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This short, action-packed adventure is the next step in the Knight Traveler series that launched with Heart of Time and Timeless Vision.
King Arthur has been warned of a talisman infused with powerful magic that could threaten Camelot. Summoning Sir Kay and his bear companion to ride with him, Arthur travels to assess the trouble. But they aren't alone in the quest as the blackhearted Mordred is determined to steal the amber talisman and use it to advance his twisted, evil agenda.
This story includes a preview of Timeless Changes, coming summer of 2016
Excerpt:
One
Arthur strode through the bailey, the
urgency of his persistent nightmares pressing him from all sides
despite the sunshine and clear skies above. He couldn’t allow his
concerns to show or share his worries over a future no man here would
live to see.
Merlin had left weeks ago in pursuit of
some legend or talisman that might help their cause. Arthur didn’t
bother keeping track of the magician, fully aware his friend and
advisor had his own agenda. Especially amid the challenge as big and
dark as the one they faced now.
Arthur watched his knights testing and
training, eyed those tending horses or weapons, and enjoyed the
harmony of the community at large going about their daily endeavors.
His knights had fought valiantly to bring about this peace and he
wanted to ensure they could preserve it for future generations.
Months had passed without further news
from Sir Gawain. His young squire had returned to Camelot, confided
what he knew of the knight, and traveled home per Gawain’s orders.
Arthur tentatively counted it a victory that Morgana, Gawain’s
quarry, had also seemingly disappeared. He’d sent out a party to
confirm that the survivors who had followed her, greedy for power and
darkness, had been few and scattered so they could do no more harm.
Yet his nightmares plagued him. In some
there were visions of a hard and violent future crowded with people
and inventions he could barely comprehend. Others showed Camelot
withering away, reduced stone by stone to nothing more than a
crumbling ruin and the founding ideals of his kingdom no more than
dust blown to myth by the winds.
Of course he would not live forever but
he’d established Camelot with a lasting legacy in mind for those
generations unborn. What he and the knights had built, they’d built
to last and he would invest his every breath and beat of his heart to
safeguard that future.
A horn blasted from the tower, followed
quickly by a cry at the gate. Arthur leapt to a wagon for a better
view, startled by the sight of a lone horse, hooves thundering over
the bridge at a full gallop. A rider pressed close against the
mount’s neck, clinging like a burr. The horse weaved through every
man’s attempt to slow him until he stopped abruptly in front of
Arthur, giving a hard shake from nose to tail.
An enchantment to be sure. Arthur
hopped back to the ground, calling for help for the lathered horse
and weary rider. The rider slid off, and bowed low, only to stumble
forward. Arthur caught him up.
“My king,” he said as Arthur
steadied him. “I bring word from Sir Eiddlig.”
As of the last report, Eiddlig, the
dwarf knight, was camped with his men in the north to protect growing
villages. A student of myth and mystery, the dwarf’s gift for
unraveling true power from mere rumor rivaled his accomplishments on
the battlefield. Enchanting a horse to deliver a missive indicated a
troubling desperation. The rider was young, caught in the awkward
stage when a lad is all jutting knees and sharp elbows, but he would
have been small burden for the horse.
“You need a meal and rest. Then we
shall speak.”
“The message first, if you please, my
king. It is quite urgent.”
As if the nature of his arrival hadn’t
made the urgency clear enough, the plea in the lad’s eyes
outweighed the exhaustion. Arthur conceded. “This way.” He turned
toward the closest source of privacy, the chapel, slowing his strides
to allow the lad to keep pace with ease.
“Your name, lad?”
“Daniel, sire.”
Arthur opened the door of the chapel
and looked about to be sure they were alone. “How many days have
you been on that horse?”
“We were sent out two nights ago,
sire.”
“You stopped for nothing?”
The lad’s eyes went round in his
lean, pale face. “We stopped only when the horse needed water.”
“I see.” He assumed the child had
not been able to dismount at those times, held in place by the
enchantment Eiddlig applied to propel the horse. Arthur sat down on
the bench closest to the altar, pleased when the boy did the same.
“Deliver your message so we may see to your care.”
“Sir Eiddlig sends you his fond
regard and hopes you are well,” Daniel began, reciting every word
quietly and with great care, his gaze locked on Arthur’s. “After
recent stormy weather, he requests the assistance of Sir Kay
immediately.”
