Shard Knight (Echoes Across Time Book 1) (51 page)

As Ronan and Rika stepped in front of the table, Connal Deveaux squeezed Ronan’s shoulder. “I know your mother didn’t teach you to dance like that. So I’ll give all the credit to the beautiful Miss Finn. That’s some fine dancing young lady.”

“Thank you Prime Guardian,” Rika said.

Connal held up a hand. “Stop right there. Call me Connal or I’ll feel older than I already do from watching you dance.” He motioned toward two empty chairs next to his own. “Please join us.”

Ronan and Rika sat joining Danielle, Sir Alcott, Ambassador Finn, Keely, and Kelwin.

Jacques Marez ambled toward the table carrying a tray loaded with mugs spilling over with his brew. “I have created a special batch of my autumn ale for your enjoyment this evening.” He served the dark amber ale and bowed before disappearing into the crowd.

“That man turns up everywhere,” Ronan said.

“He insisted on making the trip. He wanted to see the Heartwood during autumn,” Sir Alcott said.

“Any word from Devery?” Ronan said.

“In his last message, he said the city is still celebrating,” Sir Alcott said.

“What about the Order? With so many knights gone we’ll need to rebuild it.”

“Yes, for now we have a core group of former knights preserving order. We’ll have to figure out the best way to bring new knights through the citadel,” Sir Alcott said.

“Danielle, do you have any news about Arber? Have you tracked him down?” Ronan said.

“No, his tether disappeared after the events inside the arena,” she said.

“Disappeared?”

“I followed a guardian’s soul thread from the arena, but it snuffed out before I could reach the end. I searched for him but never found his body. I think he removed the power himself.”

“We’ll find him,” Connal said. “He couldn’t have gone far.”

“Sir Alcott, have you gleaned any more information from the Book of Order?” Ronan said.

“I haven’t spent enough time reading, but I’ve learned that magic had a far greater hold on our realms than we’d ever realized,” Sir Alcott said.

“How so?”

“Elan and Lora shattered the spheres on purpose.” Sir Alcott took a drink from his mug and wiped the froth from his mustache.

“Why would they do that?” Ronan said.

“Doing so offered protection of some sort, but it’s still unclear how,” Sir Alcott said.

Ferris appeared at the table and tugged on Danielle’s sleeve. “Miss Danielle, come see the storm. It’s beautiful.”

“Storm?” Connal said. “We don’t see storms in the Heartwood this time of year.”

“No, Mister Prime Guardian, sir. The storm’s not in the forest. It’s far away in the sky.”

The group stood, crossed the terrace, and peered over the terrace’s railing overlooking the southern Heartwood.

In the far distance on the horizon’s edge, the night sky flickered reflecting strobes of white light off the clouds.

“That’s coming from over the Chukchi Desert,” Finn said. “I’ve never seen that anomaly.”

Ronan remained transfixed on the flashing lights above the vast expanse of the Chukchi Desert. “Sir Alcott, can you put a rush on that translation?”

***

If you want to receive an automatic email when Matthew’s next book is released,
sign up here
. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Reviews are an important way for indie authors to reach more readers, and your opinion is important. I’d love to hear your feedback.
Click here
to leave a review. Look for book two in the Echoes Across Time trilogy in spring, 2014. Ronan, Rika, and Danielle will be back with more adventures. Thanks.

About the Author

Matthew Ballard found his fantasy roots early in life when Robert Jordan’s “Wheel Of Time” series captured his imagination. His lifelong love of reading fantasy novels finally led him to write one.

Born and raised in Indiana, Matthew is the father to four children and still happily married to their mother after seventeen years. He lives in Fishers, Indiana and is busy at work writing his next book.

In his spare time, Matthew is an avid runner and receives most of his best ideas while marathon training.

You can reach Matthew by email at
[email protected]
or find the latest news at
http://matthewdballard.com
.