“My Lady, your father the King calls for you,” the ladies maid said.
Guinevere’s tears dried. “He what?” she asked, her forehead creasing with an emotion Britt couldn’t put her finger on.
“He summons you, and desires to speak with you and your honorable mother,” the ladies maid said.
No one noticed as Britt started to edge away.
Guinevere looked down and stared at the garden path.
“I wish you well, Lady Guinevere,” Britt said, safely on the other side of the fountain. She bowed and fled, not taking the chance to look over her shoulder to see the ladies’ reaction.
She had a bad feeling she knew why King Leodegrance was calling Guinevere.
“As shallow as she is, I don’t think any girl deserves to be stuck with Duke Maleagant,” Britt said, ducking into the courtyard.
She walked past the stables and yelped when someone grabbed her and dragged her inside.
Britt grappled for Excalibur as a hand covered her mouth.
“I ought to kill you, you stupid lass,” a rough voice hissed into her ear.
Britt looked up, and to her surprise found herself standing eye to eye with Merlin.
“Merlin?” Britt said, her words muffled by his hand.
“Yes,” Merlin said, removing his hand.
“Merlin! Finally, something is going right.” Britt said, throwing her arms around the wizard and leaning into him.
“No thanks to your hard work,” Merlin wryly said, although he fixed an arm around her waist and patted the back of her head.
Britt sagged against Merlin’s chest, breathing in the woodsy scent of his robe. Merlin was warm and steady. Even better, with Merlin around Britt knew she would be safe.
Merlin pressed his cheek to her head for a brief moment. Britt felt him stiffen, and he abruptly pushed her back. “See here, now. If someone sees us there will be questions we cannot answer,” he said, shaking out his robe before leading the way down the stable aisle. They ducked out a far door, joining a crowd of farmers who were grimly setting up camps in the castle courtyard.
“How did you know I would be here?” Britt asked.
“King Pellinore. When Kay discovered you were missing this morning he told us he might know where you ran off to,” Merlin said. “Gawain, Lancelot. I found him.”
The two knights were standing in the shadows of a wall. They both looked up when Britt and Merlin approached them.
“My Lord,” Gawain bowed.
“I am glad you have been found, My Lord,” Lancelot declared.
Britt ignored the foreign knight’s greeting. “Hello Gawain. Did the three of you make it into Camelgrance before the portcullis closed for Maleagant?” Britt asked.
“No,” Merlin said. “We saw Maleagant issue his warning to King Leodegrance though.”
Britt frowned. “If you didn’t get in before, how did you make it inside?”
Gawain looked queasy. “Magic,” he said.
“Merlin is quite the impressive wizard,” Lancelot added, for once somewhat subdued.
“Indeed. I was going to bring Sir Kay and Gawain with me, but at the last minute Lancelot pushed Kay back just before I finished the spell to get us through—King Pellinore was holding back Ywain as he was hotly demanding he come with—getting the spell cast on him. So I had no choice but to bring Lancelot in Kay’s place,” Merlin said, sounding just the smallest bit disgusted.
“I find myself gladdened by this news,” Britt said.
Merlin raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Are you?”
Lancelot beamed. “I am pleased my presence delights you, My Lord.”
“It’s not that. Since you kept Kay from coming to get me in all likeliness that means you are now higher on his list of people to maim than I am,” Britt said.
Merlin coughed to cover a laugh, but Gawain seriously considered Britt’s words. “He has a list?”
“What do you think he’s always writing in that logbook of his?”
Gawain nodded. “You must be right, My Lord.”
“So what’s the plan?” Britt asked.
“For what?” Merlin said.
“To leave Camelgrance?”
“There is no plan.”
“Can’t we go out the way you came in?” Britt asked.
“No,” Merlin said as Gawain shuddered behind him. “It took a lot of magic to get us in. I certainly don’t have enough to get four of us out.”
“We could always leave Lancelot behind,” Britt mumbled before Merlin elbowed her.
“Sir Bodwain is riding back to Camelot as we speak. He means to muster an army to aid King Leodegrance and free us,” Gawain said.
“In the meantime we will sit tight,” Merlin added.
“We shall have to stay on the streets with the rest of these poor outcasts,” Lancelot said, benevolently looking at the peasants crowding the courtyard.
“Not on your life. I have several contacts living in Camelgrance. We will stay with one of them,” Merlin said, setting off into another part of the castle. “Follow me.”