Children of the Knight, Michael J. Bowler [classic book list txt] 📗

believed such a thing was possible, not here in his city, and yet it was happening, right before his eyes. He smiled to himself.

“Let’s go,” Villagrana announced with resignation, and the assemblage left the office.

As Arthur neared City Hall, he noted a large dumpster off to one side of the building. His mind was fixed solely upon on Lance. He wanted nothing more than to gallop off and rescue his boy, but he did not know where to go or even who had him. So he focused on his original plan. He instructed Justin to pass the word back amongst the knights—all backpacks filled with drugs were to be brought forward and tossed into the dumpster.

As bags began shifting from back-to-front, almost like an assembly line, the boys nearest the dumpster grabbed each one and tossed it in. As this was going on, Esteban and Reyna, along with Jaime, Darnell, Tai, and Duc made their way through the throng to stand by Llamrei’s side.

The king surveyed them. “You all achieved success?”

“Yes, sire.” Esteban spoke for the group. “The people, well, they be on our side.”

The others nodded.

“Thank ye, my noble knights. You make me proud.”

They grinned at that, and Reyna leaned in to kiss Esteban on the cheek. When he turned in surprise, she planted one on his lips, throwing her arms wildly around his neck and pulling him against her.

Jaime laughed. “Break it up, homie, or you’ll have the same problem as me.”

Reyna disengaged herself and punched Jaime in the shoulder. “Like hell!”

But she laughed anyway, and Esteban smirked at Jaime.

Arthur watched their joyous youth, their spontaneous and exciting energy, their pride in tonight’s accomplishments, with wonder and trepidation. All would be perfect, except for Jack and Lance.

The kids continued the hand-over-hand passing of the backpacks, and were thus engaged when the mayor and his people exited the front of City Hall and stood at the top of the steps. The TV news crews were already in place, led by Helen Schaeffer, whom Arthur had called that morning.

The mayor stopped short when he caught sight of her, especially with the camera aimed squarely up at him. Helen lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers at Villagrana. He scowled before returning his attention to Arthur.

Arthur dismounted, helping Chris and Jenny down. He handed the reins to Chris and gazed up at the obviously angry mayor. “Good evening, Mr. Mayor,” Arthur said with a bow of respect.

Sanders and Gale exchanged a worried look as they surveyed the size of the crowd.

“Sergeant Ryan,” Arthur called up, and Ryan disengaged himself from the group to step forward. “I wish to thank thee for assisting Sir Lance and Sir Jack when Mark died.”

“They’re good kids, Arthur,” Ryan called down. “Never thought I’d hear myself say that, but they are. You been good for ’em.”

Gibson stepped forward in surprise as Justin stepped to Arthur’s side and said something to the king. Arthur nodded and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Gibson stared at his son in frozen amazement.

“You and your kids are blocking public streets, you know,” the mayor called down feebly, clearly not knowing what to say or do.

“I do not see anyone complaining, Mr. Mayor,” Arthur replied calmly. “If they do, my knights shall be happy to step aside.”

A cheer rang out from the kids and the assembled spectators. More winking, flashing cell phones lights glittered all around City Hall, accompanied by honking car horns.

“We’ve gotten reports on what you and your kids have been up to tonight,” Villagrana went on. “We got a bunch of wounded citizens in the hospital with arrows sticking out of them. Would you care to comment on that?”

Arthur sighed, gripping Reyna’s cell phone tightly in his left hand, willing it to vibrate. “Mr. Mayor, someone alerted the drug dealers that my knights be on their way, and they attacked us first. Those you speak of were living under your care as guardian of this city and poisoning the children you claim to be concerned about. Ask the people gathered here with me if they care that some of these citizens have been hurt.”

The crowd erupted with an ear-shattering roar, “We don’t care! We want Arthur!” The cell phones waved and flickered like angry starlight, and car horns blasted into the night like howling dogs.

Though slightly embarrassed by the people’s show of support, Arthur stood his ground and gazed up at the mayor with pride. And why shouldn’t he? His kids had done tonight what all the adults up there had failed to even attempt.

Villagrana exchanged a look with the police chief, who shrugged. Fury swept across the mayor’s face. “You cannot go around taking the law into your own hands!”

Arthur shook his head at the venality of this man and his ilk. “I thought in this country the laws came from the people. Are we not the people?”

The knights and spectators again went wild with cheers and applause and flashing phone lights and honking horns.

“But alas, Mr. Mayor,” Arthur went on, playing to Helen’s camera as well, “I did forget that in thine eyes and that of your fellow authoritarians, children be not part of the people, but mere property to be bought, sold, traded, and neglected. They have no rights. They cannot even vote for men such as yourself. Tonight my noble young knights have proven the error of your ways and your thinking. My knights have accomplished what you and yours could not or would not do, and the whole of this city has benefited.”

He pointed to the dumpster, now overflowing with drug-filled backpacks. “Behold, Mr. Mayor, but a mere fraction of the drugs you have allowed to infest your city, drugs which destroy the lives of children first and foremost, and which took from me one of my most beloved knights.”

