by Tom Liberman
They rode hard all day but because of their late start had to camp again. They fixed a quick dinner and went back to sleep without a word to one another. The heavy weight of the sword at Sorus’s side didn’t seem as strange as it did yesterday and he guessed that pretty soon he wouldn’t notice it all. The next morning they rose and went through their morning routine without comment and soon the open road stretched out in front of them again. Within a couple of hours they spotted smoke from the chimneys of Black Dale and not long after that they rode into town.
“It seems sort of quiet,” said Sorus to Jon as they approached the small village. “Unless I’ve lost track of days and this is a holiday or something,” he went on as his eyes darted back and forth and he noted the lack of activity at the town gate. “Where is everyone?”
Jon shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, maybe there’s a festival or something out of town?”
“I don’t think so,” said Sorus as they spotted a woman across the open area between the gate and them. “Hey, Strenia! Strenia it’s me, Sorus Brew … Sorus.”
The young woman looked up and her eyes widened at his approach. “Sorus, you’re finally back, thank the White Mare. Where is Sir Germanius? We need him.”
“Why,” asked Sorus dismounting from his horse and looking back at their third and fourth horses, Germanius’s and Mikus’s neither of which had a rider. “What’s going on, where is everyone?” he said waving his arms to indicate the entire town.
“That’s his horse isn’t it?” said the woman suddenly, and she took a step back as her eyes widened again, not in surprise, but this time in shock. “And that’s Thorius’s that he loaned to Mikus. Are they both …?” said the girl and her voice suddenly trembled.
Sorus nodded his head but did not elaborate except to say, “I can tell the whole story to the town tonight at a meeting, but what is going on around here? Where is everyone?”
“They’re all gone,” said the tall woman looking at the ground. “All except the mayor and a few of his friends. Everyone else went looking for the reptile men.”
Sorus shook his head and said, “What, wait, I don’t understand. What reptile men? I’ve been gone four days maybe five. What’s happened here?”
Strenia looked at Sorus and then at Jon, who also dismounted and led his horse over, and a tear almost seemed to appear in her blue eyes before she rallied, “You need to go see the mayor right away,” she said to both of the boys. “There’s been an invasion and the men are off trying to see to it.”
“An invasion!” shouted Sorus, “That’s crazy. How could the reptile men invade us, Darag’dal is a thousand miles to the north of here.”
“I don’t know,” said Strenia as she shook her head and looked at the ground. “But the First Rider sent out a notice and all the men went off looking for the invaders.”
“How long ago was this?” interrupted Jon as he moved up next to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder. “It’s ok, Sorus is a knight now, Sir Germanius knighted him. You can tell us and we’ll set things right.”
The girl looked up at the towering young gray knight and smiled, “Titia says you’re really nice,” she said with a bob of her head and a twirl of her hair. “Do you really think you can help us?”
“Of course we can,” said Jon with a broad smile as he slapped the sword at his side. “Now, tell us what happened?”
Strenia looked around the area and then lowered her voice, “It’s the mayor. He sent all the men out looking for the invaders and now there’s no one guarding the town. Everyone thinks the mayor forged the First Riders signature on the orders but no one can prove it. Odellius looked at the orders and I guess they seemed okay. Maybe there really is an invasion?”
“If there really was an invasion,” said Sorus, “the knights of Elekargul would see to it. We didn’t see anyone or anything like that near the Mountain of the Orc but I suppose it’s possible. Jon, come on, we’ve got to go see the mayor right away,” he finished and turned to the gray knight and grabbed him by the arm.
“I don’t like this,” said Jon. “There’s something else going on. This happened exactly how long ago Strenia?” he asked and turned back to the girl.
“Well,” she said, her eyes moving back and forth in their sockets for a moment. “The mayor made the announcement outside the church not last night but the night before. Then everyone gathered up and left yesterday morning.”
“We killed the dragon right about then, maybe before, maybe after,” said Sorus. “Do you think that thing’s master is behind this? How could they act so fast?”
