The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 37: Here We Go Again

The day passes slowly. I make several trips to the stables to check on Lenox, who is exceedingly bored, but obediently staying in his stall to keep up the charade of being injured.

On my fourth visit, I announce I have treats for him in a singsong voice in an attempt to cheer him up. He halfheartedly sticks his head out the stall door. I know there's no way he could be hungry because I've been down here every hour with meat and the food supplies I'll need for the journey. I place two sugar cookies in the aisle in front of his door. He gives them a sniff, then lifts his head to see what else I've brought.

In my bag is the last of Detti's fruit and bread, which I stuff into the saddlebags. I go back to Lenox and explain why I was rifling through my bag in case someone is watching. "I'm sorry, buddy. I thought I had more treats, but I guess they're gone." My hope is that if anyone saw me in the bags, they'd think I'm still doting on him. However, he's given up and turns his back to me.

I return to the house, but I'm out of things to do. Everything is packed, and my armor is ready for me when the time is right. I desperately want to talk with Jonah, but the risk is too high. I hate the waiting. I should just go to the barn. There's no army waiting for me, and Detti will be thrilled to see me go.

I'll play along with his charade until we get to somewhere we can talk openly for as long as we want. There has to be an explanation that makes all the lying understandable.

I mope around the house, seeking any sign that my parents once lived here. Detti tries to engage with me during dinner, but after a few attempts, she gives up. I clean the kitchen, which has become my habit. I should learn to cook. Maybe Dathid can teach me.

No, he can't! He's a liar too.

I join Detti in the gallery. She points at paintings, and I feign interest in the identity and bloodline of every person, and a few of the unicorns. They're all Detti's family. I know that means that they're my family too, but this is my mother's house! My irritation grows with every new face. There are no signs that a Stone ever lived here.

I can't imagine how she ended up living in this house. Everyone on both sides has agreed to at least a few things about me. My name is Agatha Stone. I'm the Lost Knight and the Keeper of the Key. I am Lord Rhomstead. This is my house, which has been passed down through the generations of my mother's family. Why is Detti here? And why is there not a single Stone or any evidence of my parents in this house?

I'm not going to ask any of that because thanks to Jonah's drama, I have to leave Detti here. And I don't want to make her any more suspicious of me than she already is. I guess I should be grateful that she's trying to hide her resentment and not openly trying to poison me. Of course, she did do all the cooking...

"Thank you so much for this lesson, Detti. I feel so much closer to you and my family. It's like I'm growing roots." I smile at her and wish I meant those words.

She beams at me. "Oh, my pleasure. Anytime. It's like I'm introducing them to you." I fake a yawn, and she takes the hint. "It is getting late. I guess we should head to bed."

I agree and try not to run to my room. It's still too early to leave, so I pace around and let my anxiety fester. With nothing to do, I flop on the bed, roll around a bit, then give up and pace again.

I gaze out over the town of Rhomstead. Jonah says there's troops out there, but there's no evidence of anyone. I can see past the town to the edge of the woods on one side, and the tree line past the barn where I met Jonah on the other. No movement in the far-off trees, no smoke from cooking fires...nothing.

My chest hurts. He's lying, but I have to give him a chance to heal this pain. Maybe he'll say something that will make it all make sense.

Finally, it's time to go. I quietly slip into the bathroom to get dressed. I've never put my armor on by myself. It's possible, just not easy. I get most of it on without too much struggle, but I should have done my arm pieces before my leg pieces, because when I rub the smooth black Baladian dragon scale the wrong way, it's like sandpaper, and it leaves my inner elbows red and angry.