He paused a moment as the image of Mark’s soft features pulled his heart with tight emotion, and Lance’s eager young face danced before his mind’s eye. “But Sir Mark’s death shall not be forgotten. My knights have begun a crusade this day that is not near to being finished. Do you intend to finish the job, Mr. Mayor and Mr. Police Chief? The people be awaiting your response.”

The crowd and the kids let loose another resounding roar of approval, and cell phone lights flashed on and off in excited waving.

Parked a few blocks up Temple near the intersection of Spring Street, the limo idled. On a flat-screen TV, which had descended from the roof at the touch of a button, the occupants watched the entire scene below them play out live. Lance had flinched when Arthur mentioned Mark, and was visibly surprised to hear Ryan’s assessment of them. He knew Jack was, too. Always, however, he sought any possible opening to initiate his plan.

R. chuckled as the camera zoomed in on Villagrana’s face. The mayor looked like he’d swallowed a whole onion, so disgusted was his expression.

“Villagrana always has been a fool,” he said to no one in particular. “A useful idiot, but nothing more.” Then he looked at Mr. L. “Are your men in position?”

L. nodded.

R. grinned. “Let the diversion begin.”

L. raised a phone to his mouth and spoke only one word, “Now.”

Lance whipped his gaze back to the TV monitor, dread clenching his stomach into knots.

Villagrana and Murphy exchanged looks with Sanders and Gale and the other council members, and they began speaking quietly to one another, debating what should be done.

Ryan and Gibson took the moment to eye each other.

“You saw Justin?” Gibson whispered to his partner, his voice filled with pain.

Ryan nodded. “You gonna go get him, or do I have to?”

“I’ll go.”

But before he could move, a group of fifteen individuals, dressed in ninja black, faces covered except for their eyes, appeared from behind City Hall and oozed smoothly and rapidly down the steps toward Arthur. They brandished katanas, their movements lithe, nimble and sure-footed.

“Knights, to thy swords!” called out Arthur as he drew Excalibur with his right hand.

Esteban pushed Reyna back and unsheathed his sword. Reyna grabbed Chris, and they backed Llamrei away from the melee. Jaime, Justin, Darnell, and the others surrounding Arthur pulled out their swords, and the fight commenced.

Jenny backed away into the kids surrounding the fighting arena. A huge circle had quickly spread outward from the center, with the combatants attacking each other within.

Helen’s cameraman swung around to catch the action, as did all the others.

Arthur’s knights used their weapons effectively against the attackers, who jumped and spun and wielded their katanas with deadly precision. But Arthur’s knights were just as skilled and managed to block every attack with their shields, and their body armor protected them from glancing blows by the enemy.

The sheer weightiness of Arthur’s swords often knocked the smaller attackers to the ground, especially when wielded by Esteban with his prodigious strength. The powerful boy pounded into the fray, swinging and hacking and parrying and dancing, putting technique ahead of brute force, just as Lance had taught him.

Tai, the massive Samoan with the steamroller build, plowed like a bull into the skirmish, swinging and hacking with his six-foot broadsword, disarming one of the attackers with a hard swing that shattered the man’s forearm. Then he whirled and barreled into two more, head-butting one so hard he dropped to the pavement like a sack of potatoes, and then plowing his shoulder into the other, sending the smaller man crashing hard to the ground where Duc easily kicked the sword from his grasp and held the man down with the point of his own weapon.

Arthur’s knights fought viciously, dancing and swinging, dodging killing blows, all their training coming to the fore, clearly enjoying the opportunity to show off their skills, pumped up with the strength of their youth and vigor.

Arthur wielded Excalibur as though it were a kitchen knife, always swinging and slashing and hacking with his right hand for fear of dropping Reyna’s cell phone, which he clutched tightly in his left.

Esteban and Darnell wounded their attackers with measured, well-placed thrusts to the shoulders, and the men crumpled to the pavement, their swords clattering out of reach.

“My God!” exclaimed the mayor, looking over at Murphy. “Do something.”

“Like what?” Murphy retorted. “Have my men shoot into a crowd of kids?”

Gibson gaped in stupefied amazement as his son swung and hacked and parried and danced and easily took down not one, but two of the attackers.

Luis and Enrique suffered serious slashes across their sword arms that drew blood, causing them to stumble back against Reyna and Lavern, both of whom already had their bows loaded and cocked.

Reyna smiled at the attacker moving in to finish off Luis, sword poised for the kill. “Sorry, sucker,” she said and let the arrow fly. It struck the man in his upper bicep, causing him to shriek in pain and drop his sword.

Likewise, Lavern let fly his arrow, which caught the other man in the thigh, sending him sprawling to the concrete, the sword tumbling from his grasp.

In all of this confusion, no one noticed a young Asian man creep through the crowd to stand behind Jenny, who fearfully watched the fighting, breath caught in her throat. She suddenly felt something cold and metallic press into her back.

“Don’t turn around,” she heard a soft voice whisper.

Her heart beat wildly, her eyes fixed on Arthur and Excalibur, as though willing the man to look over. But he gamboled and parried against the largest of the attackers and did not