Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione by Chuck Black Page A

trust and not fear.
    “Thank you for coming to my aid, sir.” He bowed. “May I ask your name?”
    The warrior glared at him. “I heard you proclaim the King and His Son, and as a Silent Warrior I was honor-bound to come to your aid.You were foolish to approach Lord Ra’s castle alone!” His deep voice carried an unusual accent.
    Kendrick had heard of the Prince’s secret force of Silent Warriors, but he had never encountered one until now. His gaze fell to the forest floor at hearing the Silent Warrior’s rebuke.
    “I’m sure you are right,” he answered quietly. “But a fellow knight is in peril. Would you have reacted so differently if a fellow warrior’s life was in jeopardy?” Kendrick looked back up at the warrior.
    The warrior did not reply, but his countenance softened slightly. “I am Bronwyn. Why are you here?”
    “Initially to verify the origin of a Vincero Knight we’ve identified, but now …” Kendrick paused. “Now I’m here because my fellow knight went into the festival tonight to save a friend from the influences of Lord Ra.”
    Bronwyn shook his head and seemed all the more perturbed. “You saw the Vincero Knight’s medallion?”
    “Not I, but Duncan, my comrade. Who are these knights?”
    “They are Arrethtraen men and women who belong to a secret order of knights created by Lucius and trained to exercise his power and control over the people. They can be as ruthless as the Shadow Warriors. The one you identified—are you sure that he is from this region?”
    “We believe he is. The map on his medallion bore a mark in the area around Bel Lione,” Kendrick said. “And the letters
R
and
A
were engraved on the back.”
    “Then there is little hope for your friend,” the warrior said. “He is probably already dead.”
    The words confirmed the fears of Kendrick’s heart, yet they hit him like a battle-ax. “Why?”
    Bronwyn looked sternly at Kendrick. “Because it is nearly impossible to deceive Ra. He is shrewd, intelligent, informed, and very powerful. If this Vincero Knight you speak of is in the castle, then.” Bronwyn turned to leave without finishing his sentence.
    “Surely there is
something
that can be done!” Kendrick cried in desperation. His mind turned back to the discovery of his murdered wife and child. At that time, everything in his being had wanted to right the wrong and he had ached to launch into action, but there had been no way to alter the tragedy. This situation was almost worse, for he didn’t know if the tragedy had yet come to pass, and his soul screamed to stop it.
    Bronwyn shook his head. “Ra is too strong.”
    Fury rose in Kendrick’s bosom, and he refused to accept the apparent victory of the Prince’s dark foe. He grabbed Bronwyn’s massive arm and pulled the Silent Warrior back to face him once again.
    “I don’t know if my friend is dead or yet alive,” he exclaimed. “But I do know this bastion of evil Lord Ra has built cannot stand, and I will dedicate every breath of my life to destroying it. I will not rest until every last stone is torn from its walls and every one of Ra’s evil warriors is destroyed. You say that Ra is too strong, but I don’t believe it. I say the
Prince
is too strong—too strong to let this monster continue to tear the youth of this land from the arms of their mothers and the hearts of their fathers. Too strong to let these Vincero Knights spread like disease from Lucius’s—”
    Bronwyn suddenly reached down and grabbed Kendrick’s tunic in the center of his chest. With one powerful push, the Silent Warrior slammed him up against a tree.
    Kendrick nearly lost his breath and wondered at Bronwyn’s response.
    Bronwyn held his grip tightly and leaned down so his face was just inches from Kendrick’s. His eyes narrowed, as though he were peering into the portals of Kendrick’s soul, transmitting something deep and personal.
    Kendrick felt powerless in his grip, though his heart didn’t retreat.
    “I