The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight (30 page)

"I revoke all invitations, you undead bastards!" Keeth closed his eyes, almost praying. "Here we go!"

Keeth aimed his "weapon" at the advancing horde of vampires heading towards him. After Dorian had retreated, the vampires backtracked in confusion for a moment, suddenly noticing, and suddenly realizing that Keeth seemed a more attractive target. They knew that an old man could not achieve the results of both the elf and dwarf. So, slowly but surely, they all aimed their undead plans at the wizard.

However, Keeth had other intentions.

Squeezing a small trigger from underneath his "weapon's" iron stick, the flammable liquid he had devised sprayed out from the tank hanging upon his back, ventured through the hollow cavity of the iron stick in both his hands, ignited via the small flame at the end of the stick, and spat the furious fire of a dragon out upon the unfortunate vampires.

"Take that, you uncouth ruffians!" Keeth shouted, swinging his "weapon" from port to starboard.

The invading vampires at the bow of the ship turned into a screaming wall of both fire and agony. From the corner of the wizard's eye, he kept his attention on a pressure gage, which if unsupervised, could cause his "weapon" to explode upon his back. As things developed, however, all went as planned. As several of the burning vampires fell overboard, the wizard tried to come up with a name for his new device.

"Ahh! Take that!" Dorian shouted, jumping from under the ship's capstan. Several times, the dwarf discovered he had to continue his retreats. Keeth's device almost caught him a few times. Dorian found to his horror that some of his beard had been scorched!

Molly and Rohan found themselves alone on deck. After witnessing the fate of their fellow undead, most of the remaining vampires retreated from the decks of the
Argo
.

"They have no stomach for fire," Molly explained. She found herself smiling up at the wizard in pure admiration. "I get the impression that this is not the first time our wizard has fought the powers of evil."

"He would not be a wizard, if that were the case," Rohan suggested.

Keeth, after realizing he had no more targets, released the trigger, causing the flame to stop. He breathed heavily as he looked at his invention with both pride and wonder.

"Worked rather well, if I do say so myself." Keeth laughed nervously.

"What the devil is that thing?" Dorian asked, almost afraid to approach the wizard.

"Oh, just a little something I invented to pass the time," Keeth said, taking the heavy tank from his back. "I am having a terrible time trying to concoct a name for it."

"How about projectile fire destroyer?" Rohan suggested.

The wizard rattled the name around a little. "Sounds catchy."

"You could almost posses the power of a dragon." Molly said, catching her breath. She, like Dorian, was covered from head to toe with blood. Rohan, being his elfish self, was spotless.

"That was the idea, my dear."

Several confused moans rose up to all their attentions, as Keeth placed the heavy tank upon his back once more. He sighed, regretfully, suddenly remembering something that seemed to pass the logic of his peers.

"What's all that?" Dorian asked. The dwarf pulled out a dagger almost as tall as he was.

"That is what's left of our undead guests." The wizard explained. He pointed up towards the bright blue bubble still surrounding his vessel. "They are all trapped in here until I release the anti-enforcement wall."

"Oh, is that what you call it," Molly said, wiping blood from her hands with her tongue. The female vampire smacked her lips, appreciating the liquid.

Keeth spent the rest of the night, using his "weapon" as a means to free all the remaining vampires from their own personal hells. By the time he was finished, the air smelled of rot and sweet burning meat.

It was not surprising to discover that the remaining undead army outside the bubble were ordered to retreat. Most had done so without an order, relying on what was left of their mortal fears of fire to aid them.

Molly, Rohan, and Dorian had a chance to notice Ka-Ron and her newly arrived son, En-Don.

"May he grow to be remembered," Rohan said, gently patting the newborn's soft head.

Ka-Ron, exhausted, bloodied, and soaked with sweat gently held her newborn son, crying uncontrollably. Her hearts, if they could, would have exploded with the overwhelming feelings she experienced. She had brought a new life into the world - a living soul that was partly her and partly Jatel. She tried to express what she was feeling in words, for she wanted all around her to know and share in her happiness, but she could not. So, in honor of the moment, all she could do was hold En-Don close to her bosom, wiping what was left of his birthday residue off his innocent face. The wizard provided the new mother with a cotton cloth of the purest white, to help her preserve the moment. Ka-Ron, like her mother, would save this cloth, giving it to En-Don as a token and wonderment of the day.

