Hope (Knights of Av'lor - Book 1)

Chapter 17

Kathryn remembered her birthday—alone, pulled into another world, chased by Daemons, and then thrown into the infirmary. Definitely not a good day. No cake, no presents, no family. Just stuck on an alien world with the man who had knocked upon her door on Christmas Eve, delivered his message and left, leaving behind a grief that had spread through her life like a disease. She had been on Av'lor for three months now and couldn't believe how different it was from her existence on Earth.

With work and trying to get her mother's house under control, she hadn't had the time to grieve. After the funeral, she'd had no drive to do much of anything. Her pantsuits, once displaying her pride in her job, degraded to jeans and collared shirts. She wasn't sure if her sword and armor were a step below that or not. Loneliness still gnawed at her.

Her mother's death had ended the one serious relationship she'd had back home, but that had happened before she came to Av'lor. Greg couldn't understand her needing some space. She had always been an independent person and her shyness had never allowed her to make many friends. Her chosen detachment those last months had made it impossible for others to offer their sympathy, letting Kathryn avoid seeing the pity in their eyes. On Av'lor, her shyness had diminished as she worked with the other knights during drill.

Every night, she had glimpses of a violent future filled with death and destruction. Seeing her friends impaled upon Daemon spears started to take its toll. Kathryn sat on her bed, clutching her hands while she wondered what her family did back on Earth. Did they believe someone had kidnapped or murdered her? Did they think she had abandoned them? Sometimes, she felt like she was alone here. In the castle, almost all men surrounded her. The women were so busy with surviving that they had no time to speak with her, let alone be friends.

A knock sounded upon the door. It was probably Hal. She opened the door and was surprised to see Assessor Jakara.

"Lady Kathryn, I'd like to speak with you if you don't mind."

She didn't feel comfortable inviting this man into her room, so she stepped out into the common room and shut the door behind her. "Assessor Jakara I'm surprised by your visit. Is there something I can do for you?" Say no. Say no.

He looked uncomfortable and almost embarrassed. "I wanted to give you something." He pulled out a wrapped object from his belt and held it before him, offering it to her.

She took the item and unwrapped it, expecting some type of cursed object from the man who had despised her for so long. Instead, she saw a beautiful dagger of blue steel with a unicorn carved upon the hilt. There were runes upon the blade that she didn't understand.

"Assessor Jakara, this is beautiful, but I don't understand why you're giving it to me. It's...unexpected."

He looked down to the floor, then up to her with sad eyes. "It was my daughter, Nlei's, favorite. I had it made for her the day she joined the Knighthood. I was so proud of her. She died some cycles ago and I blamed the Earth woman instructor who had thought her ready enough to fight. Armored Daemons ambushed them and wiped out the entire squad. It wasn't until that day you showed me your Sight that I realized I not only blamed the instructor, but I blamed myself for encouraging Nlei to join the Knighthood." He looked down and sighed.

"You know, it was Nlei's choice and neither I nor the instructor would have discouraged her from doing her duty." He met her eyes. "I think it's time I focused on the present instead of on the past. I used to look at that dagger every night before bed and torture myself. It's time to move on. I'd like you to have it."

"I'd be honored." She felt sad that he had to endure the loss of his daughter. It was amazing how the events of people's lives shaped how they looked at the world. Even bad events could help to move a person in a better direction. "What do the runes mean?"