A Knight of the Sacred Blade

by Jonathan Moeller

  “I worry about you,” said Mary.

  Ally laughed. “Me? I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “But I do,” said Mary. She fiddled with her robe’s belt. “You have those nightmares all the time.”

  “I do not,” said Ally.

  “You do,” said Mary. “I can hear you, sometimes. I don’t think you always remember the dreams. All those nightmares can’t be good for you. I don’t want to lose you. You’re the best friend I have.”

  “Mary.” Ally hugged her. “I’m fine. Lots of people have nightmares. Don’t worry about me. Instead, we’ll worry about getting you back on your feet. Okay?”

  Mary hugged her back. “Okay.” She stood up. “Good night.”

  “Good night,” said Ally. Mary went back to the guest room. Ally lay back down and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. She hoped she would feel better tomorrow. She usually did.

  ###

  Ally blinked awake and smelled something frying. Katrina never fried anything. Ally hoped the house wasn’t burning down. She rolled out of bed, found a pair of jeans, and shuffled downstairs to the kitchen.

  Mary stood at the stove, an eye on a half-dozen sizzling pans.

  “Oh! Morning, Ally,” said Mary.

  “Um…good morning,” said Ally. “What are you doing?”

  “Making breakfast,” said Mary, adjusting a skillet.

  “Is that bacon?” said Ally. Katrina never bought bacon, much to Simon’s dismay.

  “Yup,” said Mary.

  “Okay,” said Ally. Mary returned her attention to the frying pans, and Ally went into the dining room. Simon had taken over the table again, books and papers on the Roman Empire covering every free surface. He sat with his back to the kitchen door, typing on his MacBook.

  “Don’t you have a desk?” said Ally.

  Simon glanced up. “Don’t scare me like that.”

  Ally sat down. “At your age it’s not good, right?”

  “Funny,” said Simon. “I do have a desk, as you well know.”

  “Then why can’t you use it?” said Ally. “Suppose I want to eat breakfast here or something?”

  “The desk is buried,” said Simon, leafing through a stack of journal articles. “Well, at least, I think it is. I haven’t cleaned out the study in a while. I have to finish this before we…”

  “Before what?” said Ally.

  Simon coughed. “I’ll tell you later. As for breakfast, you can always eat in the kitchen…” He looked up and smiled. “Breakfast. Oh, yes. Breakfast. Your friend’s making pancakes and eggs and bacon…”

  Ally grinned. “Mom doesn’t know about this, does she?”

  Simon blinked. “Your mother? Well, um, she’s still asleep, and…”

  Ally looked through the door and saw Katrina talking to Mary. She smiled, patted Mary on the shoulder, and entered the dining room.

  “Simon,” Katrina said. The word seemed to carry paragraphs of meaning.

  Simon gave her a wide smile. “Good morning, Katrina. Did you sleep well?”

  Katrina sat down next to Ally. “Mary’s making breakfast.”

  Simon glanced into the kitchen. “She is, isn’t she?”

  “Bacon and eggs and pancakes,” said Katrina, her tone clinical. “All very unhealthy foods. Where do you suppose she got those, Simon?”

  “Um.” Simon shuffled his papers. “I took her shopping. Early, before you got up.”

  “You did?” said Katrina. “None of those foods are good for your blood pressure, you know.”

  “I know,” said Simon. He sighed. “I got up early to work.” His voice lowered. “I think she had been up crying. I asked if she had any breakfast, we got to talking, and she mentioned how much she used to enjoy making breakfast, back when her mother was still alive. She asked if she could make me breakfast, and I said sure. But it’s hard to make a proper breakfast with just granola bars and bran muffins. So we went shopping, and, well,” Simon shrugged, “I did my best to stop her. But the poor child just wanted to make breakfast…”

  Katrina laughed. “You just wanted pancakes and bacon for breakfast.”

  Simon gave her a hurt look. “Is this what I get for trying to help her? Just because I get a pancake breakfast out of it…”

  “With bacon,” said Ally.

  “Yes, with bacon,” said Simon. “But…”

  “And eggs. And syrup and butter on the pancakes,” said Ally.

  Simon sighed. “Daughter dearest. You are not helping me here.”

