Last Knight (The Champion Chronicles Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

nodded.  “That obvious, huh?  We had hoped the robes would hide it.  But it appears not.”
                  “But she is with you?”
                  They heard the woman approach and the man replied in a whisper, “It is complicated.”  Louder, he said.  “My name is Steven.  This is Laurin.”
                  Laurin held a long, thin string in one hand and a large needle in the other.  As she moved close, Conner tried to slide away.  “What is she doing?” he asked.
                  “You are dying.  You have lost much blood.  If your wound is not closed, it will bleed until you die.”
                  The gravity of the situation suddenly hit him.  Conner looked down at his chest.  The three long slices were deep and were leaking so much blood that his belly and his pants were soaked.  An anger suddenly rose up within himself and he was surprised at the thoughts.  He wasn’t concerned about his life, he only cared that the four bandits would get away with attacking him and leaving him to die.
                  “This will hurt,” the man said.  He held up a thick twig.  “Bite this.  It will help.”
                  Conner took the twig in his mouth and leaned back.  He closed his eyes and bit hard as Laurin began.  The more he thought about the revenge that he would inflict, the less Laurin’s work hurt.

 
    Chapter Three
     
                 
    Marik Brownbow led his mount towards the city gates of South Karmon, the capital city of the kingdom of Karmon.  His horse was no special war horse.  It was the fast horse of a messenger, no different than any other horse in the city.  He was clad as any merchant or traveler.  Dusty and matted from a long journey, his clothes were not that of a Karmon Knight.  Former Karmon Knight, Marik reminded himself.  As anonymous as the other merchants and travelers, he melted into the crowd. 
    He had not planned to arrive in the middle of the day, but he was glad that he had.  Business was booming throughout the city and the amount of traffic through the main gate showed that.  Carts full of goods that came from as far away as the Taran Empire were being pulled by horses, donkeys, oxen, or even young boys.  Makeshift stalls had been set up along the streets for the merchants to sell their wares.  The city was filled with vendors screaming at the top of the lungs, trying sell their goods to every passerby.  He could not ever remember it being as loud as it was.  It was almost too loud to even think.
    The soldiers who manned the walls gave him a quick glance as strode through the gate, but nothing more.  Marik surprised himself at how much he missed being a knight.  It wasn’t just the accolades and looks of respect that he was given; it was also how he felt about himself.  Being a knight made him feel strong and powerful, able to conquer any obstacle.  But the moment it was taken away, he felt weak, as if he were missing something.  He was of noble blood, but right now it didn’t feel like he was any different than the farmers, merchants, and peasants that were walking right next to him.
    It was a long and slow walk through the city.  Just a few months ago he would have been able to ride his horse all the way up to the castle.  But now, if he were riding, he would have trampled dozens on his way.  His annoyance was short lived, though.  As summer was on its way out, and autumn was just around the corner, change was more than just in the leaves of the kingdom’s trees.
    Thellians were all around, now.  At first they had come only a few at a time, but soon their former enemies from the north were invading the streets.  It still made him wary to see them walking around, and he always kept an eye on them.  They were easy enough to see because they dressed differently.  They wore thicker leather that was often times lined with animal pelts.