The Siege Scare (4 page)

‘Here.'

Tommy lowered the candle to see the black and white cat emerging from a tiny space behind a barrel. She set the candle on the ground and lay Jasper beside it, then tugged at the barrel.

‘It's too heavy,' she said. ‘I can't lift it.'

‘Come on, Tommy,' Jasper urged. ‘Don't try to lift it – just drag it.'

The muscles in Tommy's arms strained as she heaved until the barrel began to move slowly across the floor. When she had slid it far enough she dropped to her knees and wriggled behind the barrel. Lil was right: there was an opening – but it was barely tall enough for Tommy to enter on her hands and knees, and the sides were so narrow she couldn't even stretch her arms out.

‘It's very small,' she said doubtfully.

But when she held up the candle she felt a twinge of excitement at what she saw. ‘It goes for a long way,' she said, ‘and the walls are very well made.' She ran her hands along the stone sides. ‘This must be it!'

‘Thomasina!' Mrs Moon's voice echoed through the stone rooms. ‘Thomasina, where are you?'

‘Coming, Mrs Moon.'

Tommy scrambled out of the tunnel and pushed the barrel back into place.

‘What have you been up to, girl?' the cook scolded, smoothing down Tommy's mop of hair with an impatient swipe of her hand. ‘You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards. Did you find what you were looking for?'

‘Yes, Mrs Moon,' said Tommy. ‘I did.'

CHAPTER 5

T
OMMY RUSHED BACK
to the armoury and told Smith that although there'd been no lances, she had found a room full of old swords and shields.

‘Never mind about the lances,' Smith said. ‘We can knock their ladders over with brooms if we have to.'

But when she described the condition of the swords and shields, he grunted. ‘We don't have time to bring them up to scratch. We'll just have to work with what we've got. I want you to sharpen every bladed weapon in the sword chamber,' he instructed.

‘I'm almost done,' Tommy told him. ‘I made a good start on that yesterday.'

Smith raised his eyebrows. ‘You did, eh? Good thinking, Sword Girl.' He called out, ‘Did you hear that, Reynard? Our sword girl started sharpening all the blades yesterday.'

There was a snarl from the bow chamber, but no answer. Tommy winced. Reynard already hated her because she'd been made Keeper of the Blades instead of him; he'd probably hate her even more now.

When she stepped into the sword chamber with Lil and Jasper she was met with the anxious voices of Nursie and Bevan Brumm.

‘Oh, thank goodness you're back,' said Nursie. ‘We were fearing the worst, weren't we, Bevan Brumm?'

‘Indeed, we had begun to hold grave fears for your safety,' the dagger admitted.

‘I'm sorry you were worried,' said Tommy. ‘But guess what? We found the tunnel!'

‘You did?' exclaimed Nursie. ‘Then my little darling was telling the truth all along.'

‘So you can send a horse and rider through the tunnel to carry a message to Sir Benedict, and save Flamant Castle,' said Bevan Brumm. ‘Well done, Sword Girl!'

Tommy dropped onto her stool. ‘I'm afraid we can't do that,' she said, her spirits sinking again. ‘The tunnel's not big enough for a horse and rider. It's barely big enough for me.'

Silence fell in the sword chamber. Tommy prepared her file and whetstone and set about sharpening and polishing the swords she hadn't finished the day before.

Hours had passed by the time she took the last sword – a short thrusting sword – from the long rack. There must be a way to send for help, she thought as she began to sharpen the blade. But they couldn't get a horse and rider through the tunnel under the walls, and a messenger couldn't very well climb over the walls, not without the invaders seeing. Oh, if only she could fly, then she'd be able to get a message to Sir Benedict …

Tommy raised her head as a thought struck her. The pigeon could fly! She remembered the cross voice saying, Your constant demand for droppings is an insult to my skills and training. Of course! He was a carrier pigeon, trained to carry messages!

Tommy stood up. ‘Lil,' she said, ‘the pigeon could do it! He could fly to Roses Castle with a message.'

Lil, who had been grooming her whiskers, paused. ‘You're right,' she said, her eyes brightening.

‘I'm going to find him,' said Tommy, and she hurried out to the great courtyard.

