Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart Read Online Free

small man who hardly looked a knight. His head was nearly bald and, though trim and fit, he walked with a slight limp.
    “Can’t be anyone of importance if the Badger knows him,” Brynn said.
    Dalton didn’t laugh, though a couple of the other trainees did. After a few moments, Sir Dornan gathered all the trainees, and Sir Treffen addressed them.
    “Young knights,” he began. “Sir Dornan tells me your training is going well. Each of you will soon be commissioned and given the opportunity to embark on a mission for the Prince. It is important that you understand that serving the Prince is a high calling. Whether you choose to serve here at Salisburg or venture into the kingdom on a mission is your choice. Though embarking on a mission may be more dangerous, both are equally important.”
    Sir Treffen motioned for the visiting knight to stand beside him.
    “Today, I’ve asked a fellow Knight of the Prince from Vendenburg to brief you on some disturbing news. Sir Orland.”
    The visiting knight stepped forward and took a few moments to gaze into the eyes of each trainee. When he looked at Dalton, Dalton wanted to look away, but he didn’t. For one brief moment, Dalton felt as though the man was looking for something within him but did not find it. His search went on, quickly scanning the rest of the trainees. His gaze ended with Koen and Carliss, but Dalton could not interpret the private message that passed between their eyes.
    Sir Orland lifted his head and began to speak. “Serving the Prince is a noble and rewarding venture. But Sir Treffen speaks the truth: serving the Prince can be dangerous. If you’ve come to seek glory or fame or riches, you’ve come to the wrong order.” Sir Orland paused. Dalton glanced about and knew that the man had already lost some of his audience.
    “I have had the opportunity to travel to many havens in the region,”Orland continued. “Havens much like yours, where we are training our young knights in the art of the sword. But something is amiss.”
    This seemed to regain everyone’s full attention. Orland looked right at Dalton. “Some of our young commissioned knights are disappearing.”
    “What do you mean, sir?” Dalton asked.
    “I have recently visited six havens in this region. More than twenty young knights cannot be accounted for.”
    “Are you certain they’ve disappeared?” Sir Dornan asked. “Or is it possible they are just delayed in their mission or have embarked on a different mission altogether?”
    “It is possible,” Orland replied, “but I fear something worse. And I suspect this is happening all across the kingdom. I am gathering information to make a report to Chessington.” Orland looked again at the trainees. “You must remember that our enemy is dark and fierce and his minions are formidable. The Shadow Warriors will stop at nothing to destroy the cause of the Prince and His Followers!”
    Dalton shifted from foot to foot. Sir Orland’s passionate message made him distinctly uncomfortable, and he didn’t know how to react to it. Should he be afraid, skeptical, nervous? Did this strange knight know what he was talking about? Dalton sensed the same discomfort from the rest of the trainees. Only Koen and Carliss seemed to fully embrace the warning. Their eyes were still fixed upon Sir Orland as they nodded their approval of his final words.
    Sir Treffen stepped forward. “Take your training seriously, young knights.” He and Sir Orland then mounted up and left.
    Sir Dornan didn’t seem overly concerned by Sir Orland’s warning, and that sentiment was shared by nearly all the trainees. However, Dalton noticed that the evening’s exercises with the sword lasted longer than usual. At one point, a break was called. While Dalton waited for the other trainees to take their fill of drink at the water bucket, he detoured into the forest trees to contemplate the warning of Sir Orland and his own impending decision.
    Is there merit to Orland’s