A knock at the heavy wooden door disturbed the quiet of Kanisa’s study. The delicate touch of brush on paper jarred and the ink blurred at Kanisa’s surprise. A mild curse escaped her lips while harsher ones flew through her mind. A scholar did not curse out loud.She bade the intruder enter and was even more surprised at Jaddah bearing a tray of dinner many hours before dinner.Or so she thought. The light in the window burned gold with the sunset, and her stomach grumbled loudly. How many times had that happened without Kanisa noticing?Letter ruined, he put aside the parchment and smiled at Jaddah. She wore the heavy frock of the village, the brown linen a far cry from the softer and more varied colors of the city. But her hair was covered by a vibrant red shawl, a color worn and displayed proudly in the village.Kanisa learned the color represented knights of the past who had settled the village after helping the king defeat invaders from the sea. That was a long time ago, before t

Kanisa staggered and lost her footing. She fell with a shout and then stayed on the ground. The light disappeared, and heavy footsteps pounded toward her.“What are you doing here?” Conrad Hydrock demanded. “What did you see?” Conrad Hydrock grabbed his open robe, hauling him to his feet, and Kanisa moaned, pitched against Conrad Hydrock's strong chest. Warmed. Warm skin. Warmed by fire. Controlled fire.“Oh god,” Kanisa gasped, and Conrad Hydrock shook her again, and her stomach lurched. She pushed away from Conrad Hydrock and fell to her knees to finish expelling the rest of last night’s feast.Conrad Hydrock moved away from her and Kanisa cursed in her head. What did she see? Nothing that was possible, that was for sure.A firm hand landed on her back and slid along her body to lift him up. Kanisa whimpered.“Sh, just drink,” Conrad Hydrock whispered.Cool water splashed over her mouth, and Kanisa gulped down the spring water. Another one of her favorite things about this village w

She nodded and added a slice of fruit pie to the tray because she knew Kanisa liked it. Kanisa went to her room and ate the food slowly. She wished she could write down her thoughts, that was always easier for her to think through things, but she did not want the papers to fall into the wrong hands. She did not want Conrad’s trust in her to be taken away so quickly.Instead, she opened her own history book, the one that was as thick as her arm. She pondered the differences, where this one only spoke of kings and their reigns. It spoke of many wars, but nothing of one that ended in the massive destruction of the world. The tome covered history back over a thousand years, but there was no mention of anyone but kings who ruled.The only clue was in the reign of King Arthur who spoke of legendary knights of the king’s army who fought bravely and almost like gods with powers beyond man’s abilities. But it was just two lines, giving credit to the king for the victory.Just as the Knight of

Kanisa received no further clues to the cryptic note and no other whispered warnings. But she took Sora’s order to heart and she packed a few bags that she left in her wardrobe, just in case she had to leave quickly. As the months moved closer to spring, she rotated out clothes, keeping a lighter cloak instead of her fur-lined one, and an extra pair of boots.Spring had always been Kanisa’s favorite time of the year. This year, she watched Sora. During the cold winter months, Sora did his best to stay bright and happy ---or as bright and happy as the self-absorbed scribe could be--- but Kanisa watched him, with this new knowledge of him being a Knight of Earth. Winter was hard on him, and he looked pale and weak most days.But one day, with the snow melted and a warmer wind blowing from the south, Kanisa spotted him in the gardens. Sora stood under the lilac branches and watched the new buds show themselves with a small smile on his face. The air was still cool, this early in the morn

Conrad snorted. “After that, I ... I had to tell them. Some of my people may not agree with my choice not to have an heir, but the Lord of a Water Knights Village is never a Knight. But my people understand. You have that effect. They love you.”Kanisa sat on the edge of the bed and groaned. She fell back and reached above her, stretching. The softness of the bed felt amazing beneath her.Conrad’s hands slid up her shirt. “I missed you.”Kanisa smiled at him. She opened her mouth to say the words and yawned instead. With a chuckle, Conrad unbuttoned her shirt. “Your clothes are different.”“Fashions have changed.”“The clothes look good on you, but you’ll be more comfortable out of them.”“Good excuse to get me naked.”Conrad smiled and Kanisa sighed and relaxed. Conrad moved to get up and Kanisa pouted, tugging on her shoulders. Conrad chuckled and leaned over her to press a kiss to her lips. Kanisa moaned, hands tangling in Conrad’s hair. The kiss did more than make Kanisa’s heart s