She was pleased to find the pigeon slumped on the low wall where she had seen him earlier. He looked exhausted.

‘Pigeon, I'm so glad you're here,' said Tommy. ‘I need your help.'

The pigeon raised a limp wing. ‘Sorry, but I haven't got a single dropping left in me.'

‘I don't need your droppings,' said Tommy. ‘I'd like you to carry a message.'

The pigeon straightened. ‘A message? Well, why didn't you say so? Carrying messages is what I do best.'

Tommy clapped her hands together. ‘Hooray! Then you can go to Sir Benedict at Roses Castle.'

The pigeon slumped again. ‘I don't think I can, Sword Girl. I've given so many droppings that it's left me weak. If it were somewhere closer, perhaps I could manage it, but Roses is so far. I'd never make it …'

Tommy tried to hide her disappointment. ‘That's all right. Thanks anyway.'

She returned to the sword chamber and sat down with a sigh. The pigeon was right – it was a long way to Roses. Even if she squeezed through the tunnel herself, it would take her days to get there on foot, and she might arrive too late. If she had a horse, she'd ride to Roses. Though she could never get a horse through the tunnel, she reminded herself.

She dipped a rag into her pot of clove-scented oil and began to polish the blade of the thrusting sword.

But what if she could find a horse outside the castle? Then she could sneak through the tunnel, get the horse and ride to Roses. Where could she find a horse, though?

‘Bevan Brumm,' she said, ‘when you were a merchant and you needed to hire a horse, where did you go?'

‘I would usually enquire at an inn,' the dagger replied. ‘The innkeeper at The Twisted Tree, a mile or so into Skellibones Forest, kept horses for hire.'

‘Skellibones Forest?' said Tommy. ‘That's perfect!'

‘What are you thinking, Sword Girl?' asked Jasper.

‘We can't get a horse and rider through the tunnel, but I could go through the tunnel myself and then hire a horse at The Twisted Tree,' Tommy explained.

‘It would be quicker if you could get a message to the innkeeper so that he could have a horse ready and waiting,' Lil suggested.

‘But how could I get a message to—' Tommy stopped. ‘The pigeon! He said he couldn't make it all the way to Roses, but he could take a message to somewhere closer. He could carry a message to the innkeeper.'

The cat nodded. ‘The question is,' she said, ‘who should write the message? It should be someone the innkeeper knows and would obey without question.'

Tommy thought for a minute, then smiled. ‘I know just the person,' she said.

Tommy brushed at her tunic and tugged it straight, then ran across the great hall and climbed the steps to the upper floor of the south tower.

She drew in a breath as she gazed around the bower that was Lady Beatrix the Bored's private room. Colourful tapestries hung on the walls and the big bed in the centre of the room was scattered with beautifully embroidered cushions and covers. Lady Beatrix herself was lying on the bed with her lady-in-waiting sitting on a bench beside her.

‘Sieges are terrible, Eliza,' Lady Beatrix was saying. ‘And terribly boring, too. What will happen if Sir Walter and Sir Benedict don't return in time to save us?'

‘I couldn't say, my lady,' said Eliza.

‘Excuse me, my lady,' Tommy said from the doorway.

Lady Beatrix sat up. ‘Eliza, look – it's the little sword girl from the armoury. The one who was my champion at the tournament last month. What are you doing here, Sword Girl?'

‘My lady, I have a plan to save the castle – but I need your help.'

‘A plan to save the castle? My dear girl, I admire your spirit, but how can a little thing like you save the castle?'

‘I've found a tunnel that goes under the castle walls and comes out in Skellibones Forest. If I can arrange to have a horse waiting for me, I could ride to Roses to fetch Sir Walter and the knights. Would you write a message to the innkeeper of The Twisted Tree for me, my lady, asking him to ready a horse? I'll get the pigeon to carry the message to him.'

Lady Beatrix was staring at Tommy with her mouth open. ‘Why, Sword Girl,' she said, ‘I beg your pardon for doubting you. I most certainly will write a message for you.' She turned to her lady-in-waiting. ‘Eliza, fetch me some ink and paper.'

When Eliza returned, Lady Beatrix immediately began to write. When she was done she blotted the paper, folded it and fixed it with her wax seal.