Forever Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 3) (43 page)

The fear returned to Tarcious’ heart.  “I was overwhelmed,” he lied.  He only hoped that his master believed him.

“Of course,” the voice said.  “Such power was not meant for mortals.  It will take you and rip you apart.  Your soul will burn in the fires of hell for eternity, yet your body will still exist on earth.  Forever you will live, but forever you will suffer the agony of death.  And that is not my vengeance for you using it.  That is the power of the Ark in the hands of a mere mortal.  So if you dare to take it up, be warned.  My promise to you is an eternal life as a favored servant of mine.  But if you ignore my warnings, my promise to you is an eternal life of damnation.  So return to me with my prize, and I shall give you yours.”

And then the presence was gone.  Tarcious jumped up off his knees and ran out of the circle as quickly as he could.  His heart pounded in chest and he could barely breathe.  For some reason, the Adversary thought that he had tried to use the Ark of Life, but clearly he did not.  That meant that someone else did.  The Ark was free from its hiding place and in the hands of someone who desired to use it.

He burned with anger.  The Adversary had said that the Ark was close, which meant that whoever used it was nearby.  It could not have been the guardian, for if he had used it, he would have certainly used the Ark against them.  Someone had beaten him here and stolen the Ark before him.  His mind searched for anyone that he knew who could have known about the Ark, but everyone he thought of was dead.  Most of them by his own hand.

The guardian would have to know who it was.  Without the protection of the Ark, it would not take long for the guardian to give up his secrets.

After a few minutes to let his heart slow down, he left the room to return to the Great Hall to confront the guardian and get the answers he needed.

***

With darkness quickly descending on the city, Conner and Glaerion ran to the city walls.  There were centurions that were now patrolling atop the wall, but with dusk came the ability to approach undetected.  While Conner ran, he felt a slight tingle, causing his hairs to stand up on their end.  Glaerion had his eyes focused straight ahead, but his lips were moving.

“What was that?” Conner whispered as they crouched low at the base of the wall.

“It is an easy spell to hide our approach.  It only works in the dark, making us nearly invisible to anyone around us.  There are two centurions directly above us.  You stay here while I take care of them.”

Conner had not expected Glaerion’s next move.  With graceful ease, he began climbing the wall. Using small indentations and imperfections in the stone, his nimble hands and feet were able to gain enough traction to climb the wall.  In the daytime, he would have been an easy target.  But now that night had fallen, he was virtually invisible.  His gray cloak blended in almost perfectly with the stone.

After a few minutes, Conner could hear the sounds of a scuffle, and then a loud thud as a body landed right next to him.  At first he thought it was Glaerion and his heart leapt out of his chest, but it took only another beat of his heart to realize it was one of the centurions.  He stepped away from the wall and looked up, hoping to see what Glaerion was doing, but he could see nor hear anything.  For a brief moment he thought about stepping back farther away from the wall to see if he could see the elf, but then he realized that other centurions who were patrolling the wall would see him.

Eventually he sat down, wondering what he should do next.  The crescent moon was starting its trek up the night sky.  Conner decided that once the moon reached its apex, he would have to find another way into the city.  He could not wait all night.

As he was just about convinced that Glaerion had run off on his own, the end of a rope dropped from above, landing on his head.  Seconds later, the elf had scampered down and was on the ground.

“Quick, put on that centurion’s armor.  We have only a few minutes before another patrol will wander by.”

As quickly as he could, Conner pulled off the centurion’s chainmail shirt and surcoat.  “It looks heavy and too big.  I can’t fight in this,” Conner whispered,

“Hopefully you don’t have to,” Glaerion snapped back.  “Faster!”

The elf watched impatiently while Conner did his best to pull the chainmail on.

“How do I look?” Conner asked.

Glaerion shook his head.  “It’s a good thing it’s dark.  I’ll climb up and make sure the wall is clear.  Hold on to this end.  If I give it a yank, that means climb up.”

Conner nodded his head and took a hold of the rope.  Without another word, Glaerion effortlessly and silently scampered up the rope.  Seconds later, Conner felt a big tug on the rope.  He had watched Glaerion climb up and tried to do it as he did, but he kept slipping and couldn’t get anywhere.  Eventually, he discovered that he could use his feet against the wall and pull himself up while walking along the wall.

Once at the top, he found the elf glaring at him.  “Could you go any slower?” Glaerion whispered harshly.  He didn’t wait for Conner to respond, as he untied the rope from around one of the battlements and tossed it back over the wall.  He grabbed Conner by the arm and pulled him along the top of the wall until they reached a ladder that led down to the ground inside the city.

Back on the ground, Glaerion led them to a nearby building where they could hide in the darkness and talk in normal voices.

“Tarcious will likely head straight for the castle,” Glaerion said.  “Can I assume that you know the way there?”

“Of course.  Can I get out of this, now?  It really is heavy.  And do I look like a centurion?  I don’t have one of their swords and the guy didn’t have a helmet, so I really won’t look like them.  And if we have to fight, this chainmail is too heavy.  I won’t be able to use my swords.”

“Can we stay off the main streets and in the dark?”

“It’s a big city with many winding streets.  I can get us there.”

“Quickly, then, if it also stops your whining!”

Conner slipped out of the surcoat and chainmail shirt.  With one last look around to be sure they hadn’t been spotted, he led Glaerion away from the building.

They took a circuitous route that allowed them to avoid any of the centurion patrols that were now marching through the city.  Groups of ten, armed with crossbows and short swords marched the main streets between the gate and the castle.  They carried torches to better see by, but it also made it easier for them to be seen.  Occasionally they heard the clang of steel on steel and the screams and shouts of the wounded, but the fighting had pretty much stopped for the night.  Conner hoped it would pick up in the morning.  He could not imagine any of the knights, including Marik, sitting idly by while Tarans marched through their city.

