Knight Rising

by Jason Hamilton

  5

  “I’m glad I finally found you.” The knight pulled even with Una and swung himself off his horse. “I panicked a little when I discovered you had escaped the prison.”

  She eyed him, “Wasn’t it you who let me out?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “The lock picks. The jailor even mentioned how I have a knack for using scraps of metal. You heard him clear as day. And then two lock picks suddenly drop through my window?”

  The look of complete befuddlement on his face was answer enough. He really didn’t know what she was talking about.

  “I was helping with the fire,” he scratched his head. “If it weren’t for the alarm bell, I wouldn’t have even realized you were gone.”

  Una frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that. If the knight hadn’t been behind her freedom, then who was?

  “People will be coming for you,” he went on. “There are only so many places you could have gone.”

  “They haven’t found me yet.”

  “I did,” he pointed out. “Though I had an idea you might head this direction. But I’ve half a mind to take you back, especially after killing the jailor.”

  Una stopped dead in her tracks. The knight almost kept walking but stopped and kept his horse and mule from moving on.

  “I didn’t kill him,” she said, slowly. “All I did was throw some ink in his eyes to give myself time to escape.”

  The knight met her gaze, unblinking, searching for the truth there. After a moment, he took a deep breath. “If you didn’t kill him, then who did?”

  Una almost let out a breath of her own. He believed her, but that did little to soothe the hollow feeling in her stomach. “Perhaps the same person who threw me the lock picks.”

  She went back to walking, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. She didn’t like this, and neither, it appeared, did the knight. He followed her for a while, saying nothing.

  Whatever was going on, it was bigger than the two of them. Someone had let her out of that cell, and someone had killed the jailor. But who? And why? The timing was almost too coincidental, given the simultaneous arrival of the Red Cross knight.

  “We haven’t talked about where you’re going,” said the knight as they continued their walk.

  Una pursed her lips. She knew this was coming.

  “You said you knew nothing of Castle Silene,” he went on. “But now I find you going to the Forest of Arden.”

  “I’m going in that direction,” she clarified. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to Castle Silene.”

  “I think we both know that’s exactly where you’re headed.”

  Her head whipped around to face him. “And just what is your interest in such a place? You want to get yourself killed?”

  He opened his mouth as if to say something than closed it again. What was he holding back?

  “I’ll tell you what,” he said after some hesitation. “We’ll explain our stories together, I will tell you mine, if you will tell me yours.”

  Una almost flat out refused. She didn’t need more people thinking she was a witch or touched by black magic. But the man somehow already knew more about her than she had ever let on to anyone, save for her single former friend from years ago. Had he been the one to tell this Red Cross knight? If not, how had he come to learn of her connection to Castle Silene?

  “Alright,” she agreed, tentatively. “But you have to go first.”

  “Fair enough,” he said, pulling the reins of his horse over his shoulder as they walked, while the mule followed behind the horse. He still looked embarrassed. “I learned about you in a dream.”

  She almost stopped in the middle of the road again. “A dream?” she asked, side-eying him.

  “Yes,” he looked at the ground. “It was a vision from the Faerie Queen.”

  Una took in a very deep breath. The Faerie Queen, thought to be a myth by most, one told to little children to keep them from sneaking out of their beds at night. The Faerie Queen would take you and turn you into a slave to her will. Or she would eat you alive, and serve your bones to little fae who feasted on your marrow. Una rarely put stock in such stories, though her own experience convinced her there were many such mysteries in the forests of these isles.

  “I see,” was all she said.

  “I know it sounds crazy. But if you could have only seen her, she was glorious, radiant. She spoke to me in the dream and told me that I had a quest, to find you and take you to Castle Silene.”

  “Why me?” Una probed.

  “I honestly don’t know,” he replied. “That was all she told me, and I wasn’t in much of a position to ask. But she showed you to me, locked in that cell, and I was told you were in Londinium.”

  “So you don’t know if or how I’m connected to Castle Silene.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t then, though now I’m convinced that you know more than you’ve said, given the fact that you’re heading that direction. So, what do you know of the place?”

  Una sighed. She could just lie, and he wouldn’t know the difference. She’d intentionally broken plenty of promises before, as others had done to her. But something about the way he earnestly awaited what she would say next softened her. And besides, if he really wanted to go to Castle Silene, through the Forests of Arden, then so be it. She could use the added protection.

  “The castle used to be my home,” she began. “The lord and lady of the estate were my parents.”

  The Red Cross knight’s eyes widened. “So that makes you some kind of princess.”

  “Hardly,” she said, almost regretting telling him anything. “But I suppose by blood I am nobility, or at least I will be until the Saxons overrun the place.”

  The Red Cross knight inclined his head. “I know the Saxon borders lie close to the castle.”

  Una confirmed that with a nod, “They are, but they won’t go near it.”

  “Because of the dragon?

  “Because of the dragon,” she confirmed, blowing out her breath slowly.

