The Knightpunk Code Read online

  Two knights were left, one with a spear, and the other with a poleaxe. They circled Lexley warily.

  Lexley turned to deliver a showy roundhouse kick to the poleaxe knight, but the spear knight lunged low, striking Lexley's planted foot on its ankle joint. Lexley stumbled. A poleaxe glanced off the side of Lexley's helm.

  The spear-wielding knight didn't relent. He twirled his spear and jabbed at the soft ground under Lexley's other foot, then dove low and sent his shoulder into Lexley's knees.

  Lexley tripped backwards onto his ass. The butt of a spear flicked Lexley's visor up, exposing his scarred face. The spear's blunt end stopped a mere inch from his nose.

  A hush fell over the crowd.

  The knight withdrew his spear and backed away slowly, as if suddenly aware of his error. What the hell had the fool been thinking?

  The other knight dropped his poleaxe and lowered himself to the ground in surrender.

  Lexley drew himself to his feet. He laughed loudly, and the crowd joined in after some hesitation.

  "A gallant strike!" Lexley roared, accompanied by the harsh sound of his metal gauntlets clapping.

  The spear knight took a step away from Lexley.

  "A gallant strike," Lexley repeated, stepping forward, the intensity of his clapping growing, mocking. "Dear knight, where did you learn to fight with such cunning?"

  A sickly unease danced in my gut.

  The knight's voice wavered. "From my father, your Highness."

  Lexley shook his head. "No, no. There's no need for such formalities here. On the battlefield, all are equal." Lexley reached his hand out to his attendants. "My sword!" he screamed.

  Shit. This was going to get bad. And the idiot knight had no one else to blame but himself.

  I glanced about as someone brought Lexley his sword. I couldn't spot Sir Hurik or Lady Dyann anywhere. The Ninth and Tenth, Erole and Prig, were off to one side, busily studying the dirt. Bootlicking cowards.

  Lexley flourished his sword, a massive two-handed weapon styled with a black blade and golden handle that matched his armor. The blade was wide, at least a foot across, and would have been too cumbersome for an ordinary knight. In the hands of a Champion, though, every stroke was a death sentence.

  A thin white light shot up the middle of the blade's length.

  "Your prowess has earned the honor of a lesson from the First himself!" Lexley shouted.

  The idiot knight was on his knees now, gibbering. The crowd muttered darkly, but Lexley didn't seem to notice or care.

  Step away. Stay safe. I knew the smart move.

  But I couldn't let Lexley ruin another knight's life.

  "Fuck," I hissed between my teeth.

  Tavi gave me an impish grin. He was the oldest, the first to pick up my mood.

  "What's the play?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  Had that sly bastard been hoping for this? Lars and Ollie huddled closer.

  "This is the fun part," Lars whispered to Ollie.

  Damn kids…I had a pang of sympathy for all my years of tormenting Vimm. Served me right, I supposed.

  I surveyed the crowd near us to see what we had to work with, coming up with a couple promising options.

  "Okay, listen up. We're running Kiss the Corpse with a Maiden's Sunshine for good measure."

  Lars raised his hand into the air. "Can I be the corpse? Can I be the corpse, please?"

  "You got to be the corpse last time," Tavi complained. "It's my turn."

  Ollie scrunched his nose and turned to the other two boys. "Why's it called a corpse?"

  I glared at the Lars and Tavi. "Because if you screw it up, you're dead. No, I'll be handling this one." It was too risky for them. Lexley and I hated each other, but he wouldn't do anything rash, not overtly. At least he hadn't, yet. Plus, I had the best chance of getting Lexley's undivided attention.

  "You three will provide the crowd with your sunshine," I said, grinning. "Buy me some time."

  Lars muttered something about my mother's sunshine under his breath, but I let it slide.

  "I hate doing the Maiden's Sunshine. It's…unsophisticated." Tavi kicked the dirt. "I've never gotten to be the corpse, and I'm the oldest."

  "Next time, Tavi." I looked over at the field. Lexley was closing in on the foolish knight. "Hurry!"

  I ran towards a group of noble-looking ladies, trusting the boys to do their part. At the sound of gasps and jeers, I flicked my eyes to the side to catch a trio of pale asses on the field greeting the crowd. The boys raced away in three different directions. Lexley paused at the commotion. Now it was my turn.

