Read Knights: Book 01 - The Eye of Divinity for Free Online Page B

away."
    "Then why did you leave the kingdom?" said Lannon. "Why didn't you send someone else?" He was shocked by Taris' words. He would never have imagined that Dremlock--which he'd always believed was the noblest place in the world--could be tainted by evil.
    "Only the three of us," said Taris, "have the ability to identify the Eye of Divinity in a subject--or so we thought. You proved us wrong, for had you not read the Sacred Text on that boulder, we would have believed you were just an ordinary lad and might have chosen to look elsewhere. Regardless, we left our kingdom during a time when it gravely needed us there, and we can only hope that disaster has not befallen it. I'm telling you this so you'll understand that not everyone at Dremlock can be trusted. Take care, Lannon."
    "But why do you need the Eye of Divinity?" asked Lannon.
    "Be patient, and eventually you will know," said Taris. "For now, you should get some sleep. We have a full day of riding ahead of us."
    Lannon lay down and pulled his blanket up to his chin, wondering what forces existed inside him. Could he be like the sorcerers of old that Taris spoke of? Would he ever master the Eye of Divinity and become a powerful Knight, or would he even make it to Knighthood? He didn't like that last question, so he forced it from his mind and dwelt on the other ones until he slipped off to sleep.
    ***
    They started out in the grey light of dawn. As the day passed, the farms and cornfields gave way to soggy lowlands. No one seemed to live out there. Save for a few crows and vultures, even animals were scarce. They met no travelers, which added to the eerie feeling building in Lannon's mind. Boulders and stunted trees dotted the lowlands, and the road became mushy, making the horses snort and stamp with displeasure as their hoofs sank in. Adding to the gloomy atmosphere, the sky remained a dull block of grey. The travelers could only see a short distance ahead in the fog, and the boulders and twisted trees briefly took on sinister shapes as they materialized into view.
    Lannon wanted to know if these were the Bloodlands. But a somber mood had overtaken him, and he just sat in silence like the others. They kept a steady pace all day, interrupted only by a couple of brief meals. The air grew damp and chill. A light rain began to fall. Lannon huddled under his shabby brown cloak, feeling miserable and uneasy. Something wasn't right here. The Knights had barely spoken to each other the entire day, and whenever one did speak--usually concerning something brief and necessary--the response was a grunt, nod, or shake of the head.
    "Why haven't we met anyone?" Lannon finally asked. "It seems like we're the only people on this road."
    "We're nearing the Middle Bloodlands," said Cordus. "Most travelers don't follow the North Road at this point, because the Bloodlands are the breeding grounds of Goblins. The Goblins are spawned by Iracus Trees, which nurse them on blood. There is another road, back at the Grey River Bridge, which splits off and leads west. It does not pass through the Bloodlands."
    "Why didn't we take it then?" said Lannon. Truthfully, he wanted to see the infamous Bloodlands and glimpse some of its strange inhabitants. Maybe he would even see a Mother Nest, which was a giant Iracus Tree with a swarm of Goblins nursing on it. The dangers didn't concern him much, for he rode with the three greatest Knights in Dremlock Kingdom and felt that surely nothing could harm him.
    "Because the West Road would lead us far out of our way," said Cordus. "We would have to travel all the way to the Mountains and then cut back. And if we were to go around the Bloodlands the other way--that would take us through the Guardian Mountains, which are full of dangers I won't even speak of. The North Road, however, will more or less take us straight to Dremlock. We will save many days of travel. But fear not, lad. We're more than a match for any fish-eyed Goblin that dares try its luck.