“I know not.”
“Then suit up and meet me outside.”
“Draven!” Emily gasped. “They haven’t been here hardly any length of time and you wish to spar with Lord Sin?”
“I’m not going to spar with him, Em, I’m going to sweep the list with him.”
Sin scoffed. “You wish.”
“Sin,” Callie said as he pushed himself away from the hearth. “Are you not too tired?”
“Even half dead, I could beat him with one arm tied around my back.”
Draven smiled evilly. “Then do it.”
“I will.”
Simon groaned even louder.
Callie looked up at Simon. “They’re not serious, are they?”
Emily answered for him. “I have a bad feeling they are.”
Her bad feeling turned out to be correct when ten minutes later both men came back downstairs dressed for battle.
“Will you not at least eat first?” Simon called.
They shook their heads in unison and headed for the door. Their voices echoed through the room as they clattered down the foyer.
“Lay on, Sin, and taste your first defeat.”
“‘Tis your own feet you’ll be tasting, Draven-boy. There shall never come a day when you can best me.”
Draven paused at the door and looked back to the hearth. “Come, Simon, and watch your foster-brother eat crow.”
The men slammed their helmets on, clanged their swords together, then headed outside.
“Simon?” Callie asked. “Should I be worried?”
They heard a scream from outside the door.
“I think we should be worried,” Emily said as she scrambled to her feet and rushed for the door.
Simon grabbed Hen and they followed Emily to see the men outside in the yard.
“Alys?” Emily asked an attractive, dark-haired maid who appeared to be around Emily’s age. The woman stood with her hand over her heart as if she’d suffered a horrendous fright. “Are you all right?”
“Aye,” Alys said, “but your husband is dangerous with that sword, milady.”
“You have no idea,” Simon muttered as he approached the men. He flashed a bright smile at the maid who blushed prettily, then hastened off.
As soon as the men locked swords, a small crowd of servants and knights formed to watch them. Emily and Callie exchanged a frustrated, weary look, then went to try and break them up.
It didn’t work.
Hours went by as Sin and Draven attempted to pummel each other into the ground.
After a time, Jamie got up from his nap, played with Hen, then both were tucked into bed. Supper was served, eaten and then grew cold all the while they waited for the two combatants to grow up and join them.
