The Magic Hollow by Stephen Clarke

Author:Stephen Clarke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Magic Hollow Publishing

Twelve

Life of a Squire

No amount of practice would ever get me used to the alarm clock that is Goliath the drake. There’s nothing like opening your eyes in the morning to the snarling teeth of a pint-sized dragon.

“I’m up, I’m up,” I said defensively, letting out a huge yawn. Goliath nuzzled my chest with its head and then flew off to the bed of its next victim.

Lance and Lucas were already awake, sitting by the fire talking quietly. It sounded like they were talking about . . . sports? No, the next tournament. “Depending on the early draw, it could make or break your chances at the joust, though,” Lance was saying. “If Isabelle jousts Percy, I think she has the best chance of beating him in the early rounds.”

“Aye, that might be true. But Percy has been training hard. He makes up for his lack of brawn with pure skill. He could be a formidable foe this time around.”

Alex or Eric, I still couldn’t tell which one was which, finished shewing Goliath away, and climbed out of bed sleepily. “How am I supposed to sleep in with that thing harassing me every morning?”

“You’re not supposed to sleep in,” Lance said. “We’ve got work to do. Besides, the tournament is in less than a week. Maybe if you put some effort into training, you could fare well this time around.”

His brother, who had just climbed out of bed as well, stood by his side, yawning dramatically. “Tournaments are good for nothing but bruises. We want to stay handsome for the ladies.”

“You two are uglier than a bridge troll’s backside,” Lucas said laughing.

“Hey, watch it!” one of the brothers said. “Or we might actually put some effort into fighting this tournament.”

“I would be honored to face either of you, if that’s the case,” Lance said.

“Duel you? There’s no way in this realm or the old that we would face you! We’d lose for sure.”

“I can’t believe you two passed your trials and become Knights-junior,” Cole, Sir Lucas’s squire said. “When I pass the trials, I hope I show a little more initiative than you two.”

“How noble of you,” the brothers said in unison. “Well, we’ll be getting some breakfast. See you around!”

“So, they are knights-junior?” I asked Lance when the door had closed behind them.

“Yep, but they haven’t obtained the lower order of the Round Table yet. Currently, we only seat thirteen at the table anyway, which means there is only one more open seat, but you know, the whole Siege Perilous myth means we may never fill that seat.”

“I already sat in Siege Perilous,” I said. “It was an accident, obviously, but I think I was just warming it up for myself. I’m going to be the thirteenth knight on the Round Table.”

“That’s the right attitude. And if you fare well in the tournament, you just might be able to. But that means we only have one week to prepare you.”

“Just tell me where to start,” I said excitedly.

***

I felt a mix of anxiety and excitement as I stepped into the Arena.

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