Chapter 8

“Seriously? You don’t just loose a whole country.” I laughed, rolling my eyes.

“Really, Khloe?” He sighed. “That’s what you’re taking from this?”

“Well, you can’t, can you?” I shook my head definitely.

He sighed. “If I understand mythology correctly, it isn’t gone entirely. It’s just…hidden.”

“You seriously believe this?” I forced out a laugh, shifting uncomfortably. I wanted nothing more than to storm out. I couldn’t. Somehow I was rooted to my chair, unable to move as I listened to his story, the knots in my stomach twisted tighter with every word.

“I wasn’t so sure before. I mean, I always found the story of King Author and the Knights of the Round Table fascinating. I never put much stock in to them though. Not until I saw this.” He lifted up the sword.

“What makes you think that this is Excalibur?”

“I was just getting to that. You see, King Author’s mother was worried for the young man’s safety when he was first born. So as a babe, she gave him to one of the King’s soldiers who took him in. The king died; he had no heirs. So this great Wizard, Merlin developed a sword that was stuck in a stone. Only the true heir of the king would be able to pull the sword out. King Author, at the time, was working as a stable hand. His owner sent him in his place to pull out the sword. Of course, King Author being the heir to the King, was able to pull the sword out of the stone.””

“So, you’re saying that this is the sword stuck in the stone?” I gave in and reached over to touch the smooth surface of the dark, silver blade. I pulled back. The metal was warm and if I was honest with myself, it might have felt like the sword shivered when I touched it.

“No.” Scotty shook his head. “This is not the sword in the stone.”

“So then what is it?” I asked, giving him a look that said I’m not in the mood for his games. I needed to know what he knew and exactly what it meant and how much trouble I was in. Scotty had no reason to save my ass and I had no way of asking him to keep this a secret. If this was playing out how I thought it was going to play out, I was screwed.

“That’s where the legend gets confused. Many people think that Excalibur is the sword in the stone. What many people tend to forget about is that later, after Author was knighted as King, there was a second sword. This sword welded in the very fires of Avalon. A sword of magic for the King that was supposed to defend both Avalon and Britain as per the peace treaty of the two lands. However, King Author banished all magic from the land and Avalon retreated in to the smoky waters, vanishing from human eyes.

“King Author became known as one of the greatest legendary kings to exist. When he died, this sword was buried with him. No one knows where his body is or where the sword was, only that the sword would awake when his people needed him.”

“And now it’s awake.” I cringed as I followed the story. It was leading down the exact path I was afraid of. A magic sword. And I’d basically been caught red handed with it.

“Precisely. And it’s in your hands now.” Scotty nodded.

“Nope. No it’s not. It was in Baulder’s hands first.” I argued quickly, pushing back from the sword.

“That could’ve been a mistake. Maybe Baulder’s intentions were to give it to you from the beginning. Maybe he found it by mistake.”” Scotty shrugged. “But you’re the one that ended up with it and now it’s yours.””

“We don’t know that for sure. Maybe the sword happened to wake up and we were just the first people to come across it.” I suggested. Scotty nodded.

“Anything is possible. Really. One thing I know is that this sword only answers to the one it was intended for. If it were intended for Baulder, he would still be here with us.”

I stared down at the sword, taking heavy breathes. Part of me knew Scotty was right, but I still couldn’t believe it.

“Look. We don’t know anything for sure. We don’t know if this sword has any real magical abilities. Personally, if I were you, I would just hold on to it. See what it does, what happens. I’ve marked it down as safe on the paperwork for Maxx. As far as he knows, it’s a regular sword. If anything of concern pops up, then we can handle it.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I replied dryly.

“It is that easy, Giles. Take it home, stuff it in your closet and see if it dances in the moonlight.” He’s smiled.

“Ha-ha.” I shook my head at him. “But if we do think it’s magic, why don’t you just turn it in?”

Scotty gave me a knowing look. He crossed his arms over his chest as he peered back at me. “You and I aren’t that close. I know, but I’ve watched you fight. You are a strong person. If this is…what we think it is, there’s a reason for it. I want to know what that reason is before we turn anything in. So if we don’t have to make waves, we won’t.”

I blinked, surprised by his words. He was openly doubting the Inquisition in front of me. That alone was enough for a death sentence in this line of work. That meant he knew something more. Maybe, just maybe I could trust him after all.

“Thank you,” was the only thing I could think to respond.

“There’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.” He passed the sword to me. I stared at it, afraid it would jump out of his hand. I forced myself to grasp the metallic, orange handle. Once again, it was warm to the touch and vibrated gently in my hand. It reminded me of a kitten’s purr and my stomach blanched.

“You mean, something more important than a dancing sword?” I try to joke.

Scotty laughed. “Depends on you.”

“Hit me.” I slid into the chair across from the desk, feeling faint. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, but I listened anyway.

“Khloe, you know you’re still underage according to the Inquisition guidelines.” His voice was, once again, serious. I froze, staring at him. I had done my best not to think about that. Picturing not working with Baulder was hard enough. Considering having another partner was hell.

“I know.” My head spun and I close my eyes, wondering if coming in today was really a good idea.

“I know it’s a hard time right now, especially considering everything that’s happened. But have you considered what you want to do yet?””

I looked up at him confused. “What do you mean what I want to do?”

“Whether or not you want to keep working for the Inquisition.” He watched me from across the desk, regarding me as he waited for my answer.

I looked back at him, shocked. “Why would I consider leaving?”

“I figured. You still need a trainer I know that loosing Baulder was hard on you. You probably haven’t even considered this yet, but if it’s okay with you, I’ve already put in papers to partner with you.” He leaned back in his chair, waiting for my answer.

“Why?” I couldn’t stop myself, surprised that he considered the idea.

“Because things are going to be complicated the next couple of days. If we’re right about the sword, then who better to help you out?” I stare back at him, part of me wanting to argue, the other part saying go for it. Scotty is right. He is my best option. He’s my only option.

“Okay.” I sink into the chair.

“Good. Khloe, I’m not going to try to replace Baulder. He was a great man, but I’ll help you any way I can alright? You’re a good person, strong. I like that.”

“Thanks. I think.” I shift in my seat. “Is that all?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Can I go now?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Are you okay?” He asked, eyeing me from behind the desk.

“That’s fine.” My throat was tight, and I could barely force the words out. I stood up and make for the door. My head still spinning. I felt like I was going to be sick. I needed to get out of there, right then before the tears started falling. I needed to be get my head on straight if I was going to do anything today. Thank god the building was empty. I had no idea how I was going to sneak out with tears, a sword and a witch under my belt.