Kingdom's Hope (9 page)

Moradiah spoke. “Beloved people of Chessington! Leinad has robbed you of the pleasures of life for far too long. This King and the Code he speaks of are but a fairy tale meant to keep you under his control and to keep you from enjoying life without restraint. I will free you! The death of Leinad will initiate the beginning of a new age in
Chessington … an age of enticing life like you have never experienced before!”

The people seemed taken with Moradiah. Though angered, Leinad was amazed at how Moradiah's words flowed like sweet honey from the comb. He could tell that they were like delicious morsels to most of the people listening.

Leinad drew his sword, and the first knight engaged him. Leinad was too angry to play the gentleman. The knight's blows were hard but reckless. Leinad attacked with great speed and precision. Within a moment, the knight was kneeling on the ground, bleeding from his side and unable to continue. He cursed at Leinad, still unwilling to yield in his defeat.

Leinad turned to face Moradiah's next ruthless knight. She did not seem concerned and motioned for him to engage Leinad. Again Leinad quickly defeated the knight, but it was soon clear that he faced not only the skill of the knights, but also the conniving strategy of an ambitious and wicked woman. Each knight was stronger and more skilled than the previous. Moradiah was saving her best knights for last, thus allowing them to study Leinad at length while he expended the best of his energies on the weaker knights.

Although Leinad had no doubt that it was Moradiah's intent not only to defeat him but also to kill him, he did not kill his defeated foes. Those he could not disarm, he wounded enough to incapacitate them. It was not in his heart to needlessly kill, not even these scoundrels.

The fights wore on until only two of Moradiah's knights
remained. Three abandoned swords lay on the ground from the previous duels.

Moradiah was clearly becoming agitated as each of her knights was removed from the courtyard to be bandaged. She called the last two knights over and spoke a few hushed words to them.

When the first knight came to face Leinad, hatred burned in his eyes. They engaged, and their swords flew with tremendous speed and power. Leinad blocked a cut from the left with the flat of his sword and countered with a cut from the right. The knight blocked Leinad's sword and followed with a quick thrust toward Leinad's chest. Leinad parried at the last moment, but the tip of the sword cut his tunic on the left shoulder.

Leinad was tiring, and he knew that this man was fresh and fueled by the words of hatred Moradiah had spoken in his ears. Leinad refocused his thoughts and called on his final reserves of strength.

The knight could not withstand the onslaught of incredibly swift cuts and blows brought down upon him. He was in full retreat and stumbled backward to the ground just as Leinad heard a warning cry.

“Behind you, Leinad!” Tess screamed and drew her sword, but she was too far from the fight to impede the last knight, who was attacking Leinad from behind. Moradiah had signaled him to engage Leinad even though the current duel was not over. It was a treacherous attempt to win at any cost.

Leinad turned his head just in time to see a deadly cut speeding toward him from behind. In an instant, he fell to
the ground and rolled on his back. The sword passed above Leinad as he rolled behind the attacking knight. Leinad maintained his momentum and pushed off the ground with his hands to catapult him into a standing position.

The knight recovered from his missed cut, turned about, and quickly brought another slice across Leinad's chest. Leinad had fully regained his feet in time to block the slice and executed a quick combination that put the knight on the defensive.

The knight that had previously stumbled to the ground regained his feet and was behind the knight that Leinad now engaged. Leinad knew he could not afford to engage both knights simultaneously, especially if they bracketed him with one on each side. At least now they were both in his direct view.

At Leinad's feet lay a sword from one of the previous duels. He deftly transferred his sword to his left hand, then placed the toe of his right foot beneath the blade of the sword on the ground and flipped it into the air. He grabbed the sword out of the air with his right hand and quickly spun full circle to his right. The sword in his right hand gained tremendous momentum through the spinning maneuver. As the tip of the sword arced around and approached the direction of the knights, he released it with deadly accuracy. It flew with the speed of an arrow released from a bow.

