Swallowing her disappointment that their only clue had been a false alarm, Kadie closed her eyes. There was a sense of flying through time and space as Saintcrow whisked them away. But when she opened her eyes, they weren’t at home, but in front of a lovely old inn in England.
“What are we doing here?” Kadie asked.
“I thought we’d spend the night and go to a jousting tournament in the morning.”
“A joust!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Really?”
“Sure, unless you don’t want to.”
The image of Rylan as a knight flashed through her mind. “I can’t wait.”
~ * ~
In the afternoon, they made their way to Hever Castle in Kent, former home of Anne Boleyn, infamous queen of Henry VIII. They arrived in the castle forecourt just in time to meet King Henry and his queen and a few of their loyal foot soldiers. A little vampire magic got them to the front of the procession, right behind the king and queen as they made their way to the event field.
There was fanfare and applause as the king and queen took their seats. It was easy to imagine she was back in days of old when knights were bold, Kadie mused. The banners snapping in the breeze, the colorful costumes, the pageantry, the shouts of the crowd. It reminded her ofA Knight’s Tale,one of her favorite movies.
The next hour was the most thrilling Kadie had ever known as she watched armored knights in action, performing amazing stunts and falls and sword fights. The jousts were her favorite part. The horses were beautiful, the contests exciting. How she wished she could have seen Rylan in action! He must have been magnificent.
She glanced his way when he tapped her on the shoulder.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Where are you going?”
“Nature calls,” he whispered with a wink.
“Ah,” she said, and turned back to the games.
Kadie was wondering what was taking him so long when one of the knights in the next event drew her gaze. “I don’t believe it,” she murmured. But it was true.
Clad all in black, Rylan sat astride a prancing white horse, lance in hand. He smiled at her as he took his place at the lists. Her heart beat fast as the flag dropped. His horse reared,forelegs pawing the air before man and beast charged forward to the cheers of the crowd. She had no doubt who would win the match.
Standing up, she cheered for her hero as he met his opponent and unseated him. She was still smiling when he returned to his seat. “How did you get on the program?”
“Just a little vampire magic, darlin’.”
“You read my mind, didn’t you?”
He shrugged.
“Well, you were just as magnificent as I knew you would be!” she declared, and kissed him soundly.
She hated to see the show end.
“I’m glad you had a good time,” Saintcrow said as they strolled back to the castle forecourt.
“I could almost believe we were in the past,” Kadie said. “The sights, the sounds. Were you ever defeated in the lists?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m serious!”
“Once,” he admitted. “But I beat him the next time we met.”
She smiled up at him. He was truly the most remarkable man she had ever known.
“Do you want to spend the night in the hotel or go home?” he asked.