"I think that there is one here who should know that he is now a father," Keeth suggested, pointing towards the door leading to Ka-Ron and Jatel's cabin.

Ka-Ron closed her eyes, doing her best to help control the pain. After just having a baby, the knight discovered, painfully, that walking was not her best skill. Both Rohan and Dorian helped her up, and took her towards the cabins.

En-Don, it appeared, took all the excitement in stride. Rather grumpily, the newborn smirked and wiped chubby fingers across his nose and mouth, wanting, it seemed, nothing more than a few cycles of uninterrupted sleep.

The knight of Idoshia sweetly kissed her son goodnight.

Ka-Ron stopped when she found herself standing in front of Molly.

Everyone held his breath.

"Vampire&" Ka-Ron stopped herself, changing her use of words. "Woman, you have done me and mine harm. Pray hard, that come the dawn, there is still hope for my Jatel."

Molly said nothing. She only bowed respectfully.

The knight continued her trek towards her cabin doors. Both Rohan and Dorian gave each other deep and concerned looks. This animosity between the knight and the vampire were far from a respectable closing.

"Take heart, child," Keeth whispered to Molly. "You have only heard the woman's pain. Once she gets to know and understand, you will have the chance of winning her respect."

"I highly doubt that, wizard." Molly stated, controlling her urge to weep.

Jatel found that his hands trembled.

The squire fought the urge to vomit. His last attack by Molly had taken a lot out of him. He felt weak, sick, and remarkably happy.

"Jatel," Ka-Ron whispered, her eyes filled with tears. "Meet En-Don, your son."

Jatel had been too weak to rise from the bed, so Ka-Ron lowered herself and their child so that father and son could formally meet. Jatel gawked at Ka-Ron with both horror and fascination. He wanted to reach out and take hold of the little babe in front of him, but he could not. There was a fear inherent with most new fathers, which led Jatel to believe he may hurt the child.

"My son?" the young man said as his eyes widened.

"Yes," Ka-Ron confirmed. "En-Don is his name."

Jatel gave his sire a long and loving kiss. "It is a good name."

"Indeed."

Ka-Ron's sword never left her sheath. When Jatel woke in the morning, he appeared as good as new - more, in fact! He was excited about his new son, he was full of energy, and he was alert. If it were not for the unseemly scar Molly had caused upon the squire's neck, one would never know that he had come quite close to death.

"Thank the gods," Ka-Ron whispered, cupping her hands up to her forehead in prayer.

"Do not be thanking the heavens just yet, my child."

Ka-Ron turned to face Keeth, who had just put away all his crafting tools. The wizard had spent the latter part of the night repairing his vessel. The
Argo
was once more ready for the voyage ahead.

"What worries you, wizard?"

"The question should be, Ka-Ron, what should be worrying you."

"Explain."

Keeth let out a dry laugh. "Your squire was attacked by a creature of the night. He is in great danger of becoming&"

Everyone on deck paused. No one seemed to fully grasp what Keeth was trying to say.

Jatel walked out on deck. He blinked his eyes, shading them from the strong rays of the morning suns. He had tried to eat some of the morning meal placed before him by the wizard, but found to his surprise that he was not hungry. For the first time in his known service to Ka-Ron, he refused a meal.

"Good morrow," Jatel stated. He walked up to Ka-Ron, kissing her on the base of her neck.

This last caused Keeth some concern.

The fear did not pass from Ka-Ron's awareness.

Molly was below decks, and quite asleep. Several moments before the rising of the suns, she begged her hosts for a dark and forgotten part of the ship to retire until sundown. At first, all were hesitant - it was considered bad luck to formally invite a creature of the night into one's habitat. But Molly had served well in the last battle. Where all were concerned with their safety, they realized it was also a great taboo not to help a fellow warrior.

