The grand hall went quiet as Whitebeard told of another man who thought the cup was only given to worthy people. Every drop of water that poured from the cup ended up at the man’s feet in a gruesome mixture.
Duke Akitomo didn’t want to listen to Whitebeard, but the Grail fascinated him. With it, he wouldn’t need an inept son to rule. He could keep on going forever. But some things could be learned privately. “Wiggo, I want him found guilty quickly.”
The chief minister never seemed to eat; he just pushed his food around. “Of course, Your Grace. He will endure the three trials?”
The Duke’s eyes flicked across the room to the necromancer and the abomination who sat beside her. “Yes, but don’t kill him. She still wants to drain the soloknight.”
“Shall I start in the morning?”
Most of the Marstonic Order, Order of the Arc, Order of Lords, and the Celestial Order were present with their leaders. And now the leadership of the orders of Mount Templar, Metaterra, Whales, Noble Eight, Octavo, Signs, Mystics, and Moons were all in attendance. Together, they were the most potent force in the kingdom. Though, he would one day break the Council of the Round. He just needed the throne first. “No. The first trial will be the next dinner in full view of the grand masters.”
“Then it will be a spectacle.”
The Duke looked around his table at his family members. Those who noticed looked away and fidgeted. They had no idea how he single-handedly protected their place in society and showed no gratitude. “Continue, Whitebeard, and let us drink to the Grail.” He lifted his cup and smiled when he saw his family hesitate, put a hand to their throats, and swallow uncomfortably. Weakness surrounded him.
Whitebeard’s voice rose to fill the chamber.
***
The cup migrated about the ship. It was held high from the sails that raked the sky when a man snatched it and climbed the rigging to escape a mob of his fellows. It was hidden for hours in the bilge water when a thief took it in the night. Eventually, the captain brought order to the ship, and the cup was stowed in a chest and guarded by half the crew.
Some tried to drink the bilge water and vomited.
I reminded them, “Everyone knows the water must be pure and flow from a spring.”
I said little else to anyone, feeling betrayed that they wouldn’t return the cup and betrayed by myself for having taken it in the first place.
Paradice came into view. White cliffs ascended from the water to a lush green island. Waterfalls cascaded onto sandy and rocky beaches.
The Palfrey circled its anchor and emptied every last man onto the island. John played the first joyful melody on his flute since they’d left the silver walls. Stretch stood at the bow of the boat, his fur in the face of the oarsmen.
We thought we were alone. No signs of life showed on the bluffs or the sand until a row of terrible lizards looked down on us. The largest of them had gold ornaments and a royal cape—obviously stolen from humans.
“No one wanders out,” John said. “We stay close with polearms at the ready.”
The lizards retreated, but the sailors remained vigilant while searching for water.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I saw the king lizard again through a V-shaped opening in the trees. The cape was, in fact, a rug. I didn’t like how careful the lizards were. They studied us with cold eyes while they basked in the sunshine.
“They’re not that big,” a sailor said. “They’re our size, and fewer of them.”
“I feel a power from them,” I responded.
I cut my way up the slope. In the dips into low places with thick foliage, bugs plagued us. We walked in lines and swiped at each other’s backs. The terrain had caused our formation to break, and we wiped the sweat from our bows to glance up for lizards.
Stretch walked by my side with his head low.
I patted his back. “I know. I don’t like this place either.”
A man fell near the front. The captain called for a halt. John and I pushed forward to the edge of a vine-covered drop. Below was a vast mirror. It reflected the trees and sky, and a waterfall jetted into it from the hills on the other side. It was a fresh lake as pure as anyone could hope for.
John handed me the cup. “I’m sorry, but I needed to get us here. You know what to do, so please lead the way.”
I nodded at the man I’d once called friend. “Stretch and I will go alone to the waterfall. When the cup is in place, you can climb or jump into the water.”
The sailors grumbled, and a few gave hard stares, but none made a move to take it from me—not yet. Where did they think I would go with it on an island with no escape?
I skirted the rim until a stream divided it. Taking a running start, I jumped to the other side. The cup fell from my hand and rolled.
A lizard’s dark form stood between the trees. It had a makeshift spear.
I grabbed the cup, scrambled to my feet, and pushed on until I came to the waterfall's side. I couldn’t hear my thoughts in the roar. The water came down with so much force I thought it would crush me, but I followed a way behind. The world undulated as I pulled myself through the water and spray.
A boulder jutted into the torrent. I placed the cup there, and gold leaked down around the base. I thought it was melting, and in a moment of panic, I thought to grab it back, but it had fused to the rock.
The stone underfoot, slick with water, almost threw me down the side as I left. A few pebbles fell and splashed into the lake. The mirror was gone. The water had become transparent save for a green hue. Fish of varying colors swam alone and in schools.
Unfortunately, the lizards had found me. I saw the leader mesmerize Stretch. The lizard held a scepter and waved it back and forth, and the lion followed the movement. The lizard returned the scepter to a loop and pulled two daggers.
I ran forward, but the distance was too great.
A dagger found a home under his jawbone. Another stabbed into the back between the ribs.
I lost my footing and fell. I tried grabbing earth and roots, but it sped past me. The water hit like a cudgel, and I found myself drowning. But the blessed water didn’t suffocate me. I took lunge-fulls of the lake and ran along the bottom to seek revenge, but the lizard had fled. I lashed out with magic and felled trees. I must have hit something because I found blood and a shred of the rug.
***
The grand hall filled with whispers and then arguments, especially among the grand masters.
The man with the silver temples, Grand Master Letame, shouted, “He’s guilty!”
Kichi bolted upright. “He’s a knight. He can’t lie. Just ask him.”
Duke Akitomo silenced the room. “It just so happens he knows how the prince died. I think we’ve heard enough. Is there any reason to hear any more of this?”
Whitebeard snapped a chain. “Just as Thailoc has broken one arm free, so do I.” He put a hand inside his shirt, pulled out foldings of leather, and shook it. Salt sprinkled the ground, and a severed hand tumbled free. So did a piece of familiar rug. “When I fell into the lake, I became stronger than the Knight’s Oath. I can lie, but everything I told you was true except one thing: there never was a lion.”
The Duke pulled his sword. “Silence him! He’s no knight and never was.”
Duke Akitomo
Level: 47
Focus: Annihilation
Secondary focus: Shadow walker, Redirection, Sand Tornado,
Weapons: Lost Sword - 65% corrupt - Shadow+8, Dagger of Bones - damage resistance +20
Items: Cape of the Blasphemer, Crown of the Dried Seas