The Knightpunk Code

by Kory Shen

  Kuri struggled for a second but couldn't break free from my grip. She relaxed.

  "You promise to behave?" I asked.

  "Just let me go."

  I released Kuri. She stood up and stepped away carefully, avoiding the broken glass on the ground.

  As I got up, I realized that I was breathing hard, not from exertion, but from being caught up in the fight. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

  "Thanks, Kuri," I said.

  Kuri gave me a funny look.

  "I needed that," I said.

  "A beating?" she asked with a smirk.

  "No," I said. "You feel it, too, don't you? I just want to pound something or somebody senseless."

  Kuri looked away. "The fire wants to burn. Always. At times like this, it's hard to stay still."

  I had felt something similar, back there on the hilltop. It had been darker than fire, though. Genna had pulled me back from that abyss.

  "I'm here for you," I said. "Like you've been for me."

  Kuri glanced up at me, then turned her eyes away again. She smiled. "Beating you does make me feel better."

  "What? You didn't beat me."

  "Would you like a rematch—"

  Genna strode into the hallway. "What are you two doing?" she screeched.

  We both shrugged innocently. Genna's eyes strayed to the broken lamp, then to a scorch mark on one of the walls. She glared at me. "You. Behave yourself."

  "Me?" I asked. "It was her idea."

  "Yeah, yeah. Tell me about it," Genna muttered. "Actually, don't. Let's go. We have to get out of here."

  "We're leaving?" I asked. "How did the talk with the High Priestess go?"

  "Beautifully," Genna said with a scowl. "They're kicking me out."

  "Really?" I shared a look with Kuri, but she just shrugged.

  "But aren't you, like, important to them?" I asked.

  "I'll tell you later. Let's go." Genna stomped off.

  "Is she angry at me?" I asked Kuri.

  Kuri shook her head. "No. When that one is angry with you, you will be sure of it." She went after Genna.

  I stared at the two departing women for a few seconds, wondering which one of them would be more frightening when mad.

  I shivered and ran to catch up with them.

  CHAPTER 33

  We walked through the city streets at night, again wearing cloaks to hide ourselves. A few people passed us by, but at this late hour, we were mostly alone. We planned to find a small inn to rest at, as none of us had slept yet.

  "What happened?" I asked Genna as we strode through the dark streets. "Are you in trouble with the Temple?"

  "No, they came up with some bland excuse, but the Temple's trying to use me," Genna said. "I could read the High Priestess' thoughts." She scrunched her forehead. "It was as if she wanted me to."

  "Use you? By sending you away?" I asked.

  "That doesn't make sense," Kuri said. "Mind mages are feared because they can't be trusted. If you could bind one to your cause…"

  "They're not fools," Genna said. "They knew I would leave anyway. This lets them deny any involvement if things sour. And they still know my secret. They'll bide their time until they really need me. They'll collect their debts when that happens."

  "Debts?" I asked.

  I hated having debts hanging over my head, but my stay at the Temple must have been costly. I wasn't sure what I would do if Mira needed to be fixed quickly again. Or if I needed healing.

  "Don't worry. The High Priestess likes you," Genna said with a faint smile. "She sees you as a wild card, a joker. The Temple won't be sad if you shake things up."

  "Lady Dyann implied something similar," I said. "That I could counter Lexley's influence."

  "Or even the king's," Kuri said. "The Temple would surely be happy to fill any void in power."

  "Right," Genna said. "It's the constant vying for power, even during peacetime."

  "And especially in times of war," I said. The Min slaves. The Valorian armor. Lexley or Queen Priss were playing a dangerous game with foreign kingdoms. Even too many events like Holden could cause an uprising.

  I leaned closer to Genna and whispered. "Did the High Priestess really say she liked me?"

  Genna smirked. "She's not your type."

  "That's not what I was thinking," I protested.

  Kuri opened her mouth to speak, but Mira screeched in my ear.

  "Warning! Threats detected nearby!"

  I held up my hand, motioning for the others to be silent. We pressed ourselves against a nearby building's dark shadows, hiding as a group of knights marched by. There were three of them. I had to squint, but I could make out the red chevrons on the third knight's armor. It was Prig, the Tenth Champion. What was he doing out this late?

