Marcus paused.
“Tamryn doesn’t allow trade with Oskelez. Any trade,” Brelynn said. “And Oskelez can’t grow enough food to feed itself.”
“I hadn’t considered that.”
She shrugged. “The city may be infamous for its vampires and necromancers, but it’s still full of regular people that need to eat.”
“Low risk but profitable. Not too many people will question someone that says he’s a Knight buying food if he claims the area had a bad harvest.”
Marcus closed his eyes as anger surged through him. Silas had been using people’s trust in the Knights of Valor to enrich himself. He’d used Three Rivers and the suffering of innocents to buy silence from the locals. To intimidate them and manipulate them.
The man deserved a worse punishment than anything Marcus could devise.
Brelynn paused before the last door. “I think we found something. This has a magic lock. I can open it, but even if I relock it, the mage that put it there will know.”
“Open it.”
Brelynn cast the spell, and Marcus shoved open the door.
The rich scent of exotic spices filled the air, and the dull magical thrum of enchanted items whispered over them. Rare pelts and strange magical reagents filled the shelves, accompanied by glittering gemstones and piles of gold.
He hadn’t seen such a stockpile since his days in the eastern provinces.
“Nothing looks outright illegal,” Marcus said as he examined the shelves, “but it’s all heavily regulated, especially the magical reagents. No one, not even a real Knight of Valor, would be allowed the licenses required to own, transport, and trade in all of this.”
“Would anyone question a Knight?”
“Doubtful,” Marcus admitted. “He must have a contact in Oskelez who doesn’t care that he’s posing as a Knight. Someone with access to a necromancer that could destroy Three Rivers.”
“Easy enough to find,” Brelynn said. “Silas may even be from Oskelez.”
Marcus stared at the expensive and exotic good then gripped the hilt of his sword as anger burned through him. “Silas stole people’s lives for this.”
“Would this make enough to pay the taxes of a dead village?”
“That and more,” Marcus said. “The magical reagents would pay three village’s taxes.”
“You have proof he’s broken the law, and even if we can’t prove he killed the villagers in Three Rivers, you can prove he knew about it and covered it up. What do we do now?”
With a heavy sigh, Marcus reached into his cloak and withdrew another slim vial. He removed a blank piece of paper that glowed with magic, verbally summarized the situation, and tore the paper in half. The paper vanished.
“Message home?” Brelynn asked.
“The Dragon Council needs to send a Tribunal immediately.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“They must review the situation and pass judgment.”
“So downright terrifying.” Brelynn shivered.
Marcus squeezed her fingers that were still linked with his. “I must take Silas taken custody while the Knights of Valor and the Crown figure out who was involved and how much they knew. Especially about Three Rivers.”
“Looks like we stumbled into something a lot bigger and nastier than I thought.”
Marcus shook his head and stared across the warehouse. “He did all of this while I was away-”
“Doing what no one else could,” she interrupted, squeezing his fingers. “It’s a mess, but not because of you.”
“I didn’t want to believe you. I didn’t think anyone would betray the Knights of Valor.”
“I almost didn’t believe me. Now the Crown or the Knights or whoever needs to get out here and take responsibility.” Brelynn stroked her thumb along his. “Smuggling Ring Destroyer doesn’t have the same ring to it as Lich Slayer, but the bards will come up with something better.”
Marcus smiled and drew her close. “I haven’t stopped it yet.”
“You figured it out and called for this Tribunal.”
“I will turn Silas over to them, but we have to wait for them to arrive.”
Brelynn swallowed and bit her lip. “We won’t be leaving in the morning, will we?”
“I’m worried about Calmont, but I have to take Silas into custody before he can escape.”
“Figured as much. And I’m betting this Tribunal won’t be pleased when they find me here. They’re going to blame me.”
“They won’t,” Marcus promised. “That’s not how Dracor works, and it’s not how real Knights of Valor work.”
