Chapter 4
Kel awoke the next morning to go through her normal routine. She fed the birds and Jump, got dressed in her Own uniform, and strolled down to the field to eat. She was happy this morning. She had thought long and hard about everything that needed to be done, and had determined that she would leave the King's Own for a year, and go out as a single knight to search for the meaning behind the Chamber's orders and try to figure out who that man in her vision was. Humming softly to herself, she entered the clearing…and halted. As soon as she walked on the field, the entire Third Company was there, looking at her strangely. Raoul came over and, placing one arm on her elbow, gently led her over to her normal seat, as if he expected her to break apart any second. "What's going on here?" Kel asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Was this some sort of weird joke they were playing on her? Her eyes swept the field, looking for her friends before sitting down. She saw Dom and Neal standing with Flyn to the left of her. Neal was wiping his bloodshot eyes with a handkerchief, and Dom had his dark, arched eyebrows drawn together, with a miserable frown on his face. Kel would've broken out laughing had there not been such a depressing, sad feeling in the air around her. "What's wrong?" she repeated, pulling her elbow away from Lord Raoul's massive, callused hand. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. Finally he croaked, "Let's go to your room", his voice sounding like an rusted iron gate opening and shutting. Kel shook her head, and walked over to the food line, where the cooks and servants were resuming their work, their faces pale and pinched. "Tell me here, whatever it is", she said, turning to her Knight Commander resignedly. He nodded tiredly and patted a place on the ground next to him. With a wave of his hand, the rest of the Third Company returned to their business, still talking in hushed whispers.
"Um…Kel…" Raoul started, "Well…"
"By the Goddess, just say it, will you!" Kel blurted impatiently. He nodded again.
"Last night, there was another Scanran attack on Northwatch."
Kel's eyebrows arched in surprise as he continued, "Many single knights were killed. "
"And…" Kel searched his eyes, a strange sense of foreboding sweeping over her. Her Commander wasn't usually this informally sympathetic when talking of attacks. He usually spoke of battles with a business-like air of duty mixed with empathy. This was different.
"We heard that the Second Company was taking care of it. Had they informed us of all the casualties already, we would've gone with them. Unfortunately, they didn't, and some were killed by those hulking metal creatures."
Kel's spine tingled.
" Kel…Cleon…" he continued, pausing to clear his throat. " No." Kel whispered, dreading the rest of the sentence. Her stomach churned and her head was spinning uncontrollably. It can't be, she thought. Not Cleon.
" - was one of the knights killed in combat." Kel looked up to find compassion flashing in Raoul's dark eyes. Her heart was beating wildly and irregularly, and her eyes were open wide, like a deer staring into approaching headlights. She almost literally felt the happiness drain out of her as Raoul finished. "Cleon was one of 24 knights killed. I thought you should know that he fought until the very end." Kel tried to stand, resting her shaking hands on the trunk of a nearby tree. Her knees buckled under her, and she felt her Commander's arms catch her swiftly from behind. She tried to hold back the pain as he led her from the clearing, but half way to her room she broke out into tears. He kindly excused her from her duties that day and advised her to get some more rest and come to him when she felt a little better. As the door of the cabin shut, Kel threw herself on her bed. ***Don't worry! More to come! Keep reviewing! ***