  I moved away from the wall where we were hiding.

  "What are you doing?" Kuri hissed.

  "Prig. He's one of Lexley's." I clenched my fists, eager to put them into action. "It's time someone started giving us answers."

  I stepped into the middle of the street, throwing the cloak off of my armor. "Prig!" I roared.

  The three knights stopped and turned around. Prig leaned forward as if taking a better look. "You!"

  He hesitated for a moment, looking at the other Sentinels, then drew his sword. "You're wanted by the throne for treason," he said.

  "The king let me go," I said. "He doesn't want me."

  Prig shook his head. "I hadn't heard. Surrender, and I'll take you to the king to plead your case."

  "Surrender? To you?" I laughed. "Tell me, where were you earlier tonight? Slaughtering children and old men?"

  "What? I don't know anything about children. Now, take off your armor and surrender. This is your last warning." The three knights cautiously approached me.

  Was I wrong about him? Maybe he hadn't killed Vimm and the others. It didn't matter. I needed answers, and Prig was as likely to give them to me as anyone else not named Lexley.

  "No, Prig. This is your last warning. Where's Lexley hiding the Valorian armor?"

  I held my breath, waiting for his answer. They hadn't noticed Genna and Kuri yet. Kuri could still get a first strike in, but I wanted her to wait. I trusted Genna to tell her what needed to be done.

  "You're out of your league, Jakson. Go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of and forget all this."

  "Wrong answer. Roast them."

  Prig tilted his head in confusion. Suddenly, a sheet of flame washed over the three knights from the side of the street.

  Kuri wasn't holding back. The heat reached me, through my suit, from ten yards away.

  The two Sentinels accompanying Prig fell to the ground screaming. Prig didn't have a shield, but he had somehow used his sword's wide blade to divert the brunt of the attack away from himself.

  I didn't wait for Prig to recover.

  "Full power, triple shot."

  The three simultaneous bolts struck Prig in the side of his rib cage, sending him flying into the other Sentinels. Kuri cut her flames as I raced forward.

  Prig's armor was smoking and cracked where the triple shot had struck, but still partially intact. I tackled him and pounded the weak spot with both of my fists.

  Prig battered the pommel of his sword into my helmet, but I didn't stop. I had wanted to do something, and damn it, here was something to do.

  I punched.

  And punched.

  And punched.

  Somewhere along the way, Prig lost his sword. Kuri had also ripped his helmet off and thrown it to the side.

  "I yield, I yield!" Prig cried desperately.

  I held my fist, mid-strike. "Yield? Did Vimm yield? Did Lars, or Ollie?" I pounded his armor once more. It was broken and bent inward sharply, crushing his side.

  "Jaks!" Genna rushed over.

  The other two Sentinels weren't moving. Their armor glowed faintly with residual heat. "Are they dead?" I whispered to Mira.

  "Unconscious but alive," Mira replied.
/>   I looked down at Prig. His face was tight with pain, his breath short and ragged.

  "I'm going to ask you a few questions. Refuse to answer? I break a bone. Lie to me? I break a bone. Do anything but tell me what I want? I break a bone. Got it?"

  "Fuck you," Prig spat.

  I smacked his face. Prig cursed and thrashed, but I held him down with my weight, punching his side once for good measure. He stopped struggling. His eyes darted about nervously. Genna had circled behind us. Kuri stood to the side, keeping a watch for further trouble.

  "Prig, Prig. I don't think you understand. See Kuri there?" I pointed at the fire mage. "She wants to burn you alive. I'm doing you a favor. So no more bullshit."

  I reached out to grab his chin with my armored hand, squeezing tightly. "Where's the missing Valorian gear?"

  "I don't know," Prig gasped.

  "He's lying," Genna said.

  I shook my head. "What did I say about lying?"

  I tightened my grip on his chin. Prig gasped in pain.

  "Not the jaw," Kuri said. "He can't talk properly if you break it."

