The Reckless Oath We Made - Bryn Greenwood Page 0,59

during our fight?” I said to Edrard, mostly joking.

“It’s not poker,” Edrard said. “It doesn’t require cheating to notice you kept leaving yourself open.”

Zee’s headband was still tied around the cannon of Gentry’s vambrace, and before we walked back to camp, he returned it to her.

“I thank thee for thy favor, my lady,” he said.

If it were me, I would have gone in for a kiss, because that was kind of the whole point of all the chivalry crap, but he bowed to her. I’d been telling him for years he could make bank with the ladies, but he never did.

“You’re welcome,” Zee said. “You did good, I think. You won, right?”

“Most assuredly, your champion prevailed,” I said.

“Thou fought bravely, Sir Rhys.” Gentry bowed to me, too, and then slung his armor on his shoulder, and followed Edrard and Rosalinda back to camp. Zee fell behind while she put her hair up, so I dropped back and let Gentry get ahead of us.

“Looks like you chose your champion wisely,” I said. She rolled her eyes at me.

“My dad always told me you should dance with the one what brung ya.”

CHAPTER 22

Zee

You can’t blame me for trying,” Rhys said, as we walked back to the main camp. “Plus, it’s not like Gentry even notices stuff like that. We could be back here making out and he wouldn’t care.”

“I’m pretty sure you were trying to usurp the one job he does care about.”

“Oh! Usurp! Damn. Lady Zhorzha dropping the big words on me.”

“Gentry,” I said. He was ahead of us, close enough to hear us, but he wasn’t paying attention.

“Good luck with that. He’s gone off the grid. You can’t get through to him when he’s like that. Come on, though, am I really being so terrible?”

“No, it’s cool. You’re being about average.”

“Ow! Thou dost wound me, lady,” Rhys said, and gave me what I guessed was the smile that usually worked on medieval maidens. I didn’t have the energy for witty banter. It wore me out.

“Gentry!” I yelled. His head came up and he turned to look at me.

“My lady?”

“This knave is bothering me.”

“Sir Rhys, leave the lady be. Thou art little better than Gawen.”

Gentry fell back to walk next to me, but Rhys stuck with us.

“Do you know about Gawen?” he said. “About Gentry’s invisible friends?”

“Is this what you usually do when you come out here?” I said to Gentry. “Work on your castle and have sword fights?”

“Yea, my lady. And sleep.” He gave me a little smile.

“He’s still training like he wants to qualify for Battle of the Nations, but you’ve pretty much given up on that, right?” Rhys said.

“What’s Battle of the Nations?” I said, but Rhys didn’t give Gentry a chance to answer.

“Essentially, it’s the Olympics of historical medieval combat. Full armor, real fighting. Instead of using wooden swords, it’s fought with actual medieval weaponry. Obviously, not with sharp edges. The blades are rebated, but even with all the pointy bits knocked off a mace, it can still do some damage, right, Gentry?”

“Is that what happened to your shoulder?” I said.

“Yeah, before he hurt his shoulder, we were training to go to the tryouts for the American team. Then last year was a no-go. What about this year?”

“’Twas last week. In Spain,” Gentry said, the first thing Rhys let him get in.

“I guess it’s lucky for me you didn’t go this year,” I said.

“How’s that?” Rhys said.

“Because I needed him this week, and I was really glad he was here.” I got a nod from Gentry, which seemed funny, since I was trying to thank him.

“Yeah, well, he’s not actually ever going to Battle of the Nations. No way would his mother let him go to Europe.” Rhys laughed. “She put her foot down pretty damn fast, as soon as he started talking seriously about it last year.”

Rhys talked the whole way back to Mud Manor and, when we got there, he started dropping hints about going skinny-dipping in the pond. When I refused, the three guys went off to go swimming, and honestly, they needed it. Jousting was sweaty business.

“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Rosalinda said once we were alone. “Rhys is a terrible flirt, but he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s nice to meet Gentry’s friends.” Habits are hard to break. Maybe Rosalinda’s house was a mud shack and a fire pit, but it was still her house, so I wanted to be polite.

“Well, you know, Gentry is special to us.” In case I