Read Online The Queen's Gambit by Deborah Chester - Free Book Online

assistance. Her daughters gathered up their skirts and ran for the hold.
    Ignoring his family, Lord Pace stared at the squire as though he did not believe his ears. “What?” he sputtered. “What’s that you say?”
    His protector Sir Albie stepped forward with a ferocious scowl and drew his sword. “Skull folk,” he said. “Hah! Time to drive them back from whence they came.”
    A cheer rose up from the mounted knights. Orders rang out from the master-at-arms.
    Lord Pace stood where he was, glaring and blustering, confusion in his eyes. “They can’t be here,” he insisted. “We drove them off. My father taught them—”
    â€œMy lord,” Talmor said, leaning down from the saddle impatiently. “There’s no time. Get yourself and your good lady to safety. Never mind the hold. Head directly for the fortress and—”
    â€œWhat? Run for my life?” Pace bellowed in outrage. “You!” he said with a gesture at a nearby servant. “See that the women are escorted to the cliffs. And where’s my horse? My armor? Damne! Where’s my squire when I want him?”
    â€œNay, my lord,” Sir Albie said firmly. “No fighting for you.”
    â€œThe women,” Lord Pace said, not listening. “They’ll gofor them first, the savage brutes. We’ve got to get all the women rounded up and hidden away.”
    â€œBe easy there, m’lord,” said the squire who’d brought the message. “Sir Pentigne has already sent all females in the hold up fortress way with an armed escort. I am to bring your lordship to safety also.”
    â€œWhat?” Lord Pace looked insulted. “Damne, I’ll not run like a baseborn coward. Where’s my sword? Albie! My horse! My sword!”
    The protector’s experienced old eyes met Talmor’s and an unspoken word passed between them.
    â€œGet him to high ground if you can,” Talmor said.
    â€œHe won’t go,” Albie replied.
    â€œGo?” Lord Pace glanced around furiously. “Put off this blithering nonsense. We’ve fighting to do. Talmor, take charge of half the knights here. See that you hold the seawall.”
    Talmor’s heart sank. Crumbling, half-fallen, propped up with timbers, and covered with scaffolding for repairs, the seawall had been intended to close the wide mouth of the harbor and make its opening defensible. It was impossible to defend in its current state of disrepair. He’d just been handed a suicidal task.
    â€œSir Talmor!” Lord Pace yelled. “Did you hear me?”
    â€œYes, my lord. At once.”
    He glanced around to choose his men, but Lord Pace was still talking.
    â€œThey’ll come right over the gap, the murdering savages. Their boats have next to no draw, so they can do it. Hold them as long as you can, then fall back in order. That will give the rest of us time to make the hold defenses ready. Its walls will withstand them; that, I’ll swear to.”
    â€œMy lord,” Talmor said, “they’ll hit the easiest target first. The village is—”
    â€œDamn the village! I’ll waste no men on a cluster of huts.”
    â€œIt’s the fish they’ll want—”
    â€œThey want women and my gold,” Lord Pace said, asthough Talmor were a fool. “I’ll give them neither. Now get to it!”
    â€œMy lord.” Saluting the chevard, Talmor wheeled Canae around and shouted orders.
    In moments, he had gathered his small contingent of five-and-thirty men and went galloping down the hill from the jousting field to the beach. The villagers, most of whom had been walking up to the field for the ceremony, had paused to stare up at the bonfires. Now they scattered before the galloping knights with cries of alarm.
    â€œGet to the fortress!” Talmor shouted at them. “Don’t go back to your houses.” He saw Lutel’s mother—a