by Chuck Black
Barrett sheathed his sword. “Your disappearance was a great mystery to many in the city. We would love to hear your story.”
Gavinaugh smiled and knew in his heart that this was the first of many opportunities he would have to share his story.
“I have been with the Prince …” As Gavinaugh told all to William and Barrett, his zeal for the Prince spilled into every word that came from his lips, and soon the men had become his loyal brothers as well.
“We must take you to Cedric. He will want to know of the great work the Prince has done in you,” William said. “Weston, bring Gavinaugh to the haven tomorrow evening, and we will prepare Cedric and the others for his visit.”
William turned to Gavinaugh. “We hope your next encounter with the Knights of the Prince will not be quite as intense.”
Gavinaugh laughed. “Indeed!”
A JOURNEY OF WILL
The meeting with Cedric and the other Knights of the Prince was at first cautious, then joyful, then exciting, as all became aware of the mighty work the Prince was beginning. Initially, some of the knights fell into dispute regarding the Outdwellers, arguing that they must first be made citizens of Chessington and prove that they would uphold the Articles of the Code. But Cedric stood with Gavinaugh as he declared the words of the Prince and His intention to make knights of Outdwellers, regardless of their citizenship. In the end, the hearts of all were unified and confirmed, for they accepted and understood the Prince’s intention to reach the entire kingdom.
At the counsel of the Knights of the Prince, it was determined that Weston should travel with Gavinaugh for a time on his journeys to other cities and regions. They departed the following morning to the port city of Kumbria.
Kumbria was a quaint city nestled between the lush, rolling hills of the country and the shore of the Great Sea. It was an access point for much of the trade from other coastal regions to the eastern kingdom. Ships of all sizes and origins dotted the harbor of the city. Gavinaugh and Weston found a few people who were willing to hear their words from the Prince, but they perceived a strange fearfulness in the hearts of most. Ten came to believe on the Prince, and Gavinaugh and Weston began to train them diligently in the art of the sword to become true Knights of the Prince. Remarkably, they met no resistance, for there were no other knightly orders to take offense at their training.
One day while Gavinaugh and Weston were in the market square, a man approached Gavinaugh and spoke quietly, as though he did not want to be overheard. He glanced about the square as if searching for something or someone.
“What can I do for you, sir?” Gavinaugh asked.
“The prefect Sergustine of Kumbria wishes to meet with you,” the man said, continuing the search with his eyes.
“We would be honored,” Gavinaugh replied. “We will come with you now.”
“No!” the man said quickly. “He will meet you at his manor in the back courtyard tomorrow morning at sunrise.”
“We will be there,” Gavinaugh said, and the nervous man departed at once.
Weston scratched his head. “What is it about this city?” Gavinaugh asked him.
“I don’t know,” Weston said. “The wealthy are certainly apprehensive, and I sense that our presence is becoming uncomfortable to them. Perhaps our recruits can give us an answer.”
That evening Gavinaugh spoke with a young man named Cade. He said he had been drawn to Gavinaugh and Weston earlier while hearing them talk in the marketplace. He was curious about the strange story of the Prince and the order of the Knights of the Prince. Gavinaugh spoke with him while Weston worked with the other men.
“But I thought a man must possess great wealth and train many years in order to become a knight,” Cade said.
Gavinaugh shook his head. “When a man’s heart beats with the purpose of the Code and he follows the truth of the Prince, he is more of a knight than one who owns great lands and has trained with a sword since childhood. The ways of the Prince are a great mystery to those who don’t believe, but to those of us who do, they are life itself. The irony is that the Prince calls the poor and the lowly, and not many wealthy or mighty will accept these truths and yield to Him. For a short time they will have their reward, but your reward is so much greater and will last forever. A grand manor awaits you in the Kingdom Across the Sea. Your reward will not ever be taken from you—not here or in the kingdom to come. We have become like the Prince Himself—joint heirs to the kingdom—and we will rule with Him one day.”
“How can this be true? I am so unworthy … I am just a pauper.” Cade seemed quite perplexed by Gavinaugh’s words.
