Unhorse him on the first pass and waste no breath on the niceties of honour or chivalry. He will be out to skewer you as clean and sure, make no mistake. Have you recalled all of his weaknesses? Do you remember if he favours aiming for the left or the right side? The shoulder or the chest? The arm or the thigh? One thing to our advantage: Unless he has found himself another left-handed opponent to tilt with him throughout the years, he will be out of practice, whereas you, my lord, will face nothing new or awkward in the list. Is Triton groomed and ready, or has he managed to frighten these blundernoses into adding their own dung to the stable heaps?”
“He is behaving,” the Wolf said slowly.
“Good. I shall whisper a word or two in his ear anyway, to be sure he knows his business.”
Sparrow’s chatter had had its desired effect. The killing rage had not completely faded from the Wolf’s eyes, but at least it was now being channeled in a healthier direction. He thrust aside the flap of the tent once again and fixed his gaze on the Dragon of Bloodmoor Keep, his thoughts focused solely on their pending confrontation.
The bells on Sparrow’s collar tinkled as he moved forward and stalked a loose thong he had noticed on the Wolf’s hauberk.
“There are twenty matches scheduled for the afternoon,” he said, frowning as he checked the laces, buckles, and belts of the Black Wolf’s armour. “Three of the early ones are with some lout from Nottinghamshire—Guy de Gisbourne. He will be fighting in place of Sir Aubrey de Vere, who, as we well know, met with an unfortunate accident in the woods. Gisbourne is another dog who strives to lick Jack Lack’s backside with admirable energy. He is also skilled and dangerous in the saddle, but I am told he finds the act of thinking too strenuous and prefers not to do it too often. Mark him well anyway if there is trouble.”
“If there is trouble?” The Wolf dropped the flap back in place. “I admire your gift for understatement.”
“Bah! You act as if you hold some doubt as to whether or not you can oust the Dragon from his lair.”
“A man without doubts is a fool and could find himself making mistakes.”
“Then let us hope the Dragon is as fine a fool as he has proven to be so far.”
Sparrow’s attempt to bluster his way through a smile faltered noticeably as the Wolf reached down and gripped his slender shoulders.
“She must be found, my little friend. Regardless of what happens here this afternoon, she must be found and removed from this place, for she would not survive a month in his keeping.”
Sparrow laid his hand overtop the Wolf’s. “We will save your lady, my lord, or we will all perish in the trying; you have my word on it. Let that be one less worry you take with you onto the field.” He paused and gave the matter an extra moment of debate before peering up through his long black lashes. “Does that mean we are bound to rescue Old Blister as well? Twould cause a man or two to balk at the notion, I warrant, for she’d be as sour being saved as sullied.”
The Wolf almost grinned. “Admit it: You have missed having her around to box your ears and order you about.”
“Bah! Poxy trull! I should have drowned her in the pool when I had the chance and saved us all a deal of aggravation.”
The Wolf smiled. “Aggravate yourself some more, Puck, and lend a hand with the rest of my armour. I would dress early and enjoy the show a while.”
26
The first pair of challengers were announced by the herald and called to horse. Sir Guy de Gisbourne, fighting on behalf of the host, appeared at one end of the lists, his rampager draped in blue and armoured almost as heavily as his rider. The knight wore De Gournay’s colours, a sky-blue gypon overtopping oiled chain mail and a breastplate of polished steel. His shoulders, arms, thighs, calves, and knees were armoured by protective steel plates as well, and he carried a kite-shaped shield emblazoned with his own family crest and colours. The helm he wore covered all but a narrow strip across the eyes, which would be subsequently protected when the slitted visor was lowered into place. A towering blue plume danced above the peak of the helm, matching the flamboyant plumes