England
‘... So it’s my great honour to be here with the discoverer of King Arthur’s tomb, a woman who has rewritten the history books more than once . . . Dr Nina Wilde.’
‘Thank you, Prime Minister,’ said Nina, blushing at the applause as she limped to take his place at the microphone. Her wound had been treated and she had been assured of a full recovery in time, but it was less than a week since it had been inflicted, and the leg was still stiff and painful.
The small stage on which they stood had been set up at the foot of Glastonbury Tor. Behind it, a cordon marked the entrance to the tomb, a full-scale archaeological survey now under way. She looked out across the crowd, which was larger than she had expected; as well as the inevitable press corps and the entourage of police, security and bureaucrats accompanying Britain’s Prime Minister, there was also a throng of ordinary people, wanting to witness one of those rare moments when myth was revealed as fact.
But for all the faces looking up at her, Nina’s attention was fixed only on one. Chase stood near the stage. Despite all the cuts and stitches on his face, he still managed a grin as he clapped. With him were Elizabeth, Holly and his grandmother, and Mac. She smiled back, then lifted her head to the crowd.
‘Thank you,’ she repeated, waiting for the applause to die down. ‘I’m honoured to be here. But the first thing I should say is that I didn’t discover the tomb alone - I had lots of help from other people. And unfortunately, too many of them are no longer with us. Great treasures from the past can inspire awe and wonder, but they can also inspire greed and violence, which cost some of my friends their lives. Before I go on, I’d like to take a moment to remember them.’
She looked down, hands clasped in front of her. The noise of the crowd fell almost to nothing, birdsong from the surrounding countryside briefly the only sound. Then she raised her head again, seeing Chase giving her a sad but appreciative smile. She returned it, then continued.
‘Thank you. The Prime Minister just said I’ve rewritten the history books - and I know that for some people that can be a very frightening thing, when everything they thought they knew gets turned on its head. And I’ve been guilty of that myself; I’ve had my own preconceived beliefs. But I’ve also learned that, sometimes, having your beliefs challenged is the only way that new discoveries can be made, that knowledge can be advanced. And because of that challenge, I’m here with you today as what was once just legend now becomes something greater: truth. A truth that has yet to be fully explored, but the path starts here - at the resting place of Arthur, king of the Britons.’
More applause, even cheering. But Nina was once more looking only at Chase, and his expression of pride.
‘So why weren’t you up on stage, Uncle Eddie?’ Holly asked.
‘Ah, you know me,’ Chase said modestly. ‘Camera-shy.’
‘Not from me, you’re not.’ She held up the phone Chase had bought her and took a picture of him and Nina. ‘I want a good picture of my hero.’
‘I don’t think it’s possible to take one,’ said Elizabeth, but with humour in her voice. ‘Eddie, I’d say thank you, but I don’t think it would be enough. You saved . . .’ She tailed off, overcome by emotion.
Chase put his arm round her. ‘It’s okay, Liz . . .
‘Maybe you should go and see Dad, tell him that.’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves!’
Chase’s grandmother bustled up to them. ‘Come here, my little lambchop. I’m so proud of you!’ She reached up and pinched his cheeks.
‘Ow. Ow, Nan!’ Chase protested. ‘You’ll pop a stitch!’
‘Oh, don’t be silly.’ She kissed him, then turned to Nina. ‘And I’m so happy you’ve finally set a date!’ She kissed Nina as well. ‘Welcome to the family!’
‘Don’t forget to send Peter Alderley his invitation,’ said Mac mischievously.
‘Alderley can f . . .’ Chase began, before looking at his grandmother and niece.
‘Find one in his mailbox soon?’ Nina suggested.
Mac chuckled, then stepped closer, lowering his voice. ‘By the way,’ he said, glancing across at the Prime Minister as he spoke to a TV news crew nearby, ‘there are some people in London - and Washington - who are rather keen to find out what happened to Excalibur.’
‘Lost at sea,’ Nina and Chase quickly replied in unison. ‘Went down with the ship,’ Nina added.
‘Glug glug,’ Chase said, making a spiralling downwards motion with a finger.
‘Hrmm.’ Mac regarded them both intently for a moment, then his face creased into a wry smile. ‘Terrible shame. Still, probably for the best. So what are you going to do now?’
‘We’re going back to the States,’ Nina told him. ‘I have to make a full report to the IHA and the UN. And we need to see Hector Amoros’s family.’
Mac nodded sympathetically. ‘I wish you all the best, then. Are you heading back to Heathrow? I could give you a lift.’
‘That’s okay,’ said Nina. ‘We’ve got a rental car.’
Chase grinned. ‘And we’re going to take the scenic route.’
They stood at the edge of a small lake deep in the English countryside, sunshine giving the rolling green landscape a hazy glow, peaceful and romantic. There was nobody else in sight, no cars or houses, just trees and fields and birds drifting through the warm air.
‘It’s beautiful,’ said Nina. She moved closer to the bank, looking down to see her reflection in the rippling water. A little fish rose almost to the surface to peer up at her, then darted into the safety of the depths with a flick of its tail.
‘It’s nice,’ Chase agreed, ‘but not as good as Yorkshire. God’s own county - I’ll have to take you up there.’
‘Maybe next time.’ She regarded the view for a moment longer, then turned and picked up an object wrapped in a towel.
‘Sure you want to do this?’ Chase asked.
‘Not entirely. Something of this historical importance should be in a museum. But . . .’ She shook her head. ‘We can’t let anyone like Jack get hold of it again. And besides, according to legend Excalibur ended up in a lake, waiting to be found again when the time was right. It feels appropriate.’
She unwrapped the towel, revealing Excalibur gleaming within. The blade glowed almost imperceptibly when she took the hilt, no invisible lines of earth energy nearby. After regarding the reflections in the metal for a moment, Nina carefully handed the sword to Chase. ‘Me?’ he asked. ‘Oh, I get it - if you’re King Arthur, then I’m the loyal knight who casts away the sword, right?’
‘No,’ Nina said with a smile. ‘You can throw a lot further than me, that’s all!’
Chase laughed, then weighed the sword in his hands before drawing back one arm to throw it. ‘Sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay.’ With a grunt, he hurled the shining weapon out across the lake. It spun end over end, sunlight flashing from the blade, and arced down to land with a splash some distance from the shore, dropping out of sight into the deep waters beneath. ‘Huh. You know, I almost expected someone’s hand to pop out of the water and grab it.’
‘Some moistened tart, maybe?’ Nina asked him, grinning.
‘Yeah, that’s enough Monty Python,’ Chase said, taking her hand and starting the walk back to their car. ‘So, we’d better start thinking about the wedding, I suppose. I know - how about getting married in Vegas by Elvis?’
She laughed. ‘Keep thinking.’
Epilogue
Washington, DC
