A Feast of Dragons - By Morgan Rice Page 0,16

for you. My lady, whoever you are, if I should win these tournaments, then I will choose you as my prize. You, from any woman in this entire kingdom. I ask you again: do you consent?”

Alistair kept her eyes fixed to the ground, and as Erec watched, he saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

Suddenly, she turned and fled from the room, running out and closing the door behind her.

Erec stood there, with the others, in the stunned silence. He hardly knew how to interpret her response.

“You see then, you waste your time, and mine,” the innkeeper said. “She said no. Be off with you then.”

Erec frowned back.

“She did not say no,” Brandt interjected. “She did not respond.”

“She is entitled to take her time,” Erec said, in her defense. “After all, it is a lot at once. She does not know me, either.”

Erec stood there, debating what to do.

“I will stay here tonight,” Erec finally announced. “You shall give me a room here, down the hall from hers. In the morning, before the tournaments begin, I shall ask her again. If she consents, and if I win, she shall be my bride. If so, I will buy her out of her servitude with you, and she shall leave this place with me.”

The innkeeper clearly did not want Erec under his roof, but he dared not say anything; so he turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Are you certain you wish to stay here?” the Duke asked. “Come back to the castle with us.”

Erec nodded back, gravely.

“I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Thor plummeted down through the air, diving, racing head first for the churning waters of the Sea of Fire. He entered it and sunk down, immersed, and was startled to feel the water was hot.

Beneath the surface, Thor opened his eyes briefly—and wished he hadn’t. He caught a glimpse of all manner of strange and ugly sea creatures, small and big, with unusual and grotesque faces. This ocean was teeming. He prayed they did not attack him before he could reach the safety of the rowboat.

Thor surfaced with a gasp, and looked immediately for the drowning boy. He spotted him, and just in time: he was flailing, sinking, and in a few more seconds, surely he would have drowned.

Thor reached around, grabbed him from behind by his collarbone, and began to swim with him, keeping both of their heads above water. Thor heard a whelp and a whine, and as he turned, he was shocked to see Krohn: he must have leapt in after him. He swam beside him, paddling up to Thor, whining. Thor felt terrible that Krohn was endangered like this—but his hands were full and there was little he could do.

Thor tried not to look all around him, at the waters, churning red, at the strange creatures surfacing and disappearing all around him. An ugly looking creature, purple, with four arms and two heads, surfaced nearby, hissed at him, then submerged, making Thor flinch.

Thor turned and saw the rowboat, about twenty yards away, and he swam for it frantically, using his one arm and his legs as he dragged the boy. The boy flailed and screamed, resisting, and Thor feared he might bring him down with him.

“Hold still!” Thor screamed harshly, hoping the boy would listen.

Finally, he did. Thor was momentarily relieved—until he heard a splash and turned his head the other way: right beside him, another creature surfaced, small, with a yellow head and four tentacles. It had a square head, and it swam right up to him, snarling and shaking. It looked like a rattlesnake that lived in the sea, except its head was too square. Thor braced himself as it got closer, preparing to be bit—but then suddenly it opened its mouth wide and spat seawater at him. Thor blinked, trying to get it from his eyes.

The creature swam around and around them, in circles, and Thor redoubled his efforts, swimming faster, trying to get away from it.

Thor was making progress, getting closer to the boat, when suddenly another creature surfaced, on his other side. It was long, narrow and orange, with two claws at its mouth and dozens of small legs. It also had a long tail, which it whipped about in every direction. It looked like a lobster, standing upright. It skirted along the water’s edge, like a water bug, and buzzed its way close to Thor, turning to the side and whipping