TSS 3: Knight's Son Ch. 04

Bobby learns what First Knight truly entails.

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Chapter 04

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Test Results

Movement on my right brought me awake. With reality's return came all the memories from last night. Which is why I absolutely, without a doubt, did not give an undignified squeak at finding myself naked in bed with two gorgeous women. I have no idea why Shayna giggled into my bare chest.

"What's the deal with this pendant?" she asked me, fiddling with the chain around my neck. Her voice remained quiet; I'm guessing not to wake up Al and Jolene. Elly looked up at me; something had awoken her.

"Yeah, I wondered about it last night, also," Elly added. "I didn't notice a clasp to take it off, and it seems kind of plain."

Her words didn't bother me. It wasn't the first time someone had commented on my good-luck charm.

"My mom gave it to me when I was four or five," I told them, also keeping my voice down. "She said it was a family heirloom."

"I'm so sorry," Elly placed her hand on my chest and lifted up to look me in the eyes. The worry and concern in her expression struck me as overkill for such a simple comment. "I didn't mean anything by my comment."

I chuckled to let her know I wasn't bothered, and she relaxed. "Don't be," I reassured her. "It is plain and simple. When she gave it to me, she told me never to take it off. She claimed that an ancient ancestor blessed it always to keep the wearer safe. No idea if the metal pendant ever had a design. My head was a lot smaller then, and I could have lifted the chain over my head. Now, I'd have to break the chain to take it off."

"It must mean a lot to you," Elly said, her voice solemn. "To have kept it for so long."

"I think it's cute and endearing," Shayna chimed in, a grin spreading on her face. "Not as cute as the monster stiffening below my thigh, though."

"How can you even be thinking about that?" Elly groaned. "I'm still sore from last night, even though I know he took it easy on us."

"Well, we have other ways to please our husband," Shayna chuckled as she reached down and firmly gripped me.

"Husband?!" I choked on the word as it burst out. Husband?!? The word echoed in my mind as both women gave me a perplexed look.

Before either could answer, someone pounded on the door, startling the bejeezus out of me. I bolted for the door, forgetting in my panic my state of undress. When I opened it to see who it was, the skinny bellhop looked down at my still-stiff sturgeon then back up to my face.

"Get dressed," he ordered me in an even tone. "You and Al are requested to follow me once you're decent."

I wondered briefly how he knew Al was here, then recalled that we got the room together last night. Then I wondered what was wanted from us? Had we screwed something up? Were we in trouble? Husband?

No, don't think about that, I ordered myself. Get dressed, see what's going on, then get the hell out of this hotel. Sure, I took their virginities, and the night was wild--how did virgins even know how to do half that stuff? No! Don't think about that. I barely know them. Shayna has a reputation as an ice queen. All I remember of Elly is that she always wears unflattering clothes. If I'm lucky, I can avoid them and put this whole thing behind me.

"Looks like I have to go," I told them, unable to meet their gazes. "Al, you too." I felt like shit, abandoning them, but I didn't sign up to become a husband to women I barely knew!

"Any idea what they want?" Al sat up with a yawn. The sheet covering them slid back, and I got a good look at Jolene in all her glory. She didn't seem to care about her nudity any more than the other women.

"None," I said. "The bellhop seemed like he was in a hurry to take us, though."

It took me a moment to find my pants and the rest of my clothes. I made the mistake of looking at the bed I slept in--and oh, so much more!--and noted the worried looks on Elly's and Shayna's beautiful faces. How the hell do women manage to wake up so damned beautiful with their hair in a mess?

"I'll, um, see you at school?" I asked them, feeling like the lowest piece of shit. What was I thinking last night? I went months without hooking up with anyone, despite many opportunities thanks to my so-called blurse. Then, after one night of giving in because I thought it was the end of the world, I turn into one of those guys that fucks without a care? That's not me! I'm in no way, shape, or form anything approaching a feminist, but I'm better than that!

"Are you okay?" Elly asked, and it sounded like she was on the edge of tears. My heart ached, knowing I was the cause of that.

