Voyage to Avalon by Julie Leung

Author:Julie Leung
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-07-28T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

27

Galahad paced outside the door to Sir Lancelot’s chambers. Father Walter had been in there for what felt like hours. Surely he would be able to tell by now whether it was white fever that had stricken his father.

At first, Galahad had insisted that he stay with the knight, but Father Walter soon sent him outside.

“Your worrying will do you no good,” he had said.

So Galahad waited, and he tried to focus on the latest of Merlin’s Scrolls he had taken out of the library. All the words seemed to run together in this one, and everything was written in the same strange code. Galahad briefly wondered if Excalibur might help him understand the code in the same way it helped him understand animals.

He was just reaching for his sword when a pair of rapid footsteps echoed down the hall. Galahad looked up to see Red and King Arthur walking toward him.

“Ah, Galahad,” King Arthur said, looking drawn and tired while Red looked alert. “What’s happened to Lancelot?”

“He’s with Father Walter,” Galahad said, swallowing back a lump in his throat.

“It’s the plague, isn’t it?” Red asked.

“That’s for the healer to decide,” Galahad said, with a flash of defensiveness. These days, it was hard to see King Arthur without his new shadow. Red had put a lot of effort into getting on everyone’s good side, especially the king’s. And now he was undeniably his favorite.

King Arthur closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“This is getting beyond our control. There are no more healers from the surrounding kingdoms,” he said. “For now I need Walter to attend to the queen.”

“Queen Guinevere?” Galahad couldn’t believe his ears. He had just seen the queen earlier that evening. Could the disease truly have spread so quickly, or was it getting worse?

“Let me speak with Walter about our options at this moment,” Arthur said, stepping into the room.

Galahad and Red were left outside in the hall.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father,” Red said, breaking the silence.

Galahad nodded, intent on studying the patterns on the stone floor. He was afraid his emotions would betray him if he looked up. And the last person he wanted to cry in front of was Red.

“You spend a lot of time in the infirmary and the library, don’t you?” Red said, picking at his fingernails. He looked up at Galahad, observing him.

“I’m doing what I can to help find the cure,” Galahad said warily, not sure where Red’s new line of questioning was going to lead.

“I’ve been looking forward to sparring with you at training,” Red said. “But you’re never there. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were avoiding having to face me in combat.”

“My father could be sick or d—” Galahad stopped short, unable to finish the sentence. “There are more important things to worry about than who has the faster parry!”

Red held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to offend. You and I have more in common than you think, Galahad. We shouldn’t work against each other.

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