In the Time of Dragon Moon Read Online Free

content to kill in their
good cause.

Chapter Three
    Pendragon Castle, Wil d e Island
    Snake Moon to Whale Moon
    June to July 1210
    O N THE LAST night of Snake Moon, someone pounded on our door. “Let us in. Now!” I slid the bolt aside and was brutally flung back as six armed palace guards with leashed hounds flooded in. Two dogs rammed into the worktable and set the measuring scale swinging.
    â€œWhat is this?” Father asked, steadying the scale with one hand.
    The pock-faced guard yelled, “Search!” He bounded to the wardrobe and threw our cloaks on the floor. The dog at the end of his leash jammed his head inside and sniffed around. I stood back alarmed as the king’s men unleashed the other dogs. Three raced over and sniffed Father’s bed on one side of the room, others pressed their noses under my mattress behind the screen. The palace guards slit both mattresses, and felt around in the straw. The dogs sniffed both before they lost interest and bounded over to Father.
    â€œArms out!” said Pock Face.
    How dare he shout at the Adan. “What is this about?” I demanded.
    â€œYou too, boy!” he barked.
    The palace guards patted down Father and me. The bald, stout man patted under my arms, ran his hands down my ribs, then across my chest, where he paused a moment. I recoiled inside, terrified he’d detected my true shape under my bound breasts. But he passed his hands over my hips and slid them down my breeches. I looked away when he was done. Four dogs were sniffing Father’s trunk, barking and growling.
    â€œOpen it!” Pock Face shouted.
    Father pulled out his trunk key and paused, curling his weathered fingers around it.
    I pushed through the men, wedging myself between growling hounds and trunk. The dogs snarled, their sharp teeth inches from my thighs, but I fixed my eyes on them, standing guard beside my father. “Why should he open it?” I said over the menacing growls. “The Adan’s medicines are in there. The dogs should not spoil the queen’s—”
    â€œStand back, boy!” Pock Face shoved me aside, throwing me hard against the wall, the thud as I hit it shaking my bones.
    He drew his knife on Father. “Open it, Euit savage, or feel my point!”
    Father knelt and slid the key in the lock. I clenched my teeth as the hounds jammed their wet noses in, sniffing the Adan’s valuable herbs. If any of them drooled on our precious curatives! Pock Face squatted and swiped his hand around inside, feeling herb bundles and tincture bottles, then stood, his eyes narrowed on the small leather sack he held out. “What’s this?”
    â€œNo!” I made a grab for it. Too late. He slit the sack down the middle. Precious earth from Devil’s Boot spilled on the floor. I dove for it, and the dogs beared their fangs. One leaped closer and snapped my sleeve. I reared back in terror, pressing myself against the wall as men and dogs trampled the small pile of sacred earth, all we had from home.
    â€œWhat is this?” Sir Geoffrey Crooked Nose hurried into the tower room. He grabbed the two threatening dogs who had me up against the wall and pulled them back by their collars.
    Pock Face looked up at Sir Geoffrey with a grin. “Following orders, sir.”
    Sir Geoffrey leashed the hounds, tossed the leads to the men, and glared at the slit leather sack. “And you destroyed this man’s property because?”
    â€œThought it might be the missing coin purse, sir.”
    So that’s what this was about? The English thought us thieves?
    Sir Geoffrey surveyed the room. “Any coin purse found?”
    â€œNone we could turn up, sir. But these being foreign devils, thought we’d look here first, if you know what I mean.”
    Sir Geoffrey waved his hand. “Go. You’ve got lots of other rooms to search.” The men tromped out with the dogs. On the floor against the wall, I heaved a