Knightless in Seattle Read Free

hills. She gave a
low whistle. This was a bigger deal than she had expected. The LARP
groups a couple of her friends belonged to had about a hundred
members and that was considered pretty big.
    For such a big camp, it sure was quiet. Where was
everyone?
    Lance's directions had been amazingly accurate, considering
this place was off several beaten paths. All she had to do now was
figure out where her knight was.
    Shouts from an unseen crowd rose from somewhere beyond
the tents. A tingle of anticipation raced up her spine at the
sound.
    She hot-footed it down the path that led to the encampment.
As she passed the last cluster of empty tents, someone called out,
"Hello there! Wait up."
    Jackie turned and saw a woman hurrying after her, clutching
a clipboard to her chest. She was dressed in black jeans and sweater
with a white band tied around her head.
    "You must be Jackie." The woman pushed thick-framed
glasses higher on her nose before extending her hand to shake
Jackie's firmly. "I'm Lila, the game manager." Tendrils of straight
brown hair escaped her haphazard bun, but her attitude was all
business. "Sorry I didn't see you drive in. I've been watching for you,
but got caught up in something." She tilted her head to one side and
grinned. "You made quite an impression on Lance."
    Jackie felt heat climb into her cheeks. "I-I did?" What
embarrassment did she have to live down now?
    Mischief sparkled in Lila's eyes. "Well, he's certainly never
asked any of the other women in here to give him a token to carry
into battle, or anywhere else for that matter. Not that they haven't
offered." She chuckled. "He's got quite a little following, our Lance,
but he keeps everything polite and professional." Her grin
broadened. "Yup, there's going to be some broken hearts after
today's tournament. Speaking of which, we'd better get a move
on."
    Stepping back, she cast an assessing glance down Jackie's
body. "So, you're what, a medium?"
    "Um, I guess so."
    "Great. I have just the thing for you. Lance thought you
might be up for wearing a costume. A lot more fun that way."
    "Um, sure. Okay." She wiped suddenly damp palms down
her jeans. She hadn't really thought about what she was wearing,
figuring she would just be standing anonymously in a crowd and
cheering on her hero. But Lila was right. She might feel out of place if
she were the only one not wearing a costume. "That actually sounds
like fun."
    Ten minutes and a world-record wardrobe change in a
nearby tent later, Jackie found herself hurrying after Lila,
quick-stepping down the dirt path she'd been on earlier, following the
sounds of the crowd.
    * * * *
    "Are you sure this is a medium?" She tugged ineffectively at
the low-cut bodice of the emerald-green damask gown. It was
scooped to bare an uncomfortable amount of bosom, which was
currently pushed up by a tightly-cinched black velvet outer corset.
"It seems a little small."
    Lila cast an appraising glance over her shoulder. "Nope.
Looks perfect. Totally killer with your red hair and green eyes." She
shot a conspiratorial grin at Jackie. "Our boy doesn't stand a
chance."
    She kept on marching, talking as they went, while Jackie
pondered that particular comment. "You'll be a character, but not a
main, scripted one. You don't have an actual part; you're more like
an extra."
    Just then they rounded the base of the hill and Jackie
stopped in her tracks. "Holy crap. What a production!"
    The trail had opened onto a parade ground-sized area. A
medieval parade ground to be exact. It looked like a full-on country
fair from the fifteenth century.
    At the far end, brightly colored flags fluttered from poles
ringing an open-air arena where easily two hundred people in
medieval dress sat on wooden risers, cheering enthusiastically.
    In front of the arena, colorful tents dotted the ground. Kids
and dogs chased each other across the still-damp grass, and smells of
roasting meat and something frying reached her on the light breeze.
There were even more