Children of Avalon

by Meredith Bond

  There was silence for a moment as all of the possibilities ran through my mind and probably everyone else’s as well.

  “Reconnaissance?” James offered.

  “What?” Scai and I asked in unison.

  “Wot! Wot!” Sir Dagonet agreed.

  Everyone burst into laughter. Some, including Peter and Piers, literally rolled with it. To me, it just felt good to let go of the tension inside.

  When he could speak for laughing so hard, Dylan said, “Reconnaissance—we need to go and spy on Nimuë. See if we can find out what she’s planning on doing.”

  “And discover where Matthias is being held so we can free him,” Aron added.

  “Why not free all the people she’s collected?” Scai asked.

  “Yes, we need to do that,” Piers agreed.

  “And stop her from taking any more,” James said.

  “But how?” Peter asked.

  “We could go to the king,” Dylan suggested.

  “And how do you expect to get an audience with him?” Piers asked, a little anger adding color to his voice.

  “He just knighted me a few days ago. I think he might see me,” Dylan answered with absolute calm.

  Perhaps it was his calm, perhaps it was his words, but Piers had the grace to look a little shameful at his tone. “Oh.”

  “I am all in favor of stopping the witch hunts, if we can,” I said, “but that’s not our top priority. We need to free Matthias—and, no, we cannot free all of the people taken just yet, Scai. That would be too much to expect because we want to do this without being noticed. Once Matthias is free, we’ll figure out how we’re going to take care of Nimuë once and for all. When she’s gone, then we can free everyone she’s ever taken.”

  There was silence as everyone stood around nodding their heads in agreement. Aron was smiling at me, as was Sir Dagonet, as if they were proud and amazed that I could be so sure of myself. I didn’t know whether I should puff myself up with pride or dive under the nearest rock. Honestly, I’d never taken charge like that outside of my own home—ever. And I wasn’t exactly sure why I had now. Only it felt right—when I wasn’t cringing at my own boldness.

  “Bridget’s hit it right on the nose. First thing in the morning, we’ll start for Saerdbury,” Sir Dagonet said, turning to find his horse, which had wandered off with the other horses during the fight.

  “In the morning?” Piers asked.

  “Why not now?” Peter said at the same time.

  Sir Dagonet looked up into the sky where the first stars were just beginning to show. “Little late, now, boys. We don’t want to travel in the dark.” He sat down heavily on the grass next to where his horse was nibbling. “Don’t know about you, but I’m beat.”

  “Poor Sir Dagonet,” Scai said, coming over to the old man.

  “I have to say, I’m exhausted, too,” I admitted and dropped myself next to Sir Dagonet.

  “I’m hungry,” Piers admitted, a little sheepishly.

  Thomas looked around at the others. “Do we have enough food for all of us?”

  “Perhaps,” Scai said, looking around at everyone.

  “If we all eat only a little,” I added, thinking about the food Joan had worked so hard to prepare for our journey.

  “We’ll get more on our way,” Sir Dagonet offered.

  It would have to be good enough. There really wasn’t another option. The town was twenty minutes in the wrong direction and we wanted to get as quick a start in the morning as we could. We would all just have to make do.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The journey to Saerdbury was too slow. Dylan did end up speeding back to the town where we had met Jonathan and Madeline in order to get the wagon the knights had left there so that my brothers had a way to travel. But even with the wagon, Sir Dagonet either couldn’t or wouldn’t go much faster than he ever had.

  We were all frustrated, but we kept up a steady pace and didn’t stop for anything—until a tree branch took a swipe at me. I managed to duck in time, but as I turned around to look at what had just tried to hit me, it caught me across my body and knocked me off my horse.

  I landed hard on my hip. “Ow!”

  “Bridget! Are you all— Sir Dagonet, watch out!” Dylan ended with a shout.

  Sir Dagonet had been riding right behind me, so he was next in the line of fire of the branch. He whipped out his sword and began to spar with the tree.

