by Lori Dillon
She glanced at his squire trainee sitting silently on his pony, the lake breeze tousling his blond hair about his young face. Even though he was still more boy than man, Jill felt a bit safer knowing he was around. After all, this Roderick wouldn't try anything funny with an impressionable young kid around, would he?
Cautiously, she lowered the branch but kept a firm grip on it with one hand. Better not to let her defenses completely down.
Sir Roderick nodded, acknowledging her reluctant ease. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Lady…?"
"Jill."
"Ah, Lady Jill. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."
Jill had thought the knight handsome when he rode out of the forest, but when he smiled at her, as he did now, he was drop dead gorgeous. Black shoulder-length hair framed a chiseled face and his brilliant blue eyes twinkled with charm and seduction. Now this was what the knights in the fairy tales were supposed to look like. They weren't supposed to go around with pterodactyl wings on their back and snorting fireballs.
Distracted by his GQ looks, she hardly noticed when he reached for her free hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. A frown marked his brow and he turned her hand over.
"My lady, you are injured."
Jill jerked her hand from him, barely resisting the urge to hide it behind her back. "Cooking accident."
"I see." The look he gave her said he suspected she was not telling him the truth, but he had the decency not to question her further about it. "So where, pray tell, is your knight?"
"He's back at our camp, giving me some privacy while I took my bath."
The unspoken inference that he was not as gallant went over his head.
"Then 'tis fortuitous we have stumbled upon you. Allow me to escort you back to him, and then perhaps we can share the warmth of your fire and the company of you and your companion for the night."
"I don't think that's such a good idea. My companion likes his privacy."
"In that case, I shall see you safely into his care, and then Master Owen and I shall be on our way."
Jill ground her teeth. This guy just couldn't take a hint.
"Thanks, but I'm perfectly capable of finding my own way back. Besides, I'm sure you want to get going before it gets too dark. After all, don't you have a castle to defend or a damsel to rescue?"
"Nay. I earn my keep defending not dwellings of stone but the very land you trod upon and the fair skies above your head. And you, my beauteous lady, are the first damsel I have chanced upon in many a fortnight. But if there be more maidens such as you out in the wilds in need of rescuing, I must needs consider changing my calling."
"Your calling? What are you, a priest in shining armor?"
Sir Roderick laughed as he took this horse's reins from the boy. "Aye, in my own way. Like the men of the cloth, I too seek out and destroy evil, wherever it may be."
"I don't understand."
He mounted his horse and smiled as he looked down on her.
"I, my lady, am a dragonslayer."
CHAPTER 16
Baelin charged toward the lakeshore, slowing when he heard voices.
Instantly alert, he drew his sword, cursing that he'd once again left Lady Jill alone and unprotected. But he heard no screaming. No shouting. Just voices. A man's, low in conversation, followed by Lady Jill's, soft yet aggrieved.
Who was she talking to?
He paused at the edge of the trees and parted the brush hiding the lake from his view. Lady Jill stood on the rocky shore, a small branch clutched in her hand and her spine stiff and straight. He sensed fear from her, a threat of danger on the air, and the presence of another man so near raised the hackles on the back of his neck.
But of the man, he sensed no immediate aggression at all. He sat at ease on a large white steed, his polished mail and fine surcoat proclaiming him to be a fellow knight. Baelin glanced at his own mail, tarnished and decades old. Could he still even call himself a knight?
Disregarding his appearance, he emerged from the cover of the trees onto the rocky shore, ready to defend his lady if need be.
The knight's horse spun on its hind legs and tossed its powerful head in alarm, wide nostrils flaring. A panicked whinny filled the air and a pony reared, tossing its small rider off its back before bolting through the trees. The boy on the ground could do naught but stare after it.
Lady Jill spun around to face him. Was that guilt on her face? What had they been talking about before he arrived? Had she told the knight of her plight? Had she only moments ago been pleading with him to rescue her from the clutches of a dragon?