It was decided by all that Molly should find her rest and sanctuary in the oil room, a small but extremely dark area, near the engines, gears, and fantastic machines hidden deep within the
Argo's
hull. The vampire was both touched and appreciative that the wizard was able to produce an oblong toolbox, which she could rest in until the approach of night.

With their vampire friend taken care of, all thoughts and worries focused on Jatel.

As mentioned before, Jatel's attack held no evidence upon his current appearance. He appeared alert, healthy, and happy to be a new father. The squire spent several moments of the morn gazing into the angelic face of his son. While Ka-Ron rested, healing from her ordeal, he amazed himself with the simple miracle he and his master were able to produce.

And, as mentioned before, the squire lacked any appetite.

This last worried the wizard.

Ka-Ron turned giving her returning squire a kiss. Her hands trembled with deep concern. As the knight broke the kiss, she studied Keeth's concerning glance.

"Speak your mind, wizard," the knight ordered.

"We have, at most, five suns before the hunger starts to take over our young squire. Then, he will become quite as our unfortunate friend sleeping down below. Jatel will cross over to that of a vampire&unless&"

"Unless?" both Rohan and Dorian asked.

"Unless we can find a way to destroy Count Voslow."

There was a long and uncomfortable silence on deck, during which only the wind seemed to have the courage to speak.

"I'm all new to this kind of thing," Dorian blurted out, uneasy. "How does one kill a vampire?"

Keeth shook his head. "My teachers would revoke my title, knowing that at this cycle of my life, I would be chasing ghosts and ghouls. I am a wizard of science; my knowledge in folklore is limited at best."

"Then how do you come to the conclusion, that in order to save Jatel, we must destroy another?" The elf's eyes were both cold and calculating.

"I have discussed this with Molly." the wizard explained. "Who else would know how to kill a creature of the night?"

"Question is; is she telling the truth?" Dorian huffed. Nervous, the dwarf kept switching his ax from left hand to right.

"Your point, dwarf?" Keeth asked, squinting his eyes in study.

"Voslow, however evil, is still one of her kind," Dorian pointed out. The tiny man peeked over his shoulder, looking in the direction of Molly's place of rest. It was as if the dwarf was convincing himself that it was indeed safe to discuss such matters. "People stay loyal to those they associate with. That is all that I am saying."

"In most cases, Dorian, I would agree with you. But, keep in mind, before Molly was a vampire she was, and could still be, just a woman. She remembers what it was like to eat, love, and walk in the suns. These are things she would kill, and sacrifice for once more, if only she could perform them again. Her existing life was forced upon her. It was not a rite of birth. That fact alone will be Count Voslow's undoing."

Dorian grumbled.

"Then I repeat the question, wizard. How does one kill a vampire?"

Keeth rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"According to Molly, there are as many ways to kill a vampire as there are vampires."

"What are you saying, wizard?" Ka-Ron asked, still holding tightly to her squire.

"There are vampires who feed on fear. There are those who feed on youth. And, of course, there are those who infuse themselves with blood." Keeth paused, looking off in the direction of a nearby mountain range. "Once we discover Count Voslow's weakness, we will then know how to destroy him."

"Could we not do what we did last night?" Dorian asked.

"Those unfortunates were of a lower order, Dorian. Molly explained that the longer a vampire exists, the more opportunity it has to evolve."

"Wonderful," Rohan stated as he rubbed his hands together. It was starting to get rather cold.

"Do not be down, my friends," Keeth pointed out. "We still have hope. We still have five suns to find a solution."

"What happens to Molly?" Ka-Ron asked. Upon mentioning the female vampire's name, all on board the ship could detect the knight's hatred for the woman.

"She has sworn an oath of loyalty to all on board, including you, Ka-Ron." Keeth motioned all to follow him up to the bridge deck. The wizard was preparing the ship to get underway once more.

"Can we trust her?" the knight inquired.

"I believe that we can."

Keeth noticed the disgust sneaking from the corners of Ka-Ron's mouth.

"Child, it does no good to hate. Molly attacked Jatel out of instinct. One cannot condemn instinct. You might as well condemn life. The woman feels remorse for her actions. Give her a chance."

Ka-Ron mulled the idea around in her mind, saying nothing. Instead, the knight shook her head to an uneasy acceptance.