Sword of Light Read Online Free PDF

leaves. This beach had stones rather than sand, and the mist curling over the water was grey with rain rather than silver and luminous. An island with a single black hill rose out of the marshes nearby, and she could just make out a cluster of huts on its shore. There was no sign of the colourful army of knights she’d been expecting. And it was
cold
.
    She pulled her cloak closer in disappointment . “Must be, I suppose.”
    “Where’s Merlin?”
    “I don’t know. I didn’t see where he went.” That shadow she’d seen in the mist… if it hadn’t been Merlin, what else had it been?
    “Maybe we should wait for him before we show ourselves?” Elphin said.
    But then one of the horses on the beach whinnied, and both Avalonian horses pricked their ears and whinnied back. “Too late,” Rhianna said as the men shouted and pointed at them. “Come on, let’s get out of this mist. We didn’t pass the boat, so maybe he’s already landed.”
    “Be careful, Rhia. Remember they’re at war here—”
    His warning fell on deaf ears. Even though this wasn’t quite the welcome she’d imagined, excitement filled her as Alba splashed out of the shallows. As they trotted up the beach towards the waiting men, she slipped the dragon shield over her arm, doing up the straps with her teeth. She tossed her cloak back over her shoulder so her Avalonian armour glimmered silver in the rain. “Look graceful, Alba,” she muttered.
    I am always graceful,
the mare replied, arching her neck.
That is a fine stallion!
    The knights stiffened, and the biggest one stepped forward and drew his sword. Behind him, a round-faced boy with a mop of straw-coloured hair struggled to hold a large bay horse that danced at the ends of its reins, whinnying to Alba. There were only four of them, Rhianna saw now – the big knight, the boy, and two other knights who held their own horses. But they were all armed. One man had a lance as well as a sword. Even the boy had a little dagger stuck through his tight belt. She could see no sign of Merlin. Suddenly, Elphin’s warning made sense. Not that she could do much about it now.
    “Are you King Arthur’s men?” she asked, bringing Alba to a prancing halt.
    The big knight stared at her. He had a curly brown beard and smelled as if he hadn’t washed lately. Warily, he lowered his sword and peered closer at the shield she carried. He blinked in surprise. “That’s the king’s shield!” After the Avalonian songs, his voice sounded gruff to her ears. “Where did you find it, damsel?”
    “Merlin gave it to me, of course,” Rhianna said. “He’ll be here soon, I expect. I’m Rhianna. We got separated in the mist. He’s a bit slow, I’m afraid. He’s bringing the boat with our luggage.” She turned in her saddle to see where Elphin had got to.
    The knight raised his sword again as Elphin joined them. “What you got in the bag, son?” he demanded, his tone suddenly hard.
    “Only my harp,” Elphin answered. Lifting it out, he began to strum gently. The Avalonianmusic tinkled in the rain, making the other knights smile.
    The plump boy’s eyes widened as he noticed Elphin’s extra fingers. “He’s one of
them
, sir!”
    “I can see that.” The curly-haired knight narrowed his eyes at her friend and peered at the water. “I see two fairy horses of the enchanted isle. But I don’t see no boat. How do I know you didn’t just steal the king’s shield? What did you say your name was, damsel?”
    “Rhianna Pendragon! And this is my friend Prince Elphin from Avalon. We’ve come to find my father’s sword, Excalibur. Merlin says some idiot knight threw it into a lake, so I expect I’ve got to swim down and fetch it out again. I don’t suppose you know where it is, do you?”
    The boy’s eyes widened even further as she spoke. The other two knights led their horsescloser, looking up at her face. One had fair hair and a fresh sword cut on his cheek and looked quite young. The other was