to give him time to look for help and guide them to us." He left the wall, then reappeared ten minutes later with a white cloth tied to a stick. He waved it from the wall until there was a shout from the siege camp and an answering flag. Then he set down the flag and waited.
They had more than enough time to find a volunteer messenger and get him ready while they waited. It was almost an hour before a knight in black armor strolled nonchalantly up to the wall. "Why isn't he on a horse?" Lynet asked. "I thought knights always conducted battlefield negotiations on horseback."
"They do," Gaheris said. "It's a calculated insult."
"What do you want?" called the black knight.
"To whom am I speaking?" Gaheris shouted back.
"Sir Breunis Sans Pité," the knight replied. "Who are you?"
"Sir Gaheris of Orkney, fellow of King Arthur's Round Table."
Sir Breunis snorted loudly. "
Former
Round Table, you mean."
"No," Gaheris replied. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't what I meant."
"The Round Table had its day, and now that day is past. What do you want, Gaheris?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. What do you want?"
"Oh, is the knight of the proud Round Table asking for terms?" Sir Breunis sneered.
Lynet didn't hear the rest of the exchange. As soon as Sir Breunis appeared, she slipped away and ran to the stables, where the volunteer waited. "Go as fast as you can at first, Douglas," she said. "Put the county behind you. The mare will last longer than you think. After you're well away, you can rest her. Stay near the Great North Road; if the king has sent help, it will be coming that way."
"Ay, milady," the youth said. He smiled, clearly looking forward to doing something, instead of waiting around inside the walls.
"Take no chances, Douglas. This isn't a lark." He nodded, and she led the horse out of the stable to the back wall of the castle, which was covered with a mass of ivy. Lynet glanced wryly at young Douglas. She had always been careful not to do magic in front of the people of Orkney, not wanting the name of enchantress, but there didn't seem to be any way to hide it this time. "Don't tell anyone what you're about to see, all right?" she said.
"Milady?"
Lynet uttered a few guttural words, and the ivy began to coil and curl and writhe like snakes, slowly pulling away to reveal an ancient wooden door set into the wall. The door swung open. "Through there, and fast. You'll have a furlong in the open before you reach the woods."
Douglas showed no particular surprise at Lynet's spell. He simply grinned again and booted the mare into a run. Lynet watched for a second, then spoke again. The door closed, and the ivy slithered back into place. Hurrying up the nearest stairs, she looked over the open field behind the hall. She saw no movement; Douglas had gotten away.
A minute later, breathless from running, she arrived back at the front wall of the castle just as Gaheris was stepping down to the courtyard. He looked a question at her, and she nodded quickly. Gaheris almost smiled. "Good."
"What does that Sir Breunis want?" Lynet demanded.
"He says he'll let all the women and children goâyou includedâas well as every man who's not of noble birth."
Lynet frowned. "But
none
of the men are of noble birth, Gary."
"Except for me."
Lynet blinked, and something jolted inside her. "You."
"It seems that I was right: this is personal. Someone has taken a keen dislike to me."
"So ... you give yourself up and everyone else goes free?"
"If you can trust his word, which I don't. Still, it's more chance than they'll have, waiting inside here to starve."
"Gary, no!"
"Fortunately, we have a few days. We'll give young Douglas a chance to find help."
But the next morning, after a restless night, Lynet was roused from her bed by a cry from the front wall, followed by a shriek and a wail. She hurried to the main gate, where Gaheris was already directing some men to raise the portcullis just enough to drag a shapeless
They had more than enough time to find a volunteer messenger and get him ready while they waited. It was almost an hour before a knight in black armor strolled nonchalantly up to the wall. "Why isn't he on a horse?" Lynet asked. "I thought knights always conducted battlefield negotiations on horseback."
"They do," Gaheris said. "It's a calculated insult."
"What do you want?" called the black knight.
"To whom am I speaking?" Gaheris shouted back.
"Sir Breunis Sans Pité," the knight replied. "Who are you?"
"Sir Gaheris of Orkney, fellow of King Arthur's Round Table."
Sir Breunis snorted loudly. "
Former
Round Table, you mean."
"No," Gaheris replied. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't what I meant."
"The Round Table had its day, and now that day is past. What do you want, Gaheris?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. What do you want?"
"Oh, is the knight of the proud Round Table asking for terms?" Sir Breunis sneered.
Lynet didn't hear the rest of the exchange. As soon as Sir Breunis appeared, she slipped away and ran to the stables, where the volunteer waited. "Go as fast as you can at first, Douglas," she said. "Put the county behind you. The mare will last longer than you think. After you're well away, you can rest her. Stay near the Great North Road; if the king has sent help, it will be coming that way."
"Ay, milady," the youth said. He smiled, clearly looking forward to doing something, instead of waiting around inside the walls.
"Take no chances, Douglas. This isn't a lark." He nodded, and she led the horse out of the stable to the back wall of the castle, which was covered with a mass of ivy. Lynet glanced wryly at young Douglas. She had always been careful not to do magic in front of the people of Orkney, not wanting the name of enchantress, but there didn't seem to be any way to hide it this time. "Don't tell anyone what you're about to see, all right?" she said.
"Milady?"
Lynet uttered a few guttural words, and the ivy began to coil and curl and writhe like snakes, slowly pulling away to reveal an ancient wooden door set into the wall. The door swung open. "Through there, and fast. You'll have a furlong in the open before you reach the woods."
Douglas showed no particular surprise at Lynet's spell. He simply grinned again and booted the mare into a run. Lynet watched for a second, then spoke again. The door closed, and the ivy slithered back into place. Hurrying up the nearest stairs, she looked over the open field behind the hall. She saw no movement; Douglas had gotten away.
A minute later, breathless from running, she arrived back at the front wall of the castle just as Gaheris was stepping down to the courtyard. He looked a question at her, and she nodded quickly. Gaheris almost smiled. "Good."
"What does that Sir Breunis want?" Lynet demanded.
"He says he'll let all the women and children goâyou includedâas well as every man who's not of noble birth."
Lynet frowned. "But
none
of the men are of noble birth, Gary."
"Except for me."
Lynet blinked, and something jolted inside her. "You."
"It seems that I was right: this is personal. Someone has taken a keen dislike to me."
"So ... you give yourself up and everyone else goes free?"
"If you can trust his word, which I don't. Still, it's more chance than they'll have, waiting inside here to starve."
"Gary, no!"
"Fortunately, we have a few days. We'll give young Douglas a chance to find help."
But the next morning, after a restless night, Lynet was roused from her bed by a cry from the front wall, followed by a shriek and a wail. She hurried to the main gate, where Gaheris was already directing some men to raise the portcullis just enough to drag a shapeless
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