Knight of Kandor

Kara- Haze

Organizing the entire guard was difficult. These were men unused to following commands. Sure, they followed ones about where to be and when, but they had lived in peace for too long this far north. I resolved to ask James to be able to make changes. I was also playing with the idea of using my newly trained men to test the guards, get them back on their toes.

I circled the main dining hall, checking every entrance, then made my way through the kitchens, then back out to the entry hall, varying my pattern each time. I also directed guards to change their patrol. Regular patrols were easy to slip through. I glance up to Lena at the high table, laughing with her brother. I could not hear it but my mind filled in the sound because Lena's laugh was so rare that my brain memorized it, craved it. I shake myself and check to make sure that John and Andrew are still standing behind the royal family, both have hands on swords, eyes darting, never settling. 

Noise pressed in on all sides, blinding one of my sense and I did not like that. Laughter and music and words all created a wall that my ears could not penetrate. It kept me on edge, always circling, my hand kept fidgeting with my sword.

"Anything?" James asks from behind me.

"No. But I will not be happy until this castle is back to normal. The entire royal family will not be in the same place again for who knows how long again. This will be the best time for an attempt to wipe out Krypton's royal line."

"I know. Keep your eyes open." James moves away to resume his own rounds about the people. 

I weave into the crowd of people, trying to cross the room. Many were already drunk and it was only the third course. Isles were crowded and the dance floor was a mass of writhing bodies. Weaving in and out of them took a lot of concentration. Then something felt wrong. I froze. Casting about, something was wrong but I could not figure it out. My eyes were failing me so I close them and try to listen past the chaos. Thud. A noise out of time with the music. Thud. Yes, defiantly not right, but where was it coming from? Thud. I absently brush at my head as a fly lands on it, trying to focus on where the sound was coming from. Thud. That damned fly again. Thud. In annoyance, I look up at the culprit breaking my concentration.

Panic strikes me. The ceiling high above us is cracking. Thud. More cracks as stone fragments shower down on us. I bring my fingers to my lips and whistle as loud as I can. Only the immediate people around me notice. I look at the high table and see John's eyes on me. I point up. His eyes widen at what he sees and he leaps over the table, scattering food and drink, then leaps to the platform with the minstrels, silencing them. All eyes turn to him and John points to me.

"Everyone, move!" I yell into the newly obtained silence. 

I point up to the cracks in the ceiling. Thud. Eyes widen as the closest people realize something is very wrong. Thud. The crowd surges backward. Thud. A chunk of stone falls to the ground. It is silent on its long descent before crashing into the floor. Thankfully whoever would have been hit was gone. Thud. More stone falls. I draw my sword, staring up at whatever threat was coming through. My men try to fight through the crowd to reach me. Thud. I see stars through a hole in the ceiling. Thud. More stone cascades down and I have to shield my eyes. When I look back up ropes hang down. 

Men dressed in all black slid down the ropes. It was almost like watching someone fall in slow motion. I unstrap my shield from its place on my back and put it on my arm. My paranoia of this exact thing was what caused me to bring it, even Sir James scoffed. Now I stand alone, sword at the ready. My advantage is that the enemy descending are completely vulnerable until they reach the floor. I take a deep breath. Boots hit the ground and my sword whistles through the air. Most men would wait to face another head on, but I am no man. 

The slash goes directly across the man's unprotected back and he falls with a cry. Thud. I wheel on the next man, just getting his hand to the hilt of the sword strapped to his side. The hand never makes it, I cut it off with barely any resistance. Blood splatters against me but I am already in the haze of battle, taking out each man as they descend. Soon I realize that more and more are hitting the ground and some even draw swords. I become surrounded by naked blades glinting in the lantern light. Every eye was focused on the man who had already downed so many of their comrades. 

A cry sounds from the back of the group, I turn towards it. John appears in the midst of the men. He had struck someone down from behind. I small part of me was proud that I could teach him that there was a time and place for honor. More of my men followed, coming in from all sides. A full on battle had begun in the middle of the great dining hall. The haze of battle covers me as my muscles react before my eyes can tell them to. 

Silence falls all at once. Heavy pants can be heard all around. The masses of people had managed to escape. The royal family still stood on the platform with Sir James and some his guards circled tightly around them. I carefully turn about, bodies lay scattered but luckily I do not see any of our own among them. Most of the prone forms are clearly dead, some moan with fatal wounds that were taking their time in bleeding the life from each man. I sheath my sword and look at each of my own guard. Relief floods faces as the desperation of battle leaves them. 

"John, go see if any of the healers can save any of these men. We will need to question them." 

He nods and starts to turn away. I see fear cross his face again as he turns back to me. Every breath stretches into the next. I turn to see what causes the reaction. Pain pierces my stomach. A dying man had used his last breath to plunge a dagger deep into it. The man falls to the ground dead and I stare at the dagger. I hear my men scramble towards me as I pitch backward. From the ceiling, a stone tumbles down from a shadow blotting out the stars. My last thought is to get my shield above my head. The stone hits it, jarring my shoulder and forcing my head into the floor. Pain explodes in the back of my skull before blackness covers me.