John Marco - The Forever Knight

“Marilius, I don’t think I’m the one trying to prove himself here,” I said with a wink. “Besides. . my business is in Akyre.”

“Oh, right,” said Marilius. “Time for a rematch with Wrestler. Go ahead, take Cricket to Akyre. Get your neck broken again. But just remember those people you saw on the road, Lukien. That’s what Diriel is like. That’s what you’ll be riding into if you leave here.”

“Or you can stay!” said Fallon brightly. He reached a hand across the table toward Cricket. “Let me help you figure out who you are, child. You’ll be safe here.”

“ If you help us beat this monster, Lukien,” said Marilius.

Now they had me stumped. Fallon, Marilius, even the servants-they all waited, staring like helpless kittens. But the only one I really cared about was Cricket.

“Cricket, walk with me.”

I got out of my chair and started toward the other side of the pool, where the sea lapped into the palace. Cricket quickly followed. Out of earshot I said, “I’m lost here, squire. I can’t make this decision without you.”

“What about Malator?” she asked. “What’s he think you should do?”

“I haven’t asked him, and I’m not going to. These are our lives, Cricket. We can leave right now. We can head back toward Akyre and take our chances, maybe try to find that waterfall of yours, shake lose some of your memories.”

“We could,” agreed Cricket. “But I know you, Lukien. You want to fight this thing because no one else can beat it. And you want to pay your debt to Marilius for saving us.”

“Cricket, Fallon is out of his mind. And I can’t be sure, but I think he and Marilius are lovers.”

“What?” Cricket stifled her laugh with her hand. “Honestly!”

I just shook my head. “This is madness. Malator showed me a monster before we left Jador. And I saw a monster in my dreams. It’s all connected, Cricket-the monster, the Legion of the Lost, everything.”

“Then that’s your answer, Lukien. You found your mission.”

“I already have a mission, Cricket. You.”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere, Lukien, don’t you worry. I’m your squire. I want to see this beasty for myself!”

I didn’t tell Cricket why I really wanted to find this monster. I didn’t tell her that day or any other day. This monster stalking Anton Fallon, this unnamed, unseen thing-how could it not be the same beast Malator had drawn? It wasn’t just after Fallon, it was after Cricket, too. And if it was after Cricket, that meant it had to die.

We rode out from Isowon at dawn the next morning, the new day’s sunlight gleaming off my old bronze armor. Cricket had spent much of the night making it ready, insisting I wear it to battle the beast. She had polished the breast plate into a satiny mirror, removing every bit of grime. She worked proudly, like a real squire, and rode at my side on her well-groomed pony, her cape of rass skin on her shoulders like a trophy.

Marilius rode at point, leading us east along the coast. Before he’d fled Isowon for Arad, other of Fallon’s men had tracked a trail of blood this same way. They never found the monster, just the skeletal remains of their fellow mercenaries. Still, they suspected the creature made its lair in the hills at the mouth of the Dovra River-almost a day’s ride from Fallon’s palace.

No one seemed to know why the creature only attacked at night, or why it made its home so far from its intended prey. I puzzled over this as we rode.

Before long we were out of Isowon’s shadow, leaving the protection of the palace far behind. For the first time in months-maybe even years-I felt like a knight again, like a Royal Charger, confident and ready to face Fallon’s monster. I’d made a terrible mistake when fighting Wrestler-I had left my sword behind. This time, Malator and all his magic would be with me. Whatever the creature might be, it was mortal, and I was not, and that meant I could kill it. I made the link with Malator as we rode, speaking to him wordlessly while Cricket and Marilius made small talk of their own.

You’ve been quiet , I told him. Any advice?

I expected Malator to be petulant over being excluded. Instead he was pensive. This is why you came here, Lukien , he said. Maybe now we’ll have some answers.

You still don’t know what the monster is?

I do not.

But you’ve been thinking about it, right? I sighed out loud. Come on, Malator-you saw death when you drew that picture in the sand.

You saw death, Lukien. I saw a monster.

But you told me not to take Cricket with me! Why? Because of the monster?

Lukien, I can only tell you what I know. And I can’t know everything, remember?

His answer unnerved me. This will be our fight, Malator , I said. We’ll face this thing together. Whatever it is.

I’ll do my best.

Hey. . your best? I stared ahead as I rode, but my mind’s eye fixed on him. Malator, are you afraid?

It’s always wise to be a little afraid before battle. You know that.

“Lukien?”

I awoke as if from a trance. Cricket was bouncing along next to me, excited. “Huh?”

“I told Marilius about the waterfall. He knows it, Lukien!”

“Waterfall?”

“The place with the stream ,” she said, annoyed. “The place I dreamt about, remember? I dreamt about it again last night.”

“It’s Sky Falls,” said Marilius. Then he shrugged. “Probably.”

“Sky Falls. .” Cricket’s eyes went dreamy. “Yes.”

“Yes, you remember it?” I asked.

“No, but that must be it. I can feel it, Lukien. Marilius described it just like I picture it. Tell him, Marilius.”

“Not much to tell,” said Marilius. “It’s up in Akyre near the border with Kasse. Part of the Dovra River. People go there to see it. Or they used to before the war. It’s well known.”

I wasn’t convinced. “That’s not much to go on. There could be a hundred waterfalls up there, right?”

“Maybe, but why would Cricket know about any of them? She’s just a kid. I figure the only one she could have seen is Sky Falls.”

“It is Sky Falls,” Cricket insisted. “Lukien, can we go?”

I looked at Marilius. “How safe is it?”

“To swim? It’s a waterfall.”

“Not the waterfall, idiot-what about the area? Can we get there safely?”

“No chance. Diriel’s men are on the march all around there.”

“But that’s the place,” said Cricket desperately. “I remember the ferns, the boulders-everything Marilius described.”

“And the caves,” said Marilius. “There’s little caves around the cliff-remember?”

Cricket blinked quickly. “I don’t remember caves. Oh, but that’s the place. We have to go, Lukien!”

“We’ll try, Cricket.”

“When?”

“As soon as we can.”

Her dark eyes grew skeptical. “When, Lukien?”

I didn’t want to tell her how much I mistrusted her memories. “When we’re done with this mission. We’ll kill this monster, then we’ll ride for Sky Falls.”

“Promise?”

“Cricket, you’re my squire. Everything I say to you is a promise.”

* * *

“Look at that,” said Cricket. She pointed up ahead toward a sparkling lake, circled in shade by a vanguard of trees. “What do you say, Lukien?”

It had been hours since our last rest. Marilius was sure we’d reach the mouth of the river by dusk. Finally, I saw the chance I’d been waiting for.

“Yeah, good idea,” I told Cricket. “Ride up ahead. Make sure it’s clear.”

“Really?” Cricket studied the way ahead. The flat road led clearly to the lake. “Why?”