by Mari Mancusi
Guinevere cocked her head. “What's that?” she asked, praying his request would be a noble one.
“You smile. You’re way too pretty to look so sad,” he scolded gently. Reaching over, he poked her playfully in the shoulder. At first she was shocked by the intimacy of a stranger, but then reminded herself this was a different time with different customs.
“Come on,” he urged. “I know you have one deep, deep inside.” He made a funny face, sticking out his tongue, and she couldn’t help a small giggle.
“There!” he cried, pointing at her triumphantly. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Guinevere shook her head, feeling her cheeks heat.
Lucas grinned back at her with white, perfectly straight teeth. “All right, I’ll call Sophie,” he said. He paused, then added. “Who should I say is looking for her?”
“Guinevere,” she replied without hesitation. Something told her she could trust this man.
“First Arthur, now Guinevere,” he said, shaking his head. “Too weird.” He pressed the device again and put it to his ear. Guin watched in amazement as he spoke into it. It must be some kind of magic communication device.
“Hey, Soph, it’s Lucas. Yeah. I’ve got this girl here who’s looking for you. Do you think you could…” He paused. “Guinevere,” he said, as if replying to a question on the other end. “Yeah she’s…Oh. Okay. You’ll be right there? She shouldn’t move?” He glanced over at Guin and nodded with a smile. “I promise she won’t . . . okay. Later.” He pulled the device away from his ear. “She’s on her way,” he told her, stuffing the device back in his pocket. “I'll sit with you until she gets here.”
“Oh,” Guin said. “Well, you don’t…I mean don’t feel like you…”
“Have to? Maybe I want to. How about that?” Lucas asked. “I'm bored anyway, waiting for these guys to finish practice.” He paused, then added with a teasing grin. “Besides, someone needs to make sure you keep smiling.” He reached into a brown paper bag. “You hungry? Want a ham and cheese sandwich?”
She nodded, realizing she was actually starving, and accepted the sandwich from him gratefully. As she bit into the delicious white bread, she couldn't help another small grin escaping the corners of her lips.
“Excellent!” Lucas cried, pointing at her face. “That's it! Keep up the good work.”
She started laughing, her cheeks heating into a blush once again. Her new friend was evidently very good at his job.
Chapter 31
Morgan Le Fay paced the wooded path between the school and the “parking lot,” waiting for her little minion to return with information about Arthur. She’d spent most of the morning in the “library” studying up on the twenty-first century and its mysteries, but was still having difficulty formulating a plan to dispose of Arthur and retrieve the scabbard. Back home—where her magic was strong—it might have been an easier task. But here, weakened and far from the source of her power, she could only conjure up minor spells. And with Arthur having invincibility from the scabbard, none of them were going to do the trick.
From a distance her eyes locked upon Mortimer, running up from a nearby field, an eager expression on his face. It’d been almost too easy to pull him over to her side. No magic necessary. Just a sympathetic ear, willing to listen when no one else would, and he was putty in her hands. And now he’d become her ultimate spy. Shadowing Arthur in a way she could not and hopefully ferreting out his weakness so she could bring him down for good.
“Hi, Morgan,” Mortimer said shyly as he slowed on approach, his eyes darting nervously from side-to-side. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here.” He gave her a bashful grin and Morgan resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the typical male patheticness. No wonder the world fell apart when men began to run it.
“But of course I am, darling,” she cooed. “How could I miss a chance to meet with you?”
Mortimer kicked the dusty dirt path with his toe, looking pleased. It really didn’t take much, now did it?
“So,” she said, taking him by the hand and leading him over to a nearby wooden bench. His palm was disgustingly sweaty and he smelled a little like onions. “Tell Morgan what you learned today,” she instructed, urging him to sit down beside her. “Did you discover our enemy's weakness?”
To Morgan’s delight, Mortimer gave a staunch nod. “There’s this girl,” he informed her. “Down by the football field. She and Arthur had some kind of argument. He looked really upset afterwards and kept making mistakes in practice.” He beamed, evidently very proud of himself.
