Girl to the Rescue!

by Katrina Kahler

  “Okay, so we have more time. But it still doesn't give us a way in,” Arthur said.

  “Gwen has magic,” Sebastian suggested.

  Arthur nodded. “I am aware, and I am pleased. But she’s going to need more than that.”

  “And she’s got it,” the familiar voice of Coach Locke said. He walked into the room with Mom, Dad, Bart, and Brett.

  “What are those jerks doing here?” Arthur said.

  “They want to help,” Coach Locke said. “They happen to be the best hackers I’ve ever seen.”

  “Yeah, we think what happened to you was unfair,” Brett told me. “That staff was yours.” He pointed at Mr. Locke. “Coach filled us in.”

  “Why do you two want to help?” I asked.

  “We may be jerks, but we’re not bad guys,” Bart said. “We just like to have fun. And besides, what guy wouldn’t want to help a girl who is as cute as you?”

  I looked away and felt myself blush slightly. I turned to Coach Locke, “Wait, how do you know about this?”

  “I’ve been through this before,” he told me.

  “How, when?” I asked.

  Mika looked at me. “Think about this, Gwen, the man is super fit and strong. He always stands up for kids who are being persecuted. His name is Rob Locke. Very similar to another famous hero…”

  “Another hint, I took out one of those bats in the forest with my bow.”

  “You’re Robin Hood!” I shouted.

  Mr. Locke bowed to me. “In the flesh…”

  “But why are you here?” Mom asked him. “Aren’t you from a different time period?”

  Coach Locke smiled. “True, but I am a universal hero. I come when I’m needed to combat injustice. You know my motto: take from the rich and give to the poor and all that.”

  “And there’s nobody richer than Morgana,” I sighed.

  Bart and Brett pulled notebook computers out of their backpacks and sat down at the round table. They started typing away.

  Merlin walked over to them. “Look, children, I’ve already been through the museum’s website. There is nothing of use there.”

  Bart rolled his eyes, “Weird silly cat dude, we’re checking out the museum’s servers and systems.”

  Merlin popped out his claws. I picked Merlin up and pulled him away from Bart and Brett. “Let them work in peace.”

  “I’m sure they won’t find…” Merlin started to say.

  “Got it!” Brett said. He turned his computer around so we could see it. There was a layout of the museum complete with security camera placement.

  “Okay, that’s nice, but we already know the layout of the place, and security cameras are easy to avoid with magic,” Merlin said, chest puffed out.

  “True, magic is cool,” Brett said.

  He swiped right, over his screen. The screen showed a much more detailed layout of the building. “But there is another level under the armor room.” Brett swiped again showing the layout of a room called The Vault.

  I looked at the maps. “But there was no door in that room.”

  “Must be a trap door on the floor,” Mika said.

  “I love doing this stuff!” Brett said. He and Bart gave each other high fives.

  I stood up. I made a fist. “Okay, so tonight at midnight I go into the museum and get my staff back.”

  Mom looked at me, “Honey, it’s a school night.” She smiled, “I’m kidding, mostly. While education is important, so is stopping Morgana from getting the staff. But can you go at 9:30 instead of midnight?”

  “Not nearly as cool,” Merlin sighed. He looked at me. “But still quite functional and better for your team.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “You sure you can break in?” Bart asked, somewhat in awe. “They have a pretty high tech system and guards. It’s pretty impressive.”

  “I have magic and a dragon,” I said.

  “And you’ll have all of us backing you up,” Gail told me.

  “Are you sure, guys?” I asked.

  Everybody nodded, well everybody but Arthur. He groaned. “My parents in this world are actually tougher than Uther was in Camelot. If you need me, text me and I’ll be there.” He paused. “But if you can handle it without me, that’s cool too. Like I said, I like my life as it is.” Another pause. “But I know we can’t let Morgana have her way with this world.”

  “Being a teacher, I can’t actually go with you, but I will be patrolling the roofs around the building to take care of any dark knights around,” Coach Rob said.

