© 2009 Melissa Rowley.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain®. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain.

  Illustrations by Michael Walton

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Rowley, M’Lin.

  The silver coat / M’Lin Rowley.

  p. cm. — (Knights of right ; bk. 2)

  Summary: Brothers Joseph, twelve, and Ben, ten, return to the castle of King Arthur, who sends them on a second quest against a real-life enemy, guided by signs brought by the falcon, True Heart.

  ISBN 978-1-60641-104-9 (paperbound : alk. paper)

  [1. Knights and knighthood—Fiction. 2. Conduct of life—Fiction. 3. Honesty—Fiction. 4. Brothers—Fiction. 5. Time travel—Fiction. 6. Arthur, King—Fiction. 7. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. I. Title.

  PZ7.R79834Sil 2009

  [Fic]—dc22

  2009009633

  Printed in the United States of America

  Malloy Lithographing Incorporated, Ann Arbor, MI

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Table of Contents

  The Falcon's Signal

  The Black Horse

  The Foolish Knight and the Dragon

  A Clue That Rattles

  A Clue That Couldn't Talk

  Clues in the Dirt

  A Real Test in Math

  Becoming a Winner

  Earning the Trust of the King

  A Brave Young Knight

  Reading Guide

  About the Author

  1

  The Falcon’s Signal

  Twelve-year-old Joseph, returning from soccer practice, headed straight for the backyard. Dad and ten-year-old Ben were already there, hammers in their hands. Planks of wood lay at their feet, and a page of plans sat forgotten on the grass behind them.

  “What do you think, Joseph?” Ben asked when he saw his older brother on the porch. “Should we give the birdhouse a pointed roof or make the top flat?”

  “Give it a pointed roof, totally! T. H. deserves better than a box for a house.”

  The falcon they were discussing, True Heart (T. H. for short), rested on the branch of the tree nearby. The tree house they had built earlier this summer was near the fence that separated their yard from the woods. That was where their first amazing adventure had happened only a few weeks before.

  “Has T. H. tried to get you into the woods since you got home from school?” Joseph whispered to Ben when Dad went to the back porch to grab more nails. Ben shook his head and they both looked up at the bird.

  “King Arthur said T. H. would lead us to the castle when it was time for the next quest, didn’t he?” Ben asked, frowning. “Why hasn’t T. H. done anything? Why is it taking so long?”

  Joseph shrugged, and the boys stopped talking as Dad came back over.

  “Let’s build this roof!” Dad cheered. They took turns nailing the roof together and then stepped back to admire the job they’d done.

  “Now T. H. will have somewhere to sleep until his real owner finds him,” Dad smiled.

  Ben and Joseph shared a knowing look. The flyers that their babysitter, Sam, had made for them about a “tame falcon” would never be answered, because True Heart belonged to King Arthur.

  The boys had met King Arthur when they’d gone exploring in the woods behind their house. His castle had saved them from the evil Black Knight who had chased them through the forest. King Arthur had challenged them to become knights in training for the Round Table, and now they had to complete certain quests as part of their training. Ben and Joseph and Sam had earned shields after the first quest. Now the boys were anxiously waiting for True Heart to lead them back to the castle for their next quest.

  “Thanks for helping us make T. H.’s house, Dad!” Ben said.

  “No problemo! I’m glad I was able to get off early the last few days. But I’m afraid my schedule’s getting busy again.” The boys grumbled their complaints, and Dad ruffled their hair.

  “Do you always have to work late? Sam’s cool, but she can’t help us build stuff or . . .” Ben’s sentence trailed off into silence. He and Joseph looked at Dad hopefully for his answer.

  “Sorry, boys. I have to bring home the bacon,” Dad said.

  Just then Mom called to them from the doorway, a plate of something in her hands. “Great work, guys! I bet T. H. will love it! You finished just in time. Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

  At that moment True Heart sailed down and snatched a piece of bacon from the plate, carrying his prize to Ben’s shoulder.

  Ben, Joseph, and Dad cracked up as Mom stamped her foot in frustration. “That bird—this bacon is for dinner! How am I supposed to make BLTs if your bird eats all the bacon?”

  “Dad brings home the bacon, and T. H. eats it,” Ben said, and the boys laughed even harder. Mom shook her head as Dad followed her back into the house.

  True Heart fluttered off Ben’s shoulder and landed on the roof of his new house. He gave a little screech and then launched up into the air, only to land on the fence. Then he screeched again and flew a short distance to the first tree in the woods.

  “It’s the sign!” Joseph gasped. He and Ben smiled at each other and ran to the tree house to grab their shields. Then they climbed the fence.

  2

  The Black Horse

  When they were in the woods, Ben danced in a circle gleefully.

  “Let’s go see King Arthur! Oh, yeah! Woo-hoo! Ride ’em, cowboy! Holy Toledo! Oh, mama!” Ben shouted all kinds of odd stuff to show how excited he was.

  Joseph put a hand on Ben’s shoulder to quiet him; he heard a faint noise coming from deeper in the woods and put a finger to his lips. “Did you hear that? It sounds like . . . pounding.”