  It was so funny to see Sir Dagonet truly fighting with it, I laughed out loud. Scai and Dylan joined in but I think Aron and my brothers didn’t know what to make of this odd sight.

  “Dylan, I appreciate the practice…” he began.

  “It’s not me,” Dylan started.

  “Behind you!” Scai shouted.

  Dylan turned, engaging with a branch of another tree that had started to attack him on the opposite side of narrow road. “Scai?”

  “I’m not doing it; I’m right here,” my sister said, leaping down off of Aron’s horse, which she had been riding, to see to me.

  “Then who is?” Dylan asked.

  “Lady Nimuë?” Aron offered. “Could she do something like this?”

  “Possible,” Sir Dagonet said, ducking a quick swipe at his head.

  “It would take a lot of magic,” James said.

  “Dylan, watch the other limb,” Thomas called out.

  “I’m trying! She might have enough power,” Dylan said, beginning to fight off a second branch as well.

  “It would take a lot, but I wouldn’t put it beyond her abilities,” I offered, standing up and brushing myself off.

  “Oooh.” We all said in unison as Dylan took a hit from one branch.

  The tree next to the one fighting with Sir Dagonet reached over and grabbed Piers, plucking him right from the wagon. My brother screamed, kicking and fighting against the branches.

  “I told you to beware of the trees, Dylan, and you laughed at me,” Sir Dagonet said with a broad smile on his face. He was clearly enjoying his “I told you so” moment—perhaps too much.

  “Never again, sir,” Dylan responded with a grin.

  “And if it’s not Nimuë...?” Peter asked, as he scooted out of the way of a branch. James wasn’t so fast, though, and he, too, was pulled from the wagon.

  “It’s got to be. Who else would do this?” I said with conviction, looking up at my brothers struggling in the branches high above us.

  “Never trusted trees, don’t you know?” Sir Dagonet said, maneuvering his horse into a better position and continuing his battle.

  “Sneaky?” Thomas asked.

  “Underhanded, er, too-many-handed, or, limbed, I suppose, wot?” Sir Dagonet amended. He ducked again as one branch tried to unseat him from his horse even as he engaged another with his sword.

  Aron jumped from the seat of the wagon and stopped a branch from walloping Dylan in the head since he was fighting two branches at once, his sword flipping back and forth between the two.

  “Thanks,” he said, glancing at Aron hanging from the branch, pulling it down with his weight.

  “No problem. But I agree with Sir Dagonet. These things have too many limbs.”

  “I don’t care about who’s doing this. How do we stop it?” James called out, while struggling within the tree’s prickly grasp.

  I looked at Scai, but she just shrugged. “If I bring a wind, I don’t think it would do anything.”

  “Neither would a rain storm,” Dylan said.

  “Fire?” I asked.

  “Worth a try,” Sir Dagonet said, giving the branch he was fighting a good hack.

  I’d had a good rest for the past few hours, so I dug deep within me, gathering my magic into my core.

  “Aim well, Bridget,” Dylan called out.

  He wasn’t kidding! I did not want to hit my brothers struggling within the tree’s grasp. Or anyone else. I formed a ball of magic in my hand and threw it at the trunk of the tree that was now trying to toss Aron off of its limb and fight with Dylan
at the same time. The tree recoiled and for a moment, but then continued on as if nothing had happened.

  “You need something stronger,” Peter called out.

  I turned to look at him for a moment. Stronger? I dug once again into my magic. This time I built it up, pulling on even more energy, holding the ball in my hand longer until it was more powerful than any fireball I’d created in some time, perhaps ever.

  Once again, I aimed carefully, not wanting all that energy to go to waste. I hit the tree square in the center of its trunk.

  It recoiled, pausing for a moment before going right back to fighting with Dylan.

  “Oh no, Bridget. Fire. You need actual fire,” Scai said from next to me.

  “Yes, set the tree on fire,” Sir Dagonet said. He sounded like he was tiring.

  “But I don’t want to destroy it,” I argued.

  “Bridget, now is not the time to worry about saving a life or taking one!” Dylan said, sounding a little testy.

