to defend them, their long swords
bringing down multiple Stormers, but it wasn't enough. There were too many of
the invading warriors, and they were too swift and skilled to be easily
stopped.

Aldreya sought to distract the archers on the warship,
sending fireballs at them. The range was extreme even for her, however, and the
fire did little damage by the time it arrived. However, it was enough to keep
the archers scrambling for cover, and her efforts saved many lives on board the
Paladin ship. She was extremely focused on her task--to the point where she
seemed unable to defend herself--and the others worked to protect her from the
Stormers.

Galandra continued to use her slingshot even at close range
in an effort to protect both Aldreya and Brakthas. She shot another Stormer in
the head who was charging Aldreya, and he dropped in his tracks.

Dallsa stood behind Aldreya, mace in hand, as a Stormer
approached. Hissing vile curses at the healer, the Stormer lashed out with his
blade and tore a wound in her chest. Crying out in pain, Dallsa stood her
ground, but the warrior shoved her viciously aside to get to Aldreya.

Dallsa lay bleeding on the deck, her mace clutched in her
hand, watching helplessly as the Stormer raised his blade for the kill.
Galandra shot at him but the slug only struck his shoulder--causing him to cry
out in pain but failing to stop him. Then a massive form smashed into the
warrior and he went flying as if struck by a battering ram--right off the deck
and into the lake.

Standing there was the nearly six-hundred pound Shenosi,
his chest heaving. He roared and stomped the deck, challenging anyone to get to
Aldreya. Two more warriors tried, but he blocked their swords with his shield
and then hammered into them, sending them flying. He chased after one of them,
and the fleeing warrior stumbled and fell. Shenosi leapt into the air, coming
down on the unfortunate fellow with devastating force. Bones cracked beneath
that massive weight. Galandra shot the other in the head, bringing him down.
Her fingers were a blur as she loaded the slingshot again.

Saranna tried to help Dallsa, but three Stormers got to her
first. She slew one of them as she backed away, piercing his heart. Then her
boot encountered a pool of blood and she slipped, falling on her back. Her eyes
widened in shock as the enemy blades came down--one piercing her shoulder and
one piercing her chest, just missing her heart. The Stormers yanked their
swords free, preparing to stab her again.

Lothrin moved to defend her, his Flayer lashing out in a
blur. The strange Birlote warrior seemingly could not be stopped. His blows
appeared to be driven by fury as he killed Saranna's attackers with two swift
strokes.

Lothrin knelt by Saranna, his face pale.

"I think I'm...dead," she whispered.
"Won't...make it. Sorry."

"You will survive," Lothrin insisted. "You
must!"

"Why?" she asked. "Just want to sleep."

Lothrin shook her. "Don't give up, Saranna! I will
defend you!" He rose and stood over her, vowing no one would get close.

Crondal Windsong killed three Stormers before he became too
weak from blood loss to fight on. He had taken several injuries that on their
own weren't life threatening, but together they served to take the fight out of
him. At last he slumped to the deck and lay still, his face passive.

A Stormer tried to finish Crondal, but he encountered the
wrath of Bekka Nightspear. The enraged warrior approached him as if she
couldn't be defeated, confidence smoldering in her dark eyes, the divine fire
blazing hot before her. Her flaming blade tore through him as if he wasn't
there, and before he could fall, she knocked his dead body aside with a vicious
spin kick. Bekka paused and glanced about, looking for someone else to kill.
The spot on her flesh where the Ghoul had bitten her was burning hot, and the
pain in her soul was feeding her rage.

***

Dallsa crawled off amongst some barrels and lay moaning in
pain. The battle seemed to be going badly. Many of the crewmembers--the young
Paladin Hopefuls--had been slaughtered, and a large host of Stormers was still
occupying the deck. The boat was taking on water and tilting.

She watched as Shenosi stumbled past her. He was suffering
from several wounds. He was still on his feet, but losing a lot of blood and
clearly exhausted. There were so many who needed her help right now, but she
could do nothing for them. Her own wound was serious and needed her focus.

Then Vorden moved into view, his blazing sword rising and
falling. He seized an enemy's throat with one hand and burned into it, then
cast the lifeless body aside. His blade was so hot with crimson fire it was
almost blinding. He looked unstoppable for a moment in his gold-and-black
armor, but then four agile Stormers swarmed on him. They managed to remove his
helm, then bashed him in the head with a club. He slumped to the deck and
stopped moving. Dallsa groaned as they struck him again, before Daledus charged
them with his axe and scattered them.

Overcome by battle lust (and ignoring a broken arrow lodged
in his arm) the Dwarf chased them down, tearing into them with his massive axe.
He punched another foe in the jaw, knocking out some teeth and sending the man
crashing into some barrels.