Knights: Book 01 - The Eye of Divinity

by Robert E. Keller

  The boys took position on either side of Lannon. It took several tries to get their words and taps to synchronize, but eventually Lannon's mind split in two and the Eye of Divinity came out. He directed it on the lock and the answer was revealed--and much more. He glimpsed a mind-numbing process of mathematical calculations, trial and error, and sorcery behind it all. He knew exactly what to do.

  Lannon stepped forward, applied a slight pressure to the wheel, and gave it a hard spin. When the wheel stopped, a click could be heard--very loud and intrusive in the stillness of the stone chamber. The gate split, coming partly open.

  A moment of silence followed, interrupted only by tense breathing.

  Then Vorden whispered, "You actually did it!"

  "Goodness!" Aldreya gasped. "How did you do that?"

  Lannon shrugged, unsure if he should tell her.

  Vorden stepped through the open gate, leaving the others in the shadows. Hurriedly they swallowed their fears and followed. The Eye of Divinity probed the darkness of the cavern, revealing the echoes of centuries. It gave glimpses far into the past--of dark and bloody affairs in vague yet horrifying detail, mingling with the moans of the dying in the deep places of the mountain. Olrog pickaxes clanged fiercely against the stone, driven by powerful grey-skinned bodies, as dark things crept through the caverns and up the mineshafts in search of flesh.

  It might have showed Lannon more, but he frantically drew it back inside himself and decided it was time to get out of here. The images had been too horrible to be ignored. He turned away, pushing Timlin and Aldreya aside, and started back towards the gate. But as he left the torchlight behind, the darkness closed around him, gripping him to the soul and leaving him helpless. Down here, the dark seemed alive and hostile.

  With a violent shudder, Lannon turned and raced back to the torchlight.

  "What was that all about?" Aldreya said.

  "I was just checking behind us for danger," mumbled Lannon, blushing.

  He lacked the courage to face the dark, and so there was no turning back now, until Vorden decided it.

  The cavern widened some and then split into three tunnels. Vorden gazed at the tunnel mouths for several moments, scratching his head, while Lannon, Timlin, and Aldreya fidgeted about impatiently. Finally he shrugged helplessly.

  "I guess we take the left one."

  No one questioned his decision, and they found themselves moving down a long, sloping course that eventually leveled off again. They passed the remains of some mining tools, including a broken cart and a rusted pickaxe, and piles of rotten rope. They also encountered yellowed bones and even a couple of oddly shaped skulls with wide teeth.

  "Olrog skulls, I'll bet," said Vorden, nodding towards them.

  Furlus Goblincrusher's kinfolk, Lannon thought.

  At the sight of the skulls, Timlin almost lost his nerve, and stood paralyzed for a time while Vorden chastised him.

  "Quit being such a coward, Timlin!" Vorden whispered harshly, "and act like a Blue Squire for a change. Those skulls are obviously ancient, and who knows how they got here? And remember, if you go back--you do it in the dark."

  But Vorden's words seemed hollow, and the lad from Gravendar suddenly didn't look so confident anymore. His eyes darted back and forth into the shadows, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the handle of his axe.

  Suddenly the cavern widened into a chamber so large the torchlight could not reveal the walls or ceiling of it. The Squires instantly felt exposed in the open space around them that was swallowed in darkness. Anything could be watching them from the shadows beyond the torchlight--yet they would not be able to see it. Their own light source gave them away, making them easy targets.

  And at this point Vorden halted, and Lannon could tell by the expression on his face he was considering turning back. But then that expression faded into one of determination, and he trudged forward into the unknown.

  After about a hundred feet they came to a stone wall, and the torchlight revealed the very edge of a tunnel mouth to their left. Vorden led them into it. This was a crudely hewn tunnel, the walls and floor uneven. The Squires had to be careful not to trip. A gloomy, desolate feeling hung in this particular cavern--different somehow, more dreadful, than what they had encountered thus far. This tunnel seemed old and cramped, leading them into a place where only fools would dare go.

