Page 18 of An Enchanted Knight

“Or, how about you give me more specifics and we research it for you. Tammie and I can work on the spell from here?” Sabrina said.

“Okay.” Gwen blew out a breath. “I am not sure how to begin, but the gist is that four men, they called themselves knights, are trapped in an enchantment by a wizard. Each has a different set of circumstances, and each needs a specific person with special powers to free them.”

She went on to tell them about the interactions with Tristan, while referring to her notes. “He touched me, and his fingers were warm,” Gwen told them.

“Whoa,” Sabrina said, after a beat of silence. “Sounds like a complicated job. We’ve never dealt with something like this. If it’s even real.”

Tamara soundless breathless with excitement. “Do you think the woman who hired you made all of it up? I mean, I do believe you about the ghost, but the rest seems far-fetched.”

“Maybe I’m in over my head,” Gwen admitted. “I may not be equipped for this. Perhaps I should leave before making things worse.”

Sabrina huffed. “Of course you’re not… don’t be silly. You of all people are more than well-suited to figure this out.” Gwen could hear paper rustling, and Sabrina’s breathing for a few moments.

“Are you looking in the book now?”

“Yes. Wait, I’m looking, enchantments, knights, wizard…”

After a few minutes of spouting words that didn’t connect, Sabrina finally spoke to her again. “Okay, nothing. We won’t be able to do much until you get us more info.”

Gwen slumped. “What more should I find out?”

“You need to find out the circumstances leading up the enchantment. You said they were on their way to meet with a group of knights. Was it their plan to pledge their swords to their cause? Why did the wizard take offense at whatever they did or were planning to do? If you can give me that reason, the root of the conflict between the knights and this wizard, it will be easier for us to figure out which spell and wards will help break the enchantment.”

It didn’t feel like the odds were in their favor.

“I will call you once I speak to him again. Hopefully I can get all the information we need. He disappears quickly at times.”

After they disconnected, Gwen grabbed her journal and began to write down all the information she needed to gather from Tristan.

Now all she had to do was wait for him to reappear.

Chapter Eleven

Steam rose from their horses and the men’s shoulders, as they climbed the steep, curving road that led to the opening on the side of the mountain. Interesting, to be sweating while sloshing through almost knee-high snow. But the suns on their backs blazed as strongly as a hot summer day. Tristan, like the other men, walked in front of his horse, the animal’s reins in his hand as he tested each step he took, careful not to step too wide and slip into the deep ravine below. Padraig urged his horse along magically as he held the reins of the horse that carried their prisoner.

A rumble vibrated the ground under their feet, and they stilled, waiting, while at the same time scanning the sky for any sign of the dragon. Even the horses seemed to sense the threat and became uncharacteristically quiet.

Giving a signal, Liam urged them forward. His gift of foresight, although invaluable in times like these, did not stop them from being overly cautious. Together they’d come to this damned place and together they’d leave. The men had vowed that not one of them would ever be left behind.

Finally arriving at a wider opening at the side of the mountain, one by one, they led their steeds to the clearing and mounted.

They rode at a steady pace until they reached a brook. Then waited, hidden in the trees as Liam scanned the area a few paces in front of them.

“He’s here,” the prisoner grunted, then without another word, he fell forward off his mount and vanished.

A dragon’s screech is something a man could never forget. The sound echoed into the trees, followed by the flapping of its gigantic wings as the beast glided into view. The body of the dragon a dark green hue, with scales that shimmered into violets and blues where the sun’s rays touched. Talons extended, it descended towards them, letting out another screech before cutting past them, flying so close the wind from its wings caused their heads to snap back. The men clutched on to the horses’ reins, to keep from falling off their mounts.

They retreated into the woods, although considering the size of the beast, no tree could stop it if it decided to come after them.

Tristan held his hand up and they stopped. “Our best chance to beat him is by getting the thing to land. I say we get it to follow us to the clearing up ahead. It will have to land to attack.”

He locked gazes with Liam. “What say you?”

Liam shook his head. “Something is not right. The dragon could have attacked us while we climbed, yet it waited for us to arrive at the brook to make its presence known. Again, he didn’t attack. I agree that if we are to vanquish it, we must get it to stand on solid ground.”

Hoping to bait the dragon, they burst from the trees as one, the horses galloping at a high speed. Tristan didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know the dragon was close behind, the combination of its low growls and the whooshing sound of its wings alerted him to its nearness.

As they neared a clearing, they brought the horses to a stop and Padraig released the riderless horse. Communicating with hand signals, they surrounded the open space from inside the tree line.