Knights: Defenders of Ollanhar

  Chapter 15:

  The Gauntlet of Axes

  It was a cloudy, cool morning when Faindan Stillsword reached Ollanhar Tower. His heart was heavy with gloom as he gazed up at the dark keep, for he believed this was the day he would lose his Knighthood. He had violated the Sacred Laws in severing and destroying his own hand, and he had disobeyed Aldreya's command by going to Ollanhar instead of Dremlock.

  A Divine Knight must never bring serious harm to his body. To do so, even to relieve suffering, is a grave offense against the gift of life. Those were the words of the Divine Essence. Faindan pondered them, searching for a loophole, but there was none to be found. Clearly, he had cut off his hand strictly to relieve temporary suffering. It had served no other benefit. Faindan would have likely recovered fully had he simply endured the pain.

  He hesitated, wondering if he should head for the stable, get on his horse, and ride for Dremlock. He wasn't sure why he had chosen to come here and put himself at the mercy of Furlus Goblincrusher. Furlus was a sullen Grey Dwarf and it seemed unlikely he would take pity on Faindan.

  "What was I thinking?" Faindan whispered to himself. He gazed at the statues of the two Dark Watchmen that stood on either side of the door, and the gloom in his heart deepened. The weight of the ancient tower seemed to bear down on him, challenging his foolish reasoning. He turned to leave.

  But again a nagging voice in his mind told him to remain, and without giving it another thought, he strode up to the door--where a tall Red Knight was standing guard, a man Faindan didn't recognize.

  "If he's not too busy," said Faindan, "I would like to meet with Furlus Goblincrusher. I...was sent by Aldreya Silverhawk." That last statement wasn't entirely true, and Faindan winced as he spoke.

  The Red Knight yelled out a few words, and the door was opened from the inside, where another Red Knight waited.

  Faindan entered the tower and found Furlus in the Entrance Chamber, seated at a table and studying a map of Gallamerth. The Tower Master glanced up briefly and then went back to examining the map.

  "Not much left that Bellis hasn't taken," Furlus grunted. "Now Gloneharn Kingdom has fallen. Just found that out today. They fought a bitter battle, and nearly all of them were killed. A nearby town was demolished, and everyone in it was executed. Bellis has been growing increasingly brutal."

  "Terrible," Faindan mumbled. "If I may sit down, I would like a moment of your time, Master Furlus. I know you are very busy..."

  Furlus didn't answer for several moments. His beard got in the way of the map and he brushed it aside. "When I look at this map, as I do each day, I still can barely believe what I'm seeing--that one kingdom has expanded to such an astonishing degree. King Verlamer is a master strategist."

  "May I sit?" Faindan asked again.

  Furlus glanced up. "Lost a hand, did you?"

  "That's what I came here to talk about," said Faindan. "Actually, I was ordered by Aldreya to go to Dremlock. I refused that order and came here."

  Furlus raised his eyebrows. "I remember now. You left with the others during the Festival of Souls. How are they doing?"

  "Just fine," said Faindan. "Last I knew. But I've returned here to discuss my personal situation."

  Furlus motioned for him to sit. "I don't have all day, so tell me your story quickly. Why did you ignore Aldreya's command?"

  "I don't know," said Faindan. "For some reason I was compelled to come here." He shrugged. "I wish I knew why."

  Furlus scowled. "That's a sorry reason to disobey the Green Knight of Ollanhar. Are you sure you weren't struck in the head as well?"

  "My thoughts are clear," said Faindan. "Somewhat." He sighed. "I cut off my own hand. It was infected with the Deep Shadow."

  "Poking around in old ruins, were you?" asked Furlus.

  "Exactly that," said Faindan.

  Furlus nodded. "That's usually a terrible mistake, but not always. Sometimes there is treasure to be found. So did the infection threaten your life? Was it temporary, or permanent?"

  "Dallsa had it under control," Faindan admitted. "I would have healed. I severed it simply to be rid of my terrible pain." His face burned hot with shame as he spoke. He felt like a wretched excuse for a Knight.

  "I see," said Furlus, frowning. "So you caved in like a weakling. I'll bet you made a fool of yourself as well. Did you cry like a baby?"

  "All of that and more," said Faindan.

  "So you broke the Sacred Laws," said Furlus, "and now you only have one hand to show for it. And you're hoping I will take pity on you--something the rigid Taris Warhawk wouldn't do. You want to keep your Knighthood and fight on with one hand. Yet you seem to possess a weak will, so why should you retain your Knighthood? You come in here intent upon saving it, but you show no passion. Your voice is flat--as if you have given up hope or no longer care. If you truly wanted to remain a Knight, I would expect a more desperate plea--maybe even a tear or two shed. You make it very easy for me, lawbreaker, to simply demote you to Orange and be done with it."

  Faindan sighed. "I'm not very emotional. I find it hard to express my feelings. But yes, I do care greatly about serving Dremlock."

  Furlus yawned. "The Sacred Laws strictly forbid what you have done, and then you disobeyed a direct order from your Green Knight. I truly hate to see a Knight fail, and warriors in similar situations to yours have come before me and retained their Knighthood. But they were convincing, and you are not. I don't care that you lost a hand. Many great Knights--Dwarves in particular--have had missing arms and even missing legs! Have you ever heard of Hathod Ironfist? He was a Grey Dwarf with a metal leg. He led Knights to victory in many battles. But you are not him. You seem to lack heart, and that is intolerable. I'll give you one last chance to prove me wrong before I strip you of your rank. One last chance."

