in my house? Sir Geoffrey, mind your place! As for you, monsieur, what business do you bring here?”
“Father!” said Frederick in dancing impatience. “Have care. He is-”
“He is our enemy!” said Sir Geoffrey. His gaze narrowed on Noel. “We have searched long and hard for you. Now to find you turning up here, in the protection of a man who professes himself to be our friend-”
“Father!” said Frederick in outrage. “We will not ally ourselves with that dog Magnin-”
“Hold tongue, boy!” said Sir Geoffrey like a whipcrack. “You insult my liege-”
“You are on my ground, Sir Geoffrey,” said Sir Olin sharply. “Before you challenge my son, remember that.”
Sir Geoffrey’s anger flickered and faded back under control. His face was as white as flame, however, and his gaze held no quarter for Noel. “Well, sorcerer,” he said with mockery a lash in his voice. “Have you put them under your spell already?”
“Sorcerer?” echoed Sir Olin. His gaze sought Noel, who shook his head.
“I am not. I am a friend to Theodore the Bold, who lives despite Magnin’s treachery. I seek to help him recover Mistra. And I have come to ask your support in that cause,” said Noel.
“Watch him!” said Sir Geoffrey, holding his sword so that the grip and the curved quillons formed a cross of protection at his face. “He can entrance men. His very tongue is black with guile.”
“Frederick,” said Sir Olin in alarm. “What have you brought through our gates?”
Frederick himself looked uneasy, but he said, “A man who professes himself loyal to Theodore of Albania. Do we trust him. Father, or this man who serves a proven villain?”
Sir Geoffrey growled something and swung his sword at Frederick, who scrambled back just in time. Sir Olin caught at Sir Geoffrey’s arm, distracting him long enough for Noel to move forward. Noel’s sword caught Sir Geoffrey’s with a clang that rang through the room. Sir Geoffrey swung again, and again Noel parried, though clumsily. The broadsword was heavier than he was used to, and although he knew swordplay, it was primarily with the short Roman glaudius.
He fell back, and Sir Geoffrey came at him hard, driving him to the wall with blow after blow. Cornered, Noel had no choice but to go on parrying desperately. He knew he could not escape unless he somehow seized the offensive from Sir Geoffrey, but it was all he could do to keep from getting himself hacked into pieces.
Sir Geoffrey got too eager. His sword tip crashed into the wall, striking off sharp splinters of stone. Noel ducked and scurried around, seeking to reach Sir Geoffrey’s back, but the knight recovered and whirled with him. He lifted his sword again just as Noel stumbled over the fallen bench and lost his balance.
In that moment time slowed to a crawl. Noel went sprawling, caught himself desperately on one knee, and struggled to bring up his sword.
“No!” cried Frederick over the frenzied barking of the dog.
Sir Olin was shouting too, but for Noel there was only the break in his wrists as his weapon was knocked aside, and Sir Geoffrey’s sword came slashing down like an executioner’s blade.
CHAPTER 12
“Eeeraaagh!”
From nowhere, a pike crashed between Noel and Sir Geoffrey with enough impetus to knock their crossed swords to the floor. Sparks flew from the scrape of steel against stone and set the rushes to smoldering.
Sir Olin twisted the heavy pike and sent both swords skidding to the far corner, then stamped out the fire. “No one sheds blood in my hall!” he shouted, his face crimson beneath his white hair. “Hell’s teeth! Do I have to run you through to prove it?”
“You disarmed me,” said Sir Geoffrey as though he could not believe what had happened. “I had engaged weapons and you disarmed me-”
He reached for his dagger, but both Noel and Frederick held him back from Sir Olin.
He struggled against them. “Let me go, you heathenish-”
“Are you witless?” bellowed Sir Olin. “Have you taken complete leave of the few senses God gave you, monsieur? What do you mean by this conduct?”
Still struggling, Sir Geoffrey ignored the old man. His eyes-dark with irrational fury-blazed into Noel’s. “Stay away from me, sorcerer. Play no games with my mind.”
“I’m not a sorcerer, damn you. Stand still,” said Noel breathlessly.
Sir Geoffrey strained for Noel’s throat, and only Frederick’s desperate grasp on his wrist held him. Little flecks of saliva flew from his lips. “Must kill you. Must make you pay for Elena-”
“What?” said Noel. He gave Sir Geoffrey a shake. “What do you mean? Explain.”
Sir Geoffrey growled something inarticulate and lunged at Noel, sending him staggering back despite Frederick’s efforts to hold him. Sir Olin waded in and seized Sir Geoffrey by the shoulder.
“I’ll kill you,” said Sir Geoffrey, his eyes only for Noel. “I have sworn it. I’ll kill you.”
The others pulled him off, and Noel frowned with growing concern. “Why?” he said. ‘Tell me! What’s happened to Elena?“
Sir Geoffrey abruptly stopped struggling and became still. His face twisted into grief too raw to witness. “Do not mock me!”
“I’m not mocking you,” said Noel. “If something has happened to Elena, I’d like to know what it is. She’s-”
“You are surely damned for what you have done,” said Sir Geoffrey in an awful voice. “If God will not let me be the instrument that smites you from this world, I pray someone else will-”
“Oh, be quiet,” said Noel, losing his temper. “For God’s sake, what am I supposed to have done to her? I give you my word, it’s a lie. I haven’t seen her since-”
“The word of a consorter with demons is nothing but putrescence!”
Noel punched him in the mouth, sending him reeling into the long table. Sir Geoffrey straightened slowly, his hand exploring his lip, which was already puffing up.
“That’s enough from you, you damned coward,” said Noel furiously. “You stinking, dirty coward. Did you have to kill women and children? Did you have to slaughter all of them like dumb cattle? With their slingshots and bows, what match were they for trained knights in armor? Were you so afraid they might fight you with courage that you had to attack them under cover of darkness-”
“What is this infamy?” said Sir Olin in astonishment. “Is this true?”
“Were you afraid to let them see you?” said Noel, while Sir Geoffrey turned crimson. “Or were you ashamed-”
“Enough!” cried Sir Geoffrey. “You goad me too far with these accusations-”
“But they are true accusations,” said Noel. He longed to choke this self-righteous hypocrite by the throat, to dig his fingers into the resistance of flesh and cartilage, to will more strength into his fingers until they crushed air and life from the knight. Memories of the dead tribespeople flooded him, bringing back his sick disgust at such waste and brutality. “I helped bury those people. A whole camp attacked in their blankets and left to rot where they died.” He swung his glare to Sir Olin, who looked shocked. “These are the caliber of men Sir Magnin has collected about him. Do you want to be allied to baby killers?”
“We killed no babes-” said Sir Geoffrey indignantly, then choked off the half admission. He dropped his gaze.
“Monsters,” whispered Sir Olin, and Frederick’s eyes were wide.
“It is not so,” said Sir Geoffrey, but without conviction. “This creature twists the truth for his own-”
“I counted the corpses,” said Noel hotly. “ They are the truth. And with every rock I stacked over every mutilated body, I gave thanks that Elena was not among them. What happened to her? Didn’t you protect her while she was at Mistra? She asked you for the courtesy. Couldn’t you do even that? Or were you so busy murdering her brothers-”
“No!” Sir Geoffrey slammed his fist upon the table. “I had no part in the attack on the Milengi. I spoke against it, but the orders were given. I could do no more.”
“You spoke against it,” said Noel in a soft, mocking voice. “Do you think that absolves you from blame?” His