Morgan considered this. “This girl,” she said. “What does she look like?”
“Well, she’s blond,” Mortimer began. “Really pretty.”
Morgan frowned. Idiot. That could describe half the girls in the orphanage.
“Anything else?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and serene.
Mortimer scrunched up his piglike face, thinking. She could practically see the slow cogs turning in his brain. “Well, she was wearing a weird dress,” he remembered at last.
“Define ‘weird.’”
Mortimer shrugged. “I don't know. Kind of like something you'd see at a medieval faire, I guess.”
Morgan stared at him, surprised. Had yet another time traveler come to town? Someone Arthur knew, perhaps? Someone he would be upset to see?
“Anything else you can remember about this girl?” she asked hopefully.
But Mortimer shrugged. “Not really,” he replied. Then his eyes brightened, locking on to something behind her. “Wait—there she is! Walking to the parking lot with Sophie Sawyer!”
Morgan whirled around, her mouth dropping open in shock as she realized exactly who it was Mortimer was pointing to. Could it really be? Princess Guinevere herself, in the twenty-first century, completely unprotected? Yes, it had to be. She’d know the princess anywhere. Her lips curled into a satisfied smirk. This was almost too good to be true!
She rose from her seat. “You did well,” she told Mortimer hastily. “I may call upon you again in the future.”
Mortimer grinned from ear to ear. “And maybe we can sit together at lunch sometime?” he called after her.
But Morgan didn’t bother to answer. She was rushing down the path, following Guinevere and her friend. The princess was absolutely the perfect pawn to bring her brother down and gain the scabbard for herself. And now that she’d found her, she wasn’t about to let her out of her sight.
Chapter 32
“Hey, Sophie, I'm home!” Cammy announced, bursting into Sophie's bedroom about an hour later, uninvited as usual. At least this time she wasn't interrupting a videogame session.
Her stepmom stopped short as her eyes fell upon Guinevere, sitting at Sophie's computer, reading a Wikipedia article about her own life. Sophie had taken the princess home on the late bus, not sure what else to do with her. As if she didn't have enough trouble with one medieval time traveler on her hands—now she had two visitors to contend with. At least Guinevere seemed to want to help—to get Arthur back where he belonged. So Sophie had decided to give her a little history lesson, in hopes the girl would prove an ally in her quest.
“Sorry,” Cammy apologized. “I didn't realize you had a friend over.” She smiled at the princess and Sophie was thankful she'd had the foresight to have Guinevere change into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The muddy floor-length gown she'd been wearing when she first arrived in the twenty-first century might have been a little tough to explain.
“Cammy, this is Guin. Guin, this is my stepmother, Cammy,” she introduced.
Guinevere rose from her seat and gave a small, respectful curtsy. “’Tis an honor to meet you, m'lady,” she murmured.
Cammy stared at her, evidently not sure if she was being made fun of or not.
“Guin's visiting from England,” Sophie hastened to explain.
“Oh!” Cammy giggled. “Of course. I'm sorry.” She gave a little curtsy back to Guinevere. “It's great to meet you, too,
honey. Please make yourself at home.”
Her stepmother paused, hovering at the door. Sophie raised an eyebrow. “Was there something else?” she asked. Sadly, it seemed with all the changes in history, none had managed to make her stepmother any less annoying.
“Actually, yes,” Cammy replied. “The search is resuming tonight and I wanted to know if you'd like to join us. The police chief said that they could use all the volunteers they can get.” She shook her head. “Poor kid. I hope he's okay.”
Sophie jerked to attention, suddenly realizing her normally fashion-forward stepmother was currently dressed in a pair of muddy hiking boots, ripped jeans, and a worn gray hoodie. “Search?” she repeated. “Search for who?” But even as she asked the question, she realized she already knew the answer.
