Hope (Knights of Av'lor - Book 1)

Chapter 41

"Thanks, Garrent. I'll give it to her."

"I appreciate it, Sir Lanclor. It only seems right. I honestly forgot about it until now. Be safe."

"Be safe, Garrent." Garrent saluted and left Lanclor's workroom. The first day Hal and Lady Kathryn had arrived seemed like ages ago instead of just under six months. Lanclor remembered that day clearly, as she had almost died. He had saved her from that unfortunate end. Thank the Goddess.

He couldn't imagine where the Knighthood would be without her. Garrent, Alextor and he would most likely be at the bottom of the Floalkel Falls with over a dozen other knights. The Knighthood would have never recovered without their leadership, and the Daemons would have overpowered them in the battles that followed.

Garrent had come to Lanclor's workroom to present him with a heavy sack that had been in the corner of the sabotaged armory. It now lay on his desk wrapped in his spare cloak. Lanclor rose from his chair and headed for Lady Kathryn's chambers with the pack in tow. He knocked upon her door a short while later.

She answered the door in full armor, minus her helmet. He had to suppress the urge to touch her hair.

"Sir Lanclor, this is unexpected. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Lady Kathryn. I actually need to return something to you that we forgot about." He presented her with the bundle.

Carefully unwinding the cloak, she smiled at her pack and he saw her face beam with satisfaction. "My backpack! I completely forgot about it! Thank you, Sir Lanclor." She met his eyes with genuine gratitude, offering him the cloak as she placed the heavy pack upon her table.

He hesitated, and then decided just to tell her the rest of his news. "I also have something else I'd like to give you. Do you remember that I told you I'd reward you if you could tame the mare?"

"Tame Artemis? Yes, I remember." Kathryn clenched her hands in front of her.

"Well, I've decided upon a reward for your efforts. You've done a great job preparing her to be a knight's mount. She'll be a welcome addition to the knight stables. She's plenty big enough to support anyone in the Knighthood, don't you agree?"

"Um, yes, Sir Lanclor. She's coming along well." She kept her expression neutral, but he could see the disappointment and sadness in her eyes at the thought of losing her new friend.

"Well, I've decided the best reward for you is Artemis."

It took a while to sink in. "Artemis? You mean—"

"Artemis. I bought her, so she's mine to give. I'm giving her to you on the condition that you allow me some breeding rights. If she chooses to breed, that is."

With joy in her eyes, she gave him a hug and he forced himself to not wrap his arms around her and pull her closer to him.

She seemed to remember his rank. "Um, thank you, Sir Lanclor. Please forgive my excitement"

"You're welcome, Lady Kathryn." He forced himself to nod and take his leave. Heading toward the center courtyard, his doubts about the Ball crept to the forefront of his mind. Memories of her warmth against him and her smile while they danced together pained him. He never should have pursued her. The ache he felt now, ten times worse than before, almost brought him to his knees when he was around her. He had to move past it.

A short while later, Lanclor sat in the throne room with Lord Alextor and awaited the presence of the R'kelo knights. They had decided to send them north to the Lir'Kelah in the hope that they could shed some light on the black quills and arrange a safe haven if the knights had to abandon the castle. The land around R'kelo had been quiet for the past few weeks, so it was the only place they could afford to reduce their numbers and send a group north.

The doors opened and two dozen tired knights strode in. Their armor varied in color and gave each one an identity of seasoned troops. He stared in disbelief as he recognized the armor patterns of several knights in the back of the group. No, it couldn't be. He thought they had more time. Bowing his head in his hand, he struggled to comprehend what it meant.

"Lanclor, is something wrong?" Lord Alextor asked in a concerned tone.

Lanclor regained his composure and shook his head. "We can discuss it afterward. Let's get started." He barely listened to the plan to send them north. His mind reeling with possibilities, a knight covered in soot took him by surprise when he burst into the throne room.

"Lord Alextor," the filthy knight said between breaths. He must have flown here in a hurry by the look of his trembling wings. "The Red Valley, there are so many. They covered the ground, obscuring the red rock of the valley floor." He began to panic and started mumbling incoherently about death and destruction to come.

"Enough! Take a breath. Explain to me exactly what you saw," Lord Alextor said in a firm voice.

"Daemons! Thousands upon thousands of Daemons! They cover the Red Valley!"

Everyone started talking at once, but Lanclor remained quiet. His fears confirmed, he looked up at the several knights he had recognized. He had seen Lady Kathryn's Final Battle Sight so many times that they were like old friends whom he had believed he wouldn't meet until much later. The Final Battle had arrived.