  "Vorden, this is crazy!" Lannon whispered. "We can't go on anymore. It's too big down here, and the Divine Essence could be anywhere."

  "But we must be close," said Vorden. "I think I can feel it somehow. Are we just going to leave now, with the Essence somewhere nearby? This might be our only chance to ever catch a glimpse of it."

  Lannon sighed. "I really don't care anymore. I just want to get out of here. We can come back later, when we have more torches and we're better trained. Listen--we need to go back right now, before we get ourselves lost or killed! And maybe they've already discovered we're missing. We could lose our chance at Knighthood!"

  Lannon felt sickened by the whole affair, his mind overridden with gloomy thoughts and terror. And yet Vorden seemed so foolishly stubborn. Lannon deeply regretted his decision to come down here, and if he could have taken it back and lost Vorden's friendship forever, he would have. None of this seemed worth it in the least--despite his dream of the Divine Essence. And still Vorden trudged onward, holding the only torch. Vaguely Lannon considered making a grab for that torch and running. But Vorden held it in a death grip, perhaps anticipating such a maneuver.

  Timlin remained silent at this point, obviously overcome by fear. He pressed close to Lannon, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor, and he was trembling all over. Through all his dismay, Lannon felt extreme irritation over Vorden's selfishness. Timlin looked ready to fall apart at any moment, and still Vorden refused to give in.

  Aldreya stopped. "I don't think I can go on," she said. "I feel horrible, like I'm being smothered down here. Lannon is right, Vorden. We need to get out of this place and never come back."

  "Get going then," said Vorden, "or stand there and wait. But I'm moving on, and that's the way it is."

  With a glance into the shadows, Aldreya started moving again. "You're being ridiculous, Vorden. What kind of Squire are you? You don't care about anyone but yourself. I knew it from the moment I saw you. You think you're superior to everyone else!"

  Vorden stopped, turning towards her. His mouth hung agape in an exaggerated expression. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're the biggest snob in Dremlock!" With that, he turned and started walking again.

  "That's not true, Vorden," said Aldreya, in a hurt voice. " I've just been too busy to make friends. But what are we even talking about? We need to get out of these mines before we get killed!"

  The tunnel finally gave way to another round chamber, this one much smaller than the last. Six cavern mouths were cut into the walls. Two of them had the remains of heavy iron bars across them, which had been bent and ripped in two, leaving large holes. Amidst some mining tools, more skulls and bones lay scattered.

  "We can't go any farther," Lannon whispered. "We'll get lost. There are too many tunnels, Vorden."

  "We can't turn back now," Vorden muttered. "One of these tunnels has to lead to the Divine Essence. You need to use the Eye again."

  Lannon shook his head. "There's no way I'm going to do that." His words could not express the horror he felt at that prospect.

  "So you're a coward like Timlin," snapped Vorden, raising his voice. He turned and stepped close to Lannon, his eyes narrowed with an accusing glare.

  "Quiet!" hissed Lannon, backing up a step. "You're being too loud. And I'm not a coward. You're just being selfish. I thought you were my friend. If you are, then take us back now."

  "Look at the bars." Timlin's words were a choked whisper. "Something must have..."

  "I thought you were brave," said Vorden, still talking above a whisper. He pushed closer to Lannon. "But now I k
now you're just a weakling. You and Timlin are both the same. Well, I'm going on with or without you two. And if you try to stop me or tell on me..."

  Vorden glowered at them, his face red with rage. Then, from the tunnel mouth directly behind him something emerged. Lannon caught a glimpse of grey, bumpy skin, an enormous pumpkin-shaped head, and oversized hands and feet. Great claws scraped the stone floor, and a wide mouth hung open to reveal rows of lumpy teeth that looked like bone fragments. A chilling darkness filled the cavern, plunging their minds into despair.

  Aldreya screamed, while Lannon and Timlin stood in stunned silence. Vorden whirled around.