"Yeah," I lied, placing as much bravado in my voice as I could muster. "I'm just worried that I screwed up last night. Wait, no! I don't mean with you. I didn't mean it like that. I mean, whatever it is they want to talk to us about. At the party before meeting you. Not that meeting you was a mistake. I'm rambling and will shut up now."

Shayna nodded and placed her hand on Elly's pale, bare thigh. "They'll explain it to him," I heard the darker woman whisper. "It'll be all right."

I pretended not to hear, and then, because I didn't think I could sink any lower, I walked over and gave them each a quick kiss. "I'll see you later," I tried to provide them with a comforting smile, but their expressions told me it didn't work.

"I love you," Jolene told Al, then kissed him with enough passion that I feared I'd have to drag him out.

"I love you more," he said when she allowed him to breathe.

"We love you!" Shayna and Elly said in unison as I rushed out the door, still slipping my last shoe on. Because I'm worth less than a moldy piece of cheese being dragged into the sewers by a disease-infested rat, I pretended I hadn't heard them.

My heart broke at the hope I heard in their voices and at my own actions in ignoring them. I mean, I'm justified in not loving two women I barely know, right? That shit is crazy!

"Are you okay?" Al asked when he joined me a few seconds later. "That didn't seem normal in there."

"Right?" I asked him, glad someone else saw the absurd situation as well. "What about you, telling Jolene you love her, though?"

The redheaded man gave me an odd look, but the bellhop interjected before he could respond.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat and indicated to follow after him. "Consul Willmont is waiting for you. Hurry along."

I had no idea who that was, but that rank suggested it was a Paladonic Knight. How high up are the Consuls? I had no idea and hoped to learn before I stuck my foot in my mouth.

Again...

The bellhop led us to an elevator as I worked to salve my conscience. I felt terrible for those women, but they had to be crazy if they thought that having a threesome with them would win my heart. Relationships were much more than just sex. Seeing how my own mother suffered because my father was never there taught me that. He only ever showed up for sex or to abuse her. When I married, I intended to be a better man. A better father...

Fuck! I came in both of them last night. Shit. Shit, SHIT! I knew better than to believe the old wive's tale about virgins not being able to conceive. It was bullshit. Hell, I came in Charlotte too! How dumb can I be? I needed to stop thinking with my dick and start using the head on my shoulders.

The elevator opening into a grand office was the only answer I had for my stupid behavior. I vowed right then to think more with my higher brain and less with my dick.

Al and I stepped out, and we realized that the bellhop didn't follow. Without saying a word to each other, we started walking down the spacious room's center to a man sitting behind a broad desk. On our right was an elaborate virtual reality practice golf setup. On our left was a burbling fountain, replete with giant koi fish. Our feet carried us down the long room on marble floors, past living plants and statuettes of men fighting in full armor.

As we approached the man, we saw an older gentleman with a full head of white hair and sharp brown eyes. His Latino descent was apparent with his skin tone, though his name didn't match. The midmorning sun rose behind him, through a window that spread from wall to wall, looking over the city. I could even see the ocean in the distance.

"Good," the man spoke with a voice that was rough but firm, "You're finally here. I'd ask if you were feeling well after last night, but I know that neither of you drank a drop of alcohol."

Al and I glanced at each other, then back to the man. Were we watched that closely? Neither of us spoke, waiting for Consil Willmont.

He regarded us over steepled fingers before indicating for us to sit in two rich leather seats. We remained silent as we obliged.

After a few more tense seconds, Willmont spoke again. "You two made my job much harder last night. Al, if your father was alive, he'd be demoted for telling you that First Knight is a test. I sincerely hope you don't reveal that to your children."

His words reminded me of my recent foolishness, and I felt my heart sink further.

I felt terrible for Al also. He idolized his father, and to get the brunt of that stare for revealing that they were being tested couldn't be easy.

"And Bobby," that iron-willed glare landed on me, and I swear I shrunk two inches into the chair under it. "I have half a mind to throw you out on the street and cut you off. You royally screwed the kobold on this one. Before I wipe your mind and leave you outside a gibbering idiot, how did you counteract our surveillance spells?"

