Fan’twar lay curled on the shoreline, basking in the sun with his massive head resting on his tail. It reminded me of the way my cat perched on his spot on the couch.
“Olive,” Kull said, hugging me to his chest as I stood by him. “I’m glad you found us. It’s madness back there. You’re smart to hide here with us.”
“You two are hiding?”
“For as long as we can. Until the others demand we return.”
I turned to Fan’twar. “I’m surprised to find you here. Were you able to locate the sword?”
He grunted. “No, I have come to learn that it cannot be found.”
“What do you mean it can’t be found?”
“It took a bit of research, but after tracking the sword’s history, I discovered it was taken by the druid Lucretian almost five hundred years ago. Neither he nor it have been seen since then.”
Lucretian—how did I know that name?
“He was the first High Druid, correct? The one who spoke the Deathbringer prophecy?”
Fan’twar nodded.
“How did you know that?” Kull asked.
“Silvestra happened to mention it,” I answered.
Kull’s face darkened at the mention of the witch.
I turned back to Fan’twar. “Shouldn’t this be a good thing? Doesn’t it mean the elves won’t be able to find the sword?”
“True, you are correct that it should be advantageous for our cause. However, I’ve also discovered the elves do not need the sword to bring Theht back to our world. They have already obtained five of the seven weapons, and they lack only the staff in order to summon the goddess. The sword is not necessary for the summoning—its use is for controlling Theht’s powers.”
“Could they control her without it?” I asked.
“It would be difficult, if not deadly, but I believe the elven queen would still attempt it.”
My shoulders slumped. This wasn’t the news I wanted to hear.
“I have to agree,” I said, “Euralysia is determined. I wouldn’t put it past her to attempt the summoning without the sword, even if it meant she couldn’t control the goddess and blew up half the planet in the process.”
“But we still have the staff. That counts for something, doesn’t it?” Kull asked.
“Yes. Without the staff, the elves are powerless to resurrect the goddess.”
“Where is the staff now?” I asked.
“In the keep,” Kull answered, “guarded at all times by thirty of my best men. There is no safer place in Faythander. The Wult stronghold has never been breached before, and it won’t happen now. I refuse to let it happen under my watch.”
I turned to Fan’twar. “What should we do now?” I asked. “Do you believe we should confront the elves even though they don’t have the staff or the sword?”
“No. Battling the elves at this point would not be worth our time. We must focus on guarding the staff, and I still believe it would be prudent to search for the sword. If the queen did manage to somehow summon the goddess, only the sword would have the ability to stop her.”
“The sword has the ability to stop Theht?” I asked, surprised.
“It has the ability to kill Theht, too,” Kull said.
“How do you know that?”
Kull’s gaze shifted around the clearing before he spoke. “Will you promise not to repeat what I tell you?”
“Of course,” I answered. “You have my word.”
What was with the cloak-and-dagger attitude? Kull wasn’t usually one who kept secrets.
“I am the sword’s protector,” Kull said quietly.
“You?” I asked, shocked. “But… how? And if that’s the case, then where is it?”
He shook his head. “Even I don’t know, but my ancestors became the Madralorde sword’s protector long ago. They were approached by Lucretian, who came to this very keep and asked them to protect the sword. They did so for many years, until one day, he returned for the sword and took it away. He said the Wult king would forever be the sword’s keeper and told them that one day he would once again ask the king to take up the sword, and whoever wielded it would have the power to defeat Theht.”
“Wow,” I said, trying to wrap my mind around it. “But even you don’t know where it is?”
He shook his head.
I pondered his words, recalling what I knew of the sword I’d once believed to be a myth. The only weapon more powerful than fate. The power to defeat Theht. It was almost impossible to believe, but if it were true, then it gave me more hope than I’d felt in a very long time. With Theht’s presence still a constant fixture in my consciousness, would finding the sword somehow help me to remove it?
“If that’s true,” I said, “if Theht really can be defeated, then I think we should try to find it. What do we know of Lucretian?”
“Not much. He was a mysterious man, to be sure. He lived with the Madralorde brothers at one point and was an advisor to them until things went sour and he left.”
“The Faythander version of Merlin. Yes, I remember the stories,” I said with a sigh. I wasn’t sure where to start looking.
“There is one who might know,” Fan’twar said hesitantly.
“Who?” I asked.
“The elven queen.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure she counts.”
In the distance, from the castle, came the sound of trumpets.
“Well,” Kull said, “the feast will be over if I don’t leave soon, and I’ll make the nobles mad if I don’t at least make an appearance. Olive, would you like to join me?”
“Yes, I suppose. But can I have a few words with my stepfather?”
“Of course. Meet me in the clearing near the castle. I shall save you a seat.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then walked away. After his footsteps disappeared, I turned to my stepfather.
“Fan’twar,” I said, “Kull hasn’t been the same since we escaped the witch. He won’t tell me what’s wrong, but I suspect the witch did something to him. Do you think she hurt him?”
He didn’t answer, which