“I don’t know,” said Jon. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense unless it’s just coincidence, but I don’t think that it is. With no men in town and the creatures in the mountain up in arms this place is vulnerable. They might invade anytime starting tonight. An army could march up those stairs and be here in forty-eight hours or even less.”
“We need to talk to the mayor, Jon,” said Sorus and once again tugged on the arm of the tall young man. “Maybe the note was a forgery, not from the mayor but from those creatures who want the staff?”
“You could be right,” said Jon. “Thank you for your help, Strenia,” he said to the woman. “Don’t you worry about anything. Now that Sorus and I are here, we’ll get this mess straightened out.”
“Did Sir Germanius really knight you,” she said and gazed up at Sorus with raised eyebrows. “Have you taken a name yet?”
“Yes, he really knighted me, and no I haven’t decided on a name yet. I think I’ll wait until all this clears up. I’m not even sure the mayor will approve it. His son, Mikus,” said Sorus suddenly as his eyes narrowed and his gaze turned to the ground, “Mikus was killed and Jon is the only witness to the knighting and he’s not a citizen of Elekargul.”
“Oh,” said Strenia. “But, the mayor has to approve you, otherwise he’s calling you a liar and no one thinks that,” she went on touching him on the shoulder and looking deeply into his eyes. “Everyone in town knows you aren’t that, even if no one wanted you to be their squire.”
“Thank you, Strenia,” he said. “Even Shia?”
The young woman laughed, “I think even her, but you need to talk to the mayor right away. He’s in his office with the only other knights that stayed in town, Thadeus Cormeus Brokenshield, Markus Brokenhand, and Decilus Brokenshield.”
“Thadeus Brokenshield?” said Sorus with a shake of his head and a look of puzzlement across his face. “He’s no knight, he’s a Brokenshield unless he performed some act of heroism in the time I’ve been gone. I don’t think that’s possible unless a beer keg needed saving from overflow.”
Strenia laughed again and shook her own head, “Mayor Thorius said all able bodied men, including Brokenshields, were to assume duties as knights. Thadeus, Decilus, and Markus jumped over all the others in town and are the lieutenants to the mayor.”
“Brokenshields are mostly that because their wives died in childbirth,” said Jon, “Those two should be ok, right?”
“Most of the time that’s the reason but sometimes it’s cowardice or dishonorable behavior. Both of those two are in that group,” said Sorus “This way,” he continued and walked away from the town gate.
“Strenia,” said Jon. “Go get someone from the stables to take care of the horses while Sorus and I see to the mayor,” he said with a wink at the woman.
She nodded her head, “Shall I take them to the gates and hitch them?”
“Can you handle all four?” asked Jon and turned his head to the side to look at the steeds.
“We’re a horse people,” she replied, “it’s not only the knights that need to handle them and girls get trained as well. I’ll take care of them, don’t you worry. Just see what you can find out from the mayor and his guards.”
“Come on, Jon,” said Sorus already a dozen strides ahead. “Stop flirting with every pretty girl that comes across your path and get to work!”
A few
minutes later they stood outside the building that housed the mayor. On the streets they saw only women and young boys, and they gave the two knights strange glances as they rushed past.
“Mayor Thorius,” shouted Sorus as they approached the building. “Mayor Thorius, it’s Sorus and Jon Gray with important news.”
If anyone in the building heard the cries no indication came forth immediately, and the two young boys continued forward until they reached the front door of the building. Normally the way stood open to visitors during daylight hours but not this time. Sorus walked straight up to it and tried to push it open and met immediate resistance. “By the Black Horse, why is this locked?” he asked and then pounded on it with his open hand. “Mayor Thorius, Mayor Thorius. There is important news from the Mountain of the Orc. We bring word of danger.”
