Rise of the Champion (The Sword of Kirakath Omnibus #1) (41 page)

“And you still have to fulfill your end of our bargain,” Sir Edmond said with a nod.

“You shouldn’t have to ask where we’re going,” Caleb said as he began walking to the exit. Guards attempting to get through the cave in could be heard, though it appeared to be a futile attempt. “There’s only one place in Arcadia that’s safe for wanted criminals like us.”

“It looks like it was set in stone,” Katie said, earning a shocked look from Caleb. “We must have been destined to go there from the very start.”

“Yeah,” Caleb said as he picked up the pace.

“What are you guys talking about?” Nicolas asked with a frown.

“The Isle of Akabar,” Katie answered. “I told you how we met, so you should be able to understand what we’re talking about.”

It was easily understood by Nicolas at that point. There was an irony to it. Caleb and Katie were supposed to be sold as slaves there at one time, and now they were going there for safety.

Silence ensued as the two former thieves and the possessed golem followed after Caleb.

* * * * *

“There it is,” Caleb said a while later as they reached the end of the tunnel. It looked to be a large iron door with a wheel on it that worked a locking mechanism.

Before Caleb could touch it, Sir Edmond stepped past him and grabbed the wheel. Using his incredible strength, he spun it, letting out a loud screeching sound. Once it spun for a few revolutions, he pushed the door open.

As expected, Eric and Lance were on the other side of it.

“It’s good to see that you are all doing well,” Eric said seriously. “I was beginning to wonder if you would all be here when this door opened.”

“We aren’t all here,” Caleb said as he looked at Sir Edmond.

“Statue was always intended to serve the purpose of containing our friend’s spirit for this part of your journey,” Eric said with a shake of his head. “I’m sure you knew that I sent him with you for a very specific purpose, after all.”

“Yeah, but I was hoping I was wrong,” Caleb said with a frown.

“Fair enough,” Eric said with a nod. A frown soon came to his face. “Something happened?”

“Read my mind and find out,” Caleb said in a joking tone, though his eyes revealed that it was not a joke.

“I’d never do that,” Eric said with a chuckle, though his eyes revealed that he had understood Caleb’s message and had just read his mind. “I could never read the mind of a strong willed person unless they let me.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” Caleb said with a nod.

“Guards will make their way here soon enough,” Lance suddenly said. “We have three horses for you. Take them away from there as fast as you can go.”

“We need a way to get to the Isle of Akabar as quickly as possible,” Caleb said as he looked at the three black horses that were tied up a dozen yards away.

“Go to Umbridge and ask around for a sailor called
Wild Eye Joe
,” Eric said after a moment of thought. “Tell him that I sent you and you need to go to the Isle of Akabar. He’ll make sure you get there safely and without attracting attention.”

“It’s almost like you know exactly what we’re going to do,” Caleb said with a hint of a smile. “Either that, or you always have supplies and information on hand for nearly any situation.”

“A little of both,” Eric said with a small laugh. “Now get out of here before the guards get here. And be careful. This is where your story gets tricky.”

“My story?” Caleb asked with a frown.

“Of course,” Eric said with a grin. “I may not be as young as I used to be, but my wits are fully intact. I’m capable of seeing you for what you are to become.”

“And what’s that?” Caleb asked.

“A paragon, of course,” Eric said before he turned and walked away. Lance looked at Caleb for a moment longer before he did the same.

“What is a paragon?” Caleb asked aloud.

“I’ll tell you later,” Sir Edmond said as he shut the escape tunnel’s door. “For now, we need to get away. You three can get on your horses. I’m too heavy to sit atop a horse, but I can run nearly as fast as one and cannot grow fatigued thanks to this faux body.”

“Lucky bastard,” Nicolas said as he moved to one of the horses. “I’m all for getting out of here as fast as possible though.

“Aye,” Katie agreed.

“Then let’s get out of here,” Caleb said as he made his way to one of the horses. “I’m not too eager to see how long we can hold off an army.”

And with that, the four companions made their way out of the area as fast as they possibly could.

Epilogue

“We are few,” Azrael said as he stood before the few remaining members of the Night Blades in their underground base. “We have sustained a great defeat at the hands of our enemies. But we are the Night Blades. We cannot die. With the death of the majority of our members, we will be forced to rebuild, but we will come out stronger in the end.”

He could tell that his brothers in arms were pleased to hear his reassuring words. He was one of the most skilled members that the Night Blades had ever seen, after all.

“I ask you all to stand behind me. Under my leadership, the Night Blades will grow. We will not become the equal of our former self. No! We will become greater than any previous generation that the Night Blades has bore witness too! Who stands with me?”

Unanimous cheers came from his comrades, and a smile found its way to his face.

“Then my first command, as your leader, is to ask that none of you attempt to have Caleb of Kirakath or his companion killed. This includes getting someone else to try to do it,” Azrael said. Naturally, he was met with disgruntled looks due to his words.

“Hear me out,” he said calmly. “They will pay for what they have done. But we must wait until we are strong enough to do it ourselves. The continued existence of the Night Blades is far more important than revenge. Rest assured, they will die by our blades, even if it takes a couple years.”

Though they still appeared displeased by the notion, they all seemed to accept it as well.

“Long live the Night Blades!” Azrael said as he thrust a dagger into the air. Once again, unanimous cheers followed.