The closest knight just barely dodged it. The second knight, however, could not see the deadly projectile until it was too late. The sword penetrated his right shoulder to halfway up the blade. The knight dropped his sword and screamed in agony. He stumbled away from the fight and fell
to the ground on one knee while clutching his wounded shoulder with his left hand.

Leinad now focused on the remaining knight. In one swift movement, he executed a powerful bind on the knight's sword, and it flew out of his hand and into the air. Leinad charged to put the man in retreat and grabbed the sword before it fell to the ground. The knight, Moradiah, and the people stood still, stunned expressions on their faces.

Leinad now held both swords as he walked toward Moradiah, who looked angry yet fearful as he approached her. Leinad stood before her, his jaw clenched and his nostrils flaring. He threw the knight's sword at her feet in contempt. She responded with a sneer, then turned in a huff and strutted back to the palace.

“Let this contest be a testimony to the truth of the Code and of the King,” Leinad said to the people. “The smooth words of Moradiah are blasphemy and will bring destruction to Arrethtrae, Chessington, and your very homes if you believe them. You know what is right … you must choose!”

The people were somber. Leinad could not read them well that day. He knew that some were loyal to the King, but his heart remained heavy in spite of his victory.

Leinad, Tess, and Audric mounted their horses.

“The King reigns!” he proclaimed, and they left the square.

O
VER THE NEXT YEAR
, Leinad felt Moradiah's influence over the people strengthen. He was no longer a guest at the palace. At first, he fought her influence, but the people
seemed bent on believing her eloquent words, and they eventually sank into a lifestyle of reckless, pleasure-filled living.

Quinn became a shell of his former self under Moradiah's overbearing, crafty, and manipulative ways.

The selfishness of the people soon began to wreak havoc on the community. The ways of the Code became archaic and foolishness to those who loved to please themselves. In their abundance and security, the people and the Knights of Chessington became lazy and apathetic. They did not realize how vulnerable they had become because of their drift from the Code and from the ways of the King.

Through it all, Tess stayed by Leinad's side, and Audric stayed true to the King and remained noble in his efforts to fulfill the Code as one of the Knights of Chessington. He was an invaluable source of inside information for Leinad.

Most of the people, however, grew to despise Leinad because he was a constant reminder of their failure to honor the King.

Although he was sorely disappointed and heavy-hearted, Leinad cared for the people because he knew that the King cared for them. Occasionally he rode into the square and spoke to as many of the people as would listen. At first they would gather to hear him, but now they gathered to chastise him.

“People of Chessington, listen to the words of the King!” he pleaded one day.

A small crowd quickly grew in size to ridicule the ranting of a man consumed with the heretical babble of the Code and the King. Tess stood off to the side.

“Destruction is at the threshold of Chessington. The King's wrath has turned His arm of protection away from you. Return to the ways of the Code!” he implored.

“Go away, Leinad. The Code and the King are a farce. We don't want any more of your talk!” the people cried.

“Have you already forgotten how the King delivered you from slavery under the hand of Fairos?” Leinad asked. “Have you forgotten how He brought you to the Chessington Valley? We prosper because of the King. We will be enslaved again because you have turned away from Him. Come back to the Code and to the ways of the King before it is too late!”

The first piece of rotten fruit flew from the crowd. Soon the jeers and the rotten food were too much. Leinad and Tess mounted their horses and left Chessington.

T
ESS RODE IN SILENCE BESIDE
him for a long distance. She knew that the warnings to the people were over and that Leinad felt he had failed the King. What she did not know was how to encourage Leinad to care again … about anything.

Over the last year, Tess had become a master with the sword under Leinad's tutelage. It was training they both thoroughly enjoyed. It was a release from the depressing collapse of the integrity and loyalty of the people.

As dusk crept into the day, Leinad and Tess stopped. They built a fire and roasted some game, which they ate in silence.

Leinad stared into the fire.

“Why do you stay with me, Tess, when no one else will?” he finally asked.

“Because I know that what you say is true. I believe in the King as much as you do, Leinad.”

Leinad looked up from the mesmerizing flames and saw the fire's reflection in her eyes. He managed a half smile.

