Knights: Legends of Ollanhar (32 page)

"Come get some more!" he bellowed.

And on it went.

The moments drifted past. Dallsa slipped in and out of
consciousness, barely aware of time's passage. She had no idea if her friends
were winning or losing, or if any of the injured had succumbed to their wounds
and died.

Then, as she looked on in fear, one of the Stormers spotted
her and approached. He was bleeding from wounds to the thigh and stomach and
was moving slowly, but his eyes promised death. He paused before her, raising
his blade.

No one else was near them at the moment.

"I'm going to savor this," he said. He grinned at
her. "Cold steel--right through your beating heart. Filthy wretch of
Dremlock!"

Summoning the last of her strength, Dallsa swung her mace,
striking his leg. It was a weak blow, but all she could deliver.

With a groan, he rubbed his bruised thigh. "Oh, that
hurt!" He tore the mace from her hand and threw it aside. Again, he raised
his blade for the kill. "Now I'm
really
going to enjoy this."

Then a hand fell on the warrior's shoulder, and he was
flung off the ship into the lake. Standing before Dallsa was Lannon Sunshield.

She gazed up at him in relief. "You finally made it.
Just when I'd about given up hope. I'd give you a hug, but I can't get
up."

"Just rest," he said, gazing down at her with
concern. "Get yourself healed up. This battle is over. The warships are
leaving. By the time I got here, Bellis was already in full retreat."

"Thank the Divine Essence," she said, before
passing out.

Chapter
18:

The Quiet Waters at Dusk

The battle was indeed over. The invaders had been killed or
forced to flee in their rowboats. Both warships were retreating swiftly into
the distance. Though the White Flamestone remained missing--possibly lost
forever beneath Legend Lake-- Lannon's presence was enough to persuade Ethella
to abandon the fight. Her army had suffered heavy casualties, and though her
best fighters--including the Guardians and Thallites--remained intact on her
ship, she apparently wasn't willing to send them against the Knights.

But another desperate battle remained.
The Golden Promise
had taken on a lot of water and was in significant danger of sinking. With a
colossal effort, however, they managed to stabilize the ship
and crudely
repair the damage in less than an hour. Once again the vessel sat upright on
the waves.

But fixing the damage to the warriors was not as easy.
Dallsa was able to quickly deal with her own injuries, but Brakthas, Saranna,
and three of the five surviving crewmen were near death. Shenosi was suffering
from multiple wounds but not in immediate danger, and he wouldn't allow anyone
to treat him. Jace was able to administer enough healing to keep the severely
wounded alive, but without Dallsa's skill the sorcerer doubted they would last
the night. Saranna was so close to death it seemed miraculous that she was still
breathing.

The dead were wrapped in cloth and laid out on the deck,
awaiting a watery burial. Not far from the bodies lay the wounded (including
some enemy soldiers), moaning in pain. Before Dallsa could recover enough to
help them, two of the wounded crewmen died. That left three survivors out of
fourteen crewmen. Eleven young hopefuls, men and women eager to serve the
Temple and become Paladins, had lost their lives. It was a terrible price that
left everyone in despair, but there was nothing to be done about it.

The Paladins and Galandra prayed over the dead, and then
Aldreya spoke some words concerning their heroism: "May the Divine Essence
bless their souls and guide them to eternal peace."

A moment of silence was then held.

Troubled, Lannon watched the funeral proceedings. He wanted
to do something to take back all the damage and loss that had occurred, but it
was impossible. He chastised himself for arriving so late to the battle.

Bekka, Jerret, and Daledus stood with their arms on each
other's shoulders, heads bowed--showing support for the fallen warriors. The
three stout fighters had done a lot of damage to Bellis' forces, but they
hadn't been able to save these young men and women and it gnawed at them.

"Now we must release them to the water," said
Aldreya.

The bodies were stacked in a rowboat and set adrift on the
waves. Then Aldreya hurled a huge fireball from her stone dagger into the boat.
Green flames erupted, consuming everything and burning it to ash upon the
water.

"It is done," said Theradaxa, her eyes full of
sorrow. "The Temple has suffered a great loss this day, but we will
endure."

Lannon watched the green flames burn away, taking the
lifeless bodies with them. Everything became ash--their plans, hopes, fears,
and struggles of life, gone in an instant. This was the way of eternity, and
Lannon understood that but was still deeply troubled by it. As a Divine Knight,
he should have accepted the workings of life and death, but a stubborn part of
him remained that didn't know how to give up. He always held out hope that
things could be set right.

Lannon watched the ashes drift away on the waves.

