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"Then we can’t go hoood on our promise to Luce! I don’t want to be one more person who lets her down" Shelby felt suddenly deflated "She deserves better"

Miles slowly exhaled He paced around the well, brow furrowed--his thinking face "You’re right," he said finally "What’s one more day?"

"Really?" Shelby squealed

"But where are we going to find Daniel? Didn’t Lucinda say so about a castle?" Miles said "We could find it and--"

"Knowing Daniel, he could bearound anywhere And I do mean anywhere"

Shelby heard the sound of horses’ hooves and turned her head toward the wide central pathway through theshut down for the evening, she caught a glial, snohite horse

When it passed the last asped

The figure in the black leather saddle lined with ermine--whom Shelby, Miles, and most of the townspeople watched in unabashed aas truly a knight in shining armor

Broad-shouldered, his identity obscured by his visor, the knight rode through the square with a coan at his feet, which were steadied in two stout stirrups His legs were encased in polished greaves, and histo his muscular sides Hisin an angled seal over his nose There were tiny breathing holes in the front of the visor and a narrow slit across his eyes It was alar outward evidence of him

A sheath fastened at his left side carried a sword, and over his ar white tunic with a red cross across the chest like one Shelby thought she’d seen in a Monty Python movie

"Why don’t we ask him?" Shelby said

"Seriously?"

Shelby faltered Sure, she was nervous about approaching a real live knight But how else were they going to find Daniel?

"Do you have a better idea?" She pointed at the looht Chances are they’re gonna run in the saht?"

"Okay, okay And Shel?" Miles inhaled halfway, soht be about to hurt Shelby’s feelings "Try not to use the Georgia peach accent, okay? It ht over love-struck Lucinda’s head, but we need to bein Re with the past"

"I’e of the well, straightened her shoulders like she iave Miles a wink that felt a little aard, and strode toward the knight

But she’d taken just two short strides when the knight turned to face her, lifted his visor, and narrowed his dark eyes into a glare--a glare that Shelby had earned several times before

Speak of the devil Hadn’t Miles just lanced back and forth between Shelby and Miles He clearly recognized them, which meant this was the Roland of their present-day era, their Roland, the one they’d last seen in Lucinda Price’s battle-blasted backyard Which meant they were in trouble

"What are you two doing here?"

Miles was at Shelby’s side instantly, his hands protectively around her shoulders It was really decent of hiet busted alone "We’re looking for Daniel," he said "Can you help us? Do you knohere he is?"

"Help you? Find Daniel?" Roland gave them a baffled quirk of his dark eyebrows "Don’t you irl lost in her own Announcers? You kids are in way over your head"

"We knoe knoe don’t belong here" Shelby put on her ot here by accident," she added, staring up at Roland on his incredible white horse She’d had no idea horses were so huge "We’re trying to get ho an Announcer--"

"Of course you are" Roland huffed "Like I don’t have enough obligations, now I’ve got to babysit, too" He raised a gloved hand casually "I’ll summon one for you"

"Wait" Miles stepped forward, interrupting Roland "We thought, while ere here, we couldfor Lucinda You know, the Lucinda of this era Nothing hter Daniel ditched her--"

"You kno he gets sometimes--" Shelby cut in

"Hold up You saw Lucinda?" Roland asked

"She was devastated," Miles said

"And tomorrow is Valentine’s Day," Shelby added

The steed neighed, and Roland steadied it with the reins "Was she cloven?"

Shelby wrinkled her nose "Was she what?"