  I felt bad for the tree, but honestly I didn’t mind killing trees nearly as much as I did killing people. “Actually, I was more concerned about the fire spreading.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Just stop them, wot, wot?”

  Once again, I pulled at my inner magic. This time I went for the raw fire that resided within me. I pointed a hand at the base of the tree fighting with Dylan and projected the fire out, lighting the tree like I would a candle. I lit it at various other places—branches and leaves. I then turned and did the same to the tree Sir Dagonet was fighting.

  As the trees caught fire, they finally stopped fighting.

  I wasn’t quite sure what to do about the one holding my brothers. I didn’t have more than a moment to wonder about it, though, before the trees simply let them go. They both fell with horrible shouts and crunches.

  I ran to them.

  James was rolled up holding his left leg; Piers was just lying unmoving on his side.

  “Hold him!” I shouted to whoever was closest.

  Aron came over with a piece of a branch. “Bite on this,” he said offering it to James. “Get back at that—” He paused and stole a glance at me.

  James opened his mouth enough to take the stick between his teeth.

  I removed my brother’s hands from his leg and felt it for myself. Luckily, only one of the bones was broken. This was familiar territory for me—so much easier than freezing people or trying to create powerful fire balls and aim them well.

  I quickly set the bone straight and then closed my eyes wrapping my hands around the leg.

  James grunted and groaned as my heat infused the bone, melding it back together.

  As I cooled it again, I gave him a little smile. “Oh, come on, even Old Maude didn’t complain that much.”

  “That really hurt!” he said, spitting the stick out of his mouth. “And she’s a lot stronger than you would expect.”

  I gave my brother a pat on his knee and then turned to Piers. He was sitting up, but holding on to his side.

  A couple of mended ribs later, and we were ready to move on once again.

  “Never again will I look at trees the same way,” James said, as he was helped into the back of the wagon.

  “Bridget do you want to rest in the wagon as we continue on?” Thomas asked, as he helped Piers settle in, lying on his good side.

  I was feeling really tired after using so much magic, but I hated to admit as much. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought. You sit between James and Piers and make sure they’re all right. I’ll take your horse,” Thomas said, giving me a gentle push toward the wagon.

  How did my oldest brother know me so well? Oh, yes, he raised me.

  <><><>

  It was early evening by the time we reached the outer wall of Saerdbury.

  We rode around the perimeter of the perfectly circular walled city. An enormous empty moat made sure no attackers could scale the walls and I wasn’t sure exactly how to get in, until we came around the eastern side. A road led to a bridge that provided the only way in and out of the city. It was quickly decided, though, that we would be better off staying in the wood outside of the city than try to find lodgings within.

  I was incredibly sore as I climbed down from the back of the wagon. I couldn’t help but rub at my posterior.

  Scai laughed. “I feel exactly the same way.”

  “It’s no easier sitting in the back of the wagon than it is on horseback,” I said.

  “If you all make camp here, I’ll ride to Holme as quickly as I can to see if I can get an audience with the king,” Dylan offered.

  “Won’t that take you days?” I asked.

  Dylan shrugged. “I should reach there by tonight. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see the king tomorrow morning. I’ll return by tomorrow night.”

  Aron laughed. “We’re so used to the speed Sir Dagonet keeps us to that we forget that it’s even possible to travel so quickly.”

  “Wot, wot?” Sir Dagonet said coming over to join us.

  “Nothing, sir,” Dylan said, giving us all a conspiratorial wink. “I’m off to see if I can’t meet with the king. I’ll return by tomorrow night.”

  “Oh! Fine idea, Dylan. Fine idea,” Sir Dagonet agreed.

  Dylan gave us all a brief nod and then remounted his horse and was off.

  “What about the rest of us?” Piers asked.

  I thought about our goal for the moment. “Well, we need to find out where Nimuë is keeping Matthias.”

  “The easiest way to do that would be to find some of her knights and strike up a conversation,” Aron offered.