The knight drew his sword.
"Wait!" Lady Jill moved quickly, putting herself between the mounted knight and Baelin. "It's all right. He's my…friend."
The other knight did not look convinced. The way she hesitated over the word 'friend,' he was not so certain of her meaning either.
Baelin stepped up behind her. "What goes here?"
"I should ask the same of you." The knight lowered his sword but did not sheath it. "How is it you have left such a fair maiden alone and unprotected?"
"I was never far. She had but to call out and I would have been at her side in an instant."
He glowered at Lady Jill, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them. Why did you not call for me?
She looked away, tossing aside her pitiful excuse for a weapon. "Um, Bae—Sir Baelin, this is Sir Roderick and his squire Owen. They were just passing through."
"I see," Baelin said. "Then God be with you on your journey."
The other knight's gaze traveled the length of him, taking in the ancient mail and his lack of a shield, trying to determine what sort of man he was. If he only knew that he was not a man at all. At least not a full one anymore.
"As I was saying to your lady, darkness is almost upon us and we were looking for a pleasant spot to pass the night. 'Tis fortuitous we stumbled upon you. We were hoping we could share the warmth of your fire this eve."
Every instinct told him to say no and send Sir Roderick on his way, but his honor would not allow him to be discourteous to a fellow knight.
"Aye, that 'tis fortuitous," Baelin said. Though civility forced him to make the offer, he made no effort to hide the displeasure in his voice. "By all means, come and pass the night with us. We would be honored with your presence."
He heard Lady Jill gasp but did not look at her, even though he knew she was staring at him as if he were mad. Perhaps he was.
"We are grateful for your generosity and look forward to your company. But first, we must chase after young Owen's mount before he gets too far away." The knight looked to the trees where the pony had disappeared. "I wonder what startled him so?" He turned his attention back to Baelin. "Now that I think on it, neither horse became alarmed until your approach."
"Um, wolf. It was probably a wolf," Lady Jill interjected. "We saw one earlier and Sir Baelin had to kill it. The scent is probably still on his clothes and that must've been what spooked the horses."
"A wolf? Truly?" Owen's voice cracked in his excitement as he stood. "I did not know there were any wolves about."
"There are none," the knight informed the boy. "At least naught that I have seen in many a year."
"Really?" Baelin listened as Lady Jill scrambled to cover her mistake. "Well, it sure looked like a wolf to me. Big, mangy thing with wild eyes. Came charging out of the trees snarling and growling, foaming at the mouth. Might have even been rabid."
The knight and young squire stared at her with matching stunned expressions, their brows furrowed, their jaws slack. Baelin shook his head. She was doing it again, rambling on and on, making little sense, and confusing all those around her.
It took a moment to realize what she was doing, and he bit back a smile. In her own odd way, she was attempting to distract Sir Roderick from examining too closely why the horses grew nervous around him. She was trying to protect him. And, as ridiculous as it was, she was succeeding and the gesture
touched him deeply.
"In that case, let us be off, Owen. We must find that errant pony before the 'wolves' do." With a helping hand from the knight, the boy pulled himself up on the horse behind Sir Roderick. The knight bowed his head to them. "Lady Jill. Sir Baelin. Until our return."
Spurring his horse, the two cantered off into the trees. When they were safely out of earshot, Lady Jill whirled on him.
"Are you insane? Do you know what he is? He's a dragonslayer. That means he kills dragons for a living. Need I point out the obvious? You. Are. A. Dragon."
"Thank you for reminding me. I had forgotten for a moment."
He was surprised at the tone in his voice and shook his head at the cause. A fortnight spent together and he was beginning to sound like Lady Jill. 'Twas not a good sign.
She fisted her hands on her hips. "You know what I mean."
"Aye. I know what he is. I have seen him hunting in my territory many times." He watched the forest, the darkening shadows swallowing up any sign of Sir Roderick and his young companion. "Hunting for me."
