The Youngest Templar Series

Tristan and his companions have finally reached England with the Holy Grail. But his job of protecting the Grail is not over yet. For when they return, they find that much has changed for the worse in their country. Tristan’s abbey has been destroyed, and Sherwood Forest suffers under the terrible reign of the Sheriff of Nottingham. As Tristan and his friends journey through England to deliver their precious cargo to the Templars, they must band together to navigate obstacles and fight one final difficult battle – and in the process, Tristan will also learn the fate of his own life. A fate that many would kill to keep secret.

As a templar, young Tristan is entrusted to protect the Holy Grail. But it is the Grail that protects him as he escapes the Holy LandÑand the evil Templar Sir HughÑand washes up, alone, on a foreign shore. Before long, TristanÕs adventures put him in danger, caught in the fighting between a heretical band of Cathars and the king of France, and still on the run from Sir Hugh. TristanÕs only chance to save the Grail is to make his way to England. But when he falls for Celia, the beautiful leader of the Cathars, his loyalty to the Grail wavers. And when Celia becomes endangered, Tristan is torn, forced to make a choiceÑand the wrong one could have disastrous consequences.

Read Michael Spradlin’s posts on the Penguin Blog.

1191 A.D. The orphan Tristan has joined the Knights Templar as a squire, journeying with Richard the Lionheart on his crusade to free the Holy Land from the Saracens. As defeat looms near, Tristan is entrusted with the most sacred of Christian relics, the Holy Grail. He must return it safely to Britain, but he must also keep it secret, because the Grail’s power will drive men to madness, and even his fellow Knights Templar will kill for it. Tristan teams up with the fiery Robard Hode— returning to his home in Sherwood after serving with the King’s Archers—and Maryam, an equally fierce girl and a member of the dreaded Hashshashin. Together they must escape the Holy Land, dodging bandits, the forces of the Saladin, and unscrupulous knights who will stop at nothing to possess the Grail.