  “I’ll scout out some of the local pubs,” Peter offered, rubbing his hands together in happy anticipation.

  “The town is small, so we may want to split up. Going in as a group will be noticed,” Thomas said.

  “Excellent thought,” Sir Dagonet agreed.

  “Piers, you and James can go together,” I began.

  “There’s got to be more than one pub,” Peter said.

  “Well, then you and Thomas can go and find it.” I laughed.

  “I’ll take you along with me, Bridget,” Sir Dagonet offered.

  “Then Scai and I will go to the other,” Aron said before I could protest.

  He and Scai shared a smile, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying a word. Not ten minutes after Dylan was gone, Aron was cozying up to Scai again? My sister should be ashamed of herself for two-timing Dylan, but I couldn’t say that aloud. There were a lot of very unpleasant comments running through my mind, but I kept my tongue between my teeth to make sure none of them slipped out of my head.

  Instead, I climbed up behind Sir Dagonet, leaving my horse for Thomas and Peter. Then we all rode around to the city gate. From there we split up, each going in a different direction.

  <><><>

  I tried my best to be pleasant, honestly, I did. But after about ten minutes of Sir Dagonet and me sitting at the common table in the center of what was probably the largest pub in Saerdbury, he leaned across to me and said, “Bridget, I think we’ll have an easier time of it if you stop scowling at everyone, wot?”

  I widened my eyes at the old knight. I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. The sight of Scai and Aron going off together on Aron’s horse just kept running through my mind again and again, fueling the slow burning anger in the pit of my stomach. Not even the constant din of chat and laughter all around me could distract my mind from the quiet, meaningful looks Aron and Scai had given each other.

  I took a long drink from the tankard of ale in my hand. While I did so, a man came up and sat down beside me.

  “You don’t look happy,” he said leaning in to me so I could hear him. I put down my drink. He was probably a farmer, I thought. He smelled of hay and earth—a refreshing change from the horses I was used to smelling.

  Thinking fast, I said, “And why should I be? Not with all these strangers coming into town.”

  The ma
n nodded his agreement. “At least they’re keeping the witches locked up.”

  “But how do we know they won’t escape? They’re witches!” I said, taking a glance at Sir Dagonet to make sure he was following this conversation.

  “There are enough knights going in and out of the castle to make sure they don’t,” the fellow reassured me.

  “How many do you suppose? How many will be enough to keep from getting tricked?”

  Another man sitting across from my new friend shrugged, saying, “I’ve heard they’ve only got five staying there, but about thirty come and go each day bringing more witches in. That’s got to be enough.”

  “Thirty!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. “How many witches do they bring in every day?”

  “I’ve heard they have at least fifty there now,” a man on my other said, joining in the conversation.

  “Tsk! More than that. My sister works at the castle. She said they have to have at least a hundred souls there,” a woman sitting on Sir Dagonet's other side chimed in.

  “That’s a lot of Val—er, witches,” Sir Dagonet said.

  “And if that’s how many they’ve brought in, just imagine how many more are out there,” the farmer said.

  “How are they keeping so many people?” I asked.

  “In the dungeons, I expect,” the fellow across from him said.

  “That’s right,” the woman answered. “Although I hear they just brought in someone special—a man. He’s being kept under tighter guard in one of the upper rooms.”

  Matthias! We’d found Matthias! It was hard keeping my expression neutral.

  “Not many witches are men, I expect,” Sir Dagonet said, keeping his eyes on his tankard, perhaps to hide his own excitement. I followed suit. We couldn’t let it be known that we were more interested than your average person.

  “No. Most of ‘em are women, but there are a few men, too,” the woman answered. “But this one’s different. Father du Lac brought him in himself. Planning to do something special with him, I imagine.”

  “Do you know who he is to get such special treatment?” I asked, even as excitement burned hotter inside of me. Yes, it was definitely my brother.

  “No, but he came in with his own guard. A knight assigned to do nothing but watch him to make sure he didn’t escape,” the woman said, leaning forward.