“Those who know they are unworthy and yet believe are true Knights of the Prince, for it was the death of the Prince that made them worthy. Those who think themselves worthy by their own skill and power shall never see the King’s kingdom. It is only through His Son that one can find the way—the only way!”
Cade’s face shone with interest. “What of the other knightly orders? They seem to uphold many of the same ideals as the Code of the King.”
“Do not be deceived, young Cade. Only one order is the true order. Many are beguiled by the apparent goodness of the other orders, but they do not believe in the Prince or in His sacrificial mission to Arrethtrae. In reality, the Dark Knight is the architect behind these orders to entice as many away from the Prince as possible. He is as cunning as a serpent that has mesmerized its next victim. The ways of these orders seem right to many, but in the end, they will be destroyed.”
“What of those who live by the true Code of the King? Are they worthy?”
“No man save One has perfectly fulfilled all of the Articles of the Code, and that man is the Prince. If a man believes he is worthy as a knight because he has fulfilled the Code, he is a liar and fools not only others but also himself. It is the Code that brings understanding to our unworthiness. Only when one accepts the truth of the Prince and His mission here in Arrethtrae is he worthy to become a Knight of the Prince. He cannot fulfill the Code, but nevertheless he is worthy because of the Prince alone.”
“Do we then not live by the Code if we are unable to fulfill it?” Cade asked.
“May the King forbid it!” Gavinaugh said. “Because of the Prince, we are made worthy and we establish the Code all the more, for our hearts desire the ways of the Prince and to become like Him who fulfilled the Code to perfection.”
“To believe in the Prince … it seems too simple, Sir Gavinaugh.”
Gavinaugh smiled. “It is the simplest and the hardest thing you will ever do.”
“Why do you say it is hard as well?”
“You must understand that if you become a Knight of the Prince and live by the Code, you will encounter great adversity. There are those who have left the order because of such challenges. The Prince requires complete surrender of all that you have and all that you are to Him. This is why the wealthy and the mighty find it nearly impossible to yield to Him. He must become their Lord, and often their pride and greed prevent it. When you become a Knight of the Prince, you join an order that is contrary to the rest of the kingdom, and you then become the adversary of the greatest enemy of the King that has ever existed—the Dark Knight and his Shadow Warriors. If you choose to follow the Prince, you must prepare yourself for great battles, young Cade. But remember that the Prince has promised that He will always, always be with you!”
Gavinaugh could see the light of truth twinkling in the young man’s eyes.
“Are you prepared to take up the sword of the Prince? To give Him all that you have and all that you are? To honor and serve Him in all that you do? To endure the adversity that will surely come to you as one of His knights?”
“I am!” Cade answered.
“Kneel.”
Cade reverently dropped to his knees.
“Do you believe in the Prince, the King’s Son, and in His death on the tree to save you? Do you believe that He rose up from death and lives?”
“I do,” Cade ans
wered.
“Will you take up the sword of the Prince and uphold the King’s Code unto your last breath?”
“I will.”
Gavinaugh unsheathed his sword and touched Cade’s shoulders with it as he spoke. “Then I dub you Sir Cade, Knight of the Prince! Rise, Sir Cade.”
Cade stood, and his eyes gleamed with the light of his new life.
“All my life I have hoped to hear such words and thought them possible only in the words of a fairy tale. But here today I have been lifted from a life of despair and hopelessness into a life of promise and expectation. Now my life has purpose and meaning. I feel like a new man.”
Gavinaugh placed a hand on his shoulder. “And that you are! Now you can help me discover some truth.”
“What could I possibly teach you, Sir Gavinaugh?”
“Tell me about Prefect Sergustine.”
“I don’t know very much about him, but he seems to be an honest man,” Cade said.
“Our presence here seems to have made the leaders of the city nervous. Do you have any idea why?” Gavinaugh asked.
“You are probably right, but they always seem nervous to me.” Cade hesitated. “I only know of rumors as to why.”
