Sir Darkness wiped the brains off his boot and stalked back up the stairs. Perhaps it would be best not to mention that the master had made an error in judgment with the baron. Sometimes the great warlock could be touchy about such comments. If he asked, Sir Darkness would simply say the baron had outlived his usefulness. Perhaps the escape of the prisoners could be pinned on him as well. The dead couldn’t defend themselves after all.
At the top of the steps one of his minions waited, head bowed, showing the proper respect. “My lord, what is the trouble?”
“The prisoners have escaped.”
“I’ll organize search teams at once.”
“No! I will deal with the prisoners and whoever took them myself. Keep everyone inside. It will be safer.”
“As you command, my lord.”
The Black Knight smiled behind his mask. That was the way he should be spoken to at all times. If his family had shown him such respect they might still be alive. But probably not. His father at least had to die in order for Sir Darkness to be born and rise to his current height. The rest were nothing but anchors holding him down. Better to cut them away so he could soar.
He reached the stables at the rear of the fortress. Horses snorted and whinnied in fear at his approach. Stupid beasts. Did they not realize what an honor it was to be chosen as the mount of Sir Darkness?
He dragged the first horse he came to out of its stall. The beast tried to resist, but it was no match for the strength granted him by his armor. When they reached the open center of the stable Sir Darkness poured corruption into the terrified horse. Its brown hair turned black and its eyes became flaming pits. The horse stopped fighting as the demonic power took control of it, bending the animal to his will and shaping it into an appropriate mount for Sir Darkness.
When the process was finished he grabbed a handful of its mane and swung up onto the horse’s back. At the far end of the stables a hidden door let them out into the desert. The moment they left the fortress his mount leapt into the air. Mikhail sensed many life forces a short distance away at one of the oases that dotted the badlands. His prisoners were there. He would either reclaim them or send their souls to hell.
Chapter 45
Damien watched as the Baroness Trasker took her turn drinking from the little well. Somehow the woman managed to make drinking out of her cupped hands look dignified. When she straightened he asked, “Everyone ready?”
They all indicated they were.
“Then gather around.”
The women and kids moved to join him. Some of the little ones had fallen asleep and their mothers carried them. He couldn’t remember ever seeing such a bedraggled collection of people in his life.
A chill went through him and Damien looked up. A dark figure was riding across the sky on the back of a horse so dark it appeared to absorb the light. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the imposing figure. The horse was a seething mass of demonic energy, but nothing compared to the armor. A black cable of dark energy connected the rider to his mount.
Damien had read about men like him. They were called Black Knights. One step removed from actual warlocks, a Black Knight was a warrior who had formed a contract with a demon. The demon provided power to the knight. In exchange, at the moment of his death, the demon would consume the knight’s soul thus increasing the demon’s own power. His demon was bound to the ornate armor, much as Lizzy was bound to his father’s sword.
Was this the same Black Knight the archmage mentioned in her account of Jen’s adventure in Port Valcane? He hoped so. One of the monsters was bad enough.
Some of the children started whimpering and their mothers tried to calm them. Success seemed unlikely. The kids were feeling the effects of the Black Knight’s corrupt aura.
“What is that thing?” the Baroness Trasker asked, disgust dripping from her voice. “That creature has been our captor these many weeks. Since the other one disappeared.”
“He’s trouble. Keep everyone together. It’ll be easier for me to protect you that way.”
“Won’t we make an easier target, gathered all in one place?”
Damien really didn’t want to argue with the woman, but the baroness wasn’t used to taking orders. “Together or spread out, without my shield he’ll kill you all in a second. Please, keep everyone together.”
She pressed her lips in a thin line.
Please don’t argue.
The Black Knight was getting closer by the second.
Please, please, don’t argue.
“Very well, young man.”
Thank heaven.
“I’ll keep everyone together while you deal with that, I hesitate to call him a man, that thing.”
The knight drew power from his armor and a ball of hellfire came screaming toward the oasis. Damien conjured a giant hand and swatted it aside.
The ball exploded a safe distance away. Wind mixed with corruption blew through the oasis. The children started crying and several of the women threw up. The Baroness Trasker never faltered. She guided the last two people into a tight group.
Damien conjured an invisible shield over them, investing a quarter of his power to be sure they’d stay safe. He hated going into battle with such a disadvantage, but anything less would leave the ladies and their little ones exposed.
He shot into the air and met the monstrous man a hundred yards from the oasis. Anxious to confirm his identity Damien asked, “Mikhail Santen?”
A hollow snarl came from inside the helm. “Don’t call me that. Mikhail died when he sacrificed his father to gain the power of a demon. Sir Darkness was born in that moment.”
“Sir Darkness? What a stupid name. Couldn’t you have come up with something a little less idiotic?”
Mikhail drew his sword and leveled it at Damien. He
