"Close the gates!" at the same moment the darkness engulfed us.
Chapter 10
The air thickened as shadows overtook the fortress of Camelaird. The blackness suffocated the torches and candlelight, as well as quashing the brightness of the moon and stars. Arthur's face dimmed before me, his features imperceptible. The rumble of wheels sounded as the gates slid downward, thudding to the ground. The slick ting of metal against scabbard punctuated the still air as men drew swords, preparing for an unseen foe. The silence of the dark intensified the noise of warriors, as if each muscle of every man tensed and their breaths heaved in the air.
Elibel whimpered while Arthur thrust me toward Lancelot, yelling, "Protect her with your life."
The knight shielded both me and my cousin behind him—my vision so impaired I only knew my position by the feel of his back to me and my cousin clinging to my arm.
"Hold!" yelled Arthur to the rest of his men.
The tension grew as men's hearts lost courage, causing them to shift in the blackness that pervaded us.
Arthur commanded, "Relight the torches! Set a bonfire before the north gate! Make haste!"
But his efforts fell too late; a man yelled out in pain. Then another cried from the darkness, "They are already inside the walls!" but his scream asphyxiated with the gurgling sound of blood upon his lips.
Scuffling and clanking noises permeated the fortress as warriors scrambled against the invisible invaders. Lancelot circled around us, searching for targets. One hand stayed behind him, upon me, while the other held his sword. As he revolved around Elibel and me, the caress of his fingertips seeking my form heated the skin beneath my dress. My fear for the unknown darkness, and Elibel's frightened grip squeezing into my forearm kept me from giving over to the temptation to return his touch with my own hand.
A man's grunt sounded near me—the tone familiar. "Father?" I called out.
"Stay where you are, Guinevere," said my father.
Father's words strangulated, as if held in check by an arm around his neck. A shiver rose up my spine.
Footsteps pounded somewhere in the darkness, moving around my back. A scuffling noise, followed by the clang of metal against metal and the grunts of men fighting, resounded around me. Suddenly, a faint flame sparked near the gate as a pile of hay lit on fire. Within moments, the dry grass blazed, casting light through the unnatural darkness.
The melee came into view around us. Melwas' men had miraculously tripled in size and fought our soldiers three to one, swamping the courtyard with their numbers. I swiveled around to search for my father, running my eyes across every bit of the watchtower platform until I found him. A beefy arm caught Father around his neck, pulling him back against the fortress' wall. A sword point gouged the skin of Father's neck, causing a trail of blood to trickle down his flesh.
"Father!" I screamed.
"Stand back, My Lady. No need for you to engage. This argument is between your father and me," said my father's captor.
I focused on the man's features and recognized him from earlier in the day: King Melwas.
"This argument involves me, so I dare say I will engage!" I yelled back, surging forward. I am not sure what I intended to do, but Lancelot caught me, wrapping his arm around my waist, holding me back. Had I not been trembling with a mix of terror and rage, the heat of his touch enveloping my middle would have sent me into a state of rapture. Still, at the moment of his impact, my anger dwindled, washing away with the comfort only he could bring with a touch and calmed me back to my senses.
"If your father gives you over to Arthur, the land will suffer for it. Mark my words, this arrangement must be stopped."
Arthur had already maneuvered a few paces in front of Melwas, his sword extended and trained on our attacker. His blade, Excalibur I presumed, caught the firelight and glimmered with an angry orangey-red
Chapter 10
The air thickened as shadows overtook the fortress of Camelaird. The blackness suffocated the torches and candlelight, as well as quashing the brightness of the moon and stars. Arthur's face dimmed before me, his features imperceptible. The rumble of wheels sounded as the gates slid downward, thudding to the ground. The slick ting of metal against scabbard punctuated the still air as men drew swords, preparing for an unseen foe. The silence of the dark intensified the noise of warriors, as if each muscle of every man tensed and their breaths heaved in the air.
Elibel whimpered while Arthur thrust me toward Lancelot, yelling, "Protect her with your life."
The knight shielded both me and my cousin behind him—my vision so impaired I only knew my position by the feel of his back to me and my cousin clinging to my arm.
"Hold!" yelled Arthur to the rest of his men.
The tension grew as men's hearts lost courage, causing them to shift in the blackness that pervaded us.
Arthur commanded, "Relight the torches! Set a bonfire before the north gate! Make haste!"
But his efforts fell too late; a man yelled out in pain. Then another cried from the darkness, "They are already inside the walls!" but his scream asphyxiated with the gurgling sound of blood upon his lips.
Scuffling and clanking noises permeated the fortress as warriors scrambled against the invisible invaders. Lancelot circled around us, searching for targets. One hand stayed behind him, upon me, while the other held his sword. As he revolved around Elibel and me, the caress of his fingertips seeking my form heated the skin beneath my dress. My fear for the unknown darkness, and Elibel's frightened grip squeezing into my forearm kept me from giving over to the temptation to return his touch with my own hand.
A man's grunt sounded near me—the tone familiar. "Father?" I called out.
"Stay where you are, Guinevere," said my father.
Father's words strangulated, as if held in check by an arm around his neck. A shiver rose up my spine.
Footsteps pounded somewhere in the darkness, moving around my back. A scuffling noise, followed by the clang of metal against metal and the grunts of men fighting, resounded around me. Suddenly, a faint flame sparked near the gate as a pile of hay lit on fire. Within moments, the dry grass blazed, casting light through the unnatural darkness.
The melee came into view around us. Melwas' men had miraculously tripled in size and fought our soldiers three to one, swamping the courtyard with their numbers. I swiveled around to search for my father, running my eyes across every bit of the watchtower platform until I found him. A beefy arm caught Father around his neck, pulling him back against the fortress' wall. A sword point gouged the skin of Father's neck, causing a trail of blood to trickle down his flesh.
"Father!" I screamed.
"Stand back, My Lady. No need for you to engage. This argument is between your father and me," said my father's captor.
I focused on the man's features and recognized him from earlier in the day: King Melwas.
"This argument involves me, so I dare say I will engage!" I yelled back, surging forward. I am not sure what I intended to do, but Lancelot caught me, wrapping his arm around my waist, holding me back. Had I not been trembling with a mix of terror and rage, the heat of his touch enveloping my middle would have sent me into a state of rapture. Still, at the moment of his impact, my anger dwindled, washing away with the comfort only he could bring with a touch and calmed me back to my senses.
"If your father gives you over to Arthur, the land will suffer for it. Mark my words, this arrangement must be stopped."
Arthur had already maneuvered a few paces in front of Melwas, his sword extended and trained on our attacker. His blade, Excalibur I presumed, caught the firelight and glimmered with an angry orangey-red
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