Chapter 50: Fleeting Hopes..
"Steady yourself, lad," the knight's voice rasped, urgent and laced with a silent command that brooked no argument. "And hold your sister tight," he added, his tone carrying the weight of finality. One gauntleted hand, the one wrapped around his injured, bleeding arm, gripped both reins firmly, while the other reached back, drawing the silver longsword from its dark leather sheath with a swift, practiced motion. Alwyn couldn't see the knight's eyes, but the intensity radiating from behind him was unmistakable - a gaze fixed ahead with raw, painful ferocity.
Still, his trembling hands obeyed, clutching Ruby tighter than before. The free hand that had been gently caressing her hair now secured her firmly by the waist, pulling her close against his chest.
He glanced down, meeting her big, gleaming amber eyes, now locked on him with a silent question amid the tremor in their depths. No one needed to tell him - she had been terrified all along, a fear so deep it silenced her, leaving her barely holding on. He crafted the most reassuring smile he could muster, one he hoped would offer the comfort those wide eyes sought, even if it was fleeting and fragile.
His gaze wandered back to where the eerie blonde-haired figure had stood moments ago, but all that registered was an empty, desolate space shrouded in fading smoke and dust. Fear twisted in his gut, mingled with a flicker of relief, but the question clawed at him: where had it gone?
The sharp clank of steel shattered his thoughts. His hands instinctively covered Ruby's eyes, shielding her from the malicious sight - the monster that Pa had become, its face pallid and twisted, teeth darkened and bared in a guttural growl, claws visible as it clutched its sword, which had just collided with the knight's blade. Terror lodged deep in Alwyn's chest; if the knight hadn't parried, perhaps their heads - Ruby's and his - would have been... His mind stuttered, eyes widening in horror.
Severed.
The hulking knight with pale, milky eyes loomed before them, casting an enormous shadow as it perched precariously on the horse's withers, its massive frame balanced like a predator ready to strike. Its blade locked against the blonde knight's in a grinding clash, the air filled with the screech of metal on metal. The horse neighed defiantly, swirling its head in protest against the unnatural weight, its muscles straining under the burden. The blonde knight groaned with effort, holding his guard with just one hand, his sword slowly yielding under the pressure, the hilt inching perilously closer to Alwyn and Ruby. Alwyn bent forward, curling his body over his sister protectively, blocking her view of the grotesque figure and the blood gushing from the knight's wounded arm - a torrent that drenched the side of his tunic, staining it a deep, sticky crimson. If the knight faltered, at least she would be safe, spared from the horror and the spray.
Alwyn's heart pounded like a war drum, blurring his vision as he watched the blonde knight being overwhelmed, the enemy's blade now mere inches from them.
They were going to die - Ruby, him, the knight whose groans and gritted teeth ripped through the air, merging with the chaos raging in Alwyn's mind.
"Listen, brave lad," the knight's labored voice cut through the din, drawing all of Alwyn's frantic thoughts to a single point. His bloodshot eyes narrowed slightly, pulling back to something resembling normalcy. For the first time, he tore his gaze from the clashing steel, tilting his head back and up to glimpse the knight's features: a face drained of color, lips darkened as if bloodless, eyes fading like life itself was slipping away. Was it the blood loss from his arm? Alwyn's own eyes burned with unshed tears - was the knight dying?
"This is where I leave you," the knight continued, his words partially drowned by the horse's increasing stomps and frantic neighs, the beast teetering on the edge of collapse. The stark realization hit Alwyn like a blow, settling heavy on his chest.
Leaving... Did that mean...? With a guttural groan, the knight shoved back against the growling undead knight, whose saliva dripped onto the horse's neck, eliciting more frantic tremors and cries from the animal. "Listen, lad. Beyond that fog of soot and dust lies a huge black gate," he said, his eyes flicking to the towering wall ahead, its shadow about to envelop them. Through the mist, the silhouette of an immense black gate loomed, stark against the haze. "The horse will take you there. Escape south with the Lord's Radiance - you may come upon a passerby." For a brief moment, his gaze locked onto Alwyn's disoriented one, piercing through the panic.
Alwyn's mind reeled - he didn't know the south, or how to ride a horse. What if they fell? What if more of these creatures appeared? A sharp command yanked him back to reality, his eyes snapping to the knight's, now burning with urgency.
"Are you scared?" It came as a question, ending in a groan, but carried an unspoken order that compelled an answer. Alwyn's mind screamed yes before his head nodded in affirmation.
"I am... we all are. It's okay to be scared," the knight replied, his voice more strained, every word costing him as he poured his remaining strength into both the fight and the words. "But now, giving in to it is no option. After all, your parents wouldn't want that either, from where they watch up above the clouds." His tone dropped low, yet in Alwyn's mind, it echoed louder than anything else.
"You are brave, kid. I know that. You want to protect your sister, don't you? You want her to live? Then..." His hand, still clutching the reins, extended them toward Alwyn with deliberate care, the leather straps warm and slick from sweat and blood.
"Take the reins. Save your sister. Make your parents proud," he urged.