"Then why invite him to stay? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
"Would that I could turn him away, but for one knight to deny hospitality to another is not done. To do so for no good reason would draw suspicion. He may leave, but he might also remain near to find out why we are so secretive. Better I have him in my sights so he will not surprise us later."
"In other words, 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'"
Baelin was taken aback by her wise assessment of the situation. "I had not thought of it as such, but aye, you are correct. That is a very clever way of putting it."
"Hey, don't look at me. I think it came from The Godfather."
"The who?"
"Never mind. You wouldn't understand."
True, he did not comprehend all her words, but he understood the apprehension behind them. "Fear not, 'tis but for one night. Come the morn, we will safely part paths, with the dragonslayer none the wiser."
Lady Jill shook her head. "Well I sure hope you know what you're doing. You do a pretty good job of keeping those dragon wings hidden under that big cape of yours, but heaven help us if you cough up a fireball while they're around."
She stood so close, he could see the green flecks in her brown eyes. Without realizing what he was doing, he found himself leaning toward her. She pulled back and wrinkled her nose.
"Whoa! All that huffing and puffing isn't doing you any favors in the fresh breath department. You better not stand too close because one whiff of that sulfur breath of yours and he's going to know exactly what you are."
Baelin snapped his mouth shut, as if by doing so he could hold back the stench.
Lady Jill clambered about the shore, hanging the gowns she'd washed on tree branches to dry, completely oblivious of the insult she'd dealt him.
"Your advice is appreciated, my lady," he said through clenched teeth. "I will do my best not to belch on him after our evening meal."
The dragonslayer leaned back against a log near the fire, making himself at home.
Baelin was not so at ease. Lady Jill was right. It was dangerous to have a man like Sir Roderick around. At any moment he might slip and reveal his dragon side. But for honor's sake, he had no choice, at least not for this one night.
"Lady Jill, your manner of speech is like none I have ever heard before. I take it you are not from England."
"No," she answered, short and clipped. Was she just as worried about revealing her secrets as he was of revealing his?
"From whence do you come, then?" the knight asked.
"Richmond."
"I have heard of that. 'Tis near Middleham, is it not?"
"No." She choked back an unladylike snort. "Not by a long shot."
"I see." Sir Roderick frowned at her reply as he paused to take another sip of wine from a pewter goblet he'd retrieved from his supplies. The reprieve did not last long. "As I understand it, you and Sir Baelin are not wed nor are you kin. How is it that you have no lady's maid nor escort, save a lone knight, to accompany you?"
"Oh, don't worry. Sir Baelin is more than capable of taking care of me. In fact…" she glanced in his direction and he could have sworn she winked, "I've seen him fight off five men at one time without so much as breaking a sweat."
Baelin stilled, surprised to hear Lady Jill's words of praise. He recalled battling those men and what became of them. He also remembered how she reacted, fleeing from him in fear and revulsion. Had her opinion of him changed? Did she truly see him in such a light now? Or where the words for Sir Roderick's benefit alone? Would that he could see inside her heart and know the truth.
"That is impressive." The knight cleared his throat. "Still, 'tis not proper for a lady to be traveling alone with a man who is not her husband."
Baelin heard the question of her character hidden within the knight's words. He tensed, ready defend his lady's honor. But he didn't have to.
Lady Jill turned her full attention on the knight and cocked a brow at his blatant insinuation she may be more whore than lady. Sir Roderick may not fathom what was coming, but Baelin knew well what that look entailed. He kept silent, waiting for her barbed tongue to set the errant knight in his place.
"Maybe in this archaic, male chauvinistic world you're living in it's not considered proper, but where I come from, women are freethinking, independent individuals. We're educated, we have careers, we own property, we can travel anywhere and be with anyone we so choose. Heck, we can even vote."
Sir Roderick choked on his wine and looked to Baelin for confirmation. "What strange place does she speak of? I have never heard of such things."
