A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1)

by Nathan Grafton

  The green eyed teen scowled at the door before falling into the chair. It was fifteen minutes before a Guard walked in. She wore the uniform of a City Guard commander and she glared at him from across the room.

  Alden glared right back at her and she scowled, “Alden Flint, I presume?”

  The young man snorted, “No, I’m a jester here to entertain you with a dance and some jugglin’. Of course I’m Alden Flint. You had me thrown in here.”

  The commander backhanded Alden and replied, “You will behave and keep your mouth under control. Understand?”

  Alden scowled, “I’m afraid you’ll have to forgive me. My ears are ringin’.”

  The woman punched Alden in the mouth and continued nonchalantly, “I could keep doing this all day but I have other things to do. So we’ll skip the part where I beat the snot out of you and move to the part where I ask you what happened. So, what happened?”

  The young man spit onto the floor and received a fist in his sore stomach for it. The young man smiled up at the commander, “I like you. You don’t take shit.”

  The woman looked at him with a bored expression and sighed, “Get on with your story.”

  Alden nodded, “I was goin’ to meet a friend for lunch with my other friends, I believe you’ve met them. We took a shortcut and got jumped. Someone paid them to knock me around some and the twins wouldn’t leave. Now we’re here.”

  The commander nodded, “That’s where you’re wrong. You got angry at a man on the street for some unimportant reason you can make up on your own. You attacked him, his friends tried to intervene but the twins defended you. Now before you protest, know that if you do the twins are the ones who will pay the price.”

  Alden grit his teeth, “Let me guess. You recently had a conversation with Reginald Blackfeather?”

  The woman narrowed her eyes at him, “I think I’m going to enjoy finding out just how tough that Enzo is.”

  Shouting drifted to Alden’s ear from beyond the door as he glared at the commander in front of him. The woman ignored it and smile smiled, “Once I break him and make him a good little soldier for me, I’ll have him break his sister. But all you have to do to prevent that is do as your told.”

  The shouting continued to get louder and a sharp impact sounded from just outside the door and the commander jumped. The door banged open and Captain Fox stood in the opening, “What did I just hear?’

  The commander backed up, “Captain Fox, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  Alden stared at her, “How did you not hear any of that shouting?”

  The woman glared at Alden and then turned her attention back to Fox. The Captain glanced over his shoulder, “Inquisitor Solace, place this woman under arrest and investigate how she’s been running things here.”

  A Knight stepped into the small room and moved over to the commander. The woman drew her sword but Solace shook his head, “You don’t want to do that.”

  She lunged at him and Solace slapped the blow aside with a gauntleted fist and his other hand arced up and blasted across her jaw. The woman slumped to the ground but before she hit the Inquisitor caught her and tossed her over one shoulder.

  Fox looked at one of the City Guardsman, “The twins, go get them. Hunter, go with him and make sure they aren’t mistreated. Solace, you can take that one back to the Wall.”

  The two Knights left the room and went about their tasks as Captain Fox sighed and leaned against the table, “Flint. This nonsense with Blackfeather ends now. You don’t try and get him back for this. You don’t accuse him of anything. You let this go and move on. That’s an order. Understood?”

  Alden swallowed, “Yes, sir.”

  Fox stood up, “Good. Go back to the Wall. Get some rest and stay out of my hair.”

  Chapter 21 A Bitter Pill

  Warren was pacing when Alden and Hawkes entered the room. There was a stoney silence between the two of them that Warren shattered, “Alden! I heard what was happening and then the Captain sent me back here and what happened?”

  The green eyed teen held up his hands, “Calm down there. Captain Fox made a few threats and growled some and the Guard let us go. And, apparently, I have Hawkes to thank for gettin’ them there in time.”

  Hawkes swallowed, “Alden, I said I was sorry for before. Reginald, he just makes you want to go along with him. I wish I had never helped him.”

