Read Online Templar's Destiny (9780545415095) by Kat Black - Free Book Online Page B

man’s hands had shaped and molded it. And it was there that I saw what I needed — the wheel’s outer rim had a small knot of energy in the grain of the wood.
    I drew moisture from the air and worked it through the tough outer layer and into the knot, forcing it into the small spaces that naturally occurred there. The splinter was faint, but with each turn of the wheel it grew. A loud crack, and the shout of the wagon’s driver when the whole of it gave way in the next rut heralded my effort. In the confusion, I bolted from the trees and appeared at the driver’s side, whispering the suggestion I had been planning.
    An inconvenience. Good thing there were two of us. We will need to unload the wagon and carry the goods inside.
    The driver had no thought for my sudden appearance, ordering me to deliver two of the bolts of linen to the Templar weavers and fetch the wheelwright while he saw to the horses. I was only too glad to comply — to the first of his requests, at least.
    When I passed beyond the gate, I held the bolts high to hide my face and the moment I rounded the bend in the path beyond the granary, I laid them down in the late grass of the meadow and took off toward the main house as if I belonged.
    There were many outlying buildings. I skirted several farms, stables, and worker houses along the way, keeping my head low and my eyes to the road. Bertrand had described the grounds to me. He would be staying at the dormitories, housed in a large building that encircled a central courtyard toward the northern edges. There were many workers in the preceptory, but I had to assume that not every one knew every other. I strode as if with great purpose. It would have been nice to use the power to cloak myself, but inside the preceptory the chance that I would be discovered far outweighed the risk.
    There were fewer guards inside the grounds, and I found it easier to navigate than I had anticipated. Passing through an archway to the courtyard’s interior, I encountered several knights in training. I dipped my head and they moved past, but not before I heard one speak.
    â€œWe will meet in the chapel, after weapons.”
    I glanced up from beneath my cowl. The voice was familiar, one I had heard only this morning. It was Zachariah, who had met with de Nogaret and the others in the room at the Cochon Rouge. His companions had been there as well. Two of the men nodded and turned aside, disappearing along an inner corridor. Zachariah continued across the grass, and I ducked into the shade of one of the many pillars that ringed the courtyard. After a moment, I followed.
    The man was much into his own thoughts, for although I stayed close he never once looked behind. He passed through a second archway, and I followed. But when his soft footsteps moved to a set of stairs at the end of a long corridor and beyond my sight, I was forced to hang back a bit. This was no open hallway filled with bodies to blend in with. I was alone. Still, I silently crept in his wake. The stairs led to a maze of hallways and abandoned rooms, where doors were ajar and furniture had been stripped. A fine layer of dust lined the floor. No one had passed this way but Zachariah in quite some time. I was easily able to track my way to the doorway he’d gone through.
    Quickly, I slipped into the adjoining room, pressed my ear against the wall, and tried to make sense of the murmur of voices that came from the other side of it.
    â€œWhat have ye to tell me that was so urgent it could not wait until we were assured of secrecy?” I was surprised. The other occupant must have entered from another direction.
    â€œThe healer who traveled with Sinclair arrived last night. He is seeking an audience with the Grand Master and asking questions about the Abbot from Scotland.”
    There was a weighted pause, and I held my breath. “Did he arrive alone?”
    â€œThere was no other,” the trainee replied.
    I heard the