The Thirteenth Knight by Tricia Andersen

Author:Tricia Andersen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, kingdom, king, knight, medieval, dark magic, lady, thirteen
Publisher: Tricia Andersen

* * * *

Thatcher closed his eyes as he moaned. His muscles were numb, but his stomach had stopped aching days ago. His breath came in short, raspy gasps. He clenched his eyes tight. He could not give up. He had to survive to save his Miranda.

As he heard the heavy wood door to his cell creak, his eyes slit open. He clenched his hands into fists. He didn't care how weak he was. He would not take another beating. He could not see who entered clearly in the darkness of the dungeon. All he could discern was that the person was small. The figure scurried across the room to him.

"What do you want?" Thatcher growled. His demand was answered by the tinkling of metal as his hand fell free from the wall. Moments later, his other hand was released also.

Thatcher slumped to the floor, his legs too weak to support his weight. The small figure wrapped its arms around him. "Sir Thatcher, you must hurry. You must get his majesty out of here before he is executed," the voice whispered.

Thatcher nodded in agreement. He summoned his strength and stood. With the small person's help, he stumbled from the cell. In the dim light of the torches hanging from the walls of the corridor, he could see his rescuer was a young courtier. But there is something about this young man that is familiar...

"Who are you?" Thatcher questioned as the young man dashed into Thaddeus's cell. He rubbed his frozen muscles until the courtier reappeared, supporting the monarch with his small frame.

"My name is Ewen. I have recently been employed at the palace, before Brunon took power."

The two men struggled to gather their strength as Ewen quickly freed the rest of the knights. "How did you get in?" Thaddeus inquired. "We were under heavy guard."

"Your majesty, there is no time. You must escape. There is a door at the end of this corridor that leads into the forest. Beware, as it is daytime. If you are not careful, you will be seen."

Thatcher breezed past Ewen. "I am not leaving without Miranda."

Ewen grabbed his linen shirt to stop him. "My lord, if you go into the palace, you will be re-captured. I promise you, I will protect my lady."

Thatcher glared down the corridor leading to the palace. With a huff, he spun on his toe and retreated in the other direction. Thaddeus and the other knights followed. Thatcher dropped his shoulder and forced the door in the rock open. They all cringed as the sun blinded them, flooding the space in white light. Thatcher glanced one last time at their rescuer before following the rest of the men to freedom.

They all paused for a brief moment to adjust to the sunlight. As a group, they surged between the trees of the forest, dodging low-lying limbs and snaking vines as they worked to bury themselves deeper into the woods.

Once the palace was out of sight, Thatcher stopped. “We have to come up with a plan about where we are going.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.