  I let go of his chin, instead clamping a hand over his mouth. I reached for his nose with my other hand. I pinched the bridge of his nose. The brittle bone and cartilage crunched like dried twigs beneath my armored fingers.

  I watched him spasm in pain for several seconds, screaming into my hand. Then, I moved my fingers down a quarter inch and pinched again. The night had been long. Between Vimm's death and the slaves on the ship, I wasn't feeling particularly generous.

  After another few seconds, he stopped struggling.

  "Done?" I slowly removed my hand from his mouth.

  He gasped for air. "You fucking—"

  I clamped his mouth shut again. "What did I tell you? Do anything but tell me what I want, and I'll break another bone. Do you think I want you to speak like that in front of the ladies?"

  In one swift motion, I pulled the gauntlet off Prig's right hand. "Your sword hand? How about that, Prig?" I reached down for his hand, grabbing his thumb. "I know everyone's not a fast learner, but you're going to have to get your wits together." I pushed the thumb backwards. Something tore and popped. I kept pushing, then twisted until the thumb flopped uselessly like a limp cock.

  Prig struggled again, his body bucking up and down, but I held him in place, covering his mouth. I glanced up to find that Genna had turned away. Kuri was staring intently, though.

  I turned my attention back to Prig. "We'll try one more time. Where's the Valorian armor?"

  Prig shivered. "I can't, I can't. They'll kill me."

  I leaned closer. "You think I won't? Trust me, anything they can do to you, I can do better."

  "No," Prig whispered. "I can't."

  We didn't have time for this. I reached for another finger, then changed my mind.

  I clamped my hand over Prig's mouth again. This time, I placed my other thumb over his eyes. "How about a little variety?" I began pushing my metal thumb into his eye socket.

  "Stop!" It was Genna.

  I paused, looking back at her. She was crying. "What is it?"

  "Jaks, not like this," Genna said. "I know what they did to Vimm and the boys, but this isn't you. You're not a monster. They are."

  "We need answers, Genna. We don't have all night to sip wine and play games. Right Kuri?" She would back me up.

  Kuri's face was hard. "I'm with Jakson."

  "See?" I said.

  "You said you want to serve the kingdom," Genna said. "It's more than that for you. I know it is. It's about serving the right way."

  I sat there, my thumb ready to gouge the man's eye. Finally, I sighed. "You swear you're not doing anything to me? That this is my own choice?"

  "I swear," Genna said, sounding relieved.

  I removed my thumb from the Prig's eye and let go of his mouth. "How are we supposed to get him to talk?"

  "I can burn him," Kuri offered. Prig yelped, and I had to cover his mouth again.

  "No!" Genna said. "There has to be another way."

  Prig's mouth was moving, so I let go.

  "I'm not saying shit," he growled. "Fuck you all."

  I slapped him hard on the side of his head. His eyes rolled back into his head. I had knocked him out.

  "Sorry," I mumbled. "But what do we do?"

  "I can sift through his memories, search for anything useful," Genna said.

  "You mean keep asking questions?" I asked. "Get him to think about stuff?"

  "No," Genna hesitated. "I can…force myself into his memories. Even if he doesn't think about them."

  Kuri gasped. "That's worse than what he was doing."

  I looked at Kuri, then back at Genna. "What is it?"

  Kuri spoke. "Reading someone's thoughts is like stealing his coin purse. Wrong, but not horrible. Forcing yourself into someone's memories is an unspeakable crime. Among my people, it's deemed worse than rape." She turned her gaze to Genna. "You know this, don't you?"

  Genna's eyes were red with tears, but her face was hard. "I don't want him to become like them."

  I stood up. "No, Genna. You can't do that."

  "It's better this way," Genna said. "I can find things you wouldn't even know to ask."

  "But can you do it?" Kuri asked. "You haven't been training for long."

  "I did it once, by accident," Genna said.

  Oh, my gentle Genna. What was she becoming because of me?

  Genna hugged me, wrapping her arms around my suit. "No, not because of you. Because of them."

  "But Genna…"

  "Everyone already hates me for what I can do."

  "I don't hate you."

