A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1) Read online

  Chapter 4 Proving Talent

  Warren arrived at the army testing ground and was greeted by a Special Forces soldier carrying a large crystal shard. The soldier just grunted and thrust the crystal towards Warren. The big boy stared at it numbly for a long moment and the soldier grunted, “Well? Are you going to touch it or stare at it all day?”

  The big teen jerked into motion and smacked the crystal shard with a heavy hand and the soldier nearly dropped it. The crystal lit up with a brilliant golden light that did make the soldier drop the crystal to the ground. The Special Forces soldier scowled at Warren as a man in plate armor stepped into the room.

  Warren stepped back away from the angry soldier as he snapped, “Now look at what you did, you ape!”

  The man in plate armor cleared his throat, “That’s enough. I saw the result of the test. You are dismissed.”

  The soldier glared at Warren for a moment and then collected the crystal from the ground. Warren watched the man go and inclined his head toward the man in plate armor, “Thank you.”

  The Knight nodded at him, “You’re welcome. I am Sergeant Malcolm Hunter. If you would follow me, we can begin your test.”

  Warren followed the Sergeant into another room where a few others were waiting and then into a large courtyard where an obstacle course was set up. The Sergeant gestured toward the course, “I think you get the idea. Start whenever you’re ready.”

  The big teen nodded and swallowed. This was his chance to prove just how capable he was. His chance to make his father proud. The course started with a balance beam set over a pit of mud. After that was a line of bars he would have to move across with just his arms. The third obstacle was a wall and Warren couldn’t see anything beyond it. He would be one of the best runs of the day. That much was certain.

  He extended his arms to either side as he wobbled across the balance beam and almost fell once but recovered. The large boy reached the end of the beam and bent at his knees, launching himself at the rope hanging there and barely managing to catch it. Warren landed with a grunt and fell to one knee as he jumped off the rope. The young man thought to himself how the course had been made for trained soldiers. Most of the others had probably fallen down into the mud.

  Warren pushed himself back up onto his feet and moved towards the monkey bars. He could hold himself up easily enough but swinging along was hard. His arms shook and his face flushed red as Warren forced himself to move across the bars. The young man never slipped though and he dropped back onto solid ground with a breath of relief. He shook his arms to get some blood back into them as he jogged down the ramp. Warren came face to face with a wall made of rough beams. Most jumped for the edge that was about a foot out of their reach. The young volunteer was a tall individual though and stood at six foot four.

  The young man took two steps back and then lunged forward and up. He barely latched onto the top of the wall and wiggled and struggled to pull himself up but his grip slipped and Warren fell again. He ground his teeth together in frustration before walking backwards again. He rushed down one more time and jumped, higher this time with anger and adrenaline running through his system and managed to get a firm grip. Warren struggled for a minute before finally managing to lever himself over the wall. The young man fell down the other side with a hard thud and he let out a breath.

  Warren struggled back onto his feet and turned towards a net. He jogged over to it and started up it, tangling himself in the net at least six or seven times. The young man was red in the face and covered in sweat by the time he reached the top. They were obviously trying to see which of them could handle being soldiers by giving them a task a trained man would struggle with. He would be accepted though, there was no doubt of that.

  The husky teen came to the final obstacle. A steep ramp that would dump anyone moving along it into the mud below. Warren studied the ramp, his mind trying to come up with another way across but there was only one: the direct way. He sprinted and jumped onto the ramp, leaning his upper body uphill trying to keep his balance and not slide down. Warren jumped at the last possible second and caught himself by his forearms on the platform where he was headed. His legs dangled down towards the mud. He hefted himself one more time and rolled onto the surface and let out a breath. He was finished.

  Sergeant Hunter was quiet for a minute and then he said, “You did well. Now, if you would head through those double doors you’ll be given a written test.”

  Warren nodded, “Thank you.”

  The big man made his way out of the courtyard and into the next room. A woman in half-plate was waiting there and handed him a packet of papers and a pen. She motioned him over to a desk without a word and the big man sat down and opened the test. Another young man with sandy-brown hair sat chewing on the end of his pen, fingers drumming against the desk. Warren began to read and smiled, this was going to be easy.

  Chapter 5 A Short Run

  Sergeant Hunter dropped them off and led them to a small waiting room with a few other people about his age. One was a giant man with scars crisscrossing his arms. Another was a young blonde woman sitting next to a man who could be her twin. His arms had the pale scars from working with metal and fire and he had the muscles of someone who swung a hammer all day. Alden sat down by himself and ignored the cold stare of a young man with black hair and royal blue eyes from across the room. It was beginning to irritate him when Sergeant Hunter appeared and took the dark haired young man through a different set of doors.

  As far as Alden could tell they were in Cinnati and not far from the castle. They weren’t on the palace grounds yet and it seemed like they were in a type of barracks. No one was watching them though but Alden knew there was no sense in leaving. He shook his head to clear it as Sergeant Hunter reappeared. Alden looked up at the older man as the Knight Sergeant motioned for him to come over.