  Katrina leaned back in her chair and stared into the kitchen, watching Mary.

  Simon leaned forward. “Look at her,” he said, his voice low. “She’s been almost catatonic since Ally brought her home. I haven’t seen her this cheerful…well, ever. And I think a bit more grease in my arteries is a small price to pay for that.”

  Katrina leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “Simon Wester. Sometimes you still surprise me, even after all these years. And some pancakes would be nice.”

  Ally stared at her. “Are you feeling okay?”

  Katrina frowned. “Yes. Why?”

  “Pancakes?” said Ally. “You?”

  “What?” said Katrina.

  Simon snickered. “Nothing, dear.”

  Katrina raised her eyebrows. “It’s not as if I’m a complete health fanatic.”

  Simon’s lips twitched. “You’re…I’m not even going to say anything to that.”

  Katrina patted his cheek. “Wise man.”

  “I married you, didn’t I?”

  Katrina laughed and looked at Ally. “He’s scoring all sorts of points today, isn’t he?”

  Mary stuck her head in through the door. “How many pancakes does everyone want?”

  “I’ll take two,” said Katrina.

  “Two,” said Ally.

  “Four,” said Simon.

  Mary beamed. “Okay.” She hopped back into the kitchen.

  Footsteps thudded down the back stairs. Ally saw Lithon careen into the kitchen. He stopped and stared at the stove. “Is that bacon?”

  “Yup,” said Mary, pouring pancakes onto the griddle.

  “Wow! Mom never makes bacon!” said Lithon. “And are those pancakes? We never have those, except when we go to Grandma Wester’s house.”

  Simon glanced at Katrina.

  Katrina scowled. “Not a word.”

  “Yes, dear,” said Simon, turning his attention to his laptop.

  “So what are you working on so feverishly?” said Katrina.

  “That journal article. It needs to be done so we can…” Katrina scowled. “Oh, right. Well. It just needs to be done.”

  Lithon scratched his head. “Done in time for what?”

  “Our project this afternoon,” said Simon.

  Ally frowned. “Project? What project? This sounds suspiciously like work.”

  Simon smiled. “A mind like a trap, this daughter of mine. Remember Grandma Wester’s old house?”

  Ally blinked. “You…mean that big white place out in Cicero, near those woods?” Something unpleasant swelled just beneath the surface of her mind. “I…remember it. I think.”

  Lithon shrugged. “I don’t.” He trotted into the kitchen, fetched an apple, and started munching on it.

  Katrina frowned. “Ally? You okay?”

  Ally shook her head and pushed the hair out of her face. “Yeah. It…I don’t remember it very well, that’s all.”

  Katrina and Simon shared a look.

  Katrina moved her arm through one of the exercises she did from time to time, the muscles of her forearm flexing. “Grandma Wester moved to Florida right after we adopted you. I don’t think you would remember much of that old house.”

  “Perhaps that was for the best,” said Simon.

  “Why?” said Lithon around a mouthful of apple.

  “Well,” Simon stared out the window. “Ah. It’s a long story. Pretty boring.”

  Lithon finished his apple, curiosity gle
aming in his blue eyes. “Can we hear it?”

  Katrina and Simon shared another look.

  “You sure, kiddo?” said Katrina. “It involves how we met. There’s a lot of kissing in it.” Simon coughed.

  Lithon made a face. “You guys are gross.” He went to the kitchen and got another apple, ignoring Mary’s warnings about ruining his appetite.

  “Anyway,” said Simon, “Grandma never managed to sell the place, especially after the market crashed a few years ago. It needs a lot of work, and neither she nor I wanted to invest the time and money to fix it up. It’s been on the market for eight years, but we only had someone show interest last week.”

  “Who?” said Ally. Lithon wandered back in, halfway through his apple.

  “Dr. Heloise Francis, my old dissertation adviser,” said Simon.

  Katrina grinned. “Really? Dr. Francis?”

  “You know her?” said Simon. “Wait, of course you would. She was at the wedding.”

  “Not that,” said Katrina. “She came to one of my book signings, back when I still had a traditional publisher. She liked my book, which one was it…about the Swiss bank robbers. I was surprised.” She smirked. “She was your advisor, Simon. I thought she wouldn’t deign to read a common crime novel.”

