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throne of the dark king
chapter two

Written by Ghost Capelton

Everything in the room went still for an eternity. Cassian thought for a moment about jumping into a fight with the knight, but… he got the feeling that it would end very poorly. He was barely armed, for one thing, and even if he had something more, he doubted he could go toe to toe with a properly trained knight.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” demanded Cassian.

The knight’s head slowly turned to face him, eyes glinting in the candlelight of the room. There was a heavy silence that felt like it went on for hours, interrupted by the raspy draw of a labored breath. Suddenly, the candles were snuffed out by an invisible force. The walls creaked and seemed to bend into impossible angles. Cassian closed his eyes and suddenly, they were in the forest. Everyone in the banquet hall had somehow been transported.

“My master has sent me with a challenge. A challenge for the King of your people,” The knight stated, gaze turning to the king.. “He has given you the mercy of time, and now he must collect his debt from this land. He will raze your cities to ash, your people to dust, and your opulence will be rendered tarnished and befouled. There will be nothing left if you do not accept, and the same if you do not win.”

“Large claims from an unknown fighter,” The King seethed through gritted teeth. “You have nerve, defiling my hall, making your grandiose claims, practicing witchcraft. What master do you serve?”

“One long forgotten by you lot,” the knight replied flatly. “He will descend when the waning moon rises. No force in your heaven or hell will stop his advance, and any warriors who try, I will introduce to a well-earned fate. Be thankful he has spared you this long.”

The knight stood in place, assessing the assembly of nobles and knights before him. The sunlight above flickered between day and night, and in a blink, they were all back in the banquet hall. Gears turned in the scribe’s head, and he let out a breathy gasp.

“There’s not enough time,” Bruno said, looking as though he’d just seen his death.

“Not enough time for what?” snapped the king, quickly turning towards the scribe, once again atop his throne.

“The waning moon - that begins tomorrow. That knight and his master come for their challenge tomorrow night. There’s no time to muster troops, no time to prepare defences, no time to…” Bruno trailed off.

“We have to do something,” Cassian said. He did not care for the life of the King very much, but it had been made clear that if this challenge comes to pass… the King was not the only soul who would suffer at the hands of this ‘master’.

“Who would we be, exactly?” Florian asked, bells jingling as their head tilted to the side. “And with what knowledge? What weaponry? What support? For someone who isn’t one, you sure are acting like a fool. Going to get yourself killed with ideas like that.”

The knight remained in the room but looked as though he was preparing to leave. If Cassian wanted any clarification, now was the time to seek it. But… his father had something to say to him, given how sharply his gaze was locked on.

Art by M4ngey