Graduation Day Read online

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  COPYRIGHT

  The entire kingdom is abuzz with excitement, Alice!” said joust announcer Herb Herbertson.

  “I’m certainly excited, Herb!” agreed his partner, Alice Squires. “And abuzz!”

  Herb looked like an average announcer, while Alice was a Squirebot. But they were a lot alike. Both announcers had perfect hair, big smiles, and even bigger voices.

  They sat in a booth inside the Joustdome, a gleaming metal and glass dome-shaped arena in the city of Knightonia, the capital of the kingdom of Knighton. Below them, citizens and Squirebots took their seats. Other Squirebots roamed the aisles, selling snacks and knight souvenirs.

  A cheer rose from the crowd as King and Queen Halbert stepped into their royal balcony. The king’s bushy ginger beard could be seen from the farthest seat.

  “The king and queen have arrived, so the festivities can officially begin!” Herb announced.

  “And they look so radiant for the 151st Annual Knights’ Academy Graduation Ceremony!” added Alice.

  Herb nodded. “There’s a small class of five knights graduating today,” he said. “Not much for a knight to do since it’s been peaceful here in the realm for more than a hundred years.”

  “It’s going to be an amazing show featuring Merlok the Magician and Jestro the Royal Jester!” Alice promised. “Now, the big question on everyone’s minds: Will Princess Macy Halbert be allowed to become a Knight of the Realm with her classmates?”

  “Well, she did graduate second in her class, Alice,” Herb reminded her.

  Over in the royal balcony, a young woman with dark red hair and freckles was talking to the king and queen. She wore a suit of armor with a red dragon sigil on the chest.

  “Dad, you promised I could graduate!” Macy said.

  “Princess, you know I don’t want you going out and doing any of that messy fighting,” King Halbert said.

  “I want to be a knight, Dad. It’s what I was meant to be.” She turned to the queen. “Mom? Talk to him!”

  Queen Halbert looked at her husband. “You did promise, dear,” she reminded him. “And we haven’t had any fighting in our kingdom for a hundred years.”

  “Oh, all right,” King Halbert relented.

  “Yes!” Macy cried, rushing off to join the others.

  “But no fighting, young lady!” her father called after her.

  It was time for the ceremony to begin.

  “Let’s introduce you to the stars of this show—the newest knights of the realm! Ready for their Graduation Battle-bration!” Herb announced.

  Flashing lights shot out of the arena’s stage entrance and a rugged knight walked out. He wore silver armor and a dark blue helmet. On his chest was the symbol of a blue-and-white eagle against a dark blue background. He twirled his sword in front of him.

  “It’s the knights’ knight, Clay Moorington!” said Alice. “I don’t think anyone expected this country boy to be at the top of his class.”

  Next emerged a grinning blond knight. His armor bore the symbol of a white horse against a light blue background. He held up a weapon that looked like a long, sharp pole attached to a high-tech handle.

  “It’s lucky Lance Richmond and his amazingly lithe lance!” declared Alice.

  “Boy, I wish I could be him,” said Herb.

  “Doesn’t everyone?” asked Alice.

  The third knight flew into the arena on a hoverboard. He had bright red hair, and his armor was accented with green. He held a crossbow and played it like a guitar. His symbol was an orange fox against a green background.

  “The thrill-seeker, Aaron Fox!” said Herb.

  “He’s got ‘mad skillz,’ as the kids say,” added Alice.

  The fourth knight stomped into the arena. He was twice as big as the others, and he wore a gold helmet with metal horns sticking out of each side. His symbol was a golden bull against a purple background, and he carried a giant, double-bladed axe.

  “It’s big, bad Axl!” shouted Herb.

  “And his big, bad axe!” finished Alice.

  After Axl, Macy jumped into the arena, holding a weapon that looked like a big, glowing hammer.

  “And the amazing Macy joins in!” cried Herb.

  “I never doubted it for a second,” said Alice.