  “She always had excellent taste,” said Simon.

  Katrina laughed. “More points.”

  “Years of practice,” said Simon. “Anyway, Dr. Francis is going to look at the place on Friday. So we’re going to go over and vacuum, sweep, wash the floors, rake up the leaves, just tidy up.”

  Ally groaned. “I wanted to go see a movie tonight. Can’t we do it on Thursday?”

  “Nope,” said Simon. “Thursday is when we’re going to that special honors dinner.”

  Ally rolled her eyes. “And that’s going to be a pain.”

  Simon waved a free finger. “Never turn down free food. Besides, your friend Bill the valedictorian…”

  “Simon,” said Katrina.

  “Your friend Bill will be there,” said Simon, not missing a beat. “After that, we can tell you about your big graduation present.”

  That caught Ally’s attention. “My what?”

  “So, I think you can help clean the old house this afternoon,” said Simon. “It’s not as if you have a job.”

  Ally scowled. “That’s no reason. I applied at three dozen places. There’s simply no jobs available right now.”

  Simon nodded. “So you’ll have plenty of time to help tidy up. Besides, we can order pizza after we finish, have a little picnic behind Grandma’s old house.”

  “Simon!” said Katrina. “Pancakes and pizza in the same day?”

  “Cool!” said Lithon.

  Simon spread his hands. “Rewards and punishments, dear, rewards and punishments.”

  “You’re a historian, not a psychologist,” said Katrina. She sighed. “All right. Fine. Pizza tonight.” Lithon grinned and finished off his apple. “Just don’t blame me when you have to get a stronger blood pressure medication the next time you see the doctor.”

  “Just this once won’t hurt, dear,” said Simon. “All things in moderation, right?”

  Katrina did not look convinced, but she nodded.

  Mary stuck her head into the dining room.

  “Oh, don’t worry, you can interrupt,” said Katrina. “We’re not talking about anything important. Just my husband’s long-term health, that’s all.”

  Mary bit her lip. “Um…okay. Are you going away tonight?”

  “This afternoon,” said Simon. “We’re going to go clean up my mother’s old house for a potential buyer, but you don’t have to come if…”

  “Oh, I’ll come!” Mary did a little hop. “It gets dark and lonely here when you all leave. And it’ll be nice to go outside for a bit. Oh! I almost forgot. Breakfast is ready.”

  “Well!” Simon snapped his laptop shut. “Then by all means, let’s eat.”

  They sat down around the kitchen table and began eating. Simon let out a little sigh of pleasure as he devoured a slice of bacon.

  “Mary,” said Katrina. “This is very good.” Lithon wolfed down his stack of pancakes and started on another.

  Mary grinned, and Ally felt some relief. Maybe Mary would pull out of the depression after all.

  ###

  Images shot through Ally’s mind, mingling with the growl of the car’s engine. She saw a castle burning, smoke billowing from the towers, dark things circling in the sky. She saw an old man with two swords on his belt. A door of dark stone carved with runes of binding appeared before her…

  Someone elbowed her in the ribs. “Hey. Wake up. We’re here.”

  Ally blinked, yawned, and came out of her doze. “I’m a teenager. I need my sleep.”

  Katrina snorted. “Only for another year and a half. So use that excuse while you can.” The car’s tires squealed as she pulled into a driveway. “And we’re here.”

  Ally glanced over her shoulder. “Before Dad, too.”

  Katrina laughed and put the car into park.

  The large white house stood in the midst of its overgrown lawn, its paint peeling, its windows curtained and dark. A driveway led past a spacious back porch to a garage. The backyard sloped away, leveling out before a patch of woods. Ally got out and stared at the small forest.

  “Weird, isn’t it?” said Katrina. She leaned against the hood.

  “Those woods?” said Ally. “Yeah. Here in the middle of the city. I’m surprised someone hasn’t cut them down and built a gas station or something.”

  “There might be a reason for that,” said Katrina, her voice quiet.

  Ally looked at her. “Are you okay?”

  “What?” Katrina shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…a lot of memories here. A lot of memories. Simon and I came here a lot when we were still dating.” Her arm twitched. “And we met you and Lithon here for the first time.”

