Harrowing Hats (32 page)

“Who goes there?” a knight challenged us before we could enter the protected area.

“It is I, Lord Robert, with a new recruit. Allow us to pass or face the end of my blade.”

The other knight nodded and put down his weapon. “Of course, Lord Robert.”

He didn’t speak to me but that might be because I was new. The monks had a thing like that where new recruits didn’t speak and no one spoke to them for a week or so when they first joined the Brotherhood.

I saw several women from the Village—including Crystal the Pirate Queen. They were all doing female things like tending fires and cooking. I never thought of Crystal being the homemaking type, but you never know what people will do in different circumstances. In this case, a knight in shiny black armor stopped to kiss her. Love was the ultimate change in life.

“Assemble knights!” someone yelled, and the knights, most in training gear like me, and Lord Robert, went into the circle inside the area of the tents.

I stood close to Lord Robert without being clingy. That would give us away for sure. Knights probably didn’t hold hands or stand up against each other much.

“We have three new recruits this eve,” the knight who’d called them together said. “Let’s get started on training so they may have the experience they will need later.”

I wasn’t sure that was Chase. He was big but maybe not that big. He could be Stewart, it was hard to tell if that was the same person from the Field of Honor.

Another, larger knight joined him—I knew
that
was Chase. I should’ve known from the beginning even though he’d disguised his voice. And maybe I did know and that’s why I was attracted to him. I like to think that it was.

“Recruits assemble here!” That was definitely Chase.

The three of us went to stand with him while the others began to practice sparring and basic skills around the campfires. Chase laid out all the rules of being a Knight Templar—not using your real name, meeting here after dark each night, and other rules, much like normal clubs have.

They talked rough to us but no rougher than the pirates. Of course, I knew Chase was behind one of the masks, so that kept me from getting too nervous. If I had to, I could whip off the hot, itchy mask and yell for him. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

When it was time for a break, Robert came to find me. We partnered up and pretended to spar. “That’s his tent over there,” he whispered as I dodged a blow from his sword and parried with one of my own. “I could create a distraction so you could get inside for a time. I don’t know if you’ll find anything to use against him in there, but it’s all I can come up with.”

I was glad that I’d had all that Village training in mock battle as I dropped down to avoid a mock sword attack. “Sounds good! What will you do?”

“You’ll know when you hear it. Be ready. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re braver than most men I know, my lady. You have a lion’s heart.”

I couldn’t tell him that some of that courage was derived because my back was covered if it came right down to it. Chase wouldn’t like it if I had to give his identity away, but he wouldn’t let anything happen to me either. I was fairly sure most of the Templars didn’t know their leader was also the bailiff. That would take away from their bad-boy image.

Lord Robert and I sparred a little longer. My black shirt was drenched with sweat. He was about to thrust his sword my way again when he suddenly yelled out, “Intruders! Knights—be aware. I see flashlights in the forest.”

It was a good ruse. All the knights stopped what they were doing and rushed out into the trees to check for intruders. Not that I could see anything so mysterious about what they were doing out here, but it was enough that they wanted to keep themselves secret.

I didn’t wait to be given another opportunity. I ran to the large black tent, still clutching my sword, and quickly went inside. I knew I wouldn’t have long to snoop around—I was going to have to make my time count.

I felt let down when I got inside. There was nothing here except the barest bones of living—a cot, a crate with shoes in the opening, and a lighted lantern on top of the crate that illuminated the darkness. His suit of armor was carefully hung on a wooden pole structure. There was nothing even interesting about his possessions.

I heard the knights coming back to camp. They were whooping and cheering in triumph because they’d frightened off the imaginary intruders Robert had invented.

I sprinted across to the tent flap to get out—too late. Two knights came through the opening toward me. I fell back and hid behind the large black suit of armor.

“I don’t think there was anyone out there at all,” one of them said. “The men are getting restless not doing anything.”

“You can’t raid the Village every night, Stewart.” That was Chase! “No matter who you are or how popular the knights are with the visitors, there will be an uprising among the residents. Believe me, they can get nasty.”

Stewart laughed. I sneaked a peak at him—tall, broad shouldered, muscular, not so much as Chase, but a healthy male specimen. His dark hair was close cut to his head, and he sported some hair on his cheeks and chin.

“You take things too seriously, Chase! I believe there will come a time when you’ll have to choose between being a knight and being the Village bailiff.”

“That may be,” Chase agreed. “But not tonight. I’m still the leader of the Templars and we aren’t raiding anything tonight.”

Stewart nodded his head deferentially to Chase. “Of course. You’re still our leader—for now. I’ll take the men on a ride through the forest.”

“No messing with Robin Hood either,” Chase warned.

Stewart didn’t quite agree or disagree. He nodded again and slipped out through the tent door. A short time later, I heard horses galloping out of camp.

Why didn’t Chase go with them? Why was he still here blocking my escape from his tent?

Chase had taken off his headgear and stretched his arms and back. It might be mock battle but it still was rigorous enough to be good exercise. Watching him (with some secret delight), I wondered if Stewart was crazy. I wouldn’t challenge someone that much bigger than me. Chase might be ten years older than Stewart, but he was also a lot better trained. I’d put my money on him—in a fair fight.

But from what I’d seen, Stewart didn’t fight fair. And that’s why I was there. Obviously I was in the wrong tent, but that was only a momentary setback.