Gavinaugh looked into his eyes. “I am meeting with the prefect tomorrow. Perhaps your rumors will prepare me.”
Cade hesitated and then nodded. “As a child, I once heard of a mysterious dark warrior who visited the prefect years ago. It is believed by some that he is the true prefect of the city and that Sergustine is simply a pawn used to bring the wealth of the city to the mysterious warrior. Some claim that this dark warrior lives nearby, but most everyone thinks him to be a myth. No one will speak of such things openly, though.”
“Why not?” Gavinaugh asked.
“I’m sure it is just a coincidence, but a mischievous lad who claimed he saw this mysterious warrior one evening was found dead a couple of days after telling his story. People said he was kicked in the head by a horse, but some suspect that his untimely death was not an accident at all. I think perhaps your presence and talk of the Prince has resurrected this great superstition among the people. You should be careful, Sir Gavinaugh.”
“This all sounds quite bizarre, but rest assured … I will be careful,” Gavinaugh said.
That evening, Gavinaugh pondered all that Cade had said. There was indeed a strange and fearful heart among the citizens of Kumbria. It was a fear he had tasted once before.
BLACKNESS OF A SHADOW
At sunrise the next morning, Weston and Gavinaugh rode to the prefect’s manor. They left their horses to graze in a field nearby and walked to the courtyard at the back of his estate. The courtyard was large and beautiful, full of flowering trees and shrubbery that was manicured to perfection. It seemed more like a garden than a courtyard. Many cobblestone paths branched off of the main walkway that led to the manor, each one inviting a passerby to partake in the beauty.
The cool morning air was crisp, and the full light of the day was not yet upon them. The morning dew became a mist under the warmth of the coming day and rose from the greenery to place them as obscure figures on the canvas of a piece of masterful art. Just ahead, a man was pacing back and forth near a stone bench off the main walkway. Gavinaugh assumed that this was the prefect. At their approach, he looked up and beckoned them to come. They were still some distance away when the peace of the courtyard was shattered by the presence of evil.
A huge, ominous form stepped from the shadows of the nearby shrubbery onto the walkway between them and the prefect. His sword was drawn, and Gavinaugh instantly recognized the mark of Lucius on his armor. The prefect gasped and turned white. Gavinaugh could tell he wanted to run but did not dare. A branch as thick as a man’s arm hung in front of the warrior, obscuring some of his form. The warrior growled and made one powerful slice with his sword that cut the branch clean through, exposing all his horrific grandeur to Gavinaugh and Weston. The warrior turned and pointed his sword at the prefect.
“You fool, Sergustine! Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”
The prefect cowered in fear and became like stone. Gavinaugh sensed the fear rising in Weston, for he had never seen a Shadow Warrior before. Gavinaugh fought back his own apprehension—his previous encounters with such brutes had been devastating. But then he remembered the words of the Prince: “Not even the forces of the Dark Knight will prevail against you!”
Gavinaugh spoke in hushed tones to his comrade. “Do not fear, Weston. The Prince is with us.”
The Shadow Warrior turned back to face them as Gavinaugh and Weston drew their swords. “This city belongs to me. I know who you are and why you are here. Leave now or I will kill you and hang your bodies in the city streets for all to see!” The Shadow Warrior’s raspy voice was an unnatural sound in such a naturally beautiful place.
Gavinaugh felt a surge of strength pulse through his muscles as he brought the power of the Prince to the forefront of his mind. A burning indignation ignited his soul at the presence of the evil before him. He set his eyes upon the warrior and did not hesitate as he stepped forward with the confidence of one who knows that his life is in the hands of a Man a thousand times more powerful than the warrior before him.
Gavinaugh spoke as he approached. “Hear this, warrior of the Dark Knight. You are an enemy of good, and you pervert the ways of the King. By the power of the Prince, you shall be destroyed!”
The warrior was momentarily stunned by such a reply, and the wrath manifested in his face faltered.