  “Except when you did just a minute ago,” Herb reminded her softly. Then he switched to his big announcer voice. “And we’ll be back to start the official Graduation Battle-bration in a few minutes, folks! Stay tuned!”

  Backstage at the arena, a crew worked busily to make sure the celebration would go smoothly. In a few minutes, the knights would begin to demonstrate their skills.

  Handling the tech were two students at the Knights’ Academy, Ava Prentis and Robin Underwood. Ava had brown hair and eyes that always looked like they were searching for answers. Robin had wavy, sandy blond hair and wore an armor plate over his light blue uniform. His symbol was a cute white chicken on a blue background.

  “I wish I could be out there graduating and becoming a knight,” grumbled Robin.

  “We’re only freshmen at the academy, Robin,” Ava reminded him. “We’re just lucky they let us coordinate these dummies.”

  She pointed to two grinning Squirebots. Each one had a spinning target attached to a short pole on top of his helmet.

  “Uh, I meant target dummies,” Ava corrected herself.

  “Hey, we volunteered for this,” said the first squire cheerfully.

  “Yeah, we like being dummies!” said the second, just as cheerfully.

  “Okay, let’s give them a good show, everybody!” Robin called out.

  “It’ll be, um, interesting, I’ll guarantee that,” said Ava.

  Meanwhile, Clay was looking for the other knights. He found Lance reclining on a massage chair in the training room. One Squirebot was trimming his fingernails, and another was polishing his armor.

  “Lance, I’ve prepared a rundown for each of us on the specific battle moves we should highlight in our Graduation Battle-bration,” Clay told him.

  He handed Lance a tablet with a digital graphic of the plan. Lance handed it to one of the Squirebots, who tossed it over his shoulder.

  “Relax, would you, Super Knight?” Lance asked. “We’re going to graduate no matter what.”

  “It’s important that we make a good impression,” Clay reminded him.

  Lance grinned. “I do that just by being me.”

  Clay sighed. “Have you seen Merlok? I need to talk to him.”

  “Who knows what that old wizard is up to,” Lance replied. “I’ll give you all the advice you need: Just spin your sword around, smile, and they’ll all love you. Not as much as they love me, but we all knew that.”

  Clay rolled his eyes and walked away. Nearby, Macy, Axl, and Aaron were getting ready for the performance.

  “You nervous, Axl?” Macy asked.

  “Nope,” he answered in his deep voice. “I’m hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry,” quipped Aaron.

  Clay walked in. “But you’re about to become an official knight!” he said. “Have you thought about how important that is?”

  “Hmmm,” Axl mused. “Will it get me an extra slice of cake?”

  Music blared through the arena.

  “That’s our cue,” said Aaron, picking up his crossbow and plucking the string like it was a guitar. “Time for a bow-dacious Battle-brati
on!”

  The crowd clapped and cheered as the Squirebots marched out into the arena. Some of them held wooden targets, while others had targets attached to their helmets. Clay strode into the arena with a determined look on his face.

  “The sensational super-swordplay of Clay Moorington!” Herb announced.

  Clay spun his sword around in preparation and then charged the first Squirebot.

  Swoosh! With one swipe of his blade, he sliced through the digital target on top of the nervous bot’s head. The target fizzled out.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Clay jumped from one Squirebot to the next, slicing each target as the crowd hollered its approval.

  “Merlok the Magician really helped Clay be all the knight he could be,” said Alice.

  “Yup, Merlok’s friendship and advice sure paid off,” agreed Herb. “Oh look, it’s Aaron Fox!”

  Aaron zipped into the arena riding his hoverboard. Three Squirebots raced past him, each one balancing a red apple on his helmet.

  “Woo-hoo!” cheered Aaron. He aimed his crossbow at the Squirebots and shot an arrow toward them.

  Whoosh! The arrow sliced through the first apple, then the second, then the third … perfect!

  “Aaron Fox, the airborne archer! He’s simply off the hook!” said Alice.

  Aaron landed next to Clay and fist-bumped him. Then Lance came out, riding his gleaming mecha horse.

  “Lance Richmond is always so polished,” remarked Herb.

