by John Marco
And then there was a light and the first stirrings of memory. The familiar voice came again, stronger this time, blowing the cobwebs from his mind and flooding him with sunshine. The voice coaxed him forward. He groped for it madly. Slowly the world he knew was his again, replacing the void with the familiar heaviness of sleep.
Lukien, he told himself. I am . . . alive?
It took great effort to open his eye. A blurry world swirled around him. Remembering his wound he expected to feel pain, but he did not. There was only peace in his mind and a warmness through his body. He blinked, once and then again, his eyelids fluttering to focus his vision. A smiling, elfish face greeted him.
“You’re awake,” said the voice that had pulled him from the void.
It took a moment for Lukien to remember her name. As the grogginess lifted he whispered, “Minikin.”
Minikin put her tiny hand on his forehead. Like a mother she gently brushed the hair aside. “You’re alive, Lukien. You made it.”
It surprised Lukien how quickly his strength was returning. Second by second he felt more invigorated. “Alive?” he asked. Then he laughed hoarsely. “I’m alive!”
Minikin’s smile lit the room. There was an unusual ruby glow on her face, though her amulet was buried beneath her coat. “How do you feel?” she asked.
Lukien mentally checked his body. All his parts seemed to be with him. He remembered battling Trager on the cliff, then the world going dark. “I’m fine, I think,” he said. “But I shouldn’t be. My back. . . .”
“Shhh, don’t fret,” said Minikin. “You are well again. That’s what matters.”
Lukien glanced around the room. “Where’s Gilwyn and Thorin?”
“They are well, do not worry,” replied the mistress. “We are all well, Lukien. The Liirians are gone. Gilwyn and Baron Glass are in no danger.”
Relieved, Lukien sighed. “Thank the Fate. But where are they, Minikin? I want to see them.”
Minikin smiled. “I sent them away, just for a little while. I needed to be with you alone.” She put out her hand. “Can you sit up?”
“I think so.”
With his renewed strength it was surprisingly easy for Lukien to move. He lifted his head from the pillow, expecting it to jolt him with pain, but again there was nothing but a warmth coursing through his body. He sat up without needing Minikin’s help and leaned against the headboard. The strange ruby glow on Minikin’s face shifted as he moved. Confused, Lukien looked down and noticed the glow emanating from his own chest.
“Fate above. . . .”
Around his neck was the Eye of God, thrumming with supernatural light.
“What is this?” he exclaimed. “Minikin, what have you done?”
“It was the only way,” said Minikin quickly. “Your wound was very bad. You would have died without it.”
“Died? I wanted to die!” cried Lukien.
He reached for the amulet and frantically tried to rip loose the chain. The pulsing Eye burned when he touched it. He cried out just as Minikin caught his hand and pulled it toward her.
“Don’t, Lukien,” she pleaded. “Let me explain.”
“Explain what? This thing killed Cassandra. It ruined me, Minikin. It ruined all of us!”
“You are wrong,” said Minikin. She kept her remarkable grip on his hand. Lukien leaned back and let out a miserable sob.
“Get it off me,” he gasped. “I don’t want it. I don’t want to live this way! I’m a Liirian!”
“Lukien, listen to me—the spirit of the amulet has granted you this gift. You are not cursed. As long as you wear it you are its sanctified owner. You can go wherever you wish, be looked upon by anyone.”
“But it’s evil, Minikin. . . .”
“It is not evil,” Minikin insisted. “It didn’t kill Cassandra, it saved her! And the Eye isn’t to blame for your life. It was Akeela’s madness that caused all that.” Minikin sat down at the edge of the bed, her hand loosening on Lukien’s, her touch mild. She said, “You can take off the amulet any time you wish. That’s your choice. But—”
“Fine,” snapped Lukien. “Then take it off me now.”
“But,” continued Minikin firmly, “if you do the infection in your body will return, just like Cassandra’s cancer. It will kill you, and Grimhold will lose its defender.”
Lukien frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Grimhold needs you, Lukien. I can’t defend it by myself, and without Kadar we will be in danger.” Minikin’s eyes were steely as she spoke. “We’ve been discovered. The normal world will not leave us alone now. And you made a promise to Kadar. Do you remember?”
Lukien remembered perfectly. “I protected White-Eye from Akeela,” he said. “I’ve fulfilled my promise.”
“Perhaps,” said Minikin with a shrug. “Perhaps not. If you die then we will lose you. We will have to face the perils of the future without you. All of us, including White-Eye. And what about the Jadori? They need you too. White-Eye will lead them now, but she’ll need a defender. And so will Gilwyn.”
“Gilwyn?”
Minikin nodded. “He’s one of us, an Inhuman. He won’t leave here. This is his home now. And if I’m not mistaken, you don’t have a home to go back to.”
It was all too much for Lukien. He looked away and felt the great warmth of the amulet envelop him. He knew there was a spirit in the Eye, and that spirit was with him, bonding with him. “I’m not one of you, Minikin,” he said. “I’m not an Inhuman.”
“As long as you wear that amulet, you are one of us,” Minikin replied. “You can be our protector. Amaraz has willed it.”
