Page 24 of Chivalry in the Meadow (Hope Runs Deep #2)

“What did he do?” Lilly squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”

“He hasn’t done anything yet,” Mia said. “But I’m afraid of what he might do. There’s something wrong with him.”

“Okay,” Lilly said. “Twin time activated.”

Mia gave her a small smile, hearing the old code they’d used when they were teens which meant no one went anywhere without the other. It was how they kept each other safe from mean girls and boys with bad intentions.

But Sir Cedric wasn’t a boy, and whatever was wrong with him seemed not of this world.

“You’ll be okay Mia,” Lilly said. “And we have Sir Alaric and Sir Elia who will look out for you too.”

“Thanks, Lilly,” Mia said.

“Always here for you, girlfriend,” Lilly said.

“You’re the best.” Mia smiled.

“Hey, want to go watch the belly dancers?” Lilly asked. “We don’t have to spend all our time around knights. There are other entertainments.”

“That sounds like fun,” Mia said. “I wonder if that’s something we would ever be able to do?”

“After they perform, we can hang back and ask them,” Lilly said. “This will be fun!”

They went to the stage where the belly dancers were to perform but they weren’t on for another hour.

“What about archery?” Mia said. “I’ve always wanted to try that.”

“Then let’s do it!” Lilly said.

Walking to the archery field, Mia said, “We’ve spent all of our time watching these knights and we’ve missed other things”

“Well, that was your big dream, girlfriend,” Lilly said. “Ever since you were a girl, you’ve wanted to meet a knight or prince charming who would whisk you away to a happy ever after. I was thinking this would give you the closest thing to it.”

“Oh, Lilly you didn’t need to make this weekend all about me?” Mia said. “The world does not revolve around me. This weekend should be about you, too.”

“Are you kidding?” Lilly said. “Do not think I wasn’t wanting a hunky knight for myself. No ma’am. I would not be turning that down.” She laughed and Mia laughed with her.

“Come on, let’s shoot some stuff. I hear that is a good stress reliever,” Lilly said.

A young man in his early twenties was manning the archery field and as he had no archer lined up it looked like they’d have his instructions all to themselves.

He’d heard Lilly and said, “Archery is a great stress reliever. And did you know that woman shot archery in medieval times? Women can be quite good at archery. It just takes practice. Care to give it a try?”

“We’d love to,” Lilly said. “Set us up, and show us how.”

“My pleasure,” he said and then he proceeded to do just that.

After twenty tries Mia’s arm was tired. And her thumb was scored with tiny little marks from the fletching of the arrow because she hadn’t known at first how to put the leather thing on that would protect her hand.

She’d started shooting while he was working with Lilly who had one hundred questions and he’d given her the go ahead but not seen that she had no protection on that hand.

It wasn’t until she had shot half her arrows that he had turned, noticed her bare hand and said, “My lady! Stop! That must be painful!”

“It is,” she said. “I don’t know why anyone enjoys this.”

“First,” he gently took the bow and arrows from her and laid them down, then picked up the leather glove like looking thing that lay on the ground where it had fallen. “You must put this on, so you don’t hurt your hand. So sorry. I thought you knew when I showed Lady Lilly.”

After he got her geared up properly and shooting the right way, she finally hit the outer target once. “I’m not very good at this,” she said, disappointed in herself.

“Not bad for a beginner,” he said. “You just had a rough start. It will get easier.”

“Archery is harder than it looks,” she said.

“True, but it is easier once you know how,” he countered.

“May I watch you shoot?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said. “Happy to.”

He geared up and began to shoot while they watched him.

The archer was so smooth he could shoot an arrow and have the next in his bow, ready to shoot, his movements smooth and unbroken, like a dancer.

They both applauded when he done, and he took a bow.

“How long have you been shooting archery?” Lilly asked.

“Since I was ten.” He said. “I had a child’s training bow and wanted to be Robin Hood.”

“And look at you now,” Mia said smiling. “Very impressive.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I hope you’ll both try archery again. It’s a lot of fun.”

“Maybe after my hand heals,” Lilly said. “Thank you.”

“Thanks, Scotty,” Lilly said.

“You’re welcome, ladies,” he said. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“We will!” Lilly called back to him as they headed back over to the belly dance stage.

Just in time too, as the dancers were arriving.

The ladies found seats and prepared to watch.

Fascinated by the music, the costumes and the dances, the belly dance hour flew by.

“Wow! That was awesome,” Lilly said.

“It really was!” Mia stood. “Are you going to ask them?”

