Chapter 4

Bianca

Bianca stood in an Audry Hall dorm room and stared down at the two boys she had been talking to. Matt Yeats, Mr. Yeats' younger brother and a freshman at Union, had his brother's curly dark hair and turquoise eyes. If he were a little older he and his brother could be twins. The other was Carlos Rodriguez, a freshman of Mexican descent. Like most of Latino descent, he had dark hair but his eyes were bright green. That told her he was most likely of mixed heritage, not that it really mattered anymore.

Matt looked at her then looked back at Carlos. They both knew what she was talking about, especially Matt since his older brother was also a Knight. When he came to the school, he felt when the others were near him. He figured it was something they all could sense but he wasn't about to bring it up to upperclassmen. Then he met Carlos when he moved into his room. Carlos was also a Knight so they got along rather well.

Bianca scuffed her shoe on the floor and pushed off the wall. "You know who I am and I know who you are so let's just get this over with."

Carlos smiled his lazy smile and leaned back on his elbows on his bed. "You know who we are? Tell us, pretty lady? Who are we?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're Carlos Rodriguez from Tulsa, Oklahoma. You were born May 19, 1998, and your mom's name is Maria. You're Matt Yeats, star freshman on the basketball team and younger brother to Max Yeats. Your birthday is August, 9, 1997. Should I go on?"

"What has my brother told you?" Matt asked.

"You know I'm a Knight, one chosen by Arthur himself. This time I'm here for a different reason and I think you know why as well."

He nodded. "Yeah. Camelot has returned for the last cycle."

Bianca adjusted her stance so her knees wouldn't buckle. "It is. We all know how crucial it is for this to end our way. If it doesn't, we have no idea what will happen."

"Then what do you need from us?" Carlos asked.

"Drew has taken Maddie to Dallas to keep her safe and the rest of the Knights went with them. It's left us shorthanded. One of the things that we have to do is find all the Knights. If we can get the ones on campus to help us while Maddie and Drew are away, the easier it will be when they come home."

"Don't we have to swear fealty to King Arthur?"

"No one's sworn fealty. Fealty can only be sworn on Excalibur and we don't know where it's at. So at the moment we just need your word that you'll stay and fight."

Once again the two boys looked at each other. Something passed between them. It was silent but evident by the looks on their faces. Bianca tilted her head as she tried to figure it out but it was eluding her.

Matt looked at her again. "We'll help. Max always told me the time would come for me to trust my instincts. Right now they're telling me what you're saying is the truth."

"Where're your swords?"

Carlos rolled to the side of his bed and rummaged under it. He pulled out a small box. Opening the lid, he extracted a small knife. Gripping it in his left hand, he swung his arm wide in the space between them. His knife elongated into a short sword.

"It's not the same as everyone else's but it suits my needs since I prefer close combat," he replied. With a flick of his wrist it went back to its original size.

Impressed, she turned to the younger Yeats. "And yours?"

Matt dug in his pockets until he retrieved what looked like a really thick needle. He placed it in his right palm then clapped his left hand over it. There was a pop and the needle transformed into a sword.

"Max said when the world changed and swords became obsolete, Merlin figured out how to shrink the swords so we could have them in times of need. He fit them to each Knight's personality. Beca's would be a hairpin. Yours, I'm assuming, is a brooch of some sort," Matt said. He placed his left palm on the tip and end of the sword and pressed down. The sword returned to its needle shape.

Bianca lifted the hem of her tank and showed a ruby encrusted pin on her shorts. "I just toss it in the air and make sure it spins clockwise. To change it back I spin it counterclockwise." The walkie talkie at her hip started making an awful noise. She slipped it off the waistband of her shorts. "Yeah?"

"We need you at the stables. They're trying to burn the forge," Bruce stated calmly. The wind was rushing which meant he was running in that direction.

"I'm on my way." She slipped the talkie back in its place. "I've got to go."

Matt slid off his bed and stuffed his feet into a pair of tennis shoes. "Well, Carlos, it looks like we will have our first big battle. Let's show them that we really can fight."

Carlos smiled then bounced off his bed to his friend's side. "Well, I'm not a violent man but I like a good tussle every once in a while. Let's do this."

Bianca turned and ran from the room. She heard the pounding of two sets of feet behind her. The boys really meant it when they said they were ready for a fight. Once they were outside, she took them left and towards the stables where the forge was located. They could see smoke rising from it at a rate that was much faster than normal.

"Do they think they're going to get away with it?" Carlos asked as they neared the stables.