  Lannon managed to find his voice, and he cried, "It's an Ogre!" He remembered the monstrous breed of Goblin from his book, The Truth about Goblins. Ogres were intelligent by Goblin standards and had poisonous claws. They were night stalkers who preferred to strike quickly from the shadows. They could feed until they swelled up to twice their normal size.

  The creature lunged towards Vorden. Vorden recovered from his surprise and tried to swing his axe, but the creature's shovel-sized hand batted the weapon aside and it clanged to the floor. Vorden was lifted into the air and wrapped in a bear hug, pulled fiercely against the giant’s barrel chest.

  Vorden's bones started to crack and he screamed, dropping the torch--which continued to provide light for a scene Lannon didn’t want to view but couldn’t rip his gaze away from. Vorden would be crushed to death in a matter of seconds.

  Lannon stood paralyzed, watching Vorden's life end in this those gnarled grey arms. He couldn't bring himself to even breathe--let alone fight or flee. Months of rigid training suddenly seemed meaningless. His sword dangled uselessly from his hand, and vaguely, somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he wasn't Knightly material and should never have been chosen as a Squire.

  But help for Vorden came from a most unlikely source. A swift shadow darted past Lannon and then a long, curved dagger sliced deep into the Ogre’s arm. It was Timlin--the smallest and (seemingly) least courageous of all the Squires.

  "Let him go!" Timlin howled, ripping the Flayer along the Ogre’s arm and laying bare some of the flesh within.

  With a roar, the ogre dropped Vorden to the floor and swiped at Timlin. The Ogre's hand lashed out in a blur, and Lannon cringed, certain Timlin's head would be smashed from his shoulders. But the lad somehow managed to duck the blow and dove between the monster's legs. The Ogre turned to attack him, but Timlin scrambled up and ran around it towards Lannon. His eyes were blazing with a wild mix of terror and determination.

  The Ogre ignored Timlin--save for a roar of irritation in his direction--and it knelt over Vorden, licking its lips hungrily. It bent down, its teeth ready to tear into Vorden's throat. Vorden tried to move, but the Ogre pinned him with one hand.

  "It's going to kill him!" Aldreya screamed.

  Timlin grabbed Lannon's cloak, nearly yanking him off balance. "He's going to eat him!" Timlin yelled. "Help me save him, Lannon!"

  Timlin's words jarred Lannon into action, and he raised his sword, struggling to remember his training. Yet there was little time for recollections. In an instant, Vorden's throat would be ripped open by those fragmented teeth.

  The two Squires charged the Ogre. It glanced up at them with its round black eyes and snarled. Timlin reached it first and tried to stab the beast in the chest, but the Ogre caught the lad with a lazy blow to his side that knocked him halfway across the room. Lannon drove his dragon-bone sword at the creature's head, but it was a poor thrust and the weapon merely glanced away from the thick skull, leaving only a small gash.

  The force of his thrust threw Lannon forward--nearly into the Ogre's lap. The beast caught his shoulder with one hand and shoved him away. Lannon tumbled across the stone floor, striking his head and almost blacking out.

  Again the Ogre bent down to feed. Then a searing ball of green fire struck its chest, knocking the beast over. Calmly Aldreya walked into the room. She was holding forth her stone dagger, which was engulfed in flames. She drew it back again and flung another green fireball at the Ogre--this time striking its shoulder where the beast lay. The Ogre growled in pain and clawed at its blackened wounds, but then it leapt up from the floor, preparing to crush the foolish Birlote girl who had dared burn its flesh so painfully.

  Then a clanking sound arose. Something or someone was moving down one of the tunnels. The Ogre paused, listening. Then it lifted Vorden's axe from the floor. The double-bladed battle axe looked like a small hatchet in its hand. Due to the length of its claws, it grasped the weapon in a clumsy manner, and it held the axe more like a club than an edged weapon.