I really didn’t want Chase to know I was there unless it was a total emergency. I didn’t feel this constituted one. I just had to figure a way out without giving myself away.

Chase took off his training outfit, maybe planning on putting on his Village clothes and heading back to the Dungeon. He walked by his suit of armor and I decided this was my best shot. I knocked the lightweight but bulky armor toward him and made a dash for the tent flap. Good plan, right?

But I’d forgotten that for all of his size, Chase was very fast. It was that quickness that had made him so good in the joust. He avoided the falling armor—letting it clank to the ground at his feet. In an instant, he had tackled me and was holding me down on the sandy floor.

I struggled a little but I was too worried about giving myself away to put up much of a fight. I was in a precarious position.

“Who are you?” he demanded. “What are you doing in my tent?”

“I was frightened by the intruders, sir.” I lowered my voice, letting it creak like a young teenager. “I rushed into the tent to hide.”

He laughed. “You seem to be good at that. And you play me for a fool, wench. I know why you sneaked into my tent.” He leaned over me and whispered, “Have at it then, woman. I am at your disposal.”

I was immediately too angry to remember to disguise my voice. My temper has always been my weakness. “Have at it? I can’t believe you’re out here looking for camp followers to warm your cot.” I beat my fist against his chest and kicked at him, no longer caring if he knew who I was.

He got up and pulled me up with him. In a single move, he pulled off my headgear. “What a surprise. How did I know you wouldn’t pay any attention at all to my asking you not to prank Stewart.”

“I suppose you’re saying you knew it was me the whole time. Hah! There was no way to know it was me.”

“As soon as I knew you were a woman—which was thirty seconds after I tackled you, I knew it couldn’t be anyone but you, Jessie. All the other women come out here wearing something sexy. You’re the only one who’d come out here dressed like a knight.”

I suppose that made sense. I still didn’t like it.

“Now get your stuff together and get out of camp before Stewart and the others get back,” he said. “I’ll be home in a little while.”

“I heard you and Stewart talking, Chase. It’s not going to be long before what you say isn’t going to matter to him. Now’s the time to take him out. Let me do it for you.”

The last part was probably over the top. Chase kind of drew back, and I realized I’d hurt his manly pride. Of course he could handle Stewart by himself. Blah. Blah. Blah.

“I don’t need your help. Go home, Jessie. Don’t come out here again.”

“Fine.” I snatched my mask from him and pulled it over my head.

“I mean it. You could get hurt out here.”

“I said fine. What else do you want?”

“Your word that you won’t do it again. I can handle Stewart.”

I mumbled something that sounded like it could be my word. Of course I wasn’t so stupid as to give my word that it wouldn’t happen again. I did press my lips through the mask against his before I left the tent. I didn’t know if he was watching, but I walked toward the trees and the path back to the Village.

Lord Robert followed and stopped me before I got too far. “Why did you go in
that
tent? You were supposed to go in that tent.” He pointed to another large black tent.

“Sorry. They all look the same to me.”

He bowed his head. “I am sorry, my lady. I’m glad you’re unharmed. I was worried about you.”

“Not a problem but thanks for worrying. Now, let’s go search the right tent before Stewart and the knights get back.”

S
orry to say, Stewart’s tent was as bare as Chase’s. There were no easy giveaways about him. If he had a weakness, he kept it hidden. I was beginning to think maybe Chase was right about him being impervious to pranking—a depressing thought.

Lord Robert and I were out of the tent and contemplating our next move when the riders returned. They saw to their horses—except Stewart, who gave his black steed to one of the new recruits.

I noticed he went to find Crystal, the ex-pirate queen next. They kissed passionately for a minute or so, then he went to the makeshift camp shower, which consisted of a bucket of water held aloft and a string that could be used to empty it on the showering knight. The water came from a cistern that collected rain, no doubt. They were a long way from the Village water system. Someone had thoughtfully put up a blanket to shield part of the rough bathing apparatus.

Crystal went with him to the shower and held up an extra blanket for him, carefully shielding him from possible prying eyes that might want to ogle his body. He seemed to be the only one with any qualm about using the shower.

Could it be he had a thing about being seen naked?

Well, not that everyone doesn’t have
some
problem with it—but some people are more particular than others.

Crystal carefully folded the blanket around him like a large towel as he got out of the shower. Then she accompanied him to his tent and stood outside (rather than inside, ogling) while he dressed.

“Lord Robert,” I addressed my companion, who was aimlessly whittling a tree branch with his sword. (Daisy, the Village sword maker, would have a coronary if she saw it—blasphemy!) “Have you seen Stewart naked?”

“Pardon me?”

I repeated the question, keeping an eye on the tent where Crystal waited.

“What are you implying, my lady?” He stopped whittling. “I assure you I am not of that persuasion. I know Stewart from college, but—”

“Settle down!” I explained the basis of my question. “Does he have a thing about being naked?”

“There was that terrible incident at school, freshman year,” he recalled. “It wasn’t just him. A fraternity took everyone’s clothes on the second floor. We all had to run outside naked.”

“How did Stewart handle that?”

“He was—” He glanced at the tent where Stewart was dressing. “He really freaked out about it. His parents had to come and get him. He missed part of the semester. He had therapy. Lady Jessie—you are a genius!”

“Thanks.”

“But how do we get him naked and out of the tent?”

“Leave that to me.”