The Secret of the Swords (4 page)

‘You know about that?' Tommy asked.

‘I know most things that go on in Flamant Castle,' the cat told her. ‘So how do you like your new job so far?'

‘I love it!' said Tommy. ‘There are so many beautiful swords in here. Like that one with the rubies.' She pointed to the main rack.

‘That's Sir Walter the Bald's sword,' the cat said. ‘He's very proud of it, so mind you keep it sharp and well polished. He likes to come and check on it.'

‘Sir Walter comes in here?' said Tommy. She thought she might die of nerves if he did. Lady Beatrix had visited the kitchen now and then to speak to Mrs Moon. But no one from the kitchen had ever met Sir Walter.

‘Why are the swords over there so dusty?' Tommy asked, pointing to the smaller rack.

‘Ah, you mean the Old Wrecks,' said the cat.

‘I don't think they're wrecks at all,' Tommy protested. ‘They just need to be looked after properly and they'll be as fine as all the other swords.'

‘You're absolutely right,' said the cat. She sounded pleased. ‘I think you'll do well here.'

‘Thank you, um, cat,' said Tommy. ‘And thank you for telling Sir Benedict about me.'

‘Lil,' said the cat. ‘My name is Lil. And you're welcome, Tommy.' Then, with her tail in the air, Lil strolled out of the chamber as silently as she had entered.

‘A talking cat,' Tommy said to herself. ‘Did that really happen or did I imagine it?'

She shrugged, picked up a cloth and approached the Old Wrecks. ‘I don't know why you've just been abandoned,' she murmured as she pulled a sabre from the rack and began to polish it.

‘You see?' said the sabre. ‘I told you a sword girl was a fine idea.'

CHAPTER 5

T
OMMY
S
CREAMED
and dropped the sabre to the floor. There was a clatter of steel on stone, and Smith appeared in the doorway.

‘Is there a problem, Sword Girl?' he asked.

‘No, I'm – I'm fine, thank you, Smith,' Tommy said.

The blacksmith looked from Tommy to the sabre on the floor. ‘What's that you're doing? Polishing the Old Wrecks? You needn't bother with that. The knights never use that lot. They only like new swords, or swords that have been carried into battle. None of those ever 'as been.' He stumped away.

When she was sure he was out of earshot, Tommy picked up the sabre with trembling hands. First a talking cat, and now the swords were talking. Could her mind be playing tricks on her? Perhaps she had sunstroke from the hours she'd spent sweeping the courtyard the day before. Yes, that must be it. But just to be sure she took a deep breath and said, ‘I'm sorry. Did you … did you say something?'

‘I was just telling Bevan Brumm over there that I was right,' said the sabre. It was a woman's voice. ‘He said a sword girl was a silly idea, but I told him he didn't know what he was talking about. So will you admit I was right now, Bevan Brumm?'

‘It is possible you were not wrong,' came a deep voice from the rack of Old Wrecks.

‘Well I suppose that's as good as I'll get from you,' the sabre said.

‘Excuse me,' said Tommy, whose head was still whirling. ‘This is real, isn't it? You're … you're talking.'

‘Yes, thank you for letting us know,' said the voice of Bevan Brumm. He sounded sarcastic, Tommy thought. ‘She's a bit slow, your sword girl, Nursie.'

Tommy opened her mouth to argue, but a third voice beat her to it.

‘She's not slow, Bevan.' It was a boy's voice. ‘She's probably just surprised. I'll bet when you were alive, you would have been surprised if a sword started talking.'

‘It is possible you are not wrong,' said Bevan stiffly.

‘There he goes again,' said Nursie.

‘Sword Girl,' said the boy, ‘my name is Jasper Swann.'

Tommy looked at the sword with the boy's voice. It was slender, slightly curved with a pointed blade. ‘Are you a ghost, Jasper?' Tommy asked in a quavering voice.

‘I suppose I am,' said Jasper. ‘But I can't walk through walls or anything like that. I was a squire, but I fell ill before I had the chance to fight in a single battle. Since then, my spirit has inhabited my sword, which I was holding when I died.'

‘I was a merchant,' a long-handled dagger said. This was Bevan Brumm. ‘I was travelling through a forest when I was set upon by bandits. I pulled my dagger from my cloak, but I was too late.'

‘I was a nursemaid,' said Nursie. ‘I was looking after the children when the castle was attacked. I used this sword to fight off the enemy who tried to snatch my little darlings. I saved the children, but I wasn't so lucky myself.'

Tommy waved her hand at the rest of the Old Wrecks in the rack. ‘What about the others? Are they … like you?'

‘The rest of them sleep most of the time,' said Bevan Brumm disapprovingly. ‘But yes, we all died with our weapons in our hands.'

‘Oh! That's so sad,' Tommy burst out.

Nursie laughed. ‘There, there, dear. It all happened a long time ago. We're long past feeling sorry for ourselves.'

Still, Tommy wished there was something she could do. ‘Would you like me to polish you?' she asked shyly.

‘That would be lovely,' said Nursie.

So Tommy polished Nursie till her blade shone, then did the same for Bevan Brumm. Finally, she lifted Jasper Swann from the rack. He was surprisingly light compared to the other swords she had lifted that day, and the narrow grip felt just right in her hand.

‘Go on,' Jasper urged. ‘Try me out.'

Hesitantly at first, then with more confidence, Tommy wielded the sword, slashing and slicing the air.

‘Good,' said Jasper. ‘But when you're fighting, don't face your enemy. You should stand side on. That way less of your body is exposed to his sword.'

‘I see,' said Tommy. She adjusted her position and did another few thrusts and parries.

Jasper said, ‘That's it!'

‘Well done,' Bevan Brumm agreed.

‘You stick with us, dearie,' Nursie told her, ‘and we'll help you become the castle's finest sword fighter. After all our years in here, there's not much we can't tell you about swords. Who knows? Maybe you'll become the first-ever girl squire!'