The Future King

by James Riley

  As the earth shook, a seventh stone rose from the ground, this one only half as large as the rest but standing in front of them all, closer to the cliff’s edge. The ground stopped shaking as it finished rising, thankfully, and they all moved in closer to see.

  The queen raised a hand over the stone, and it began to glow as she slowly lifted her palm up.

  Out of the stone, the hilt of a sword appeared.

  The queen raised her hand higher, and the sword pulled out farther in response, revealing a blade covered in words of the same language that covered the stones.

  But before the blade emerged completely, the queen dropped her hand, leaving it halfway submerged in the stone. “This is Caliburn,” she said, staring at the sword warmly. “Forged by the ancient Avalonians out of a human spear and a Tylwyth Teg sword as a sign of the unity we once shared.” She sneered. “It is now all that’s left of that cause. Caliburn is our greatest weapon, one that is no less dangerous for the wielder than their foes. Only the worthy may bear it, for its power is too great for anyone lesser.”

  “The sword in the stone,” Rachel breathed, a huge smile spreading across her face. She blushed at a quizzical look from the queen. “We, um, call it Excalibur.”

  “Only an Artorigios may wield it,” the queen said. “And solely to an Artorigios will I grant your fondest wish: the book of magic that you seek.” She nodded at Fort, then spread her arms to them. “My deal is thus: Use this blade to destroy the Old One who betrayed me, Emrys, the Old One of Time magic. Touch it to him, and with even but a scratch, you will grant me my vengeance for taking my people from me. Promise me this, and I will grant your boon. I will give you the book of Spirit magic.” Her hands once again dropped. “Fail, like the six Artorigios in the past, and you will belong to me, just as they now do, both in life and in death.”

  - THIRTY-ONE -

  FORT JUST STARED AT THE sword in the stone in shock. To get the book of Spirit magic and stop a war, one of them had to be worthy of the sword? What did that even mean? Who decided who was worthy or not?

  Would Fort himself be considered for trying to stop the war, even if it was going to start because of him? Or would he be blamed for everything that came from rescuing his father, which only happened because he’d wanted to save his dad?

  Not that he’d considered the consequences of any of it. And he’d ended up hurting a lot of people in the meantime and setting things up for the world to go to war. Maybe he couldn’t have foreseen all of that, but he certainly could have thought things through more.

  Beyond the whole worthiness thing, they also had to make a bargain with the faerie queen, the very thing the old man in Cyrus’s cottage had warned him not to do. But what choice did they even have? If none of them agreed to take down this Old One of Time magic—not that they’d ever even seen an Old One of Time magic—then they wouldn’t get the book, either.

  Still, it wasn’t like the Old Ones were anything but monsters. If touching one with Excalibur ended up destroying it, it wouldn’t be the worst thing. One less Old One trying to destroy the world would actually be a pretty good thing.

  That was assuming they could take the queen at her word, though.

  “Your Majesty, we mean no offense by asking, but where is this Emrys?” Rachel asked. “If he is in another dimension, then we won’t be able to reach him.”

  The queen gave her a long look. “You think if I could sense him that I would not have taken my vengeance? He hides from me, and has for millennia, knowing I would doom him with a touch. Do not agree to this lightly, children. Six of the greatest human warriors I have found have attempted to do this same task and failed.” She paused. “But none of them had faced an Old One before, and you three have. This decision is in your hands.”

  “How long would we have, Your Majesty?” Fort asked.

  “Time is meaningless to Emrys,” the queen said, shaking her head. “It is his to control, and your challenge will be to find a way to overcome that. But as for our agreement, I will not wait longer than one turning of the four seasons on your world.”

  Fort’s eyes widened. One year to find an Old One? That didn’t seem like anywhere close to enough time, especially not if that Old One had Time magic. For all they knew, this Emrys monster could be living in the past or future. How would they ever actually find him?

