Knight Rising Read online

  Knight Rising

  The Faerie Queen Book 1

  Jason Hamilton

  Story Hobby Media

  Copyright © 2019 by Jason Hamilton

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  An Arthurian Legend

  www.arthurlegends.com

  Story Hobby Media

  www.storyhobbymedia.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Cover art by Jesh Art Studio.

  To my wife, who has supported me wholeheartedly since long before we were married, and without whom this series would have never finished on time. And also to Professor Kimberly Johnson, who first introduced me to The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. I may have nearly failed your class, but you did not fail me.

  Contents

  Map

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Jason Hamilton

  Prologue

  If it weren’t for the knowledge of what was about to come through the shining tear in the fabric of time, the Faerie Queen might have called its appearance beautiful. The light streaming out of the tear cast a dancing golden-green pattern across the trees surrounding the dark clearing, the spectacle even more glorious at night. But Gloriana knew that nothing of beauty would come from today’s events.

  “When you said you needed help,” said a voice from beside her. “I never knew it was this bad.”

  Gloriana glanced to one side, temporarily ignoring the ever-expanding breach. It would still be a few moments before it was large enough for anything to come through. “Alice,” she said to the woman by her side. “Or should I say Vivien now?”

  “You should,” said the woman with a nod. Well, she was more of a girl really, with long blonde hair and a lithe body, clothed in white robes. The last time she’d seen Alice, she’d kept her hair short. “I also go by Lady of the Lake these days.”

  “How very mysterious,” said Gloriana with a smug expression.

  Alice, or Vivien, did not seem to share her smugness. She looked straight ahead at the opening breach. “What can I do to help?”

  Gloriana glanced back at the ribbon of light as it slowly expanded. “Just keep them off my back until I can close it.”

  “And exactly why aren’t you closing it now?”

  “It doesn’t work that way. I cannot heal what has not broken. Once the tear is fully formed, I can begin to sew it back together. But I will need you to assist my armies in eliminating any threats that come through until I can stop the flow.”

  “Not much of an army,” said Vivien, turning to stare back behind them.

  Unfortunately, it was true. Gloriana’s strength had waned in recent years. Few came to pledge their loyalty anymore, not since the dragon had emerged in the north, and the first tears had begun. Now people would rather avoid the forest of Arden than pass through it. And with this being the latest in a series of breaches to the Otherworld, many of her trusted knights, her friends, had perished at the hands of the supernatural. The Order of Maidenglory was now reduced to almost nothing, which was why she needed Vivien’s help.

  Of course, she had other aids at her disposal besides her knights. But would it be enough?

  The breach in front of her pulsed slightly and widened. It was almost time.

  “They will do their duty.” Gloriana straightened and readied herself, feeling the wind pick up through the clearing and gently whip at her hair. Looking back at Vivien, she added. “Can I count on you to do yours?”

  Vivien braced herself, keeping her eyes on the golden-green tear in space. “Gloriana, I know we may have had our differences in the past, but you can count on me to do what I can.”

  “Good.” Gloriana began gathering the magics around her. This breach was one of the larger ones she’d faced. She would need all her strength to close it. Raising one arm, she cried, “Prepare yourselves! Defend your queen!”

  The clink of armor and the unsheathing of swords was their reply. The Order of Maidenglory was ready.

  And with a burst of light and magic, the breach caved open.

  Immediately, Gloriana summoned her magic, raising her hands in front of her and mentally grasping for the edges of the tear. She had to close this one as fast as she could.

  Her knights rushed forward, the sound of their plate armor creating a chorus of clashes that could inspire songs. If only there were more.

  Vivien also darted forward, bereft of any armor, but pulling forth a great sword of exquisite workmanship. If Gloriana had not been so focused on the breach, she might have inspected the sword more closely, or gazed at the ring on Vivien’s finger as it began to glow a bright golden yellow.

  But she had no time to dwell on such things. In that moment, the first of the monsters hurdled through the breach.

  It was a great serpent, but with giant arms near its front, and what appeared to be hundreds of tiny appendages like smaller snakes attached to its body. Its hissing echoed through the clearing and beyond.

  The Order of Maidenglory charged.

  Other forms came through the breach, beings of all shapes and sizes. Horrid beasts like the serpent, or great spiders, rushed at the Order of Maidenglory. Others appearing more human in shape, also broke through the barrier between worlds. Some of them attacked, though many did not. They were the smart ones. They did what Gloriana would do in their situation: hide and bide their time.

