The Lost Knight (Volume IV) The Lost Prince

Chapter 16: Who's Carfron?

I can't recall the last time I woke up happy. For the longest time, I was either deeply sad or enraged. Living with unfocused anger has to be the worst feeling in the world. It's like carrying a gun that goes off randomly and is usually aimed at the people I love most. I didn't know how much of a burden that rage was until it vanished.

I have Carfron to thank for that. The top of his head is peeking over the back of the couch that faces away from my bed. I'm glad he's gotten better at understanding privacy, but I still wish he would sleep in another room.

"Why did you quit?" he asks without turning around.

"Not now, I just woke up," I say, flopping my legs over the side of the bed.

It's early in the morning. We got in mid-afternoon yesterday, and I went straight to bed. That's completely acceptable in Cromsmead because they don't have a morning or an afternoon. You sleep when you should and wake when you're ready. New York is like that. It has time, but everyone makes their own choices as to when they feel they need to do things. Instead of the city that never sleeps, it should be the city without time. Even though I only have the vaguest memories, I miss it. 

After getting dressed and fed, I drag a dining chair out to Lenox's balcony. The empty space pulls my mood down for a moment. I sip my favorite hot chocolate and vanilla swirl and reminisce about my buddy. 

Jonah pops his head out the door. "May I join you?" He pulls his own chair outside with a drink in hand. "I love this stuff. Kyrbast is a genius. I had the worst headaches when we first got here. I admit it, I like caffeine."

"You say that every time you hold that cup."

"Is Carfron out here?"

"Nah, he's on the couch staring at the wall."

"Good. I wanted to talk to you about him."

I take a deep breath. It's just a conversation. I'm not sure I want to know what Jonah is going to tell me.

"I might understand what Carfron is about."

My heart is racing so fast, it's pounding against my rib cage. "Don't tell me! Oh God, what is it? No, don't. Can you get him away from me?"

He rests a hand on my shoulder. "I have some questions. If it makes you feel better, I don't believe he's a demon, or that it's some trick by Stratagor Ziras. I'm almost certain it's the Orb."

My heartbeat returns to normal. I'm annoyed he put me through that. He knows as much I do. "Lenox doesn't have anything to do with the Orb. When we were at his gravesite, Carfron had nothing to say about any keys, or maps."

"But wait, hear me out. When you first saw him, he didn't need you to fly. That came later."

"Right! We had to fly to where Lenox is, which has nothing to do with my key quest."

"But when you first saw him, he asked you to explain why you quit."

"Yeah, but then I told him I tried, but it was broken. He was fine with it."

"No, he wasn't. You were so distracted by Lenox. He couldn't get through to you, so he came up with the solution."

"Okay, then how did he find Lenox?"

His face falls. I'm both victorious and disappointed because I want to know what Carfron is. No, I really don't care. I just want Carfron gone. 

"The Orb has psychic capabilities," Jonah explains. "We know little about it or what it's capable of doing. When you first saw him, he wanted to know why you quit, but you ignored him because you were obsessed with the loss of Lenox. So he changed his plan and took you to Lenox. Once satisfied, he brought you back here."

I point to the door. "He asked me this morning why I quit."

The blood drains from my face. Why am I frightened? I should be elated. Jonah has to be right. But only one thought goes through my mind, and it falls from my mouth before I can stop it, "Why would Ziras give me a working Orb?"

"I don't believe he thought you would escape," he says. "You were surrounded by his forces, deep inside his territory. He also had you seeing things from his point of view."

My head drops, and I squeeze my hands between my knees at the reminder of what an idiot I am. I almost turned my back on Jonah, the closest thing I've ever had to a parent. I lost Lenox and Trelix and so many others, some of whom I never met. Why didn't I leave sooner?

"If I chose to leave Ziras, I would've been locked up," I say it as a statement, but Jonah knows it's a question.

"You were already locked up. From your description, you could not have left Olesto. And when you did leave, an entire army tracked you. Lenox might have known that. He's not the most obedient of creatures. He would've come back to Cromsmead against your wishes if he'd found the opportunity. As it is, had you strayed off course, you would've been shot down. Ziras has shown us that he has no qualms about killing you."

"Do you think he was behind the gryphon attack?"

"Ziras probably ordered your execution, but I'm almost certain it was Lord Duradin who carried it out. It was complicated and overdone, which is more Duradin's style."

"So, you don't think it was the council?"

"No. I had some doubts, but it would be too risky. You barely escaped. They had no reason to go to that extreme, especially since you were so amenable to their demands.

Bile rises to my throat. I am as much a puppet for the council as I was for Stratagor Ziras.

I haven't decided what to do with the key. Humans deserve to visit their ancestral home. However, Ziras should never have access to Earth. I wish there was someone I could confide in. I already know that Jonah desires peace. And Dathid doesn't want Manahata destroyed by an onslaught on New Yorkers subletting their trees.

"Agatha?"

"Sorry," I say with a shake of my head. I don't want him to know what I was thinking.

"Let's go in and talk to Carfron," he says.

"Why did you quit?" Carfron asks when I plop down on the sofa across from him.

"That's what I need to talk to you about. You gave me the plaque before. Do you still have it?"

A large grin spreads across his face as he hands me the long white tile. Jonah's always right. This is why Carfron's here.

I turn the tile and sigh. "I know you can't see it, but it's exactly like the other one. Why do I have two?"

"Like the other one," Carfron repeats with a nod.

"It's blank."

Carfron nods again.

"I don't get it," I say to Jonah.

"Why don't you hang on to it? Carry it with you. Maybe something will come to you."

"Should I carry the Orb, too?" I ask.

"I don't think you need to. It seems to be able to reach you no matter how far away you go."

I stand and put the imaginary plaque in my pocket. "Can you see the plaque outline in my pants?"

"No," Jonah answers.

I press my lips together to hid my disappointment. I wish someone else could see what I see. "I'm off to visit Trelix. You want to go?"

"No, I have some work to do. Besides, I make Carfron nervous. Tell Nolain I'll be by later to go for a walk with him."