Chapter Four

"My King," whispered the page, "I have urgent news from the Temple of the Golden Serpent!" "Well, my child, spit it out, all here can listen to what you have to say!" the King said audibly. "Yes, highness." the page said in a normal speaking voice. "I regret to inform you, that a messenger to the temple arrived, only to find every one of the Knights inside the Temple of the Golden Serpent slain! We know not yet by whom, but every one of them died in close combat!" At this, Sir Otto stood up and faced the page, confusion and outrage on his face.

"All of my brothers and sisters slain!? I must leave to find out who has done this now! Bring Cloud around to the gate!" And with that, the King and Princess watched in consternation as Otto grabbed his shield and sword, and ran with great speed out of the dining hall toward the courtyard.

"My word!" Said Princess Orowina, "Who could do such a thing? and why? Surely not the Merchant's Guild, if they were defeated on the field of battle!" "You're right, my daughter" stated the King gravely. "It would seem that there's another hand at work here, and one of no small skill."

It was true, for the Order of the Golden Serpent held no less than fifty Knights in it's ranks. And as it was later found, Sir Otto's order lost thirty four of them in that battle. Thirty four Knights in a single battle, in their own temple! Including all of the servants on the premises. Truly this must have been a group of foes with battle expertise beyond the norm! For only the Knights who were on guard seem to have died with weapons and armor in hand, while the majority of the others seem to have been slain as they slept, or read, or while they were eating. They even found one who had been killed with the tip of his own sword as he was apparently cleaning it! It was, of course, an instant bad omen for the Order of the Golden Serpent, and feared that some wrathful deity or demon had simply walked through the temple grounds, slaying everyone without a sound as it invisibly floated along." Grandfather looked up at the boy at this point, and noted that his eyes were large and round, and that he had pulled the covers up close...

"The only reason not every Knight was slain was probably because several were either still on the field or on leave after the battle, and only a single Knight survived. She was gravely wounded, but managed to get out two words before she died in Sir Otto's arms, "Shadow Spinner."

At this, Otto stood up, and drew out his sword! Fearing that very moment for his life. And rightly so, for Sir Otto knew well what the Knight meant..." Grandfather said this last part quietly, looking straight at the boy, building up the anticipation.

"... A Shadow Spinner! A man, or woman, who has become half Shadow! An assassin who slays not one foe, but armies of them!" Grandfather nods slowly, a knowing look, quiet on his features, staring at the boy, (Who was dumbfounded with shock and awe, for never had he heard of such a being.)

"At that exact moment, Sir Otto screamed! He spun around in a circle, holding his shield close, and spoke a word of power! In an instant, his Golden Serpent Shield burst forth a giant beam of golden light! Piercing all the darkness around him, in a massive beam of light, the shape of a shield. Otto spun around in a full circle, as fast as he could, and it was the only thing that saved his life then and there. For upon turning around behind him, a man-sized shadow was revealed! It was holding up what looked like a blade made of shadow, poised to strike into Sir Otto's back!..." The boy, gasping, holds his breath.

"...And faster than thought, the shadow screamed a loud wailing shriek! Then disappeared in an instant, and was gone!" The grandfather looks up from the black leather bound book. "Ok my boy, time for sleep!" the grandfather says. "Ok, but I get to keep the stone until the story is over! You promised!" says the boy. "I did... Didn't I? Agreed. You keep it safe, but don't lose it!" says grandfather, standing up from his carved chair, tucks his grandson in with a kiss on the forehead, then blows out the candles.