"I... What?" I stared at the man, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about. What spells? I don't know anything about--" Between my guilt at how I treated those women and the way Willmont was attacking me, I felt way off balance.

"Cut the bullshit," Willmont snapped and pounded his fist on the table. His dark eyes grew darker as he glared at me. I didn't miss the way Al leaned away from me, though I didn't blame him. This man might be much older than me, but he exuded an air of powerful menace that had me wishing I were back with the crazy women instead of here. "You're not immune to magic, like the Daughters of Respite. The spelled succubus pheromones affected you. So the only explanation why the spells to read your thoughts, track your location, and sense your emotions failed is because you counteracted them somehow. I want to know how."

"I don't know!" I told him. My heart started to pound as I watched him lift a stick off his desk and aim it at me. I'd seen enough Harry Potter films to recognize a wand. The tip started to glow, and I developed diarrhea of the mouth. "I really don't know! I don't know what spells were cast. I don't know any magic. I wouldn't have the first clue on how to protect myself or counteract them. I didn't even know spells were cast on me!"

I was proud of the fact that I didn't go running or try to hide. Sure, I was terrified, but I was also a little relieved, if I'm completely honest. If this guy wiped my mind, I wouldn't have to worry about how much I hurt Shayna and Elly. Hell, with my mind gone, I wouldn't even have to worry about myself.

But I was never one to roll over and just give up. Besides, not counting my recent behavior, I rather liked who I was and didn't want to lose that.

As those thoughts ran through my mind, I realized that I still had a mind to have thoughts. I saw Willmont's lips moving as he muttered something, and after a moment, the light went out on the wand. His shrewd eyes regarded me for a long moment as we sat in silence.

"What do you have around your neck?" He asked me in a tone that was more of a command than a question.

"My neck?" I asked, then remembered the pendant. I also remembered the conversation this morning and fished it out from under my shirt. The simple chain was short enough that I couldn't pull it off, and it didn't have a clasp to remove it."This? My mom gave this to me as a kid. She said it offered protection. I didn't think it was real, but I kept it on anyway."

Willmont set the wand down, then stood and walked around his large desk. When I stood as he approached, he waved me to remain seated. His weathered brown hand reached out for where I still held the medallion but halted a few inches away. He stood there for only a few seconds, muttering, before returning to his seat.

"It's very real," he informed me, his voice now sounded tired and worn. "I don't know where your mom got such a powerful artifact, and I don't know what it's fully capable of. Wear it always. Also, keep it hidden. Many would take it from you. I can't fully say they'd be wrong. But the truth is, some artifacts can't be stolen. They have to be given. I sense an affinity for love and affection in that. Perhaps that's a requirement."

"What can it do?" Al asked, speaking up for the first time since the focus moved to me. He shrank back into his chair when Willmont looked his way, but when the older Knight spoke, his rough voice held no rebuke.

"It offers some protections, I think." He leaned forward and regarded me over steepled fingers again. "It's not perfect, but from what I can tell, it's potent. I sense it protects your mind, but it doesn't protect your body. It would take some experimentation to discover, and I don't have the time nor the energy for that. I also suspect that it would be rather unpleasant for you."

"Thank you," I said, tucking the chain back under my shirt. Suddenly, it felt like I could breathe again, though I don't remember holding my breath.

Willmont heaved a hefty sigh, then typed something on his computer. A hologram of Al's and my faces popped up between us. Next to Al's image, a long string of text scrolled by. Mine barely showed anything.

"I still don't know how to score either of you," Willmont said, indicating the two images. "Knowing that you were being tested skewed the results. Not having all the information doesn't help." This time he pointed to my picture. "I believe you didn't intend to ruin everything, or else we'd be having a very different conversation, mental protection or not. Last night was already a big enough headache due to the number of new initiates. We usually have four or five, and it takes a small team to parse the data and provide me the results. We had nearly fifty last night. When there are discrepancies like you two, I have to determine how to handle it personally."