Brelynn let out a long breath. “Here I was thinking we’d find a rogue necromancer you’d destroy, and we’d be on our way.”
“It’s usually not that simple this far from Oskelez.”
“Not that’d I’d call a necromancer simple.” Brelynn squeezed his fingers again.
“A necromancer I can deal with swiftly. Silas compromised the sanctity of the Knights of Valor. He either killed innocents or stood by while they were murdered then intimidated the survivors into saying nothing. There is no punishment severe enough for what he’s done.”
Before Brelynn could say anything in response, the door to the warehouse swung open.
“I didn’t see anyone go in, m’lord,” a young maid stammered. “Sir Marcus should’ve been in his room sleeping.”
“But he wasn’t,” Silas said. “And neither was Brelynn.”
“Whoever was here broke my lock,” hissed a gaunt mage in dark robes. “And they did it with magic.”
“Sir Marcus isn’t proficient with magic,” Silas said. “If his companion is, she didn’t flaunt it.”
The maid eased back out of the building.
“Their horses are still here,” the necromancer said. “They haven’t gone far.”
“Unless they teleported to Aerius.”
“I would’ve felt a spell that powerful. Did you use the roots I provided?”
Silas nodded. “Didn’t seem to affect either of them.”
The necromancer frowned.
“Sir Marcus is a damned legend, and he’s here investigating our operation. We need to load up what we can and get outta here.”
“Legend,” the necromancer scoffed. “I have little use for a Tamryn legend.”
“Even a legend that cleansed Three Rivers?”
The necromancer paused. “He may be a legend, but what about his companion? Could we use her to get to him?”
“I thought of that, but I haven’t been able to get her away from him.”
Marcus balled his fists. So Silas wanted to use Brelynn to get to him. Hurt a woman who had risked her life to reunite a mother with the souls of her children. All for what? Material gain? Power over the powerless?
Anger, cold and bright, cut through him. Marcus unsheathed his sword and left the invisibility sphere.
The necromancer gaped and pointed as he fell back a step and summoned a ball of black energy. He hurled the dark magic at Marcus.
Sir Marcus ignored the spell and charged the necromancer. His sword flared a brilliant white as it arced through the air like the implement of an avenging angel and cleaved through the dark mage.
The necromancer’s body thudded to the floor.
Silas backed away, his eyes wide as he glanced from the broken body of the necromancer back to Marcus.
Brelynn used a spell to close the door, sealing off Silas’s escape.
Silas’s breath quickened as his eyes fixed on Marcus’s flaming white sword.
“I am taking you into custody, and you will face a Tribunal.” Marcus kept his voice cold and flat. He couldn’t let emotion rule him. As much as he wanted to end Silas for everything the false Knight had done, justice demanded Silas answer to the Tribunal for his crimes.
Silas glanced at Brelynn, who was now visible, and raised his hands. “I surrender.”
Marcus narrowed his eyes, but he nodded once and reached up to gather rope from a
cargo container.
Silas seized the moment, unsheathing his sword and swinging it at Marcus. Sir Marcus pivoted to the side, and Silas’s sword glanced off Marcus’s armor. Marcus used Silas’s momentum to push the man forward as he brought up his own weapon and severed Silas’s sword hand from his body.
The acrid smell of burned flesh, blood, and bone filled the air as Marcus towered over the cowering man, the angel of death ready to strike the final blow.
He wanted to.
He wanted to end the corruption Silas represented.
Wanted to bring back the light to Tamryn.
But it wasn’t justice.
Sir Marcus glanced at Brelynn, took a deep breath, and stepped back. “I’ve called for a Tribunal. You will face it.”
Silas whimpered as he cradled the wrist where his hand used to be.
Marcus clenched his teeth as he fought to retain his resolve. He would not kill Silas.
Binding the other man, Marcus half-dragged Silas into one of the other warehouses.
“Can you lock it?” Marcus asked Brelynn “The kind that keeps out everyone but mages?”
