Knight's Castle (15 page)

Once the Black Knight found its hilt in his hand again he declared himself ready to tame a thousand Saracens, let alone one measly Leader, who was only his little brother, anyway! And Robin Hood started looking less thin and worn, already.

When they reached the clearing all was excitement, as the outlaws prepared horses and weapons for the coming battle. Roger noticed a silver-bearded figure busying itself in the thick of the activity. He thought he knew who the silver-bearded one was, but every time he tried to get near him to make sure, the bearded one was suddenly somewhere else.

But each place he had been, the horses suddenly looked sturdier and the weapons sharper and keener and the merry men stronger and merrier, till at last, when Robin wound his horn in the signal for departure, it was a lusty and mettlesome battalion that set out for Torquilstone. No one would have known them for the starving outcasts they had been a few hours before.

Eliza rode by the side of Roger. "Don't look now," she said, after a few minutes, "but hark behind you."

Roger harked. "Father," Ivanhoe was saying to Cedric the Saxon, "this may make thee very angry, but my troth is plighted to Rebecca. I can never marry the Lady Rowena now."

"Son," said Cedric, "it doth not make me angry one whit. Thy Rebecca is a maid of courage and honor, and bonny besides. As for the Lady Rowena, she hath proved herself a false jade. I say down with her."

"So
that's
all right," said Eliza.

Yes, thought Roger to himself, things were looking up. Hope sang high in his heart as he galloped toward Torquilstone.

Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Maurice De Bracy was getting restless. "Really!" he said to Ann, crossly. "Half the day hath passed now, and no sorcery!"

"I know," said Ann, unhappily. "I'm sorry."

"So far as I can see, cutting off my beard hath not done one speck of good. Canst thou not at least put it back on again?"

"No," said Ann. "I can't."

"Humph!" said De Bracy. "Thy magic seemeth pretty small pumpkins to me."

Jack was standing by one of the barred windows, looking out. "That's what
you
think," he said, suddenly.

There was a confused noise from outside, and a sound of running feet. Then voices began to shout, and their words sent a thrill through each prisoner's heart. "To arms!" said the voices. "The enemy is attacking!"

Jack grinned at Ann. "You see?" he said to De Bracy triumphantly.

De Bracy went down on one knee before Ann. "I take it back," he said. "Hail, mighty sorceress!"

"Don't mention it," said Ann.

At that moment bolts were shot back, keys turned in locks, and the great dungeon door swung wide. A man appeared in the doorway. He wore a silver beard, and if Roger had seen him, he'd have wondered how he got here so quickly from Robin Hood's camp.

The bearded one said nothing, and nothing needed to be said. With one accord the prisoners streamed out of the dungeon to freedom, and as they passed, the bearded one handed each a weapon from a seemingly endless store he had with him. Ann and Jack came last.

"Hello," said Ann. "You're awfully helpful all of a sudden. Does that mean it's a good sign?"

The Old One said nothing, but he winked at Ann before he disappeared.

"Come on!" said Jack. And he and Ann raced out of the dungeon. Then they flattened themselves against the side of the building just in time. For Prince John himself appeared right in front of them, riding by at the head of his army.

"Follow your Leader!" he was shouting as he rode past. "We are twice their strength and have better weapons besides! Wait till we have them in our power!
Then
heads will roll!"

He and his army dashed out the castle gates, and Ann turned to Jack. "Let's get somewhere where we can see!"

Of course Jack yearned to be in the battle, but he didn't think he should leave Ann unprotected. "Let's try the roof," he said. "Maybe we can help from there." So they ran through the courtyard and up the stairway to the battlements.

The varlet Hugo was already there, tending some cauldrons of molten lead, as usual. Jack took him by surprise and threw him over the edge, and his molten lead after him. Then he dusted his hands and turned to photographing the scene below.

Ann looked and caught her breath. The armies were spread out beneath, like a bright-colored moving tapestry. Trumpets sounded, and flights of arrows soared like fireworks. Then the front lines crashed together, like two great waves meeting in a storm. And Prince John's men
were
stronger, and the line of Lincoln green wavered and fell back, and Ann shut her eyes.

But Prince John had reckoned without De Bracy and the other escaped prisoners, who now came charging onto the field and attacked him from the rear. Caught between two fires, the Prince's men hesitated, and in the pause Robin's forces rallied and came at them with renewed vigor.

When Ann cautiously opened her eyes and looked again, the two armies were tangled in a free-for-all, and none could say who was winning, but anyone could see Prince John was hard pressed.

And now the tide of battle swung nearer the castle, and Ann and Jack gasped. There, riding the crest of it, was Eliza. She had borrowed a helmet and shield from somebody, and was laughing and whacking about her like some wild battle goddess, her boastful cries ringing on the air.

And there, just behind Eliza, Ann saw Roger. He wasn't laughing but he was fighting just as hard. The next minute another turn of the tide swept them both out of sight.

But now Prince John seemed to feel that enough was enough. He and his men turned tail and cut their way back through De Bracy's followers till they gained the castle. Ann and Jack were afraid they might try to defend it, and find them on the roof, but the Prince and his men merely packed up their goods and chattels, and did a few other things, before escaping by a back door, just as the triumphant merry men rode up to the front one, to claim Torquilstone for Richard Lionheart.

