Knight Fall (The Champion Chronicles Book 1) (8 page)

“But if you kill them, then how will you find me?”  A tear smudged her dirty cheek with a single line.  “I would be lost without you.”

Conner looked deep into her eyes.  He heard the words, and understood what she was saying, but there was something about them that had so much more meaning than just the words.  He found himself suddenly fearful that if she did leave, that he would never see her again.  That she would go back to her castle, to her room decorated in plush adornments, scented with perfumes from all across the world.  Doted upon by her father.  Cared for by servants.  Given anything she desired.  What could he give her?  Nothing that she didn’t already have or need.  He squeezed her hand one last time, wondering if this would be the last time he would ever touch her, talk to her, or be around her.  Regretfully, he let go and took a step back.

“I will stay here, at this tree,” she said.  “If you come back, we will go on to my father.”

“And if I don’t,” he asked.

“Leave me your knife.  I will not go quietly.”  Tears were now fully streaming down her face.

He hesitated for a moment, looking long and hard at her, seeing the strength in her that others probably had never seen.  She was young, but she was strong.  These two days, lost in the woods, would change her life forever.  And it would either go on and she would be a great and wonderful princess, or it would end now.  Knowing what it meant, he pulled out his hunting knife and held it for her to take.  It wasn’t very sharp.  It was old and had a bit of rust on it.  But it was sharp enough that if stuck in the belly, it would kill.  She took it gingerly.  Without another word, he turned and walked into the trees, retracing their path.

He set up off their trail, hidden in the underbrush as well as he could.  The four arrows were stuck in the ground in front him, ready to be pulled out and sent flying.  Based on how quickly their pursuers were traveling, he figured it would only be a few minutes before they would appear.  He settled into his position, trying to find the most comfortable position that he could stay in without moving.  It felt good to rest.  His mind was still in overdrive, thinking about Elissa, their trek through the woods, the men he was going to kill.  But his body was able to rest and it felt good.  After a while he yawned, and then began to force himself to stay alert.  He could easily have fallen asleep, but Elissa kept him awake.  Knowing that her survival fully depended upon him kept him from closing his eyes and succumbing to the pleasant wonder of a dreamy sleep.

Before he saw them, he heard them.  He had kept his eyes searching through the trees, but it was his ears that had picked them out first.  It could have been a deer, but what wind there was came from behind him and his scent would have scared away anything as flighty as a deer.  But men didn’t have the nose of animals, so the direction of the breeze didn’t matter.  It could have been a rabbit or squirrel, but they made hardly a peep in the woods.  Those small animals are seen before heard just about all the time.  The rustle of bushes, the crack of a twig.  It was the sound of men walking through the woods without regards for being quiet.  Maybe they didn’t know he had a bow, or maybe their desire for speed made them careless.  Just like he was forced to do.

He took an arrow from the ground, set it in the bow, and moved himself into position.  They appeared as shadows.  Movement that he could see, but bodies that he couldn’t.  He brought the bow up, but didn’t pull back, yet.  He wanted a good shot at one of them, but if he was quick enough, he would get two arrows off.  That would leave just one on one.  And if it was just the tracker left, he just might run away, knowing he was out-weaponed.

One of the armed men came out from the underbrush first.  It surprised Conner a bit, but it didn’t make him concerned.  The tracker might just be sending the muscle through first.  His armed companion came through second, and Conner’s thoughts were solely on targeting the men.  He pulled the bowstring back, closed his left eye, and aimed for the first man’s chest.  He could see the man’s eyes.  Not clear enough to tell if they were the dark brown that were common of Thellians, or if they were the blue or green that were common among his own people.  But he could see eyes.  He could see the stern facial expression.  The man breathed, scratched an itch.  Conner pulled back farther, readying to fire, but his hands were frozen.  The man’s chest was on target, but Conner couldn’t release the arrow.  He wanted to, but his hands were stopping him.  It was a man who was coming down the trail.  Not a deer.  Or a wolf.  Or a large black bear.  Maybe he was just as dangerous, or likely more dangerous than the grizzlies that prowled the mountains to the north.  But he was a man.  He breathed.  He lived.  He thought.  He had a father and a mother.  Maybe he was married and had children.  He was older with a bit of gray around the temples.  He could be as old as his father would have been when he was born.  It could have been someone just like his father.  Or even just like himself.