She nodded, but first she knelt beside Silas and examined his stump. The white fire from Marcus’s sword had cauterized it, and while Silas wouldn’t die from the wound, he was shaking and speechless. She cast a sleep spell on him, and he closed his eyes and was snoring before she stood.
Sir Marcus watched the Oskelesian sorceress Silas would’ve tortured ease the false Knight’s pain. Cold filled Marcus as his anger drained away.
“You okay?” Brelynn touched Marcus’s shoulder.
He glanced at where Silas had struck him. “I’m fine.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Marcus met her gaze. “I’m still okay.”
She hugged him, and he clung to her, her touch warming and comforting. She tightened her arms around him, and he exhaled as he rested his cheek against her hair.
“I’m sorry, Marcus. So sorry.”
He closed his eyes as he held her, trying hard not to feel anything and failing. “After all the evil I worked so hard to eradicate, and there was a necromancer right here in Tamryn lands.”
“I wish I had an answer for you. I want to say that the necromancer cast a spell on Silas, but that’s not the way magic works, not even for the most powerful of mages. Silas’s actions were his own.”
“I know.”
She laid her head against him. “I wish magic worked that way. I’d have used it back in Eskara to convince you to find a way to Aerius that included home-cooked meals, featherbeds, and hot baths.”
“You’re a sorceress. Your baths should always be hot.”
“Only when we stop someplace where you aren’t smiting evil and cleansing darkness.”
He smiled as he touched his lips to her temple. “There is that, I suppose.”
“Speaking of evil, we should get back to the house. Sun’s almost down.”
Marcus nodded. Silas was their enemy, but not their only one.
Chapter 34
Brelynn summoned a magelight then rummaged through the kitchen and brought out a couple of mugs. She poured water from a pitcher into them, then dug through another cupboard and produced some herbs. She magicked the water hot, sprinkled in the herbs, and handed a cup to Marcus.
He smiled as he took it. There was something domestic about sitting together, and that felt a lot better than it should.
“As close to tea as I can get.” Brelynn sat down beside him.
Marcus nodded and took a large swallow. The warmth comforted even if it didn’t taste like much.
Brelynn nudged him. “You just shone Dracor’s justice on a smuggling ring. Seems to me you should be celebrating.”
He shrugged and stared down at his empty cup. Unbidden memories haunted him. Memories he thought he’d buried along with the lich. Memories that had surfaced again in Three Rivers.
Brelynn refilled his cup, added more herbs, and warmed the water. “Thinking about your journey out east?”
“I try not to, but sometimes-” Marcus took another long swallow of his makeshift tea.
Brelynn laid her head on his shoulder. “Sometimes talking about it is the only way to heal. Do you miss your old life? Riding across the countryside, vanquishing evil, and saving the innocent?”
“Yes and no.” Marcus stared down at his sword-calloused hands. “I miss having a purpose, but I’ve seen a lot I hope to never see again.”
“But you did at Three Rivers.”
He nodded.
Brelynn took his hand in both of hers. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Won’t bring anyone back.”
“But it might make you feel better. I haven’t heard the legend of your exploits. You could tell me the truth before I get to Aerius and they fill my head with fairytales.”
“You wouldn’t believe the fairytale anyway.”
“I might. Sounds like a lot of people do.”
He considered it and decided it was best she heard the story from him. It might make her think less of him, and while that would hurt, he wouldn’t hide the truth.
Knights didn’t lie.
Marcus took a deep breath, then told Brelynn everything. The good and the bad. The story of his journey. What he’d seen. What he’d endured.
He told her about the years of training, the noble goal, and then the horror of death-stricken lands, broken men and women, and years of fighting.
He even told her about Raymond and Gmina, and how many lives his friend’s betrayal had taken.
“I was young and idealistic when we set out. And now…” He stared down at his large sword-calloused fingers.
Brelynn lifted his hand to her cheek. “You’ve seen more in thirty years than any man should in a lifetime.”