Again only silence greeted the outburst and the two waited for another long moment. “What should we do?” said Sorus and turned to Jon
The big gray clad knight shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure we can do anything about the mayor. We should either try to catch up with the rest of the warriors and Odellius or try to find the First Rider and report directly to him,” said Jon and added his own considerable weight of fist to the pounding on the door. “I don’t even know if coming straight here was helpful at all.”
Suddenly a low voice from behind them spoke and they spun around, “Do you think the First Rider is in charge of Black Dale, or perhaps you think it is Odellius the mason?” it said. It belonged to a middle aged knight with a badly shaved face, a disheveled jerkin, and a scar along his cheek.
“Oh, it’s you, Thadeus,” said Sorus and did not attempt to conceal a sneer. “I hear you’ve been restored from the ranks of the Brokenshields?”
“In order to be a Brokenshield you must be a knight of Elarkgul once, brewer boy,” said the man, his words slow and even. “Now that I’m restored you must treat me with more respect,” he continued, “call me Sir Thadeus or I’ll have you whipped.”
“Sir Germanius knighted me,” said Sorus and stood up tall, although he had to brace himself against the alcohol fueled breath, the stink of decay, and several black rotted teeth.
“Oh he did now,” said Thadeus with a little smirk. “Where is that old fool anyway? I doubt he’ll remember doing it and I wouldn’t be surprised if you just made the whole thing up.”
Sorus’s eyes opened wide and then narrowed into a gaze that burned, “Sir Thadeus, we are knights of Elakargul together and we work for the same goals, the nation, the orders of the First Rider, and the Black Horse. We might have our differences but that doesn’t mean we must be enemies.”
“I remain unconvinced you are a Knight of Elekargul,” said the man, “and don’t expect to use the gray fraud here to back up your claim. The mayor thinks he might be part of the invasion plan.”
“What do you mean?” started Sorus and put his hand to his scabbard, but Jon put his own hand on top of the boy’s to prevent any rash action.
“And a coward as well,” said Thadeus as he noted that Jon did not draw his own blade. “You let me insult your honor without showing outrage? Only a false knight would do such a thing.”
“He’s not a coward!” screamed Sorus and rushed forward to shove Thadeus in the chest with his forefinger, but the older knight saw it coming, twisted aside and caught the oncoming finger in his hand and twisted it hard. Sorus yelped in pain and suddenly found himself on his knees as he looked up at the former Brokenshield. “Let me go!”
“Do you promise to behave,” said Thadeus a wicked smile on his face.
“Go to the darkling land and eat purple mushrooms,” said Sorus, and then yelped again as the older knight twisted his finger back to the point of breaking.
“Let him go,” said Jon his large frame suddenly looming over the former Brokenshield. Thadeus stood just a shade short of six feet tall with a pronounced paunch but his arms were still strong. He looked up at Jon and a sneer started to form on his face, but the expression of the young gray knight stopped the word’s utterance. Jon’s eyes burned with intensity and the muscles in his forearm were massive and bulged beneath the chain jerkin as they flexed ominously. “Let … him … go,” said Jon and his huge hand descended and clapped onto Thadeus’s shoulder with an audible thump.
“You can’t threaten me,” started the knight but as Jon’s hand began to squeeze harder Thadeus tried to pull away, “ow, hey,” and then a strange look came across his face, first anger, then shock, and finally, as the pressure became greater still, a look of stark fear, and the knight released Sorus’s thumb. Jon immediately let go of the shoulder and Thadeus took two steps back as his hand came to the imposed upon limb and rubbed it. He looked up at Jon and his expression of fear slowly retreated until the snarl returned. “You can bet I’ll get revenge for that,” said Thadeus. “I’ll carve you up. The bigger they are ….” He started to threaten but Jon simply turned his back on the man, walked over to the door and, completely in stride, lifted his boot, and lashed forward with a kick.
The sound of splintered wood and ripped metal hinges crashed through the air, followed by a thump as what remained of the door fell inside the entranceway. “Mayor Thorius, I am Sir Jon Gray, ambassador of Volorius the Gray Lord of Tanelorn, I have immediate business with you regarding the future relations of our states. You can come out and talk to me or I’ll come in and drag you out, I leave the decision to you.”