But the funeral proceedings were not yet over. There were
dead enemies that needed to be dealt with. The Paladins and Galandra prayed
over them as well, but Aldreya did not speak this time--though she did
participate in a moment of silence. Their bodies were also sent out in a
rowboat and burned.

At last Dallsa was strong enough to assist the others, and
she immediately went to Saranna. Her steps were slow and she looked like she
might fall, so Bekka helped her along. She knelt and placed hands on the
Ranger's chest.

"Is she dead?" asked Lothrin, looking grim. He
had not left Saranna's side since she had fallen. He had fought viciously to
protect her.

"Not yet," said Dallsa. "But very
close." She glanced up. "She has become a good friend to you, I
see."

Lothrin nodded. "I have developed...feelings for
her."

The others looked surprised. Aldreya gazed at Lothrin with
concern. Lannon expected Aldreya to lecture Lothrin about forbidden
relationships, but the Green Knight said nothing. Apparently the mood was too
somber even for a lecture from Aldreya.

Looking embarrassed, Lothrin added, "It is merely
friendship. I would never violate the Sacred Laws, of course."

Dallsa was still quite weak, but somehow she was able to
bring Saranna back from the very brink of death. Dallsa's eyes smoldered with
determination as she administered the healing. She was fighting a battle just
as intense as any that had been fought that day.

Excitement soon appeared on her face. "Saranna is
growing stronger. The energy has filled the wound near her heart, and she has
responded well. I am certain she is going to fully recover."

Dallsa then went to work on the others. She was clearly in
great pain and exhausted, but she refused to take a rest. By the time she was
finished, she collapsed from the strain. Lannon caught her and laid her on the
deck.

He smiled down at her, filled with admiration for her
courage.

"They're all going to make it," she said,
managing a smile of her own. "Even those enemy soldiers, minus a few
limbs. If nobody minds, I'm going to sleep now." Dallsa had pushed herself
to the limit.

"You've earned it," said Lannon. He brought her a
blanket and laid it over her. If his life had been different, he would have
married her. But there was simply no violating the Sacred Laws. Yet their
friendship was deep and that was enough for Lannon. His Knighthood was more
important to him than love or marriage. He lived to serve his god and kingdom
and nothing would change his thinking. He knew that with certainty, but he also
knew Dallsa didn't feel the same way. He suspected she would have given up
Knighthood just to be with him.

"The Rangers can tend to them now," Dallsa said. "Bandages
will need to be changed...and so on." Her eyelids fluttered closed.

"Sleep well," Lannon said gently.

Prince Vannas, who had been standing by the ship's rail
watching the sun slip below the horizon, turned and approached. He looked like
a zombie, all the will drained out of him. He gazed pleadingly at Jace.

"Are you certain it's gone?"

Jace sighed in frustration. "Yes, yes, and yes again.
The Flamestone is not in the water. I searched for it over and over." He
rubbed his shoulder. "I took an arrow while searching. It was quite
painful."

"You checked the dead Vulture thoroughly?" Vannas
asked.

Jace groaned. "As thoroughly as can be, short of
cutting the beast open and examining its reeking innards to see if it swallowed
it. Its claws were empty. I checked all three dead beasts, in fact, on the
chance that I might have confused one for another. As much as it disturbs me to
say it, I assure you the Flamestone has sunk. It is at the bottom of the
lake."

Prince Vannas turned away in bitterness, his head bowed and
his hands knotted into fists. Then he approached Lannon and seized his cloak.
"You must search again, Dark Watchman. Just one more time!"

Lannon had already scanned for it once, but he did so again
just to appease the prince. He walked around the ship, slowly moving the Eye of
Divinity over the water. There was simply no trace of the White Flamestone.

At last he turned to Vannas and shook his head.

"Then all hope is lost," said Vannas, his legs
sagging beneath him. "My destiny has been lost. And there is no longer a
reason for me to be here. I might as well return to Borenthia and hide away
until the end of my days."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Aldreya. "We
need the Green Flamestone more than ever now. You could be the one to wield
it."

The prince shook his head. "It may not even exist on
that island, or if it does, we may never find it. The hungry sea might swallow
us. How will we survive the quest? It's over...everything. King Verlamer has
won."

"Calm yourself," said Aldreya. "Let's think
this through."

"Bellis is sure to return," said Jace. I don't
know how many warships they have at Wolfbine, but we could certainly be
attacked again before we exit this lake. Especially when we lack our greatest
weapon."

