LANCE OF TRUTH by KATHERINE ROBERTS Read Free Book Online Page A

they’d met, he had been wounded and helpless while his cousin held a magic blade to his throat. Today, their positions would be reversed.
    She rode astride, not side-saddle like most damsels, but he’d expected that. The cloak would be to hide her from curious eyes. He was sure his bloodbeards had reported a white pony… but maybe it was dirty.
    Most importantly, he could see a large sword strapped to the pony’s saddle. The white jewel on its hilt caught the last of the light.
Excalibur.
    He smiled again. His mother had been right. Arthur’s knights were leaderless and stupid. They had ridden straight into his trap. By tonight, they’d all be dead, and he’d have the Sword of Light and Arthur’s daughter.
    It was too dark to see which knights had come. Not all of them, obviously. They would have left some men to defend Camelot. But once he had Excalibur, the others would have to do what he said.
    Then his stupid horse flung up its head and neighed.
    The knights, who had been warily eyeing the cliffs, looked up in alarm and snatchedout their swords. One of them rode out in front with a lance, yelling for the others to retreat.
    Mordred cursed as they started to turn their horses. He heard unearthly shrieks and the clash of metal below as his bloodbeards attacked from the rocks. He saw one of his men die on the end of the lance, which luckily jammed in the cliffs before the knight could skewer anyone else with it.
    The pony, frightened by the dark figures dropping from above, whipped round. Its rider fell off. He grinned. But it wasn’t his cousin. Instead, a plump fair-haired boy scrambled up and ran for the mouth of the pass.
    “Tricked! They tricked me… get the sword!” Mordred yelled, seeing hisbloodbeards hesitate. “Never mind the boy. I need that sword!”
    He dragged out his mother’s mirror. Urging the horse up to the lookout rock, he raised the glass to the sky. “Mother, help me!” he called, and flashed the mirror’s dark magic at the knights.
    Black clouds boiled above him, making his horse rear in fright. Purple lightning crackled down the cliff, dislodging boulders that bounced down into the pass. The knights were forced back.
    Mordred laughed. This was more like it.
    His captain ran to the terrified pony and grabbed the sword from its pack. The other bloodbeards swarmed back up the cliffs, leaving Arthur’s knights turning in confused circles below.
    At first he couldn’t see what had happened either, and thought his men had made a mess of things. Then the bloodbeard captain appeared with a long bundle strapped across his back, spooking the horse again.
    “Bring it here!” Mordred snapped, his eyes on the big white jewel poking out of the end.
    The bloodbeard did so, stammering excuses.
    “Shut up, will you?” Mordred said, impatient. “So the girl’s not with them, so what? We’ll deal with her later. The important thing is we have Excalibur! With this, I’ll soon get the Lance of Truth off that fool Lancelot, and then we’ll teach my cousin and her little friends a lesson they won’t forget in a hurry. Hold my horse.” He dropped the reins, took a quick breath and drew the swordout of its wrappings with a cry of triumph.
    “Careful, my prince…”
    “Oh, for Annwn’s sake! I’m Arthur’s rightful heir, aren’t I? It won’t harm me.”
    He felt slightly disappointed that there was no surge of power as he drew the blade. But his cousin had unknighted him, so that would probably come after he got his mother to re-link the sword’s magic to his spirit. It felt heavier than he’d expected, too, no doubt because he’d lost his strength over the winter along with his sword hand. But he’d soon get used to fighting left-handed… that would confuse Lancelot.
    “
Now
we’ll see who’s in charge, you fools!” he yelled, pointing the blade after the fleeing knights. “Go on, run back home to Camelot! Did you really think I would just hand overthe queen to you? You don’t