Knight in Real Life: Epilogue, Legacy of the Robe

Knight in Real Life:

Epilogue, Legacy of the Robe

         Two days later Bethany summoned Paul to the library.

          “What's this about? Any more orders for bean tea?” Paul shut his mouth when Bethany set an empty gauntlet on the table next to her new laptop.

          “Library Wi-Fi connection, basically.” Bethany pointed at the screen. “Read it.”

          Paul used his finger to speed-read the email. Then his finger fell away as his eyes went over the words a second time. “I don’t get it.”

          “‘Bethany, your hunch excavated more evidence. The genealogy has another section. A cartograph encapsulated in a wall has been discovered in the cottage of the village where the monk dwelt.’” Bethany looked at Paul. “Do you want to see the map Professor Rycliffe sent?”

          “Dude…” Paul opened the attachment without asking. Bethany said nothing, but she made a mental note to teach him some manners.

          They looked over the digitally scanned version of the ancient map.

         “Do you see what I see?”

         “Yeah, a terrible map of the Atlantic. There, what’s that signature, what is that?”

          Bethany beamed. “That, my good sir, is the name of the author of ‘The Dyed Rose’.”

        “Uh, Beth, how certain are you?”

        “I'd stake my bachelors' on it. I would know that handwriting anywhere.”

         “And that?” Paul pointed to the edge of the map, where a small ship decorated the unknown waters. “‘The Sleeping Maiden’.”

        “Oh no.” The figurehead of the tiny ship they saw looked just like –

       “Lisa,” they said together. The picture detailed an angelically curved face hugging a bunch of printed flatsheets.
        "He did a decent job with the shape of them." Paul traced his finger over the pair of antiquated headphones. "Beth? Can you see me?"
         "Yeah." Bethany answered slowly. She stroked the gauntlet, raising a ring that only metal of a thick density can. "It really happened. He was really here. The author. Maybe not drawing the map, but he definitely had his hand on this."
         Paul stared at the parchment face of Lisa. "I'd have to say he did."

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