  I reached the first lady, a proper noblewoman in fine clothing and perfectly coiffed hair. She wore a purple dress that was stylish, yet conservative. A good target.

  I wrapped my arms around her and planted a wet kiss smack in the middle of her lips. To my horror, after the initial shock, she grabbed my head and kissed me back. Her tongue tried to worm its way into my mouth.

  I broke free and looked in confusion at the woman with a dazed expression.

  "Scream, damn it, scream!" When she didn't respond, I pulled free and moved on to the next woman, a wrinkled old crone with crusty makeup, gaudy earrings, and a stiff wig.

  I leaned in for a kiss, but the damn old woman cackled and gave me a fat, wet kiss.

  "Why hello, young man," the old woman cooed.

  I jumped away from her. What was wrong with women these days? Was it that hard to find a scandalized lady?

  I turned to the third woman, a portly, middle-aged lady with a permanent frown on her face. I took one step forward, and she screamed before I even touched her. Finally.

  "Deviant! Degenerate!"

  The crowd around her covered their ears as her shrill screams pierced the air.

  A cluster of noble knights came to the aid of the distressed damsel. I led them on a half-hearted chase towards the center of the field where Lexley and the other knight remained.

  "You got me," I said, raising my hands. "I'm a scoundrel, unable to keep these lusty lips to myself in public."

  Lexley stormed over. "Jakson? Is that you?" He took off his helmet. "The fuck you doing here?"

  I shrugged. "Enjoying the sunshine. You?"

  He grabbed me by my tunic, easily lifting me in the air with one hand. "You punk. You running a scam here? I should teach you a lesson."

  The other knights closed in around me. "Your Highness, don't sully yourself with this lowlife. Allow us to remove this pest from your presence."

  One of the poleaxe knights had spoken, now recovered and conscious. The spear knight shuffled carefully behind his other colleagues, finally showing some good sense.

  "Surely the great prince has better things to do than to waste his wise words on a knave," I said, meeting his gaze.

  Lexley sneered. "Look at you. Even your dead whore of a mother would be ashamed of what you've become." He waved the others away. "Take him. Make sure he's beaten soundly."

  I watched him calmly, waiting.

  He scowled and returned his attention to the field, but the knights were already clearing away. The crowd had thinned as well, now that the fighting had stopped.

  Lexley stomped off towards his tent. "Bring me wine!" he yelled at the nearest attendant.

  The spear knight approached me. "Aren't you the king's bastard?"

  "Guilty as charged," I said with a bow.

  "Foolish, but brave. Thank you." The knight nodded his head.

  "You're the fool, Gareth," another knight said. "Showing off for the women? You could have died there if this fellow hadn't intervened."

  A heavy mailed hand fell on my shoulder. "What do we do with him?"

  Sir Gareth frowned. "The prince gave us a command."

  "That he did," another knight added.

  There was silence. That was the problem with these knights. All the stuff about honor and loyalty, but not a single shred of backbone or common sense.

  I sighed. "Go easy on me. And le
ave the face untouched. For the ladies?"

  "I'm sorry," Gareth said. He turned to his brothers-at-arms. "Spare the face."

  Dear Yora, these hulking idiots.

  The knights circled me and did the courtesy of removing their metal gauntlets. Then, the beating began.

  CHAPTER 3

  I dragged my battered body through the streets, wincing every few steps. As far as I could tell, I didn't have any broken bones, though. Just a shit ton of bruises.

  "Jaks!" Tavi peered out at me from an alleyway. I waited as he scampered over. "You don't look too good," he declared after inspecting me. "Give me your arm."

  I waved him away. "Are the others fine?"

  "Yeah, there's no way those fatasses would catch us," Tavi said proudly.

  Despite my discomfort, I managed to shake a finger at him. "Don't get too cocky. A Sentinel with Windweaver Boots or a Speed Cape would have no trouble keeping up with you."

  Tavi made a face. "You're the one that got caught."

  "That was the plan," I said.

  "Well, your plan sucked."

  I groaned as I continued shuffling down the street. I didn't disagree with him.