  Alden grunted, “You’ve said it all before. Fact is that I’m missing a tooth and more then a little dignity thanks to you. I appreciate what you did today, but it doesn’t even the scales.”

  Warren looked between the two of them and Hawkes continued, “I know. Just give me a chance.”

  The young man sat on his bed, “I’m not gonna hold it against you anymore. But as long as you and Blackfeather are back to back I’m not gonna be too trustin’ of you.”

  Hawkes sighed, “Alright. I suppose not being enemies is a step in the right direction.”

  Alden looked up at him, “I understand not wantin’ any more enemies then necessary. I just don’t understand why you want to be my friend when you can just buddy up to Blackfeather? He has more money, resources and power then I ever will.”

  Warren sat back on his bed and maintained his silence. He wanted to hear what Alexander had to say for himself. A long silence stretched across the room and then it broke as Hawkes opened his mouth, “I’m not too sure. Just seems like the best idea.”

  The green eyed teen studied Hawkes for a minute before grunting, “Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate what you’ve done for me and I thank you for it but at the same time I’ve got this hole in my teeth and a crooked nose because of you. So this is a step in the right direction but we’re not even.”

  Alexander nodded, “I understand. A step in the right direction.”

  The young man turned and left the room. Warren leaned back on his bed and let another silence fill the air. This one was more comfortable but there was still a tension to it. It stretched until Alden asked, “Do you think I’m in the right here?”

  Warren pondered the question for a minute and asked, “With Hawkes?”

  Alden snorted, “What else would I be talkin’ about?”

  The big man nodded, “I think you are. Hawkes tagged along with Reginald and helped him humiliate you and tried to chase you away. It is too hard to tell if he is genuine in wanting your trust or if Reginald is manipulating him. Blackfeather underestimates you and may have sent Hawkes to tell the Captain about your arrest. He might have wanted me to trust Hawkes in order to keep me from going after him for your arrest. It might seem convoluted but those are the games that Reginald likes to play.”

  The smaller teen was quiet for a while and Warren continued to think about all the things Reginald might have planned. The Blackfeathers were cunning and immoral. They would do anything to make a penny at any cost as long as they came out ahead. They had manipulated Warren’s grandfather into a bad deal once and the Faulkner name was still recovering from it.

  Alden broke the silence again, “You and Reginald knew each other before all of this. How?”

  Warren snorted, “His father ripped my grandfather off.”

  The smaller boy didn’t push the issue but Warren continued, “Reginald’s father won a mine playing cards but Blackfeathers do not deal in mines. They deal mostly in smithies. My family deals mostly in mines and raw ore. Mostly iron but we also own a few copper as well.”

  Alden interrupted, “Copper?”

  Warren nodded, “The Wizards use it. They say it is good for channeling some magics. Anyway, Blackfeather went to my grandfather and said he had this iron mine he wanted to sell and showed my grandfather the production numbers which were good. What Blackfeather left off it that the miners had accidentally broke into a chamber of toxic gases two days earlier. My grandfather bought the mine a
nd then the mine head told him about the gases. So we were forced to pay for Wizards to clear out the gases and inspections to ensure that they were safe and then we found out that the mine was routinely raided by the dwarves. In the end we lost a lot of men, a lot of money and ended up selling the mine for a pittance. To top it all off, the mining guild said my grandfather was ‘grossly negligent’ in safety precautions and refused to work for him until he stepped down and let my father take over. And some companies still refuse to work for us.”

  The smaller teen was quiet for a moment, “I understand why you don’t like him.”

  Another comfortable silence filled the air and Warren opened his mouth to ask a question but Alden was already snoring. The big man rolled over and closed his eyes. It had been a long day.