"Very sorry to cause you this problem," Al spoke up in a quiet voice. I nodded my agreement. I hadn't wanted to be a Knight, but it was still my best option for my future. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the best way to start out. Compound this with whatever creature I came into contact with last Wednesday, and my future looked dimmer and dimmer.

"Normally, we don't reveal all of this to you," Consul Willmont went on as though Al hadn't spoken. "I'm doing so to help you understand what you've done. This isn't the first time someone knew it was a test. Like I said before, we usually demote the Knight that revealed it, then analyze how the initiate handles the information. Do they spread the info, trying to garner favor? Do they hoard it and mock everyone else? Both of those shows poor decision-making on the new recruit. Initiate Mckay; you shared it with someone you viewed as an ally. Your thoughts showed that you weren't trying to be better than the others but wanted to help your friend. That's laudable."

It took me a moment to realize that Al's last name was Mckay, but I smiled at my friend when I did. Regardless of how this ended with me, I was glad he wouldn't end up in as much trouble.

"Some of your thoughts through the rest of the night weren't as favorable," the Knight continued. "Multiple times, you showed jealousy or didn't appreciate what Initiate Brody had to say." He paused and scrolled through the text associated with Al's hologram. "Here, you mentally cussed him out for pulling you from the dining hall. And here, you disagreed with his decision to avoid the pharmacy but kept quiet instead of speaking up. And finally here, near the end of the night--"

"Do we really need to go into that?" Al cut in, his cheeks turning even redder than his freckles made them.

"This is usually done with more privacy, but with these circumstances, I'm bending the rules," Willmont informed him in a tone that said, 'Do not interrupt me again.' "I'm sure Brody had some thoughts about you as well, but I don't have a record of them. Now then, as I was saying. At the end of the night, you showed jealousy not at the fact that he had two women and you only had one, but at how thick his cock was, compared to yours. You balanced that out with pride in how long yours is."

"I'm sorry, man," Al whispered to me, shaking his head, his expression mortified.

"Don't be," I whispered back, then lied. "I had the same thoughts, but in reverse." The truth is, I never noticed what he was packing. I turned back to the older Knight, wondering if that level of detail was truly necessary. I saw those shrewd brown eyes regarding us, then he nodded and typed something in. Was he trying to drive a wedge between us?

"I think the best way to continue from here is to go through the rest of the evening and let you know how you performed." Willmont scrolled to the top of the texts for both images, then focused on Al's. "This way, you'll understand where you both stand. After discussing things outside the first dance hall, you both entered and took stock of your surroundings. Brody, I appreciated what you said about the mental state of beautiful women. However, it was a bit reductive and stereotyped them. It also doesn't hold true for the women here."

I thought back over the conversation and remembered telling Al how beautiful women tended to be crazy, cheaters, or too self-serving. Of course, considering how fast the women fall in love, I'd have to say they were indeed crazy. I chose to keep my mouth shut, though.

"Neither one of you drank, though our files on both of you indicate that you're not averse to drinking alcohol. Even if one of you is underage." Willmont pulled two folders out from his desk, and I saw our names printed on the front. I suspected they had all of our information documented in them. I felt uncomfortable with how much info they had. I remembered the questions the lawyers asked me, coupled with the interrogation afterward. If they had all that, why perform this other test?

Because it allowed them to get our thoughts, I realized, answering my own question. Last night's test let them see how we thought in a controlled environment.

"Mckay, your decision to move on was good, but so was Brody's caution. You two make a good team. Of course, it's a good thing that Guardian Mckay--your father--didn't give you any more advice. He already told you too much." Willmont's voice smoothed out as he spoke, though it never lost its rough edge. "Once in the hallway, you evaluated again and made a decision based on your stomach."

Willmont scrolled down, looking between the two images for a moment before he spoke again. "Your food choices don't make much of a difference, but you chose to waste food. Care to explain, Initiate Brody? You were the one to abandon that room. The women were attractive, and the food was delicious."

I looked at Al as I remembered the situation. Taking a moment to think back, I told him, "Both were good, but... I prefer to get to know a woman better, and she was a bit too forward for my tastes. If she were willing to kiss me like that before even getting my name, I wasn't interested. Who else had she been with?"