Knight of the Blazing Sun (Knights of the Empire Book 3) by Josh Reynolds

Author:Josh Reynolds [Reynolds, Josh]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Black Library
Published: 2011-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The knight removed his helmet, revealing handsome, hawk-like features. Pale blue eyes examined Goetz and then flickered to the troll. He clucked his tongue. ‘Such ill-treatment of your armour, brother… what would your hochmeister say?’

‘We do what we must,’ Goetz said, accepting the helping hand.

‘Including experimenting with non-traditional weaponry,’ one of the other knights said, chuckling. ‘I remember when we got stable duty for that sort of thing.’

‘Times change, Brother Opchek. Circumstances as well, eh brother?’ the first knight said as he pulled Goetz to his feet.

‘Goetz. Hector Goetz. I – who are you?’

‘Salvation come on the wing,’ Opchek said, tapping a finger against the winged figurine of Myrmidia that crouched atop his helmet. ‘Another tradition.’

‘And a good one. I am Balk, hochmeister of the honourable komturie of Svunum. The quiet one here is Brother Taudge. And it’s a lucky thing we happened to be passing by, eh?’ Balk said, turning his blue eyes towards the viewing platforms. ‘Ho Eyri! Who said you could kill one of our Order, eh?’

Eyri’s normally ruddy face had gone pale. The Norscan stepped forward, his fists dangling at his sides. ‘Who we take and what we do with them is no concern of yours, brass-skin!’ he barked. ‘And who said you could kill my troll, then?’

‘It’ll recover, more is the pity,’ Balk said, kicking the head aside. The troll’s eyes blinked alarmingly. ‘That’s more than I can say for you, however.’

‘Is that a threat?’ Eyri said, raising his arms. ‘Here?’ Along the platforms, Eyri’s men raised bows.

‘A warning,’ Balk said, apparently unconcerned. ‘We’ll hang you eventually, Eyri. But not today, if you play nice.’

Eyri grimaced. Then he gestured, and the bows were lowered. ‘What do you want, Balk?’

‘Him,’ Balk said, gesturing to Goetz.

‘Take him and be damned!’ Eyri snapped. ‘Now leave my steading.’

‘Gladly,’ Balk said, smiling brazenly up at the Norscan. ‘The smell of fish and filth is getting too much to bear anyway.’

They trooped up and out, the glares of Eyri and his men following them the entire way. ‘How did you come to be here?’ Goetz said as they stepped out of the pit’s stifling confines and onto the street.

Balk smiled. ‘At so fortuitous a moment, you mean?’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘Pure happenstance, I assure you.’ Balk gestured to the buildings around them. ‘We visit every few months or so to buy slaves.’

Goetz nearly choked. ‘What?’

The three knights laughed. Opchek slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t look so dismayed, brother. We buy them and free them.’

‘We go where we are needed, eh?’ Balk said. He looked around. ‘And we are most certainly needed here, I think.’

Eyri watched sourly as his men cleaned up the troll. Balk had been correct – it would heal, eventually. But it would be several days. He spat and turned away, stopping short as the tip of Dalla’s looted sword pricked his nose.

‘You had them,’ she hissed. ‘You had them and you let them walk out of here!’

‘Aye,’ Eyri said, using two fingers to carefully push the blade aside.

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