  "You head back with the others. I'll catch up later."

  "Why? Where you going?"

  "Somewhere."

  "You visiting your girlfriend?"

  These kids were getting too smart for their own good. "Yeah, I'm visiting your momma."

  Tavi spat. "My momma's been dead for ten years, but even she's ain't lonely enough to spread her legs for you."

  I gaped at Tavi. Holy Yora, what was up with kids these days?

  "Scram!" I swung a hand at Tavi, then stumbled with a cry of pain.

  Tavi reached over to steady me. "You sure, Jaks?"

  "Yeah. Beat it."

  Tavi looked me up and down one last time, shrugged, then turned and ran away.

  Ten minutes later, I was knocking on the door of a small but well-kept manor just outside the Noble's District.

  Footsteps pattered lightly behind the door, which swung open to reveal a wide smile, two emerald eyes, and long auburn hair.

  "Genna," I said.

  Genna stepped forward to hug me, but I backed away. "Not a good idea. I'm a bit sensitive to touch at the moment."

  "Oh, Jaks, what did you do?" Genna bit her lip, her eyes quivering as she took in my disheveled state.

  "This and that. The bad boy stuff you like."

  Genna giggled. She raised her hand to swat me but stopped herself with a worried look. "Well, don't stand there. Get in here." She gingerly grabbed my arm, pulled me inside, and shut the door. "Let me guess. Lexley business?"

  I rolled my eyes in reply.

  Genna sniffed. "I hope you put that bully in his place."

  I chuckled, then immediately stopped myself, holding my tender sides. "Someone else did first. I only helped with the getaway."

  Genna sat down on a wide wooden bench, then patted the spot next to her. "Like you always do? Any new stories for boring old Genna?"

  I sat next to her. "You're not boring. And you're definitely not old."

  Genna smiled mischievously. "That's too bad. I heard you liked kissing old ladies."

  I looked at Genna, then shook my head. "Who was it? Lars? I'm going to kill him."

  Genna laughed. "Lars and Tavi came by with the new kid. Ollie was it?" She placed a gentle hand on my back. "They were worried about you." She removed her hand and looked at the mix of blood and grime in surprise. "Oh dear. I'll be right back."

  She ran into another room and returned with a bowl full of water and rags. She pointed at my dirty tunic. "Let's get you clean. Take that off."

  "Ooh, I like the sound of that," I said as I removed my tunic.

  Genna whipped me with a wet rag. "Don't be silly."

  "Ouch!" I yelped. "I'm injured!"

  Genna covered her mouth with a hand. "Sorry," she whispered. She started wiping down my back gently.

  "That's kind of nice," I said. I tugged at my trousers. "Should I take these off too?"

  Genna hit me with the wet rag again. "Jaks! Behave."

  "What? We're both adults now." I looked over to Genna, whose face had turned beet red.

  She paused in the middle of wringing a rag over the bowl. "You're right. We're both adults. Things will have to change soon." Her voice was heavy.

  Something was wrong.

  "Genna? What is it?"

  Genna looked down at the bowl. "You know those smelly old men always trying to marry me? It's gotten worse since I turned eighteen. And I'm not like the other ladies. I don't have a proper guardian…"

  I clenched my fist at the thought of creepy nobles bothering Genna. The wrinkled farts were always looking to add one more young wife to their collections, usually to the screaming objections of their earlier wives.

  As for Genna, her father had done something to piss off Queen Priss when we were young. He had probably spurned her advances. I never learned what had exactly happened, but Genna's parents had disappeared without a trace. Rumor had it that they had been exiled from the Elderlands. Splitting them from Genna had been part of the queen's cruel punishment.

  Lexley's mother was as bad, if not worse, than her spoiled brat of a son.

  The queen's dirty work had left Genna vulnerable in the eyes of the other nobles. If something happened, who would stand up for a disgraced noble's daughter? None of the cowardly court officials, and none of the supposedly honorable knights. As for myself, a criminal bastard was likely to do more harm than good for her reputation.

  "Genna…" I began. I wasn't sure what to say. "If anyone hurts you, you come to me. I'll kill anyone who touches you. I'll kill them all."