And Ann and Jack went running down from the parapet to be the first to offer their congratulations.

***

"Oh, good, you're still alive," said Eliza, galloping up beside Roger, as the victorious army surged toward the castle. "I cut off four heads and cleaved three knights in two. How did you do?"

"All right, I guess," said Roger. Actually he had fought with valor and joined in several quite good deadly combats. But battles, he decided, were more fun when they were pretend ones than when they were real, even magically real. He had seen his duty and he had done it, but he didn't want to talk about it.

There was a slight delay at Torquilstone, for Prince John had left the drawbridge up. But Robin Hood gallantly swam the moat and forced his way into the guardtower and let down the bridge.

And at that moment the portcullis went up, and Ann and Jack appeared in the opening.

"Hi," said Jack to Robin Hood. "Come on in. The battle was fine."

And the gallant army trooped over the bridge, and the four cousins were reunited, and the voice of Eliza rang loud on the courtyard air, as she boasted of her prowess upon the field.

In the castle keep Rowena came smiling up to them, carrying a banner she had hastily embroidered that said, "Victory!" She tried to fling herself into Ivanhoe's arms, but Rebecca was already there, and repulsed her. So then she came swarming up to Robin Hood and Roger, but to no avail. She was roundly snubbed by everybody.

"Traitress," said King Richard, "we have heard of thy faithless dealings. Thou art under arrest. Away with her."

Rowena was hustled away to the dungeon.

"And now," said King Richard, "what say ye all to a feast to celebrate our victory and refresh our war-weary limbs?" And all the weary warriors cheered.

"Only no roast venison, please," said Eliza.

"Is this the happy ending?" Ann whispered to Roger, as several dozen minions scurried away to the kitchen. "Have you earned the wish already, do you suppose?"

"It seems as if," said Roger, "but I don't see how it can be. I haven't done a thing yet, really. And what about the ancient rune?"

"That's right," said Ann. "I forgot."

"I didn't," said Roger. "I've been thinking about it all the time."

"Let's think some more," said Ann. And she got her notebook out and studied it.

Maurice De Bracy, who had been looking unhappy ever since Rowena was hustled away, now stepped forward and started to kneel before the king and say something. But before he could, there was an interruption.

The minions who had been sent to prepare the feast came running back into the room, all talking at once and wringing their hands and saying, "Wurra wurra." When King Richard finally got sense out of them, it turned out that before Prince John's men left the castle, they had thrown away or poisoned every bit of food in the kitchens, and there wasn't a smidgin left to have a small meal with, let alone a feast.

And just as this blow was sinking in, Little John, who had been left in charge of the guard at the gates, came hurrying in with a face of doom. " 'Tis that Prince John," he cried. "He be back with more army than before! He hath surrounded us! The park and the castle we still hold, but that be all!"

Everyone went running to look. It was true. Beyond the park and all around the castle on every side stretched a ring of armed men.

" 'Tis a blockade! He meaneth to starve us out!" cried Robin Hood.

"You see?" said Roger to Ann.

"What a scurvy trick! If that be not just like him!" said King Richard. "But he hath not won the game yet! Robin, call your men. Ivanhoe, follow me! We shall carve our way out!"

"My men couldn't stand it," said Robin Hood. "Not on an empty stomach. I couldn't, either."

"Nor I," said Ivanhoe. "And speak not of carving, for thou makest my mouth water."

"Hm," said King Richard. "Now that thou mentionest it, I feel very much the same." He turned to Roger. "Methinks there be only one among us who can help us now."

"Who, me?" said Roger.

King Richard nodded solemnly. "What is thy Elfish counsel? What shall we do?"

Roger gulped. He looked at King Richard and Robin Hood and Ivanhoe and they looked back at him with appeal in their eyes, and he didn't have a thought in his head.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Maybe I'll think of something."

Everybody waited.

Ann had heard all this, but only with part of her mind. The other part was still thinking about the ancient rune. Her eyes went from her notebook to the park with the statue of St. George Peabody, and back to her notebook again. And an idea started forming in her mind.

She thought of something, and then she thought of something else. And then she knew what she had to do. She supposed she ought to tell Roger and let
him
do it, but he was busy just now.

The only thing was, she would have to go away for a little while to do it, and she didn't want her going to disturb any of the others. Maybe if she left quietly, no one would notice. Maybe she could even slip away alone and come back again without anyone's knowing she had been gone.

So, not using her voice at all, but just saying them in her mind, Ann thought two words. I leave you to imagine what words they were.

But it seemed that Words of Power are Words of Power whether you speak them out loud or not. For the mist came down and the castle disappeared, and the next minute Ann was back in Roger's room, and Eliza and Jack were standing glaring at her with expressions of utter exasperation.

"What in the world did you do that for?" said Jack.

"Just when it was getting interesting, too!" said Eliza.

Ann paid them no heed. "I worked it out! I worked out the ancient rune!" she cried, turning to tell Roger.

Then she broke off. Roger wasn't there.

"Where is he?" said Ann, stupidly, gazing at where Roger should have been.

"
I
don't know," said Jack, looking around the room. "I hardly know where I am myself, yet."

"We must have left him behind," said Eliza. "He must be back there in the magic, still."