Their eyes locked, the words striking Alwyn like arrows. His parents... proud... He sniffed back the moisture in his nose, eyes stinging with tears. He could do it. He would. With a slow nod, his feeble hands grasped the reins as tightly as possible, the horse's jerks testing his grip. He held on fiercer, all while keeping Ruby secure in his other arm, her little hands clutching his tunic desperately. It was going to be alright - after all, Mum and Dad were watching, cheering from above.
"Lad, what is your name?" the knight asked, his voice stuttering through another groan as he shoved the growling undead back once more, his free, injured hand lending what little momentum it could.
"Alwyn," he muttered, glancing at the knight's face now level with his. "My friends call me Al... so does my Pa," he added, hoping to ease the strain of the full name.
"Alwyn... A nice name indeed," the knight said, a faint smile cracking his pale features. For a moment, Alwyn wondered if he felt any pain at all.
The knight rose unsteadily on the horse's back, his boots digging into the saddle for balance as he pushed against the undead foe with renewed force. The horse neighed wildly, its body quaking under the shifting weight, hooves pawing the ground in a frantic rhythm that echoed through the chaos. The undead knight snarled, its milky eyes glaring with feral hunger, but the blonde knight held firm, his sword grinding against the enemy's in a shower of sparks.
"I'll remember you with that. But for now, Alwyn," he continued, his voice steady despite the strain. With a sudden twist, he released his sword hand and clutched the undead's gauntleted wrist in a vise-like grip, his smile unwavering even as the creature recoiled, its growl turning to a confused hiss under the sun's harsh light. The knight's body cast a long shadow over Alwyn and Ruby, shielding them one last time
"You are now one of us Alwyn..a knight ,a hero..."he spoke.his eyes glancing at him sideways.."I'll be right behind you .."he added this time with a sly wink...one that betrayed his pale features..
Gently, almost tenderly, he tilted his frame toward the horse's flank, then yanked hard - pulling the undead along with him as they tumbled off the mount in a tangle of limbs and armor..
Their bodies crashed into a dilapidated shed nearby, splintering weathered wood and scattering debris in a cloud of dust. The structure, little more than a crumbling heap of rotting planks and rusted nails, groaned under the impact as knight and monster tousled on the ground, blades flashing in the dim light.
Alwyn's mouth hung open in a silent scream, drowned out by the horse's relieved snorts as it shook off the burden.
Tears blurred his vision as he focused ahead on the giant dark gate, now emerging clearly as they plunged into the shadows of the towering grey walls. The area was dotted with more sheds - rickety things that looked like forgotten playhouses to Alwyn, but twisted and scary, with broken roofs like jagged teeth and doors hanging like limp tongues, all swallowed by the gloom.
His mind whispered a silent prayer, hoping the knight would return as promised. He would...
Before he could linger on the thought, the towering gate loomed before him, a colossal barrier of blackened iron that seemed to pierce the sky like a giant's forgotten toy, its surface etched with swirling patterns that danced in the faint light, grand and intimidating, as if guarding secrets bigger than the world itself.
Exhalation washed through him - he wished they were all here to see this, the heroic knights who had given everything for this moment. Maybe they were watching from the sky, elated, smiling at their success.
The horse halted abruptly, mere inches from the gate, and Alwyn was grateful - he'd been wondering how to stop it. But gratitude vanished as his backside slammed into the ground, the horse rearing on its hind legs and shaking them off. Ruby landed on his chest with a silent yelp, pain racking his ribs, but he was glad; at least she wouldn't feel the searing ache he'd taken. Urgency propelled him up, refusing to let him dwell, his eyes darting back first. What lay behind was Eden's catastrophe - ruins swallowed by an approaching fog of horror. Yet he stared, searching frantically for the knight's silhouette. None appeared. He bowed his head, downcast, eyes burning.
So the knight had lied. He had tricked him. The blonde-haired knight had...
Tears welled hotter in his eyes - he was going to cry, he was... He sniffled, then felt a tug on his tunic. His gaze dropped to Ruby's teary eyes looking up at him. Realization hit - he'd let his guard slip.
"Alwyn," her little voice called, shaking, her auburn hair strands dancing across her face.
He quickly parted them from her eyes as he responded with a sniffle, her hand now patting his head as he knelt before her, knees sinking into the muddy stone floor.
"It's alright, Ruby. I'm fine," he reassured, crafting another smile.
The knight's voice echoed in his head: Save your sister...
And lying before him was the chance - the very proof of what those heroic knights had sacrificed for.
His eyes darted to the door - huge and closed. How was he supposed to force it open? He had no such strength. Then his gaze caught the huge wheel-like structure embedded in the wall, dark and rusty. It clicked.
Pa had said the gates opened by rotating a great wheel... said he'd take him to see it someday.
The memory stabbed at his heart.
He was gone. Alwyn sniffled again, risking no tearfalls - didn't want Ruby worrying like before.
But the message was clear: by rotating that wheel as Pa had said, the great gate would open.
His eyes darted to the wheel again, fixed meters above him - ones he couldn't reach even if he stretched.
A wave of helpless washed through him..
They were trapped..his mind reeled in stark realization...they had come all the way,to be caged beneath this gigantic, uncaring gate..