  But she could not worry about them right now. She had to close the breach. She pulled on the powers of nature and life that surrounded her, using them to tug on the edges of the tear, to heal this wound in the fabric of all they represented, of life and time.

  The gap began to close.

  The Faerie Queen remained only vaguely aware of the chaos that surrounded her as she strained herself to close the breach, of Vivien stepping forward and slashing at the nearest opponent with her sword. The beast was like a dog, but with two heads, and it lunged at Gloriana’s former school companion. Vivien dodged in the blink of an eye, appearing behind the two-headed hound before it even knew she was there. By the fates, she was fast. Vivien had obviously picked up a few tricks since Gloriana had last seen her.

  As Vivien drove
her blade into the hound, a hawk cried overhead, swooping in low to rake its talons over the face of another beast, this one a one-eyed cyclops of legend. Then a great brown bear charged into the beast and knocked it over even as it clutched at its eye from the hawk’s attack. Other animals barreled into the beasts emerging from the tear, and others chased after those who chose to flee.

  Gloriana smiled. The forest had come to her aid.

  The breach was slowly closing, though as she had suspected, it was far larger than any Gloriana had encountered thus far. And this many creatures of evil had not stepped through since the first breach. They must have been waiting.

  But between her Order of Maidenglory, Vivien, and the creatures of the forest, they were holding them back, barely. Enough, at least, that she could do her job.

  Gloriana closed her eyes and focused all her willpower on rejoining the edges of the tear.

  “Gloriana!” cried Vivien.

  It was all the warning she got. Not pausing to think, Gloriana threw herself backward just as a huge claw tore through the place where she had been. Her eyes shot open to reveal her attacker.

  For a moment, the tear ceased to close as the Faerie Queen lost her concentration. “You.” Her heart chilled.

  Before her stood a terrible sight. This beast had the shape of a woman, but her skin was a ghostly gray. Her human legs ended in the paws of a bear, and she had great eagle talons in place of hands. Her pointed teeth and eyes gleamed in the light of the moonlight, and her black hair shone with a golden circlet as she stood silhouetted against the light of the breach. She was accompanied by three dark knights, mirrors of Gloriana’s own Order of Maidenglory. She could see only their eyes, the rest of their faces covered by black cloth.

  “Gloriana,” the demon-woman croaked, a thin smile showing on her colorless lips.

  “Duessa,” Gloriana replied, breathless. The Sins were here. Now everything made sense, why so many demonic horrors had escaped through the breach this time, why they had seemed prepared for the doors to their world to open. They had a leader.

  Without another word, the half-woman, half-beast flung herself at Gloriana. The Faerie Queen dodged just in time, slipping a small knife out of her pocket and brandishing it at the shadow in front of her.

  Duessa smiled, and it chilled Gloriana to the bone. “You think that will stop me?”

  “No, but this might.” Vivien crashed into the scene, swinging her bright sword at the demon. Duessa recoiled, shying away from the sword as if its mere presence was enough to harm her.

  “To me!” Gloriana shouted. Heads turned as her knights realized the danger. Vivien swung her sword again, this time coming even closer. Duessa reacted, dodging and swinging her talons at Vivien. When that did not work, she raised those talons above her head, and a great orb of darkness began to form.

  “Stop her!” Gloriana shouted, but it was too late. The orb completed its formation and Duessa slammed it to the ground with a great, forceful gesture of her hands. Upon impact it expanded, and the entire clearing was plunged into a darkness far thicker than night.

  She had to close the breach. Or they would all die here.

  Focusing once again, Gloriana reached out to the edges of the tear. Exerting all her power, she heaved at each side of the doorway to Annwyn. The edges grew.

  A sharp pain blossomed in her shoulder. The breach stopped its closure as the sound of Gloriana’s scream echoed through the clearing.

  For a moment, she could see her attacker. Duessa stood next to her, smiling as one of her talons embedded itself deeper into Gloriana’s shoulder. “Karma is so...delicious,” said the monstrous woman, licking her lips.

  Duessa pulled back her talon, extracting it from her shoulder and causing Gloriana another flash of pain. She could imagine Duessa’s triumphant smile as she pulled back her arm as if readying to impale the Faerie Queen in the gut.

  A light flashed to one side, and a white sword seemed to cut through the darkness. Its tip slashed through Duessa’s side. The woman screamed and leapt backward, clutching at her wound.

  Vivien stood there, the light of her ring and sword seeming to push back the darkness. And as much as Gloriana had once hated that woman, she was grateful for her help now.

