John Marco - The Forever Knight

I saw nothing but purpose in his eyes. I wondered if that’s what I looked like now.

“Sariyah,” I said softly, “This is the only moment in my life when I’ve known exactly what I was doing. There’s no more doubt in me.” I stooped to pick up his scimitar, holding its golden hilt carefully and handing it to him. “Tonight we call a war council. Tonight we decide how best to skin Diriel and his snakes. You’ll sit with me, Sariyah, and ride with me-right beside me-when we take the battle to them.”

I had taken time to eat and clean myself and had even slept a few hours before arriving for the council. The chamber was already filled to bursting when I got there. A long banquet table took up most of the floor, and everyone was already seated, drinking and talking amongst themselves as they waited for the council to begin. Anton sat at the head of the table with Marilius on his right, while behind them hung a large, roughly-drawn map, stretched against the wall. Anton’s many mercenaries filled most of the chairs on his side of the table, while Zurans and Drinmen sat around the other half. My empty seat sat directly opposite Anton across the lengthy table, a glass of wine already poured for me and waiting. Sariyah sat to my immediate right, in the chair next to my own. Chuluun and his brother Nalinbaatar sat to his right, Kiryk and his advisors to my left. They watched me as I entered, but only Sariyah stood.

We met that night in the very same hall where Crezil had massacred Anton’s men.

The room grew quiet. The laughing and clanking glasses ceased. I wasn’t a king, but I felt like one suddenly. My face felt hot.

“We didn’t start yet,” said Anton from across the room. Like Sariyah, he stood. “You didn’t miss anything, just some drinking.”

I hadn’t seen Anton since leaving to rescue Cricket. He hadn’t seen me, either. He looked me over curiously, grinning at the reappearance of my long lost eye.

“Lukien, you are a miracle,” he said. “I cannot believe what I am seeing.”

Chuluun rose to greet me. “He is kissed by heaven.”

“He is Shalafein,” said Sariyah.

“He’s late,” muttered Sulimer. Against his chair rested an enormous battle-axe, his favorite tool for taking Akyren heads. He looked older than usual, his face grooved with worry lines. His young king, Kiryk, put a hand on his arm.

“It’s enough that he’s here now,” said Kiryk, and he rose to greet me, too. With a genuine smile he said, “We’ve waited, and now we’re ready to kill our enemies, Sir Lukien. Lead us.”

I bid them all to sit, then stood behind my chair for a moment. “We’ve all come for the same reason,” I said. “Before another word is spoken, thank you. Thank you for not running away. Thank you for helping me.”

“We all want to save ourselves, Lukien,” said Anton. On the floor beside him rested two chests, their lids closed to hide their contents. “We can only do that by fighting together.”

“We want justice,” said Kiryk, “for all those Diriel has murdered.”

“We want vengeance,” said one of Anton’s mercenaries. “For all our brothers murdered in this room by Diriel’s monster.”

Anton and Marilius both flushed at his statement. Their men still thought Diriel had sent Crezil against them.

“Forget the monster,” I told them. “The monster won’t come again. Your enemies are out there, just beyond this city.”

“So you’ve beaten the monster, then?” asked Anton. “We should at least speak about it.”

“The monster’s not the problem. I’ve dealt with it,” I said.

I didn’t like putting Anton in his place, not in front of all his men, and not in his own home. He’d impressed me by keeping his mercenaries together, and I could already tell by the bare walls of his palace that he’d given up a good part of his fortune to keep his men paid. I stood behind my chair, the entire chamber staring at me. Even the servants stopped pouring to hear my words. I felt lost suddenly, but when I thought about Cricket I knew what to say.

“We’re all outsiders here,” I began. “Especially me. I look around this room, and I see faces from different corners of the world. Even you, Anton. You came from somewhere else. You built this place and now someone wants to take it from you.”

“That’s right,” Anton nodded.

“Everyone in this room has lost something,” I went on. “Friends or brothers. Family.” I glanced at Sariyah. “Sons.” I looked around the room at all the diverse faces. “I barely knew the Bitter Kingdoms before I came here. I was warned not to come. A very good and wise friend of mine tried to stop me.”

Inside me I felt a little tremor from Malator. No gloating. Just sadness.

“Pride’s my downfall, you see. It always has been. Some of you think I’m blessed. I’ve not found a thing yet that can kill me. The spirit inside my sword tells me I have no soul any more, and I know he’s right because I can’t feel it. The only thing I feel now is the need for revenge.”

“Then let that be enough,” said Kiryk’s man Lenhart. “It’s enough for me. It’s enough for us all.”

Chuluun said, “In Zura we know of Diriel. We know he will come one day for our lands. So my brothers and I claim vengeance against his intentions.” He and Nalinbaatar both nodded. “It is enough for us, too.”

They all nodded, in fact. Every man around the table, so many of them strangers to me. Sariyah kicked out my chair for me.

“Sit, Lukien,” he offered.

I took my seat. “Marilius?”

Marilius stood, clearing his throat and taming his nerves. He had a riding crop in his hand that he used to point at the map. All heads turned toward him anxiously. Anton shifted aside a bit, giving his man room.

“Diriel’s army is camped in a place called the Sklar Valley,” said Marilius. He made a circle around the valley with his riding crop, in an area just to the north and west of Isowon. “That’s barely two miles from here, and between Isowon and Sklar there’s nothing but flat ground. It’s barren. Mostly sand. Some trees and brush, but no hills, no caves. Nowhere for them to hide.”

“Flat ground is good,” considered Chuluun. “Good for horses.”

“That’s our one advantage,” said Marilius. “They have horses, but not as many as we do.”

“That’s because they ate them all,” I said.

“And because I brought in as many as I could,” said Anton. “Horses are good business around here.”

“They don’t expect us to come after them,” continued Marilius. “They expect us to hold up here in Isowon.”

“We’re not doing that,” said Anton quickly. He looked around the table where the teams I’d brought to the fight were gathered. “I’ve already explained this to my men. There won’t be a siege of Isowon. I won’t have it. There’ll either be a victory or a massacre.”

“We signed up for either,” said Kiryk. “My Drinmen came to fight, not hide. We’re ready to go right now.”

“Good,” said Marilius, “because I only bought us a bit of time. A day and a half ago I rode out to see Diriel. That was at your request, Lukien. I gave him your message.”

The faces around the table looked puzzled. “Go on,” I told Marilius.

Marilius parried nicely. “I saw his camp, and I saw how strong they are. He’s cocky, and he’s out of his mind. He has no intention of backing away.”

“Tell them what Diriel said to you,” urged Anton. “Tell them word for word.”

Marilius hesitated. “He said everyone of us would be disemboweled. Even the children, he said.”

The girl near me dropped her pitcher. The crystal shattered into bits. She looked down at what she’d done and almost fainted. Two more of Anton’s servants rushed to help her.