Free Crown of Dreams by KATHERINE ROBERTS Page A

right, all right! You’d do a better job of interrogation than yourknights, I’m thinking. But if you cut my throat, you’ll never find your father’s crown, because I’m the only one who can lead you to it. It’s in a dragon’s lair quite close to here. If you release me, I’ll take you there.”
    “Why are you helping me?” Rhianna asked, suspicious.
    “Prince Mordred abandoned me. He sent me to Camelot alone to punish me for letting him get captured in the summer, knowing I’d be caught and tortured. If I help you gain the crown, you’ll keep Mordred off the throne and I’ll be safe from his revenge. If you want to kill me afterwards that’s up to you, but I prefer to put my trust in Arthur’s daughter than in Morgan Le Fay’s witch-brat.”
    She stepped towards him, lowering Excalibur. “Where?” she demanded. “Where isthis dragon’s lair? Is Mordred there, too?”
    “Funnily enough, that’s just what your bullies of knights want to know.”
    He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her ankle. She stumbled in surprise as the leash uncoiled from where he’d been hiding it under some leaves and looped around her arm. He slammed her wrist against the tree, sending the sword flying. His hands grabbed her hair, catching in the tangles, and she felt his filthy fingers fumbling at her throat.
    It was a trick, after all.
    “You’re lying!” she choked, trying to free herself but only getting more tangled in the rope. “You’ve no idea where the Crown is. You just want to escape… so you can run… back to your master… let me
go
!”

6
Ambush
    Arthur’s great army fought on the plain
    But their horses stumbled in the rain.
    Attacked by dragons, their blood ran red
    In mist-bound valley their captive fled.
    T he sound of their struggle alerted the knights. Help came in a confusion of shouts and running feet. Cai, who was closest, charged across the clearing with the Lance of Truth and launched it at Rhianna’sattacker with a furious yell.
    She fought to free her hair from the bloodbeard’s grasp as he hauled her in front of him to make a human shield. “No, Cai!” she gasped.
    Fortunately, the boy missed his target in the dark. The lance sparkled past Rhianna’s ear and got stuck in the tree. While Cai struggled to free it, Elphin’s harp tinkled out into the night, distracting the bloodbeard. Sir Bors and Sir Agravaine came running with Sir Bedivere hot on their heels, shouting at the prisoner’s guards to help.
    The men struggled out of their collapsed shelter. They grabbed the bloodbeard and hauled him back against the trunk, wrapping his leash around his neck until he half choked.
    Sir Bedivere helped Rhianna up, whileSir Bors thumped the prisoner on the nose. The bloodbeard grinned and spat blood into the big knight’s face, so Sir Bors thumped him again.
    Sir Lancelot arrived and took charge with a furious glare. “What’s going on here? Get the princess away from that man! I promised Queen Guinevere I wouldn’t let him get within spitting distance of her!” He scowled at the two guards. “How did this happen? What were you two doing while the prisoner was attacking our princess?”
    The men flushed and mumbled something about the shelter falling on them.
    Sir Bedivere took Rhianna’s elbow and tried to lead her away. She pulled free of him and picked up Excalibur. She looked down at the bloodbeard, panting, and gripped the hiltof her sword. She wanted to punish him for tricking her but couldn’t get past Sir Bors, who seemed intent on beating the prisoner to death.
    Then Elphin’s music
changed
, and she began to think more clearly. She raised Excalibur until its blade gleamed in the firelight and shouted, “Stop!”
    The big knight stepped back. Cai, who had finally managed to free the Lance of Truth from the tree, came to stand beside her. He pointed the lance at the bloodbeard.
    “Don’t kill him,” Rhianna said. “He didn’t hurt me, not really. It was my fault. I was