  Both boys held still and tried to hear it. Joseph crouched down on all fours and put his ear to the ground. He’d seen that in a movie once.

  “It’s horse hooves!” Joseph said delightedly, happy he’d been the one to figure it out. The boys smiled, until they considered who might be riding a horse in the woods behind their house.

  “What if it’s the Black Knight?” Ben gasped.

  Joseph pulled him over to a fallen log, and they ducked behind it. Seconds later the Black Knight stormed past on a gleaming black horse with hooves the size of plates. His speed sent leaves flying into the air. Joseph covered his face with his shield because of all the dust the horse kicked up.

  “That was a close one!” Ben said as he began breathing. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath.

  “You can say that again.” Joseph nodded as he stood up.

  “That was a close one!” Ben repeated.

  Joseph rolled his eyes, and Ben grinned.

  “Do you think he saw us?” Joseph asked.

  “I don’t think so, or he would still be here trying to kill us,” Ben answered in a completely serious voice.

  Joseph would have thought Ben was exaggerating—as usual—if he didn’t know better. The Black Knight had tried to kill them during their last adventure. At least now they had their shields and T. H. But they still had to be careful.

  “I think we can get to the castle before he comes back, but we’d better hurry,” Joseph decided.

  True Heart led the boys through the woods to the old castle. Its crumbling walls looked mysterious but welcoming at the same time. Joseph was always surprised that the huge building hadn’t been seen by anyone, but maybe it was like their shields—invisible to everyone but them.

  The big wooden drawbridge was being lowered slowly when they approached, just as it had been the two other times they’d been there. They still couldn’t see who was letting it down, but once inside, they walked through the door at the end of the courtyard to the throne room.

  There King Arthur sat on his throne, a large smile on his face. His hunting dog was by his feet. It sat there, panting happily, watching the boys with intelligent eyes. Joseph waved at it, and the dog gave him a cheerful bark.

  “Young Benjamin! Young Joseph! I am so glad to see you! Thank you for coming!” King Arthur smiled at them.

  “Guess what!” Ben said excitedly. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Sam got a shield too! But Sam wasn’t at our house today when T. H. gave the sign, and even if she was at our house she would be babysitting Katie, and Katie can’t come out to the forest.” The words poured out in a huge rush.

  King Arthur smiled. “Lady Samantha can be of assistance to our cause exactly where she is. Tell her I am honored she would join us.”

  “So much has happened, Your Majesty!” Joseph chimed in. “When we left the castle last time, the Black Knight attacked us. But Ben’s shield saved us! Look!”

  Ben held up his shield and pointed to the dent in it where the arrow had hit.

  “Do you think we’ll need our shields when we aren’t in the woods?” Joseph asked.

  “They’ll make great snowboards this winter!” Ben laughed.

  Joseph elbowed him and gave him a big brother look that said “Cut it out.”

  “I have never seen this sport of snowboarding. Perhaps someday you could teach me,” K ing Arthur suggested politely.

  “I can’t wait to see you snowboard in your flowing royal robes! That’d be classic!” Ben laughed.

  King Arthur smiled cheerfully too, not the least insulted.

  “Ben, that was rude,” Joseph whispered to his brother harshly. “I’m sure you’d be a great snowboarder, Your Majesty,” he said loudly.

  “No, Ben is right. I would look quite ridiculous. I had better stick to storytelling,” King Arthur said.

  Ben and Joseph scrambled to get a good seat at the king’s feet, ready for another story. The last time King Arthur had told them a story, it had to do with their quest. Joseph hoped that if he listened closer this time, he would be able to tell what his new quest was.

  3

  The Foolish Knight and the Dragon

  “In my kingdom was a foolish knight who took great pleasure in bragging to his friends and trying to sound important and brave. One day he found several dragon scales in the woods. Stringing the scales into a necklace, he pretended to have defeated the dragons and stolen the scales off their dead bodies.” King Arthur leaned back, folded his arms, and looked at the ceiling, as if lost in the memory.

  Joseph made a disgusted face at the mention of taking the scales off the bodies, but Ben nodded with a smile and mouthed, “Cool.”

  “During one long, hard winter, this foolish man sold the dragon scales to make some money, and his tales about killing many dragons spread far and wide. Perhaps a dragon heard these stories and became angry. Perhaps the foolish man became greedy for more dragons’ scales and tried to steal them from a dragon’s cave. Whatever the reason, the poor man disappeared in the spring and was never heard from again.

  “A noble knight from the Round Table considered this man his friend and went in search of him. His search led him to the cave of the dragon Mintara. The knight respectfully stood at the entrance of the cave and called out to the dragon, asking if she knew the missing man. Mintara answered, ‘I have killed your terrible dragon fighter. It was far too easy, and he tasted weak and pitiful to me.’

  “Saddened by his friend’s death, the knight asked for the shield of the foolish knight to take back to his family. Mintara agreed to let the knight enter her cave if he promised to take nothing but the shield. He gave his word. The dragon left her treasure pile and crawled out of the cave. But she expected the knight to steal her treasure, so she waited for him to appear. After hours of searching through the dragon’s treasure, the knight found the shield and appeared at the mouth of the cave. Mintara scorched the cave entrance with a burst of deadly fire.”