How ironic. They want Caleb of Kirakath and his female companion to pay, while I want to pay them for helping me gain control of the Night Blades. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to placate them in a couple years.

He had no idea how drastically Arcadia would change by that time.

Chapter 1

Caleb wiped the sweat from his brow as he dropped to a knee, breathing heavily.

He was not sure how many days and nights it had been since he and his friends left the docks of Umbridge, but he hoped that it would not be much longer. The way the boat moved as the waves crashed into it left him feeling uneasy.

“At this rate, you may be able to stand a fair chance in a fight before long without the Blood of Kirakath,” Sir Edmond said with his head facing Caleb.

He was not sure if Sir Edmond was looking at him as he spoke, but that was something he was getting used to. It was never easy to tell what his mentor was looking at or how he was feeling. Given that he was a spirit that essentially inhabited a magically enhanced statue, he was difficult to read.

It was getting more and more difficult to tell that Sir Edmond had the body of a marble statue, however. He had taken to wearing boots, pants, a tunic, and a hooded cloak so as to not attract attention.

“How do you expect me to last longer than a few minutes against you?” Caleb asked dryly. “You’re stronger and faster than I am, and you never get tired. It would be one thing if I could use the Blood of Kirakath.”

“It would be reckless,” Sir Edmond cut him off. “When we get to the Isle of Akabar, I shall explain everything about the Blood of Kirakath, along with the reasons that you should not use it any time soon.”

Caleb sighed, but he did not argue. The bloodlust that came when he called upon the old magic that enhanced his abilities was too uncontrollable to use most of the time.

“The Isle of Akabar will be difficult,” Sir Edmond continued as he sheathed his sword. “Even in my time, it was a lawless place that was ruled by different groups of bandits.”

“You’ve been there?” Caleb asked, intrigued at the possible chance to learn more about the mysterious knight.

“Yes,” Sir Edmond answered. “I came here during the Arcadian Rebellion to request the assistance of a group of mages that reside on the island. I knew it was futile at the time, but Prince Arcacius insisted that I at least try.”

“Prince Arcacius?” Caleb asked with a frown. “Do you mean that you personally knew the first King of Arcadia?”

“He saved my life, so I owed him a debt,” Sir Edmond said, nodding. “He was a smart man, but he refused to believe that the Witches of Akabar would be unwilling to help.”

“The Witches of Akabar?” Caleb asked curiously.

“I’ll tell you about them if it turns out that they’re still around,” Sir Edmond said, shaking his head. “Be patient. I have reasons for wanting to wait until we arrive.”

“I’m sure you do,” Caleb muttered under his breath. “It would be nice if you’d stop trying to hide everything though.”

“Perhaps,” Sir Edmond said as he made his way to the door. “But perhaps it would be better to head above deck. We’re almost there.”

Relief filled Caleb at those words. “Then what are we waiting for?”

The question went unanswered as they both headed up to the deck to see if the island was in sight yet.

* * * * *

When Caleb reached the deck, he saw that Nicolas and Katie were already at the front of the ship. Wild Eye Joe, the strange sailor that agreed to take them there at the mention of Eric White, was standing behind the helm. As always, the gruff sailor appeared to be looking in opposite directions at the same time.

“Is that it?” Caleb asked as he walked up next to Katie, spotting the land mass several miles away from them.

“Aye,” Joe said, catching their attention. “That is the Isle of Akabar. We will be arriving in Northport soon.”

“That’s good to hear,” Caleb said with a light smile.

“Not many would take comfort in that news,” Joe noted. “The Isle of Akabar is a lawless land where murder, thievery, and slavery are commonplace.”

“But even more than that, it is a place where the land is divided between different gangs of bandits. When they learn that we’re here, we’re going to have to fight,” Nicolas added. “You may have lost track of time, but I have not. We’ve been at sea for a week, and that’s only because we needed to avoid the areas where pirates operate. I can assure you that someone on the island knows about what we’ve done already.”

“He’s correct,” Sir Edmond said as he walked up next to Caleb. “Back when I was alive, the Isle of Akabar was known as a refuge for the lawless. Reputation meant more here than you could imagine.”

“If you were a knight, how did you travel through the Isle of Akabar without being killed?” Caleb asked, remembering the knight’s claim earlier.

“Reputation,” Sir Edmond said without turning to face Caleb. “You know little of me, so you do not realize how strong my reputation was at the time. But rest assured that no bandit was foolish enough to think they could take me out without an army numbering in the hundreds.”

“I won’t be staying on the island,” the ship’s captain suddenly said. “I only brought you here for Eric. You’ll have to find your own way home.”

“That’s fine,” Caleb said as he ran his left hand along the hilt of the Sword of Kirakath. “We don’t have a home anymore, and I doubt we’ll be able to set foot on the mainland again for a while.”

“Prepare yourselves then,” he said. “I’m leaving for Telmir as soon as you get off.”

“Right,” Sir Edmond said. “Caleb, Katie, Nicolas, get your supplies ready. You would not want to forget anything.”

“Understood,” Katie said as she made her way to her room below deck. She was followed shortly by Nicolas and Caleb.

* * * * *

Close to an hour later, the ship was entering the docks of Northport, and the four passengers were ready to depart the second the ship docked.