“Haven't you heard?” Cammy gave her a surprised look. “It's been all over the news. That kid from your class is still missing. Practically the whole town has been scouring the area, looking for him.”
Oh man. Sophie dropped the King Arthur book she'd been skimming, her heart thudding. It had never once crossed her mind, when first sending Stu back in time, that he might be missed back home. Of course she'd never imagined it would have taken so long for him to be able to come back. Originally she figured she'd have him in and out before anyone realized he was gone. But now it'd been several days and of course everyone would be worried. His father must be freaking out.
“They've actually brought his father in for questioning,” Cammy added. “The police are beginning to suspect foul play.”
“What?” Sophie blurted out before she could stop herself. “That's crazy! His father had nothing to do with—” She broke off, realizing Cammy was staring at her.
“Do you know something, Sophie?” she asked, her eyes drilling into her. “If so, you need to tell the police immediately. A boy's life is at stake here.”
It took everything inside Sophie to swallow back her retort. Don't you think I know that? she wanted to scream. Don't you think I'm doing everything I can to save him? But that would only bring up questions she couldn't explain.
“No. I don't know anything,” she said at last, staring down at her lap. “I don't even know the kid.”
In a way it wasn't a lie. After all, in this new world she was living in, she and Stu had probably never even met—except maybe in passing. It made her heart ache a little to think of it—living a life without her best friend. She remembered the countless afternoons they'd spent together, hanging out, playing videogames, watching movies. Countless memories that no longer counted. Because in this world, they didn't exist.
A horrible thought struck her. If she got Stu home now, would everything go back to the way it was? Or would he become the new Stu? The one who didn't know her from a hole in the wall?
She shook her head. The thought was too painful to even consider.
Cammy's face softened. She gave Sophie a pitying look. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I know this must strike close to home for you.”
Sophie stared at her for a minute before realizing her stepmother was mistaking her upset for her own mother's disappearance. Sophie's dad had been investigated, too, at the time, though obviously had been cleared of any wrong-doing.
“But that's all the more reason you should help us look for Stu,” Cammy added. “They couldn't find your mom. But maybe we can still find him.”
Sophie sighed. What could she say? That a search was meaningless? That she had her own agenda for getting Stu back and wandering through the woods would only delay her mission? Her stepmother would just think she was being selfish.
“Fine,” she said. “We'll go. Give us a few minutes to get changed.”
Cammy grinned. “Excellent. We can grab some pizza on the way. I'll call it in.” She turned to Guinevere. “What do you like on yours?”
The princess stared back at her, a baffled look on her face. Sophie stifled a groan. She couldn't believe her stepmom had just asked the legendary Princess Guinevere her Domino’s preferences.
“We'll have pepperoni,” she jumped in to save her.
But now it was Cammy's turn to look confused. “What's a pepper-oni?” she asked.
Oh dear. Had the ripples in time actually eliminated Sophie's favorite pizza topping? This was getting worse and worse.
“Sorry. I meant cheese,” she replied quickly. “Plain cheese is great.” Surely no history change could take away cheese. That would just be cruel.
Thankfully Cammy seemed to know what cheese was. She nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Sophie collapsed on her bed with a sigh.
“What's wrong?” Guinevere asked, looking over at her. “Don't you want to help find this boy?”
“I already know exactly where he is,” she lamented. “Not that anyone would believe me if I told them.”
The princess's eyes widened in realization. “Stu,” she said. “They're looking for Stu. Your friend who's posing as King Arthur. The one I met back home.”
“Exactly. And until we can get your stupid boyfriend to agree to go back and fulfill his destiny, Stu ain't coming home. And no search in the woods is going to change that.” Sophie moaned. “I can't believe the police are questioning his father. His father is so nice. This is all my fault.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Guinevere comforted her. “You were doing what you had to do to save the world.”
“Yeah, and a lot of good it's done me. The world is getting more and more screwed up by the second. I mean, no pepperoni pizza? What's next? The apocalypse?”
