by Peter Howe
They had only been traveling a short time when the temperature plummeted, and Eddie was colder than he had ever been in his life. Then the winds started up, and soon they were howling around the riders. Tonar put his head down and plodded on, his long mane and forelock flying crazily in the wind. The king had leaned forward, pressing his face and body against the beast’s neck so that Tonar protected him from the wind, and provided the warmth of his body.
Eddie, too, lay as flat as he could, and glancing behind him he saw that all the other knights were in the same position. They carried their lances low, lighting up the ground in front of their mounts. Slowly the party inched forward. The winds were so strong that even these massive war unicorns could only make sluggish progress. The closer to Litherium they got, the worse the conditions became.
Then he heard a noise like thunder. At first it sounded like any storm in the Outerworld, rumbling in the distance. Suddenly it began to come toward them. It was as if it had seen them and was bearing down directly on them in a straight line. The nearer it got, the louder it became, until they were surrounded by crashes that shook the ground, their mounts, and their very bodies. Once it had located them it swirled around in a whirlpool of fury.
The king shouted orders for the knights to reassemble into a defensive circle, but none of them could make out what he was saying. Even Eddie, who was seated right behind him, could barely hear his commands. The unicorns were terrified. Although they were bred and trained for battle, none of them except Tonar had experienced anything like it, and it had been many Eons since he had been exposed to such ferocity.
Just when Eddie thought it could get no worse, the ground began to tremble. Thumping sounds could be heard coming toward them, and with each thud the earth shuddered. The knights raised their Lances of Light to illuminate the scene before them, but the winds were so strong they could barely hold them upright.
One of the riders reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a slingshot. He inserted a shining sphere into the sling, raised, and fired it. The shot was powerful and it curved high into the air despite the high winds, and what it lit up was a nightmare.
Lines of monstrous giants faced them, huge creatures dressed entirely in black cloaks, with hoods draped over their faceless heads. It looked as if their skulls were made of a dull metal, but there were no eyes, no noses, in fact no features of any kind. Although they were obviously sightless, something about the light the ball shed affected them and they backed away from it. The light began to die when the ball fell to the ground, and as it did they moved forward again. Eddie realized they were facing the Kingdom’s deadliest enemy—the Warriors of the Black Shroud.
Through both instinct and training the knights had moved close to one another. The king lined them up on either side of him, using only hand signals to convey his orders. Then, with their lances pointing in front of them, they charged the Shroud’s front line. Slowly at first and then faster and faster the unicorns pounded toward the enemy. What with the sound of their hooves, the howling of the wind, and the crashes of thunder, the noise was overwhelming. Eddie hung on for dear life. The animals were so close together that he could feel the bodies of unicorns on either side, could smell their sweat and see their eyes wide with fear. If the noise was deafening, the light was blinding. With the lances so near one another they seemed to shine with an even greater intensity.
Onward the unicorns galloped toward the enemy’s line, and just as they got to within striking distance the Warriors of the Black Shroud parted and let them gallop through into the darkness beyond. By the light of the lances Eddie could see the faint outline of two Warriors, one to the left and one to the right. Each had an arm raised like a baseball pitcher about to throw. There was an earsplitting hissing noise as their fingertips shot shafts of extreme blackness that could be clearly seen even in the darkness of Diabolonia.
“Darkning bolts!” the king yelled out in warning, but there was nothing that could be done. The bolts were the opposite of explosions, sucking in whatever they hit and making it disappear into the blackness.
Knights from both ends of the line turned their steeds and raced toward the enemy, but their lances proved useless. The Warriors hurled bolt after bolt and destroyed the shining spears one by one, except for the lance Leukos held. The Nebulites’ weapon that had proved so deadly in the Battle of Barren Plains could not overcome the power of darkness now. When the last lance was gone the monsters aimed at the knights themselves, and as the bolts found their targets both unicorns and riders simply disappeared. Soon only the king and the knight to his right remained. There was another hissing sound and the knight turned his head toward his monarch. Eddie could see both fear and resignation in his face.