He lowered the bow.  He couldn’t do it.  He did it when he had to, when he didn’t have to think about it.  But now they would kill him and Elissa.  Probably without thought or remorse.  But he couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t kill a man this way, without him knowing that it was coming.  An anger burned inside, an anger directed at himself.  He didn’t know what to do now.  He had to kill them, but it didn’t happen.  It wouldn’t happen.  He release tension on the bow, and wept at his cowardice.

“Don’t move.”  The voice startled Conner so much that he jumped and let the arrow fall to the ground.  He turned to find the tracker facing him, a long, thin hunting knife held comfortably in front of him, ready to slice or thrust.

Conner knew he looked ridiculous, tear streaks down his cheeks, a bow in one hand, an arrow on the ground, and three more stuck in the dirt.

“Relax,” the man said.  “My name is Marik.  I am a ranger and a Knight of Karmon.”  The man lowered the knife.  “We are here to bring the princess home.”

Conner was stunned.  He turned to look at the two men coming up the trail, two men whose life he almost ended.  He looked down at his bow and the arrows.  “I almost…”

“Yes, you did,” Marik said.  “Whatever held your hand, I am glad it did.”

Conner felt worse.  He was ashamed.  He knew what it was that held his hand, it was fear.  Cowardice.  He had the chance to save Elissa and he failed.  Yes, it worked out.  He didn’t need to kill a man.  And if he had, who knows what the ranger would have done to him.  But he felt worse for his failure.  He took his bow, grabbed his arrows, and followed the ranger back to where he had left Elissa.

***

Marik spent most of his time ahead of the group, scouting the best path for them to follow.  But when they rested, the ranger and Elissa sat away from everyone else, talking quietly.   Conner and the other two knights followed mostly in silence.  They chatted some, but the two knights didn’t seem to desire idle conversation.  They were polite enough, but it was clear they didn’t have much to say.  Marik never let on what happened in the trees, never mentioned how close Conner came to shooting his arrows.  Conner was glad.  He didn’t want bad blood to hover over the rest of their trip.  He just bid his time, waiting to get out of the forest and return to his home.

They took it at a pace as Elissa allowed.  It wasn't a fast pace, but she surprised them all moving at a steady pace.  By nightfall, they were nearly out of the forest.   Exhausted, she fell into a quick sleep while the men prepared their camp.  Once the princess was asleep and a fire was going, Marik left the others to guard the campsite.  He returned some time later with three rabbits that were quickly gutted, skinned, and cooked.  They slept in shifts through the night, waking just before dawn.  After a small breakfast of berries and the little bit of rabbit from the night before, they broke camp.

They trudged through the trees, following game trails and whatever open space they could find.  Little was said other than acknowledging commands.  Conner wasn’t last, one of the knights was always following a few yards behind.  But he was always behind the princess.  The physical separation while they walked did not surprise him.  She was of royal blood and should be walking ahead of him.  He, the peasant, should be relegated to the back.  He missed her voice and conversation.  He was glad that they had been found and were heading back to the safety of the castle.  But the lack of communication between them bothered him.  He hoped that soon they could be back to what they were, friends who could talk.  In the meantime, he just followed them in silence.

By mid-day they reached the edge of the forest and found a small camp.  There were three lightly clad knights tending the camp.  As soon as these knights saw who approached, they shouted their joy.  They showered the princess with praise and adoration.  They practically carried her under their lean-to, covering her with blankets and shoving food and drink in front of her.

