title: Grails: Quests of the Dawn
author: Various
description: From Neil Gaiman's story of a housewife's encounter with a Knight of the Round Table ("Chivalry") to Brad Strickland's cautionary tale of covetousness and human foibles ("The Gift of Gilthaliad"), the 25 stories and poems that comprise this collection of Grail-inspired fiction represent a strong showing from a host of celebrated fantasy and sf authors. First published in a limited edition, this volume (the first in a two-part series) explores broad and literal interpretations of one of literature's most enduring legends. Suitable for fantasy and short story collections.<br />Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  **Grail Quest**
  
   **The Camelot Spell**
  
   **Laura Anne Gilman**
  
  ![](Images/image00103.jpeg)
  
  For Daniel and Evan Klein
  
  **Contents**
  
   _Prologue_
  
  “This is such a remarkably bad idea. There’s no possible…
  
   _One_
  
  “This entire castle has gone mad!”
  
   _Two_
  
  Two of the younger pages began to bawl, sitting on…
  
   _Three_
  
  Birds chirped and tweeted outside the stable, heralding the first…
  
   _Four_
  
  “Do you think they’ve woken yet?” Newt asked.
  
   _Five_
  
  The source of the light was a structure unlike any…
  
   _Six_
  
  Once, just once, I’d like to hear a story that…
  
   _Seven_
  
  They finally settled on heading east by the simple expedient…
  
   _Eight_
  
  “A gain I ask, why can’t magical items be hidden…
  
   _Nine_
  
  The change from sunlight to darkness was gradual; the light…
  
   _Ten_
  
  They rode all through that night and most of the…
  
   _Eleven_
  
  Once years ago, Newt had gotten horribly drunk on a…
  
   _Twelve_
  
  Traveling through magical portals wasn’t the most dignified way to