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I’d rather lay under an imperfect sky than one that had been marked with my tormentor’s name.
As if he owned my bed. As if he owned me.
I couldn’t stay there. Carefully, I wrapped the miniature up in a piece of cloth, tucked it into a leather satchel, then searched my drawers until I located the key to my room. Stepping back out into the corridor, I pulled the door shut behind me and this time I locked it fast. Perhaps I could save the servants some trouble and simply tend to my own room from now on.
I knew exactly who I needed to see next.
With relief, I spottedLancelet as soon as I stepped through the doors of the Bear and Mermaid. I was even more relieved when I saw that Galahad was seated beside her.
It was nearly nightfall and the tavern was crowded, brimming with people, all laughing and talking as they drank from large wooden mugs and goblets filled with ale, mead, and spiced wine. The air was pungent with the scents of hearth smoke and roasting meats. I could smell the mouth-watering aroma of pies and stews coming from the kitchen in the back.
The smells were nothing compared to the noise, however. Rowdy laughter, the clink of tankards, and a lively tune being played on fiddles and pipes by a traveling band filled the air. There were people everywhere. Maidservants bustled about the room, their flowered skirts twirling around their legs as they refilled drinks and delivered steaming platters of food. In one far corner, groups of men and women sat playing raucous games of dice and cards, their shouts and cheers adding to the general clamor.
The din was overwhelming and I felt nervous even stepping inside. It had been months since I’d come along with Lancelet.
As I stood hesitating in the doorframe, I felt something collide with my back and without further ado I was shoved forward and into the room. I reeled towards a wooden table, my arms outstretched and was about to collide with it when a strong hand grabbed my elbow, yanking me to a halt.
“Here now, what’s this?” Lancelet complained from where she stood holding my arm. “Watch where you’re going, can’t you?”
I looked towards where she was scowling at the short sandy-haired man who had the misfortune of pushing me. He put his hands up in an apologetic gesture and nodded quickly before moving off into the room towards a group of men who greeted him.
“Discourteous oaf,” Lancelet muttered. Then she turned back to the door. “You again! I suppose you pushed him and he pushed her.”
I followed her gaze, then wished I hadn’t.
The raven-haired man from the training courtyard, the new recruit, was paused in the doorframe. The man from the forest who dismissed Kaye and I as “weak.”
He must have come in just behind the man who pushed me.
His presence was undeniable. He stood tall and confident, looking down upon us, his arms crossed across his chest, a scowl on his full firm lips. His wavy black hair fell in loose waves around his face, drawing my eye to his long straight nose and high cheekbones. A thin ring of silver glinted in his left ear.
For the first time, I noticed his eyes. They were a deep shade of green that seemed to glow with an inner light. As he looked at us, I felt as if he was seeing right through us.
Which was ridiculous, for clearly this man hadn’t trulyseenme at all.
Nevertheless, there was something about him. His body was a warrior's build, completely overpowered, designed for pure destruction. And yet there was a feral beauty to his long limbs and sinewed muscles. Everything about him hinted at a strength and agility that could be deadly in the wrong hands.
I thought about what Sir Ector had said about having the squires face off against the new guards in training and suppressed a shudder. The truth was, while he was wrong about my weakness, I couldn’t imagine fighting this man and winning.
But I sure as hell planned to try.
I snuck a glance at Lancelet to see if she was as put off by him as I felt. But of course she wasn’t. She was scowling like a wolf, her teeth bared ever so slightly.
She looked beautiful and ferocious, her golden hair spilling out of the loose tail she has it pulled back in, her pale skin flushed slightly, and for a brief moment I felt a pang of jealousy. She was everything I wasn’t.
I put a hand to my hood.
“Don’t you know who she is, you big oaf?” Lancelet demanded. “Shoving your way in like you own the place.”
My stomach sank as I realized she must have had more to drink than usual. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.
“What are you doing,” I hissed. “Please stop.”
“I didn’t touch the woman,” the black-haired man said, his voice chilling. He stepped towards us, clearing the doorway as a group of chattering young people came in behind him. He didn’t spare them a glance. In fact, his eyes were not even on Lancelet. They were pressed hard on me.
I lifted my chin, determined to meet his gaze.
“Once again, I find you in my way,” he said, glaring down. “How should I know who you are? Why should I care?”
