Katherine glared at him for a moment, then went back to whispering to Chip.
“I told them all no, and do you want to know why?” she asked. “Everybody’s supposed to have a boyfriend or girlfriend in sixth grade, but I didn’t really care about any of those boys—it wouldn’t have meant anything to say that Tyler Crawford was my boyfriend, or that Spencer Rajan was my boyfriend.”
“Spencer Rajan asked you out?” Jonah asked incredulously. “I didn’t know that.”
Katherine ignored him.
“But you know what, Chip?” she said, leaning in closer. “If you’d asked me to be your girlfriend, I would have said yes. That would have meant something.”
Swaying a little on her tiptoes, weighed down by her mud-covered armor, she turned her head and gave him a timid kiss on the cheek.
At first nothing happened. But then there was a small flare of light around Chip’s face, the reappearance of his tracer, barely separated from Chip. The tracer continued staring out at the battle, but Chip turned his head to look at Katherine.
“Really?” Chip said softly, his nearly invisible mouth moving while the tracer’s mouth stayed firmly shut. “You really like me?”
THIRTY-THREE
“Well, duh,” Katherine said. “I came all the way to the fifteenth century for you, didn’t I?” She took a step back, as if she was a little stunned that Chip had heard her. She looked him up and down. “And it’s not just because I know now that you’re going to be really hot by the time you’re fifteen.”
“I am?” Chip said. “Hot? You think so?”
“Hey, hey—can the romance and hot talk, all right?” Jonah interrupted. Both Chip and Katherine turned toward him, looking annoyed. “Or save it for later,” Jonah amended. “We’ve got a lot of other things to worry about right now.”
“Aye, the battle,” Chip said. His face started to retract into the older, fifteenth-century version of himself, into his tracer.
“No, no, Chip—wait,” Jonah said frantically. “Katherine and I came to get you and Alex out of here. So you don’t die in this battle.”
Chip’s face hovered, barely apart from his tracer’s.
“I won’t die in battle,” he said confidently. “I’m an expert swordsman. Everyone says so.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Jonah said. “All the time experts say you and Alex are going to die if we don’t take you away.”
Jonah saw a flash of light—it was Chip’s arm separating from his tracer’s. Chip reached out to grasp Alex’s shoulder.
“My brother?” Chip asked. “He’ll die?”
Jonah got an idea.
“Pull him out of his tracer,” Jonah said. “Let him hear what’s going to happen.” This had worked before, Jonah remembered. Chip had been able to separate Alex from his tracer when Jonah and Katherine failed.
Chip glanced around, his head separating from his tracer’s head even more dramatically. None of the soldiers around them were watching Chip and Alex. They all had their eyes glued to the battle. Chip jerked on Alex’s shoulder.
Alex’s head pitched forward, leaving his tracer’s face behind. Dazedly, he peered around, his eyes focusing slowly on Jonah and Katherine.
“Two years,” he murmured. “I haven’t been able to fully think with this brain for two years.”
“We’re almost ready to take you back,” Jonah said. “You can think with that brain all the time after this.”
Alex blinked.
“I—,” he began.
Suddenly there was a thundering of hooves, drowning out whatever Alex had planned to say. A man on a white horse sped toward them, leaning forward in the saddle, intent on his goal.
It was King Richard III.
Jonah stiffened. Our cue! He wanted to scream at Katherine, “Remember? We can pull them out after Richard sees them!”
But he and Katherine had to step out of the way, because Richard galloped right up in front of Chip and Alex. Both boys had completely rejoined their tracers and were staring up at their uncle. Around them the other soldiers had their hands on their swords, but Jonah couldn’t tell if they were prepared to attack Richard or defend him.
Richard slid off his horse. His eyes flicked from Chip to Alex and back again.
“My nephews,” he said, sounding stunned, as if he couldn’t quite believe the sight before him. “So it is true. … You live?”
“Aye,” Chip said, a challenge in his voice. “Against your wishes.”
He stood bold and strong, his hand tight on the hilt of his sword.
Would he try to kill Richard? Jonah wondered. Right here? Right now? What could we do about that?
“And yet, you’ve been betrayed,” Richard said mockingly. “Spies told me you were here.”
“Spies told us not all of your subjects are loyal,” Alex countered, stepping up beside Chip. “Some of your noblemen refused to fight for you.”
Jonah remembered Lord Stanley, refusing to fight for Richard even if it meant his own son’s death. Richard grimaced, every bit as pained as if Alex had struck him with a sword. Jonah expected Richard to lash out, maybe grab for his own sword at the insult. Jonah put his arm protectively on Alex’s shoulder, ready to snatch him away at the first thrust of a sword. Out of the corner of his eye Jonah saw Katherine do the same thing to Chip.
But Richard didn’t reach for his sword. He dropped to his knee and bowed his head before Chip.
“My nephew,” Richard murmured. “I have sinned before God and man, but I have been granted a second chance. When the battle is over … when we have vanquished Henry Tudor …” He looked up, his eyes boring into Chip’s. “As soon as this battle ends, I will give you back your crown.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Jonah’s jaw dropped. This was a complication he’d never expected, one he’d never even dreamed was possible.