***
The next day, Bekka asked Lannon if he would guide her on a hunt through the fog in search of rabbits for breakfast. Lannon was tired of wandering around the soggy grassland, but he agreed, wanting to improve their friendship. The two left the shadow of the huge Dwarf statue and walked away from camp on a chill, cloudy morning in search of higher ground.
Bekka was a skilled hunter and seemed to know exactly what she was looking for, while Lannon was there simply to make sure she found her way back to camp in the unnatural fog. She knelt by logs and rocks, scanning the ground, occasionally readying an arrow and standing motionless for long periods of time. She moved with swift and graceful silence over the terrain, her muscular body seemingly tireless, and each rabbit was dispatched with deadly accuracy.
It wasn't long before she had bagged four rabbits, but that was hardly enough to feed the whole camp. "I need several more," she said.
"I'm fine with eggs and bread," said Lannon.
"Daledus will want rabbit meat," she said, "and probably Jerret and Galvia too." She smiled. "I don't want to leave anyone out. We need to fill your bag too, Lannon. You should have brought your bow."
"I'm not much for hunting," he admitted.
She gave him a curious look. "Why not? You have the Eye to guide you, and you're a Blue Knight. Surely you would make an excellent hunter."
"It doesn't interest me," he said.
"I heard you don't like killing," said Bekka. "Some of the Knights say you're too gentle for your own good. Is that why you don't hunt?"
"I kill when I have to," said Lannon. "I've slain Goblins...and men. But what you heard is true. I would prefer never to kill anything."
"That's a strange way for a Knight," she said. "Most warriors enjoy combat, or they wouldn't be warriors. While it's true that Divine Knights aren't supposed to favor bloodshed, we're also not supposed to shy away from it."
"I don't shy away from it," said Lannon. "But I always look for an alternative to killing. That is actually written in the Sacred Laws--that Knights are supposed to avoid bloodshed if possible."
"Of course," said Bekka. "Yet many Knights are all too eager to settle things with the sword. Perhaps that is a failing of mine as well. I usually go for the blade first when threatened."
"It's a difficult way of life," said Lannon. "We have to be slow to wield the blade and yet be prepared to fight to the death in an instant. The difference between you and I, Bekka, is that I would prefer never to engage in combat."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, smiling.
Lannon considered her words. He did have a strong love of adventure and enjoyed putting his skills to the test, but the thought of taking a human life invoked disgust within him. "Yes, I'm sure," he said.
"A typical Dark Watchman," said Bekka, "but not a typical Blue Knight. It's strange how the Watchmen all grew so corrupt. They were very much like you, Lannon, from what I've heard. They defended life and fought for peace, resorting to violence only when necessary. Yet they became the darkest souls of all, engaging in horrific and evil deeds in the name of Tharnin. I don't understand it, but it worries me greatly. I worry about your future, Lannon."
Lannon wasn't sure he wanted to partake in this discussion. It seemed once again Bekka was questioning his ability to lead. Nevertheless, he found himself commenting. "I'm concerned as well, Bekka. Everyone at Dremlock is. But there's not much to be done about it."
"Yet what about this Taith lad?" she said. "Now another Dark Watchman has joined us--with another uncertain future. Is this a wise move on Dremlock's part, to train this boy to unlock powers that might be better left shut away? I tend to believe we should just find him a home and leave him be."
"Is it a wise move?" said Lannon. "I wish I knew. I too wonder if everyone would be better off if Taith just lived a normal life. I really don't want to see the Dark Watchmen rise again, because history has shown us what will happen. Yet Aldreya is convinced that Dremlock will train as many Dark Watchmen as we can find, due to the threat of Bellis. I guess I don't really have any answers and should give up trying to figure it all out."
"Don't do that," said Bekka, her face grim. "You have reason and compassion, Lannon. Dremlock needs you to stay strong and question everything. You're a voice of sanity in a sea of madness."
"Thank you," he said, truly grateful. "And your opinions are important as well, Bekka. I'm glad you're part of the Council."
"As long as I am on the Council," said Bekka, "I will speak my mind and fight for what I believe in. My father was a soldier and a guard at Gravendar, and he taught me to stand up for myself and never back down." For an instant, her voice cracked and she seemed overcome with emotion. "Remember yesterday when I mentioned that my brother had drowned? Well, my father shared his fate while trying to save him. I just stood on the lakeshore and watched, too shocked to do anything. The last thing I saw was fear in my father's eyes before he sank with my brother in his arms--not fear for his own life, but fear for what would become of me. He knew he was leaving me alone to my fate, and it tormented him in his final moments."
"Your father should be very proud of you," said Lannon. "You've become a great Knight and made the Council. I'm sure he is pleased."
"How can he be pleased," said Bekka, "when he is dead?" She bowed her head. "His last memory of me was consumed by fear and regret."
"I meant his spirit," said Lannon.
Bekka met his gaze, then looked away. "I don't believe in a spirit, Lannon. I believe the dead sleep forever. Death ends everything."
Lannon wasn't sure how to respond to that. He didn't want to arrogantly crush her beliefs even though he strongly disagreed with her. He opted to remain silent and let her decide things for herself.
"My father is gone," said Bekka. "Swallowed up by the earth. There is nothing left of him except my memories."
Lannon continued to remain silent.
Suddenly, Bekka gave him a piercing stare. "You disagree?"
"Yes," Lannon admitted. Now that she had asked, he felt justified in revealing his own beliefs. "Actually, I can see the dead, Bekka. I can even speak to the dead. There are spirits all over the place, including some that live right under our tower of Ollanhar. Some of them are very powerful. The Dark Watchmen, for example, remain restless and have never left our world."
"But they are not who they once were," said Bekka. "They are just shades of the living--leftover energy from life. Illusions without substance--no different than dreams or memories. Even if you could speak to my father's shade, I wouldn't want you to. It wouldn't be him. The man who raised me is gone forever, and no tricks of sorcery or the mind will change that. The world is full of tricks, yet the dead never return. Look around you and tell me I'm wrong."
"You are free to believe what you will," said Lannon. He found her view to be cynical at best, and he couldn't understand what motivated her to feel that way--but even a Divine Knight was given freedom of thought.
"Thank you," said Bekka. "I know you are a strict follower of the teachings of the Divine Essence, so it must be difficult not to preach to me. It is a reasonable and polite attitude like yours, Lannon, that I pay attention to. Nevertheless, you are misguided. The dead are asleep and will not trouble me."
"Actually..." Lannon mumbled. He found himself gazing at some kind of dark Ghoul that had crept up behind Bekka. It was a man cloaked in black, with a pale face and yellow eyes. His mouth hung open as if his jaw had come unhinged, to reveal long, curved fangs.