Knight of Cups

By Byrd Nash

A ghostly medieval knight and a creepy curse spoil the summer.

Brigit, a fae dryad, and Jib, her talking cat, become trapped in a haunted French chateau. They quickly become embroiled in a creepy family mystery with ties to the medieval myths and legends of the Holy Grail.

"I also had an interesting time," the True Beast said, ignoring the materialization of the knight. "This family is under a curse."

"Duh," said Brigit, warily eyeing the ghost who was floating about a foot off the ground. "This guy probably knows something about it."

Taking Brigit at her word, the knight began to speak, "For three days, I shall warn those at the Château du Puis. On the third night, one of you will die."

The púca commented, "Sounds like we will be leaving tomorrow."

Between the bizarre dinner ritual and unearthly screaming from the cellar, can the two break the Dupois curse before it claims another victim?

A contemporary fantasy - this Fae Magic adventure short story is a standalone tale using characters from the YA fantasy, Never Date a Siren - the College Fae Magic Series, book #1.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rook and Castle Press
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734893823

Book preview

Knight of Cups

Knight of Cups

Byrd Nash

Rook and Castle Press

License Notes

Copyright © 2019, 2024 Byrd Nash

http://www.byrdnash.com

Cover Art by Justin Davis

Publisher: Rook & Castle Press, Saint Charles, Illinois

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-7334566-5-4

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED BY A HUMAN, NOT AI.

License Notes

Copyright © 2019, 2024 Byrd Nash

http://www.byrdnash.com

Cover Art by Justin Davis

Publisher: Rook & Castle Press, Saint Charles, Illinois

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-7348938-2-3

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED BY A HUMAN, NOT AI.

Contents

Books by Byrd Nash

Knight of Cups

1. First Night

2. Second Night

3. Third Night

Epilogue

What to Read Next

Never Date a Siren Sneak Peek

Glossary

Books by Byrd Nash

About AI

Books by Byrd Nash

Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries

Ghost Talker #1

Delicious Death #2

Spirit Guide #3

Gray Lady #4

Haunted Grave #5

Ghastly Mistake #6

The Morpheus Society

The Blood Locket Mystery #1

The Death Ring Mystery #2

Contemporary, Magical Realism

A Spell of Rowans

Breathings of the Moon

College Fae

Never Date a Siren #1

A Study in Spirits #2

Bane of Hounds #3

Romantic Fairytales

Dance of Hearts (Cinderella)

Price of a Rose (Beauty and the Beast)

Revisited Mystery Classics

with a new story by Byrd Nash

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard

The Old Man in the Corner

Fairytale Fantasy

The Wicked Wolves of Windsor and other Fairytales

Dedication

To Black Cats everywhere

who are all very clever.

Knight of Cups

A Brigit and Jib Adventure

Events take place the summer

after Never Date a Siren

Byrd Nash

Dear Reader:

When I was working on the College Fae series, I had the idea that various students would have adventures away from the campus during the summer and winter breaks. The Knight of Cups is Brigit Cullen’s adventure the summer after events in Never Date a Siren takes place. Accompanying Brigit is Jib, the talking black cat who was so popular with readers.

Knight of Cups was inspired by the Grail Legend, something my husband is very interested in reading about. More information about this can be found at the end of this story in the appendix.

To enjoy this story, it is not required that you’ve read Never Date a Siren, as this is a standalone tale. So if you are unfamiliar with the College Fae series, need a refresher, or just want to learn more, check out the definitions listed in the appendix.

The fae world (called the Perilous Realm), exists side-by-side with the human world. During World War 2, the country of Bewachterburg was concealed from the world through a pact with the fae, and did not reappear again until the 1960s, when its leaders felt it was safe.

Our heroine, Brigit Cullen, is a dryad from the Perilous Realm who decided to take advantage of the free tuition offered to any fae (because of the war treaty pact) at Leopold-Ottos-Universität, Geheimetür, Bewachterburg. Her first year (Never Date a Siren), second year (A Study in Spirits), and third year (Bane of Hounds) are chronicled in the College Fae series.

One of my first fans, Andie K. got the first peek at this short story, and was helpful with feedback since she had a German background. My editor at the time was Kate H. who I had met through a writer’s group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and she was writing a medieval German tale, as I was writing the College Fae series. Her input was also helpful.

I’ve since done a slight re-write to the original, mostly adding in details that would make it more comprehensible to those who hadn’t read the College Fae series. I also wanted to tune up the story to prepare for it becoming an audio book drama.

It was fun to revisit Brigit and Jib. I hope you enjoy their fae adventure.

Byrd Nash

Find Byrd at her website, Goodreads, and Bookbub. If you follow me there, you will automatically be notified by email of my new releases.

First Night

Poking its head up, the black cat dislodged the knapsack flap and climbed onto Brigit Cullen’s shoulders. Are we there yet? When will we be there? I’m hungry.

The girl shifted her shoulders to adjust to the cat’s weight, which at the moment