The Forever Knight: A Novel of the Bronze Knight (Books of the Bronze Knight) by John Marco Page B

along the coast. Before he’d fled Isowon for Arad, other of Fallon’s men had tracked a trail of blood this same way. They never found the monster, just the skeletal remains of their fellow mercenaries. Still, they suspected the creature made its lair in the hills at the mouth of the Dovra River—almost a day’s ride from Fallon’s palace.
    No one seemed to know why the creature only attacked at night, or why it made its home so far from its intended prey. I puzzled over this as we rode.
    Before long we were out of Isowon’s shadow, leaving the protection of the palace far behind. For the first time in months—maybe even years—I felt like a knight again, like a Royal Charger, confident and ready to face Fallon’s monster. I’d made a terrible mistake when fighting Wrestler—I had left my sword behind. This time, Malator and all his magic would be with me. Whatever the creature might be, it was mortal, and I was not, and that meant I could kill it. I made the link with Malator as we rode, speaking to him wordlessly while Cricket and Marilius made small talk of their own.
    You’ve been quiet
, I told him.
Any advice?
    I expected Malator to be petulant over being excluded. Instead he was pensive.
This is why you came here
,
Lukien
, he said.
Maybe now we’ll have some answers.
    You still don’t know what the monster is?
    I do not.
    But you’ve been thinking about it, right?
I sighed out loud.
Come on, Malator—you saw death when you drew that picture in the sand.
    You saw death, Lukien. I saw a monster.
    But you told me not to take Cricket with me! Why? Because of the monster?
    Lukien, I can only tell you what I know. And I can’t know everything, remember?
    His answer unnerved me.
This will be our fight, Malator
, I said.
We’ll face this thing together. Whatever it is.
    I’ll do my best.
    Hey . . . your best?
I stared ahead as I rode, but my mind’s eye fixed on him.
Malator, are you afraid?
    It’s always wise to be a little afraid before battle. You know that.
    “Lukien?”
    I awoke as if from a trance. Cricket was bouncing along next to me, excited. “Huh?”
    “I told Marilius about the waterfall. He knows it, Lukien!”
    “Waterfall?”
    “The place with the
stream
,” she said, annoyed. “The place I dreamt about, remember? I dreamt about it again last night.”
    “It’s Sky Falls,” said Marilius. Then he shrugged. “Probably.”
    “Sky Falls . . .” Cricket’s eyes went dreamy. “Yes.”
    “Yes, you remember it?” I asked.
    “No, but that must be it. I can feel it, Lukien. Marilius described it just like I picture it. Tell him, Marilius.”
    “Not much to tell,” said Marilius. “It’s up in Akyre near the border with Kasse. Part of the Dovra River. People go there to see it. Or they used to before the war. It’s well known.”
    I wasn’t convinced. “That’s not much to go on. There could be a hundred waterfalls up there, right?”
    “Maybe, but why would Cricket know about any of them? She’s just a kid. I figure the only one she could have seen is Sky Falls.”
    “It is Sky Falls,” Cricket insisted. “Lukien, can we go?”
    I looked at Marilius. “How safe is it?”
    “To swim? It’s a waterfall.”
    “Not the waterfall, idiot—what about the area? Can we get there safely?”
    “No chance. Diriel’s men are on the march all around there.”
    “But that’s the place,” said Cricket desperately. “I remember the ferns, the boulders—everything Marilius described.”
    “And the caves,” said Marilius. “There’s little caves around the cliff—remember?”
    Cricket blinked quickly. “I don’t remember caves. Oh, but that’s the place. We have to go, Lukien!”
    “We’ll try, Cricket.”
    “When?”
    “As soon as we can.”
    Her dark eyes grew skeptical. “When, Lukien?”
    I didn’t want to tell her how much I mistrusted her memories. “When we’re done with this mission. We’ll kill this monster, then we’ll ride for Sky