  Alden rose and stepped through the doors behind the Sergeant and studied the obstacle course waiting there. Sergeant Hunter looked over at the young man, “I think you get the idea. Start whenever you’re ready.”

  He took off at a sprint. The first part was a mud pit with a single wooden beam over top of it. It was narrow, wide enough for him to just fit his foot on. The young man lowered his stance and stretched his arms to either side but kept his momentum. He wouldn’t be able to correct if he stumbled but his natural balance was better if he just kept moving. From that beam he had to jump and grab onto a rope and swing across onto another platform. From there he moved across another mud pit with monkey bars over it. That was the tricky part. The young man almost fell once but managed to latch onto the bar with his stronger hand before he fell.

  Alden reached the other side and went down the ramp and to the beam wall. The conscripted soldier looked up the wall and bit his lip. It worried the young man he wouldn’t make it as he took five steps backwards and then rushed forward, jumping up the wall and managing to latch onto the ledge above it with his fingertips. The young man sucked in a breath and planted his feet on the wall and shoved himself up a little more to get a better grip before he started pulling himself over with his hands.

  The young man rolled over the wall and dropped with a thud to the bottom. The green eyed teen had thought it was a raised platform to climb onto and not an actual wall. Alden levered himself back onto his feet and moved towards the next obstacle, a large net. The young man scampered up the side of it was with little difficulty. All that time spent in the trees was paying off. The next thing on the list was a mud pit but along one half of it was a steep slope about ten feet long that would dump anyone on it into the mud. Alden sucked in a breath and sprinted towards it. He leaned uphill as he moved but he could still feel himself sliding down the slope as he moved. At the last moment he jumped and landed firmly on solid ground again. That was where the course ended.

  Sergeant Hunter smiled, “Well done! Just head through those double doors to ta
ke the written test.”

  Alden inclined his head and stepped through the doors. A woman with brown hair and blue eyes wearing half plate armor looked up at him and held out a packet of papers and a pen. The dark haired young man was not in the room. Alden sat down and opened the test and let out a slow hiss. None of it made any sense. He began to chew on his pen and tap his fingers against the desk and tried to take educated guesses on the structure of the Army, Royal Guard, City Guard, Special Forces and Nobility.

  The young man noticed a large teen enter the room and began the test, writing down answers. Alden scowled and wrote, “I don’t know” in the next blank, got up and handed the test in. No sense in wasting anymore time worrying over it.

  Alden entered a sitting room with the dark haired young man who sneered as he entered but didn’t say a word. The green eyed teen sat down on the opposite side of the room and took a seat and five minutes later the big boy walked into the room. The new comer looked at the dark haired teen and half hid a grimace as he moved in the opposite direction.

  The big teen stepped up to Alden and said, “Mind if I join you?”

  Alden gave a half shrug and the big man sat down, “What did you think of that obstacle course?’

  The smaller teen answered, not wanting to talk, “It was easy enough. Written part was a pain.”

  Warren smiled, “I thought the written part was easy. Where are you from?”

  Alden sighed, might as well attempt conversation, “Little place you’ve never heard of called Pleasant. Did you touch the crystal when you came in?”

  The big boy nodded, “Yes and when I did it lit up like a golden bonfire.”

  The smaller boy grunted, “Same with me but in red.”

  Warren followed Alden’s glare and swallowed, “You should probably stop glaring at him.”

  Alden shrugged, “Why? Way I see it is if he wants to keep glarin’ at me I can return the favor.”

  The big teen shook his head, “That is Reginald Blackfeather. He has more money then he can spend and he has no scruples about making your life miserable.”

  The smaller boy snorted, “Let him try. I’ll knock a tooth out and maybe beat some manners into him.”

  Silence filled the room as the others began to filter in. 8 people in total and they waited together for a long time in silence.

  Chapter 6 A Meeting Of Knights

  Malcolm sat across the table from Captain Fox. Fox was a large, dark-skinned man withsilver hair. His parents had traveled to Cinder from the Isles in the southern Ocean but had died before Fox had learned where he was from exactly. He had grown up to become a Royal Guard and later command those Guards.

  Fox leaned against the table and started flipping through the files in front of him. He grunted out a question “What did you read?”

  Hunter cleared his throat, “Of all the recruits John Shaw had the lowest Light signature and I’d mark him at about a four. Warren Faulkner had the highest signature I’ve ever encountered. I’d place it a nine in all honesty. Also, another recruit, Alden Flint, had an extraordinary Fire signature.”

  The Captain looked up at his Sergeant and said, “We aren’t worried about Fire. Our only concerns are Light and Dark signatures. We’ll have to make sure Faulkner gets paired with the right person to draw out his full potential. Anything out of the ordinary with the Dark signatures?”

  The Sergeant shook his head, “No, Reginald Blackfeather had the highest and its only a 2. All the others are lower then that.”

  Fox rubbed his chin as he spread out the files from the folder and scanned them, “Looks like Faulkner has a sharp mind but is lagging behind in the physical activities department. This Blackfeather has the best physical test scores and some of the best exam scores as well. I’m thinking that the two of them might be a good pair.”