  "I have plenty of heart," Faindan mumbled. But he felt weary to the core, and his mind seemed to go blank. He questioned whether or not he truly did want to remain a Knight. Furlus was right. Where was the passion? At last he said, "I was chosen for the mission to obtain the Green Flamestone."

  Furlus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "True. I'm sure you were respected and talented, and I greatly appreciate all you've done for Dremlock. But the Sacred Laws are never to be broken." He waited.

  Faindan scratched his head. "I'm friends with Lannon Sunshield. I think he would be disappointed if I was stripped of rank." His words sounded desperate and silly to his ears, and he regretted speaking them.

  Furlus didn't respond to that. He continued to wait.

  "I'm good with the blade," said Faindan. "Very good, actually. I slew a Wolf. A really huge one. You wouldn't believe how big it was." He held up the stump of his wrist. "Yet I killed it with one hand."

  "That's worth something," said Furlus, nodding with approval. "That's the sort of thing I like to hear. What else?"

  Faindan struggled to think of something. "The Wolf was the biggest I've ever seen. I still can't believe I defeated it."

  Furlus frowned.

  "But that's not all," Faindan said quickly. "I slew a Goblin with tentacles that was terrorizing an artist. It was very powerful."

  Furlus looked skeptical. "Tentacles, you say?"

  "It grabbed me and squeezed me," said Faindan. "I nearly died." He instantly regretted admitting that last truth.

  Furlus sighed. "What else?"

  "I just...have a lot of heart," Faindan said weakly. "I love being a Knight. I absolutely love it. It's all I think about." He wiped a dry eye in pretense that a tear had formed there. "See, I don't even have the words to say how much I truly love it. I want to serve our god and kingdom, and I will never break the Sacred Laws again." Faindan leaned back in his chair, certain he had just failed miserably.

  Furlus bowed his head, looking almost embarrassed. "Well, I think you do have some heart and talent, but I'm not feeling it. A Divine Knight needs to be extremely dedicated and focused. I think you should be demoted to Orange for now, but if you do your duties witho
ut complaining for six months, I will permit you to go to Taris and plead your case."

  Faindan groaned. "Then it's truly over." He rose from his chair, trembling. "I'm finished as a Divine Knight. I guess I'll just go...somewhere. Can I keep my horse?"

  Furlus shook his head. "The Greywinds remain at Dremlock or Ollanhar. I'm sorry, Faindan. I offered you a chance to speak to Taris, but if you must leave, then I wish you well. It is always a sad day when we lose a Knight."

  "Six months as an Orange Squire?" said Faindan. "That's the chance you offered me? That would be terribly humiliating."

  "It would also be humbling," said Furlus. "And I think you need that. If you endured the shame and served us well, Taris would be more inclined to listen. Taris is not as unreasonable as some tend to think."

  "Six months," said Faindan, "with no promise that my Knighthood would be restored? Not even a slight promise?"

  "No promises," said Furlus.

  "I'm going to pass on that," said Faindan. "Goodbye."

  Furlus shrugged. "Your choice. Obviously, you don't care about Knighthood as much as you claim. Good luck on your journeys. You should visit Dremlock for payment and other instructions on how to properly retire. You can take your horse that far, at least. You can purchase a lesser horse there."

  A lesser horse, Faindan thought. He would have to part with his best friend, and the thought of it filled his heart with pain.

  "I do care," Faindan insisted. "But I'm certain Taris would refuse me, and my humiliation would be for nothing."

  Furlus focused on his map again, content to let the discussion end.

  Faindan searched his mind in a final attempt to think of anything that might sway the Tower Master. "I saw Kuran Darkender," he said, remembering the vision. "Well, it wasn't actually him, of course. It was like a waking dream."

  Furlus looked up, a sudden glint in his eyes. "Explain."

  "When I was fighting that Goblin," said Faindan. "The one with the tentacles. I was being crushed to death, and suddenly Kuran Darkender was there and I felt strong. That's how I broke free and killed the beast."

  "Are you being truthful?" asked Furlus, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "Look into my eyes and repeat what you said."

  Faindan did so, wondering what this was all about. "I'm being completely truthful. However, I don't actually think Kuran Darkender's spirit came to me. I think it was all in my mind, but it did seem to lend me strength."

  "Describe the incident in more detail," said Furlus.

  Faindan did as commanded, telling all he could remember.

  Furlus sat in silence for a few moments, a somber expression on his grizzled face, and Faindan thought he might have angered the Dwarf. Perhaps Furlus thought he was lying or somehow insulting Kuran Darkender.

  But at last Furlus' expression changed. He displayed a rare smile. "Well, Faindan, it seems you did put forth a great effort against that Goblin, which was probably quite a powerful foe. Perhaps I made my decision too quickly. On second thought, I think you should remain a Divine Knight. Would you care for some ale?"

  Faindan was completely baffled.

  "Let's have some ale," said Furlus, filling a couple mugs.

  "What about the Sacred Laws?" asked Faindan. "And the fact that I disobeyed Aldreya? Am I to be punished?"

  "No need for that," said Furlus, pushing a mug of ale toward him. "I am overruling Aldreya's decision, and as far as the Sacred Laws go...well, we all make mistakes from time to time. Just don't let it happen again."

  "I won't," said Faindan, in amazement. He considered asking Furlus what had brought on such a sudden change, but he decided he better not press the issue. Instead, he simply enjoyed his ale, which was the best he had ever tasted.