LANCE OF TRUTH by KATHERINE ROBERTS Read Free Book Online

mist horse. But she knew Sir Bors would only send her back again, and then Sir Bedivere wouldn’t let her go on the picnic, which seemed her only chance now of getting to the North Wall before Mordred got his hands on Excalibur.
    To make things worse, she guessed herfriends were not telling her everything. Elphin said they had to wait for Merlin to return, because he needed his help with the magic. Arianrhod kept avoiding her eyes and dropping things, until – infuriated – Rhianna told the girl to get out of her room.
    With nothing better to do, she stared out of her window imagining all the terrible things Mordred might be doing to her mother. Day after day passed, with no sign of the merlin. She wondered if the druid knew she was still stuck in Camelot, and tried to persuade her guards to take her out into the woods to look for her missing hawk. But they just laughed and shook their heads. “Nice try, Princess,” they said. “Wait for the picnic, then we’ll all ride out together.”
    Rhianna sighed. A fine mess she wasmaking of her quest! She’d hoped to have two of the Lights by now. Instead, Sir Lancelot had gone missing with the Lance of Truth, and with every day that passed the knights were closer to their meeting with Mordred. She took comfort from Sir Bors’ promise that they wouldn’t let her cousin near Excalibur until the queen was safe, and prayed Cai wouldn’t do anything stupid with the sword until she got there.

D ARK A MBUSH
    M ordred sat on his horse in the dusk, watching the road below. The animal would not stand still. Every time it moved his bad leg hit the rocks, making him curse under his breath. The knee would no longer bend properly, and his foot stuck out like a broken lance. But soon he’d have two of the Lights in his grasp. Then he’d be on his way to commanding the Grail that could end his suffering.
    His heart quickened as he heard the sound of hooves echoing in the pass. His fist clenched on the reins and the horse danced sideways, bruising his leg again. He barely feltthe pain. Would Arthur’s knights have obeyed his instructions to the letter?
    His men came instantly alert and flitted from rock to rock. Mordred had to admire their skill. “At last,” he growled. “If they’d taken another route—”
    “They had to come this way, Master.” His bloodbeard captain, the same one who had let Arthur’s daughter slip through his fingers last winter, scrambled down from the lookout. “They were a bit slower than we expected, that’s all. Got a pony with them.”
    “Ah yes, for my cousin to ride – don’t suppose she can manage a full-grown horse,” Mordred said, satisfied. “Make sure you snatch her when you snatch the sword. And don’t let her escape this time.”
    “Yes, my prince.” The bloodbeard’s cheektwitched, showing a new scar, a souvenir from the shadrake that had almost killed him during the battle for Camelot last year. He had as much reason to hate the girl as Mordred did.
    “I want her alive,” he added, a bit worried that the man might get carried away. “And undamaged.”
    The bloodbeard’s face fell. “What if she puts up a fight? I know she’s only a damsel, but she does have your uncle’s magic sword…”
    “And you have fifty trained fighters!” Mordred snapped. “Plus the advantage of surprise. Do I have to climb down there and snatch her myself? Because if I can do that, I won’t need you any more, will I?”
    The bloodbeard stiffened. “N-no, Master. We’ll get her for you. Alive and undamaged, as you say.”
    They’d chosen their ambush well, where the old Roman road entered a narrow valley with cliffs on both sides. It was already dark in the shadows below, but enough light remained to show a large party of knights riding up from the south. They looked tired and dusty. Their horses’ heads hung low.
    Mordred’s eye fixed on the dun-coloured pony in the centre carrying a small figure in a hooded cloak. He smiled. Last time