Chapter 2 (Olympe)
Just as Kal-el was going to ask what had happened, he heard a happy bark, and before even he could react, a snow-white canine launched itself at him, its tail wagging excitedly. “Krypto!” Kal-el exclaimed joyously. “Is it really you, old friend?”
Of course, Kal already knew that it was indeed his old canine friend, for Krypto had been a constant in his life. When Kal had taken his first steps, he kept one hand firmly clenched in the dog's white fur, and when Kal realized how exceptionally fast he was, Krypto still managed to keep up with him. When Kal-el had been expelled from the Knights of Kandor, losing Krypto was one of the worst pains he had to endure, a close second to finding out his Lady Lois was not the person he had thought she was.
Seeing his one-time mentor and the white canine dancing around each other in their old greeting ritual, James commented, “Sir, I appreciate your joy, but you really have to listen to me now. Something terrible has happened, and you are probably the only person who can possibly save the Knights of Kandor!”
Kal-el shook his head. He, who had been banned from the order, was supposed to save it? And from what? “James, please tell me what happened, will you?”
James, his former squire, began his tale, “Something terrible has happened. The whole order had been outlawed by the King!”
“But why?” Kal-el felt compelled to ask. As far as he knew, the Knights of Kandor had always been one of the most important pillars of Metrian society.
“For storing knowledge about magic! Can you believe it? Under the Guildhall, there w ere the ruins of an ancient palace, and they were full of magical artifacts and books about magic.” James took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. “I think High Elders Ganthet and Jonathan expected something of that nature to happen. I was supposed to undergo my initiation rites which, as you well know, include a week of fasting in seclusion. High Elder Ganthet told me to follow Krypto to the site. He also told me he had packed some rations for me, but both proved to be false. Krypto led me and my faithful horse Percival White further and further away until the night broke, and when I finally tried to unpack my rations, I only found a letter and a bottomless bag in my pack,” James recalled.
Kal-el furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why would the High Elder put a bag without a bottom into your pack?”
“Not a bag without a bottom, a bottomless bag!” James hastened to explain, for his former mentor obviously did not know the difference. “It is a bag that can hold anything and everything. In fact, it now holds the whole content of the secret library under the Guildhall.”
Kal-el made an involuntary step backwards, thereby startling Krypto out of his reverie. “But that's magic!” he exclaimed, appalled.
“You, of all people, should be no stranger to magic,” James rebuked the elder man.
The former Knight of Kandor heaved a heavy sigh. “James, I do not know why I am different, but I am sure it has nothing to do with magic.” Seeing the disbelief on his young friend's face, he elaborated, “You know, if one man is stronger than another, would you call it magic?”
James shook his head no. “Of course not. Some men are stronger than others. It is the way things are.”
“Or if one man is faster than another, does it have to be magic?” Kal-el continued in the same vein, and James shook his head no. “See? The only difference is that I am very much stronger and faster than every other man. I cannot help it, but that is the way I am. I still do not know why I am the way I am, but I can assure you that there is no foul magic at work. I never dance nakedly around any fires, and by Rao I swear that I never sacrificed any innocent infants to drink their blood!” Kal could have sworn that he heard a faint, but very feminine giggle coming from somewhere nearby, but since neither the horses nor Krypto seemed to have noticed, he accepted that he might have imagined things.
“That's not what magic is like!” James argued. As he was given an ice-cold glare, he swallowed, but decided to tell his trusted friend anyway. “It is about incantations and gestures and adding the right component at the right time. And it really works, even without any dancing around fires or sacrificing infants.”
“And how would you know about it?” Kal-el demanded to know with an unmistakable growl in his voice.
James looked at him with an enthusiasm Kal could not ignore. “Because I started to read through the books I carry with me. And guess what? It so happens I have at least some of the talent.” As if to prove his point, James started an ancient incantation, and his formerly mud-stained robes were cleaned. They also turned a lovely shade of pink. Noticing this, James shrugged. “I guess I still have to work on perfecting this spell.”
This was too much for Kal-el. “James, have you lost your mind? How dare you tamper with the forces of magic, risking your immortal soul, not to mention your life? Magic is anathema, and every worker of magic is to be executed!”
Once more, James shrugged. “Things can hardly get worse, for the King decided to make an example of the Knights of Kandor. But let me start at the beginning.” As Kal-el did nothing but motion for him to continue, he did so after taking a deep breath, “For a fortnight, the King had every Knight of Kandor hunted down by his own royal guards whose number has been increased constantly over the last few years, He had them all imprisoned in the Guildhall before he had Alexander of Luthor use one of the magical artifacts he had found against them. It was a simple bottle, or so it seemed, but when he uncorked it... It's horrible! Where the Guildhall used to be, there is now a vast expanse of wasteland.”
“And the Guildhall? The Knights?” Kal-el prompted.
James looked at the tips of his well-worn shoes before he replied in a whisper. “All gone. They are now shrunk and locked within the bottle.
The look on Kal-el's face was one of pure horror. “But that's... I don't have the words to describe this!”
The young red-head looked up at his former master. “Me, neither. But I have my orders. Somehow, I had to find you. Now, I only have to find the long-lost elves of Themyscira. High Elder Ganthet said that they and they alone would be able to help. And that you were the only one who stood a chance of convincing them to come to our aid.”
Kal-el could not believe his ears. “And how are we supposed to find them? They are not real, but creatures out of myth!”
James looked up, relieved to know that his old friend was still on his side, despite the fact that he had actually used magic. Before he could muster a response, though, he heard something that made him look to his left.
There, from between the bushes, came the most beautiful white mare he had ever seen. She possessed a slender grace so unlike his own battle-steed, and her mane and tail seemed to wave in a non-existing breeze. Despite the fact she looked as fragile as a piece of china, she carried a rider in full armor. And the rider was as unusual as his steed. He was wearing chainmail made of some very shiny silvery metal very unlike the steel which looked much duller and grayer than this. Even the shield and sword, which the rider held in a combat-ready state, were of the same silvery quality. Absentmindedly, James noticed that the slender fighter had a chest engraved on his shield that loosely resembled a stylized falcon.
As they were still entranced by the apparition or whatever it was, Krypto charged at the steed. To Kal-el's and James' surprise, the young man merely gestured towards the dog and uttered a few sounds to the dog who almost stopped in mid-jump and, instead of attacking, greeted the stranger like a long-lost friend.
Both James and Kal-el were watching Krypto's display of affection with silent awe when the stranger finally addressed them, “I think you want to come with me.”
Kal-el was still transfixed by the beautifully melodious voice, so it was James' turn to question this order, “Why should we do that?”
An amused smile played around the fighter's mouth when he – or she? - replied, “You mean, apart from the fact that I am ready for battle whereas you are flat-footed?”
Chagrined, James and Kal-el looked at each other as this little fact had escaped their notice. But the stranger took pity on them and explained, “You will come with me because I can take you directly to the Queen of Themyscira.”
James was still skeptical – a far cry from the innocent boy Kal-el remembered from his days as an honored Knight of Kandor. “Right, exactly. You just happen to be best friends with the elves of myth and can show us the way,” he said sarcastically.
The young fighter chuckled before he – no, definitely she – removed her helmet, thereby letting her jet-black curls cascade down her slender back. When Kal finally managed to look at something but the fascinating waterfall of dark locks or the sea-blue eyes dominating the woman's lovely face, he realized that she sported a set of rather pointy ears.
*****