  “He’s the shiniest knight I’ve ever seen!” Alice cried, her blue bot eyes gleaming.

  Lance lowered his weapon and charged at a Squirebot who was also riding a mecha horse. This was a classic joust. The two would ride at each other head-on, and each had to try to knock off the other using his lance.

  The Squirebot charged at Lance with amazing speed. Startled, Lance sped right past him without trying to knock him down.

  “Ha ha! You missed!” the bot taunted.

  Lance had failed! But that couldn’t happen. Not to Lance.

  How am I going to fix this? Lance wondered.

  Lance turned his head to look at the Squirebot—and his hover horse crashed into the barrier! Acting on instinct, Lance lowered his lance. It bent like a spring, sending him flying across the arena.

  Lance tumbled through the air—and then regained his balance. With a cry, he leapt onto the Squirebot’s mecha horse, knocking the bot right out of his seat. Lance took control of the horse and flew triumphantly around the arena as the crowd cheered.

  “I planned that,” he said as he pulled up to Clay.

  “Yeah, sure,” Clay replied.

  Then big Axl stomped into the arena.

  “And here comes Axl! He’s always hungry for action,” Alice remarked.

  “I don’t want to get between him and the dinner buffet!” Herb joked.

  Axl stared at a giant punching bag full of Squirebots. He was supposed to attack the punching bag with his axe. But that would take too long, and Axl was hungry! Instead, he slammed his axe into the ground.

  Boom! The axe’s vibrations caused the bag to open and the Squirebots spilled out, crashing into the dirt.

  Satisfied, Axl walked over to the others, munching a sandwich.

  “Axl the Ever-Hungry gives way to Princess Macy Halbert,” announced Herb.

  Macy ran out into the arena. Her helmet had metal bars caging in her determined face. She was about to show everyone that she was born to be a knight.

  A Squirebot operating a giant mecha-bot stomped toward her. Macy grunted and charged toward him.

  She jumped in the air, landed on the mecha-bot’s shoulder, and kicked. As she flew off the robot, it fell forward, right on its face.

  The mecha-bot got back on its feet, and Macy activated her power mace. It glowed with power as she leapt forward.

  “Ha!” Macy cried, swinging the mace.

  Bam! She knocked the mecha-robot’s head right off! The crowd cheered as she landed firmly on two feet.

  “Wow! That’s a-mace-ing!” cried Alice, and Herb grimaced at the terrible pun.

  She joined the other four knights on a platform and it rose up to the royal balcony. The king and queen clapped for them.

  “Good citizens of this land!” began King Halbert in a booming voice. “We welcome these new knights of the realm and present them with the symbols of their achievement—the Knightronic Shields of the kingdom, bearing their family crests.”

  Squirebots came out with four shields bearing symbols that matched the markings on the knights’ armor. But there were only four Squirebots and four shields—and none bore the symbol of a dragon.

  “Where’s my shield, Dad?” Macy asked her father.

  “We’ll discuss this later,” King Halbert said.

  Macy gritted her teeth. “This is so unfair.”

  Axl, Clay, and Lance powered up their shields and turned to the crowd. Aaron jumped on his and hovered above the others.

  “Whoa! This makes an awesome hover shield,” he said.

  Clay frowned. “You know what that is? It’s disrespectful. With a capital D.”

  Lance bopped Clay on the head with his lance. “Lighten up, uber-knight. This is supposed to be a party.”

  King Halbert turned back to the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Knights’ Academy graduates of …”

  “ROOOOAAAAAR!”

  Smoke poured into the arena. Fire exploded from the entrance. A huge monster emerged from the flames, growling and charging the royal booth. His huge body looked like it was sculpted from molten rock. Lava seemed to flow through his veins. His eyes glowed with yellow fire inside his massive skull, and sharp teeth jutted from his jaw.

  Two more glowing monsters emerged behind him!

  “Monsters? There haven’t been monsters here in a hundred years!” cried Alice.

  Herb jumped into her arms. “I’m so scared!”

