Unable to help himself, Swordnew said, “But why?” Stammering, he bowed his head, collected himself, and, looking directly at the three Carthagens in front of him, said, “Thank you, my lords. It is an honor that I do not deserve.” He glanced over his shoulder at the wall where he used to stand with the other warriors each time Lancelot was in the middle of the room. Then he turned back and asked, “What new warriors will I have to lead, my lords?”
Again, the Dauphin were silent for a moment. Then the elder in the middle said, “You will be the only warrior, Swordnew. It is an honor and a responsibility we think you can live up to.”
Swordnew shook his head in disbelief. “But what of the other Carthagens, my lords? Surely I cannot protect our entire civilization.”
“But you must, Swordnew. From this day forward, you will be responsible for guarding the last of our species.”
“Thank you, my lords. I will serve you to the best of my ability.”
“We are sure you will, Swordnew. We are sure you will.”
93
Julian called a meeting with his brigadiers, briefed them on what had happened on the asteroid, and ordered the fleet back to Edsall Dark without delay.
He didn’t tell the other officers about his three duels with Lancelot or that he had lost each one. He didn’t share anything of his discussions with the woman pretending to be a Carthagen. In fact, he didn’t mention her at all. His account was limited to getting captured, being healed by medical bots because the Dauphin thought he might negotiate with them, and of his escape.
Talbot wasn’t part of the meeting. Julian limited the details of his son’s time in the tunnels by focusing on how lucky he was to have survived. He did tell the other brigadiers about how, after Exeter was dead and Warwick critically wounded, that even the other senior officers had looked to Ensign Reiser to lead them. He also told them that Talbot had done so with valor and courage, managing to prevent an immediate slaughter by lasting days in the deadly Carthagen tunnels. As he did with parts of his own story, he also refrained from sharing too many details about what had happened to Talbot and the others. Specifically, he left out any mention of the holographic trap they had been led into while Julian was still in charge and how the entire time they thought they were lost in endless miles of tunnels they had actually been stuck in one large cavern.
When he was done, the other senior officers understood the basic chain of events that led to only General Reiser and Ensign Reiser returning from the Carthagen trap. If the brigadiers had questions, they thought better of asking at that moment and instead allowed Julian to rest. Standing from the seat at the head of the officers’ command room, he retired to his personal quarters.
There, he was drawn to the viewport and to the dazzling stars in the distance. There were too many to count, and in their totality the galaxy he looked out upon didn’t appear to be millions of different suns but an infinite expanse of perfect brilliance.
In that moment, billions and billions of individuals led their own personal journeys across the universe, but he couldn’t help but think of Lancelot. She was out there somewhere, and he wished he knew where she was and what she was doing. He couldn’t say why she dominated his thoughts or why her well-being mattered to him. He only knew that he was alive because she had it in her power to kill him but chose not to. No matter where she ended up, he had no doubt she would survive. Anyone that skilled with a pair of vibro lances, anyone who possessed two Meursault blades, would be okay. But especially someone who had fought her entire life in order to survive.
He also thought about the dreams he had while unconscious in Lancelot’s room. He somehow knew they were more than just dreams. After days in the caves, he was exhausted. There was no doubt he would sleep for a long time, and he was sure that when he awoke he would have the familiar impression that someone had been talking to him.
Before he slept, however, he turned from the viewport and walked to the door. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to Talbot that couldn’t wait. But when the door to his own room slid aside, his son was standing there with his finger over the call button.
They stared at each other for a moment. Then, as Talbot’s mouth began to open but before he could say anything, Julian reached out and put both arms around his boy. A moment later, Talbot returned the gesture. Julian wanted to remain that way for the rest of long journey back to Edsall Dark.
When he felt Talbot take a breath, he pulled back and invited his son into his room. The door slid shut behind them, ensuring they were alone.
“I’m so sorry,” Julian said even before Talbot was seated. “I never meant for anything like this to happen. I just wanted to spend time with you.” When Talbot didn’t say anything, Julian gave an awkward smile and added, “You know, some fathers teach their sons how to throw a ball... and others take their sons across the galaxy to confront stubborn civilizations.”