  “You have until then to use Caliburn, or it will return here, and bring you along with it,” the queen continued. “If you agree to this, I will grant you the book of Spirit magic that the Pendragon returned with here, after he perished, as well as grant you forgiveness for the crime of entering my land.” She stared down at each of them in turn. “Refuse, and I will be merciful. I will only sentence you to a few decades in our dungeons for you to learn your lesson.”

  Jia and Ellora gasped, while Rachel groaned softly. Even having heard the queen’s “merciful” punishment already, it still hit Fort in the gut. They couldn’t spend half their lives in a dungeon, especially not while the world they’d left behind went to war. There really was no other choice.

  But maybe there’d be something good that came from this. If they did have Caliburn, or Excalibur, whatever it was called, they could use it against Damian, and maybe even the other Old Ones, if it was actually powerful enough to destroy one. It could be a huge advantage overall.

  That’s it, son! Fort heard his father say in his head. Think positively. Anyone would love to have a magic sword, but only you will get to stop a war with it. What better excuse could you have? And there’s no one more worthy than my Forsythe!

  Fort winced at his imaginary father’s words. Yes, his real dad would say that. But that didn’t make it true.

  But there wasn’t any other choice. And Fort couldn’t leave it to his friends. The old man had said that Rachel specifically shouldn’t take the sword, but even if he hadn’t, this was all because of what Fort had done, so he couldn’t just leave Jia or Rachel, or even Ellora, to fix it.

  “I’ll take the agreement, Your Majesty,” Fort said, stepping forward. “We’re only here because of me, so I’ll find this Emrys Old One and, um, get your revenge, if that’s what it takes.”

  But before he could move, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Fort, this isn’t just on you,” Rachel said quietly. “The three of us were all there, getting your dad back. And none of us could ever let the war happen, no matter how it started. You don’t have to do this. We can flip a coin or something—”

  He smiled thankfully at her, then gave her a quick hug. “Thank you,” he said, “but I really do need to try.”

  She patted him awkwardly on the back. “Okay, let’s not make a scene or anything. I was just being polite.”

  “The sword will determine if you are worthy to wield it, child,” the queen told him. “If it finds you unworthy, it will erupt into flame, burning you in its wrath. Attempt this at your own peril.”

  It was going to burn him if he wasn’t worthy? That might have been important to mention before he’d volunteered! Still, there was no way he could back out now, especially not with the possibility of fire. He couldn’t let his friends take that risk without at least trying himself.

  “I understand,” Fort said, and wiped his now-sweating hands on his shirt, hoping he didn’t look too nervous. What did worthy mean to a sword anyway? Was it about how brave he’d be, or how well he could sword fight? Or would it judge him based on everything he’d done?

  The sword looked oddly threatening, sticking halfway out of the stone, and Fort stared at it anxiously, then forced himself close enough to take it. Gritting his teeth, he slowly reached out toward the hilt, his hand shaking so much he had to steady it with his other hand.

  Take it, my once and future king! his father shouted in his head, and Fort winced, quickly grazed his fingertips against the hilt, then yanked his hand back.

  Nothing happened.

  Behind him, he heard Rachel, Jia, and Ellora all let out their held breaths, and he gave them a relieved smil
e over his shoulder. It hadn’t burned him! That meant at least the sword considered him worthy. Who would have thought?

  Me! said his father’s voice. I would have thought!

  Not me, Fort thought himself, then turned back to the sword, reached out, and grabbed it.

  It immediately lit on fire.

  A flame of pure white spread up from the bottom of the blade to the hilt faster than Fort could move. As it reached his hand, pain shot up through his fingers and into his arm, like nothing he’d ever felt.

  Fort screamed in agony, releasing the sword instantly. He desperately cast Heal Minor Wounds on his hand, cradling it to his chest.

  And then Jia was there, spreading cooling Healing magic into his burned hand, and it began to restore itself, the blackened flesh changing back to a healthy color, and the pain finally extinguishing.

  He turned to stare at the sword in the stone before him, its fire having disappeared as soon as he dropped the hilt.