  “But that’s not fair,” said Joseph. “What happened to the knight?”

  “Ssh!” said Ben. “You always get mad at me for interrupting!”

  “Our noble knight was carrying nothing but the shield,” the king continued, “which he held in front of him. Thus, he was protected. Angry that she had not killed the knight, Mintara spread her wings to attack from above, just as the knight picked up his lance and threw it at her. It found its mark in her heart, and the great dragon Mintara died in front of her own cave.”

  “That is sad!” Ben frowned.

  “It’s not sad! The first knight was stupid. That’s why King Arthur called him a ‘foolish man.’ In a way, he deserved to die,” Joseph explained impatiently.

  “I wasn’t talking about that. It’s sad that the dragon died,” Ben retorted.

  “It is a sad thing when anyone dies. Do not feel joy over the foolish man’s death, young Joseph. It is heartbreaking that he died without reason when he could have lived. He died before he had done any good with his life. That is one of the reasons I am so proud of you boys. You are becoming finer young men as you complete each quest. That may seem like a small thing, but you are making the world a better place for us all.

  “As you begin your next quest, consider this question. Did the knight take Mintara’s treasure after her death? I will want to know your answer when you return.” King Arthur smiled affectionately as the boys stood to go.

  “We’ll think about it, Your Majesty. See you later! Thanks for the cool story! It was so cool!” Ben called back. The boys walked out of the throne room into the bright courtyard.

  “Nice descriptions—very original. Cool and cool,” Joseph teased as the drawbridge was let down by an unseen someone. They ran out to the forest.

  “I bet you couldn’t do better,” Ben challenged as they hid behind a tree. They were waiting for True Heart’s signal that it was safe. Finally the falcon called to them with a loud shriek, and they left the safety of the tree.

  “Let me see. It was an amazing, superb, fantastic, wonderful, terrific, brilliant, inspired, and magnificent story,” Joseph said.

  “Sometimes I wish I were a nerd too,” Ben sighed, but a mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Only sometimes. Then I remember how much cooler I am than you, and I’m cool with not being a nerd.”

  “Oh, man! You are going to regret calling me a nerd, Mr. Cool-is-the-only-word-I-know!”

  Joseph laughed, and Ben bolted into the forest with Joseph hot on his tail.

  4

  A Clue That Rattles

  Joseph stopped chasing Ben when he realized he couldn’t see True Heart anymore. He was afraid to call the falcon because he didn’t want to attract the Black Knight’s attention. Ben skidded to a stop and spun around, nervously scanning the trees.

  “Do you think we got lost, or did T. H.?” Ben asked anxiously. Joseph wanted to act the part of the brave older brother, but it wasn’t good to be lost in the forest with the Black Knight around.

  True Heart suddenly swooped down and landed on a branch above them. Clutched tightly in his beak was an angry, writhing rattlesnake. With bared fangs and rattles buzzing, the snake was terrifying. The boys took a step or two backwards.

  “Where in the world did you get that, T. H.?” Joseph gasped.

  “It’s so cool!” Ben’s eyes were glued to the snake. Joseph shook his head and smiled at his brother’s fascination.

  “It’s not cool. It’s dangerous. Do you think it’s the first clue?” Joseph asked.

  “I don’t know, but here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll put the rattlesnake in the middle of the road and wait for the Black Knight to come. Then when the rattlesnake bites his horse and the horse goes down, we’ll pounce on the Black Knight with our mighty skills!”

  Ben demonstrated his mighty skills by throwing some punches in the direction of a gray squirrel. The squirrel chattered at him angrily and scampered up a tree.

  “Yeah, right! Even without his horse we still can’t take him. He’s a pro, and we’re just kids,” Joseph argued.

  “King Arthur always says just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we can’t do stuff,” Ben answered. He started walking along the path bent over, scanning the ground.

  “What in the world are you doing? Do you realize you look absolutely ridiculous?” Joseph tried hard not to laugh at his brother.

  “I’m looking for horse dung. If we can find that, then we’ll know which path the horse usually takes.” Ben kept walking, hunched over with his knees slightly bent.

  Joseph looked up to make sure True Heart was still okay. The falcon was fine. The snake’s tongue slithered angrily in and out of its mouth as it hissed at Joseph.

  “The Black Knight has all kinds of weapons, and all we have is our shields, Ben. I think you should give up this crazy dung search, and we’ll figure out the clue later,” Joseph urged.

  Ben grumbled, but he followed Joseph and True Heart back to the fence. Mom was just calling them for dinner as Ben watched the falcon kill the snake with his claws and start to eat it.

  “That’s so cool,” he mused.

  5

  A Clue That Couldn’t Talk

  The next day the boys met in the tree house right after school. Joseph pulled out their box of plastic building blocks, and soon they were both immersed in a world of their own creation. Ben proudly finished a cube and looked over to see Joseph adding the mast to an amazing pirate ship. Ben’s jaw dropped as he looked from his little box to the elaborate ship. He sheepishly took his cube apart before Joseph could see it. Joseph looked over a few seconds later.

 

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