  Genna gently scrubbed the caked dirt and blood off one of my arms. "I know. That's what I'm afraid of. That's why I'm joining the Temple."

  My jaw dropped. "The Temple? You're going to be a priestess?"

  "A priestess-in-training. An acolyte. Even the prince wouldn't dare to violate an acolyte of Yora."

  Genna, a priestess? She had a soft heart. She cared about the people. I could see it working. Still…

  "But the Temple is so boring! They won't let you do anything." I gazed at her with wide eyes. "No boys. Especially no bad boys."

  Genna turned away. Her hand trembled as she continued washing my other arm. "Look at what Lexley did to you."

  "He didn't do this. You think I'd let him get the upper hand on me?"

  "It doesn't matter. It's because of him."

  I didn't reply. I knew what Genna would say next. I had shared the same thoughts myself.

  "It would only give Lexley another way to hurt you," Genna said. "If you and I—"

  "Bullshit!" I slapped the wooden bench angrily, ignoring the stinging pain in my hand.

  Genna was right, though. Lexley would be merciless. Joining the Temple was the right move.

  "Okay, fine," I said. "But even if you join the Temple, you can be one of those naughty priestesses, can't you? The kind in the stories that Benson is always telling…" I leaned back and eyed her critically. "Green robes, looking all holy. Mm-hmm."

  Genna raised a wet rag, threatening to whip me again.

  I lifted my hands in protest. "Come on! That's a valid question."

  "Jaks. If I get kicked out of the Temple, that'll be it." She lowered the wet rag. "Besides, even if you don't believe in Yora, angering Her doesn't sound like a good idea. Unless you have a better plan?" She didn't sound particularly hopeful.

  I had a plan. I didn't know the exact details, but my plan had always been the same. Become scary enough so that even Lexley couldn't touch me. Then, I could give Genna the protection that she deserved. The problem was that I needed time to get there, and I never had enough time.

  I didn't give a rat's ass about Yora's tits, but once you joined the Temple, you joined for life. Breaking the vows of a priestess had serious consequences in the real world. I had spent most of my life on the wrong side of the law and
knew that the Temple was no stranger to taking matters into its own hands. I kind of respected them for it.

  That meant I had to become even scarier if I had to handle the Temple, which meant I needed even more time. Damn it.

  "I'm working on it," I said softly.

  For a minute, neither of us spoke. There was only the sound of dripping water as Genna wiped my face clean. She finished, her arms lingering around my damp body. I shifted to face her. Genna's silken dress had gotten wet, causing the thin fabric to cling to the outlines of her womanly curves. We looked into each other's eyes. We breathed slowly, together, in rhythm.

  I could have what I wanted, now. What we both wanted.

  I pulled her close, my palm on her shoulder, then her collar bone, tracing a path down to softer flesh. Genna shivered at my touch.

  I was injured and in no shape to do this now. Neither of us were. I let my hand slide down her arm until I grasped her hand, still warm despite handling the wet rags, and squeezed.

  "Genna."

  Genna squeezed my hand in return. "Remember when we were little? We'd run all over the castle, you causing your trouble, me pulling you out of it. Even Lexley wasn't so bad then."

  I stood. "Growing up is a bitch, but it has its perks. Now, I can be the one to pull you out of trouble." I swept Genna up in my arms, lifting her into the air. I knew what she liked. A troublemaker with a streak of romance. I gave her my best mischievous grin.

  A rib on my left side betrayed me, deciding just then to remind me of my injuries.

  "Shit!"

  We collapsed.

  * * *

  After escaping Genna's scolding and fussing, I trudged down the street toward Vimm's part of the city. I stopped by a tavern, sat in the corner, and ordered a mug of ale. They used to chase me away when I was younger, but now the serving girls smiled and even flirted with me on occasion. Another benefit of growing older.

  A pretty blonde dropped off my drink, and I slipped her a copper in return. She looked like she wanted to chat, but I ignored her and sipped the bitter ale instead. I wasn't in the mood for playing.

  Genna. I had known her for as long as I could remember. She was the one childhood memory that hadn't turned sour.

  Although we danced around the topic, we had a silent understanding that we would do anything and everything for each other. Now that we were older, that included anything and everything a man and woman would do. My mind drifted with the possibilities.