Heart of Time (Knight Traveler) by Regan Black Page A

“We accept whatever request you have for us, my king,” Gawain answered aloud as Kay and Bors nodded.
    “What has Mordred done now?” Kay asked. “It’s high time we find him and put an end to his tricks and dissent.”
    Bors nodded slowly, his pale gaze locked with Arthur’s. “That is the hunting you speak of, my lord?”
    “Dispense with rank in this place,” Arthur snapped, impatient with formalities that would do them no good in this endeavor. “We must face the trouble I sense head on, as equals, or be smothered by the encroaching dark.”
    “Speak clearly, my k-friend,” Gawain amended quickly. His voice, deep and quiet, ran like a cool river through the charged moment, settling all of them.
    Arthur sighed and lowered himself to the edge of his chair. “The world as we know it, as we have worked and dreamed it to be is in terrible trouble.”
    Gawain scowled. “Morgana.”
    “Yes,” Arthur admitted. “I know Morgana is at the heart of it. She is scheming once more and seems to have new allies, though they are not known to me,” he added. “What I fear is that without drastic measure, without this extreme vow from each of you, she will succeed.”
    “Never.” Kay’s deep voice boomed around the hut, rattling the door. “We will find her and stop her.” He looked to his fellow knights, receiving nods of agreement.
    “May your surety hold fast, my friend,” Arthur said, relaxing for a moment in a fragile belief. The doubts and fears of men often faltered when faced with Kay’s sheer force of will.
    But they didn’t yet know what he required of them.
    He met each man’s determined gaze. “We have always been honest in our dealings. You three have trusted me with your secrets, as I have trusted you with mine.”
    Gawain sat forward, eyes intent and clear. “You need magic to defeat her.”
    Bors gave a low whistle. “Plain speaking, indeed. What has Merlin to say?”
    “Not enough,” Arthur groused, rubbing at that persistent prickling at the back of his neck. “Men, I know not what you’ve told each other, only what you’ve told me and what is evident to any attentive observer. You are each strong of faith and will. You all have clarity of thought and boundless courage. And each of you maintains a unique bond with an unlikely friend.” Arthur’s gaze took in each man’s solemn expression, they knew he referred to their animal companions. “The secrets you’ve shared will go with me to my grave, have no doubt. What I ask of you is to promise me you won’t let the grave defeat you in the task I am about to reveal.”
    Bors pursed his lips, but no sound came forth. Kay’s big body went absolutely still. Gawain’s gaze snapped to the fire.
    Arthur knew Gawain sensed the power hidden behind the flames, the danger and hope each man present would need to balance in order to stop Morgana.
    “This is no border skirmish or campaign,” Arthur continued. “Not even a clear-set quest. The threat she poses is worse. She would weave herself into our daily lives, corrupt the hearts of those around us. She would choke out the good we have wrought as a weed chokes a healthy garden. Each day she draws more followers flocking to her cause.”
    “Evil often appears lovely in the beginning,” Bors said, his voice sad. “People are too eager to believe and quickly led astray.”
    “A truth we know too well,” Arthur agreed. “My dreams are too consistent to ignore, yet Merlin cannot guide me to the time or place of a confrontation. What I recall are more than dream nonsense. I know it and he agrees. Merlin has confessed that our battle may well take place beyond this time we know and hold dear.”
    Gawain’s gaze remained locked on the fire. “How are we to make such a vow? How shall we persist in our hunt for Morgana beyond the grave, as you say?”
    “My best interpretation is that Morgana is planting seeds she hopes to harvest in this time and seeds she hopes to harvest in times yet to