Mystery Meat by J Kwellen

Author:J Kwellen [Kwellen, J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-12-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Johann introduced me to a few other people, then a man stood on a chair and begged for our silence.

“Brother Knights of the Realm!” the man said. “Tonight is a glorious evening for our round table. One that shall be used to select a new leader. But for now, let us bow our heads in remembrance of our fallen comrade, Aaron Boyles. A knight. A brother. A friend.”

Everyone unsheathed their swords. Some of the old guys looked like they might hurt themselves. I didn’t draw any blood, though I damn near took off Johann’s ear. With our swords raised, we bowed our heads for ten seconds, or the length of time it took for the first geezer to lose control of his sword and drop it.

“And now,” the Master of Ceremonies said, clapping his hands once to get our attention, “as tradition dictates, the outgoing Grand Poo-Poo would lead us. But as he is no longer with us, the most recent Grand Poo-Poo will take his place.” He hopped off his chair.

And Doc Chambers took his place. Shit. I took a step back toward the wall and tried to hide. The shiner on his face had blossomed into a pretty purple flower with yellow edges. Made him look colicky.

“Fellow knights,” he said, “it is indeed my honour to lead these festivities. I have in my hand,” he gestured to a piece of paper, “the names of the two brave knights who will vie for the position of Grand Poo-Poo. When I call your name, please step forward.” He looked at the paper. “Neal von Dutz.”

The applause was muted at best.

“Franklin Steele.”

The applause was much, much better.

“I would ask that each of the challengers formally announce their candidacy, and proclaim their knightly intentions. And after, we shall adjourn to the inner sanctum and call a vote.”

Neal von Dutz took the chair. He was jittery. His eyes shifted around, settling on Steele who was right next to him. He looked back to the crowd, then cleared his throat.

“Fellow knights, it is with deepest regret that I remove my name from consideration for the position.”

A few people said, “No!” A few more said, “Aww.” Most muttered something along the lines of, “Good riddance.”

Von Dutz hopped down. I watched Steele. At least now I knew why he wanted to have a chat with von Dutz so badly.

Steele took the chair. “Knights,” he said. “It is time our vaunted organization reassert itself as a dominant force in our community. As some of you know, I served my country as frogman. And one of the things that experience taught me was the value of a cohesive team, and what that team could accomplish if they wanted to.”

He looked around. “For far too long, the Knights of Ulysses have been lost, adrift in a world that no longer respects what we’ve accomplished, and is willing to forget the values this country was founded on. We must not, will not forget where we came from, and the values we’ve upheld for so long.

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