A moment later Mayor Thorius walked down the hallway towards the broken door, an expression of amusement on his face as he looked at the destroyed entrance way, the wood splintered from where the door hinged and then to Jon and Sorus who stood at the entrance side by side. “All you had to do was knock,” he said with a smile. “Events overtook us swiftly here in Black Dale while you and my son were out gallivanting around. I’m sorry if don’t have time to come running every time you whistle at me.”
“There is a goblin force up in the hills that might well attack Black Dale at any time,” said Jon.
“First things, first,” said the mayor looking around. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” he said and spread his hands wide, “but I’d like to have the report from my son. He is a squire of Elekargul and you are merely a visiting … dignitary … and the boy is simply a journeyman brewer.”
“I’m a knight …,” started Sorus but then remembered the fate of Mikus and his tone changed from anger to quiet calm. “I’m sorry mayor, Mikus died in the Mountain of the Orc, we buried him in the foothills near the trail leading up.”
The mayor’s smug expression suddenly changed as his eyes narrowed and hardened, “He died?”
“We were ambushed by goblins just as we went onto the mountain,” said Sorus. “One of them hit him in the head with a sling bullet. I’m sorry.”
“I trusted you with my only son,” said the mayor and turned to Jon Gray his eyes filled with hate and his lips curled in anger. “What did you do, kill him yourself so that he wouldn’t report back on your plot to destroy Elekargul?”
Jon simply looked down on the man with his jaw stuck forward and his gaze steady and certain. “I’m here to help. You can take it or not.”
“An unlikely offer,” said Thorius and pushed past Jon and Sorus. “Thadeus, arrest both of these boys on suspicion of murder.” He looked around the small open courtyard for a moment, “I suppose you killed Sir Germanius as well,” he said with a shake of the head. “I can see now you came for the express purpose of distracting us while your reptile allies prepared for invasion.”
“This is madness,” said Jon turning to Sorus. “Come on, let’s go somewhere where real men need our help.”
“You’re under arrest Jon Gray, if that is your name,” said Thadeus, and another man, this one also reeking of alcohol but standing taller and broader than Thadeus with orc blood in his veins, suddenly appeared from where the mayor had recently emerged.
“Jon, he’s the mayor, he’s the extension of the law of the First Ride
r,” said Sorus. “If he says we’re arrested then there is nowhere to go. They will post arrest notices for us everywhere in Elekargul, we’ll be fugitives if we run.”
“Listen to the brewer boy,” said Mayor Thorius with a smile. “If you are innocent, as you proclaim, then a jury will find as such and you can go then.”
Jon looked at Sorus and then at the two hired thugs and finally to the mayor himself, “Sorus might be subject to your laws, but I am not. I answer to no one except the Gray Lord and if you try to arrest me I’ll pummel the men you send.”
The taller, broader orc blooded knight smiled and cracked his fingers. He stood well over six feet with shoulders near as wide as Jon’s and the thick body of a man in the prime of life. “I’d like to see that,” he said and nodded his head. “We haven’t met yet, Jon Gray,” he said. “I’m Decilus Valerus Brokenshield. I served with the First Rider and rode down the champion of Adas Jdar after we broke their invasion. He was taller than you and fully a man but my lance cut him down quick enough. Do not think you frighten me.”
Jon stared the man in the eyes for a long moment and neither showed any signs of retreat. “Sorus, you can stay in town, but the trial is rigged, you’ll be found guilty of associating with me, and I’ll be found guilty of planning an invasion or some such nonsense. We have to find the men of Black Dale or the First Rider to prevent something terrible from happening,” he said and turned his gaze to Sorus who stood with his mouth agape. “Now, Sorus, take a knightly name because you know that Sir Germanius granted it to you. Take your name and come with me or stay here and die.”
