Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

The Knights gathered wood from a grove of trees and built a funeral pyre. They laid Thrake atop it. Taris stood before the pyre, stone dagger in hand. "Thrake cannot be honored in the usual way," he said, "because he succumbed to the Deep Shadow. Therefore, only his axe and armor will be returned to Dremlock for burial. His ashes will be left here in the snow. It troubles me to do this, but we must obey the Sacred Laws."

Taris stood in silence for a moment and then added, "But Thrake served Dremlock well and we should remember him as the noble warrior and friend we all knew. We should speak fondly of him." With that, Taris lit the pyre with his burning dagger and stepped back, his head bowed.

A long period of silence followed. Lannon gazed at Thrake's body as the flames rose up around it, the finality of death heavy in his heart. This was truly the end of Thrake Wolfaxe and nothing would remain but ashes. It had all happened so quickly that Lannon was still in shock.

Lannon wondered how many other Knights of Dremlock were infested with the Deep Shadow and plotting his doom. Thrake had been able to hide it easily, even from the Eye of Divinity. For all his supposed ability to see deeper truths, Lannon felt blinded by the darkness of Tharnin and very alone.

The next day, Lannon had the unpleasant task of explaining to his friends the grim fate that had befallen Thrake. The Squires awoke at dawn and seemed free of any lingering affects of Thrake's sorcery, so Lannon told them the tale as they looked on in shock and dismay.

Jerret at first seemed unwilling to believe Lannon's version of what had happened. He paced around in the tent and shouted irrational accusations at Lannon, suggesting Lannon was the one under the influence of Tharnin. Lannon simply sat quietly and didn't respond, knowing Jerret needed time to come to terms with the reality of the situation.

But once Jerret saw the ashes from the funeral pyre and had a talk with Taris Warhawk, he came to accept Lannon's story as truth-though he withdrew inside himself and refused to talk to anyone after that.

Jerret knelt in the snow before the ashes for a long time beneath a grey sky, his head bowed. Lannon and the others tried to console him but Jerret motioned them away, tears in his eyes. At last they left him alone to grieve as the tents were taken down and packed away for travel.

And then they were riding toward Blombalk again, leaving behind only dark ashes and a few charred logs in the snow. Jerret's expression was bitter, and he wouldn't look at the other Squires. By the time they stopped for a quick lunch, however, he revealed his thoughts.

"It doesn't make any sense," Jerret said. "Thrake was too strong to be a puppet of Tharnin, and he never showed any signs. Something is very wrong here, and I'm going to find out what it is."

"I think you're mistaken," said Lannon. "I find it hard to believe too. Even Taris does. But the truth is the truth, and you need to accept that."

"I don't accept it," said Jerret, "because I know in my heart that Thrake could never turn to evil like that. Strange how everyone has so easily forgotten the kind of Knight he was. Where is your loyalty?"

"No one has forgotten who Thrake was," said Aldreya. "But at some point he made a dire mistake and the Deep Shadow found its way into his heart. Thrake was human and he had weaknesses, just like all of us."

"And what about Shennen?" Jerret said, in a loud voice. "What about his bizarre behavior? Has everyone forgotten about that?"

Shennen turned in the saddle and gazed at Jerret. "Believe what you want about me, Squire. Your grief blinds you to reason. But Lannon knows it was Thrake who stood over him with a drawn dagger-preparing to inflict pain and death. And it was I who saved Lannon from that fate."

Jerret's face was sullen and defiant.

"Let it go, Jerret," said Vannas. "Thrake's story is ended and nothing can be done about it. But you still have a bright future at Dremlock."

"Leave me alone!" Jerret snarled. "I don't need any stupid lectures from an arrogant prince. I'll figure things out for myself."

At last Jace spoke up. The giant, purple-cloaked sorcerer rode next to Jerret. "Remember Thrake's lessons and draw strength from them, young man. And bear in mind that Thrake is in some elite company."

Jerret gazed up at Jace with a curious expression. "What do you mean by elite company? "

Jace smiled briefly and said, "Some of the greatest Divine Knights in history have fallen to the Deep Shadow. The Dark Watchmen were amongst them-those Sword Masters and elite guardians of Dremlock who once formed the Sacred Circle. The Dark Watchmen-who were widely believed to be incorruptible. They all succumbed to the evil of Tharnin and were destroyed by it. Do you believe that Thrake was stronger than the legendary Dark Watchmen?"

Jerret looked away, his eyes full of sorrow.

Jace fixed his gaze on Lannon. "The Dark Watchmen were the most blessed servants of the Divine Essence. The Eye of Divinity was theirs to command, and they learned to use it with great focus. They were going to at last defeat the servants of Tharnin and seal the portals forever. But one by one the darkness took them, and they nearly brought down Dremlock Kingdom."

Lannon wasn't sure what to say, so he kept quiet, feeling uncomfortable. He could sense the other Squires looking at him as well.

Jace's gaze lingered on Lannon for a moment, and Lannon wondered if Jace was trying to prove something to him in the mysterious way that sorcerers sometimes gave lessons. But Lannon had already been warned about the fate of the Dark Watchmen and didn't feel Jace's lesson was needed.

Lannon rode up alongside Shennen and motioned to him. The two moved slightly apart from the others so they could talk in private.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Master Shennen," Lannon said. "I will admit I was convinced you were in league with Tharnin."

"You had every right to believe that," said Shennen. "I was deliberately antagonistic toward you and others." He ran his fingers over his pale forehead. "And the sudden change to my skin tone has been startling to some. The Dragon bones affected my appearance, but not my will or spirit. On the other hand, they had no obvious effect on Thrake's appearance-but somehow altered his will and spirit. The Deep Shadow is indeed a strange foe."

"When you threw me into that wall," said Lannon, "I thought you were either trying to harm me or were being very careless. It seemed out of character for you. After that, I didn't trust you anymore."

Shennen raised his eyebrows. "Out of character? That was actually a valuable lesson for you. You learned how easily you could be defeated by the right foe-that the Eye of Divinity can't protect you against every attack."

"You almost crushed my skull," said Lannon, feeling some of the old anger return. "I barely had time to save myself."

"I knew you would not be harmed," said Shennen.

"How could you have possibly known that?" asked Lannon.

Shennen frowned. "I am a fully trained Knight. You are a relatively inexperienced Squire. Do not question my knowledge. If it bothers you that much, you should call a meeting and let Taris deal with it. I'm sure the High Council wouldn't be happy with me roughing up their prized Squire. But know this-I will be very disappointed in you for not recognizing the value of the lesson. I never intended to harm you. I intended to save you."

"Save me from what?" asked Lannon.

"From a foe like Timlin Woodmaster," said Shennen. "Timlin was an unusually talented Blue Squire, and now he is infested with the power of the Deep Shadow. Sooner or later you may end up in a duel with him. You will try to fight him as you did Vorden, and he will cut you to pieces."

Lannon suspected Shennen was right. "Then how could I win?"