  Two weeks went by without an incident. The young duo learned how to fight and ran for longer and longer. Hawkes would let them know when and where Reginald was planning on messing with them. Blackfeather had given up getting rid of them for now but still sought to make things difficult for them. Alexander returned Alden’s uniforms once, let him know that Reginald had tampered with the pens in Alden’s bag in the classroom, and dropped a hint that Reginald was planning on posting some literature concerning Alden’s habits in the halls. None of it was true but it would cause Alden to lose all respect in the eyes of the Corporals. Sure, the officers wouldn’t be amused but the older trainees of the Royal Guard would be. In response, Alden and Warren prepared a similar sheet and slid it under Reginald’s door with a warning attached. Neither story was ever posted.

  The end of the second week marked the next real discrepancy in routine though. All eight Cadets met on top of the Wall with Sergeant Hunter who scanned them and then let out a breath, “Your First Trial is Monday. Rest up tomorrow and I will explain the details Monday morning. Dismissed.”

  Warren went to bed that night wondering what lay in store for the future.

  Chapter 22 The First Trial

  Alden spent the time not training and keeping ahead of Reginald to study law. It was only a few days but he used it to the best of his ability and what he found shocked him. The laws of the Kingdom were very, skewed against people the nobility or royalty didn’t want to have power.

  The young man had always assumed that becoming one of the Merchant families had simply meant having enough wealth. But that wasn’t the case. The Kingdom was divided into different districts and in order to trade directly with people or other businesses outside of your original district you had to be granted the Merchant’s Waiver. The only way to get one of the Waivers was directly from the King or by being sponsored by at least three of the Lords. There were currently only seven noble houses in the Kingdom. That meant the only way for a commoner to become one of the Merchant Families was to get an audience with either the King, which was impossible, or three Lords, who were the highest of all the nobles, which was also impossible unless you were a wealthy individual. It was nigh on impossible to become wealthy without violating at least one trade law within the Kingdom.

  The other thing that irritated Alden was the way of the Courts. Anyone could charge anyone else with anything as long as they had a reasonable story, evidence or enough money. The problem Alden had was the fact that the accused was required to pay court fees. From the day they were accused they had one week to pay the fees in most cases. Failure to pay the court fees would result in the incarceration of the accused until someone paid the fees. That meant a family like Reginald’s could accuse any commoner who displeased them through bribery of some crime and then they would sit in prison for years until their family saved enough to pay the Court.

  The third thing Alden researched was the history of the Royal Guard. It had been established by their second King, John, and they had been strictly bodyguards at the time. Around 200 years ago the first of the Paladins had been established and they were sent out on missions for the King. The Guard kept the old title however and the group grew and expanded until the fourth King, Wayne I, appointed the first Captain to manage the Guard. That King also established the Inquisition, which at the time was a separate organization that was meant to oversee the Guard and filter their candidates. As the Guard grew they began to manage the task themselves through their Sergeants and Corporals. King Wayne II changed the system so that the Inquisitor became a part of the Guard and was tasked with investigating internal affairs. About 70 years ago the office fell out of disuse until recently.

  Alden made it back to his room from the early morning library run. He would start heading back down to the kitchens again after the First Trial. Between all the fights he had and all the time he had spent in the library the young man had fallen out of the habit. He dressed in his uniform and stood as his nerves caught up to the young man. Alden sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had to stay calm, he could handle this. No, they could handle this, he had Warren to lean on.

  Alden cleared his throat and said, “Warren, we need to get goin’. The Trial is today.”

  The large boy’s eyes opened and he sucked in a deep breath, “Alright. We can do this.”

  Alden nodded, “Right, get dressed and we’ll head up.”

  Warren dressed in his usual manner but seemed clumsier then normal. Alden clenched and unclenched his hands as he waited, nervous energy running through him making the young man more impatient then normal. Alden started to pace as Warren fumbled with his boot laces and then the pair were out the door and rushing up the Wall. Skorri and John had beaten them there but none of the others had arrived yet. Alden started to pace again as Skorri and Warren began to talk. The smaller boy tuned out the two of them and John maintained his silence. He had stayed silent but the young man had less of a timid feel to him now. His presence seemed more substantial somehow.