Marik and Conner found themselves outcast from the group and made themselves busy building up their fire.

"That was you on the docks?" Conner asked.

Marik nodded his head.  "We came into the village just as you were rowing out into the river.  By the time we found someone who would give us a straight answer about you two, you were already halfway across the river."  Marik let out a soft chuckle.  "You had them pretty uptight about a band of murderers chasing you."

"We thought for sure we were being chased," Conner said.

"You took care of them all way back up river," Marik said.

"All of them?" Conner asked.

"It appears so.  We only found your tracks.  No one else was following you."

"Then we were worried for no reason," Conner said softly.

"No, of course not.  You were right to be worried.  You had no idea who they were or how many there were.  You did a great job of protecting the princess.  You did an amazing job."

Conner shrugged his shoulders, embarrassed.  "Anyone would have done it."

"No," Marik replied.  "Not anyone would have.  Many would never had gotten involved.  Many would have not found protective shelter in a cave.  Staying there saved your lives."

"Barely," Conner said.  "It was really cold."

"It would have been colder out in the open without protection from the wind."

"Do you know who they were?" Conner asked.

Marik shrugged his shoulders.  "Bandits.  Kidnappers.  They were pretty ragtag.  Skilled enough to take out her guards, but certainly not real soldiers.  They were too sloppy.  But now she's safe and the king will have her daughter back.  All thanks to you."

Conner was silent in his embarrassment.  Then he asked, "You drew on us back on the docks.  If you knew it was us, why do that?"

Marik glanced over at one of the knights putting a saddle on a horse.  "They thought that a couple shots might get your attention.  Turn you around even.  Or accidentally kill you."

"It made me think that you were from a group that was chasing us."

"Yeah," Marik replied sheepishly.  "I could tell.  You started going faster right after that."  He slapped Conner on the shoulder as he stood up.  "At least it all worked out.  I thank you again for helping the princess.  You have done this kingdom a great service.  If the princess spoke even half truths about your adventures, you are a very brave young man.”  He held out his hand.  Conner gripped it tightly.  Marik continued, “I am sure the king will reward you well.”

Conner replied softly, “I didn’t do it for the reward.”

“No,” Marik said.  “I am sure you didn’t.”  He released Conner’s hand and looked around.  There was little to indicate where they were.  “We are kind of in the middle of nowhere.   Do you need help in finding your village?”

Conner shook his head.  “I’ve hunted these woods before.  It’s maybe a day or so to the north.  I can manage.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure you have provisions for your journey.   There is plenty for lunch.  Our fine knights are pretty good cooks and made a fine stew for us.  You are welcome to stay and feast with us before we leave.”

The princess, overhearing the conversation, pulled herself up from the underneath her blankets.  “Sir Marik, Conner will be coming with us to the castle.”

Marik looked uncomfortable.  He clearly didn’t want to argue with the princess, so he chose his words as carefully as he could.  “I am sure that Conner would like to return to his family as soon as he can.”

“I don’t think you quite understand what happened out there,” Elissa replied.  “Conner saved my life.  He is to be named my Champion and will return to the castle with me.”

“Princess, we are all very grateful for what Conner has done to bring you back safe.  It was very courageous and quite frankly, pretty amazing.  And I am sure he will be well rewarded.”  He turned to Conner and nodded again his appreciation.  “But you must understand…”

“You must understand,” Elissa said firmly.  “That I am Princess Elissa, heir to the throne of Karmon.  And you will do as I say.”

Marik smiled as if he were talking to a young girl half Elissa’s age.  “If you had a brother, he would be heir.  You…”

“She is as strong as any boy I’ve ever seen,” Conner interjected.

“Her strength does not change the laws of the land,” Marik countered with a sharp glare.  He was not used to being interrupted, much less by someone who was not of noble blood.

Elissa stepped out from underneath the lean-to.  “My father is the law of the land.  I think you forget yourself, Sir Marik.”