When Talbot didn’t return the smile, Julian let out a long breath and turned back to look out at the stars once more. No matter what type of conversation he was having, if he could just look at the galaxy he could find some sense of peace.
“What happened back there,” Talbot started to say, but Julian waved a hand to indicate he didn’t need to go any further.
“You’ll be treated like a hero when you get home. You did the best you could. You never should have been in that situation in the first place, and that’s my fault.”
Unable to look up, Talbot picked at the skin around one of his fingers. “I’m not a hero, dad. They all died.”
“Sometimes being a hero just means surviving despite impossible odds.” He cringed when he said this because he first thought of Lancelot—once again unable to get her out of his thoughts—managing to become the greatest Carthagen warrior and defending the elders. And he knew Arc-Mi-Joan would have mercilessly mocked him if he had said the same thing to her.
Rather than offer derisive laughter, Talbot flinched, unconvinced by Julian’s words.
Finally, his son did look up and maintain eye contact. “When we get back to Edsall Dark, I’m going to resign.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to be a soldier, dad.”
“I already put in a promotion for you.”
“I don’t want to be promoted. I don’t want to be part of the Round Table forces at all.”
They were silent for a while. Julian looked out at the stars for so long that when he closed his eyes he could still study the after-image. When he re-opened them, he asked Talbot what he wanted.
“I don’t know. That’s what I need to find out. This is the life you wanted for me. I’m happy that it’s what you want for yourself, but it isn’t the life I’m supposed to have for myself.”
Before this campaign, Julian would have taken the comment personally. The same words would have been a rejection of Julian’s life rather than his son simply wanting something else for himself.
Julian nodded and smiled. “I understand. Whatever makes you happy.”
94
After receiving the good news that General Reiser was safe and was returning home with the fleet, the representatives of the Round Table seemed to become somewhat more civil. They were still unable to reach a consensus on anything, but the improvement was enough at least for Hector to be encouraged and believe once again that Vere’s vision had been right.
The various members still disagreed on how the situation with Arc-Mi-Die should be handled, but they were less prone to interrupting each other and engaging in shouting matches. It was amazing how much reassurance one bit of good news offered them. To the people gathered in the Great Hall, one general’s survival was a sign that the Round Table was a stable force that could endure whatever challenges came along.
“Sir,” Pistol said, and Hector swiveled on his energy disk to face the android.
The slightly translucent hand had in its palm a communication update, which Hector took and began to read. On the other side of the room, he saw th
at Octo’s helper android was handing him an update as well and guessed it was the same report.
Almost immediately, Hector’s hand quivered as he read the message that had been received by Edsall Dark’s control room and passed along to him.
“No,” he whispered. “Don’t do this.”
“Everyone,” Octo called to the room after reading the same update. “We have just received another communication from the warlord Arc-Mi-Die. The message states, and I quote: ‘Feel free to destroy the next Excalibur ship if you want. But know that if you do, I will send more just like it. This is just to prove to you that no one is safe. Enjoy.’”
The clamor of questions erupted without pause.
“What does it mean?”
“He didn’t say what he wants. What are his demands?”
“I told all of you we should have made a deal with him.”
“Where’s the next ship going to appear?”
There were hundreds of questions blurted out at the same time—far too many for Hector to hear them all.
They were silenced by alarms that began to fill the Great Hall. Sirens blared. Red lights flashed. Everyone scrambled for the exits.
95
Portia and Margaret were having their first good day in longer than they could remember. Both of them laughed the way they had as children while they enjoyed the fresh air and the sounds of nature outside CamaLon’s main wall.
Margaret couldn’t have been happier. Julian and Talbot were both safe and on their way home. She had gone from thinking she might lose both her husband and son to being informed they would return home in a matter of weeks. Yes, there had been losses to the fleet and some good officers had been killed, but in the sphere of her life and her family, nothing mattered other than Julian and Talbot returning home safely.
And Portia got to see Hector’s mood improve. The Round Table representatives were learning to function better as a group. It wasn’t perfect, Hector told her after a recent session, but it was an improvement. She had smiled and told him that was all he could hope for.