“Farewell, my—” was all he could say before he vanished too.
“No!” cried the king. “No, no, Valoris, my old friend. Not you!”
Suddenly the winds dropped and the thunder ceased. All was total silence. It scared Eddie more than the uproar of noise that had preceded it. Then in the light shed by the king’s lance Eddie could just make out another figure. He was the same size as a Nebulite, but was dressed from head to toe in a long black robe. His hood had an opening cut out for the mouth, but none for the eyes. Over it he wore a crown made of black metal inset with jet-black stones. It was the Black Count.
Upon seeing his old master, Tonar reared up in fear, almost unseating the king, and sending Eddie tumbling to the ground. He lay there for a moment trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him. An echoing voice rang out across the silence.
“Yes, you fool, he and all your other intruders will be my slaves. How dare you come into my territory? Diabolonia is mine and mine alone. I have left you alone in your pitiful circle of light, but now I will unleash such terrors upon your Kingdom that the light shall never shine again and eternal darkness will be mine to rule forever. Your knights are now my slaves, but you I will not enslave; you I must destroy. Your body will lie undiscovered in the wastes of this barren land, and I will tell your subjects that you deserted them in their hour of greatest need. Warriors, destroy this fool.”
Another barrage of darkning bolts rained down. Eddie watched, horrified, as each one came closer to the king. It was as if they were playing with him, torturing him in the last moments of his life. The king must have felt it too because, with a roar of anger, he lowered his lance into the fighting position and spurred Tonar on toward the Count.
“Kill him now!” the Count cried.
The barrage of darkning bolts resumed. Tonar dived to one side to avoid one that struck the ground on his left, but in so doing he moved into the path of another that hit the king squarely in the chest. The monarch’s mirrored shield flew into the air and his lance clattered uselessly to the ground. He slumped forward onto Tonar’s neck and the animal skidded to a halt.
Complete silence followed; nothing moved and no winds blew. Then the eerie calm was shattered by one long, shrill laugh from the Count, who turned on his heel and departed. The earth rumbled again as the Warriors followed him, and gradually the sound of their monstrous footsteps receded and all was quiet again. Eddie emerged from behind a rock and approached the unicorn. The animal pawed the ground and blew anxiously through his nostrils.
It was almost totally dark now. The only light came from Eddie himself; the king’s body cast none at all. He took the reins and stroked Tonar’s neck.
“Be still, good friend,” Eddie said. “We can do nothing for him now but take him home.”
He was almost too frightened to look at the king, and when he did he saw the same wise old man’s face that he had known for so long, except that the eyes, those piercing eyes, were dull and sightless. When the darkning bolt hit and Leukos didn’t disappear into slavery along with his knights, Eddie feared the king was dead. Now he knew it beyond all doubt. For a moment it seemed as if the life had gone out of Eddie as well.
“Your Majesty,” he said, “how will I ever repay all the kindness you have shown me
for such a long time? I loved you more than anyone I ever knew.”
He felt the tears rising up in his eyes and he brushed them away, for a true soldier never cried on the field of battle. He took the reins and began to walk disconsolately away when he heard a voice in the air all around him. It was the king’s voice, but it didn’t come from his body.
“Help the Chosen One save the Kingdom,” it said. “The secret of the Source will be his, and yours too, my faithful prince.”
And the silence returned.
Eddie set off once more, but he had gone only a few yards when Tonar started to pull him in another direction. In his dazed state he realized that he had no idea how to get back to the Kingdom. In the darkness there was nothing to show him the way, but he knew he could trust the unicorn to take them back.
Slowly and sadly they continued their journey. There were times when he panicked and feared that Tonar had no more idea of the way than he did. Also his feet hurt from walking on the rough terrain. He wore the only shoes he owned, a pair of sneakers that he’d found discarded in an Outerworld landfill. The soles had been thin when he first got them, and now the sharp rocks easily cut through them.
