The Cosmati Prophecy: A Historical Fantasy Adventure by Jane Thornley

Author:Jane Thornley [Thornley, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riverflow Books
Published: 2023-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

When she awoke, the passage of time could have been days or years, yet she suspected that she’d been napping for mere minutes. She awoke clear-headed, exceedingly warm, and comfortably sitting in a reclining chair by a crackling fire.

To the right, Petrus stood chopping vegetables on a long table that she had thought to be a workbench but now seemed to be a kitchen island. Eddy was hovering nearby, apparently acting like an extra lamp. It almost seemed as if the orb and Petrus were great buddies.

Geri stood up. “Don’t tell me that you cook, too, Petrus?” she asked. “What, no magic conjuring of dishes?” Humor had always been her way of gaining control, though in this instance she knew that control was unlikely.

“Ha!” he said, turning to her with that flashing smile of his. “A man cooks for the woman he loves. Nothing else will do. I cook to restore you for the work ahead.”

The woman he loves. Was she really expected to believe all this? Oh, right: she had been sucked down a chute into the 13th century. What was a sexy Italian wizard cooking her dinner next to that?

It smelled delicious, whatever he was making. Hadn’t she always dreamed of having some amazing man cook her exquisite meals? That had been replaced by some amazing pub serving her take-out, of course, but those longings had warmed many a lonely night. It looked as though it might warm another, at least up to a point. Was it even night in this dimension? “What time is it?” she asked.

“Any time you want it to be, my love. I have made it night because you have just spent a semi-wretched vigil wedged into a tomb. Not the best place to rest, no? I will make it up to you with a lovely meal followed by a deep and restorative sleep. Beyond my walls, it is actually daylight but there is much activity in the Abbey, which it is best that we avoid for the moment. Later, I will go forth to manage the laying of the mosaics, to spy, and to check on Lin, but I must do so only while Ware is occupied in the Chapter House. It most important that you remain here where it is safe.”

“But what about Lin? We must release her from that monster!”

“And so we shall. Eddy?”

The orb flew from his side to hover at Geri’s eye level. In full crystal ball mode, it revealed Lin sleeping with her head cradled in her arms.

“Lin is resting. She has been fed and given ale to drink,” Petrus explained. “One of the monks, Brother Eli, is in league with the Abbot and has been tending to her on Ware’s instructions. She will be kept safe until Ware has time to—well, we will not discuss such things. It will not be allowed to happen.”

“But—” Geri began.

Petrus was before her in an instant, hands gripping her shoulders—not an unpleasant sensation. “Geri, do you trust me?”

She gazed into his

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