"No, you won't!" Timlin suddenly howled, and he flung himself upon Tenneth Bard, ripping his Flayer against the Black Knight's throat. But the Flayer only glanced away, as if striking stone. Chuckling, Tenneth Bard batted Timlin aside.
Timlin struck the floor and rolled, rising up again. But he made no move to attack, and simply stood there in defeat. "Please don't kill Lannon."
Aldreya raised her dagger and cast a ball of green fire at the Black Knight. But the fire deflected away from him, doing no damage.
"See there, boy?" Tenneth Bard said to Lannon. "Your friends cannot harm me. No mortal weapon can damage me. Even those that burn with the flames of Knightly enchantment cannot. I have evolved beyond such weaknesses. Soon there will be nothing in this realm that can bring me harm."
Desperately Lannon struggled to call forth the Eye, even praying to the Divine Essence. But the Eye felt completely closed off to him-blocked by a coldness that spread from Tenneth Bard's fingertips all throughout Lannon's being. Nor could he manage to move, for the whispers held him fast, speaking to his body and freezing it. And slowly the fingers were squeezing tighter on his throat.
Lannon's mind began to go black from the choking, and he felt the end was at hand. Is this what the Divine Essence had intended for him? But the Essence was just a scared, lonely child, and he knew it had not planned his destiny. It may have granted him a divine gift, but it certainly had not written the book of his life.
"Let me tell you a story as you die," Tenneth Bard said. "Once I was a young, hopeful Squire like you, Lannon. I had talent the likes of which few had ever witnessed-not the Eye of Divinity, mind you. But for sheer talent, I was unmatched. I became a great Knight, and brought much glory to Dremlock. But that wasn't enough for them. I fell in love with a woman, thus violating the Sacred Laws, and was banished from the kingdom forever. It ruined my life, and I became a worthless drunkard. My woman left me, and then I had nothing. It seemed the Knights had taken everything from me. Of course I grew bitter towards Dremlock, and eventually sought revenge.
"But you know what? I am bitter no longer. Now I fight against Dremlock for another reason-because my master demands it. If you think I'm still angry about losing my Knighthood so long ago, you're sadly mistaken. I care nothing about the past. A new and glorious age is soon to be upon us. Unfortunately, you won't live to see it."
I guess I won't, Lannon thought dimly.
Then Vorden's words penetrated Lannon's foggy mind-a sudden whisper in the dark. "I've got something for you, Tenneth Bard. I hope you enjoy it!"
A screech arose, and the fingers loosened on Lannon's throat, dropping the lad to the floor where he lay struggling for breath. His vision was a tad blurry, but he saw Vorden leap away from the Black Knight, his dark sword dripping blood. Tenneth Bard staggered, clutching his ribs, in obvious agony.
And then an image of the Divine Essence sprang into Lannon's thoughts. He realized it was a memory he was seeing. The Essence had taught him things about the Eye of Divinity during his encounter with it, but he couldn't remember what he had learned-save for one thing. He now understood how to unlock the Eye on his own.
He envisioned hands reaching into his mind, pulling it in two. The hands were the force of his will, and they effortlessly split his being into separate halves. The Eye of Divinity sprang out through the gap. With Tenneth Bard's concentration disrupted, the whispers departed from Lannon, leaving him able to move. Yet no movement was needed. As the Eye sprang out towards Tenneth Bard, it underwent a change, becoming a physical force that seized the Black Knight in a crushing grasp.
Tenneth Bard howled in pain and fury, but then slowly he began to break out of the clutches that held him. But Vorden sensed his opportunity, and he drove the dark sword unmercifully into the Black Knight's chest. Tenneth Bard convulsed in pain, falling to his knees, blood soaking the floor at his feet.
"Cut off his head!" Timlin cried.
Vorden withdrew his dark blade and raised it up for the kill. But Tenneth Bard suddenly broke free of Lannon's hold and lunged up, staggering away. He turned towards Lannon and hissed, "Not over yet… Just beginning…"
But Vorden flung the sword like a spear, and it lodged in the Black Knight's side. He clawed at the blade, then toppled over and lay still.
Vorden leapt over and retrieved his sword. Tenneth Bard's eyes were open wide, glazed over in death. Blood pooled out around him.
The lantern light changed back to normal.
"That's the end of him," whispered Vorden.
Lannon grabbed the lantern. He used the Eye to locate the tunnel they had come through, and then he drew his power partially inside him.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here!"
The Squires raced through the tunnel and out onto the ledge. They could hear the slurping, sucking noises coming from the Mother Nest below. As they ran across the ledge, a clawed hand reached up and grabbed Aldreya's leg, nearly tripping her. She screamed, kicking furiously in an effort to escape.
A small Goblin clung to the roots on the cliff face, snarling. It wasn't much bigger than a Tree Goblin, but already it had clusters of deadly claws. Aldreya kicked its arm, and the Goblin lost its grip on the roots and tumbled back down into the darkness. Bleeding wounds were left in Aldreya's leg.
Vorden searched his pack for cloth to bandage it, but Aldreya grabbed his arm. "I'm okay for now," she said. "Let's just get away from here!"
They continued on and entered the small tunnel where they were forced to crawl upon aching knees. When the tunnel widened enough to stand, Vorden took the time to bandage Aldreya's leg. After that they pushed their way through tangles of Iracus roots. The Squires hurried as fast as they were able. Their backs felt exposed as they raced along, and often they found themselves glancing behind them.
At one point, Vorden again asked the others not to mention his new sword. "I could be cast out for using this blade," he said. "This is obviously no ordinary weapon. It must be magical."
"Then maybe you should leave it here," said Lannon. "Otherwise, you might get caught with it, and get banished anyway."
"I'll take my chances for now," said Vorden, tucking his sword away beneath his cloak. "I just can’t leave it behind! It's extraordinary-better than your dragon sword, Lannon."
"I'm happy with my dragon sword," Lannon replied, shuddering at the thought of Vorden's dark blade which had done so much damage to Tenneth Bard.
At last the Squires reached the stone bridge, and to their delight, they encountered the Knights and Saranna. The adults were on the other side, about to start across. When they saw the Squires, Taris ordered them to halt.
"Come no closer," he said. "The creature yet lives."
"We can make it," Vorden said to Taris. "We did it once already."
Taris nodded. "One at a time, then. And be swift!"
Vorden raced across without incident, swiping up his axe on the way. (He kept his other arm pressed to his body, holding the sword in place beneath his cloak.) Timlin and Aldreya managed to make it, and then it was Lannon's turn.
Lannon suddenly found he had lost his nerve. The last thing he wanted was to be flung into that dark chasm and end up alone-with all the Iracus Trees and Goblins down in these mines.
Then Lannon's gaze fell on Saranna, and he blushed. Not wanting to appear cowardly in her eyes, he pushed his fears aside and bounded across the bridge. Yet when he neared the pool, a wooden hand suddenly rose up, wiggling its leafy fingers. Lannon froze, watching in horror.
Then Lannon remembered the Eye of Divinity, which was still at the ready, and he directed it at the creature in the pool, hoping it would do more than just reveal things about the monstrosity. Lannon willed the Eye to grasp the beast, and it responded to his command, squeezing the bulky thing motionless. The creature fought fiercely but could not break the invisible force that held it. The hand stayed fixed in the air above the pool.