Journey of a Knight: Part Four by laurensama |  |
The gentle music floated from the glowing ground and
up to the sky as the happy laughter mingled within it. On the brightly lit dance
floor the happy peasants jumped and skipped with the music, some of them wearing
their finest festival attire in this occasion. On one side of the makeshift
dance floor the band played merrily on, their bright instruments reflecting
the beautiful lamps that hung from above, putting perhaps even the brightest
firefly to shame. Off the dance floor the fun was not extinguished as the guests
happily ate and laughed with one another, a general feeling of happiness in
the air. Jeran smiled at the peace around him, he simply couldn’t get enough
of it. His thoughts drifted from the scene to the tournament in the upcoming
days. He had continued to train though not as vigorously as he had in the past
days. As he and Firiden had come into town they noticed the handsome knights
and their glinting armor, while their powerful swords seemed to almost have
a mind of their own. Sheepishly, Jeran looked at his own dull sword at his side.
It had been his friend for the last thirteen or so years of his life, but his
old friend definitely looked worse for the wear as the edges chipped and rust
slowly over took it.
Jeran sighed as got up, slowly walking away from
the dancing to reflect on recent events. He wondered if he would simply make
a fool of himself for his lack of a proper weapon or armory. “It’s skill Jeran,
its skill!” He tried to tell himself nervously as he kicked a lone stone across
the rolling grass. In front of him the castle loomed once again, a few lone
knights standing upon its top pillars, looking forlornly at the festival. Jeran
so very much felt the irony of the situation; he would perhaps give anything
to stand where they were, instead of going to the festival, while they must
have been the opposite. The young Lupe turned around, intent on going back to
the inn to simply sleep the night away when an odd shadow caught his eye.
The figure lurked in the gloom of the palace,
silently creeping beside its walls. Hurriedly it dashed around the castle, disappearing
behind a side of the castle, seemingly not noticed by anyone save Jeran. Jeran
looked around himself cautiously before following the figure noiselessly. His
large yellow eyes peeked around the corner where the he saw the figure disappear
behind, scanning the area for him. His eyes finally rested on the stranger standing
beside what looked like a stature. Indeed, the lone statue stood, a once proud
memorial of what was a Draik knight, but not simply was overrun by weeds and
chipped in so many places.
The shadow cast an eye up at the guards, checking
to see that they were all gathered to look at the festival. Upon seeing that
it was indeed true, it pulled sinuous tail of the statue. Jeran watched with
a hungry interest at the statue gradually scooted to the side, revealing beneath
it a large gaping hole which the shadow slipped through. Jeran watched and waited
as the Draik stature moved once again to fill up its hidden compartment. He
bit his lip, wondering if he should call out to the guards or slip through the
hole himself. Yet upon realizing that none of the guards where looking in his
direction, Jeran decided to take the matter into his own hands as he pulled
the tail of the statue and crawled through the opening. Step by cautious step
Jeran climbed down the stairs, his keen ears perked up for any sounds though
there were none to hear. His eyes squinted as a torch suddenly sprung to life
next to him revealing the narrow stone corridor he was in. He knew that he should
call for the guards, he should bring about more help…but Jeran had to find what
was at the end of the tunnel…he had to know… He picked up his pace as he ran
down the hall, faster and faster as the torches burst to life next to him. His
heart began to thud in his ears, while an unmistakable grinding noise scratched
and whirred ahead. Faster and faster he ran, intent on seeing whatever it was
that made the noise…but then suddenly stopped.
The sound had stopped and so, apparently, had
his journey. The corridor abruptly ended with a solid stone wall with no other
exit but behind him. Jeran knocked on the wall, then began to bang on it, wondering
if perhaps there was a hidden notch to activate. However upon finding nothing
the Lupe sadly turned his tail and hurried down the corridor and up the stairs.
“There was something…I know there was!” He mumbled to himself as he climbed
out from the hole. He looked around at the castle, grateful that he was not
noticed, and proceeded to run back to the inn, eager to tell Firiden what he
had seen.
However, from the shadows of the castle a pair
of eyes watched Jeran as he rushed off; in turn also running off to tell what
he had seen…
***
“And so, where was he?” the voice questioned, not even bothering to look up
from the paperwork before him. The one-eyed-Buzz continued to stare at the colorless
Eyrie, his tattered black cape resting about him.
“He was in the entrance, sir!” the Buzz informed,
pointing at the large brute of a Lupe next to him. “This idiot here didn’t even
see that the Lupe was following him, so he walked RIGHT into the entrance!”
The hulking Lupe snarled dangerously at the insult, attempting to grab at the
Buzz yet stopped from a single look from the Eyrie. He slowly stood up, approaching
the two pets who tried nervously to stay as far away from the jail keeper as
possible. “Do you know how long I was locked up in that dungeon?” he asked in
a silkily quiet voice. The duo shook their head in a dumbfounded manner while
the Eyrie turned and inspected a delicate gold scale on one of his shelves.
“I was imprisoned for nearly forty years in that dungeon for a crime that I
never committed. Well eventually the truth was known, but it was forty years
too late... “That fool Skarl apologized; said that he would rectify the error.
Do you know how he repaid me?” He posed another unanswerable question, to which
he barley even waited for an answer before continuing. “He put me here! In charge
of the prison that held me for so long. A cruel twist of irony that I will never
forget! “Oh yes, I could have declined, could have left. But in an instant I
saw it! I saw that if I stayed in this castle and worked within it I could be
so much closer to that fat king as to extract my revenge upon him! So I have
dwelled in my dark torture so that I can throw him in these dark depths that
he banished me to. So that HE can know how it feels to loose forty or fifty,
maybe even a whole LIFETIME, which you cannot get back!” He said in a harsh
tone. The Eyrie unsheathed his sword and swung with amazing force at the cabinet
in front of him, the wood seemingly nothing more than air. The terrified Buzz
and Lupe watched as the Eyrie straightened up, his pale eyes more frightening
and dangerous than anything which they had ever seen before. “I will not loose
another forty years down here! Now dispose of the Lupe, or I will dispose of
you!”
***
Though the time was far into the night, the festival still raged on with little
signs of stopping. Jeran forcefully pushed himself through the crowd, desperately
trying to make his way towards the town square. “Excuse me… sorry… can I please
just get—through,” he grunted, stopping only once he was in front of the old
inn he and Firiden were staying within. It was a rather shotty place, seemingly
made of nothing more than wood and stone; yet the beautiful parlor and cheerful
fire that crackled merrily along with the roar of the crowd inside instantly
made up for its lack of aesthetic beauty. Two by two Jeran hurled himself up
the stairs and down the corridor, wrenching open the door and bursting forth
from his mouth…
”FIR! YOU WON—,” He quickly stopped and looked
around for his friend who was no where in sight. Jeran walked about the small
room, the Ixi’s bed seemingly untouched while all of his parcels still lay on
the bed. The blue Lupe gave a small frown as he sat down on the squishy bed,
unclipping his belt and sword, and throwing it on top of the other parcels which
belonged to Firiden.
As Jeran stared up at the ceiling, he couldn’t
help but wonder who that shadowy figure was, dashing about the palace lawn?
The wanted posters slowly crept into his mind as a link began to form in his
consciousness. Could it be that one of the escapees had something to do with
this? What exactly was that hallway underground? He mulled these things over
in his head while the band’s music wafted through the closed window, slowly
lulling Jeran to sleep. It didn’t take long for him to drift off into a deep
and uneasy sleep, not more than one minute before his friend returned to the
room.
To be continued...
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