  The young man looked up as Reginald and Hawkes appeared. Reginald sneered at Alden and moved a few yards away on the opposite side of the wall. Hawkes offered a timid smile and went to stand with his partner. Alden just rolled his eyes, he would trust a doctor from Low Town with open heart surgery before he trusted Hawkes with anything.

  The twins showed up shortly after Reginald had. Elise smiled at Alden and shot him a quick wink. Alden’s brow furrowed and he wondered what that was supposed to mean. The thought left his mind as Sergeant Hunter arrived on the wall. The Sergeant wasn’t wearing his armor today and he strode to his corner while the groups gathered to listen to him eagerly.

  Malcolm cleared his throat, “Your First Trial begins today and must be completed by Wednesday at noon. Your task is a simple one. Each pair will be given an envelope with a red wax seal with instructions to take it to a certain person at a certain place. They will give you a different envelope which you are to deliver back here. The seal must not be broken and the envelope must not be lost or stolen from you. In addition to this, three hours after receiving your envelope another team will be sent after you with the objective of taking it from you. Do not leave a trail, and try to remain unnoticed as you move through the Kingdom. They will not use lethal force against you but they may attack you. Are there any questions?”

  Elise spoke up, “When are we getting the letters and where are we delivering them?”

  The Sergeant responded, “You will report to your training rooms where your instructors will give you the envelope and tell you where you are to deliver it. Anything else?”

  There was a moment of silence before John asked, “What happens if we don’t make it or the letter gets taken from us?”

  Malcolm turned to face the young man, “You will be evaluated on how well you did and a decision will be made from there. It is rare for recruits to be removed from the program during the First Trial but not unheard of. Is that everything?”

  There was silence this time that lingered and the Sergeant cleared his throat, “Very well, report to your instructors.”

  The other groups disbanded but Alden
lingered. He wasn’t sure if the Sergeant would head downstairs or just give them the envelope there. Malcolm grunted, “Head downstairs. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Alden nodded his head in acknowledgment and moved back into the Wall with Warren and found the Sergeant waiting on them in the arena below. The young man frowned at the Sergeant who just chuckled and shrugged, “I have my ways. Now, the envelope.”

  Malcolm offered a plain white envelope with a red wax seal embossed with the crown and scepter to the pair. Alden took it gingerly and asked, “Where we goin’?”

  The Sergeant pulled out another piece of paper, “A town called Celina to the North. It’ll be about 50 miles but if you keep a strong pace you should be able to cover it in about ten hours. You’re going to meet a woman by the name of Alyssa Mils in a tavern called The Lake’s Front. She will give you another envelope and then you are to return here. Do not lose your envelope. Understood?”

  Alden bowed his head, “Of course.”

  Warren nodded agreement, “Yes, sir.”

  Malcolm stepped back, “Very well, now get going. I don’t need to remind you that a team will be sent after you partway through your trip. They will be trained and will cover ground much faster then you. If you lose either envelope it will set you back in your training.”

  Alden managed a grim smile, “We’ll be headin’ out then. Every minute counts.”

  The Sergeant waved a hand and the pair went to their first stop. Their room. Alden and Warren shed their uniforms and changed into their personal clothing. After dressing Alden studied the seal on the envelope and then pulled out a crown. The design was the same, even if the coin was less detailed and the young man smiled as he grabbed an envelope and piece of paper. He had an idea. Warren had a bag over his shoulder and was waiting as Alden shut the envelope. The smaller of the two led the way. If they pushed they could make it there in ten to twelve hours, stay at the inn and take their time making it back. But the pair wasn’t in a hurry. They gathered supplies from the kitchen staff and Alden bought a stick of red wax in the market. The duo began their journey and started on the road north. It was an old forgotten road from before the ending of the old world. Before the Cataclysm. Nobody was quite sure what exactly had happened then but it had brought magic into the world. It had also brought all kinds of fantastic new creatures with it. Alden hoped they wouldn’t run into any and doubted they would because the old road and the new roads built off of it were patrolled and used frequently.