Last Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 2) Read Free

life.”
                  “My brother, Prince Tarcious, has given you other orders.  What are they?”
                  The centurion’s eyes widened and a bead of sweat dropped from underneath the centurion’s plumed helm.  He had sworn an oath to serve the emperor, but also to follow the strict orders of the prince.  The last centurion guard who disobeyed the prince took three weeks to die.
                  The emperor stood up quickly.  He nearly fell, but caught himself by putting a hand on the centurion’s shoulder.  The fog made it hard for him to speak, but he forced the words out.  “What…orders…my brother…give…to…you?”
    The centurion opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.  All color had drained from his face and the bead of sweat became a river.
    “Speak!” the emperor shouted. 
    “I…”  The centurion was a veteran of many campaigns in the north and he had earned the honor of serving his emperor.  And with that service came certain duties, the chief of which was to protect the empire at all costs.  It suddenly occurred to him that he was serving two lords, and in the end, had failed them both.  There was but one solution.  With a quickness that kept him from thinking about what he was about to do, the centurion pulled out his short sword.  It had a wide blade that was meant for stabbing and not slashing.  His training told him where to stab, to strike into organs that would quickly kill him.  Before he could convince himself otherwise, he pushed the sword deep into his belly and fell over until his face touched the ground in front of him.
    The shock of the centurion’s action cleared Hargon’s head for a brief moment.  It was as if a chain was released and he jumped forward and put his hands on the back of the man’s head.  His lips moved as the words of power were said.  But the moment of clarity was gone and once again his mind was confused and foggy.  He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force himself to concentrate.  As quickly as it had arisen in him, it had left.
    Hargon pushed himself up and the centurion fell over onto his side, his eyes still open, seeing nothing for eternity.  There was only a gray fog in Hargon’s mind.  The effort had been too much for him, so he simply fell back onto the bed, his chest heaving.  The moment his eyes closed, sleep overcame him.

 
    Chapter Two
     
    It was Lilly’s ears perking up that caught Conner’s attention.  They were moving at a slow walk along the path that showed somewhat recent use.  If he moved quickly enough, he might catch up to whomever it was that was ahead of him.  But the thought of meeting someone on the road was not appealing, so he kept to an easy pace.
    Lilly kept walking along the path, but she lifted her nose and snorted, waving her snout to the left.  Turning his head in that direction, Conner tried to hear what Lilly had heard.  The path had led them out of a thick grove of trees, and the area around them was mostly open with outcroppings of evergreen trees scattered about. To the north he could see the tree line of a forest in the distance.  To the south and west, the land was rolling hills, hiding whatever it was that was ahead of them.
    Lilly’s ears perked again and this time he heard it.  Laughter coming from the south and off the road.  He gave Lilly a tap on the side and trotted in that direction, curious and cautious.  There were a number of small clumps of trees that would hide him, allowing him to see who it was.  If they seemed friendly enough, maybe he would announce himself.  If not, he would keep riding.  He really had nothing to lose.
    At the base of the hill, Conner dismounted and walked Lilly slow and quiet up towards the crest.  There was not a good place to hide on this hill, so if they were looking right at him, he would have to make a quick decision about what to do.  Before he saw them, the laughter was clear.