The Secret of the Swords (7 page)

But the physician had wandered off. ‘Where is that pigeon?' he was muttering to himself.

Maybe the blacksmith would know something about the great banquet, Tommy hoped.

She entered the armoury to see the blacksmith standing by the fire, softening a piece of armour that needed reshaping. Several shields and helmets were stacked on the workbench, also in need of repair.

‘Smith, have you heard about the great banquet?' Tommy asked.

The blacksmith looked up at her from under his bushy eyebrows. ‘Oh aye, I've heard about it,' he said. ‘But we've no time for feastin' here, Sword Girl. Sir Benedict and his men will be leaving tomorrow to patrol Sir Walter's lands. They'll need two dozen swords, so you'd better hop to it.'

‘Yes, Smith,' said Tommy. ‘Right away.'

As Keeper of the Blades, it was her job to clean and sharpen all the bladed weapons of the castle.

She went through the door to the left of the fireplace into the sword chamber and quickly got to work. Pulling swords from the long rack against the wall opposite the door, she used a file and whetstone to sharpen the blades before polishing them with clove-scented oil.

‘You're working hard this morning, dearie,' came a voice from a small rack of swords in the dimmest part of the room. It was one of the Old Wrecks. These were the swords that had never been carried into battle, and so were never used by the knights of Flamant Castle. They had been dusty and neglected when Tommy first started work in the sword chamber, but now their blades shone in the light of the candle flickering on the wall. What none of the knights knew – except Sir Benedict – was that the Old Wrecks were inhabited by the spirits of their last owners.

Tommy glanced at the sabre which had spoken. ‘Hello, Nursie,' she said. ‘Smith told me that Sir Benedict is taking some of the knights out on a patrol tomorrow, so I have to get their swords ready.'

Sir Benedict was Flamant Castle's bravest knight, and he was responsible for the safety of the castle and lands belonging to Sir Walter the Bald and his wife, Lady Beatrix the Bored.

‘A patrol, eh?' a deep voice boomed from a long-handled dagger. ‘It sounds like trouble on the borders, if you ask me.'

‘Well I didn't ask you, Bevan Brumm,' Nursie replied. ‘What would you know about patrols? You were a merchant, not a knight.'

‘I think Bevan Brumm might be right, though,' said another, younger voice. This was Jasper Swann. Jasper had been a squire, training to be a knight, before he fell ill and died. ‘I heard some of the knights talking in here the other day and one of them said that Sir Malcolm the Mean had been trying to steal some of Sir Walter's land.'

‘Who is Sir Malcolm the Mean?' Tommy wanted to know.

‘He has the lands to the west of here, dearie,' Nursie explained. ‘But his own lands have never been enough for him. Oh no. He wants his neighbours' lands too.'

‘He wants Sir Walter's lands?' exclaimed Tommy.

‘Not just his lands, Sword Girl,' rumbled Bevan Brumm. ‘Sir Malcolm the Mean wants Flamant Castle – and if Sir Benedict can't stop him at the border …'

Tommy's heart started to pound. ‘What?' she said. ‘What will happen if Sir Benedict can't stop him?'

Bevan Brumm sounded grim. ‘Flamant Castle will be at war.'

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

F
RANCES
W
ATTS
was born in the medieval city of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and moved to Australia when she was three. After studying literature at university she began working as an editor. Her bestselling picture books include Kisses for Daddy and the 2008 Children's Book Council of Australia award-winner, Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books (both illustrated by David Legge). Frances is also the author of a series about two very unlikely superheroes, Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maud, and the highly acclaimed children's fantasy/adventure series, the Gerander Trilogy.

Frances lives in Sydney's inner west, and divides her time between writing and editing. Her cat doesn't talk.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

G
REGORY
R
OGERS
has always loved art and drawing so it's no surprise he became an illustrator. He was the first Australian to win the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. The first of his popular wordless picture book series, The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard, was selected as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Picture Books of 2004 by the New York Times and short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award in 2005. The third book, The Hero of Little Street, won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2010. Gregory loves movies and music, and is a collector of books, antiques and anything odd and unusual.

He lives in Brisbane above a bookshop cafe with his cat Sybil.

‘I want you to fight in the tournament, Tommy.'

Flamant Castle is having a tournament! But when one of the squires is injured during practice, Sir Benedict asks Tommy to take his place. He even offers her one of his own horses to ride. It's a dream come true for Tommy. There's just one problem: she has never ridden a horse before – and every time she tries to ride Bess, the horse throws her off! Time is running out … How will Tommy be able to compete?

COMINGIN SEPTEMBER 2012

‘We're under siege!'

When Sir Walter, Sir Benedict and the other knights go to nearby Roses Castle for a tournament, the enemy knights from Malice attack Flamant. The only hope of rescue lies in getting a message to Sir Benedict, a day's ride away. But the castle is surrounded and there's no way out! With the help of her friends, Tommy devises a daring plan. Can she save Flamant Castle before it's too late?

COMINGIN SEPTEMBER 2012