Weston followed Gavinaugh, but the pathway was too narrow to stand beside him. Gavinaugh rushed upon the warrior, and a clash of steel resounded throughout the courtyard. The warrior recovered his fury and unleashed a volley of wild cuts and slices on Gavinaugh, but the skill of Gavinaugh’s training did not waver. He deflected the blows with perfection and felt the rush of power in his blade like he had never felt in any other battle. Within a few moments, Gavinaugh knew the movements of the warrior so thoroughly that his steel arrived in a defensive position before the Shadow Warrior could finish a cut.
Gavinaugh predicted the brute’s next attack, deflected it, and spun full circle with his sword so quickly that the Shadow Warrior did not even see the deadly slice that cut through his torso and ended his life.
The dark warrior collapsed on the cobblestones with a thud. Weston had circled behind the Shadow Warrior to protect the prefect, but by the time he had maneuvered into position, the fight was over.
Weston and Gavinaugh approached the prefect, who had not moved and was still stunned by what he had just seen. When they stood before him, the man fell to his knees and grabbed Gavinaugh’s feet.
“You have saved me … you have saved us all! We shall be your servants forever!”
Gavinaugh knelt to lift the prefect by his arm. “Prefect, stand up. We have not saved you. The Prince has done this thing. Serve Him and Him only!”
The prefect stood and looked at Gavinaugh. “I heard of your visit to our city and the words you were speaking. I hardly dared to call you here, for I feared for my life, but I was a living dead man anyway. Tell me of the Prince that I might believe!”
The prefect brought Gavinaugh and Weston into his manor and gathered his servants and other city leaders to hear their words. From that day forth, the city of Kumbria became a strong haven of the Knights of the Prince … a beacon of light in the whole region. They remained many days with the people and trained hundreds of men and women in the ways of the Code and with the sword of the Prince, knighting all who believed and were willing to follow.
After many days, Gavinaugh and Weston departed from Kumbria with a promise to return and a charge to continue the work they had begun. They followed the coastal roadway for a time and then set their path toward the city of Santiok. They had heard that the people there were devoid of hope, for a prime commodity of the city was the souls of men and women, which brought gain to many and pain to many more.
CHAINS OF DESPAIR
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Gavinaugh and Weston entered Santiok in midafternoon. It was a large city that was a hub for merchandise and trade in the region. Near the center of the city, a mass of people had gathered for a slave auction in progress. In this region of the kingdom, such barbaric practices were common. The slaves were taken from all regions of the land, and Santiok had become the center of the slave trade. Gavinaugh and Weston were aware of this, but experiencing the culture firsthand was demoralizing.
As they approached the auction platform, Gavinaugh and Weston could hear the voices of crude men bartering for human lives, and Gavinaugh felt the anger rise within him.
Weston grabbed Gavinaugh’s arm. “Remember, Gavinaugh, they do not know the ways of the Prince. They have lived in this darkened condition since the beginning of the kingdom,” Weston said, seemingly aware of Gavinaugh’s intense emotions.
Gavinaugh looked at Weston and relaxed slightly. Even as a Noble Knight he would have found the practice of slavery abominable, but only with the enlightenment of the Prince did he care about such things beyond the borders of Chessington. Now that Gavinaugh saw all people as equal in the eyes of the King, what was happening before him was appalling.
They rode near the auction and dismounted. Gavinaugh was amazed at how efficient the leadership of Santiok had become in this barbaric business. The main thoroughfare was crowded with people from all across the region. The traders and their slaves were cordoned off in a holding area, each waiting his turn for the auctioneer to sell the bounty of stolen human lives. The city’s leadership received a fee and a commission for each sale as payment for organizing and hosting the trade. Their own guard force kept the whole affair orderly and also served to deny any other such trades from occurring within this region of the kingdom. Their monopoly was efficient and rewarded both the slave traders and the people who purchased slaves within the city. The fate of the slaves themselves varied greatly. Some became servants at large estates. The stronger men were often put to work on large farms or even at the walls of a castle lord. A few unfortunate ones were taken to a distant place where they reputedly served as entertainment in vicious tournaments to the death.