  Out into the torchlight emerged a stocky Olrog in dark plate armor. A horned helm protected his head, with only a small portion of his bearded face, including two fierce grey eyes, visible. In one hand he held a broadsword, and slung across his other arm was a dark shield engraved with runes. He carried a burning torch, which he cast down upon entering. Like a walking fortress, this Dark Knight strode into the chamber and charged the ogre.

  With a roar, the monster met the Knight's charge with one of its own. It swung Vorden's axe at the Knight's head. But the Knight defected the blow with his shield, and his broadsword caught the Ogre's shoulder, staggering the beast and finally taking it down. The Ogre tried to get up again, but the Knight drove the rune-covered shield into its chest, knocking it backwards. Then his broadsword hurtled down against the Ogre's skull, splitting it open. The Ogre still sought to regain its footing, while one long and crooked arm snaked out. The Ogre seized the Knight's leg and gave a yank. The Knight fell backwards to the floor with a clatter of plate mail.

  Lannon and Timlin sat up and watched the battle, throbbing with pain from their blows, and from where he lay on the floor, Vorden was also watching. As they saw the Knight go down, their hopes sank.

  The Ogre leapt towards the fallen Knight, swinging the axe. But again the Knight defected the blow with his shield, lashing out with his broadsword at the same time and striking the monster's leg, ripping flesh from bone. The Ogre twisted sideways from the impact and then fell forward. The Knight just managed to roll out of the way as the monster slumped to the cavern floor. The Knight staggered up and drove his broadsword down against the Ogre's head again, and this time its skull was shattered. The beast stopped moving.

  The Knight stood still for a moment, panting hard from exertion, watching the dead Ogre. At last he turned to the others and spoke in a gruff voice. "Well, look what trouble you've brought upon yourselves, young Squires."

  The Knight bent over Vorden and studied him carefully. "You look somewhat pale. Take a good knock, did you? How's your breathing?"

  "I'm okay," said Vorden. "My ribs hurt, and my back. I think I can walk, though. I just need to get back to my room."

  The Knight turned to the others. "And what about you three?"

  Timlin groaned and stood up shakily. "I don't care if we get in trouble. I just want to get out of here. Can you take us out of this place?"

  The Knight nodded. "I can and I will."

  Blood ran down Lannon's forehead from the gash where he'd struck the floor, and he wiped it away before it got in his eyes. He stared at the fallen Ogre, his mind swallowed in dark thoughts. His soul seemed frozen within him.

  "Take us out of here," he said quietly.

  "In moment, I will," said the Knight. "But I want to make sure you've learned your lessons. I'm not going to report you to the High Council, because I think you're brave Squires--though certainly foolish--and that you're a credit to my kingdom in some ways. But before I let you go, I'm going to show you a few things about the Mines--and then you'll understand why you should never venture down here. First, though, we’ve got to close that gate you opened." He gave them a hard stare.

  "We've seen enough," said Lannon. "We'll never come back here."

  "We just want to leave!" said Timlin.

  "Please take us to the East Tower," said Aldreya, and her soft green
eyes made the Knight hesitate for a moment.

  Vorden kept quiet, holding his ribs and watching the Knight.

  The Knight shook his head. "You're not getting off that easily, Squires. Now get up and follow me, if you know what's good for you!"

  After going back and closing the gate, the three Squires followed the Knight into the tunnel from which he'd first come. The Dark Knight strode along at a swift pace, and the others had to struggle to keep up. Vorden especially had difficulty due to his damaged ribs. But the Knight showed him no mercy and marched on through the stone cavern without slowing.

  "My name is Garndon Steelbreaker," he said. "I am a Guardian of the East Tower, put here to defend it against the creatures that would rise against Dremlock."

  "What Color are you?" said Vorden.

  "I belong to no color class," said Garndon. "Once I was Red, but now I bear no color. I am a Guardian, and I seldom leave these tunnels to see the light of day. That's the way it will be until I retire from Knighthood. What are your names, by the way? Yes--I can read. But I want to hear you speak them."