“On your knee,” the King commanded, eliciting a smile from his sons.
I shrugged and knelt at the King’s feet, dipping my head.
He draped the chain over my neck. “You are now a knight of the realm,” he proclaimed loudly. “A defender of Iceland, and an honorary member of House Lehmann.”
I held the emblem, running my thumbs along the intricate steel design. “I...I don’t know what to say.”
“Is this allowed?” Drake asked. “Making a superhuman a knight?”
“It is now. That’s another perk of being King: making up the rules as I go along.” He spread his hands wide and his sons reached out, wrapping their arms around their father’s waist. “Take care of each other,” he said firmly, as if it were a command, not a friendly suggestion.
Dawson beamed with excitement. “I can’t wait to see the rest of the world!”
“You’re going to leave Iceland?” The King said. “B-but...that’s nonsense. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know what’s out there!”
“I know,” the young knight replied with a smile that lit up the room. “That’s why we’re going.”
Epilogue
“Are you buckled in?” Dawson asked, reaching forward to flip switches on the jet’s dash.
Sitting next to him in the cockpit I pulled the belt across my lap and clicked it into place. “Aye aye, captain.” I gave him an exaggerated salute and he laughed uncontrollably.
“Is it going to be like this for the entire trip?” Drake asked from behind us.
“Pretty much,” Dawson shrugged. “You’re going to have to get used to these foreign concepts...like laughter and friendship. And not being a dick.”
Drake couldn’t help but smile. Which was odd, since I hadn’t seen him smile once since I’d arrived in the Kingdom. He reached into the cockpit and rumpled his little brother’s hair, eliciting another goofy laugh.
“Exit,” Dawson commanded, triggering the castle’s hangar doors. They pulled open, bathing us in bright yellow sunlight, revealing the wide open space that stretched beyond the mountain tops.
Being stuck in a dystopian future without knowing how you’re going to get back to your own reality isn’t as bad as it sounds. Sure, there was the uncertainty, and the fear, and the fact that everyone kept calling me a blue-haired wench. But I could deal with all of that. Because something told me with those two by my side, sooner or later I’d find my way home...and besides, when you’re with the right people, home is wherever you happen to be at the moment.
To Be Continued ... ?
Thank You
Thank you so much for reading ‘The Manticore Ascension’. If you got to the end that means you at least liked it enough to keep turning the pages, and for that, I want to give you a big squishy cyber-hug (you can’t tell, but I’m clutching my laptop tight at the moment).
If you did happen to enjoy the short story, please leave a quick star-rating on Amazon! I would really appreciate it.
And if you didn’t enjoy it, just feel free to keep that little tidbit of information to yourself. It’s the Internet, after all – not some place for people to complain and post negative comments about things...right? Right guys?
Either way, I’d love to hear from you: catch up with me on the Twitters or the Facebooks if you’re into that sort of thing, or just drop me a line and say ‘hi’. :)
Thanks again...you’re the jam in my jelly roll.
Love and cuddles,
Blake
PS: I have a website too. It has my name on it and everything.
BlakeNorthcott.com
The Arena Mode Saga
By Blake Northcott
Arena Mode
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(Book Two in the Arena Mode Saga)
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The Manticore Ascension
(A Short Story in the Arena Mode Saga)
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About the Author
Blake Northcott is an author, Twitter-er, and Slayer of Vampires (only the ones that sparkle).
She enjoys comic books, novels, movies, travel, and the occasional rum & Coke. Turn-offs include Wheel of Fortune and Ke$ha.
Blake lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada with her family.
If you want to know more about Blake, visit her on one of those social media thingies. Or her website ... she has one of those too.
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The Manticore Ascension: A Short Story in the Arena Mode Universe Page 7