Hope (Knights of Av'lor - Book 1)

Chapter 43

Kathryn wandered the quiet halls to try to clear her head. She walked past the windows overlooking the darkening sky of the courtyard and stepped into the library. A single light globe illuminated the table in the far right corner. She saw his silhouette and paused just past the doorway. His elbow propped his helmeted head upon the table above a thick book.

Without warning, he stood and threw the book across the room, and then crossed his arms and stared at the light globe. She saw anger in the stance of his wings and feared she had upset him with her presence, but he didn't appear to see her past the globe's light.

Without her armor or helmet, she made her silent way toward him. As her white wings made her visible, Sir Lanclor looked her way with his hand reaching toward his sword.

"Lady Kathryn. I didn't hear you come in." His hand relaxed. His voice held an undercurrent of sadness.

"Indeed." Kathryn walked over to pick up the thrown book. She felt Sir Lanclor's eyes upon her as she bent over. When she turned back, he met her eyes then turned and sat back down at the table. Dragging a chair beside him, she set the book back upon the table and sat down, intentionally spreading her wings in such a way so that they brushed his. He made no move to break the contact.

"We don't have any more time to find the answer." Sir Lanclor placed his elbows upon the table, clenched his hands together and leaned his head against them. "I'm going to die tomorrow."

Kathryn didn't know what to say. She'd had the Sight so many times that she couldn't comfort him with a false denial. If they had more time, maybe she could throw out ideas on how to avert the disaster. She reached over and placed her hand upon his armored bicep. Unsure what to say, she remained silent.

Sir Lanclor looked down at her hand and covered it with his right for a brief moment before clearing his throat and rising to his feet. He grabbed the book and disappeared into the shadows of the shelves in the back of the library.

Kathryn jumped to her feet and followed him into the darkness, pausing just long enough to let her eyes adjust to the faint light. She saw his darker form and continued ahead, trapping him between the wall and two bookshelves on either side. Turning, he looked her way and froze.

Spreading her wings to block his escape, she stopped a foot in front of him. Not wanting to strain her neck, she felt around for the familiar stool with her foot. She pulled it over and stepped up to his eye level.

"What is this about, Lady Kathryn?" Sir Lanclor put his hands upon his hips and stood with his wings extended, similar to a small animal trying to make itself larger when faced with a predator.

"I'm not going to let you die, Matthis."

Sir Lanclor took a step backward and bumped against the wall. He turned to look behind him and spread his arms for balance. "Why did you call me that?"

"Because it's your name. I know who you are. A'lath." She released the spell and a small light glowed above them emitting just enough light to allow them to see each other.

"Matthis doesn't exist anymore." He made no move to leave, so Kathryn stepped back off the stool and pushed it closer to him.

She stepped back onto the stool and was close enough to feel his breath against her lips. "He existed during the Ball."

"That was a mistake." His wings drooped and he attempted to move to her left.

Her arm shot out and halted his progress.

"Let it go, Lady Kathryn." He settled back into his former position.

Kathryn reached underneath his helmet with both hands and he gripped her wrists.

"Just turn around and walk away." His grip was firm, yet gentle.

She glared at him, willing herself not to cry. He released her and offered no resistance while she unbuckled his helmet and pulled it over his head. Dropping the helmet to the floor, she looked upon a different version of the man she'd met at the ball.

With dark circles beneath his eyes and stubble adorning his chin, he regarded her with weary eyes. "What is the purpose of this?" His words drew her eyes to his lips.

Leaning forward, she brushed his lips with hers. His posture stiffened, then relaxed. The kiss was tentative at first, intensifying as he slid his arms around her. His stubble hurt her face, but she ignored the pain.

Her tongue caressed his and she felt him shudder and tighten his hold on her. His armor dug into her and only then did she pull away and return his look. She saw the desire and joy in his eyes and his gradual dampening of both.

"Why are you doing this, Lady Kathryn? You don't want a relationship with me." Bitterness laced his words.

"Why does everyone keep telling me what I want? I'm old enough to make my own decisions and those decisions aren't based upon the opinions of others. If you don't want me, then that's one thing..." Kathryn held her breath.

A brief moment of indecision flashed within his eyes and he looked away. He clenched his jaw and returned her look. "I could lie and tell you I didn't, but you know me better than that. I just don't want you to get hurt. People can be cruel."

She released her breath, closing her eyes in relief. It was short-lived. "So, the only reason for us not to be together is to please other people?" Kathryn felt her eyes start to water and looked away. Her entire life had been spent worrying about what other people thought. She pursed her lips and gave him an angry look. "I can't accept that."

He returned her look and tightened his grip on her. "Neither can I." Leaning forward, he kissed her with such passion the stool started to tip.

She threw her arms around his neck for balance and he lifted her off the stool. His armor dug into her arms and ribs. Pulling away from his lips, she grimaced in pain.

"I'm sorry. I forgot I was armored." He put her down upon the stool and pulled away. "Thal'salin sar." His armor disappeared and he now wore a loose fitting white shirt and blue pants. Barefoot, he was now an inch shorter, but still taller than she, even with her upon the stool. Stepping back toward her, he wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her body against his. Growling with pleasure, he gave her a mischievous smile. "That's much better."

"Lady Kathryn, are you in here?" Hal's voice echoed from the doorway.

Kathryn almost fell from the stool in a panicked search for her clothes.

"Thal'salin sar," Sir Lanclor mumbled and their clothes appeared on the floor in front of them and two towels emerged in his hand. "Here," he said, handing her a towel, "clean up and get dressed. It'll take him a while to search this far back." He turned his back to her.

Kathryn cleaned up and scrambled to pull her clothes on. She heard footsteps coming toward them and remembered the light spell. It was like a beacon announcing their location. Now that they were both clothed, she pushed Sir Lanclor up against the wall and turned toward the entrance to the aisle, spreading her wings to block Hal's view.

She severed the power of her light spell and welcomed the darkness that hid her red face. Walking to the opening, she emitted what she hoped sounded like a surprised squeak as she almost collided with Hal.

"Hal, you scared me. I was...busy. What's up?" She flashed him a forced smile.

"I couldn't sleep and when you didn't answer my knock, I just assumed you would be here. I'll grab some books and we can pass what's left of our free time trying to find a way to survive the next twelve hours. Kathryn stood with her mouth open, not sure how to stop him without arousing his suspicion as he pushed past her toward the back of the bookshelves.