by George Wier
“I do.”
“Where’s your mom? And Sully?”
Rachel laughed. “My mom cashed in one of her CDs. They bought a travel trailer and they’re going to take a tour around the country. She thinks they’ll do it from now on. There’s this couple she wants to meet who run the Gypsy Journal RV newspaper. It’s all she can talk about. Nick Russell this and Nick Russell that. He’s a writer and a celebrity and an RV-er at the same time.”
“Sounds...fascinating.”
“It’s not, really, but she’s finally happy. It makes me think...no. Nevermind.”
“What?” Shelby asked.
“If I didn’t know better, what with everything that has gone on, I’d say she blew up her own house.”
Shelby laughed. “No,” he said. “Couldn’t be. Not in a million years.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Have you seen Strongbow around? I thought he would stay for this.”
“I saw him this morning. He came by the house to say goodbye. He’s gone back to Houston. I rather adore that man.”
“Adore? Are you telling me that I have competition, now?”
“You’ve got competition, Shel. You’ve got lots of competition, so you’d better be good to me.”
“I’ll try. Really I will.”
“Am I giving you a ride?” she asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go turn in this suit.”
“Get in,” she said.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
EPILOGUE
The sleeping man doesn’t dream so much these days, but when he does, as often as not his dreams are of castles and forests, and of knights riding on horseback with lances tilting and armor flashing in the sunlight. And sometimes he dreams of quests to far-flung isles, grassy plains, or barren mountaintops. There are no dragons in these dreams, no great battles where the blood runs in rivers and where there is little succor for the injured, the dying. Instead there are travelers aplenty in this realm, each, seemingly, with a need that he can magically fulfill or a kind word he can give to allay loneliness, or misery. Gone, almost completely forgotten now, are the dreams—the nightmares—where he is killing someone, whether it be shooting or hacking them.
And when he awakens again in the stillness of the bright morning, the remembrance of these visions are no more than the finest strands of spider silk, parted with the first stretch of his muscles. For it is day, now, and he must rise and face it.
Close by, the first thing he sees is the hilt of a sword. He lays his hand on it. His fingertips trace along the corded metal of the grip and the fine filigree-work of the pommel. Next to the sword is a shield, and emblazoned on it is his standard; the sign of the White Knight.
“Yes,” the dreamer says to himself, and smiles. “There is work to be done.”
Finis
APPENDIX
The Creed of the White Knight, as published by Shelby Knight in his tract, is provided below. Shelby’s booklet is divided into chapters, with each chapter representing one point of the Creed, along with his brief commentary on each point. I have omitted the chapters here, and included only the Creed.
“As a knight, I swear to keep the Code of Chivalry without the least equivocation, mental reservation or secret evasion of mind. I therefore promise that I will
1. Protect the weak and defenseless when honor bound;
2. Give aid to those worthy;
3. Refrain from giving offense without provocation;
4. Keep my word once given;
5. Seek no reward for doing good;
6. Be fair, right and without deceit in all my actions;
7. Be truthful to myself and my own goals;
8. Not easily be turned aside from a worthy, yet difficult task;
9. Not give in to unseemly desire;
10. Never refuse a challenge to my honor;
11. Never turn my back upon a foe, but instead confront them.
This I pledge, for the good of all those worthy of my protection.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George Wier lives in Austin, Texas with his lovely wife Sallie, two cats and two dogs. He is the author of the Bill Travis Mysteries. He writes mystery and crime, action-adventure, science fiction and steampunk. He also plays country fiddle and dabbles in art and photography, as well as public speaking on the subject of writing. Visit his website at georgewier.com, his Facebook page at George Wier-Author, or even on Twitter at @BillTravisWrite.
