Knights of Justice
Chapter 3
The Land of the Light, Northern border to Action, and home of the Green Knights, is ruled by Sinestro. He rules his empire with an iron fist. The empire is vast and mostly unsettled. The Land of the Light is cold and icy all year round. Sinestro's castle sits at the southern tip of the Land. It is a large empty castle. Lanterns hang along all the walls glowing a dim green light on the halls and rooms.
Sinestro leads his people with strict laws. Every boy must serve in the military from the age of 16 until 24. The Land of the Light has been crafted to have a militaristic view so many serve for many years after. All citizens must travel with a special lantern only made in the dungeons of Sinestro's castle. Every citizen is taxed and failure to meet Sinestro's tax requirement is placed in the mountains of the west. There, they must mine the special ore named Oa. Sinestro's army is made up of the Green Knights. They are called this because their armor is made from Oa. It has a green tint to it, and it is incredibly strong. The commander of the Green Knights is named John Stewart. He is a black man that has served twenty years as a Green Knight.
"Sinestro, my Emperor," said John as he bowed in front of Sinestro sitting upon his throne.
"What do you need, John?" asked Sinestro. "I am quite busy," he continued coldly. The hairs stood on the back of John's neck, just like they always did when he speaks with Sinestro.
"One of the Green has been murdered. We don't know when it happened. It could have been a few weeks," John said still bowing. "A note was left. It said dusk has reached us and to set their people free. It was signed the First." Sinestro sat silent, eyes closed, and hands clenched into fists. John hesitated in the silence. "Sir?"
"Gotham received the same message and was attacked soon after. You will go there immediately. Try to find this First before he returns to the Light," said Sinestro. John stood and turned to leave. Before he could reach the door, Sinestro spoke again,"Bring Jordan with you."
John closed his eyes. He gritted through his teeth,"I will do as you command Sinestro." He exited the throne room and headed to find Hal Jordan where Hal Jordan almost always was.
*****
Diana looked across the fighting ring in the middle of King Arthur's Castle. King Arthur stood dressed in the finest golden armor Diana had ever seen. He held his trident in his right hand and a shield in his left. Diana looked down at her own armor in dismay. In Olympus, one of Zeus' full sons, Hephaestus, had crafted her full battle gear. They had left it in her room. The Atlantans had given her a red breast plate, a helmet that did not fit her head, and two silver bracelets. She tossed the helmet to the side. She reached down and picked up her sword and shield. Once again, she looked at the King. His lips slowly curled into a smile. The smugness oozed off of him like fog off a mountain.
"Are you ready?" he questioned. She inhaled, exhaled, and gritted her teeth. She glanced outside the ring at Ares. He stood muted with his arms crossed. She looked at King Arthur again. With the feeling of emptiness in her stomach, she nodded at him.
The King lunged first. He stabbed low at Diana's legs. She swung down with her sword and knocked the trident into the earth. Diana shoved her shield into his arm. He took the blow and shoved back. Diana took a step back to separate the two, but King Arthur spun and kicked at her. Every swing Diana took was returned by the King. She tried to back off and regain her focus, but she couldn't land a strike. He stabbed continuously at Diana. She swung down at each strike over and over. Then, she swung down yet no trident was there. Her sword landed in the dirt. She looked up and saw the trident coming down at her from the sky above. She closed her eyes at it slashed across her face. Diana hit the floor.
Time slowed down around her. Her heart pounded, pounded, pounded. A puddle of sweat and blood formed underneath Diana's face. Her chest continued to pound, pound, and pound. She heard King Arthur laugh echo in the throne room. Suddenly the emptiness she had in her stomach was gone. What felt like a spark turned to a full on raging fire. She thrusted herself up. Dropping her shield; Diana swung at the King. He had turned his back to her but quickly turned to block her attack. Now it was Diana on the offensive assault. She thrusted at his head. Each swing with more fire. King Arthur thrusted his trident into the floor and caught Diana's arm in between its forks. Diana stopped breathing hard. She looked around the room gathering herself. King Arthur was still smiling, but instead of awe he had a look of wonder on his face. In the corner of the room stood the Queen. She remained straight faced with her eyes glued to Diana. Finally, Diana looked where Ares had stood. He had left and was no where to be seen.