  "You heard what Kuri said about mind mages." She unwrapped her arms and patted me on my chest. "You need to be the shining knight. The good one. The one people can look up to."

  "Me? The good one? Ha." I held back my own tears. I couldn't imagine what this was going to cost her. "Genna, are you sure?"

  Genna let go of me and nodded. "Yes."

  There was no going back for any of us. We had to move forward, however we could.

  "Tell me what to do."

  Genna pointed at the unconscious Sentinel. "Hold him down and cover his mouth. This could get messy."

  Messy? I exchanged glanced with Kuri as I moved over to Prig. I lifted him up and wrapped my arms around him, locking him in place. I covered his mouth again.

  Genna came to my side, reaching past me to place her hand on Prig's forehead. She closed her eyes.

  Prig's body suddenly jerked. He opened his eyes and tried to scream, but I held him down tightly. His eyes grew wider and wider, as if he was watching some never-ending nightmare. Maybe he was. His head and hair were soon slick with sweat.

  A foul smell reached my nose. He had soiled himself.

  The sinews on his neck strained, the veins bulged, and Prig tried to scream with all his might.

  I began to wonder if breaking his bones would have been a mercy.

  After several more minutes, Prig passed out again, his body limp.

  "I've broken into his memories," Genna whispered.

  Another several minutes passed. Genna finally opened her eyes. Her own face was dripping in sweat, and she had a haggard look, as if she had just run twenty miles.

  "It's done," she said. "I know what Lexley is planning."

  CHAPTER 34

  The three of us huddled in the dirty old room on the second floor of a rundown tavern. It was out of the way and didn't attract attention, which was all we needed.

  My armor was resting against one wall. I stood up to pace, but realized after half a step that it was too crowded to do that. I brushed off a dusty cabinet and leaned on it instead. Kuri sat in the corner next to the doorway, and Genna perched on the sole bed.

  "I still don't believe it," I said. "Lexley wants to overthrow the king?"

  It was laughable. Lexley against the entire Knights Sentinels?

  "Not just Lexley," Genna chided.


  Genna had combed through Prig's memories, unearthing Lexley's ridiculous plot. He would use the stolen armor to equip mercenaries from the mountains to the west. Together, they hoped to seize the throne. At least half the Champions would support Lexley if he turned on the king.

  "The Knight Sentinels are over a thousand strong," I said. "The Valorian armor can't be enough for more than forty or so knights. Forty mercenary knights and five Champions turned traitor? No way."

  If the Champions turned on the king, would their divisions follow suit? No, I didn't think so.

  "If the king dies, that would be enough," Kuri said.

  "Like the Holden farmer's attempt?" I asked. "That doesn't make sense, either. Why reveal your hand so early and set everyone on edge?"

  There was really only one possible answer I could think of.

  "Is Lexley really that stupid?" I asked.

  "Or your queen is, from what you've told me," Kuri said.

  "She's not my queen," I muttered.

  "Well, stupid or not, we have a chance of stopping Lexley and catching him red-handed," Genna said. "We know where and when he's handing over the Valorian armor."

  "You're sure Prig won't warn him?" I asked.

  We had left Prig lying in the middle of the street, passed out. Genna looked down at the bed at my mention of Prig.

  Kuri spoke. "She broke his mind. He won't be in any condition to warn Lexley for a long time."

  I stared at Genna, then shook my head. We had to keep going.

  "The Ruins, then," I said. "Tonight."

  Lexley would be meeting a contingent of the mercenaries by the Ruins at midnight. I shifted uneasily at the thought of the place.

  The Temple paid obscene sums of money for relics recovered from those ancient wastelands scattered throughout the Elderlands. The nearest site was a half day's walk from Evercrown.

  It was the perfect place for a secret meeting. The reason the Temple paid such large sums was that the Ruins were deadly. Anything of value near the surface had long been taken. Few entered the depths of the Ruins and returned with their lives, let alone any lost treasure. A Champion had entered the Ruins once, before I was born. Even he had never returned.

  "No one in his right mind would go into the Ruins," Genna said.

  "I haven't heard of these Ruins," Kuri said. "I'm curious to see what they're like."