Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

He'd thought the stroke would kill the monster instantly, and it was unsettling to watch it continue to writhe around, its evil sorcery still active. Finally, the beast went still and Lannon breathed a sigh of relief.

The Knights applauded and cheered for Lannon. Then they dragged the Pit Crawler's body from the barn. The farmer came up and shook Lannon's hand, while the Knights burned the foul creature's corpse. The Pit Crawler's head was still alive, fangs ready to inject venom, and so Taris burned it to ash where it lay.

"Well done, Lannon!" said Vannas.

"Yes, great stroke," said Jerret, his eyes full of envy.

"You looked so confident!" said Aldreya. "I'm very impressed."

Daledus grinned. "Not bad, for a swordsman."

Lannon shrugged. "Thank you, but I wasn't as confident as I looked. I hate Pit Crawlers!"

"It just wanted some food," said Lothrin, looking amused.

"I'm sure it had more in mind than just a meal," said Aldreya, with a shudder. "Pit Crawlers are cunning and evil."

The farmer and his daughter came out of the barn with sad expressions on their faces. "Six cows dead," the farmer muttered. He clutched his head and groaned. "Now what will I do? I lost my wife to illness earlier in the winter, and now this… But I thank you for killing the beast."

Lannon was overcome by pity for the farmer and his daughter. He still had the bag of silver coins he'd found in the Watchmen's Keep, and he wanted to give it to them. He approached Taris and made his request.

"You wish to give them an entire bag of silver?" said Taris. "Silver that could go to Dremlock, to be used for the good of this land?"

"Yes," said Lannon.

"The answer is no," said Taris. "We are in a war with the Deep Shadow, and Dremlock does not have unlimited funds."

Lannon drew the jeweled dagger he'd found in the tower. "Then I will give them this. I'm sure it's worth some silver."

"It's worth a lot of silver," said Taris. "That is Birlote steel and real rubies, with a blade that will never dull and is sharper than a razor. A useful dagger for a Blue Squire. Are you sure you want to give up such a fine weapon?"

"If I'm allowed to, yes," said Lannon.

"The dagger is yours," said Taris, with a shrug. "You can give it to whoever you choose. But think carefully about this decision. That is a rare blade-given only by a Birlote king to honor a great deed."

"I will give it to the farmer," said Lannon, though he hated to part with it. "I still have my sword, and he needs it more than I do."

Taris nodded, looking pleased. "I'm impressed with your generosity, Lannon, in giving up something of great value for the sake of another. That is the quality of a Divine Knight. I would have given a share of the silver to the farmer, but the dagger is worth far more. Consider yourself a true hero this day."

Lannon bowed, delighted at the compliment. He presented the dagger to the farmer, whose eyes lit up when he saw it. "This is worth a lot," said Lannon. He described the qualities of the dagger, so the farmer would know to demand a high price for it. "You should take it to town and sell it. It should more than make up for the loss of the cows."

The farmer's face showed gratitude and relief. "You are brave and generous, Master Knight."

His daughter went to Lannon and kissed him on the cheek. "I will never forget you," she said. "My name is Tessa, and my father is Logan. Come back and visit us when you get the chance."

"Thank you," said Lannon. "I will."

Lannon climbed onto his horse, feeling warm inside over the day's events. He realized he could get addicted to doing good deeds. But his joyful mood darkened a bit as the Knights discussed the situation.

"That Pit Crawler was enormous," said Shennen. "The largest I've ever seen. This does not bode well for Silverland."

"Yes, another exceptionally powerful Goblin," said Taris, "like the ones in Elder Oak. Even beheading it failed to end its life. I suspect the answer to this mystery will be found at Blombalk Fortress."

"It was mere chance that we encountered the farmer," said Trenton, "while the beast was in his barn. I can only wonder how many people are in great peril even as we speak. How many small, defenseless towns like Elder Oak are under attack by these new Goblins? I fear the dead are piling up unbeknownst to us."

"Silverland is not a vast expanse," said Jace. "So I would guess the threat is fairly widespread and growing by the moment."

"All I know," said Daledus, "is that I agree with Shennen. That snake was massive! I wonder what it had been feeding on to grow that big?"

"Hopefully not the good folks of Silverland," said Trenton, with a disgusted look. "We need to hunt down these new Goblins quickly."

"The message has been sent to Dremlock," said Taris. "There is nothing more we can do right now. We must move on to Blombalk."

The cold weather and snow continued as they journeyed through Hethos. As they drew close to Blombalk Fortress, the scouts discovered the Blood Legion was already in control of the fortress (which was not unexpected, considering the Legion had been several hours ahead in the race). The wooden keep stood on a rocky cliff on the edge of the Western Bloodlands. Dremlock's warriors were close enough they could see archers in the guard towers. Beyond the fortress stood a line of twisted, snow-covered trees with crimson boughs-the Mother Trees of the Bloodlands.

"So we lost the race," said Trenton, his gaze fixed on Taris. "Now what?"

"I think we should demand to be let in," said Taris.

"But surely they will fight," said Trenton.

"I very much doubt it," said Taris. "We have the White Flamestone on our side-the ultimate siege weapon. They dare not oppose us. And we can't afford to wait while they conduct their own investigation. Bear in mind that a great power source-a weapon-was being used at this fortress. I have no doubt that the Blood Legion is searching for that weapon even as we speak. If they find it, if it still exists here, we may lose our advantage."

"But we know nothing of this power source," said Trenton. "Only a vague dream by our Lord Knight. Is that enough to prompt us to proceed recklessly?"

"Again, they dare not oppose us," said Taris.

"Unless," said Trenton, "they have already regained possession of the mysterious weapon. If they did, things could get very ugly."

"I'm prepared to accept that risk," said Taris.

"We can take this fortress," said Daledus. "It has only wooden walls to protect it. Dremlock should have conquered it ages ago."

"I agree," said Shennen. "Blombalk is not nearly as well defended as Old Hammer Hall."

"They why not just attack?" said Daledus.

"Our goal is to avoid bloodshed," said Taris. "We were sent here by the Divine Essence to retrieve the great power source and investigate the attack on the fortress. Our goal is not combat. Nor is it, I believe, the goal of the Blood Legion. They too are undoubtedly seeking the power source."

"Taris speaks true," said Trenton, glaring at the others. "We are Divine Knights, not warmongers. We do not enter into mass conflict lightly."

"Is that why the Blood Legion still exists?" said Daledus, scowling. "Because Dremlock is reluctant to engage in battle?"

"The Blood Legion is strong," said Taris, with a shrug. "They have their own dark fire and their own tricks. Dremlock has tried to eradicate them many times and failed. When their numbers are low, they tend to go into hiding. However, we still hold out hope that we can put an end to them."

"Why not put an end to them right now?" said Daledus, raising his oversized axe.

"Great idea!" said Jerret, his eyes blazing. He raised his broadsword.

Some of the other Knights overheard Daledus and Jerret, and they raised their weapons and bellowed in agreement.