But Lannon could do nothing. The Whispers still held him frozen, and his vocal cords would not work, his scream lost in silence.
"Lannon Sunshield," came a quiet hiss. "At last I have you. You won't be causing me any trouble, boy. This is my time, and you must die!"
The knife blade glowed brighter, charged with some magical energy-soon to swipe down and piece Lannon's heart. He closed his eyes, hoping for a quick end if nothing else, and in desperation, he struggled to call forth the Eye. He did not believe he would succeed, but he knew he had to somehow or all was lost. He imagined Timlin and Vorden assisting him, and his body started to tingle.
Then, perhaps out of sheer desperation, his mind split, and the Eye of Divinity reached out, probing the figure before him. The things Lannon glimpsed might have driven him mad, for he observed the fringe of some terrible darkness that sought to drag him in. But then the Whispers became intertwined with the Eye of Divinity, and the Eye rebelled against them. The Eye suddenly shifted and became a physical power that seized the figure and held it motionless.
The evil eyes widened in shock. Then the figure fought back furiously, striving to break the force that held its blade in check. "I'll slay you yet, Lannon Sunshield!" the dark form grunted, and slowly the blade began to descend. Lannon struggled with all his might, commanding the Eye to stop his assailant, yet it was a losing effort. In a moment the blade would come down into his chest.
In a last effort to save himself, Lannon diverted a small portion of his power to a bed next to his, flipping it over and knocking Timlin to the floor. "Hey!" Timlin yelled. "What's happening?"
Moments later the door opened, spilling torchlight into the room. A cloaked figure entered, holding a stone dagger that burned with green fire. A tongue of flame hurtled out from the dagger and burned into Lannon's attacker.
An explosion of sparks erupted, and the figure staggered to one side, its shoulder on fire. More tongues of flame shot out at him at him from the stone dagger, only this time the figure somehow eluded them and they burst against the stone wall, sending green sparks bouncing about the room.
"You'll die yet," the figure muttered at Lannon, and then, still partially on fire, it leapt out the open window and was gone.
The Whispers departed from Lannon, the burning fingers releasing his soul and vanishing, and he could move again. He sat up, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The Eye of Divinity drew back inside him completely. Vorden, Timlin, and Jerret had all gotten up, and were staring on with wide eyes. Vorden held his axe at ready (the axe that had slain Clayith, Lannon thought numbly, as random emotions swirled through his mind). He directed his gaze on the one who had entered the room.
It was Taris Warhawk. Behind him were two Red Knights, their weapons drawn. One of them was holding a lantern. The two Knights ran to the window and peered out, muttering in disbelief.
Taris calmly walked over to Lannon. "Are you alright?"
Lannon wasn't sure, but he nodded. He felt sick to his stomach, and still in the clutches of the darkness. He didn't even try to speak.
Taris turned to the guards. "Go to Cordus immediately. Organize a search of the Kingdom grounds. This would-be assassin must be caught!"
Bowing, the guards hurried off to do as ordered.
Taris walked to the window and peered out. "It’s a long way down," he said. "The fall should have killed him instantly, even if he landed in a heap of snow. Yet there is no sign of his crushed body below-no blood even! It’s as if he simply got up and walked away after falling hundreds of feet. Who could have done this? No one I know possesses that kind of power. It is very fortunate that I happened to be here talking to the guards when you were attacked. Did you get a look at him?"
Lannon nodded. He tried to steady himself enough to speak. "I know who it was, I think. He's supposed to be dead."
Taris went and knelt beside the boy, his green eyes narrowing. "Who was he, Lannon?"
"Tenneth Bard," Lannon whispered.
"Tenneth Bard, the Black Knight," Taris said. "Yes, I think this is starting to make sense, now. When the search is ended, we must call a meeting at once. I would like to involve the Ranger as well. In fact, I would like to involve her in the search. Who better to track a man than a Ranger?"
Lannon and the other boys watched Taris in silence.
"If this is indeed Tenneth Bard," Taris said, turning to stare at Vorden, "we will not find him right away. His powers must have grown drastically. On the other hand, he wasn't expecting to get caught, so perhaps there is a chance. Well, am I right?"
Vorden nodded, obviously unsure of how to respond. "I think so."
Taris stood up. "These are grim events, my young friends. And yet the veil of mystery has, perhaps, been partially lifted. The answers to the riddles that have haunted Dremlock may at last be within our reach."
Taris motioned to Timlin. "Come here."
Trembling, Timlin hurried over and stood before him.
"Did you see anything?" Taris asked.
Timlin nodded. "Just a glimpse." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Wait-I remember something. He carried something in his hand-not the knife, but in his other hand. Something dark and round. He pulled it against his chest as he jumped out the window. And his face was strange, like shifting shadows."
Taris looked beyond the lad, gazing into apparent nothingness. A light of understanding was in his eyes. "I must say, Squires, that I think there may be hope for this old kingdom yet-something I wasn't quite sure of just a short time ago."
The others could only stare at him in confusion. Lannon clutched his stomach. He could still feel the Whispers inside him-just a memory now, but still potent enough to make him ill. In the back of his mind he realized the Eye of Divinity had saved him, that he had called it forth on his own and it had changed form and become a different type of force. But at the moment, it didn't seem to matter. Tenneth Bard was alive, perhaps more powerful than ever, and he wanted Lannon dead. In his shocked state of mind, Lannon felt that surely the Black Knight would eventually get his way, that no one could stop him.
The Whispers would make sure Lannon met his doom.
Chapter 14: The Secret Meeting
For the rest of that night, and the following day, Taris personally guarded Lannon. Mostly Taris was a silent companion who spoke only when necessary, and he refused to discuss the current situation at Dremlock. As the day progressed, Furlus dropped by now and then, and each time he and Taris went into the corner and talked quietly. The Squires assumed they were discussing the search for Lannon's would-be assassin and wished they could hear what was being said.
At one point, Taris took Lannon to the Library to talk privately with the lad about what had happened the night before. Lannon explained how he had called forth the Eye, and how it had changed form, slowing Tenneth Bard's attack.
"Much about the Eye of Divinity is mysterious," said Taris. "Even the most powerful of the Dark Watchmen did not know all of its secrets. Yet it appears you've already made slight use of the Body stage of the Eye, which is very remarkable for someone as inexperienced as you."
"What more can you tell me about the Eye," asked Lannon, "that will help me use it more effectively."
"We have one book at Dremlock," said Taris, "that specifically deals with the topic. It is a collection of the Dark Watchmens' writings. Long ago, the Eye of Divinity was more common, and the Knights who possessed it organized themselves into a special group whose goal was to unlock the mysteries of the Deep Shadow. These Dark Watchmen were successful in their task, as many secrets about our enemy were revealed, giving us an advantage. However, they probed too deeply into the affairs of the Deep Shadow, and some became possessed by it or went insane. After that, the group was disbanded.