Part 43 (2/2)
”Crag!” A small, blond-haired woman shouted, hurrying toward the tall, slender Knight with the wiry brown beard. She held an infant in her arms, and two young children followed at her heels.
”Lily!” The Knight beamed.
”Pa!” the children chimed, clinging to the Knight, one tugging on his green sash.
Sparrow smiled as the Knight grasped the woman and kissed her soundly on the mouth then embraced the children before turning to the infant. As Sparrow watched Crag with his family, she could scarcely believe he'd once been a Captain in the Zaltanian army.
”Another baby?” Rain, using a walking stick to support his healing leg, approached Crag and his wife. His dogs licked the children who began playing with the tawny beasts. ”Congratulations. Looks like a beauty.”
”Nice going, Crag!” another Knight called.
Crag's wife said, ”He had a little help, you know!”
”That may be us someday,” Lock whispered close to Sparrow's ear.
She smiled up at him. ”I can scarcely wait.”
”Follow me,” Blaze said to the couple. ”I'll find you a room.”
They followed the redhead into the great hall. Though large, it was simply decorated with rows of long, oak tables and chairs. Several people sat eating at the tables or socializing. She saw Torn standing by the fireplace kissing a tall, dark-haired woman.
”Torn's mate,” Blaze explained. ”Charming.”
”Are you married, Blaze?” Sparrow asked.
The Knight laughed. ”In a dream, perhaps.”
They stopped in an upstairs hall, and Blaze opened the door to a small guest chamber. Inside was a bed, trunk, and table with a pitcher of water. In spite of the palace's lavish size, the Knights lived simply within it.
”Rest. Torn will call for you when it's time to meet the Leader of Swords and Sewing Needles,” Blaze said, leaving the two alone.
”I think he meant the leader, Sir Mahir,” Lock explained. ”Blaze isn't easy to follow, but if you listen hard enough, you can understand.”
”He's tried to help you understand your dreams, hasn't he?”
”He says my dreams are a privilege. I can't control them, but I can learn to guide them.”
”Perhaps he's right.”
”Are you sure you'll want to live like this, Sparrow? I might be sent away for months. During training, I'll have scarcely any time for us.”
”I know.” Sparrow touched his cheek. ”Do you want this, Lock?”
”Yes.” His pale eyes held hers. ”The only thing I've ever wanted more than this is you.”
”Then this is how I want to live.”
”I love you, Sparrow.”
”I love you , too, Lock.”
Sparrow sat in the great hall in the fortress of the Knights of the Ruby Order talking with Torn's wife, Honey Wine, ruler of the Sophianna. They awaited their husbands who were speaking privately with Mahir.
Sparrow noted that Honey Wine was a tall, strong woman with a beautiful face and eyes that spoke of the deepest pain and joy. Though Honey Wine was now a leader, Knights of the Ruby Order: Lockd Mistress in her land, she had once been a member of the royal guard. When she'd spoken against a brutal fighting ring, she'd been stripped of her rank and forced to work as a healer in the dungeon. There she met Torn who had been captured while on a secret mission for the Order.
Torn had been tortured while imprisoned, and Honey Wine forced to watch.
”I understand what you must have felt when you saw Lock beaten in the village,” Honey Wine said.
”I didn't even know him then, but I couldn't stand seeing him like that, even though he probably deserved it. I'm glad I took him. No matter what he's done in the past, he's a good man.”
”If you hadn't saved him, Torn and the others would most likely have died at sea. I'm forever grateful to you both.”
”I'm just happy none of them drowned. It was miraculous they all survived.”
”Danger is all too common in the life they've chosen.”
”What's it like being married to a Knight?” Sparrow asked. ”Are you afraid when he's called away on missions?”
”Always,” Honey Wine said, ”but it's Torn's life. The Knighthood is inside him, and not just because he was raised here. If it's meant for Lock, you'll understand what I mean.”
It was several hours before Lock returned with Torn, Blaze, and Mahir. They joined the women and other Knights at the table for the evening meal, and Lock told Sparrow he'd been accepted to train for the Order.
Sparrow embraced him tightly and smiled. She was genuinely happy for him, but part of her already missed him.
Lock and Sparrow sold their home in Rose Cove and gave their s.h.i.+p to Janos who wished Lock luck in his endeavor to become a Knight. Training began immediately, and from then on, he wore the gray tunic of a trainee and spent from early morning until late at night sharpening his fighting skills on the field and learning the healing arts. For one year, he was to learn the basic skills of Knighthood, then for two years work in his area of expertise. With a lack of good seamen, Mahir wanted Lock to captain a s.h.i.+p after his training.
The Knights spent many long hours working. Lock and Sparrow scarcely saw one another, difficult considering they'd only just married. Though she missed him, Sparrow tried not to complain too much about their lack of time together-at least to him. When she, Lily, and Honey Wine got together, they openly aired their grievances, though the other wives offered her a.s.surance as well.
”It's not usually bad for me and Crag,” Lily explained one evening when she, Sparrow, and Honey Wine shared a meal in the courtyard. ”Unless he's drafted for a special mission, I travel with him. I'm a midwife, and his specialty is healing, so we work together-similar to the way you and Lock will once he's Knighted and given his own s.h.i.+p.”
”It's wonderful that Mahir is preparing you to act as an amba.s.sador for the Order,” Honey Wine said. ”That way you and Lock will work together, and since he's going to be a s.h.i.+p's captain, you'll get to travel to so many exotic places. It's difficult for me and Torn. I have to run affairs of state, so we hardly ever travel together.”
”But I'm sure you make it worth your while when you are together.” Lily smiled at her friend. ”The morning after he gets back from a mission, you have a glow about you. Wonder what that could be from?”
Sparrow glanced at the jug of wine she shared with her companions. Lock's training had affected their love life as well. Often times when he returned from the field and a.s.signments, he was too tired to do anything but sleep, particularly since he'd been having difficulty conforming to the Order's strict lifestyle. Due to insubordination and several scuffles that his superiors deemed avoidable, he was often given extra duties.
”Don't worry, Sparrow.” Honey Wine patted her shoulder. ”Lock won't be a trainee forever.”
”I just want him to be happy, but I'm concerned with the trouble he has-or should I say the trouble he causes.”
Lily grinned. ”I remember when Crag was a trainee. He had a few reprimands himself. Your Lock is a good man, and he'll do much better when he's in charge of his own s.h.i.+p. Sir Erik's been keeping a careful eye on him.”
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