  Hunter spoke up, “With all due respect, Blackfeather has a meanness to him not to mention the bad blood there is between their families. I believe that pairing him with Faulkner will only damage his self-confidence.”

  The Captain glared at his subordinate but asked patiently, “And who would you pair with Faulkner, Sergeant?”

  The Sergeant swallowed and replied, “Flint, sir. The young man lacks the exam scores that Faulkner does. That would give Faulkner the confidence boost he needs plus Flint has the second best physical scoring and the second strongest Light signature at a solid 7. They could bring out the most potential in each other and cover each other’s weak points at the same time.”

  The Captain leaned back in his chair and chewed on the corner of his lip, “And the others. How would you pair them?”

  Malcolm let out a breath he’d been holding and continued, “I’d pair the twins together. Their signatures are almost identical with Light at a high 5 or a low 6. Her exam score is a little higher then his while his physical score is just above hers. Skorri, I would pair with John Shaw. Shaw placed just ahead of Faulkner in the written exam but Skorri got the lowest score. However, John received a terrible physical while Skorri stands just behind Flint. Hawkes would go with Blackfeather, largely because I think Hawkes could curb that mean streak Blackfeather has.”

  Fox studied the ceiling as he listened to Hunter and after the Sergeant had finished he rose to his feet and said, “I’ve made up my mind.”

  The Sergeant climbed to his feet and followed his Captain out the door and down the hall toward the recruits.

  Chapter 7 The Royal Guard

  Warren looked up as a dark skinned man in plate armor stepped into the room and cleared his throat, “Listen up! I am Knight Captain Derek Fox. From this moment you are all under my command and members of the Royal Guard. As members of the Royal Guard you will work in pairs from now until you retire. Only under extreme, and I mean extreme, circumstances will you be given a new partner. First though, I will explain how your training shall go. Sergeant Hunter will get you all in shape and then give each of you to a Knight who will train all of you as they see fit. Throughout the coming months you will go through 3 Trials. Those Trials shall be explained to you as they become relevant. Once you complete all 3 you will continue training but be given the rank of Knight Corporal. Any questions?”

  There was silence in the room and the Captain nodded, “Good. I will announce who you will be working with now. You and your partner will head through these doors behind me which will take you into the Castle Wall. From there you will be led by a Knight Corporal to your room. You will find uniforms waiting for you there as well as a list of further instructions.”

  There was silence again and the Captain continued, “Reginald Blackfeather and Alexander Hawkes!”

  The black haired youth with royal blue eyes who had been glaring at Alden rose to his feet. The blue eyed teen was thin and tall but not as tall as Warren. The other was shorter then his new partner but still taller then Alden. He also weighed more. Fox continued, “Elise Colbert and Enzo Colbert!”

  The girl Warren had noticed earlier and another boy that the big teen had marked as her brother rose. Both were blonde with vivid, blue eyes. She was small and stood four inches shorter then Alden while Enzo was Alden’s height. Alden turned his attention back to the commander as he called out the next names, “Warren Faulkner and Alden Flint!”

  Warren wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad Alden was his partner. The thin teen seemed to have a lot of angerin him. On the plus side though they could skip the introduction phase. It beat being partnered with Reginald. Alden rose to his feet alongside the husky youth and the pair moved towards the door.

  Warren followed Alden through the doorway and into the Wall. A Knight was waiting for them in the leather half armor they seemed to wear when they weren’t on active guard duty. He inclined his head toward the duo, “Faulkner and Flint?”

  Warren smiled, “Yes, sir.”

  The Knight turned on his heel
and set off with a brisk stride forcing the younger trainees to keep up. The Wall was wider then Warren had expected and had a sub-floor. Multiple sub-floors actually. They were led down to the second sub-level and to a door marked 13. The large boy grimaced at the number but shrugged off his reaction. It was just a number after all.

  The Knight turned and held out a pair of keys and said, “This is your room. Dinner is in an hour. The mess hall is back down the hall that we came from and a left at the stairs. Don’t be late. Don’t lose your keys.”

  Warren and Alden both nodded their heads in acknowledgment and the Knight dropped the keys into their hands. The thinner of the pair unlocked the door and stepped inside. The room was smaller then Warren expected. He could cover the length in seven steps and the width in six. In each corner on the far side of the room was a single bed with white sheets and blankets on it. A single pillow sat on each bed and on top of the covers was a pale gray, almost white, uniform. On the right shoulder was a silver crown insignia. The Knight’s uniforms had been marked with a gold crown.

  Alden studied the room for a moment before saying, “Bigger then I expected.”

  Warren looked up at the statement and grunted, “I was actually expecting bigger to be honest but I guess we are only trainees. They will probably give us nicer rooms as we pass the Trials.”

  Alden shrugged with one shoulder and grunted as he turned towards the desks at the feet of their beds. Warren looked around the room, wondering where a bathroom or shower was and noticed a door to his left in the corner of the room. He looked through it and found a small bathroom.It was as simple as the main room. A mirror hung on th wall over a sink. A toilet sat in the corner.