Hope (Knights of Av'lor - Book 1)

Chapter 30

As Borith buried the Councilor, he couldn't help but think of his parents. They had felt cold to the touch as well when I had buried them. During his 24th cycle, a wolf had spooked the oxen pulling his parents' cart. The bulls had trampled both of them, pulling the machinery after it. He had pleaded with the Council to grant a healer permission to attend them. After careful deliberation, they had decided that the accident was the will of the Goddess and a healer shouldn't intervene. He had begged and pleaded, but they had adamantly refused and had called their guards to remove him from the chamber.

He had sat with his parents for two days, striving to prevent any type of infection from settling into their bodies. His father had remained in a deep sleep while his mother had trembled with pain, sometimes moaning for hours on end. Despite his care, his mother had died that afternoon and his father had followed that evening.

It had taken him all night to dig a single grave big enough for both of them to remain together in death. He had wrapped them in their bed sheets and had struggled for over an hour to slide them into the earth.

No prayer.

No goddess or god could exist if this could happen to his religious parents. Never again would he depend upon anyone else to survive.

Borith looked down as he made his report to his master. "The smith was right. Councilor Melekir did take the Orb. He sold it to a knight, but he believed the knight died in one of the battles a few weeks ago. Who knows what happened to it after that."

"Will he be able to tell anyone else his story?"

"No. The Councilor had an unfortunate accident. He seems to have suffered from heart failure. Torture usually does that to elderly people. No one will be the wiser. I took care of the body and left some incriminating evidence at his home so everyone will think he ran off with a young man named Nithen."

"Good. We don't need anyone else knowing the truth about the Orb. I'm sure it wouldn't have been left upon the battlefield. Its power would have attracted another knight who I'm sure pocketed it without knowing its value. We should be able to track it eventually. I need to get back now. I shall see you in a few days."

His master shifted his wings, and then without a backwards glance left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He's such a fool. He thought he was the only one who had set plans in motion. If luck was with him, Lanclor, Kathryn and Alextor would be nothing but a tragic memory in the next few months. Without them to interfere, he could take Emma and Erica home. They'd be safe on Earth.