  “The dragon isn’t even there most of the time,” said the knight. “He appears only with the castle during the midsummer solstice.”

  “They’re just worried that one day he will get out and lay waste to them too.”

  He nodded at that. “What happened?”

  “I honestly know little more than you do,” she admitted. “One day, it simply appeared at our castle, a huge monster with green scales and a tail the length of our east wall. It killed everyone with just its fiery breath. I can still see their bodies burning. My mother helped me slip out a back way. She told me to go on, to follow the road until I reached someone who could help.”

  “She didn’t go with you?”

  Una shook her head, pressing her lips together. “She was a fool. She went back inside to try and save my father. But none of them came back out. I was also a fool, choosing to obey my mother rather than go back inside.”

  “But you would have died too.” The knight put out a hand as if to rest it on her shoulder.

  “They may not be dead.” She pulled her shoulder out of the knight’s reach. “They would have barricaded themselves in the tower. Just before I left I saw the dragon falling asleep by the gate. No one could get in. But I know they’re still in there.”

  The knight hummed to himself slightly. “And how many years ago was this?

  “Three,” she confirmed.

  “I’m sorry to say it, but I can’t imagine anyone remaining alive right under a dragon’s nose for that long.”

  “They had more than enough food,” Una shot back. “They’d been stockpiling it ever since the Saxon invasion began. We were prepared for any siege, and with most of the guards and servants dead, they could live on it for years. Besides…” she broke off.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I...it’s nothing. Just a feeling I have that the dragon was there to...I don’t know, punish my parents somehow. Like it was meant to trap th
em in that tower.”

  “Seems like a bit of a long shot.”

  “Hey, I didn’t tell you that your dreams were hogwash.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said immediately, dropping his gaze. “I just didn’t expect you to have such a strong connection to the place. I thought maybe you lived nearby and had seen the dragon when it first arrived.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “So how did you end up in a Londinium prison?” he asked.

  “I’ve already told you far more than you’ve told me,” she said, a little too hastily. “Why don’t you tell me more about you? Like why this Faerie Queen chose you and not someone else, or where you come from. Where did you get such a nice sword and shield, and I assume that’s armor jangling around in those sacks? And what exactly is your plan when it’s time to go up against this dragon?”

  The Red Cross knight hung his head ever so slightly. He almost looked ashamed. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it’s best not to reveal too much yet.”

  “I thought so,” she said. “And I guess you’re fixated on coming with me to the castle?”

  “That is the plan, for now. If you’ll have me.”

  “You just keep your hands to yourself and we’ll be fine. And don’t think I’m going to do all the cooking or whatever you consider to be the ‘woman’s job’. I may be a woman but I’m not that kind of woman.”

  He nodded, not making any objections. “Of course. You’ll hardly know I’m here. And we can split such duties equally between ourselves.”

  Well, she hadn’t expected him to be that agreeable. But all for the better. As long as he didn’t try to take advantage over her, it might be nice to have a tall, strong knight as her protector. Not that she needed him of course. And if he did try anything funny, well, she had dealt with that before too.

  “I’m George,” he said, offering her a hand.

  She eyed it for a moment, before taking his hand in hers. “Una,” she replied.

  “It’s good to meet you, Una.”

  Archimago watched as the two newfound companions continued up the north road. His plan had worked. At his hands, the girl was free from the restraints that had held her back for so long. Now she was free to work whatever potential was planned for her. He didn’t know what this knight wanted her for, but he would be there to watch, to observe.

  He kept following them, keeping enough distance and moving just inside the tree line alongside the road, so that neither of the two would notice. He was good at staying in the shadows. He had done so for more than half his life, a living shadow haunting the night, preying on all who got in his way. A small spell and a prayer to Hades made that possible.

  His mistress would be pleased. Whether they managed to turn these two to their plan, or kill them, it would be a thorn in the side of the Faerie Queen. Gloriana was a fool to not send an escort or give the knight and girl more guidance than they had. It left the doors wide open for Archimago and his mistress to take control, and take control they would.

  He would need to separate these two eventually. They would be more susceptible to his influence, and that of his mistress if they were apart. Together, they could be quite formidable. At least the knight could be. The girl appeared to have no powers to speak of, but he could not make assumptions. If the Faerie Queen wanted her, then that was reason enough to be cautious.

  But Archimago was patient. It was his finest quality. He would wait until the perfect opportunity arose to drive a wedge between the two, whether emotionally or physically. Then his mistress would come, and all would be set right.

  For now, he would follow them, never letting them out of his sight.

  6

  The road wasn’t all that busy as they progressed towards the Forest of Arden. That wasn’t what Una expected. The last time she’d been through here, she’d had to hide from time to time to avoid bandits or other shifty-looking types. Even back then, when she was fifteen years old, there were men who looked at her in a way she did not like.

  “What happened to all the travelers on this road,” she asked as they continued to see no one. “I don’t remember it being this empty.”

