Her Knight's Quest: A Warriors of the Mist Novel Read Free Page A

his thoughts. Her beauty was a far better companion as sleep claimed him than his memories. A shame she wasn’t real. But then, a man could always dream, even one who wasn’t truly human at all.

Chapter 2
     
    L avinia had finished her daily rounds through the abbey, stopping to visit with each of the sisters she encountered. It was her way of showing them all that she valued their individual contributions to the abbey. Now it was time to make her way back to her office.
    She’d put off another attempt at scrying long enough. Perhaps this time the gods would send a message with a clearer meaning, one that wouldn’t keep her awake during the long hours of the night thinking about a man.
    She could only hope so.
    In the garden, rather than immediately approach the deep green bowl, Lavinia paused to look up to the sky, holding her hands out to the side.
    “My lords and ladies, grant me the wisdom to understand what I am about to see.”
    With trembling fingers, she gently removed the black cloth she’d used to cover the bowl two days before. She intended to change the water, to offer the gods a clean slate upon which to send her a message. But as soon as her hands touched the cool glass, the water swirled and settled into a smooth surface. A series of images appeared and then disappeared, each remaining visible a few seconds after the next one was superimposed over the last.
    Some she recognized. Others were unfamiliar.
    The first one was Trader Musar and his wife, Ava, sitting on the front of their colorfully painted wagon, their faces looking pinched and tired. That worried her. The trader was normally an outgoing, cheerful man, one who took joy in driving a hard but fair bargain. His wife, a tiny wisp of a woman, was always quick with a smile and a laugh.
    Their faces faded, replaced by the outer wall of a large city, Agathia itself. Despite the bright sunshine, the white stone looked tarnished, as if a miasma of sickness had settled over the city. Lavinia’s heart ached for those who lived in the shadow of Duke Keirthan. It had been a long time since she’d left the city behind, but she missed it still.
    Next a large bird swooped and soared through the sky. Too big for a hawk and the wrong shape for an eagle, it had to be an owl, then, but one far bigger than those that inhabited the valley surrounding the abbey. She leaned down closer to study the image, sensing there was something different about the raptor other than its size. Before she could decide what it was, the image blurred and shifted again.
    A group of men on horseback appeared, all heavily armed and watching the horizon for any possible threat. Since they were riding alongside a long line of wagons, each painted more brightly than the next, they had to be the guards who protected Musar’s caravan from raiders. If she could see their faces, she might even recognize them by name. Most of Musar’s guards had been accompanying him for years.
    Aside from the grim look on Musar’s face, there was nothing in the vision that was worrisome.
    Lavinia was about to offer her prayer of thanks when once again the image changed abruptly. She’d caught only a glimpse of him twice before, but it was definitely the same man who’d been sitting at the campfire two days earlier.
    His surroundings were familiar to her this time. In a matter of hours, he would enter the valley below. She had no doubt the abbey was his destination. The gods wouldn’t have warned of his coming if he were merely passing through.
    While she watched, he pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse to a stop as he looked around. Lavinia started to back away from the image in the water in case he looked up as he had two days ago. But then curiosity mixed with a healthy dose of stubbornness had her holding her ground.
    She stared down at the small image, wondering about the odd connection she felt with a total stranger. As with the owl, there was something more to this man. Soon he would arrive