Trouble, but not as Arthur might have
expected from his nightmares. If Eiddlig was calling on Kay, nothing
good was happening in the north. He didn’t care for the reference
of storms, knowing any of his resourceful knights could manage normal
weather conditions. “There must be more to the message.”
The lad’s wary gaze flitted around,
even lingering on the ceiling beams and the high window over the
altar before he reached into his tunic. He withdrew a travel-worn
parchment. “I cannot read, my king, though Sir Eiddlig has promised
to teach me. This message has been protected as he intended.”
“Many thanks for your honesty,
Daniel.” Arthur read the short missive twice over. He wanted to
stand and pace as he considered his options, but he remained seated
so the boy would not feel obliged to stand as well. He read the
missive again, his curiosity piqued by the mention of a powerful
talisman and his thoughts and eyes catching repeatedly on one
terrible name, that of Mordred.
Years ago, Sir Eiddlig allowed himself
to become Mordred’s prisoner and had used the time to undermine a
plot to betray and destroy Camelot. Sir Kay and the bear he traveled
with had been instrumental in the dwarf knight’s rescue and putting
down Mordred’s rebellion. Now it seemed Morgana’s black-hearted
younger brother was stirring another uprising.
“May I ask, sire, if I have arrived
in time?”
Arthur reached out and clapped him on
the shoulder. “You have indeed. I am certain we are all indebted to
you.”
Color rose in Daniel’s face. “I
would like to serve by any means necessary, if you will allow it.”
The boy’s earnestness reminded Arthur
of several friends and foster brothers he had known at this age who
grew into honorable men. He would not leave Daniel in Camelot when
Eiddlig clearly had use of him. “First you must rest and eat well
while I make plans.”
“Yes, sire.”
He could see the disappointment in the
lad’s brown eyes. “I assume you can ride without the aid of an
enchantment?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Good.” Arthur studied the boy
closely. He had courage to go with that earnest mien. “The spell
Sir Eiddlig wove around you and the horse did not frighten you?”
“A little,” Daniel confessed, his
cheeks going pink once again. “I did not want the horse to come to
any harm in our haste.”
“You understand by now Sir Eiddlig
would never allow such a thing?”
“Yes, sire. I only joined his camp a
short time ago.”
Eiddlig would take no chances by
risking this message to just anyone. There was more to the boy than
Arthur could see at the surface. “You must have proven quite
trustworthy in that short time.”
The lad’s chin bobbed up and down.
“Sir Eiddlig and those with him have been kind to me.”
A story here, Arthur thought. A story
better coaxed out of the lad during the journey ahead of them. He
pocketed the missive and led the way as they exited the chapel.
Signaling one of his guards, he gave instructions for the lad to be
indulged in the kitchens until his belly was full and then allowed to
sleep in the stables near his horse.
“Prepare to ride out with me at
dawn,” he told the lad before striding away.
The missive gave him much to
contemplate and much to research before they roused Sir Kay and
turned north to assist the dwarf knight.
*
Sir Kay heard them coming almost as
soon as they stepped into the shade of the trees. Two riders
approached, harnesses jangling and disrupting the quiet morning. As
his companion silently lumbered out of sight to flank the riders, Kay
crept closer to the wide path, picking out the voices.
Good lord. It was his king, chattering
away as if he were some carefree peasant. The second rider was young,
the youthful exuberance in his voice as the pair approached. The king
riding through the forest with only a child for company aggravated
Kay. Where in damnation was Arthur’s usual guard?
Those closest to the king knew Kay kept
the wood clear of enemies when he was camped here. They were also
aware Kay traveled often. Kay vowed to have a word with his king as
well as the captain of the guard at the next opportunity.
“You must not be startled by Sir
Kay,” Arthur was saying now. “Unless he is away, he already has
eyes on us.”
“It is true he is a giant?”
Yes, Kay thought even as Arthur
denied the wild claim.
“Only Sir Eiddlig calls him such to
his face. It is their jest alone.”
Kay stayed back, curious now. What did
the lad know of the dwarf?
“I will remember.”
“He is the tallest of men, to be
sure,” Arthur added. “As a knight, he pledged an oath to protect
our kingdom and its people from harm. You need not fear him.”
