"You've had a harsh guide on the path to redemption," Blaze said. "But perhaps not unjustified."

Lock raised his mug to the redhead. "That's right enough."

"Still, many men would have taken the first ship back to the Archipelago," Rain reflected. "And the Lock the White we heard of never would have risked his life to rescue a bunch of drowning men he didn't know."

Lock gave a wry chuckle. "Or who he did know."

"We've lost many this year because of Zaltana," Torn said. "And we have few ships and fewer able sailors. We could use a man with your skill."

"Have you thought any more about joining the Knighthood?" Rain asked. "I think Erik might have been right about you."

Lock shook his head. "How can I be a Knight?"

"Why not?" Sparrow asked quietly. "You're a great sailor, a master of hand-to-hand combat. Your skills are wasted here, Lock. I've always known that."

"Erik raved about your prowess in the ring," Blaze said.

"He knows a fighting form similar to yours," Sparrow explained. "I once saw Knights give a demonstration at a palace in the North."

Blaze smiled. "Yes. I remember now. I...Fourth daughter. Princess."

"Not anymore," Sparrow said.

"The spirits spoke. I would offer condolences for your family's fall, but you're content without the royal robes."

"Yes, I am."

"They say you speak in many ways."

"Speak in many...Yes." Sparrow understood. "I'm fluent in ten languages-actually eleven, since I spent time living with the gypsies."

Rain whistled. "You'd be a help when we travel. Too bad you're not a man. Ever think of becoming a Dame in the Opal Order?"

"No. That's not for me. I want to be a wife and mother, though the traveling part sounds interesting. Could you Knights use a female amba.s.sador?"

Torn looked thoughtful. "I'll discuss it with Mahir. If you're interested, Lock, I can arrange for a meeting with our leader and an evaluation."

"Wait a moment." Lock stood and paced the room. "I can't be a Knight. You know what I've done in the past! You stand for righteousness, goodness. You stand for those I crushed. I can't join you."

"Do you think we're all pure?" Crag curled his lip. "Far from it, I a.s.sure you."

"Even the purest among us have regrets," Blaze stated.

"Lock," Crag stood and faced the pirate, "before I joined the Order, I was a Captain in the Zaltanian army. I know about slaughter. I was part of it."

"Now he stands among the madmen of our Order." Blaze nodded toward Crag's green sash and touched his own.

"What does that mean?" Lock asked.

"The green sash faction goes into battle without weapons." Rain shook his head. "They don't kill and are the best healers in the Knighthood. Blaze leads them. He's third in command of the entire Order. There are only about ten of them who wear that sash, and if you ask me, they are madmen."

"I wouldn't go that far," Lock said. "Nor would I ever join that faction. When I'm fighting, give me a good blade."

"Here, here!" Rain punched Lock amiably in the leg.

"Training for the Order is rigorous," Blaze said. "But I sense you're accustomed to hardship."

"Work doesn't bother me, and learning keeps you young."

"You will be separated from your wife for a time while you train," Torn said.

Lock glanced at Sparrow, and she told him, "I understand. To see you using your talents will be worth it. No matter how happy we are here, Lock, part of you needs adventure. And I'll always be there when you come back."

Torn nodded, his expression solemn. "You both should travel to the Order with us."

"You'll be given a quick evaluation," Blaze said. "Torn is second in command."

Lock and Sparrow exchanged looks then glanced at the dark-haired Knight's smooth, attractive face and slightly protruding front teeth.

"I'm sorry, but you look so young," Sparrow said.

"Torn was raised in the Order. Mahir, our leader, is his foster father," Rain said. "He didn't get any special privileges, though. Torn's one of the toughest men you'll ever meet, in the Order or anywhere. There are stories of his deeds-"

"That can be saved for later." Torn shook his head. "One thing about most of these Knights. They talk too much."

"To keep us busy when you station us in the field for weeks on end."

"Better to be a madman than a crone," Blaze murmured.

Rain growled, "If my leg wasn't bad, Blaze-"

"He'd kick your tail like he did last week," Torn said. "Enough of this. It's late and we're keeping our hostess up. We can all use some sleep."

Lock and Sparrow retired to their bed. She lay in his arms and whispered, "Do you think you'll be happy as a Knight?"

"If I have what it takes to become one."

"I don't have a single doubt."

Chapter Twenty Seven.

When Lock, Sparrow, and the Knights finally reached the Ruby Order's fortress in their kingdom of Rubyshire, the families of several of the Knights awaited them in the courtyard.

Sparrow looked around the Knights' home. A ma.s.sive stone wall surrounded the inner palace. The courtyard was vast and filled with trees and flowers. Windows of many chambers shone in the high walls. Outside in the fields, Knights had been training with weapons and on horseback while others farmed with their families. The Order was completely self-sufficient, a small world of its own.

"Crag!" A small, blond-haired woman shouted, hurrying toward the tall, slender Knight with the wiry brown beard. She held an infant in her arms, and two young children followed at her heels.

"Lily!" The Knight beamed.

"Pa!" the children chimed, clinging to the Knight, one tugging on his green sash.

Sparrow smiled as the Knight grasped the woman and kissed her soundly on the mouth then embraced the children before turning to the infant. As Sparrow watched Crag with his family, she could scarcely believe he'd once been a Captain in the Zaltanian army.

"Another baby?" Rain, using a walking stick to support his healing leg, approached Crag and his wife. His dogs licked the children who began playing with the tawny beasts. "Congratulations. Looks like a beauty."

"Nice going, Crag!" another Knight called.