"Curse me!" said Prince Vannas, sounding terribly
bitter. "Curse me to the deepest pit of Tharnin! How could I once again
let down my guard and lose my grip on the Flamestone? I feel like an utter
fool."

"We were being bombarded," said Aldreya.
"There was a lot of confusion. These things happen. Now we must decide how
to proceed."

***

Bekka Nightspear stood apart from the others, watching the
sunset. The sky was splashed with crimson--like the blood that had splashed the
deck of
The Golden Promise.
The burning desire for combat lingered
within her. She hadn't wanted the battle to end, and part of her still wished
it was going on. She wasn't satisfied with the amount of damage she had
inflicted upon her foes. Ethella--a Priestess of Tharnin--had escaped without a
scratch, and that was intolerable. This arrogant queen of evil would have to be
hunted down and slain. Bekka envisioned her sword ripping into Ethella, and a
feeling of satisfaction settled over her.

What was she becoming?

That question passed through Bekka's mind again and again.
Clearly it was her bitterness that was fueling her rage, but how could she stop
it? What if she went too far and lost herself forever? She searched her soul,
but sensed no loss of control. She wondered if she was simply being paranoid.

So she had developed a temper. What was so wrong with that?
Daledus had a temper--a particularly foul one at times--and so did Jerret. Why
should she fear her rage when all it had done was make her a better fighter? It
was obviously a great asset to her, as it drove her to constantly improve. Of
course, it also gave rise to bloodlust, which troubled her. Being angry was one
thing, but wanting to shed the blood of her foes was another. Craving bloodshed
had never been her way, prior to suffering the Ghoul's bite. She had changed on
the deepest levels.

Jerret paid her a visit. "What's on your mind?"

She considered asking him to go away so she could continue
to be alone with her thoughts, but then she realized she wanted his company.
"Just pondering the fight. I kind of lost myself a bit. Some sort
of...battle lust."

Jerret grinned. "That's great to hear. You're really
improving, Bekka. You were unstoppable today. You must feel very proud."

"Not entirely," she said, frowning. "I don't
want to sound weak, but I don't think I like what happened. I don't want to
enjoy killing."

"You're thinking too much," said Jerret.
"Don't think, just split skulls and enjoy the action. We're fighters,
Bekka. It's what we do. We're cleansing the land of evil. Every wretch we kill
benefits the innocent. I take great pride in what I do. Sure it's a violent way
of life, but it's necessary."

"That's true," said Bekka. "Our cause is a
noble one. That's not the issue." She shook her head. "Not sure I can
explain it to you."

"Then maybe it's not worth explaining," he said.

"I fear the Deep Shadow," she said. "I fear
it...and hate it."

"Who doesn't?" said Jerret, looking confused.

"It's still inside me," she went on. "Just
like it's inside Vorden. He has to watch himself constantly so he doesn't
succumb to it. I think I'm like him now. I don't have his weird abilities, but
I'm facing the same problem."

Jerret sighed. "I can't help you there. I just know
you've become an impressive warrior, and I want it to continue."

"It will," she promised. "I've earned my
skills with hard work. I'm not going to let anything diminish what I've
accomplished. I plan to keep advancing."

Jerret swatted her on the back. "That's what I like to
hear. Now let's go have some ale to celebrate what we did today. I'm ready for
a drink."

Bekka hesitated, then nodded. "I think that's exactly
what I need right now--some ale to soothe my mind." She threw her arm
around his shoulders and practically dragged the barbarian along. "Come,
our drinks await us."

***

Darkness had settled fully over the quiet lake, and the sky
was filled with blazing stars. Lannon moved away from the crowd and gazed down
at the dark water, wondering how deep it was. The others assumed there was no
way to retrieve the White Flamestone, but Lannon wasn't so sure. The
possibility existed that he could swim down and draw it up from the bottom with
his power. But it would be a dangerous task and one he wasn't looking forward
too.

Aldreya approached and stood beside him. She gazed at him
for a moment and then said, "And what happens if you drown? We will lose
another mighty weapon, and our quest will be in even greater peril."

"Did you just read my thoughts?" he asked.
Aldreya had come so far with her sorcery she seemed capable of anything.

"No," she said, smiling. "But they were easy
to guess."

"Yes, I could drown," Lannon said. "It
really depends on how far down I have to go and how quickly I can locate the
Flamestone. Is it worth it?"

"That's the key question," said Aldreya. "I
wish I had an answer. I know what Prince Vannas would say."

Lannon sent the Eye into the water, probing the depths.
"I think I can do it," he said at last. "But not in the dark.
I'll decide tomorrow."