Kay scowled. He didn’t make a habit
of frightening children, primarily because he avoided them. If Arthur
had some idea of foisting a squire or foster on him, Kay would
disabuse him of that notion at once. Coming to his feet, he moved up
the rise to stand in the middle of the road. The horses, catching his
bear’s scent behind them, whinnied and shied under their riders.
“Be at ease,” Kay called. With a
subtle wave of his hand, he turned the light breeze and pushed his
bear’s scent away from the horses. They relaxed at once.
“My thanks,” Arthur replied, urging
his mount closer.
With his remarkable hearing, Kay caught
the encouragement the king murmured to the young rider next to him.
“I’ve learned it’s better to be cautious in all things,” Kay
said, letting his voice carry through the trees.
Arthur acknowledged that with a brief
nod and Kay saw a weariness in the gesture that concerned him. His
king was particularly spry and confident. Or he had been until
recently. Having learned of a terrible danger he could not confront
directly, those closest to the king saw the strain and struggle of
leaving the heart of the fight to others.
Kay bowed low, maintaining protocol in
front of the young stranger. “How may I be of service to you,
sire?”
“I am told Sir Eiddlig has immediate
need of your help.”
Kay’s attention locked on to the lad.
“You were the messenger?”
The boy nodded, his knuckles going
white where he gripped the reins.
“This is Daniel,” Arthur said. “He
has shown great courage in carrying out his task according to
Eiddlig’s instructions.”
Instructions, ha! Under
differing circumstances, Kay might take those words as a challenge
and put the boy’s mettle to the test. Not today, when Arthur was
silently beseeching him to behave as one of the more typical knights
of his round table. “That is a substantial recommendation, lad. Our
king does not ride with anyone of questionable character.” Nor
would he ride alone without good reason. “Your guard, follows
close, sire?”
“They remain at the forest’s edge,”
Arthur replied. “I saw no reason to upset them or your companion.”
Kay caught the lad’s gaze flitting
about, searching the shadows for confirmation of the unusual company
Kay kept. “Have you heard about my friend?”
“Yes, Sir Kay.”
The lad’s voice held steady. “Courage
indeed,” he said to Arthur. “And you’ve come to guide me back,
then?” he asked Daniel. “Despite the rumors?”
“Not rumors,” the lad blurted out
as color stained his fair cheeks. “Sir Eiddlig told me true, I am
sure.”
Kay threw back his head and laughed.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Hold the horses a moment, Daniel.”
Arthur swung out of the saddle and handed his reins to the boy. “I
need a private word with Sir Kay before we start our journey.”
Kay walked with his friend and king
down the road, well out of the boy’s hearing. “The boy cannot
read,” Arthur began, revealing a scrap of parchment. “Naturally I
could only read the portion meant for my eyes. I would ask you to
explain all that you can about the message writ specifically for
you.”
Kay muttered an oath as he read the
mention of Mordred. The useless sack of flesh was a plague on all he
met. A chill slid across the back of Kay’s neck as he turned the
bit of parchment, deciphering the symbols crowded along the top and
bottom edges. “May the Lord have mercy on us all.”
“What is it?”
Kay looked into his king’s somber
gaze. “It is precisely what you think. May I keep this?”
“Of course. I feel it is meant for
you more than me.”
Kay tucked away the missive and rubbed
his hand over the heat building behind his breastbone. Months ago,
Arthur had called Kay, Gawain, and Bors to a private meeting and
asked them to join a quest to battle a growing evil. The vow Kay had
given on that day was accompanied by more mystery and magic than he’d
previously encountered, including a fire nymph and weeks of training
in Avalon. For a man of his strange, specific talents whose closest
companion was a bear, he still found it startling when he dwelled too
long upon it.
So he did not dwell. He pressed onward
determined to wrap his quest now, in a time he understood rather than
be pushed into a fight in the bleak and murky future Arthur worried
over.
“We will travel as three,” Arthur
said. “Four when we add your bear.”
“Sire, you should stay behind,” Kay
countered, his thoughts on the coded message. “The lad will be safe
with us.”
“I must know what Mordred is
plotting.”
“Power, as always,” Kay said with a
grunt. “Eiddlig has learned of a talisman of great importance.”
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