The boy and girl remounted their horses and continued down the trail, descending into the valley. After a couple of hours of riding their horses through the forest, they broke out into the first meadow.

There they saw two big muscular Percherons, bigger than Mary, teamed together. They were pulling a large log, with older boys riding in the saddles. The boys smiled, waved at Red, and she stood up on her stirrups to wave back.

Caleb whistled gently, "Does everybody have big horses? What are they doing?"

Red turned in her saddle and looked at him, smiling, "Most of the squires do. They're hauling logs up to the camp, mostly for the horse stables. We take care of the horses first, you'll see."

"So, when do we get to camp?"

"Soon, in about an hour." They rode the rest of the way to camp without much talking, he boy observing all the activity happening around them.

After stopping once to water the horses, they met more students. Some were as young as ten and others were as old as eighteen or more. All were involved in some sort of activity. A lot of the younger ones were collecting berries and fruit. A couple of older boys were engaged in cutting down a tall dead pine tree, while others were cutting logs to length. Red waved at them all.

Caleb noticed that they were all wearing green uniforms, similar to Red's, with patches of some sort over the heart.

When they finally reached camp, they passed a long row of stables, open on one side. Opposing them was another row of stables, still under construction. Older students and adults labored at the task.

There were several rows of small round tents, leading away from the stables to a group of big tents. The biggest tent stood surrounded by about twenty banners on poles. One banner had the same blackbird on white background, which the Raven and Red wore on their jackets.

Caleb all of a sudden realized he could not escape from this. Whatever would happen to him would happen inside the tent in front of him. He had forgotten about leaving, but he now felt like turning and running. He felt apprehension; if only he wasn't on Red's horse.

They rode right up to the big tent and dismounted. Red tied their horses to a hitching post. She looked at the boy and must have seen the fear on his face. "It's going to be all right; they have always been fair to me." She led the boy into the tent. There were several tables, on which boys and girls were working in groups on maps and books.

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At a small table in the center of the tent sat the Raven and two other men. One wore a dark red tunic with a black patch, which had an orange dragon embroidered on it.

The other man appeared much older. He had dark gray hair, a short beard, and a large white handlebar mustache. He wore all black with a red patch over his heart on which a golden lion reared up.

The Raven waved them over, and as they approached, the three men stood up. The Raven introduced the boy to the older man, "This is Sir John, the Lion. He is the headmaster of the school and a Knight of the British Realm."

Caleb gaped at the man, "You're a real knight, with armor and swords?"

Sir John smiled and shook hands with the boy. With a British accent he said, "Well actually yes, I have armor and a sword. I'm a real knight. But, enough about me, this is all about you. I'm glad to meet you. I've already heard a lot about you from the Raven. I've been told you are a hard worker and learn quickly."

The Raven continued, introducing the other man. "This gentleman is the Dragon. He is the principal teacher."

The man shook the boy's hand, "I'm pleased to meet you."

When introductions were over, the Raven dismissed Red to look after the horses.

The Lion indicated for the boy to sit down at the table and the men joined him. The Lion smiled, waved his hand around, and in a proud voice said, "You are probably wondering who we are and what you are doing here."

Caleb thought about it a moment and decided not to challenge the man. He seemed to be trustworthy. "Sir, Red said this is a school."

"Indeed, this is summer school. For the rest of the year, we have a regular school, the Knight Riding School. The Raven is one of my best teachers. He is also one of my liege knights, sworn to serve those who cannot help themselves. Some of my students become knights; others will become ladies, and most go on to higher education. I try to make it so all my students are successful. The Raven feels that you would make a good student. He tells me you are a quick learner."

"But, Sir, I have no money, I can't pay for this."

"I don't expect you to. I have several discretionary scholarships each year, and I'm considering offering you one."

Caleb spread his arms, "Why me? I'm just an orphan. Nobody cares about me." The stress of the last few days hit him and tears started to roll out of his eyes.

The Lion gently clasped the boy's hands in his own and brought them together. "I care about you. I'm offering you the opportunity to attend our school because you listen."

The tears stopped and Caleb gulped, "What?"

The Lion offered a handkerchief to the boy who blew his nose. "You pay attention. You pay attention and learn. I need students who are willing to learn. I need young knights."

The boy's eyes opened up wide, "You want me to be a knight?"

"Maybe; you will eventually have to prove yourself worthy." The Lion let that last statement sink in. "I feel you will learn a lot here, regardless of what you do, and you'll enjoy doing it."

"What if I don't make it? I mean I was in jail. You could easily send me back there."

"You won't go back to jail or Juvenile Hall for that matter. We have a good lawyer. I will personally see that you find a good home. It's going to be your choice, but I urge you to give us a try. At least take some time to explore around and meet some of the other students. Tell me what you think of this school afterward."

Caleb surprised that the man would ask his opinion said, "I think I can do that."

The Lion took a rolled-up paper out of a tube and spread it out on the table. It had been completely handwritten in a florid script.

The Raven spoke up, "What do you want to do? You can leave with the next supply caravan, in about a week. Or you can sign this document in which you agree to stay probationary, for one month, with the option to join the school. It means we are obligated to take care of you for a month." The Raven went on to explain the terms of the document two times, just to make sure the boy understood it completely.

Caleb had already made up his mind; he would give this school a month. In a serious voice as he could muster he said, "I'll sign it."

The Raven pointed to the paper, indicating where to sign. It was marked, 'witnesses'. The boy shivered a second with nervous energy, and then took the offered pen. The boy hesitated for only a second, looking at the three men, and then he signed the paper. He felt relief, he had committed himself.