  “The Saxons,” George replied. “They cut off all trade with the north, and pushed back the Romans. Londinium is their northern border now.”

  “What?” Una was genuinely surprised. “Is it that bad?”

  George nodded. “For the Romans it is. The Saxons will drive them all out before they even think to attack the Britons in full force. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Britons are free either. Those north of Arden in particular deal with a different branch of the Saxon threat. It seems they want to attack us from the north and the east. And once the Romans are gone, there will be no stopping them. The houses are too fractured to fight back.”

  “Is there any chance we’ll come across the Saxons?” Una was not ready for the type of battle that would entail. From what she’d heard, the Saxons were barbaric, slaughtering everyone in their path. Of course, that could just be political propaganda, but even so, she’d rather avoid an encounter.

  George shrugged. “It’s possible, but I don’t think so. The space between Roman territory and the Forest of Arden is something of a no-man’s land. Only a few Britons live there.”

  “So, the Saxons are superstitious?”

  “Oh yes,” he replied. “They won’t go near that forest. But they’ve taken residence up north of it, which is why you don’t see any merchants that used to travel down this road to Londinium.”

  Una stared at the path ahead. “A lot has changed.”

  He glanced at her furtively. “I...I don’t suppose you could tell me more about...well about what you did to, ah…”

  He was nervous, that much was easy to tell. “No, I don’t suppose I will,” she replied. Her time in Londinium was a subject she’d rather not broach.

  “Oh...okay,” he turned his head to face the road as well, carefully not looking at her anymore.

  George was an interesting fellow. One moment he was telling her all about the military situation in Britain like he was an expert in the subject. The next he was blabbering to string together a coherent sentence. It was probably because he, like so many of the others, was off-put due to the beauty of her face and figure. If he only knew that she would trade all of that for a chance at having her family back again. Beauty was more of a curse than a blessing.

  Still, he wasn’t half-bad looking himself. If the thought of getting to Castle Silene didn’t dominate her thoughts as much, perhaps she would have given this one a chance, even if he did trip over his own words. There was something endearing about that as well.

  He didn’t say another word, and the silence was far too awkward. Una usually enjoyed silence, but this time it hung like a wet blanket. George’s questions all but screamed at her from the silent way he guided his horse and mule.

  “Okay fine,” she finally blurted out. “I was imprisoned because I tried to stab a nobleman.”

  “Stab?” he asked. “That’s...well, actually that makes a lot of sense. They didn’t execute you for that?”

  “I narrowly avoided it. He was fine in the end, and the Romans were the ones who passed sentence. They also thought I used some kind of witchcraft.”

  “And did you?”

  “Of course I didn’t,” she snapped. “It was all a misunderstanding.”

  “I see,” he continued walking at a slow pace.

  Really? That was all he was going to say? She almost told him more, about the eventful day in which she had been imprisoned, what had happened there, an event that almost all of Britain knew about by now, the pulling of a certain sword from a stone. She thought of her friend who had seemingly abandoned her after she’d been imprisoned, the one person who could have done something about it…

  But no, it wouldn’t do to dwell on any of that right now, and George didn’t need to know. She’d already revealed too much, which was unlike her. She didn’t like how this Red Cross knight mad
e her feel at ease.

  They continued walking for the rest of the day, occasionally taking turns on the horse, though Una preferred to walk. Having a living creature beneath her was almost as frightening as the prospect of facing a dragon. At least, that was the case for her. She’d never liked horses.

  After a while, they finally spotted someone out in the distance, a merchant by the looks of the cart being pulled. George hailed the man driving the loaded wagon as they passed, and the man quickly pulled his horses to a stop.

  “Can I help the two of you?” said the man with a tired wave of his arm towards the bulk of the wagon. He had the look of someone who used flamboyant displays and grand gestures to sell his wares but had lost the motivation. Instead, he merely looked tired as he pointed at what he had.

  “If we could stock up on any salted meat and some of your strongest ale if you have it.”

  “You looking to forget about something?” said the merchant, glancing at Una.

  “No, I just need enough to cleanse the drinking water. There’s a lot of livestock upstream of some of these rivers.”

  “And worse at times, what with all the Saxons pillaging the east,” said the merchant. His eyes seemed to enhance his tired appearance.

  “We’re headed north towards the forest,” said George. “Should we be concerned?”

  He handed over a coin while the merchant fished in his cart for a flask of alcohol and a small wooden box with the salt. Una watched carefully as the two made their exchange.

  “Not from the Saxons at least, but there’s word of...strange things happening that way.”

  “What things?” Una interjected.

  “Well,” the merchant glanced at her. “The very type of thing the worst stories are made of, the type to scare the young. Friend of mine deals with oddities and creatures from the southern countries. Puts on a show for the small towns, you know. Anyway, he said he saw a mutt with more than one head, just about scared him to death, he said.”

  Una glanced at George. That didn’t sound like the dragon or any creature like it, but the news sent a chill through her spine. It was probably hogwash.