Ebby Flint and the Sword of Sorrows (Book 1 in the Artis Trilogy)

The Quest for the Sword of Whatever-It's-Called

Chapter Seven - The Quest for the Sword of Whatever-It's-Called

King Tyri stands from his throne and walks toward me. His gold robe flows behind him. A creepy smile is placed on his face, and it sends shivers throughout my body.

"Yeah," I stutter on the word. "The pleasure's mine."

King Tyri chuckles. He now stands in front of me; uncomfortably close. I can smell some kind of beverage on his breath as he speaks again. "I hope my son didn't make too much of a fool of himself," he says giving a pointed look to Quill, who is now sitting on the throne beside the King's holding his head on one his fists.

"Not at all, he just proposed. You know, the usual," I reply sarcastically. I have no idea where I got the sudden the courage to be sarcastic, but I'm going to roll with it.

King Tyri laughs too loudly. "A funny one. You are just like your Grandmother. Imagine if we had the two of you in the same room. It would be an all out riot."

"Yeah, too bad you exiled me, and I was never able to meet her." Definitely not the right thing to say. My eyes go wide, and I immediately wish I could take it back. I look down toward Bartholomew, who looks up at me with startled eyes; even Quill looks shocked.

King Tyri, who's face has suddenly turned to stone manages to say, "Oh, Eboni Flint, don't think of it as exile. Think of it as...as vacation!"

"Yes because I too, think of a vacation as being banished and forced to stay in an alternate universe." Oh my God. I need to stop. Where is this coming from? I remember Bartholomew asking me to tone down my saltiness back in the village and send a silent apology his way.

"Hold your tongue," King Tyri says seriously and returns to his throne. "I could only take so much of Grandmother's unique humour." He stares at me for a little too long, and I can see a sense of sadness wash over his face.

King Tyri, serious again says, "I have a feeling you're wondering why I have allowed you back in Artis. I'm not sure what Bartholomew has told you, so I'll say what I presume is necessary. Your Grandmother, Lady Sybil was my best soldier. My most powerful soldier. She was a protector of the Kingdom, and a dear friend of my own. That's why it pains me to speak of her death." King Tyri swallows hard and takes a deep breath, and I do the same.

"Lady Sybil left the Kingdom a month ago, in order to help some injured soldiers return home. It was supposed to be an easy quest; she had done it plenty of times before. But no one had time to prepare for the danger lying outside of the Kingdom. She didn't have the power to save everyone, and I know she tried. It was in your Grandmother's best interest to save every one; it was just who she was. But in the process of trying to save everyone, she killed herself. Only one soldier made it back alive to tell the story."

"Eboni, we don't know what this...this is evil is surrounding Artis, but it was able to kill the most powerful witch in the kingdom. With each day Lady Sybil is gone, the evil in Artis grows stronger. We need someone here to fight. We need another witch. Eboni, we need you."

I'm shocked to say the least. "Hold up, you want me, a teenager to save your world?"

"No, Eboni. I want you, the most powerful being, to save my our world."

"That's a lot of pressure for one kid. I mean, I know I read a lot of books where it's the kids that somehow manage to save the world, but it's not like I believe it could actually happen."

"I know you haven't grown fully into your powers, and I'm sure you only learnt about them a few days ago. But that doesn't mean you can't train. Here at the Kingdom of Artis, we have an amazing training camp for the soldiers," King Tyri says like he's trying to advertise a school.