The Siege Scare (5 page)

‘There,' she said, as she handed the message to Tommy. ‘I've outlined your plan and instructed the innkeeper to prepare a horse for the Keeper of the Blades and have it ready just before dawn, when it's darkest.'

‘Thank you, my lady,' Tommy said, turning for the door.

‘Sword Girl?'

Tommy stopped. ‘Yes, my lady?'

‘We don't want you to catch a chill on your journey. Eliza, fetch one of my woollen cloaks – the dark blue one – and one of Sir Walter's belts. She'll need it to hold her sword while she rides. Oh, and one of my ribbons, too, Eliza; you shall be my champion again, Sword Girl.'

As Tommy hurried down the stairs, the cloak around her shoulders and the belt around her waist, she heard Lady Beatrix say, ‘Do you know what I like about that girl, Eliza? She never bores me.'

CHAPTER 6

T
HE SUN WAS LOW
in the sky when Tommy stepped from the great hall into the courtyard.

‘Pigeon,' she called. ‘Where are you?'

‘Here!' a voice croaked.

Tommy traced the sound to a bedraggled pile of feathers sitting on the edge of a water trough. If anything, he looked worse than when she had seen him earlier.

‘Pigeon, are you okay?' she asked.

The bird waved a weary wing. ‘I had to give more droppings,' he gasped out.

‘Oh no,' Tommy said. ‘I was hoping you'd carry an important message for me. Not to Roses – just to The Twisted Tree in Skellibones Forest. It might be our only chance to save Flamant!'

With some effort, the pigeon got to his feet and stuck out a leg. ‘If it will save the castle, I have to do it,' he said.

Tommy tied the message to the pigeon's leg using the ribbon Lady Beatrix had given her. She hoped the lady wouldn't mind.

‘Don't let any of the knights of Malice see you,' she warned.

The pigeon was already flexing his wings, ready to depart.

‘Don't worry,' he said. ‘This is what I was trained for.'

Tommy watched as the pigeon rose into the sky and soared out of sight. Then she headed for the kitchen. There was one more part of the plan she had to put into place.

The kitchen was bustling with preparations for supper. A dozen kitchen girls were arranged around the long table, peeling potatoes, slicing carrots and dicing turnips. The cook was barking out instructions, but she broke off when she caught sight of Tommy in the doorway.

‘What is it now, Thomasina? I don't have time for … what on earth are you wearing, girl?'

‘It's a cloak,' said Tommy.

‘I can see it's a cloak, girl,' the cook snapped. ‘But it's not your cloak, is it? What I want to know is why you are wearing it.'

‘Lady Beatrix lent it to me.'

Mrs Moon's eyes went wide. ‘Lady Beatrix? If you're lying to me, Thomasina, I'll twist your ear so hard it'll come right off in my hand, so I will.'

‘Mrs Moon, I need to speak to you,' said Tommy. ‘In private.'

The cook's face grew serious. ‘Very well,' she said.

They stepped out into the courtyard and Tommy explained her plan.

‘So I need the key to the cellar,' she finished.

Without a word, Mrs Moon reached into her pocket, pulled out the big iron key and gave it to Tommy. Then she put her hand on Tommy's shoulder. ‘You'll be needing a good supper, too,' she said. ‘Come and I'll give you a bowl of soup.'

It was dark when Tommy returned to the armoury. There was no sign of Smith or Reynard, but she found Lil waiting in the sword chamber.

‘I saw the pigeon in the courtyard a few minutes ago,' the cat said.

Tommy's heart almost stopped beating as she waited to hear what Lil said next.

‘The message was received and understood.'

Phew! Tommy sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. ‘Then all I have to do now is wait till the dead of night,' she said.

Tommy was dozing against the wall of the sword chamber when she was woken by the touch of a paw against her cheek.

‘Tommy?' It was Lil. ‘It's time.'

Tommy stood up and stretched. ‘Ready, Jasper?' she asked as she closed her hand around the sword's narrow grip.

‘I'm ready,' came the reply.

The sky was glowing from the fires of the invaders outside the walls, but inside the walls the great courtyard was deserted. Not everyone was asleep, though. The men of the castle lined the battlements, prepared to repel any invasion.

With Lil by her side, Tommy walked through the dark kitchen to the scullery, and unlocked the small wooden door.

Down into the cold cellar she went, carrying a candle in one hand, her sword in the other. Her heart was pounding now at the thought of what she was about to do.

In the third room under the great hall, she set her candle and sword down and pulled back the barrel that hid the opening of the tunnel.

‘Here I go,' she said, picking up Jasper once more and slipping him beneath the belt around her waist. ‘I'll need both hands to crawl through the tunnel.' She swallowed. ‘So I'll have to leave the candle behind.'

‘Travel safely, Tommy,' Lil said as Tommy dropped to her knees and squeezed behind the barrel and into the tunnel. And then Tommy was alone – alone in the deepest, darkest, coldest place she had ever been …

CHAPTER 7

T
OMMY CRAWLED ALONG
the chill damp stones, feeling her way with her hands. The weight of the stone above her head seemed to press down on her in the small passage, so narrow there wasn't even room to turn around if she should meet an enemy coming towards her in the dark. She began to breathe more quickly, and then a new fear struck her: she was deep underground and there was nowhere for fresh air to enter the tunnel!

On and on she went, fighting off the frightening thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her. Surely she must be nearing the end of the tunnel?

‘It's taking too long,' she said. ‘What if we were wrong? What if the tunnel doesn't actually go anywhere?'

Then a dim glow pierced the darkness and something brushed against her face.