Crag's wife said, "He had a little help, you know!"

"That may be us someday," Lock whispered close to Sparrow's ear.

She smiled up at him. "I can scarcely wait."

"Follow me," Blaze said to the couple. "I'll find you a room."

They followed the redhead into the great hall. Though large, it was simply decorated with rows of long, oak tables and chairs. Several people sat eating at the tables or socializing. She saw Torn standing by the fireplace kissing a tall, dark-haired woman.

"Torn's mate," Blaze explained. "Charming."

"Are you married, Blaze?" Sparrow asked.

The Knight laughed. "In a dream, perhaps."

They stopped in an upstairs hall, and Blaze opened the door to a small guest chamber. Inside was a bed, trunk, and table with a pitcher of water. In spite of the palace's lavish size, the Knights lived simply within it.

"Rest. Torn will call for you when it's time to meet the Leader of Swords and Sewing Needles," Blaze said, leaving the two alone.

"I think he meant the leader, Sir Mahir," Lock explained. "Blaze isn't easy to follow, but if you listen hard enough, you can understand."

"He's tried to help you understand your dreams, hasn't he?"

"He says my dreams are a privilege. I can't control them, but I can learn to guide them."

"Perhaps he's right."

"Are you sure you'll want to live like this, Sparrow? I might be sent away for months. During training, I'll have scarcely any time for us."

"I know." Sparrow touched his cheek. "Do you want this, Lock?"

"Yes." His pale eyes held hers. "The only thing I've ever wanted more than this is you."

"Then this is how I want to live."

"I love you, Sparrow."

"I love you , too, Lock."

Sparrow sat in the great hall in the fortress of the Knights of the Ruby Order talking with Torn's wife, Honey Wine, ruler of the Sophianna. They awaited their husbands who were speaking privately with Mahir.

Sparrow noted that Honey Wine was a tall, strong woman with a beautiful face and eyes that spoke of the deepest pain and joy. Though Honey Wine was now a leader, Knights of the Ruby Order: Lockd Mistress in her land, she had once been a member of the royal guard. When she'd spoken against a brutal fighting ring, she'd been stripped of her rank and forced to work as a healer in the dungeon. There she met Torn who had been captured while on a secret mission for the Order.

Torn had been tortured while imprisoned, and Honey Wine forced to watch.

"I understand what you must have felt when you saw Lock beaten in the village," Honey Wine said.

"I didn't even know him then, but I couldn't stand seeing him like that, even though he probably deserved it. I'm glad I took him. No matter what he's done in the past, he's a good man."

"If you hadn't saved him, Torn and the others would most likely have died at sea. I'm forever grateful to you both."

"I'm just happy none of them drowned. It was miraculous they all survived."

"Danger is all too common in the life they've chosen."

"What's it like being married to a Knight?" Sparrow asked. "Are you afraid when he's called away on missions?"

"Always," Honey Wine said, "but it's Torn's life. The Knighthood is inside him, and not just because he was raised here. If it's meant for Lock, you'll understand what I mean."

It was several hours before Lock returned with Torn, Blaze, and Mahir. They joined the women and other Knights at the table for the evening meal, and Lock told Sparrow he'd been accepted to train for the Order.

Sparrow embraced him tightly and smiled. She was genuinely happy for him, but part of her already missed him.

Lock and Sparrow sold their home in Rose Cove and gave their ship to Janos who wished Lock luck in his endeavor to become a Knight. Training began immediately, and from then on, he wore the gray tunic of a trainee and spent from early morning until late at night sharpening his fighting skills on the field and learning the healing arts. For one year, he was to learn the basic skills of Knighthood, then for two years work in his area of expertise. With a lack of good seamen, Mahir wanted Lock to captain a ship after his training.

The Knights spent many long hours working. Lock and Sparrow scarcely saw one another, difficult considering they'd only just married. Though she missed him, Sparrow tried not to complain too much about their lack of time together-at least to him. When she, Lily, and Honey Wine got together, they openly aired their grievances, though the other wives offered her a.s.surance as well.

"It's not usually bad for me and Crag," Lily explained one evening when she, Sparrow, and Honey Wine shared a meal in the courtyard. "Unless he's drafted for a special mission, I travel with him. I'm a midwife, and his specialty is healing, so we work together-similar to the way you and Lock will once he's Knighted and given his own ship."

"It's wonderful that Mahir is preparing you to act as an amba.s.sador for the Order," Honey Wine said. "That way you and Lock will work together, and since he's going to be a ship's captain, you'll get to travel to so many exotic places. It's difficult for me and Torn. I have to run affairs of state, so we hardly ever travel together."

"But I'm sure you make it worth your while when you are together." Lily smiled at her friend. "The morning after he gets back from a mission, you have a glow about you. Wonder what that could be from?"

Sparrow glanced at the jug of wine she shared with her companions. Lock's training had affected their love life as well. Often times when he returned from the field and a.s.signments, he was too tired to do anything but sleep, particularly since he'd been having difficulty conforming to the Order's strict lifestyle. Due to insubordination and several scuffles that his superiors deemed avoidable, he was often given extra duties.

"Don't worry, Sparrow." Honey Wine patted her shoulder. "Lock won't be a trainee forever."

"I just want him to be happy, but I'm concerned with the trouble he has-or should I say the trouble he causes."

Lily grinned. "I remember when Crag was a trainee. He had a few reprimands himself. Your Lock is a good man, and he'll do much better when he's in charge of his own ship. Sir Erik's been keeping a careful eye on him."