Keeper of the Grail Read Online Free

stared at Sir Thomas in openmouthed wonderment. He had offered me something I could scarcely comprehend: a life outside the abbey.
    “I beg pardon…sire…Excuse me…What?” I asked.
    Sir Thomas laughed easily. “I believe you heard me, lad. I saw no evidence of deafness in you this afternoon. So what will it be?” His eyes sparkled as he watched me struggle with the enormity of his offer.
    Looking down the table, I saw Sir Hugh studying us, his face pinched in concentration as if he were trying to learn what it was Sir Thomas had said to me.
    “Sire, I thank you,” I finally replied, “but I cannot leave St. Alban’s.”
    “Why not? I have spoken to the abbot and he approves if you agree. I have learned much about you, young man. Since you won’t be joining the order, you’ll have to leave this place soon anyway. What better way than as a squire to a Templar Knight? You will travel, see the world and serve a noble cause. Not many are given this opportunity.” Sir Thomas dutifully ate from his plate of stew and bread, not looking at me while he spoke.
    “I’m sorry, sire, but I have duties. There is much work to do in the garden and…”
    Sir Thomas interrupted. “And the timing is perfect, as I am in need of a squire. Mine has recently left the Order, returning to his family home to assist his ill father. You would do me a great service by accepting.”
    I was speechless. How could I make such a decision? Give up the only life I’d ever known?
    “It won’t be easy,” he continued. “The work is hard and dangerous. We are on our way to war. Make no mistake about that, lad. But you’ll be well trained. I will teach you all I know about the art of battle. It will be a grand adventure.”
    The brothers often told me that God works in mysterious ways. That his divine presence surrounds us always and that he grants us what we need when we need it most. Did he send Sir Thomas to the abbey at the time that I most needed this opportunity?
    Sir Thomas’ eyes twinkled and his smile was genuine. In that moment, I felt that I had made a friend for life. Glancing down the table and seeing Sir Hugh frowning back at me, though, I became aware that I had also made an enemy.

4
    I began my evening chores with cleanup duty in the kitchen. I wished to finish my duties quickly, as I had promised to groom Sir Thomas’ horse and did not wish to disappoint him. Brother Rupert was the monk who did most of the kitchen work at St. Alban’s. He was from France and an excellent cook. He was also the person I felt closest to after Brother Tuck.
    We stood at a wooden table in the kitchen, clearing the leftover food from the evening meal into a slop bucket from which it would be fed to the pigs and goats. Nothing went to waste at the abbey.
    “I hear you have news, Tristan,” he said. I was not surprised by this. Gossip traveled quickly among the monks.
    “I do,” I said, proceeding to tell him of Sir Thomas’ offer. “What should I do, Brother Rupert?”
    “First, I would instruct you to pray. Ask God for guidance. But in the end you can do only what is in your heart.”
    I was very fond of Brother Rupert, but most of the time his answer to all of life’s questions was more prayer. I wasn’t sure praying was going to make my decision any easier. I had no idea what my heart was telling me.
    Once finished in the kitchen, I headed outside to the stables. Though most of the spring rains were over, it could still grow chilly in the evenings. I wondered what the weather might be like in Outremer.
    Sir Thomas’ offer had unsettled me. My first reaction had been that I could not leave the abbey. What would the brothers do without me? I was almost fifteen years old. In truth I should have left the abbey last year. It was only the kind hearts of the brothers that had kept me there. If I left the abbey with Sir Thomas, I would be on my own for the first time. I was not afraid of the work, but the uncertainty gave me pause. What if