The Last Battle: Part 8, Draft 1

I'm trying to finish scenes before I post the though I don't know how long that will last. Later scenes may be longer, so you'll either be getting fragments again or have long waits between new segments.

I think I'm still getting back into the swing of things, given how long it took me to write this. I'm not getting around to it every day, but this is certainly more productive than I've been in a while. I'm not 100% staisfied with a lot of things, like parts of Cyra's speech. And I haven't decided what Kata ends up doing during the moment of silence. But I'm really trying to make myself get the whole thing down before I start worrying about the editing.

This is the first mention of Kata's religion, Orutet, which may later get a name change. It's a polytheistic faith with patron gods for pretty much all aspects of life. Oruteian devotees regularly worship a maximum of three gods, each of which is chosen at a different point in their lives. Three times a year, there are ceremonies to honor the entire pantheon, which help retain the unity of the faith. Kata's two patron goddesses are the goddess of justice and the goddess of battle. I have some notes on Orutet written several months ago, but there's not a whole lot more there than what I just told you.

"The Last Battle" is currently 14.044 words and roughly 39 regular 8.5 x 11 pages long, counting the scene i haven't posted yet (though I do use 14 point font which is easier for me to read). I think it is going to be a novel when it's done. Who knew?

Comments welcome, as always.



The castle grounds were already crowded with knights by the time Kata had retrieved Tally from the stables. She made her way towards the other mounted knights, who were assembled at the far end of the grounds near the main gate. Knights who brought their steeds to the Sending would be departing as soon as the ceremony ended and typically had a long way to travel. When the gates were opened, the mounted knights traditionally exited first.

Kata greeted a few of the knights she was friendly with before picking a spot to the left of the gates. She climbed up into Tally’s saddle. Even though she was far from the castle itself, being on horseback gave Kata a good vantage point. She could see knights talking to their friends, giving their armor a final check, or steadying their horses. Some were with their families, either preparing to travel home together for a local assignment or saying goodbye before a mission in some far off location. Knights who were just arriving squeezed carefully through the crowd, searching for familiar faces in the sea of armor. Most knights wore full armor to the sending, regardless of their plans afterward, but some who wouldn’t be leaving for a few days opted for the formal garments instead. The bright morning sun reflecting off of so much metal was dazzling bright and Kata frequently had to shield her eyes as she surveyed the crowd.

The trumpeters at the castle windows blew a sudden fanfare and a cheer went up from the knights. The fifteen members of the Knights’ Council filed out onto the lower balcony. They saluted the cheering knights who returned the salute. It was hard to identify the individual members of the Council from Kata’s distant vantage point. But she could make out Sir Argonios, due to his great height. Sir Mardet, the current head of the Council, stepped forward and began his speech. His voice carried well, but Kata was only half listening. She’s been to numerous Sendings before and though the various heads of the Council were usually eloquent, they often said much the same things. She tried to pay attention, but Mardet’s words about how each knight’s mission was of great importance to the kingdom’s well being were nothing new. In Kata’s mind, she was already riding up the faint dirt path to the main gates of Santok’s fortress, watching for him to come and greet her.

Sir Mardet concluded his speech and the knights cheered and applauded. Now the religious leaders began to assemble on the middle balcony. One by one, they stepped forward and gave their blessing to the faithful among the crowd. Kata listened politely until the Oruteian guide stepped up to speak. As he reminded the followers of her faith to respect the influence that all the gods had on their lives and the world entire and to seek harmony with the whole pantheon through their patron deities, Kata silently asked Idro and Sethato to set her path and guide her sword in her coming journey.

The blessings ended and the crowd observed a moment of reflective silence. It still amazed Kata that such an enormous gathering could fall so completely silent all together. The silence was not beholden to any particular religion. It was meant for private introspection in whatever form each individual wished. Kata knew many knights who used the moment to remember fallen comrades. Some prayed, and others thoughts of their families.

The trumpeters marked the end of the silence with a rousing fanfare. The knights began cheering louder than ever. Kata looked up at the castle towers. An excited cry rose up as Brenn came swooping around from the back of the castle. The arrival of the visiting dragon was always a highlight of the Sending. Kata felt it was the only part that really changed from year to year. Some dragons made a single stately circle around the castle before landing, with no embellishment. Brenn was clearly not one of those dragons. He made a wide arc away from the castle wall and flew out over the crowd. He came so low that some of the knights might easily have touched his feet as he streaked overhead. With a magnificent twist of his body, he launched himself skyward again, circled the castle one last time, and came to rest at last on the high balcony. The cheering continued and even seemed to gain fervor as Cyra herself slowly proceeded onto the balcony to meet her brother. Brenn repositioned himself behind Cyra so as not to block her from the crowd. The cheering slowly died down and Cyra began to speak:

“I thank Sir Mardet for his wonderful speech. I fully believe, as he does, that the missions every one of you will set out on this day are of vital importance to your kingdom. By undertaking these duties, you are helping to ensure the safety and well being of Sathyriel.

“Yet you yourself are of equal importance, and not just because I know you will carry out your missions with honor and dedication, however challenging they may be. You are knights of Sathyriel. Wherever you may find yourselves and whatever task may come to you, you are representatives for your country and your fellow knights. Before all else, it is the task of each and every one of you to uphold the code of knighthood and the honor of your kingdom.

“Your standing as a knight does not come from me or the Knight’s Council. It comes from the people of Sathyriel. In taking on the responsibility of knighthood, you have sworn to defend these people. Serve them well. Be worthy of the respect and admiration they will give you. Know that it has been earned by the knights who came before you. Honor their deeds and set an example to inspire the knights yet to come.”

Cyra drew her sword. The crowd began to stir with anticipation.

“Knights of Sathyriel,” Cyra called, her voice growing louder, “I hold you to the vows you have made. I call upon you to serve your country. I send you to where you are needed to defend Sathyriel.”

Cyra raised Deslordian in salute to the knights. Brenn gave a thunderous roar and breathed an impressive plume of flames into the air. The knights roared and cheered, raising up their own weapons until the castle grounds were a shimmering sea of metal. Kata lifted her own sword, so entirely caught up in the excitement that she almost didn’t hear the call to assemble into formation. Guiding Tally carefully as the other mounted knights made their way to the gates, she managed to secure her correct position. The gate guards saluted and the knights responded in kind. Sir Mardet called out the order to hold formation as the gates began to move. At last, Kata could see full stretch of Castle Way as the gates creaked open and settled. The local citizens lined the streets to watch the procession while castle guards kept them at a safe distance. Sire Mardet gave the forward order and Kata set off with her fellow knights, on her way at last.