  Vivien slashed her sword forward, and Duessa leapt out of the way, covering nearly ten feet in a single bound. The remaining darkness fled to a more natural night as the Sin retreated. In doing so she knocked over one of Gloriana’s knights, slashing at his throat as he went down. The knight gurgled, his eyes widened, but those eyes stared sightless once he hit the forest floor.

  Duessa wasted no time, she leapt again, this time heading for the edge of the battle, great drops of oily black blood dripping from her side.

  As much as Gloriana wanted to pursue Duessa, knowing her knights would be hard pressed to beat such a sorceress, she and Vivien had other tasks to deal with.

  Vivien stayed by her side as Gloriana closed her eyes once more. The breach slowly began knitting itself together. She did not look to see if any more monsters came her way. If anything came, Vivien would protect her.

  Slowly, too slowly, the tear between worlds became a sliver. The pain in Gloriana’s shoulder was staggering. Not many substances could pierce her skin, but those that could carried a deadly magic that she would have to deal with later. She put all of her healing power into the breach, now no more than a paper-thin cut in their reality.

  With one final push, the golden-green light fled from the woods, and the breach disappeared.

  Gloriana opened her eyes and took a deep, panting breath. Then she fell to the ground.

  Several of her knights came to her rescue immediately, propping her up and tending to her bare and wounded shoulder. All the enemies they had fought were on the retreat, following Duessa, their leader.

  “That was a big one,” said Vivien, wiping her sword on the grass to clear it of blood.

  “It was indeed,” replied Gloriana. “And far too costly.”

  Vivien followed her gaze to see the many corpses scattered around the clearing. Many of them belonged to the demonic beasts and human-like demons that had come through the breach. But among them were many of Gloriana’s knights, as well as countless beasts of the forest who had answered her call.

  “I’m sorry,” said Vivien, and for once sounded sincere.

  “We are losing this fight, Vivien,” Gloriana winced as one of her knights poured a foul-smelling liquid on her shoulder. “We could use your help.”

  “I’m dealing with my own problems right now,” said Vivien. “After what happened with Morgan Le Fay.”

  “Ah yes, we have felt those effects even here.” Gloriana nodded her head.

  “Well it’s been years and I’m still cleaning up the mess,” said Vivien. “I’m happy to help where I can, but I can’t be there to protect you every time you will need me.”

  Gloriana fought back a scowl. Protect her? She was the only one who could stop the breaches. The world needed her to protect everyone. She was invaluable.

  At that moment, a small form flitted in front of her eyes, a miniscule man sitting atop a sparrow. He guided the bird to the ground before hopping off its small saddle.

  “What is your report, Tom,” she said to the tiny man.

  “Eight dead, your majesty,” replied Tom Thumb. “And many more among the animals.

  Eight dead. That was over a third of her remaining regiment. There had been a time when she’d had dozens, all of them devoted to her for life. But some had left her or died in her service. Now…

  “Thank you, Tom.”

  “If I may say so, Your Majesty,” said Vivien with a hint of irony in her voice. “You need more protectors, whether they be sorceresses or knights.”

  “Can you provide the former?” Gloriana gave her a cool stare.

  Vivien opened her mouth slightly before answering. “I can spare a few. There are many gifted students at Avalon who would welcome the challenge.”

  �
��See if they still feel the same when they learn of what happened here today.” Gloriana raised herself to a sitting position with a small wince.

  “I agree with the Lady of the Lake,” said Tom, unexpectedly. “We need to recruit more knights.”

  “It won’t be easy,” replied Vivien. “The isles are in chaos. The Saxons continue to push west and the noble houses have no one to rally behind.”

  “Not yet.” Gloriana pressed her lips together.

  “I assume he’s still as stubborn as before?” Vivien gave her a knowing look.

  “He is not our concern at the moment.” Gloriana waved a hand in dismissal. “But Tom is right. We need more knights. I honestly should have looked for them sooner since they no longer come to me.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I must return to my court.” Gloriana pushed herself to her feet, while her remaining knights gathered around her, many of their arms outstretched to catch their mistress should she fall.

  “Then I must return to Avalon,” said Vivien. “If you need help, please ask. I will come if I can.”

  “Very well.” Gloriana squared her shoulders. “Send any sorceresses who wish to assist, but I will be taking this matter into my own hands.”

  Vivien nodded. “I wish you luck.”

  Tom mounted his sparrow, which flew up above their heads. Gloriana watched him land on a distant tree, perched in the direction of the land of Faerie. With one last look at Vivien, she returned the woman’s nod. “Thank you.”