  He wasn’t worthy. The sword didn’t think he was good enough to hold it. As painful as the flames had been, the sword’s decision almost hurt more.

  Everything he’d ever done had been judged and found not to be good enough. He squeezed his unburned hand tightly, digging his fingernails into his palm, trying not to think about it, trying not to lose it in front of everyone.

  Why would the sword have found him worthy? A war was going to erupt around the world because of him!

  “Ray, we can’t do this,” Jia said to Rachel as she continued healing Fort. “Who even knows what worthiness is?”

  “The sword does,” the queen said, looking down at Fort with something that could have been pity, feeling like another kick in his gut. “Who will attempt to wield it now?”

  Rachel sighed deeply, then stepped forward.

  “No, don’t!” Fort shouted, as Jia dropped Fort’s now-healed hand and moved to block Rachel from the sword.

  “Fort’s right,” Jia said, spreading her arms out wide. “I’m not letting you do this!”

  “It’d just be a little burn,” Rachel said, but her expression made it clear she wasn’t as brave as she sounded. “What’s there to lose? I have to try.”

  “No!” Jia said, louder this time. “I’m not letting us all burn to a crisp just to prove some point!” Her eyes lit up, and she quickly turned to the queen, bowing low. “Your Majesty, is that what this is, a test? You wanted to see if we were wise enough to not take the weapon, and if we chose correctly, you’d give us the book?”

  The queen’s eyes narrowed, and the sky darkened around them, the wind picking up out of nowhere as rain began to fall. They all had to duck behind the memorial stones just to avoid being blown off the edge. “This is a test, young one, but you are incorrect about its meaning!” the queen roared. “I will see Emrys destroyed for what he did to my people. We shall have our revenge for his deceit!”

  “Right,” Rachel said, and pushed off the stone she was hiding behind. “Enough of this. I’m going for it.”

  “Ray, no!” Jia shouted, but Rachel was already moving, driving into the wind toward the sword. With Fort just behind her, Jia followed Rachel and tried to grab for her, but the wind tossed her and Fort backward, almost deliberately.

  The memory of the pain in his hand made Fort try again, but the wind plowed into him harder the second time, knocking him back into one of the stones, pinning him there. A moment later, Jia crashed against the stone next to him, trapped as well.

  Somehow, though, the wind allowed Rachel to reach the sword. She held out her hand to grab it, then paused, giving Jia an almost apologetic smile. “Did you really think I’d give up a chance to pull the sword out of the stone, Gee?” she shouted. “I mean, come on.”

  Then she wrapped her hand around the hilt.

  Fort flinched as she did, imagining what the white flame would do to her, what pain she was about to experience.

  Except, no flame emerged.

  Instead, Rachel, looking as amazed as Fort felt, slowly pulled the sword straight out of the stone, then held it up to the queen.

  “I guess a deal is a deal, Your Majesty,” she shouted as the rain and wind whirled around her. “Give us the book, and I’ll take down the Old One of Time.”

  - THIRTY-TWO -

  CALIBURN JUDGES YOU WORTHY, SO therefore the bargain is complete !” the queen shouted, the wind dying down and the rain gradually stopping as her mood seemed to improve.

  Fort and Jia rushed over to where Rachel stood, Fort barely able to comprehend what he’d just seen. Jia, though, leaped in for a hug that almost sent them both tumbling to the ground.

  Then she pulled back and smacked Rachel hard in the shoulder.

  “Don’t ever do that again!” Jia shouted. “What were you thinking?”

  “I just told you that I wanted to pull Excalibur out of the stone!” Rachel said, beaming as her face turned red. “When else would I have this chance?”

  “What if it burned you, too, like Fort?” Jia asked, pointing back at him.

  Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know. I half expected it to. We’ll probably never know what the sword was looking for. Maybe after six guys kept failing, it finally realized it should have been a girl all along?”