He was at his most despairing when at last he saw the road, and the faint glow on the horizon that could only come from one place. The unicorn hadn’t let him down, and soon they would be behind the safety of the walls. He looked back at the king’s body. It still lay slumped over Tonar’s neck, the feet held firmly in the stirrups. He couldn’t imagine what the Kingdom would be like without him, but the thought of it filled him with dread.
Chapter 13
Walker and Frankie left the unicorn farm and rode Lightning to the center of the Kingdom. They were eager to find Eddie and show her to him. When they got back to the Palace there was still no sign of him. Astrodor was in the courtyard playing cards with one of the other pages. He had little to do while the king was away.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured them. “You never know where Prince Edward is. He pretty much comes and goes as he pleases. He may be back already. Why don’t you ask Fussingham? He usually knows everyone’s whereabouts. Nice animal, by the way,” he added, looking admiringly at Lightning. “She’s one of the king’s special herd.”
“Let’s go and see if we can find Fussingham,” Walker said to Frankie.
“If you were a real lord you’d help a poor maiden like me get off this beast,” she replied.
“I can’t dismount until you dismount,” Walker pointed out.
As he said the word “dismount,” Lightning went down on her front legs so that Walker could step off her quite easily.
“You can now,” Frankie chuckled. “Well done, girl.”
Walker offered Frankie his hand with an exaggerated bow, but she leaped off by herself in a most unladylike manner.
“Can I leave Lightning here?” Walker asked Astrodor.
“Who? Oh, the unicorn, sure,” said Astrodor. “Nobody’ll touch a Silverstreak. They’re only for royalty.”
When he heard this Walker was both pleased and uncomfortable. He loved the Kingdom, and if he was being really honest he would have to admit that he loved being thought of as special, but he still couldn’t see himself staying here and becoming the next king. Even though he realized his parents didn’t miss him when he was in the Kingdom, he missed them. He would love to be able to tell his mother about Lightning, and Astrodor and the King and Jevon and all the other people he had met, but he knew if he did she would just think it was his overactive imagination at work.
Grabbing Frankie’s hand he ran toward the Royal Apartments, pulling her after him. They then raced each other up the stairs, and as they entered the antechamber they collided with Fussingham, knocking the book he always carried out of his hands and sending his quill pen flying.
“Oh my goodness!” he cried as he gathered up his treasured possessions. “Bless me. You young people—you have so much energy. It always happens when we have visitors from the Outerworld. They just get so charged up. I remember one young boy, it must have been two Eons ago—or was it three? No, I think it was two—”
“Fussingham,” Walker interrupted, “have you seen Prince Edward?”
“Why, no, not for some time,” Fussingham answered. “Let me look in the ‘Comings and Goings’ entries for the last few cycles.”
He opened the book and ran his fingers through the pages.
“Well, as far as I can make out, he didn’t leave for the Outerworld,” he assured them. “Whenever anyone makes that journey it’s automatically recorded in the Book of the Kingdom.”
“If he’s still here, where would he be?” asked Walker. “Where does he usually go?”
“I’m afraid there’s nothing usual about Prince Edward,” Fussingham grumbled. “One never knows where he might be.”
Suddenly Jevon entered the room with a solemn look on his face.
“Lord Walker, you’re back, and just in time!” he said. “Come with me. We must hurry.”
“What’s happened?” asked Walker.
“We will know more when we get to the gates. Come quickly,” Jevon urged.
All three ran down the stairs and out into the courtyard. Jevon’s own unicorn was there and he yelled “Mount up!” as he raced toward it. The creature fell to its knees and he vaulted on. Walker tried to do the same with Lightning, but he and Frankie got in each other’s way as they both tried to get on at once, and by the time they were mounted Jevon was already galloping down the avenue toward the gates. As they chased behind him Walker quickly realized why unicorns from the king’s herd were called Silverstreaks. Within seconds they had caught up with Jevon and in no time were ahead of him.
