Knight Errant by Paul Barrett & Steve Murphy

Author:Paul Barrett & Steve Murphy [Barrett, Paul & Murphy, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Falstaff Books
Published: 2019-01-21T07:00:00+00:00

18

Forced Hospitality

Laura kept her intentions hidden as she walked with her head down. She bent her entire thought on figuring out a way to escape, despite the guards on either side that held her arms, their hands gripped tightly around her biceps.

As they trod the drab stone corridor, she glanced from left to right, searching for side halls or anything else that would facilitate her getaway. She spotted a few branching passages, but until she had a better idea of the fortress, the thought of flight was little more than an exercise to occupy her mind.

With Fralor leading, they ascended a long flight of stairs, through a small, bare anteroom, and into a spacious and opulently decorated throne room. Large, elaborate tapestries embroidered with scenes of bloody battles and gentle landscapes of verdant hills dotted the walls.

An imposing throne covered in silver and filigreed gold occupied the center of the end wall. Intricately carved pillars of blue stone held up the roof, which towered ten meters above the floor. Guards dressed in shining chain mail stood between each post. Red tabards emblazoned with a stylized, six-legged animal covered their armor coats. She counted twenty soldiers standing at attention, the machine guns slung over their shoulders incongruous in the medieval surroundings.

Fralor walked up the dais steps and sat in the silver chair. As she waited, Laura wondered if Unicybertronic Technologies was funding this highly illegal corruption of the planet, what their purpose was, and why they had involved the Knights or, more specifically, Ship.

Fralor clapped his hands. From the shadows of the throne, a young man and woman emerged to stand beside the dais. Laura judged them to be between eighteen and twenty. Dressed like the guards, minus the chain mail, they both had honey-colored hair. The boy’s short and straight: the girl’s long and wavy. Their bright green eyes stood out from their buff-colored skin, the predominant hue of Meta Brévé’s inhabitants. Laura guessed them as brother and sister. They seemed well cared for, though their haunted expressions made her think they lived in constant fear. Suspecting Fralor would be a harsh master, Laura could well understand their countenance.

Fralor looked at the young man. “Fertä stala tûe viztu.” To the young woman, he said. “Lugew vin en pradeca.”

The two servants ran off on their errands. The guards released their grip on Laura’s arms and took a few steps back. Laura flexed her arms and hands to shake away the guards’ grip. She stopped when she heard the ring of cold steel behind her.

“Not a wise idea to try and cast magic when twenty armed men surround you,” Fralor said with a smirk that couldn’t completely hide his brief flash of fear.

Laura said nothing. Though she had no powers of manipulation, letting them keep their misconception might give her an advantage.

They waited in silence until the servants returned. The boy carried a plain wooden chair with a dark blue cushion. The girl bore a large silver tray which held two goblets, a pitcher, and a bowl filled with pink and purple fruits.

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