Free Crown of Dreams by KATHERINE ROBERTS

hauled the bloodbeard into Sandy’s saddle and linked his ankles under the pony’s belly with the rope. They passed Sandy’s reins to Sir Bors. The bloodbeard sat silently and sulked.
    “He hoped they’d untie him so he couldmake a break for the hills,” Elphin said.
    Rhianna watched the unloading of the wagon impatiently, itching to make a break for the hills herself. Then Cai barged between them on his big mare. Alba shook her mane and made a comment about human boys who could not control their horses.
    They made better progress after that, though still too slow for Rhianna’s liking. In the afternoon, it started to rain. She pulled her cloak over her head and thought how pointless a hairbrush would have been.

    That night, they camped in a wooded valley with a loud stream rushing down a gully. The bloodbeard was hauled off his pony and leashed to a tree as usual. Cai went to comfortSandy, while Elphin took Evenstar for a drink. As Rhianna unsaddled Alba, she felt the bloodbeard watching her again. She scowled at him.
    “You,” he hissed. “Yes, you, Pendragon girl! Come over here. I’ve got something to tell you.”
    She glanced around. Nobody else had heard. His guards were struggling to erect a shelter in the rain and wind. The knights were still seeing to their horses and trying to light a fire so they could cook supper. Sentries patrolled the edges of the camp, keeping a lookout for enemies in the dark.
    “Don’t be scared,” the bloodbeard said, raising his bound wrists. “What can I do, trussed up like this? I’ve been trying to talk to you for ages. But them knights of yours keep you wrapped up like a soft damsel who’safraid of getting a twig stuck in her hair.”
    This got Rhianna’s blood up. Clenching her fist on Excalibur, she strode across. But even though he seemed docile enough, she remembered Arianrhod’s warning and stood carefully out of reach. “What do you want?” she said.
    He glanced at his guards, who cursed the shelter as a sudden gust of wind ripped it from its ties to collapse on their heads. “Come closer, Pendragon girl,” he whispered.
    She wasn’t going to fall for that trick. “I can hear you just fine from here.”
    The bloodbeard pulled a face. “Please yourself. But my information isn’t for anybody else’s ears. It concerns your father’s crown.”
    Rhianna’s skin prickled. She glanced back at Elphin and Cai, who were still groomingthe horses. “What do you know about King Arthur’s crown?” she said. “Have you seen it?”
    “Oh, I’ve seen it all right.” The bloodbeard grimaced. “Want to know where, don’t you Pendragon maid? Got your eye on it yourself, no doubt? Mighty pretty it is too, with all those jewels. Suit you very well, I’d say.”
    She saw one of the knights glance in their direction, and crouched behind a bush so her bright hair wouldn’t give her away. “If you tell me where you saw it, I’ll see if I can get you something hot to eat tonight,” she whispered.
    The bloodbeard’s face twisted a bit, and she knew she’d touched a nerve. “I’m not hungry,” he grunted. “We northerners are used to fighting on empty bellies, unlike you soft summer landers.”
    “Please yourself,” Rhianna said. She eyedhis leash. It looked too short to allow him much movement. She crept behind his tree and quietly drew Excalibur. With a quick leap, she put the blade to the bloodbeard’s throat. “Now tell!” she said.
    He grinned at her. “Nice move. But I think you’re bluffing, Pendragon maid. I’ve heard you can’t blood that sword of yours if you want to take it back to Avalon for your father.”
    “Maybe I don’t want to give it to my father. Maybe I want to keep it for myself. So tell me where you saw the Crown of Dreams! Quick, before the knights come back. I’ll count to three. One… two…” She pushed the sword a little harder against his throat.
    He pressed his head back against the tree and laughed softly. “All