Lexy Wolfe [Wolfe - The Knowing One

THE KNOWING ONE

Copyright 2013, 2017 Lexy Wolfe

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by Indigo

an imprint of BHC Press

Library of Congress Control Number:

2017937182

Print edition ISBN numbers:

ISBN-13: 978-1-946006-81-3

ISBN-10: 1-946006-81-5

Visit the author at:

www.bhcpress.com

Also available in trade softcover

Cover, interior, and eBook design by

Blue Harvest Creative

www.blueharvestcreative.com

To the loves of my life

who have kept me on track

and believed in me, Thank you.

"Stop fussing, Bella," the tall, shirtless Vodani man stated, dragging his heels as he was pulled by the hand down the walkway with determined resolution. He ran his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair, green eyes still reflecting his half-awake state. "You're being overly dramatic."

The darker-haired Vodani woman looked over her shoulder. Her eyes flashed more in the lantern light than did the metallic Guardian mark on her cheek. "Ask me if I care , Jaison . If you're going to make me jump out of my skin by waking up with your heart in your throat and calling the Dusvet Guardian's name in a panic, I am going to share the joy." Stopping in front of a tall, wooden gate, she raised her hand to pound on it.

The gate opened just then, the Unsvet Guardian pounding on the even taller Sevmanan man's chest twice before she could stop herself. " Aie! Dulain Tyrsan! Forgive me; I did not think you would be awake at this hour."

The chiseled featured man smirked. "Come in, both of you. After that tremor, I was expecting I'd be seeing you both." He stood to the side, letting the pair pass him. "Get Jaison some of the brandy, Bella. He looks like death warmed over," he called over his shoulder as he secured the gate again.

"I told you so," Bella said tartly. The two Unsvets stuck their tongues out at each other just as Tyrsan walked in. Both flushed as they looked away, the woman going to the cabinet to get the aforementioned drink.

"I'm glad to see such dramatic improvements in the sense of propriety and maturity in both of you," he stated sarcastically.

"Sorry, Dulain Unsvet," the pair chorused. After a moment's hesitation, Bella stated, "It happened again." She put the glass in front of Jaison carefully . "He woke up , gasping for air, and then the earthquake happened. " Despite the earlier banter, her fear and worry for the lighter skinned Vodani man was apparent. "I thought he was dying this time."

" It wasn't that bad," Jaison muttered. He put his hand around the glass but did not lift it, idly turning it in place. "I can tell you Almek's fine."

The former soldier regarded the other man in silence, arms crossed. In a hard tone that brooked no argument, he stated, "Drink, Jaison." Hesitating , Jaison relented, obediently raising the glass to his lips. Nodding in satisfaction, Tyrsan stated, "Good. Now you do not look like a corpse." Still frowning, he asked, "What, precisely, did you do, Jaison?"

"Do, sir?" Jaison asked evasively . "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Dont give me that, Unsvet," Tyrsan growled. "Ever since the Dusvet Guardian has been obscured by normal Guardian scrying, I know you did something to be able to track his state of being. And while I appreciate knowing something of Almek's welfare, I don't want to lose one of my best trackers."

Jaison closed his eyes, looking away with a pained expression. "I was worried about Almek, too. So I prayed to the Timeless One for help to see through the fog that has surrounded him." He waved a hand aimlessly. "The next I knew, th e dreams began. That's all I had done, I assure you."

"But why you?" Bella wondered. "Not that I'm not glad it's you and not me, but I know many had prayed for the same thing."

Jaison shrugged. "She said it was because of my father's blood, but that it was up to me to learn how to focus. Right now, the visions come unbidden. The more I try to grab hold of them, the more elusive they are. When I do get them, I feel... like I am not myself. " Interest piqued, Bella leaned down to peer narrowly at Jaison. Scowling at Bella, he raised a threatening backhand. Tyrsan smacked the table, making both jump.

"I do not care about the why or the how. Both are irrelevant. The only thing I care about is the results." Tyrsan's expression was grim. "Every one of us knows that ground tremors are a result of when the goddess is upset. What I want to know is why? Why is She upset?"

Glancing at the glass he still held while Bella filled it, Jaison reflected on the nightmares that woke him. "I cannot see anything," he cautioned. He got to his feet, pacing the Dulain's common room in agitation. "When the visions happen, I feel as though I were being smothered, wrapped in wet fabric and unable to break free. I " Jaison jerked to a stop, eyes suddenly wide and unseeing. The half empty glass slipped from his hand to crash on the floor.

Tyrsan and Bella went to the younger Guardian, each grabbing an arm to keep him upright. They pulled him back to the chair. Jaison's lips turned blue as he struggled to take a breath. Then, just as quickly as the seizure struck, it was over. If it were not for the two being so close, he would have passed out on the floor. His eyes rolled open as he regained his senses. "Almek," he rasped, grabbing Tyrsan's hand tightly. "Almek is... is close to death."

Trading an alarmed look with Bella, Tyrsan growled, "I knew he should not have left so soon after returning last. Do you know where he is? Can we send word to someone to help him?"

"I... no, I don't k now." Gratefully accepting a new glass of brandy from Bella , he drained it before continuing to speak. "I do not think he is... near death right now." Swallowing past the tightness in his throat, Jaison looked at his Dulain. The ground shuddered, rattling the few ornaments on the spartanly decorated walls. "The shadows of winter are dark, Dulain. Darker than I have ever seen them."

Chill autumn winds gusted, blowing fallen leaves in lazy circles around the hidden glade as the late morning sun shone through the overcast sky in a brilliant, grey white glow. Dragonfly-winged forest sprites drew back the curtain of flowering, evergreen vines to allow Almek and his students, all exhausted and battered from the battle to save the Forentan god from a shadow beast, to emerge from the tunnel. The small creatures flitted around the humans, chattering with worry.

The last to emerge were Storm and Skyfire, the pair of Githalin Swordanzen leaning on one another . As if afflicted with palsy, the two Desanti were still troubled with the shaking cause by the poisons the sprites wielded in their attack only a week before . Both reflexively raised their arms in warding gestures when the tiny creatures buzzed closer to them. "No! Stay away!" Storm shouted, unable to repress her open fear.

Shrieking challengingly, the desert-born drizar leaped over the horses that stood between him and Storm, sweeping bronze-sheathed horns at the air and digging his bronze capped claws into the hard ground . Skyfire's drizzen merely pushed her way past horses and humans alike to rejoin him, no less aggressive towards the cloud of winged beings , the reptilian mounts steadfastly standing by their riders . The sprites quickly scattered.