right!"
"I suppose I was tired of waiting around here, doing nothing. Are you going to let me tell my tale?" Lynet scowled at him, but she folded her hands demurely and waited. "Thank you," Roger said, with a nod. "I knew the right direction, of course, so in a few hours I knew I was near your castle. I didn't really have a plan for how I was to get through this Red Lands
fellow's camp, but I thought if I saw it one might come to me."
"Optimistic, weren't you?"
"Well, no, but I couldn't think of anything else. Luckily, I didn't need a plan."
"How did you get through, then?"
Roger paused and licked his lips. Incongruously, he asked, "Have you ever heard of the Other World, Lynet? The world of the faeries?" Lynet looked at him quickly and nodded. "Ay, I thought you might have. Well, I've never had any doings with it myself, but I've some family members who've meddled with such things. Hasn't improved them any, as far as I can see. Anyway, that's one reason I've been a bit leery of this Squire Terence. If anyone's an Other Worlder, he is."
"Did you meet Squire Terence?" Lynet asked, beginning to understand.
"Ay. I was almost to your castle when I came on him, sitting atop a horse as cool as you please, waiting for me. Seemed to know what I was doing, where I was going, everything he needed to know. Uncanny, I call it. He took me to a shed in the woods, where we left our horses, then led me to a spot where we could see the Red Knight's camp and your castle on the other side.
"Well, we waited there a bit, watching the camp from the trees. Once a huge old wolf found us, looked right at me and licked its lips, but Terence told it to
take itself off, and off it went." Roger shook his head wonderingly. "Finally at dusk, Terence said it was timeâsomething about its being a time for good magic when it was halfway between light and darkâand we walked out of the forest as bold as you please."
Roger paused. "You may not believe this, but it's so. We walked right through that camp, not three feet from a whole pack of soldiers. They were close enough to smell, and they weren't any bouquet of flowers, let me tell you. We walked right up the hill to your gate, where the portcullis lifted and let me in. I walked inside, and Terence was gone. Like I say, I wouldn't have believed it myselfâ"
"I believe you," Lynet said quietly. They sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. Then Lynet asked, "What happened then?"
"Well, I found your sister. I say, Lynet, are you sure you two are related?"
"She's much prettier than I am, I knowâ"
Roger snorted. "Not in any way that matters!"
Lynet felt herself blushing and was glad of the darkness. "What happened?" she asked.
"I told her the whole story, how you'd risked your life to bring back a knight to help her, and all she could do was wish you'd brought Gawain or Lancelot or somebody really famous. She even asked if you could go back and try again for a better knight."
Lynet sighed. "Sounds like Lyonesse. What did you say?"
Roger grinned sheepishly. "I told her that those knights had very high standards and that they wouldn't rescue her unless she were prettier."
"You didn't!" Lynet gasped. "What did she do?"
"She changed color, a bit like the Pink Knight, and gave me a nasty look. You know," he added pensively, "I don't think she likes me above half."
Lynet clucked in mock sympathy. "You couldn't have said anything more likely to get under her skin."
"Well, that's what I thought, too," Roger replied, gratified. "Anyway, I told her what you thought, that Beaumains is really some famous knight in disguise. It was enough to get her interested. She said that if that's true, then she'll let him rescue her."
"She didn't say that!" Lynet exclaimed. "Even Lyonesseâ"
"S'truth!" said Roger. "She told me to come on back and give you her permission to bring him on. Then she sent me out."
"In the dark? Didn't she even let you stay the night?"
"She didn't mention it,
"I suppose I was tired of waiting around here, doing nothing. Are you going to let me tell my tale?" Lynet scowled at him, but she folded her hands demurely and waited. "Thank you," Roger said, with a nod. "I knew the right direction, of course, so in a few hours I knew I was near your castle. I didn't really have a plan for how I was to get through this Red Lands
fellow's camp, but I thought if I saw it one might come to me."
"Optimistic, weren't you?"
"Well, no, but I couldn't think of anything else. Luckily, I didn't need a plan."
"How did you get through, then?"
Roger paused and licked his lips. Incongruously, he asked, "Have you ever heard of the Other World, Lynet? The world of the faeries?" Lynet looked at him quickly and nodded. "Ay, I thought you might have. Well, I've never had any doings with it myself, but I've some family members who've meddled with such things. Hasn't improved them any, as far as I can see. Anyway, that's one reason I've been a bit leery of this Squire Terence. If anyone's an Other Worlder, he is."
"Did you meet Squire Terence?" Lynet asked, beginning to understand.
"Ay. I was almost to your castle when I came on him, sitting atop a horse as cool as you please, waiting for me. Seemed to know what I was doing, where I was going, everything he needed to know. Uncanny, I call it. He took me to a shed in the woods, where we left our horses, then led me to a spot where we could see the Red Knight's camp and your castle on the other side.
"Well, we waited there a bit, watching the camp from the trees. Once a huge old wolf found us, looked right at me and licked its lips, but Terence told it to
take itself off, and off it went." Roger shook his head wonderingly. "Finally at dusk, Terence said it was timeâsomething about its being a time for good magic when it was halfway between light and darkâand we walked out of the forest as bold as you please."
Roger paused. "You may not believe this, but it's so. We walked right through that camp, not three feet from a whole pack of soldiers. They were close enough to smell, and they weren't any bouquet of flowers, let me tell you. We walked right up the hill to your gate, where the portcullis lifted and let me in. I walked inside, and Terence was gone. Like I say, I wouldn't have believed it myselfâ"
"I believe you," Lynet said quietly. They sat in thoughtful silence for a moment. Then Lynet asked, "What happened then?"
"Well, I found your sister. I say, Lynet, are you sure you two are related?"
"She's much prettier than I am, I knowâ"
Roger snorted. "Not in any way that matters!"
Lynet felt herself blushing and was glad of the darkness. "What happened?" she asked.
"I told her the whole story, how you'd risked your life to bring back a knight to help her, and all she could do was wish you'd brought Gawain or Lancelot or somebody really famous. She even asked if you could go back and try again for a better knight."
Lynet sighed. "Sounds like Lyonesse. What did you say?"
Roger grinned sheepishly. "I told her that those knights had very high standards and that they wouldn't rescue her unless she were prettier."
"You didn't!" Lynet gasped. "What did she do?"
"She changed color, a bit like the Pink Knight, and gave me a nasty look. You know," he added pensively, "I don't think she likes me above half."
Lynet clucked in mock sympathy. "You couldn't have said anything more likely to get under her skin."
"Well, that's what I thought, too," Roger replied, gratified. "Anyway, I told her what you thought, that Beaumains is really some famous knight in disguise. It was enough to get her interested. She said that if that's true, then she'll let him rescue her."
"She didn't say that!" Lynet exclaimed. "Even Lyonesseâ"
"S'truth!" said Roger. "She told me to come on back and give you her permission to bring him on. Then she sent me out."
"In the dark? Didn't she even let you stay the night?"
"She didn't mention it,
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