When Tommy’s parents laid eyes on the blade, their faces reddened as they tried to force back the tears. Twenty long years they’d waited to see this, never knowing if they would or not.
Now, they stood by their son as he spoke to the crowd from behind a podium. He was saying something about the research involved. He thanked everyone involved with the project, including the Jordanian government.
Security surrounded the area around the overlook to make sure the king, who was determined to be at the event, was safe. Soon, Tommy would present him with the sword, which would then be taken to a museum.
Sean watched the whole thing with a smug grin and crossed arms.
He’d been gone for the last few months, working on a different project, but there was no way he was going to miss this.
Tommy’s stage presence for public relations was top notch. While he came off as lacking confidence in many areas of his life, speaking to a crowd of people seemed to be natural for him. He spoke clearly and with a kind of confidence Sean rarely saw from his friend.
“I present to you… Excalibur,” he said at the end of his speech.
Two assistants carried a long sword cradled in red cloth and encased in glass. They propped it on a table next to the podium as the crowd erupted in applause. The blade’s metal glimmered in the bright sunlight as if on cue.
When the speech was over and the sword presented to the king of Jordan, the crowds dispersed, and soon the only people left were Sean, Tommy, his parents, and a shadowy figure lingering near the shade of the trees near the inner wall of the overlook.
Sean had noticed Baldwin earlier, but the man from the Brotherhood wasn’t there to cause trouble. He’d been involved with the decision to dig up the sword and had agreed with it. Baldwin suggested that something as powerful as Excalibur shouldn’t be left for someone else to find.
While his thoughts on the matter had surprised Sean, he agreed with the mysterious monk.
Tommy finished shaking hands and chatting with the dignitaries and media on hand, then made his way over to where Sean stood.
He stopped a few feet away from his friend, and they both looked over at Baldwin. The man gave them an approving nod and then made his way around the corner, disappearing behind the little forest.
“You really are good at those speeches,” Sean said.
Tommy snickered. “I’m surprised you’re not giving me a hard time about a slip of the tongue or something.”
Sean grinned. “Me? Give you a hard time? That doesn’t sound right.”
Tommy faked a laugh.
“No, seriously. You were great. Being in front of a crowd is your bag. I mean it.”
Tommy blushed.
“Your parents must be on cloud nine right now.”
“Yeah,” Tommy said, looking over his shoulder at them. “They’re still recovering from the ordeal of being imprisoned for two decades. But they’re doing better than I would be if I’d been the one captured.”
“That generation is just tougher than ours, I suppose.”
“Indeed.”
Sean looked his friend up and down, then changed the subject. “Speaking of tough, have you lost weight? You look stronger. Slimmer.”
Tommy tilted his head forward to check himself out. “Yeah, well, I got tired of you giving me grief over being out of shape. Plus, falling over that fence didn’t help.”
“Hey, I hope I never hurt your feelings with any of that. You know I was kidding, right?”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah, but you weren’t wrong. Plus, I have other motivation to stay in shape, too.”
Sean’s lips creased into a smirk. “How is June?”
“She’s good. She couldn’t make it down for this whole shindig. Work calls, it seems. Oh, that reminds me: my parents are probably going to want to be involved with things at the agency once they get acclimated to things.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
The two friends fell silent for a minute before Tommy spoke up again. “Where you headed next? Got any leads on your latest project?”
Sean rolled his shoulders. “I have a few. Going to head back to the States and visit New England. I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Tommy?” his mother said, interrupting the conversation. “Could you come over here for a picture?”
“Duty calls,” Tommy said. “I’ll catch you later.”
“Go do your thing. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Sean turned toward the pathway and started walking back up toward the parking lot.
“Sean?” Tommy said.
Sean stopped and spun around.
“Thanks for coming. Thanks for always being there for me.”
Sean gave a curt nod. “I always will be.”
THANK YOU
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for choosing to spend your time reading my work. I put one of these little notes at the end of all my books because I know that you could have spent your money and time on something else, but you chose this book.
I am honored and hope you enjoyed it.
Please swing by one of your favorite online retailers and leave an honest review. Those reviews help authors because they let other readers know if the book is something they might enjoy. Plus, reviews help readers decide on what to read next. It's a win-win.
So thank you once more for reading me. I appreciate it and look forward to entertaining you again.
Ernest
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AUTHOR NOTES
This story was an absolute blast to create. As with all of my Sean Wyatt tales, Excalibur Key takes us on a journey through history and mingles it with speculation, theories, and fiction.
Everything about the kings and great leaders from the sculpture of The Nine Heroes is true.
All of them were renowned for their abilities in battle and for their leadership. The sculpture can be found inside the town hall (rathaus) in Cologne (Koln).
The dig site and artifacts found in France came from my imagination, though the location of that region was historically Bouillon land as the story suggests. The nearby monastery was also a figment of my mind’s creation, but there are ruins of other real monasteries in that area.
The diamond that Sean recovered in Venice is very real and is still missing to this day. Some historians believe it was sold to the highest bidder on the black market, but its whereabouts are left to speculation.
Glastonbury Abbey is one of the most fascinating historical locations in all of Europe. Once a proud bastion of religion in that area, it has deteriorated through the centuries since Henry VIII shut down all the monasteries.
The sign on the lawn suggesting the location of Arthur’s burial site is very real, though no one knows for sure if that truly is where the legendary king and his queen are interred.
St. Peter’s Square really is shaped like a giant keyhole. It requires viewing from above, but a quick search on the internet can provide plenty of images to that effect.
The two statues near the steps of the Vatican are also real. It is a fact that they replaced the older ones, which were taken to the Vatican Library.
The location of the sculpture in the library was purely fiction, but is certainly plausible.