  Ally blinked. “You did?” She had never heard this before. “When was this?”

  “It was…” Katrina turned as Simon’s car pulled into the driveway. “We’ll tell you later. It’s something we both have to tell you.”

  Ally grimaced in frustration. “All right.”

  Simon got out of the car, eyes fixed on the house as Mary and Lithon got out of his Focus’s back seat.

  “You okay?” said Katrina.

  “Yeah,” said Simon. “I guess so. Are you okay? You…came out of this rougher than I did.”

  “I’m fine,” said Katrina. She smiled. “Not all the memories are bad. Remember the cold pizza? And the couch?”

  Simon grinned. “Oh, yes. Definitely.” He gripped Katrina’s shoulders and kissed her. Lithon made a gagging noise and tucked a pair of mops under his arm.

  “Everyone’s a critic,” said Simon. “Okay. Let’s decide who’s doing what. I get to supervise, of course…”

  “Dad,” said Ally.

  Simon rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll do the upstairs bedrooms.”

  “I can do the bathrooms,” said Mary.

  “Okay,” said Simon. “Katrina, you can,” Katrina gave him a look, “you…um, you can do as you think best.” He grinned. “Ally. You want to mow the lawn?”

  Ally looked at the thick woods behind the house. “Sure.”

  Simon blinked. “I thought you hated mowing the lawn.”

  “I do,” said Ally. She glanced at the woods. “I want to think about some stuff, though.”

  Simon shrugged. “If it means I don’t have to do it, then suit yourself.”

  ###

  Ally shut off the mower and wiped sweat from her forehead. She wished she had worn shorts. She stepped away from the mower and tugged at her damp, sticking shirt. Good thing Bill wasn’t here. His eyes would have been riveted to her chest.

  She pushed the lawnmower up the hill and into the garage, wincing at the heat. The musty air inside seemed to ripple. She saw the sunken woods behind the house through a dusty window.

  An odd it
ching tugged at Ally’s brain.

  She strode outside and stared at the woods. They looked green and shady and quiet, no different than any other woods in the Midwest. Yet why did they tug at her mind?

  Maybe she just needed exercise. Tonight she would go to the gym and run ten or twelve miles. Perhaps that would cure the odd moods she had been…

  “Ally!”

  Mary stood on the broad back porch. “Hey! You done with the bathrooms already?”

  Mary made a face. “Already? It’s been two hours. Oh my God, do you know how hard it is to clean up ten years worth of dust? And that toilet…man! I don’t think anyone’s flushed it since your grandma moved out.” She squinted. “You look sweaty.”

  Ally laughed. “It got hot out. And that old lawnmower’s like a furnace. You could have cooked breakfast on it.”

  “Your mom told me to make some lemonade,” said Mary. “Want some?”

  Ally grinned. “Sure!” She jogged up the stairs. Mary had set up a pitcher and some glasses on a cardboard box. Ally dropped into a faded old lawn chair, poured herself a glass, and took a long drink. “I could use a shower.”

  Mary wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. Your Dad totally stinks.” She leaned forward. “Don’t take this personally…but…he’s not in very good shape.”

  Ally burst out laughing. “Oh, God! Don’t do that when my mouth is full!”

  Mary giggled. “No wonder your mom rides him so hard about the food.”

  Ally looked at her and smiled. “Yeah.” Mary looked happier than Ally had seen her in a long time.

  Mary sipped her lemonade. “What? What’s so funny?”

  Ally shook her head. “Nothing. You’re just…it’s…” She sighed. “You just seem…better than I’ve seen you in weeks. Healthier. Happier. That’s all.”

  Mary shrugged. “It seems like a bad dream lately. You know what I mean. The last few months. Nathan.” She shook her head. “Nathan. God. I can’t believe I was such a moron.”

  “Well,” said Ally. The woods kept drawing her eye. “You know better now.”

  Mary half-smiled. “Yeah. A lot better. I wish I didn’t always have to learn things the hard way.”

  “Yeah. I’m doing a lot better. But I’m still worried about you,” said Mary.

  Ally rolled her eyes. “Not this again. I told you, I’m fine.”