  Queen Halbert grabbed a shield from off the wall and tossed it to her daughter.

  “Macy! Use this!” she cried.

  The five knights put on their helmets.

  “Knights! Defend the people of the realm!” Clay cried, raising his sword.

  The platform lowered and the five knights charged into the arena. Clay swung his sword at the leg of one of the monsters—but as he did, the monster flickered and disappeared.

  “Huh?” wondered Clay as the monster reappeared, unharmed, in front of him.

  Axl swung his battle-axe at a monster, but the big beast dodged the blows. Aaron shot his crossbow at a monster. The arrows glowed brightly when they made contact, but then fizzled out.

  Macy jumped up and swung her mace at a monster with all her might. The mace went right through it and she landed on the ground with a thud.

  “We’ve got to coordinate our attacks!” Clay yelled. “Lance, drive your monster toward me!”

  “Like you know better,” Lance scoffed. “I can handle this thing.”

  He ran toward the nearest monster and threw his lance. It passed right through the monster and hit Axl in the chest. He toppled back, knocking down Macy. Then the lance hit Aaron, knocking him out of the sky. He smashed right into Clay!

  The three monsters surrounded the fallen knights. Things looked grim … until, suddenly, they all vanished!

  A tornado of golden light swirled into the arena. The light faded to reveal a wizard in blue robes with a long, white beard.

  “Ha! That was a good trick, wasn’t it?”

  Tis I, Merlok the Magician!” the wizard announced. He raised his magic staff in the air and sparks shot out of it. “This is supposed to be a celebration!”

  Macy turned to Clay and smiled. “It was Merlok. That’s a relief.”

  “Good show, Merlok,” said King Halbert. “You truly are the greatest wizard in the realm.”

  A sad look crossed Merlok’s face. “I’m also the only wizard left in the realm.”

  Then he looked up at the knights and smiled. “Our new knights: While you may be gradu
ating, you must recognize that you still have much to learn. And now, for a little magic.”

  He swung his staff and pointed it at the knights. Sparkling, golden light poured out.

  “Horus Porus Disappearum!” the wizard yelled.

  The knights vanished into the golden light, and then fireworks exploded over the arena. Merlok bowed to the cheers of the crowd.

  Then golden light sparkled again, and the five knights reappeared on the platform. It raised up again as the crowd went wild.

  The knights and Merlok went backstage, where Jestro, the court jester, was waiting to perform. He wore a purple-and-blue costume and his face was painted clown white. The bells around his neck jangled as he paced back and forth.

  Clay walked up to him. “Hey, Jestro. You’re up next,” he said. “Don’t worry so much. You’ll be great.”

  “I’m kind of nervous, Clay,” Jestro admitted. “Never follow a better act, they say, and the people all love Merlok.”

  “Love is a strong word,” Lance chimed in. “I’d say, ‘adore,’ or maybe ‘cherish.’”

  “Look, if anyone laughs at you I’ll give them a haircut with my sword,” Clay promised kindly.

  “I’m the jester—they’re supposed to laugh at me,” Jestro said.

  “Uh, yeah, that’s what I meant,” said Clay. “Just stay positive. You’ll be fine.”

  Jestro nodded. “Right. Time for some comedy!”

  “That’s the spirit!” Clay encouraged as Jestro walked away.

  “Is he going to crash and burn?” Lance whispered.

  “No, no. Of course not,” Clay said.

  “But probably,” Lance said.

  Clay sighed. “Yeah.” He had been Jestro’s friend for years. Jestro was a good guy, but a terrible jester.

  Jestro knew it, too. But being the court jester was an important job, and he always tried to do his best.

  As he stepped out onto the arena floor, he decided to go for a spectacular entrance. He did a handstand and then tried to backflip—and fell right onto his face. The crowd laughed and clapped, thinking it was part of the act.

  “You can do this,” Jestro told himself as he picked himself up. “Be funny.”

  He raised his arms. “Hey, it’s good to be here!” he yelled to the crowd. “But I’m always here. I live here!”