As they neared the castle, the sound of activity filled their ears.  A small encampment had been set up outside of the castle walls where several hundred centurions had pitched tents.  Off-duty centurions sat around small fires, resting their tired bodies.  Other centurions who were still given guard duty marched around the castle.  Some were even atop the castle walls.

“How do we get in?” Conner asked.

“The same way we escaped, of course,” Glaerion said.

“But there is no way back into the queen’s chamber.  The first time I used it, I searched and searched for a way back in.”

Glaerion shook his head and let out a sigh.  “That’s because you’re blind.  Once that two-man patrol passes by, we can sneak past them and into the alley.”

The centurions patrolled the perimeter of the castle in pairs.  One of the pairs was walking past the end of the alley that they were hiding in.  Even if their eyes were sharp, Conner and Glaerion were far enough into the shadow of a building that they could not be seen.  As soon as they passed by, Conner and Glaerion quickly ran out of one alley and down the next one.  They did this three more times until they were able to reach the alley that was right next to the castle wall where the secret tunnel ended.

Conner tested the iron grate to make sure that it could be moved.  With one last glance to be sure that no one was watching, he lifted it and let Glaerion go first.  Then he followed.

Even though the light of Glaerion’s dagger was plenty to see by, going backwards through the tunnel was slightly disorienting.  The tunnel had been designed more for escape than coming back into the castle, so it took some effort for Conner to follow it.

When they reached the end, Glaerion looked up to the corner of the wall where it met the ceiling.  One of the stones was slightly ajar.  Glaerion lifted his hands and was about to push it in when he caught the muffled sound of voices.

Conner started to speak, but Glaerion put a hand over his mouth and shook his head.

The thickness of the stone kept them from hearing any clear conversation.  But the door slamming shut was obvious.  After waiting another minute to be sure that they did not hear any more of the conversation, Glaerion reached back up and pushed the loose stone in.  The locking mechanism that held the door shut released, allowing the door to pop open.  Bright light from the room fell into the dark tunnel and they waited a few more heartbeats to be sure that the room was empty.

Conner started to step through the doorway, but Glaerion but a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“We will come upon the wizard and you must trust me when I tell you that his magic cannot hurt you.  You are of the Hurai.”

Conner shook his head and said.  “I don’t know if I can believe you.  It does not make any sense to me.  My mother, my father, I can remember their faces.  They looked nothing like Master Goshin.”

“I can feel it in you, that you are special.  The devotion that you have to your friends, those are very much Hurai traits.  And the way you swing a sword, it is clear that the blood of the Hurai runs through you.  No mere human can be as good as you are in such a short time without there being other forces in play.  For you, it is your bloodline.”

“You are sure?”

“Yes.”

“It is not you who will suffer if you are wrong, you know.”

Glaerion face cracked a smile.  “I know.”

Conner’s lips drew into a smile and he said, “I may not like you, but I think I may trust you.”

Glaerion slapped Conner on the back and then pushed him through the doorway.  To himself, he said, softly, “Maybe all humans weren’t so bad after all.”

***

Tarcious burst through the double doors.  Everyone’s head snapped around at the sudden entrance.

“Where is he!” Tarcious yelled.

Lord Martin was standing next to an old man, supporting him so that he would not fall over.  Queen Elissa stood on the other side of the old man, holding his arm.

General Mace stood nearby them as well, and said, “This is the man named Arpwin.  We found him on the floor of the queen’s chamber.  He is old and dying.”

Tarcious took long strides, approaching the old man.  “Are you the man named Arpwin?”

Arpwin, his body tired and worn, looked up.  “I am he,” he said.

“Are you the guardian!”

“I am not,” Arpwin said, his voice shaking.

Tarcious lifted a hand to strike him, but Elissa put her body in front of him and cried out, “No!”

“Then do not lie to me!” Tarcious said, lowering his hand.

Arpwin shook his head and said, “I do not lie.  I was once, but no longer am I the guardian of the Ark of Life.”

A hush fell over the room.  Tarcious smiled, finally seeing the end to his search.  A childlike excitement swept through him.  So many years of planning and plotting were coming down to this very moment.  In no time, he would have the Ark and would be in control of the world.

“Arpwin?” Elissa asked.  “What do you mean?”

Arpwin cleared his throat, finally feeling his age come over him.  “For many generations, I have served my Lord, the Creator.  I have been caretaker of the Ark of Life, keeping it safe from the likes of monsters like this cretin that stands before us.”

“And you have failed!” Tarcious said.  “Tell me where it is, and I shall spare your life.”

“The Creator clearly knows more than you, for it is no longer in my possession.  It has moved on to another caretaker.  Another guardian, if you will.  I do not know where it is.  My time of service has passed, and so too will my life.”

Elissa turned to look at Arpwin, sadness filling her heart.  “No,” she said softly.  “You cannot go!”

Arpwin smiled the smile a father gives a daughter.  “Yes, my dear child.  My life has been long, and my end is long overdue.  Do not dare cry for me, for I have seen too many good friends die while I lived on.  It is truly my time.”

“That is unfortunate for you,” Tarcious said.  “If you have no information for me, I have no use for you.  I guess I’ll just speed along your death.  And that of everyone else that you know and love as well.”

Arpwin met Tarcious’ stern stare.  “You cannot threaten me.”

“It is not you that I threaten.  It is queen that I threaten.”

“Tarcious!” Toknon said sharply.  “She shall not be touched.”

Tarcious spun around and faced Toknon, pointing a finger at him.  “Stay out of this, unless you want us to garrison your city as well.”