choose your own adventure, episode 17a

KNIGHT SWORD, EPISODE 17A

You take a step towards the wolves, ignoring Dietrich’s shout of alarm, and hold out the soulblade.

The wolves flinch away from it, their circle breaking. The yellow light in the yes of the wolves nearest you flicker, and a for a moment the animals look confused, almost alarmed. You realize that the sword is somehow disrupting Ulmoch’s control over the wolves. And with Ulmoch’s control disrupted, the wolves revert to their natural state -fear of man.

“Stay close to me,” you tell the others. Dietrich, Caius, and Mourner comply, torches and weapons in hand, and bit by bit you inch your way through the dozens of encircling wolves. You’re almost clear. Just a little further, and…

Suddenly yellow fire blazes in the eyes of every wolf, and the beasts snarl in unison.

Evidently Ulmoch decided that if the wolves can’t keep you pinned in place until Vlacht and the orcs arrive, they might as well just kill you.

Two wolves spring upon you, knocking you to the ground. You see their eyes ablaze with sulfurous light, see their fangs, smell their hot breath, and scream…

An instant later a blue lightning bolt screams down from the sky and explodes into the road. A blast of hot, ozone-scented air washes over you, throwing the wolves to the ground. You sit up, and another lightning blast screams down from the sky, and another, flinging the wolves in all directions. Soon the beasts are in full retreat, fleeing in all directions, and a dozen of them lie charred and smoking nearby.

Dietrich helps you back to your feet.

A man walks down the road towards you, wearing the rough woolen coat of a shepherd. In his right hand he holds the black staff of a wizard, the runes cut in its side still flickering with pale light. A battered slouch hat hides his face, but you see the gleam of keen eyes beneath the hat and above his ragged yellow beard.

Curtwall.

You lean against Dietrich in relief.

“Rosalyn, girl,” he says. “I awoke to see fires in Moridun, and I feared the worst. I am sorry I did not come in time.” He sighs. “Is Jerome dead?”

You nod.

“The Ravens found us,” says Caius.

“Were we betrayed?” says Curtwall.

Dietrich shakes his head. “No, sir. My father didn’t approve of my betrothal to Rosalyn. So he reported Jerome to the Ravens. He had no idea that Jerome had a soulblade.”

Curtwall closes his eyes. “Undone by chance. Well, come along. We have a great deal to do.”

###

An hour later you are in Curtwall’s cottage of fieldstone and thatch, sitting around his table and eating his food. You had no idea how hungry you were.

Curtwall explains everything to you.

“The Blood Queen and her Ravens are immortal,” he says. “They cannot be harmed by mortal weapons, even by mortal magic. Only the soulblades of the Paladins can slay them. So Ashanavere hunted down the Paladins, killed them, and locked their soulblades away.” He shakes his head, eyes distant. “The last one was killed almost twenty years ago.”

“Why didn’t you give the sword to the rebellion?” says Mourner. “We could have used it.”

Curtwall shakes his head. “No. You couldn’t have. We don’t know how to make new Paladins. The rebels had some swords, but the Ravens hunted them down, slew, them, and took the soulblades. Jerome and I had the last one. We took it, kept it hidden here.”

“We’ve failed,” says Caius. “Jerome is dead. Ulmoch has to lie dormant during the day, but once the sun goes down, we won’t be able to escape him. You’re a stronger wizard than Jerome was, much stronger, but even your magic can’t kill a Raven.”

“No,” says Curtwall. “It can’t. That’s why we’re going to escape. My magic can’t kill a Raven…but it can do something Jerome could not. I’m going to open a portal, and take us to safety.”

“The sword should go to the rebellion,” insists Mourner.

“And so it shall,” says Curtwall. “My spell shall take us to Tair Arduin. The rebel stronghold, and the last monastery of the High God in the kingdom of Andomhaim. The Blood Queen doesn’t know where it is, and if she does find it, neither she nor the Ravens can enter there.”

Mourner seems stunned. “I don’t even know where Tair Arduin is. I’m not highly placed enough.”

“I am,” says Curtwall. He shakes his head. “There is a problem, though. The spell to open a portal can only be cast at midnight.”

Which means you have to hide for at least five hours of darkness.

More than enough time for Ulmoch and his orcs to find you.

“You have wards around your farm?” says Mourner.

“Yes,” says Curtwall, “and they’re strong enough to keep orcs out. Not enough to stop a Raven, though. So this is what we’re going to do. There’s a ruined monastery of the High God a few miles north of here, in the foothills. The Blood Queen’s soldiers destroyed it twenty years ago, but it’s still consecrated ground. Ulmoch can’t set foot there, and it’s a strong location. We can hold off the orcs there, until I can cast the portal spell.”

“And Ulmoch might not even find us,” says Mourner.

“No, he’ll find us,” says Curtwall. “The Ravens can communicate with the Blood Queen at any distance. And Ashanavere knows about the monastery. Ulmoch will realize that we’re hiding there.” He stands. “We leave in an hour. I keep supplies in the cellar – help yourself to whatever you need. Rosalyn. Come with me. We need to have words.”

Dietrich stands, scowling, but you calm him with a nod, and follow Curtwall outside.

He leads you away from the cottage, to an empty sheep pen. It is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and you can see the white-capped peaks of the mountains in the distance. Hard to believe that your father lies dead, that your home has been burned to the ground, and the minions of the Blood Queen are hunting you.

“Jerome wasn’t just hiding the sword,” says Curtwall. “He was hiding you.”

“Why?” you say. “Am I really the long-lost daughter of the rightful king of Andomhaim? Will a prince ride up on a white horse to save me?” The words have more bite than you intended.

“Of course not,” says Curtwall. “But Jerome wasn’t your blood father.”

You’ve been expecting something like this, but it still hits you hard.

“You are the daughter of Liam Tarnavale, the last living Paladin,” says Curtwall. “Ashanavere didn’t just kill the Paladins, she hunted down and killed their families as well. Jerome was Liam’s priest, and Caius his squire. After Ashanavere killed Liam and his wife and his sons, they took his sword and his daughter and went into hiding.”

“Me,” you say.

Curtwall nods.

“So…what, then?” you say. “Should I be able to use the soulblade?”

“I don’t know,” says Curtwall. “A Paladin’s soulblade is bound to him. Only he can use it, and only the Paladins knew the process for forging the bond. And Ashanavere killed them all before they could share their secrets. You could become a Knight of the Soulblade, Rosalyn…but I don’t know how.”

You stare at the soulblade, frowning.

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