Perilous Knights

By Charles Payseur

Sir Lamorak is a mess -- in debt to a ruthless knight, estranged from most of his family, and unable to resist a warm bed regardless of who’s offering. His only real hope of getting out of trouble is winning a large tourney, and with a mech suit in bad need of repair, he’s prospects seem dim indeed. At least until a mysterious ally saves him from a savage attack and offers to help him out.

But can a stranger who wears a mask with glowing green eyes really be trusted, or are ey part of the swirling plots between Queen Guinevere, the jealous First Consort Arthur, and his scheming magician Merlin? Whatever happens, Lamorak must navigate political intrigue, personal demons, and distracting pleasures to survive being a perilous knight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685504076

Book preview

Perilous Knights

By Charles Payseur

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2023 Charles Payseur

ISBN 9781685504076

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Perilous Knights

By Charles Payseur

Energy crackled at the base of Lamorak’s skull, hot nearly to burning. He gritted his teeth and flexed, the suit coming to life around him, standing from its crouch. Images came in fits—a field; a figure twenty-feet tall, painted black and red, with green glowing eyes; a mechanical hand; a woman’s face, scarred and stern and frowning; a field, suddenly getting closer. He braced as the suit crashed to its knees, then its chest, the pain in his neck finally too much to bear as he cried out and hit the kill. Darkness.

Lam? a voice asked through one of the crystals surrounding his head. Close. Worried.

Lamorak wished the voice didn’t remind him of all the things he was running from. All the ways he was a failure, and unless by some miracle he could change his fortune, he’d be forced to swallow his pride and return home in defeat.

Lam, are you okay? the voice asked.

Fine, Percy, he said, despite wanting nothing more than to fill the tight confines of the suit with a litany of his best curses. Can you get me out of here?

Hah, Ruwena, his senior squire, barked. Hers was the face he had seen, and it sounded like she was wearing the same disapproving expression. You collapsed on the hatch, so you’re stuck until we can get the mules over to flip you. Serves you right for trying to walk before you can crawl.

I don’t have time for this, Ru, he said. The tourney is tomorrow, and if I can’t earn enough, I’ll either have to sell the suit or my body to cover what I owe to Sir Breuse.

I’m not the one who decided to take money from that crook of a knight, Ruwena said. And I’m certainly not the one who decided to run away from home because of some silly fight with my father.

It wasn’t like that, Ruwena, Percy said, his voice breaking as he spoke. If Father had his way…

Enough, Percy, Lamorak said, harsher than he’d intended. But he didn’t need to be defended by his little brother, and he really didn’t want to be reminded of why he had left the comforts of his father’s castle for the perils of the road.

Whatever the case, you shouldn’t have pushed the interface, Ruwena said, brushing away the familial drama about which she had never once asked. She was old for a squire, but she knew more about suits than anyone Lamorak had met, including his father’s chief squire, who had been through four campaigns in Hessia and a stint in the Royal Stable.

There was too much feedback, Lamorak said. Which was putting it lightly. More like the blasted thing had nearly melted his brain.

Which I told you would happen without a properly calibrated ghost box, Ruwena said.

Lamorak bit back an angry comment about how of course it would, but it had taken all he could afford even with the money he borrowed from Sir Breuse to get the salvaged ghost box they had. It wouldn’t help his case to piss off his senior squire even more. So he said nothing, not willing to concede by apologizing or admitting he was wrong.

Look, I’ll take another swing at getting it more in line, Ruwena said, but we’re going to need a new cognition seal and we’re running low on coal.

Lamorak closed his eyes. In the darkness of the suit, it hardly made a difference. Well, he had joked about it…

Percy, has the queen’s party arrived? he asked, knowing he’d have an easier time with knights from Camelot.

For a moment, there was silence, and when Percy answered, it was a whisper. Yeah, he said. About thirty knights that I saw, including Pelleas, Gaheris, Agravaine, Uwain, Dina—

Uwain? Lamorak interrupted. This would be easier than he thought.

I’m getting the mules, Ruwena said.

Lamorak couldn’t even watch her walk away. His mind was already running through scenarios, plans. And then he remembered the images he had seen, the field and Ruwena’s face and…that figure.

Percy, did you see a suit right before I fell? he asked. Black and red, with green glowing eyes.

Another pause. Somehow Percy had gotten into his head that Lamorak needed protecting. Probably that was why he had insisted on following when Lamorak had left. He was far too mature for his age. But eventually he