Tournament Trouble: Sword Girl Book 3 (9 page)

The knight held out his sword. ‘Indeed you can, Tommy. I need my sword sharpened, and there'll be twenty more to be readied, too.'

‘Twenty swords?' Tommy said in surprise. Just when she'd thought things would be quiet in the sword chamber!

‘That's right, and as fast as you can.' Sir Hugh's expression was grim. ‘Yesterday Sir Benedict sent a couple of men out to patrol our western border and they've just returned with bad news.

They spied a raiding party of a dozen of Sir Malcolm the Mean's knights from Malice Castle riding in our direction.'

Tommy put a hand to her mouth. ‘Sir Malcolm's knights are coming here?' she whispered.

‘Sir Malcolm must have heard that Flamant's knights are away at the tournament at Roses,' Sir Hugh said. ‘He obviously didn't reckon on the fact that some of us would be staying behind. But Sir Walter and Sir Benedict are smarter than that. I'm taking twenty men out to confront the raiding party. How soon can you have our swords ready?'

Within half an hour the armoury was as busy as it had ever been. Smith had returned from town to find Tommy hard at work. When she had explained why she suddenly had twenty swords to sharpen, the smith had immediately picked up a file and begun to help her. They worked side by side until finally, just as the sun was sinking beneath the battlements, they were ready.

Tommy could hear the stamping of hooves on the flagstones outside as Sir Hugh and his knights brought their horses round then hastened into the armoury to collect their swords.

After the last man had mounted his horse, Tommy and Smith followed them through the castle gate and onto the bridge. This time Tommy didn't wave cheerfully as she watched the small band of knights gallop towards the setting sun.

‘Do you think they'll be able to fight off Sir Malcolm's raiding party, Smith?' she asked.

Smith let out a heavy sigh. ‘Let's hope so, Sword Girl,' he said. ‘Because if they don't, we've no one left to protect us.'

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.

T
HE
Terrible
TRICKSTER

‘Tricksters are not welcome here.'

A trickster is turning life at Flamant Castle upside
down. Someone has put sneezing powder in the
knights' soup and itching powder in Sir Walter's sheets
and changed the salt for sugar in Mrs Moon's kitchen.
At first the tricks seem funny, but Sir Benedict is not
amused. He thinks the trickster is Tommy – and unless
the tricks stop, he will send her away from the castle!
Can she find out who the real trickster is before
she is banished forever?

COMING IN APRIL 2013

Pigeon
PROBLEMS

‘The pigeon is missing!'

It's Lady Beatrix's birthday, and Sir Walter is
planning a celebration at Flamant Castle. There will
be games and competitions and a big surprise party.
Everyone at the castle is excited … except the pigeon.
But the pigeon is needed for a very special job – and
when he goes missing, it looks like Sir Walter's plans
will be ruined. Can Tommy find her friend and
save the celebrations?

COMING IN APRIL 2013