"They must. If we don't have a forge we can't sharpen our tools plus the horses will have no place to stay," Bianca replied. The doors opened and a stampede of horses came out of the burning building. "Damn. They've gotten to the forge."

Bruce rode out on a black stallion leading two palomino mares. He handed the reins to Matt and Bianca. "We have to ride out on the north front. They're disturbing the wildlife at the lake."

"All right." She swung up into the saddle and turned her horse around. "Maddie has a stag she watches over on the north side. If Casey kills it, who knows what's going to happen."

"Isn't the stag a symbol of Merlin?" Carlos asked.

"That's why Maddie cares for it. We think it has a connection to Drew but we're not certain. We have to keep them from killing the stag and the other animals."

"Find the stag," Bruce ordered.

They came around the other side and took a good look at what they were dealing with. It didn't look like much, but that itself was deceptive.

"Yo, bro, I think we're going to be doing a lot more than just finding a stag," Carlos said. He sat behind Matt as he guided their horse around trees.

"Why do you say that?" his friend asked.

"Shades, man. Those things are crazy Shades. I heard they simply pop up out of nowhere when a focal point is open."

"Do you think there's a focal point here?"

"Has to be since they're coming out a dime a dozen." He closed his eyes and let his senses sweep wide. He scoured the area, concentrating more on the burning areas. He hit a purple roadblock when he came to the lake. "Focal point is in the lake. We have to close it down."

"The only way to close a focal point is to burn it. So unless you're a whiz with fire or lightning there's nothing we can do." Five Shades popped out of the trees blocking their path. "Get on it, Car."

"You got it."

Carlos hooked one leg over the horse and rode side saddle. When he was certain the terrain was good enough for him to land, he slid off the horse, rolling to take the sting out of his feet. When he popped up, he swung his left arm wide. His sword sliced through a Shade as it came close. He stood up with blinding speed and took out three more, leaving the largest, meanest and nastiest.

"It's the stag!" Bruce called then wheeled his horse around to head for the legendary deer.

That call had all of the Shades turning and heading for the deer. Carlos turned the blade of his sword to face away from him and took off running. The wind whipped through his ears, making them buzz. He slid to a stop a few feet from where Matt had stopped. His friend slid into the dirt beside him, squatting low to get a good generalization of the situation before them.

"What are we going to do now? There are fifteen Shades between us and the Stag," he said.

Matt clapped his hand over his needle, gripping it once it turned into a sword. "We slice and dice until we get there."

Carlos laughed at his friend's exuberance about going into battle and he followed him once he jumped into the fray. They fought back to back, using each other's weight to get ahead in the battle. He ducked when Matt swung his sword back then thrust it to defend his friend's open side.

A Shade stepped on his sword then kicked him back. Matt landed beside him clutching his stomach. They looked at each other and tried to get up but were unable to do so. Five feet from them, Bianca landed hard and Bruce was being held up by Shades.

When it seemed that everything was going to hell, lightning struck all around them. The remaining Shades were blasted back wherever they came from, leaving charred grass all over. Bruce came over and began to help them up as the Stag came closer. It made a noise in the back of its throat then tossed its head.

"It's all right, boy."

Matt's face brightened as he held his ribs. "Well if it isn't the elusive jerk known as Mitchell Ryder."

The boy came around the Stag and smiled. His silver eyes, yes they were silver, swirled as he looked at them. His hair was pitch black. The air around him crackled. One look at his sword and they knew the reason why.

He smiled as he patted the Stag. "Hey, Matt. I didn't know you were a Knight."

Carlos snorted. "Like hell you didn't. You knew who we were the moment we stepped on campus. No wonder we couldn't tell who you were. You're electrical currents throw our senses off." He tilted his head to the left. "Why are you out here?"

Mitchell patted the Stag gently on its neck. "Drew asked me to watch out for him until Maddie returns."

Bianca shook her head and sighed. "Why am I not surprised? How long ago did you meet Drew?"

"About seven months ago when Maddie showed up on campus."

Bruce looked at his girlfriend. "That was about the time Casey really started targeting Maddie. I'm really not surprised Drew would have a back up."

Mitchell frowned. "Do you need help?"

The oldest boy nodded. "Yeah, we do. With Maddie, Drew and four of our other Knights in Dallas, we're a little short staffed. If Casey keeps doing this, we're all in trouble. There might not be a school for them to come back to."

The newest Knight nodded. "All right. You have my backing but I must take care of the Stag. If it dies, Merlin's power wanes even more."

Bianca and Bruce looked at each other. She sighed then swung up into the saddle.

"I'll be the one to tell Darren." She turned her horse around and headed for the seniors' dorm.