  Fort forced a smile, knowing that she was being nice, not pointing out that the sword had found her worthy for a reason and hadn’t done the same for him. And honestly, he couldn’t look at Rachel and feel jealous of her, not with everything that came along with the sword. Plus, if anyone would be able to use it well, it was Rachel.

  No, the part that really bothered him was that the sword had just confirmed everything he’d ever felt guilty about. Turned out that yes, it was all Fort’s fault, from his father getting taken to a world war starting, and even a magical weapon knew it.

  “Your Majesty,” Rachel said, bending down on one knee and holding the sword’s tip into the ground before her. “I beg your forgiveness, but I would ask you further questions about our agreement.”

  “You have my forgiveness, then,” the queen said. “You may proceed.”

  “You said you would give us a year to find this Emrys,” Rachel said. “When we find him, and I … use the sword on him, what will happen? What does it do?”

  “It will protect you from his magic, and that is all you need to know,” the queen said. “If you are successful, the sword will return to me under its own power.”

  This seemed to throw Rachel. “So I shouldn’t take it to a lake and throw it in?”

  The sky around the queen seemed to darken. “Do not bring that woman up to me, child. You will find I am less merciful when angered.”

  Fort blinked in confusion, having no idea what was going on. He vaguely remembered something about a Lady of the Lake from the King Arthur stories, the one who gave King Arthur his sword, maybe. But why would the faerie queen not want to talk about that? Who was the lady, and what had she done to anger the queen?

  At some point, Fort was going to have to track down a copy of the King Arthur legends and catch up on everything, if just so he didn’t offend anyone else.

  “We will fulfill your quest, Your Majesty,” Rachel said, nodding her head to the queen. “Will you grant us the book of Spirit magic in return, then, as agreed to within our, uh, agreement?”

  As the sky returned to normal behind her, the queen lifted a hand, then plucked something out of thin air and handed it to Rachel. “Your boon, as promised. This was left here by the Pendragon and does not belong in my realm.” She tilted her head. “In truth, I am happy to see it go. It creates too many … temptations, and I would be a poor queen if I ever used it upon my people.”

  Rachel accepted the book and nodded. “I promise, you’ll never see it again.” She looked at it for a moment, then shuddered and tossed it a bit too hard at Fort, who managed to catch it, after fumbling it momentarily.

  He glanced down at the cover. The Forbidden Art of Spirit Magic.

  Yikes. Not exactly the friendliest title.


  “And now, my end of the bargain is kept,” the queen said. “If you ever return, I will assume you have failed in your part of our agreement, and therefore you will remain forever. Do we understand each other?”

  Rachel coughed. “Yes, Your Majesty. Could you, uh, take us back to the portal we arrived through? The one in the marketplace?”

  The queen looked down at her coldly. “Of course not. I closed that portal the moment I became aware of it. I would not allow my children to enter your world, especially with a dragon waiting on the other side.”

  What? She’d closed the portal? How were they going to get home, then? That had been the last use of Fort’s Restore Dimensional Portal spell! “Your Majesty,” he said, “we might have a problem—”

  The queen turned to him, and Fort took a step backward, shrinking under her intensity. “You would ask more of me, human?”

  Fort violently shook his head. “No, not at all! It’s just that you closed our only door back to our world, and—

  “You arrived here with no way home?” the queen sighed, rubbing her head. “You are no better than my own children. I will send you home.”

  And with that, Rachel, Jia, and Ellora all disappeared. Fort waited for a moment for the memorial stones to fade away as well, but when they didn’t, he looked up at the queen in surprise.

  Had she changed her mind? Was she going to throw him in the dungeon by himself until he was fifty?

  “Calm yourself, child,” the queen said, shaking her head. “Your brave friend was found worthy of Caliburn, so you will all be sent home. But before you go, I wished to speak to each of you alone, and offer you … a bargain.”

  Alarms began sounding in Fort’s head as the queen moved closer to him. Between Rachel and the old man, he knew he couldn’t accept any agreement, no matter how tempting it was.