Baelin spoke before she could say aught else and reveal that she was more than she appeared to be. "As you can tell, Lady Jill has had an unconventional upbringing."
"So I see."
The knight studied her closely, his gaze sharp, questioning. But Lady Jill did not squirm under his intense scrutiny. Instead, she returned his piercing stare, daring him to say more.
"'Tis late and has been a trying day," Baelin said, uneasy with the silent battle of wills passing between them. "Perhaps 'tis time you sought your pallet, my lady."
"Are you actually sending me to—"
Baelin caught Lady Jill's eye and he silently pleaded with her to not argue with him this one time. Already she'd revealed too much to the other knight. It would be far safer if she spoke no more, and the only way to assure that was if she was asleep, unconscious, or dead.
"Right." She cast him a brittle smile that said she knew exactly what he was doing but she didn't have to like it. "It has been a 'trying' day. Come on, Owen. Let's hit the sack."
The boy stood to follow her, but looked first to Sir Roderick for permission. The knight nodded and sent the boy on his way.
As the pair prepared their pallets, the knight watched in silence, his gaze following Lady Jill's every move. Baelin was not certain if he observed her out of curiosity over her odd behavior, or if he viewed her with a less than honorable interest altogether. Either way, it did not sit well with him.
Once Lady Jill and the boy were settled in for the night, the knight leaned back against the log and turned his attention to Baelin. "Tell me, Sir Baelin, have you lands?"
"I do. I should be returning to them in a fortnight." That is, if the curse was broken. If not, he would be returning to his cold, dark cave instead.
"And what of you?" he asked Sir Roderick, trying to deflect the knight's prying interest away from himself. "Are you landed?"
The knight smiled a bitter smile. "Nay. I am the third son of my father. What fortune I have, I must make for myself. So here you see me, earning my way as a dragonslayer. The gold is not so bad." He cocked his head, his gaze penetrating. "But you would know. You said you were once a dragonslayer yourself, did you not?"
Indeed, he'd told the man that very thing as they ate their evening meal. "I have hunted a few in my time."
"But no lo
nger. Why did you stop?"
Baelin took a large gulp of his wine. What could he tell him? That he couldn't hunt his own kind? "I grew weary of it. You will too. You are young now, but you will soon learn hunting dragons is not all about the riches and the glory."
The knight laughed. "Young? Pray tell, I am not much younger than you."
"I am older than you think," he said. By over two centuries, at least.
Sir Roderick poured himself more wine from the sheepskin flask, before moving on to another topic. "How long have you and Lady Jill been traveling together?"
"A fortnight. I am escorting the lady back to her family." It was the truth, in a manner of speaking, if it was as Lady Jill believed and breaking the curse would send her back to her time.
"And where might that be?"
"South."
"We are to the south ourselves. Perhaps we can accompany you and your fair lady on part of your journey. Safety in numbers and all that."
Baelin wanted to shout no. Pack your things and leave, but he couldn't.
Did the dragonslayer sense his hesitation, his reluctance to have him along? Was he even now growing suspicious? Better to be rid of him come the morning.
"There is a great deal of England to the south. I doubt we travel the same path."
"But perhaps we are. I am to home myself, to Kendale."
Baelin started. "Kendale?"
"Aye."
His pulse pounded in his ears, the name long unspoken but still dear to his heart. "Then you are a descendent of Amdarch the Black."
Sir Roderick's brow furrowed as he pondered the name. "The Black? Aye. Tales of his valor have been passed down in my family for over five generations. Why? Are you kin to the family of Kendale?"
"Nay. But many, many years ago the families of Kendale and Gosforth were bound together, pledged as allies."
"Aye, that they were, before Gosforth was driven from his lands."
Baelin's grip threatened to crush the cup in his hand. It was true his family had been forced from their home. After he'd returned as the dragon, many who'd once called the Gosforths friend had turned against them, Kendale included.