Icespell Read Online Free Page A

whacked her hard on the back as she galloped past.
    There was an outbreak of cheering from the other end of the jousting ground and Olivia, smarting from the blow and from annoyance at missing, ground her teeth. Of course, the biggest cheer of all came from the red-haired Mordred, son of King Lot of Orkney and her biggest rival.
    “Slimy good-for-nothing son of a septic carbuncle,” she muttered, as she led her horse slowly back down to where the other squires were gathered. “I’d like to see you do better!”
    But to Olivia’s annoyance, Mordred, who was next, managed to place his lance perfectly. The great iron knight toppled over backwards and crashed to the ground with a resounding clang. Mordred waved his lance in the air triumphantly, and all the novices clapped. All except Olivia.
    “Never mind, my dear, can’t expect to beat the son of the King of Orkney, eh?” said Sir Bertram, patting her heartily on the back. “He’s been trainingsince he was five years old. You’re very good, you know, but you can’t expect miracles.”
    Secretly, Sir Bertram was rather relieved to see that Olivia had a serious rival. He’d been very much afraid she might actually pull it off, might win the Squire’s Challenge. And although it would be rather a triumph in some ways, it would mean he’d have to keep his word and let her train to be a knight, and his wife, Lady Griselda, would never let him hear the end of it. He stroked his magnificent moustache and tried not to look too pleased.
    “Well, now, afternoon off, eh? You should go down to the river with Max. Got to stick around in the castle, myself. The king’s calling a meeting of all his knights, see what we can do about this blasted sorceress causing trouble. Otherwise I’d come with you – lovely day for a swim!”
    “Yes, hurrah, let’s go to the river!” said Adolphus, bounding up to them and flapping his wings. “I love swimming!”
    Olivia sighed. She only had three weeks left toget good enough at the mock joust to beat Mordred, and she would rather have spent the afternoon tilting at the practice dummy. But Sir Bertram was right, it was a lovely afternoon, and maybe some time off would do her good. And of course, she could always try out a few sword manoeuvres on Max. She brightened, and nodded, and Sir Bertram clapped her on the shoulder.
    “Excellent! Don’t be late back – supper in the Great Hall tonight. Caradoc’s just got back from his travels, got a new song for us all.”
    Olivia exchanged glances with Max and they both grinned. ‘Caradoc’ the bard had been quite an ally in their last adventure. But what Sir Bertram didn’t know was that Caradoc’s name was actually Lancelot, and he wasn’t actually a bard. He was really a knight, but because he was working as a spy for Merlin, he had to keep his knightly skills a secret. He was also pretty good at magic, although he kept that talent a secret too – Lady Morgana and her fellow plotters wouldn’t be suspicious of a lowly bard, and that was the way Merlin wanted things to stay.
    Max and Olivia were looking forward to seeing Lancelot again, and maybe he’d have some news about just what Morgana was plotting for the festival.
    ***
    “Ow!”
    Max’s sword tumbled through the air and landed with a clatter among the rocks by the edge of the river. Max himself was bent over, nursing his hand and swearing under his breath. Olivia stood panting, her sword in her hand, looking triumphant and just a little bit concerned.
    “Umm, are you all right, Max?” she said.
    “No, I’m not all right! I think you sliced my hand off, you maniac!” said Max through gritted teeth. “Honestly, Olivia – you are a total menace with a sword.”
    They had spent the afternoon lazing by the river just a few miles from the castle, at a place where the woodland opened out round an old charcoal-burner’s stone hut. There was a deep sandy pool there that was perfect for swimming. The shadows were just