Dragon and the George - 02 The Dragon Knight by Gordon R Dickson

Author:Gordon R Dickson [Dickson, Gordon R]
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, The Dragon & The George Series
ISBN: 9780812509434
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 1991-11-14T09:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Brian stared at her for a second longer, then turned back to look at the

newcomers, who were al-ready halfway across the open ground to the inn.

Slowly he got to his feet. Dafydd rose also, casually, his hand on his quiver.

Jim found himself getting to his feet as well, and Dick Innkeeper materialized

in the inn door, stepping out to join them. Only Aragh stayed seated, his jaws

laughing.

The man in the lead was a lean individual who looked to be in his fifties. The

ends of hair seen es-caping from under his steel cap were iron gray, and his

short, curly, jutting beard was pepper-and-salt in color. Beyond his air of

authority, he seemed little different from the men behind him, except that the

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weapon at his belt was not the short sword the others wore, but rather a

longer, two-handed weapon like

Sir Brian's.

He came up to the ditch girdling the inn, crossed its bridge and stopped

before the knight.

"I'm Giles o' the Wold," he said. "And these are my free brothers and

companions of the forest. I take it you're Sir Brian Neville-Smythe?"

"I am," Brian answered, stiffly. "Master outlaw, I wasn't the one who invited

you here."

"I'm aware of that," said Giles. Above his beard, his face was tanned to

almost the color of old leather and the skin had gone into small, shrewd

wrinkles. "My daughter sent for me-"

He glanced past Brian for a moment.

"I'll talk to you later, girl," he said. "Now, Sir knight, what matters who

sent for me? If you need assistance, here am I and my men, and the price of

our aid's not so high as to be beyond reason. Shall we sit like reasonable men

and discuss it, or should my lads and I turn around again and go?"

Brian hesitated a second-but only a second.

"Dick," he said, turning to the innkeeper. "Bring another jack for Giles o'

the Wold; and see what his companions will have."

"Ale," answered Dick, in a somewhat grim voice, "is all I have in such

quantity."

"Ale, then," said Brian, impatiently. "Bring it!"

He sat back down at the table. Giles took the other end of the bench that

Dafydd had been sitting on.

Giles looked curiously at Aragh, and then at Jim.

"The wolf I know-by reputation, if nothing else," he said. "The dragon-My

daughter's message said you were a knight under enchantment?^'

"This is the good Sir James," Brian explained. "The bowman next to you is

Dafydd ap-What's that family name of yours, Master archer?"

"Hywel," said Dafydd, pronouncing it with a lilt that Jim knew his own tongue

certainly could not have managed. "I am in England to teach the English that

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the longbow, as well as the true blood of they that best use it, are from

Wales alone; and it is also that I am going to marry your daughter. Master

Giles." "He is not! "cried Danielle. Giles' bearded face parted in a smile.

"If you ever get her permission," he said to Dafydd, "come talk to. me about

it. You might have to con-cern yourself not only with my feelings in the

matter, but the intentions of some score or so younger mem-bers of my band.

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