Page 19 of A Warrior's Heart

“I apologize for waking all of you.”

“Do you do this often?” Malik asked, placing a hand at Lorcan’s back.

He shook his head. “This dream has haunted me for many nights.”

“A vision, you mean,” I said, stepping forward.

Lorcan’s gaze met mine. “I believe so, yes.”

“The same one as before?” Alek asked.

My friend nodded and pressed his lips into his son’s hair.

“What did you see?” Malik asked, returning his dagger to the holster at his hip.

“I saw…” A haunted expression gleamed in Lorcan’s eyes. “Murky water around Avalontis, the barrier broken. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. I stood on the palace steps and looked up, seeing bodies floating above me, warriors and civilians alike. Men, women… children.” A tear slipped from his eye, and he held his son closer. “The pools of crystal water ran with blood. It was the aftermath of battle.”

“And you’ve had this dream before?” Reif asked.

“Yes. There was more this time though. Things I hadn’t seen before.” Lorcan focused on Malik. “I saw my brother. Ezra.”

Malik gritted his teeth. “And?”

“He stood among the destruction and smiled. And in his hand was Poseidon’s trident.”

A grim silence filled the room as his words hung in the air. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. The trident. The battle. His dream was a vision of what’s to come if we failed.

“We have to stop it,” I whispered. All eyes moved to me. “Our mission is more important than ever now.”

Chapter Five

Malik

Six assassins stood outside the cottage. Silent. Unmoving. Black cloth covered each of their faces, showing only their eyes. Their leather armor was thin, allowing them to be quick on their feet and aiding in their stealth.

The armor would do very little in protecting them against a hard blow, however, a man would need to be able to see one of them coming first.

“That’s not unsettling at all,” Alek muttered, staring at them through the kitchen window where he was cleaning up after breakfast. “Should we invite them inside?”

“Of course we should,” Lorcan said, stepping toward the front door. “They’re men, not beasts.”

Right when Lorcan walked outside, the six assassins dropped to one knee, put an arm across their chests, and bowed their heads before standing again. I watched the prince approach them and then gesture toward the cottage.

“Do they ever speak?” Alek asked, not taking his eyes off his mate. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard them.”

“Yes, they speak,” Reif responded. “Yet, they understand the need for silence.”

I looked over at Troy, who was stuffing another blueberry pastry into his mouth. “If only everyone could follow such an example.”

Troy turned to me, his cheeks puffing out as he chewed. “Huh?”

“Nothing,” I told him, eyeing the jam at the corner of his lips. I had the sudden urge to lick it off. I breathed deep and glanced at Reif instead. “We should gather our supplies and head to the docks. Kellan and Fletcher are meeting us there.”

Reif nodded before leaving the kitchen.

Lorcan entered the cottage. “They said they’ll wait for us outside.”

“Us?” Troy asked, cocking his head.