“Ma Dame,” Kolb responded, bowing. Civil. Respectful, even. He was the oldest knight I’d ever seen, gray-haired, with crows’ feet and knobby knuckles. Still upright, still with that proud, I-own-this-place bearing. Probably still quite able to kick my ass, but maybe not so quick to do it.

My eternal thanks! (And maybe a few more things.)

I clambered back to my feet. Scramble through a narrow hole while someone speared me to death? Try to wait it out here, and hope the fire burned itself out before my lungs were seared? The room was brightly lit now, but so dense with smoke that I could no longer see the far wall. I could breathe, here in the cascade of cool air tumbling over me from the window, but just inches away the air was scalding.

I’d been in a few life-and-death situations since I’d arrived in this century. They’d all unfolded so fast, so fluidly, that I hadn’t had a chance to contemplate my mortality. Here, now, with my back against the stone, paused for just a second as I considered my options, it hit me: I was about to die.

“Martin!”

Someone had called my name. The fire was roaring now, but I’d heard it. From outside? I glanced up at the window. No, it had come from the other way. From the kitchen door.

I took a step forward, but a foot from the window the air was a million degrees. Crawl, that’s what you were supposed to do—but the floor rushes were burning. I’d set myself on fire. There was only one option: Run for it.

I couldn’t see the kitchen door, and I could only guess who was over there calling for me. But I leaned back into the cooler air by the window, took a deep breath, crouched low, and ran.

Instantly I was awash in heat. The smoke filled my eyes with tears; I couldn’t see, and I blundered into something heavy—probably Celestine’s chair. But the distance wasn’t great—five or six paces—and I plowed on.

A hand gripped my arm and someone pulled me aside. I staggered, letting myself follow, coughing and choking when my held breath gave out. For a moment I had no idea where I was going, swirled in darkness and a world of streaming eyes and burning lungs. The ground suddenly wasn’t beneath my feet, and I tumbled and fell, rolling onto cold damp earth. I kept rolling, away from the heat, blinking my eyes until they started to clear and the universe began to make sense again.