the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper that later caught His blood when the Roman soldier Longinus, who meant to discover if Christ still lived, stabbed His side with a spear. Joseph and his family left the Middle East, carrying the Grail to begin Christianity in Britain. To accomplish this, God gave him a staff that helped carry him across all of those miles. Once he arrived in Britain, he drove the staff into the ground and it grew into a black hawthorn near where Glastonbury Abbey would later be built.
“The Paladr is a seed from that tree.”
“What is it for?” Bran probed. “Why would Merle give it to me?”
“I will get to that. You should be asking me to finish the story,” Richard retorted. “The hawthorn that grew is a powerful tree, and for generations Joseph’s family watched over it, kept it safe, and cared for it. Merle knew the power the tree possessed, and when time came for the old man to relinquish his duty to someone else, he came to Glastonbury Abbey. Joseph’s family or the hawthorn—no one except Merle knows for sure—gave the old man a lone seed. The seed bequeaths the power of the Heliwr to the person—if they are worthy.
Bran gazed back into the box.
“The Dark Thorn is the promise of the Paladr, the staff carried by Joseph of Arimathea as he hunted a new beginning,” Richard murmured. “And all the power and responsibility the Dark Thorn gives the Heliwr. If you want it, that is.”
Fear crept over Bran as Richard hoped it would.
“Merle believes I am the next Heliwr?”
“To accept the Dark Thorn is to become the Heliwr, yes,” Richard said darkly. “The Heliwr is the Unfettered Knight, able to roam both Annwn and our world, to hunt down those who occasionally get past the portal knights, to set right what evil fey and evil men desire of Annwn, to help keep the two worlds separate.”
“I thought Merle said knighthood was never passed from father to son?” Bran said, his hand shaking a bit.
“The old man lied, as usual.”
“How does the Paladr become this magical staff?”
“That I do not know,” Richard admitted. “Your father was already the Heliwr by the time I accepted Arondight from Merle. I know the seed offers itself to the right person in some way but other than that…”
“And if I refuse the Paladr?” Bran asked.
“It has happened before,” Richard said, shrugging. “The world will go on without a Heliwr, as it has done for more than a decade.”
Bran gave the seed a final glance before closing the box. Richard did not envy the boy and his place in this mess. The knight had long ago made his decision to accept Arondight, and it had led to nothing but pain and hardship. Bran was now being told that he might have to make a similar decision, with nary more information than Richard had possessed. All Bran had to do was look at the knight; he lay scarred and destroyed of spirit, evidence of what it meant to take on the mantle of knighthood in service to the higher good.
“I’m no knight, no one special,” Bran said.
“If you believe that then don’t accept it.”
The lonely sound of an owl hooted outside, a reminder that a world existed beyond the walls of their room, one where danger lurked everywhere.
“Why do you hate me?” Bran asked, the question stunning the knight.
“I do not wish this on you, not after how my life has gone,” Richard said, the darkness of the room coalescing around him. “Merle was adamant I bring you, leaving no choice. But you are right. I don’t care much for you. We have virtually nothing in common. You don’t respect me or understand why I choose to live in the Bricks. You would do anything to escape them, even if that means working for Merle, a man who uses you.”
“You have more to offer than living on the streets,” Bran said angrily. “As do I!”
“Not everyone is the same, you little bastard,” Richard grated. “Even still, I would never wish knighthood on you. I’ve been used and so will you be if you accept.”
Bran shoved the box back into his jeans pocket.
“I think you need your rest,” the boy said neutrally.
“I do,” Richard sliced the tension aside. “Since we are in Arendig Fawr, I hope to speak to the Morrigan in the morning. It will be then we will find our course of action in all of this.”
“I