Sword of Light by KATHERINE ROBERTS Read Free Book Online Page B

following them.She couldn’t stop thinking about that hiss she’d heard in her head.
I see you, Pendragon
. Was it Mordred’s creature? Well, she’d be ready for it next time.
    More wary of Saxons than dragons, Sir Bors and Sir Agravaine rode with their hands on their swords, while Sir Bedivere told Cai to be ready with his dagger in case of trouble. Elphin loosened the strings of his harp bag and kept a wary lookout with his violet eyes. Rhianna wished she had Excalibur, and wondered why her father had told his knights to throw the magic sword away if he’d know it gave him strength.

    When the sun set, they rode off the road and up a hill, where they made camp inside a circle of stones marked with curious lines and spirals.Cai gathered wood, and this time Elphin breathed a long, low note over the fire and the spark from Sir Bors’ flint caught straight away.
    Cai stared at the Avalonian boy, impressed. “That’s nearly as good as Merlin does it!” he said. “Can you do any other magic?”
    “Don’t take much magic to light dry wood and sheep’s wool,” Bors muttered, scowling at the squire. “Leave him be, Cai. This ain’t the place for silly tricks.”
    But as they shared out the last of the stale bread Elphin looked much happier than he had that morning. This time Rhianna was hungry enough to eat her ration, though she kept the crust for Alba. “I promise I’ll get you a whole bucket of apples when we reach Camelot,” she told the mare as she fed the bread to her. Although the rain had stopped and the starsglittered like they did in Avalon, the night was chilly. She pulled her cloak around her and stared out into the darkness beyond the glow of their fire, wondering if she would always feel this cold in her father’s world.
    Elphin came to join her and rested a hand on one of the tall stones. His fingers traced the spirals. “There’s power in these,” he said. “Faint, but I can feel it… echoes of men’s songs.”
    “Your magic still works, doesn’t it?” Rhianna said.
    “Yes – in this place, anyway.”
    “Good. Do you know how to get us back to Avalon?”
    Elphin eyed her sideways. “Had enough of the world of men already?”
    “Of course not! I just mean if we find Excalibur, and Merlin doesn’t turn up in time.”
    Her friend pulled a face. “I don’t know, Rhia. Even Merlin said he found the way through the mists difficult last time, didn’t he?”
    “But you’re Lord Avallach’s son. You
must
know how to get home.”
    “I’m not old enough to lead the Wild Hunt yet.”
    “What’s that got to do with it? Can’t you use your harp somehow?”
    “Sorry, Rhia… all I know is Merlin wasn’t meant to get lost.”
    Rhianna sighed. “I suppose we’ll have to find him, then.” She’d been hoping they could complete their quest without the grumpy old druid and show him she could handle a magic sword as well as any son of Arthur’s would have done.
    Elphin gave her a sharp look. “You’reshivering,” he said, suddenly concerned. “Let’s go back to the fire. I didn’t help light it so that lump Cai could hog it all night.”
    Rhianna giggled. “Shh! He’s listening.”
    “He’s still a lump. I’ve never seen anyone eat so fast, have you?” Elphin raised his voice. “Better slow down, human squire, or Sir Bedivere’s poor horse will collapse under your weight!”
    Cai laughed. “You’d eat fast, too, fairy boy, if the Saxons kept stealing all your food!” he called back. “Not all of us can magic apples out of thin air, you know. Besides, you’ve never been in the squires’ dining hall at the end of a long day running around after the knights in the jousting court. You’ll find out!”
    Rhianna had never seen Elphin magic an apple out of the air, either. But she was glad to return to the warmth of the fire. While thethree knights patrolled the stones with their hands on their swords, she rested her head on her father’s shield and stared up at the