Looking up, Lukien saw Minikin’s enigmatic smile. She was just as she had been the first day they had met—supremely confident. It was good that she was still alive, and her Inhumans with her. Lukien realized his plan had worked, that his gambit on the cliff had saved them. He could die in peace but for the unknown, threatening future. He lifted himself higher, sitting upright, and flexed his fingers. They were strong, stronger than they’d felt in years. He still wore his eyepatch but the itching and constant throbbing was gone.
“So,” he asked, “Gilwyn will stay in Grimhold?”
“Yes,” said Minikin, obviously pleased with the idea. “He and White-Eye are close now. He won’t leave her.” She grinned. “Will you, Lukien?”
Lukien thought for a moment, considering his promise to Kadar. He had broken too many promises in his life, and he wasn’t yet sure if he’d fulfilled this one or not. He slipped his legs over the side of the bed, testing their strength. They held him easily, so he rose. He took a deep breath. The air was fresh and good in his lungs. Minikin remained on the edge of the bed.
“Lukien,” she said softly, “you don’t have to answer me today, or even tomorrow or the next day. But you will think about what I’ve said, won’t you?”
Lukien glanced around the room for his clothes, finding them draped over a chair in the corner. Minikin watched him as he put on his shirt and pulled on his boots. He stood up and asked, “Where’s Gilwyn? I’d like to see him.”
Minikin didn’t press him further.
Gilwyn rode alone through the valley between the village and the fortress, glad to be away from the stifling air of Grimhold. He knew what Minikin had planned and how upset Lukien would be, but he also hoped desperately that her plan would work, and that the amulet would be able to save Lukien. Emerald loped along the ground, sensing his fear and confusion. He did not command the kreel directly but instead let her take him wherever she wanted. It was simply good to be with her, to taste the warmth and air and be reminded of better days. To the west he could clearly see the village, now back to normal, its lanes filled again with people, its many fields being tilled by farmhands. Just to the east rose the fortress, still bustling with busy Inhumans. There was a lot to be thankful for, Gilwyn supposed. At least White-Eye was safe, as well as all the other Inhumans. And Thorin was still with him. At least if Lukien died he’d still have the o
ld baron.
“No,” he rebuked himself. “No, he won’t die.”
There had to be enough life in Lukien to save, he wished fervently. If he had the will to live. He looked up impatiently at the sun, deciding that he’d been gone long enough. Unable to wait any longer, he steered Emerald back toward Grimhold. Halfway there, he caught a glimpse of a horseman riding toward him.
“Lukien!”
The Bronze Knight looked fit and exhilarated as he galloped along the sands. Around his neck bounced the golden amulet.
“It worked,” whispered Gilwyn. “It worked!”
Overjoyed, he sped Emerald onward. The kreel dashed ahead, kicking up a storm of sand. Lukien reined in his horse as Gilwyn approached, greeting him with a raised arm. Gilwyn came up next to him and slapped his good hand into Lukien’s.
“You’re back!” he exclaimed. “And look at you!”
Lukien took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “I’m a new man, Gilwyn.”
“You were almost a dead man! What were you thinking, going after Trager like that? He could have killed you.”
Lukien shrugged. “It was a chance worth taking.” He glanced back toward Grimhold with satisfaction. “And it worked, after all.”
“Yes, it did,” said Gilwyn. With his chin he gestured toward the amulet. “To be honest, Lukien, I didn’t expect to see you wearing that.”
“Nor did I,” said the knight. His face became pensive. “Minikin has given me much to think about, Gilwyn. If I remove the amulet, there’s every chance I’ll die.”
“I know,” admitted Gilwyn. “But you’re one of us now, Lukien. You won’t have to live as a shut-in like Cassandra. You were given the amulet freely.”
Lukien regarded the boy and very quietly said, “It will make a prisoner of me nonetheless. I am already its slave. Have you heard? I’m to be Grimhold’s defender.”
“Only if you choose to be, Lukien,” said Gilwyn. He raised a hopeful eyebrow. “Do you choose to be?”
The knight looked up at the sky and smiled. “It’s a good day,” he said. “Perfect for riding.”
“Lukien, White-Eye and the Jadori need you. Grimhold needs you. We all have to know. Will you stay with us?”
Lukien ignored the query. He continued scanning the sky and the desert horizon.
“You’re not going to answer me, are you?” said Gilwyn.
Very gently Lukien snapped the reins of his horse and sent the beast trotting toward the distant village. “Ride with me,” he said.
Gilwyn spun Emerald about and followed the knight, riding close beside him. He waited long minutes, not saying a word, sure that Lukien would speak again. At last the Bronze Knight was ready. He did not look at Gilwyn as he spoke but rather kept his one eye on the horizon.
“A week ago I wanted to die,” he said. “But today, I’m glad to be alive.”
Satisfied, Gilwyn rode quietly at Lukien’s side.
1
Forthcoming in hardcover from DAW
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
PART ONE - THE BRONZE KNIGHT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
PART TWO - THE LIBRARIAN’S APPRENTICE
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
PART THREE - THE MISTRESS OF GRIMHOLD
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
