Page 72 of The Robber Knight
“That's exactly the problem. You manage tosound placating while at the same time sounding just as you alwaysdo.”
“Milady?”
Ayla was just about to tell him what wasgoing to happen to him if he said “Milady” one more time in thisstupid, innocent way, when about a hundred yards in front of her,the barricade appeared from behind a gently rising hill. Behind thebarricade, she could see dozens of enemy banners fluttering in thebreeze. In contrast, the four small banners mounted atop thebarricade, showing the brown bear, the star, the gray wolf, and thewhite lily, seemed to hang sad and limply.
A horn sounded from beyond the barricade.Ayla knew that it was not one of hers. It was the enemy, announcinghis approach. Isenbard reined back his horse in front of thebarricade, climbed down, and offered Ayla a hand.
She slid down on the other side.
From behind the horse, she heard somethinglike a chuckle. But that couldn’t be, could it? After all, it wasSir Isenbard who stood there.
She rounded the horse, and indeed there hestood, just as solemn and dignified as ever.
The horn sounded again.
“If you want me to come up on the barricadewith you...” he offered, but she interrupted him: “No, UncleIronbeard. This is something I need to do alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sir Isenbard, I just gave you an order,didn't I?”
“Yes you did, Milady. How could I haveoverlooked that?”
He stood aside and let her climb thebarricade.
“If one of them decides your head is worthmore than his honor and shoots at you, duck quickly!” he shoutedafter her.
With those encouraging words, Ayla climbedthe ladder leading up to the guard walk. The wood felt roughthrough the thin leather of her shoes. Not nearly as rough,however, as what was awaiting her beyond the barricade.
For one moment, just one moment, shehesitated.
No, she couldn't turn back now. She had aresponsibility towards her people. She was their liege lord, andshe had to act like it. So she made herself climb up farther andfarther. Finally, she stood atop the finished barricade for thefirst time, looking out over the enemy camp.
To say that it was an impressive sight wouldhave been a lie.
It was a terrifying sight.
Rows upon rows of tents, a sea of tents,stretched as far as the eye could see, with the subtle hint ofbloodthirsty sharks moving everywhere under the waves of canvas.Armor rattled and hammers fell heavy on metal. It was the sound ofa giant pack of beasts preparing for attack.
Yet nothing was as frightening as when allthese noises suddenly cut off.
The horn rang out one more time. A white flagappeared between the tents, slowly moving forward.
Ayla stood straight atop the barricade,taking a deep breath. She was about to come face to face with theman who was preparing to attack her castle and her people. Shevowed to herself not to be intimidated by the Margrave's chiefkiller, whoever he might be, whatever he might look like. If hewere a giant Norseman, she would not be afraid. If he were aruthless, scarred mercenary, she would not be afraid. Even if theMargrave himself were to ride out to meet her, she would not beafraid. She was the Lady Ayla von Luntberg, and she would letnothing and no one intimidate her.
An enormous mounted figure approached throughthe enemy camp. Even from this far off and with the tents blockingmost of her view, Ayla could catch glimpses of the massive rider.She caught a glimpse of red.
Her heart beat faster, threatening to burstout of her chest. No, she feared nothing and no one.
Except, perhaps...
Know ThyEnemy
Out from the sea of tents he rode: a knight inblood-red armor on a gigantic stallion as black as midnight, aspear held aloft in his gauntleted fist, a double-bladed axstrapped to his back.
Out from the sea of tents he rode, the figurethat had haunted her, that she had hated, ever since that day inthe forest when he had held a sword to her throat and taken herEleanor away from her.
The red robber knight.
