Read The Forever Knight: A Novel of the Bronze Knight (Books of the Bronze Knight) for Free Online Page B

smell anything. That’s good, right?”
    “Right,” I said and dropped down from Zephyr’s back. The water was just as the Norvan described it—clear as rain. Cricket poured it into her mouth, then splashed her whole face with it. Then she looked deep into the bubbling pool.
    “There’s no end to it!” she crowed. “We can have as much as we want!”
    I led Zephyr and the mules toward the water. “Get your mount. A squire always waters his horse first.”
    Cricket looked chastened. “Sorry.” She got up quickly and retrieved her pony, letting it drink with the other animals. “There’s a lot to being a squire.”
    “You’ll learn it,” I said. “Now, though . . . we rest.”
    *   *   *
    It was easy to lose track of time at the oasis. We unburdened the animals, rolled out our sleeping blankets to flatten the tall grass, and soaked our feet in the spring water. Cricket was careful to pay attention to the mounts, making sure they were settled and comfortable. She even went through our supplies to give me an accounting of what we brought with us. But when she came to the case carrying my bronze armor, she paused.
    I watched her as I leaned back, opening a fruit with my dagger. The leather case had traveled with me from Liiria to Norvor and then to Jador. It contained the only precious things I owned, save for the Sword of Angels. The case wasn’t locked, and I could tell Cricket wanted to look inside.
    “Go on,” I told her. “You’re my squire. You should check it from time to time.”
    Cricket knelt over the case like it was a treasure chest. As she opened it, the bronze armor reflected yellow on her face. Unlike my sword, there was nothing magical about my armor. Still, people who saw it always got a strange look in their eyes, like they were seeing something priceless. I pried open my fruit and drank its sweet nectar.
    “Here,” I said, offering her the bigger half. “Sit with me and talk.”
    Cricket softly closed the case. “Will you wear it when we get to Akyre?” she asked. “You should. You should announce to everyone that a hero has come.”
    Her adoration made me uncomfortable. “That armor’s for fighting, not for showing off. I’ll wear it if I need to. Otherwise it stays in the box.”
    “Oh, there’ll be fighting,” she said. She scraped her top teeth over the fruit meat. Her brown eyes darted up toward the moon.
    “What makes you so certain?”
    “’Cause we’re heading to the Bitter Kingdoms.”
    “Are you remembering something, Cricket?”
    She shook her head. “Nothing new. I just know it, is all. Trouble made me lose my memory. That I know for sure.”
    I didn’t know much about the Bitter Kingdoms back then, but I knew Cricket was right. They were little kingdoms, ruled—if you could call it that—by blood-soaked barons. Mostly folks just passed on through the Bitter Kingdoms on their way east for spices. That made the Bitter Kingdoms poor, and that made them covetous. Cricket was lucky to have escaped.
    “Tell me what you do remember,” I said.
    “What? Nothing’s changed.”
    “They found you wandering around Akyre, Borlis and the others. You were alone. Starving, they said.”
    “I remember,” said Cricket sharply. “
Before
that’s the problem.”
    For a long moment I didn’t say anything. I hoped the peace of the night would loosen her tongue and maybe her memory too. “Look at that moon. You ever see one so big? They say the heat here makes it look like that, all pink and shimmery. I like to watch it.”
    I stared at the moon, and Cricket stared too. Then she let out a big, relaxing sigh.
    “What will we do when we get to Akyre, Lukien?” she asked. “How are we going to find out about me?”
    “I’m not really sure,” I told her honestly. “Look around. See if you recognize anyone, or anyone recognizes you. Ask some questions. First we have to find out what’s going on in Akyre. The things I hear don’t make me happy.”
    Cricket