Kingdom's Call (9 page)

“We yield!” he shouted for all to hear.

Slowly the fighting diminished. Gavin saw Bremrick's opponent lower his weapon, but Bremrick plunged his sword
into the man's chest anyway. As the man fell, Gavin saw much more than disdain on Bremrick's face; he saw hatred. Even in battle, Gavin had never seen Bremrick's countenance so contorted with loathing.

Gavin looked directly at Bremrick. “Cease and desist!” he shouted to stop any more needless killing. The Followers lowered their swords, and the knights disarmed them all.

Gavin and his men escorted the Followers and their wounded back to the palace, where they were thrown into cells with common criminals. Jayden assigned extra guards to watch the cells. After meeting with Kifus and relaying the account of the attack, Gavin called for two guards to take the man he had fought into a cell reserved for questioning prisoners.

Gavin entered the cell and looked at the man. His hands were bound behind him, and they had placed him on a wooden stool. There was a large red mark on the man's cheek that hadn't been there earlier.

“What is your name?” Gavin asked.

The man's head was lowered, and his gaze was on the stone floor. “I am William.”

“I am sure you have a family … maybe a wife and children? You look to be an intelligent man, William. Denounce your foolishness and your belief in this dead imposter, and I will set you free this very hour,” Gavin said. “Lay down your sword, and you can return home to your family. Life will be as it once was.”

The man looked up at Gavin. There was a gleam in his eye despite his obvious mistreatment. “The freedom you offer is not freedom at all. Try as you may, you cannot silence the voice
of truth. The words of the Prince set men free from the bondage you and the Noble Knights bring.”

Gavin was surprised and curious. “How have the Noble Knights brought bondage to the people?”

The man looked into Gavin's eyes as if to discern the sincerity of the question. “True nobility does not come from a man's family name; it is born in his heart. You have created an elite order to keep the Code, yet you isolate the people from it. You train with the sword yet deny the common man the same. The people are kept in poverty so that you may rule over them. This is bondage. You are fearful to lose your power over the people when the real enemy prepares to overtake us. Our only threat to you is the loss of your prestige, and here I sit in fetters to prove it.”

“The Noble Knights are the King's guardians of Chessington and His people,” Gavin replied. “The people are ignorant of the Code and of the responsibilities of such a duty. Without the Noble Knights they would perish in a day. You were born a peasant, and a peasant you shall die. No teaching of a dead fanatic will ever change that!”

William raised his head. “You are wrong on two counts, sir,” he said confidently. “First, truly I was born a peasant, but the Prince has made a knight of me. Second, you do not fight against the teaching of a dead man; you fight against the power of the Prince, who is alive and will return for all of those who choose His path!”

Gavin could not stifle the laugh that echoed throughout the cell. “One thing I
am
wrong about,” he said shaking his
head. “You are not as intelligent as I took you to be. You are simply another lunatic with delusions of knighthood. Guards! Take this idiot back to his cell!”

The guards lifted him from the stool, and as they walked past Gavin toward the cell door, William looked at Gavin with friendship. “The ways of the Prince are for everyone, even for one such as you.”

Gavin grabbed the man's arm. “Why were there only sixteen of you in the barn tonight?”

“We have dispersed, sir. Your murder of Sir Severin was heard of by all … including the Prince.”

“Away with him!” Gavin said in disgust.
It is pointless to talk with a crazy man
, he thought.

After that night, Gavin set his mind to eliminating the Followers as quickly and forcefully as possible. He immersed himself in the task, but as the days and weeks passed, he discovered that this challenge was much greater than he had anticipated. He was fighting an elusive enemy who never attacked the Noble Knights in retaliation. With every haven of Followers he routed out, two more would take its place. Eventually the prison cells were full, and the knights had to release some of their captives. Simple management of the prisoners had become an overwhelming task for Kifus and his men. It seemed as though no matter what action Gavin took, the influence and number of the imposter's Followers continued to grow.

Kifus came to rely heavily on Gavin during these dark days. Within a short time, Gavin's skill with the sword and his keen ability to lead the men provided him with the opportunity to rise in position until he was second only to Kifus. Gavin was not arrogant about his position, as other knights often were. In fact, at times he questioned the sincerity of many fellow knights' loyalty to the King and Code. Having been frustrated by the hypocrisy he frequently saw brought a certain measure of disdain for their behavior.

Regardless of how his subordinate knights felt, his heart was set to use all means available to eradicate the kingdom of the blasphemous teachings of this new order of knights begun by the stranger. He did not deny their expertise with the sword, for many a Noble Knight had been defeated by the blade of such traitors, and this was quite a mystery to Gavin. What he did deny was their right to any part of the kingdom under the name of this stranger. He would subdue and kill them all if necessary.