“If only the people had just a fraction of your heart, Chessington would stand like a rock against a raging storm,” he said. “But I fear their destruction is near, and I can't do a thing about it.” Leinad returned his gaze to the fire. “All of them have turned away … save Audric and you.”

L
EINAD'S SLEEP THAT NIGHT
was fitful. His final dream was of a small child playing near the edge of a cliff. The father was running to the child, but he was too far away to reach her in time. He shouted for Leinad to help the child to safety, and so Leinad ran to save her. But his legs were heavy and slow to move. The child continued to play dangerously close to the treacherous edge, unconcerned with Leinad's shouts of warning. Just as she began to slip and fall over the edge, she called out
Leinad! Leinad!

“Leinad, wake up!” Tess whispered. She shook his shoulder. “There's a man in the trees!”

Leinad immediately rose and drew his sword. “Where?” he asked, trying to see in the early morning light.

“There!” she pointed.

A large form mounted on a horse was in the shadows of the surrounding trees. Leinad scanned the rest of the area for others but found none. He and Tess approached the
form with swords ready. While still some distance away, the man spoke.

“Leinad, Chessington will soon be under attack by the powerful army of the Kessons.”

“Who are you?” Leinad asked, still unable to see the man's face clearly.

“The King wants you to inform Quinn not to fight. If they fight the Kessons, many people will be killed unnecessarily. Kergon is a formidable foe, but he is merciful to those who surrender.”

Leinad strained to see through the shadows. The size of the man led Leinad to believe he belonged to the King's secret force. He was a Silent Warrior.

“For seventy weeks, the King will allow the people to be taken captive because of the hardness of their hearts. Do not be discouraged. The King will be with you. One day, Gabrik will deliver a message to you from the King that will change Arrethtrae forever. You will be the messenger of hope for the people!”

The man turned his horse deeper into the trees and disappeared. Leinad did not question his identity any longer … his words were too true and too familiar to be considered a mockery.

“Let's go, Tess!” Leinad said. “Chessington needs us.”

They rode their horses hard back to Chessington. The city was alive with its daily activities and business.
These people are on the precipice of disaster
, Leinad thought,
and they do not know it
.

Leinad and Tess rode straight to the palace. Though the palace guards knew that Moradiah despised Leinad, he still
found favor in Quinn's eyes, and the guards granted them entrance, especially after Leinad told them his message was urgent.

Inside the palace, Leinad and Tess waited in the great hall while a servant summoned Quinn. He came quickly and greeted them with a nervous smile. The three of them had not been together for many months. Leinad thought Quinn did not look as noble as he once had. Though his apparel was regal and his actions were those of a castle lord, his eyes revealed the defeat and the submission of a knight without the spirit of the Code.

“Leinad, Tess, it is good to see you,” Quinn said. They exchanged embraces.

“Quinn, I am here to warn you of impending disaster,” Leinad said.

Quinn lost his smile, for he knew that Leinad was a serious man.

“As we speak, there is a great army approaching Chessington. Kergon and the Kessons intend to take the city and all its spoils.”

Quinn searched Leinad's face, and then he turned away and ran his hand through his hair.

“How do you know this?” he asked, still facing away from Leinad and Tess.

“A messenger from the King.”

Quinn turned back with a spark of fire in his eyes.

“Then the King sends help?” he asked hopefully.

“No, Quinn,” Leinad said. “He will allow this because we have turned our backs on Him and on the Code.”

Leinad felt the anger rising within him, but his compassion
for his friend helped diminish it. Quinn's hopeful countenance turned to consternation.

“Then we will fight them by ourselves!” he said.

“No, Quinn! The King warned that you should not fight. You will lose, and many people will die unnecessarily.”

“What?” Quinn said. “You expect me to welcome these invaders into Chessington with open arms, to let my people be taken as slaves, to let them ransack this beautiful city and destroy all we have worked for?” Quinn's voice was rising in accord with his anger. “No, I will not! I am Lord Quinn of Chessington, and I will not let Kergon or anyone else destroy my city and enslave my people!”