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Authors: Vivian Vande Velde
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without looking at her brother. He'd ruined it. He'd ruined everything.
She could still, she thought, cry out, "Kiera!" and see if there was any answer. Was that their last chance, or would she ruin any possibility they might have?
Once they were all in the corridor, Sir Denis went ahead. This might have been politeness, guiding them, though the door was within sight not threescore paces down a straight hallwayâof it might have been insult, insinuation that they couldn't be trusted to leave, at least not without theft or causing damage.
Behind her, Alayna heard Galen stop. She was too angry to care, but Mordred stopped also, waiting for him. Alayna stalked past Mordred, but several paces beyond she looked back and saw why Mordred was concerned. Galen was just standing there, a puzzled expression on his face. "Galen?" she called.
He looked from her to Mordred, back to the room they had just left. "Have we already ... Did..." Again his gaze wavered between them and the room. He had the dazed look she'd sometimes seen on knights who'd just had a bad tumble on the jousting field. "What did I say?" he asked.
Alayna saw Mordred, always watchful, glance beyond her. She checked that way also and saw that, for the moment, Sir Denis seemed unaware they were no longer right behind him, and he kept walking.
"Galen?" Alayna repeated.
Her brother ran his hand over his face. "Did I..."
Mordred grasped his arm lest Galen prove as unsteady as he sounded.
"I ... am sorry." Galen's voice was faint and unsure. "I don't know what possessed me. It was as though..." He shook his head. "...as though..."
Alayna felt a familiar tingle up and down her spine. It was the same feeling as when she would find Kiera staring off into space or when, certain times, Toland would say with more assurance than was his wont, about something he should have no control over, "Don't concern yourself about that: I am certain it will work out." Now she took a long look at her brother and said, "Galen, did you feel that that wizard could beâ"
At that same instant, Mordred, once more checking back the way they had just come, toward the Great Hall, pulled his sword from its scabbard.
She saw Galen also go for his sword, even before he whirled around to learn what the danger was. She saw all this before finally, over their shoulders, she saw what Mordred had seen: three knights running toward them, having burst from the room where they'd just had their audience with Halbert. Though not armored, they
were
armed.
Mordred spared a glance in her direction, beyond her, before turning back; and by this she knew that Denis was not yet close enough to be a threat.
Belatedlyâshe
had
said she was competent: what was the matter with her?âshe unsheathed Percival's sword that she had accepted without truly expecting to use. She whirled back to check the way Sir Denis had been leading them. Sir Denis, at the entrance to the courtyard, had heard the weapons being drawn and now faced them, his own sword in band. His eyes flicked from her to her two companions. Obviously he saw her as a minor obstacle and was calculating how quickest to deal with her and get on to the real business at hand.
Alayna went into fighting stance and knew she had an advantage in that Sir Denis no doubt thought she was bluffing.
Behind her, she heard the clash of steel on steel as someone's first sword blow was parried.
Then Sir Denis was upon her.
She saw the look of surprise on his face as she made the first move, a thrust at his exposed neck. He wasn't so surprised, however, that he couldn't block.
Alayna knew that, however skillful, she didn't have a man's arm and shoulder muscles; that was why Percival had given her his broadsword, with a hilt large enough for two-handed fighting while on foot, yet light enough to wield one-handed on horseback. Still, she didn't try to fool herself: The longer this encounter took, the more disadvantaged she would be. So far, Sir Denis wasn't
She could still, she thought, cry out, "Kiera!" and see if there was any answer. Was that their last chance, or would she ruin any possibility they might have?
Once they were all in the corridor, Sir Denis went ahead. This might have been politeness, guiding them, though the door was within sight not threescore paces down a straight hallwayâof it might have been insult, insinuation that they couldn't be trusted to leave, at least not without theft or causing damage.
Behind her, Alayna heard Galen stop. She was too angry to care, but Mordred stopped also, waiting for him. Alayna stalked past Mordred, but several paces beyond she looked back and saw why Mordred was concerned. Galen was just standing there, a puzzled expression on his face. "Galen?" she called.
He looked from her to Mordred, back to the room they had just left. "Have we already ... Did..." Again his gaze wavered between them and the room. He had the dazed look she'd sometimes seen on knights who'd just had a bad tumble on the jousting field. "What did I say?" he asked.
Alayna saw Mordred, always watchful, glance beyond her. She checked that way also and saw that, for the moment, Sir Denis seemed unaware they were no longer right behind him, and he kept walking.
"Galen?" Alayna repeated.
Her brother ran his hand over his face. "Did I..."
Mordred grasped his arm lest Galen prove as unsteady as he sounded.
"I ... am sorry." Galen's voice was faint and unsure. "I don't know what possessed me. It was as though..." He shook his head. "...as though..."
Alayna felt a familiar tingle up and down her spine. It was the same feeling as when she would find Kiera staring off into space or when, certain times, Toland would say with more assurance than was his wont, about something he should have no control over, "Don't concern yourself about that: I am certain it will work out." Now she took a long look at her brother and said, "Galen, did you feel that that wizard could beâ"
At that same instant, Mordred, once more checking back the way they had just come, toward the Great Hall, pulled his sword from its scabbard.
She saw Galen also go for his sword, even before he whirled around to learn what the danger was. She saw all this before finally, over their shoulders, she saw what Mordred had seen: three knights running toward them, having burst from the room where they'd just had their audience with Halbert. Though not armored, they
were
armed.
Mordred spared a glance in her direction, beyond her, before turning back; and by this she knew that Denis was not yet close enough to be a threat.
Belatedlyâshe
had
said she was competent: what was the matter with her?âshe unsheathed Percival's sword that she had accepted without truly expecting to use. She whirled back to check the way Sir Denis had been leading them. Sir Denis, at the entrance to the courtyard, had heard the weapons being drawn and now faced them, his own sword in band. His eyes flicked from her to her two companions. Obviously he saw her as a minor obstacle and was calculating how quickest to deal with her and get on to the real business at hand.
Alayna went into fighting stance and knew she had an advantage in that Sir Denis no doubt thought she was bluffing.
Behind her, she heard the clash of steel on steel as someone's first sword blow was parried.
Then Sir Denis was upon her.
She saw the look of surprise on his face as she made the first move, a thrust at his exposed neck. He wasn't so surprised, however, that he couldn't block.
Alayna knew that, however skillful, she didn't have a man's arm and shoulder muscles; that was why Percival had given her his broadsword, with a hilt large enough for two-handed fighting while on foot, yet light enough to wield one-handed on horseback. Still, she didn't try to fool herself: The longer this encounter took, the more disadvantaged she would be. So far, Sir Denis wasn't
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