He stared out the window into the darkness for several minutes.
She scooted her chair closer to him, and he slid a protective arm around her. The faint scent of lilacs teased him, and he closed his eyes.
“Three Rivers brings back a lot of memories. I saw more than a few villages burned. An overlord killing his subjects rather than letting me free them. A necromancer murdering the innocent to fuel a spell. Men doing awful things for profit or to escape retribution.”
He tensed and pulled away from her as the images flooded back.
She laid her head against his shoulder. “That’s a testament to them, not you.”
“I still follow the light and yet…” He paused. “Talking about it, telling the truth of it, I sometimes wonder if that’s why the Dragon Council asked me to retire.”
“You don’t feel clean after all you’ve seen.”
He swallowed hard, but Knights didn’t lie. “And after all I’ve done. Most people see the legend and don’t understand the truth. I did what I needed to do, but I didn’t come home the man they think I am.”
Brelynn intertwined her fingers with his. “You gave up your cozy bed and comfortable life to do the gods’ work. You did it, and you came home. Not the same man that left, but still a good one.”
“I hope so.” He lowered his eyes as he considered the less than pious thoughts he’d had about her.
“I’m an Oskelesian sorceress. You don’t need to worry about contaminating me with the truth.”
He touched his lips to her temple. “I won’t let anyone say that about you, not even you.”
A warm glow whispered across his skin as the scent of her filled him. By the gods, what was wrong with him? Even after killing a necromancer and with thoughts of the eastern provinces haunting him, he still wanted to kiss her. To hold her.
Maybe it was a desperate need for human connection after telling her about the eastern provinces. He hoped that was all.
“You said Arch-Mage Ndrek went with you?”
Brelynn’s words refocused his attention. “He’s a good wizard, a very good wizard, just don’t ever tell him I said that. It would only enlarge his already big ego.”
Brelynn
grinned. “I promise not to say a word.”
“Many others journeyed with us, but only Ndrek and I made it back.”
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed his hand. “And I’m sorry about Raymond. It sounds like the two of you were close.”
He lifted his shoulders. “They don’t include his betrayal in the fairytale version. Better for his widow that way.”
“Have you seen her since his death?”
Marcus shook his head. “Knight don’t lie, and I’m afraid she’d ask me a question it would hurt her to answer.”
Brelynn squeezed his fingers. “I’m sorry your friend made a mistake trusting Gmina, but I’m more sorry he never got to tell you his side. Maybe she’d promised him a way to avoid most of the lich’s army, and he thought he was helping.”
Marcus paused. In all the time since Raymond’s death, he’d never once considered that. Not that it changed how many good men had died that night, but it helped to think Raymond might not have betrayed him.
Brelynn stroked her thumb along the hard callouses of Marcus’s hand. “It’s okay to forgive Raymond no matter why he did what he did.”
Marcus’s voice dropped to a whisper as his breath caught in his chest. “I don’t think I can.”
“You don’t have to, but Raymond has already paid for his choices. You don’t need to keep paying.” Brelynn leaned forward and kissed Marcus’s cheek. “Thank you for telling me what really happened.”
Marcus lifted his brows. “Not a very happy story.”
“It’s real and part of you. It makes you just a little bit human and less the poster-boy-perfect Knight of Valor.”
“I’m not sure how to take that.”
“I’m glad you’re not poster-boy-perfect. I like you better the way you are.”
He wasn’t sure how she always knew what to say to make him feel better, to make him smile despite himself. A grin tugged on his lips. “It worries me that an Oskelesian sorceress likes me because I’m less than perfect.”
“Sorceress, not succubus, remember?”
She laid her head on his shoulder, and Marcus enjoyed her closeness, the scent of her, and the unassuming companionship.
He wanted to lose himself in her, to escape his vows and take something for himself after all he’d given.
Knight of Valor: Knights of Valor Page 14