They were halfway back toward the capital wall, returning from their walk across the fields, when they heard the alarms begin to sound. CamaLon’s alert systems were impossible not to hear. Flocks of winged creatures were startled and flew back toward the Forest of Tears. A shepherd lost control of his flock, which scattered in fear of the piercing sirens.
“What do you think it could be?” Margaret said.
Rather than answer with words, Portia tugged on her friend’s sleeve and pointed up toward the sky.
An Excalibur Armada vessel was hovering within Edsall Dark’s atmosphere. She had never seen one in person but she knew as much about the legendary fleet of ships as anyone else. She also knew about the battle that had taken place at Dela Turkomann and how just one of those vessels had obliterated Mowbray’s Supreme Athens Destroyer. In recent days, a pair of the ships had decimated random colonies around the galaxy.
Now, one was hovering directly above CamaLon.
The Adventure Continues
in book 5 of the Space Lore saga…
The Sword In The Stone
The warlord Arc-Mi-Die continues to throw the galaxy into chaos with his unique brand of crazed attacks. A warrior, shrouded in mystery, goes in search of the deadly lunatic.
Back on Edsall Dark, Julian Reiser returns as a hero. He is even given the legendary Sword in the Stone. It is said that whoever possesses the sword will be the next great ruler. However, some people understand that the purpose of the Round Table was to do away with such leaders. Will General Reiser help bring about the change that the Round Table sorely needs or will he become the next galactic emperor?
In this chapter of the Space Lore saga, Arthurian legend blends with Shakespearian tragedy to create an epic space fantasy unlike anything you have read before.
Available August 28!
Acknowledgments
As always, I am indebted to many people for their support: Jodie McFadden, for her constant encouragement and optimism; my parents and brother for their support; and everyone on GoodReads and in the BJJ and MMA communities who read my other novels and recommended them to their friends. That is the only way that books like mine have the chance to be successful, and I’m grateful for their support.
I would also like to thank all of the artists who were willing to devote their time and creative energy to designing the characters and places described in this book. Ever since I first saw Ralph McQuarrie’s sketches for the aliens and ships in the original Star Wars trilogy, I’ve wanted to create a world where artists could bring to life the concepts described throughout the adventure. Thank you to Tim, Leila, Molly, Bryce, Ken, and Loic for doing just that.
Want to receive updates on my future books? Sign up for my newsletter at: http://chrisdietzel.com/mailing_list/
About The Author
Chris graduated from Western Maryland College (McDaniel College). He currently lives in Florida. His dream is to write the same kind of stories that have inspired him over the years.
His short stories have been published in Foliate Oak, Temenos, and Down in the Dirt. His novels have been featured on the Authors on the Air radio network, become Amazon Science Fiction Best Sellers, been required reading at the university level, and have been turned into amazing audiobooks produced by Podium Publishing.
About The Artists
Tim Barton – Tim is a digital artist known for his stunning and colorful space artwork. He does his work in Adobe Photoshop and creates 3D scenes in Terragen. His full gallery of artwork can be viewed at http://www.cosmicspark.deviantart.com.
Bryce Baker - Bryce is a self taught artist specializing in watercolors and ink. His style lends itself to murals and concept art. He currently resides in Chicago, IL.
Ken V - Ken also creates art under the moniker "Jetfreak.” He is a freelance graphic and concept artist who specializes in aircraft profiles and renders. His website, where he regularly posts new illustrations and 3d renders, is: https://jetfreak-7.deviantart.com/
Molly Evans – Molly majored in art history and studio art at the University of Maryland. She specializes in painting and illustration. Her inspirations are the concepts of the female identity as well as the places she has traveled around the world. Her website is: http://mollyevansart.weebly.com/
Leila ElManfaa – Leila is a self-taught artist specializing in melancholic and moody designs. She was inspired by the old masters, particularly Renaissance, Baroque, and pre-Raphaelites. Nearly all of her work ties somewhere into stories and fairytales that she has read. Her website is: https://bethaleil.deviantart.com.
Loic Denoual – Loic is a concept artist and illustrator from France. He is a self-taught digital illustrator. His website is: https://grimdor.artstation.com/
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