*****
Hal Jordan woke to the whistle of the bitter wind. There was a chair to the left of his bed. On the chair sat a lantern whose soft dying embers filled the room with a musty green tint. A bead of sweat rolled off his forehead. Once again, Hal had slept without dreaming. Also, once again a woman laid asleep beside him. He did not remember her name.
He got out of the bed quietly, put on his clothes, and made his way to the hallway outside the room. The dusty walls reeked of vomit. Hal stumbled to the stairs without any light to guide him. Slowly, he made his way down the stairs. With each step, a creak broke the silence. Finally, Hal reached the tavern bellow.
The room was large and lit up by lanterns hung on every wall. The tables and chairs were in disarray from the previous night. One man sat on a chair with his feet on another. "Hal," the man said,"How was your evening?"
"No better then yours, I am sure," Hal responded while taking a seat next to the man. "What brings you here, Sir Stewart?" Hal asked.
"There is no need to call me Sir; we are both Green Knights. Some wear the honor with a little more pride," said John looking around at the beaten down tavern, "But we all share the honor the same. As to why I am here...well... I need you."
"You need me?" asked Hal. "For what?"
"Emperor Sinestro has asked me to bring you on a journey south," John told Hal. Hearing this, Hal perked up in his chair. John continued saying, "He needs us to investigate a murderer in Gotham."
"Gotham?" asked Hal. "Why would Gotham have anything to do with the Light?"
John looked down at his feet. His whole life had been spent doing the same routine. Now, at the peak of his career as a Knight, he felt the winds whistling a new tune, the waters churning a new direction, and the sun shining a new gold. "Hal," he said at last, "the world is about to change."
*****
Richard Grayson was a mere eight years old when Bruce found him. The fifteen year old had been traveling the southern mountains when he found Richard. At first, Richard only stayed with Bruce because it kept him fed. Cold and distant, Bruce spent his days and nights disappearing into the various cities the two would come upon. Eventually, Bruce showed Richard where it was that he would go. Bruce Wayne was the devil of the night. Attacking the criminals they came across. During the day, he would spend his time in libraries reading the history of the various cities the two came upon or in training arenas learning every form of fighting known to man, whether it be with sword, arrow, or just bare-handed. It didn't take long for Richard to follow in Bruce's foot steps. The coldness between the two vanished at they became brothers. Bruce still kept some secrets from Richard. When the two showed up in Gotham to the amazement of the city's citizens, it was just as big a shock to Richard that the brother he now had was royalty. Bruce took over the role of Lord of Gotham and Richard joined him in the Castle of Wayne. It was also shocking when Alfred, Bruce's advisor who had taken over as the Lord of Gotham, had built an underground fortress ready for Bruce to use in his quest to defeat the criminals of his city. The two continued to fight crime at night. Richard called himself the Robin of the Knight.
Now, things have changed. Richard eventually left Bruce after he had brought in a new Robin of the Knight. Richard was just thirteen when he left with Sir Jim Gordon and his daughter for Bloodheaven. There he continued as a new protector of the knight. This time under the name Knightwing. He had help, Sir Jim's daughter Barbara, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since birth. The three would return to Gotham often. Richard would take over as Lord of Gotham several times. He did it when the second Robin died. He did it when Bruce left to train the third Robin. Now he is doing it again.
The city was attacked by a wizard. That much he knew. The wizard swept through the city freeing the prisons. Many who tried to stop the wizard had died. Then, they disappeared. The prisoners, some citizens, and the wizard himself were gone. Bruce was in Metropoland at the time, but as he rode up the streets to his castle, both knew their world was changing.
To be Continued...