Guinevere shuddered. “No,” she replied firmly. “We won't let that happen. Don't worry, Sophie. Arthur has a good heart. He's smart and kind and cares about other people. He just doesn't understand the impact of what he's doing. If we can just explain to him the consequences of his actions . . . “
“Easier said than done, considering I can barely get near him thanks to his little posse.”
“And he's angry at me.” Guinevere sighed. “For something I didn't even do!” She rose from her chair, pacing the room. “You know, here I thought everything was going to turn out so well, once I found out he was to be king. He's my best friend, you know,” she added. “And I'm sure he'd make the most excellent husband.” She ran a hand through her long blond hair. “But now he believes I will be a terrible wife. That I will betray him for another man. A man I don't even know.” She glanced glumly at the computer. “All because the Google tells him so.”
Sophie sighed. This time travel mess was getting messier by the second. And boy did her little “show Arthur the videogame” plan backfire. She'd only pictured Arthur seeing visions of glory and honor—of him becoming the most legendary king in the world. She'd conveniently forgotten the rest of the story. His not so happily ever after. No wonder Merlin didn't want him to know the truth of his destiny; it was one no one in their right mind would want to live.
She couldn't blame him for not wanting to go back. But, at the same time, she couldn't allow him to stay.
“We have to think of something,” she mused. “Otherwise Stu will be stuck in medieval England forever.” She wondered what her friend was doing at the moment. Did he believe she'd abandoned him? Left him to rot in a drafty castle all alone? If only she could get word to him somehow. But there was no way. She'd even downloaded Camelot's Honor on her computer—to try to find Merlin and get a message to him. But every time she'd logged on, no one was there.
“He misses you, you know,” Guinevere said suddenly.
Sophie gave her a sharp look. “What?”
“Stu. He misses you.”
“And . . . you know that . . . how?” Sophie asked, feeling her heart start thudding faster.
“Because he told me,” the princess replied. “Sorry—with everything going on I forgot all about it. The last thing he said to me before I headed to the twenty-first century was that I was to tell you that he missed you.” She paused, then added, “From the look on your face r
ight now, I'd say you miss him, too.”
Sophie felt her cheeks burn at the princess's words, though she wasn't sure why. So she missed her best friend. Who wouldn't? It was only natural. Still, it was as if Guinevere was implying a whole lot more by the mischievous smile that had suddenly appeared on her face. Which was ridiculous, of course.
“We're friends. Of course I miss him,” she protested.
Guinevere's smile widened. “And . . . ?”
“And nothing. What do you mean?” Sophie demanded.
“I don't know.” The princess's eyes took on a teasing sparkle. “Maybe it's just me, but it seems like there may be something more than friendship between you.”
What? Of all the crazy notions. Her and Stu? More than friends? Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by Cammy's voice.
“Are you guys ready to go?” she asked. “The pizza's waiting!”
And for once Sophie was very thankful for her stepmother's interruption.
Chapter 33
“All right, Knights, gather round. Here's what we're going to do,” Arthur announced, gesturing for his team to meet in a huddle. The players formed a semicircle, waiting for his command, looking a bit more reluctant than they'd been on the football field that afternoon. Of course this time Arthur wasn't offering up some masterful offensive play; he had something far nobler in mind and he insisted the knights become part of it.
When he'd first learned at practice that Stuart Mallory was still missing, he realized he needed to step in. Whether he was Lucas's brother or not (a fact that still confused Arthur to no end) Stuart was in need of aid and Arthur was convinced he was the knight for the job. Back home he would have remained helpless in this quest—a mere servant boy with no power to do anything useful. But here he had an army at his disposal and he planned to use it to his full advantage. After all, that was what knights had been created for—to right the wrongs, help people in need. And he was positive that when they returned victorious, having rescued Stu from a dragon or an evil witch that held him at bay, Sophie would finally understand why he should stay and give up trying to get him to go home.