The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 45: The Lie

Dathid scratches his head and then runs his hand over his hair a few times. Then he sighs deeply, as if he's made some kind of decision and has resigned himself to the outcome. "I asked you if you know who the Rosicrucians are. Do you?"

"Yeah, they're the people who want to open the portals," I respond with an edge to my voice. Of all the things I said, why did he begin there?

"They're more than that," he says. "Many beings consider them an offshoot of the Knights Templar. They're not. One has to be born a Knight to be a Templar, but anyone can join the Rosicrucians, as long as they're human and meet the standards."

"Okay, so what?" I say, annoyed that he's not answering any of my questions.

"Let me finish. We have all the time in the world," he says, showing some of his own impatience. "The Templar Knights ended Earth's Dark Ages by controlling the flow of curra to your side. They were able to export resources from Ashra, but keep its creatures contained, and needless to say, they grew rich."

"I already know this," I snap. "The Rosicrucians closed the portals in 1307 and killed the human Templars. What does this have to do with anything?"

He glares at me but keeps talking. If I don't stop attacking him, he's going to stop. Maybe he should. Maybe I should wait for Jonah. If Jonah comes back. I push the what if's down and focus on Dathid, who has already started answering my question.

"When the Rosicrucians closed the portals, everyone on Ashra assumed it was permanent. That whatever created them in the first place had been reversed. The Templars were basically disbanded. With only a small number keeping up the traditions. That's how it stayed for a long time."

I groan, and he glares at me. "Meanwhile," he snaps, "the Rosicrucians expanded their operation on Earth, allowing only a few humans at the top to formulate and implement a plan that made the human race strong enough to invade Ashra."

He just confirmed what Ziras told me. I don't want to hear anymore. They all lied, even Jonah. I want him to shut up, but I need to know their version of the truth.

"Agatha, the Rosicrucians I'm referring to are a small number of men making decisions for an astronomical number of beings."

"So?" I huff. "Isn't that the way it works anyway?"

"I'm telling you this because it relates to your parents. Give me a moment, and I'll get there," he says.

"In the beginning, the Rosicrucians were a small band of human Knights and Wizards. They devised a plan to seal the portals and reopen them two hundred years later, after the humans amassed an army. They called their warriors Crusaders. Fortunately, when a man named Keiphon Ziras plotted to reopen them, he was betrayed by a member of his own council."

Yeah, her name was Jilana, I almost blurt out, but I'm not sure that's true. All I know is that Ziras thinks she doomed him, whatever that means.

He shrugs. "It wasn't until that failed attempt that anyone on Ashra knew the portals could be reopened. Unfortunately, by then, the humans had been preparing for years."

"Yeah, I already know all of this," I interrupt, frustrated.

"Let me finish. I'm not good with words. I'm doing the best I can," he pleads, and I'm sorry I've dumped this on him instead of Jonah like I planned.

I sigh deeply so he's fully aware of how mad I am and groan out, "Fine."

"Your grandparents on your mother's side were born Knights here on Ashra. Your mother was a Knight."

"Yep, know that, too. When are you going to get to the lying part?"

"You know what?" he asks, losing his temper. "I'm getting ready to tell you some important stuff, but it's not easy, so let me do it in my own way."