“What action are you taking now, Sir Gavin?” Kifus asked before the assembly of Noble Knights. They had gathered once again in the great hall. Their meetings had become focused entirely on the process of eliminating the Followers. The once important affairs of knighthood had been overshadowed by the eminent threat before them.

Gavin sensed the frustration in Kifus's tone. He stood and addressed the knights. “I have learned that some of the Followers have established training havens outside of Chessington.”

“And why is this a threat?” one of the knights asked. “Let
the Outdwellers and the rest of the kingdom deal with their foolish lies. It is no concern of ours.”

Gavin shook his head. “It is of great concern to us, for the Followers' focus is still the people of Chessington. If we do not eliminate these new training havens, they will feed those within the city with supplies, people, and weapons,” Gavin said. “Lord Kifus, it is paramount that we attack immediately. Grant me men to search out and eliminate these havens. Sir Jayden can continue the work here in the city in my absence.”

“Very well, Sir Gavin, you have your men,” Kifus said. “A word of warning—remember that your duty is to the citizens of Chessington and no one else. The Outdwellers are not the King's people and therefore no concern of ours. Keep your focus on eliminating this threat to Chessington and to the King's Code. Do not waste your time or resources on anything else. Is that clear?”

“I understand. We will leave in the morning.”

As the meeting adjourned, Gavin selected fifteen of the best knights. He visited the garden before retiring to his home. Under the branches of a sprawling shade tree, he sat upon a stone bench and thought about his actions in the past month. He was a different man today. The “messy” work Kifus had assigned to Jayden and Bremrick during the capture of the stranger had now become second nature to Gavin. Somewhere deep in his heart, he regretted having taken up this crusade, for he was becoming what he had once detested.

Is the peace of my heart the price I must pay to restore the order of the Noble Knights and the Code to their rightful place in
Chessington?
Gavin suddenly realized that his question might reveal a contradiction he had never considered before.
Why should a peaceful heart be the price of restoring the Code?
He quickly repressed the doubt that was inevitable if he followed such a line of thought. He shook his head as if to clear his mind, then pressed toward home.

 DESPERATE

The village of Cartelbrook was Gavin's first target. He had received information that the haven there was the first and largest of the outlying sites the Followers were operating from. He knew of two others, but Cartelbrook was the closest. It was also said that the blacksmith there was one of the Followers, and shutting down the supply of swords from his shop was a primary focus for this mission.

The morning light was late to come, for the gray clouds above were thick, which prevented the warmth of the sun from welcoming the day. As Gavin and his knights rode, the dark clouds began to spit droplets of rain. By late morning, he halted his men just prior to a rise in the terrain leading into the village.

Triumph once again seemed agitated and difficult to control. Gavin yanked hard on the reins and the steed settled, but he felt the animal's resistance continually. For years Triumph had been a faithful horse. In battle Gavin had come to rely
heavily on the steed, for the horse seemed to know exactly what Gavin required of him in each encounter. In recent months, however, there was no unity or coordination in their actions, and Gavin had begun to consider doing away with Triumph.

“There is no sneaking about today, men,” Gavin said, drawing his sword. The sound of fifteen other swords sliding from their scabbards joined his own. “For King and Code!”

“For King and Code!” they echoed.

Gavin and his knights stormed into the village on thundering steeds. The horses' hooves pounded into the wet earthen streets and sprayed a wake of mud in their path. He tried to ignore the terror on the children's faces as the people frantically gathered their young ones to safety. For a moment he felt like they were the marauders he had fought against in years past that had terrorized the citizens of Chessington. He discarded these disturbing thoughts as they descended on the blacksmith's shop and took its owner captive.

Two knights brought him into the street before Gavin.

“Are you a Follower of the imposter of Chessington?” Gavin asked brusquely.

The man was held in the grip of two knights.

“I am a Follower of the Prince,” the slender man said. Dark streaks of sweat and rain mixed with soot ran down his cheeks.

“Are you supplying the Followers with swords?” Gavin asked.

The man was silent. One of the knights restraining him hit the man with the back side of his gauntlet, and the man recoiled and winced. Just then, another knight emerged from
the shop with a dozen swords bearing the mark of the King. Even though Gavin had expected this, he couldn't control the anger that rose within him. Those swords symbolized the months of turmoil Chessington was now enduring.

“Where are the other Followers?”

The man looked up at Gavin but remained silent.

Gavin's anger deepened. “Destroy the forge and the tools; then burn the shop,” he commanded. “Search the other shops and homes. These people are not loyal to Chessington or to the Code. To hide a Follower would be foolish for them. Find them and bring them to me!”