Page 65 of Akarnae

Wow. He’d surprised her by actually answering her question—and making sense despite his out-dated speech.

It was interesting. But it wasn’t as much of a surprise as it might have been had she not already experienced the hopscotch room and the tower above the clouds. Not to mention, how she’d fallen from that tower and through those clouds and then opened a previously non-existent door and… well, pretty much every adventure that she’d had in the Library truly was an actualexperience. She had to admit they had all been kind of exhilarating. In a horror-movie kind of way.

“Perchance thy loyal retainers art where thou last gazed upon them?” Sir Camden asked.

“Huh?”

Alex hadn’t realised that they’d reached the end of the corridor. There were no more doors to enter, no more incredible and unbelievable sights to witness—just a dead end with a solid stone wall. But that should have been impossible, because when she’d run away from the headless suit of armour, she’d started at the bottom of a staircase and sprinted straight down the only corridor.

The place was a labyrinth.

As if that wasn’t enough, for the second time that day all the torches extinguished, leaving them surrounded by darkness.

“Not again,” Alex groaned.

Just like the last time, the light came back quickly. And just like the last time, she was shocked by what was in front of her.

“That was weird,” Bear said. “It was like a blackout, but… not.”

Alex couldn’t believe it. Both her friends were standing at the bottom of the staircase, right where she’d last seen them. She glanced behind her and, sure enough, the room was once again closed off with a solid stone wall. There was no sign of the corridor beyond.

“There must have been some kind of draught or something that blew out the torches. But they seem okay now,” Jordan said, before glancing over at Alex and doing a double-take. “Whoa! Check out the wicked-cool suit of armour behind you!”

Alex gaped at him. Was that seriously all he had to say?

“I could’ve sworn that wasn’t there a moment ago,” Bear said. “But itispretty cool. And in great condition.”

Bear walked towards Sir Camden and reached out a hand to lift his visor, but the knight moved faster and locked his gauntleted hand around her friend’s flesh.

“Aghh!” Bear tried unsuccessfully to jerk his arm back. “What the—”

“One doth not disturb a knight’s armour without consequence, young sir. Even if one be the fair Lady Alexandra’s loyal kinsman. Doth the young lord challenge Sir Camden to a duel in the most noble of contests?”

Bear stared at the knight with wide eyes and a pale face. “Err—huh?”

“He wants to know if you’re challenging him to a swordfight,” Alex translated.

Bear looked at her, then back to Sir Camden, taking in the lethal sword belted to the knight’s waist. He finally looked back to his own arm which was still trapped in a vice-like grip. “Uh—no, thank you,” he said. “I’m kind of attached to my limbs.”

Jordan chuckled quietly. “No pun intended.”

“As thou wish,” Sir Camden said, releasing Bear’s arm. “Perchance another opportunity shalt avail itself to us at a more agreeable time.”

“Not likely,” Bear mumbled under his breath as he massaged his wrist. Alex could already see bruises forming on his skin.

“Doth these gentlemen be thy loyal kinsmen, Lady Alexandra?” Sir Camden asked.

“Yes, these are my friends,” Alex answered.

“Very good,” he replied. “Another quest hath come to a victorious end. I fare thee well, loyal retainers, and I leave the lady under thy protection.”

He saluted formally to Jordan and Bear and they mimicked the gesture back to him, albeit awkwardly. The knight seemed satisfied by their attempt and turned to Alex.

“I bid thee farewell, my lady,” Sir Camden said, bowing again and raising her hand to where his mouth would be if not for the armour. “Whenever thou hath need of my knightly services, thy need only call for me, and I shalt come to thine aide.”

“Thank you for all your help, Sir Camden,” she said, gently pulling her hand from his metallic grasp.

“Until next we meet, Lady Alexandra,” he said cheerily, turning around and walking straight through the solid stone wall.

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