A group of Lightkeepers had already gathered in front of the gates by the time they got there. Lumina sat erect on her unicorn with a stern look on her face. Jevon rode straight up to her, and Walker, who was not quite sure what was expected of him, turned to follow.
“What news, my lady?” Jevon asked.
“Not good, I fear, Lord Jevon,” she replied. “The sentry saw only two returning, one on foot, and the other slumped over his mount. They should be here shortly.”
There was a sudden grinding noise and slowly the massive gates groaned open. Out of the darkness came Eddie, his head bowed, leading Tonar by the reins, with the king’s body collapsed over the animal’s neck. As they got closer to the gates Eddie stood more erect. All eyes were upon him as he solemnly approached Lumina.
“The king is dead, my lady Lumina,” he said, his voice quavering.
Despite his determined efforts not to cry, tears were now streaming down his face.
“He is indeed, Prince Edward,” Lumina said kindly. “It seems there is nothing we can do for him now, but what of you? Are you injured?”
“I couldn’t help him,” he continued, ignoring her question. “I wanted to but there was nothing I could do. The Black Shroud was too strong. The Lances of Light were useless against the darkning bolts.”
A gasp of amazement went through the crowd at this statement.
“The knights were old. In the hands of younger men they may have been more effective,” Lumina suggested.
“No, my lady, I don’t think anyone could have fought better against the enemy,” Eddie assured her. “It was so hard to watch. . . . I mean they disappeared one by one, and then the Black Count said he would kill the king and let his body rot in Diabolonia, but I couldn’t let him stay there. I had to bring him home. I loved him, my lady. He was so good to me and so wise. After my own father died and my mother left, King Leukos was the one I went to. What will happen to the Kingdom now?”
And then he broke down sobbing. Walker and Frankie both jumped from Lightning’s back and ran to their friend. Frankie got to him first and put her arms around him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re here.”
“The Kingdom will survive, Prince Edward,” said Lumina. “As long as we do nothing foolish, it will survive.”
&
nbsp; Eddie ignored her and turned to Walker.
“I was so scared,” he admitted. “I was so scared I couldn’t move. I don’t know why I’m such a coward, and I really, really try not to be, but it doesn’t make any difference.”
“It was brave of you to follow the knights into Diabolonia,” Walker told him. “I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that, and if you hadn’t the king’s body would still be out there.”
“I wasn’t brave,” Eddie replied. “I was mad at you and Frankie for going off without me and I wanted to do something that would show you . . . well, I’m not sure what it was I wanted to show you, but something.”
“It’s over now, and you’re back safely.” Jevon had ridden up beside Eddie. “Give me the king’s reins and I will take him back to the Palace. You go with your friends.”
“No, my lord,” said Walker. “We will all go together.”
He took Lightning’s reins and brought her up on one side of Tonar. Jevon then dismounted himself and brought his unicorn to the other. When the knights saw this they also got down and joined them, leading their animals. Only Lumina remained mounted and she rode to the front of the group. Slowly and with great dignity, the makeshift procession moved up the avenue toward the Palace, passing silent, somber crowds on either side. They were halfway between the gates and the Palace when they began to hear comments coming from the back section of the spectators.
“Silly old fool. He should never have gone into Diabolonia.”
“What’ll happen now? The Kingdom’s doomed.”
“You can’t fight the Shroud; they’re too powerful.”
Once again it was impossible to see exactly where the remarks were coming from, and most of the onlookers appeared to be as shocked and confused by them as the knights were. As the procession approached the Palace the voices stopped, and a heavy silence hung in the air. They entered the courtyard and Lumina turned her unicorn to halt the column.
“Take His Majesty to the Hall of the People,” she instructed the knights. “Lay his body out in a manner that is fitting for a great ruler, and prepare him so that his subjects may pay their last respects and homage to their king. When that is done, return to the antechamber. We must gather an emergency meeting of the Council of Lightkeepers.”