“Sure,” Lilly said. “You always leave it to me to do the asking. I was proud of you for stepping up with Sir Alaric.”

Mia shrugged but grinned.

“Ladies,” Lilly said, as she stepped over to the dancers who were packing up their music and their props. “How hard is this dance to learn and do you know anyone who gives lessons?”

By the time they left they had two business cards and a bunch of places they could go on the internet to see the different styles of the dance and the different troupes and soloists.

“Wow, I had no idea there was so much to it, “Lilly said. “So many different types and groups. We ought to take a class.”

“That sound like fun,” Mia said.

“Then we’ll do it.” Lilly nodded.

They headed back the way they had come.

The festival glowed beneath a sky deepening from rose to indigo.

Torches burned along the paths, their flames flickering in the breeze, and the air was thick with the mingled scents of roasting meat, spilled cider, and trampled herbs.

Music still drifted from the minstrel’s tent, but the notes seemed muted under the heavy hush of approaching night.

Mia and Lilly lingered near the food stalls, laughing over the giant turkey legs they had finally ordered, when they realized the crowd around them had thinned.

“It’s a Sunday night, do you supposed most people have gone home?” Mia asked.

“I’ll bet a lot of them don’t get Monday off work, so that sounds likely, and they don’t have an evening joust on Sundays,” Lilly said.

The larger festival square was still bustling, but here between the ale tent and a row of cloth merchants, the light was dimmer, the noise distant.

“It feels weird not to have so many people all around,” Mia said.

“And you’re usually not big on crowds,” Lilly said.

“Does Finn work here all week or just on weekends?” Mia asked.

“These are weekend events,” Lilly said. “During the week they can stay here and practice or make repairs to things, but they can also leave if they want. I’ll be a lot of them have two jobs. I ought to ask Elias what he does mid-week, and you should ask Sir Cedric.”

“Yes,” Mia said. “Good idea.”

The torchlight caught the first glint of eyes. Small, sharp, reflecting an eerie gold.

Then the creatures stepped into view. Half a dozen of them, dog-sized, hunched, their limbs elongated, their rat shaped faces grotesque. Short fur bristled along their bodies, their long, bare tails curling behind them.

The nearest hissed, showing teeth far too sharp for comfort.

“Pretty… soft… warm,” it crooned in a voice that rasped like dry leaves.

Mia and Lilly left up and backed away, almost tripping over their chairs, their skirts catching on the uneven ground.

One of the rat creatures darted forward—fast, impossibly so—closing the gap.

A blade flashed in the torchlight.

The creature screeched and stumbled back, black blood spattering the dirt.

Sir Alaric stepped into the narrow lane between tents, his sword already wet. “Run,” he ordered, his voice low but deadly serious.

From the other side, Sir Cedric appeared, white surcoat snapping in the wind, a dagger in one hand and a short sword in the other. “They’re not after your coin, ladies. Move! Now!”

The rat shifters regrouped, three of them circling to flank.

One hissed, “Wizard… wants…” before an arrow buried itself in its throat.

From the man at the archery range, who shouted, “They are hunting you. Go!”

Mia glanced up, hearing something. There, on the ridgepole of the ale tent, the great horned owl stood, wings mantled, golden eyes burning.

Its voice slid into her mind like a whisper from the dark: Do not let them take you. Trust the shadow, not the light.

Sir Cedric caught her arm, pulling her toward the square. “Don’t listen to it,” he said sharply, but there was a flicker of something, was it fear? In his eyes.

Behind them, Sir Alaric’s blade sang as he met the first charging rat creature head-on.

They ran toward Finn’s tent, not knowing where else to go. As they started to pass the knights tenting area, Sir Elias called out, “Over here!”

They ran toward him, and he lifted a tent flap up. “Quick! I’ll guard you.”

They ran inside. He let the tent flap fall, and they heard him call to Gareth.

Holding onto each other, with wide eyes, they both trembled.

“Lilly, I’m scared!” Mia said.

“What were those things?” Lilly said. “Like something out of a scary movie!”

“I don’t know but I want to go home,” Mia said. “Where it’s safe.”

“But Mia, those things are out there,” Lilly said. “We can’t go out there.”

Mia nodded.

They finally sat on a cot, close together, listening and watching. Every so often Sir Elías would poke his head in the tent look around, nod and then pull his head back out. The two knights were covering both side of the tent, nothing was going to sneak past them.

The tent’s heavy canvas muffled the clamor outside, but not completely.

Shouts and the occasional metallic ring of steel still filtered through; reminders of how close danger had come.