Free Dark Lord of Kismera: Knights of Kismera by Tamara H Hartl

a better explanation. Ki glanced over at her brother to her right then back to Drace. Cearan was deep in conversation with a man Drace recognized as So Lar, who was also a Horse Master. He was an older man whose long hair was mostly gray. He had the same distinctive features as other members of the Clan Lionblade. He was Cearan’s second-in-command in the care and training of the horses. Drace had spoken with him several times in the last few weeks, and genuinely liked the older man.
    “I have mentioned to you that Cearan and I are Lion-kin, yes?” she remarked. At Drace’s nod she continued, idly toying with the food on her plate with her fork. “Those of our clan that are Lion-kin have the ability to become the lion as they wish; shape shift, if you will. They have the natural weapons of the lion: claw, fang, speed, strength, and so on. There are others among us here that are of other clans. You have seen Ja Din and Oran during your stay here at Oralia. They are of the panther clan.”
    Drace had met the brothers. Ja Din was a blacksmith and Oran was a warrior who did a lot of scouting work. Both men were fairly tall and were muscular, although not as heavily so as the members of the Lion-kin clan. They both had jet-black hair and the greenest eyes Drace had ever seen on a person.
    Something occurred to Drace, “You have referred to me several times as human. Not particularly in a flattering tone either, I might add. I can’t be the only one here.”
    Ki smiled at him in that arrogant way in which he was very familiar. “You are a human from outside these lands. That makes you very different.” In a more pleasant tone she continued, “There are humans here as well, such as Estelle. She had two children with her mate, Jem. They are both men, grown now. One can change at will to a lion. The other has only a sharp sense of hearing and smell, which he has always. A Panther-kin may mate with a Lion-kin but the children will have only one parent’s abilities, if any, and it does not happen very often. You understand this so far, my lord Drace?”
    He took a swallow of red wine then nodded.
    “You are taking this information rather calmly,” she stated with raised brows. “Earlier this afternoon you showed fear.”
    He set his cup down harder than he had intended and wine sloshed onto the table. “You seem annoyed, my Lord,” Ki remarked.
    Drace absently mopped the wine with his napkin. “Well I am annoyed, although it’s mostly at myself. I was scared, to be honest, which pisses me off.”
    “What is ‘pissed off’? You do not mean you passed water with fear, do you?” Ki leaned back in surprise.
    Drace furthered her surprise by laughing. He pushed his hair back and explained, “No, no, although I can’t say that I wasn’t close to it. No, ‘pissed off’ means angry. I am angry at myself that I was afraid.”
    Ki drank deeply from her own cup. She touched the tip of her tongue to her top lip to catch a stray drop and as Drace watched he felt a jolt low in his belly at the innocent action. He subtly shifted his weight in his chair.
    “I have seen inexperienced warriors piss themselves in the face of an angry dogue, or in battle. Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, and at times it makes you more cautious. You do not strike me as the ‘pissing’ kind,” she commented, matter-of-factly.
    “Thanks, I think,” he said, and made that small shift in weight again.
    She eyed him curiously for a moment. He returned her gaze for a brief time then turned to stare at his plate. Color stained his high cheekbones.
    He stabbed at his chicken and stuffed a bite into his mouth. Ki reached for the small bowl of loose salt close to his plate and her arm brushed his, Drace abruptly rose from his chair. “Excuse me,” he muttered, left the table and exited the main hall.
    Drace’s hasty exit had caught Cearan’s attention and Ki glanced at her brother. “Whatever is the matter with him?” she questioned, confused by