  “Dark knights?” Dad asked.

  “Kind of like a cross between ninja and samurai. They are old human servants of Morgana. Have been for hundreds of years,” Coach Rob told him. “You hit the right spot and they disappear.”

  “So cool!” Brett and Bart said.

  “The place will also be crawling with normal security, just men, and women doing their jobs. So we have to get past them without hurting them,” Coach stressed.

  “We can do that!” I said.

  Merlin grinned. “I’ll teach the new knights that are here some knock out pressure points!”

  “Coach, I have a question,” Mika said.

  “Yes, Mika?”

  “If you’re Robin Hood, where is Maid Marianne?”

  “She’s here, you’ve met her. We’re not on the best of terms. She likes this modern world and her access to magic. She says she’s tired of always being the maid and never the queen.”

  “Oh, she’s Ms. Vivian!” I said.

  Coach Rob looked me in the eyes. “Yes. She’s not a bad person. She’s just a person who has been literally serving others for hundreds of years. She’s sick of it. She learned magic and now she wants more. She’s been waiting for you, Gwen. Her and her familiar.”

  “She has a familiar?” Merlin asked.

  Coach Rob nodded. “I can’t think of any other reason why she’d have a pet boa.”

  “Do you think she’ll show up?” I asked.

  Coach Rob scratched his head. “No idea with Viv these days. She’s still the woman I fell in love with all those years ago, but she has changed. I can’t predict what she will do.”

  I took a deep breath. “Well then, I will be ready for anything.”

  My notes

  I need to steal back my own staff. I realize that breaking into a museum and stealing is normally quite bad and not a thing the good gals and guys do. But this is MY staff of destiny. They took it from me and now I need to get it back. After all, if Morgana gets her finely pedicured fingers on it, all will be lost. I don’t think anything can stand in her way. Even the Knights of Camelot combined with Robin Hood would have no chance.

  Speaking of Robin Hood, I guess I really should have figured out That Coach Locke was Robin Hood. BTW, I still have no idea what I should call him…

  As for Ms. Vivian, she’s a wild card. I have simply no idea what she’s going to do and which side she is on. She has great command of her magic (well she’s had centuries to fine-tune it). She would make a wonderful friend and a frightful foe.

  Oh, speaking of having no idea what the reaction would be…Arthur. It’s funny, I never thought about how he must have felt having the position of king thrust upon him. He never wanted it...at least not at such a young age. He took the crown because the world needed him and because there was no other who could do it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. Allowing a sword to pick the leader of the free world isn’t exactly the best idea in the world. Especially when that leader is king. Arthur grew into a fine king, but he had his childhood stolen away. I couldn’t blame him for not wanting all that responsibility again. But somebody has to lead. We may be a team, but without guidance and leadership, there would be utter chaos. A little chaos is good, it brings change to the world. But utter chaos…no!

  Chapter 14

  Night came. My new knights, my bird dragon, and my wizard cat all gathered in my parents’ old minivan. It was painted with rainbow colo
red hearts and a huge peace sign on the back. I figured this car had to be from the 60’s.

  Dad patted the hood of the car. “I knew this beauty would come in handy again someday.”

  Merlin looked at it. “Not exactly the most anonymous method of travel. This sticks out like a sore thumb.”

  “The cat’s right!” Brett said, “Still, it’s such a totally cool car.”

  “We’ll get out a couple of blocks from the museum and then walk,” I said.

  Mom gave me her worried look. “Are you sure that’s safe? The Capital can be a dangerous place at night.”

  We all piled into the van. “Mom, we’re going to face dark knights, whatever the heck they are, and trained security people who think we’re the bad guys. I think we’ll be okay walking two blocks.”

  “Still, a mother worries,” she said. “You don’t even have your staff.”

  I made a fist. “True, but I have my wits! I’m good to go!”

  “Man, this girl is so cool,” Brett said.

  “Agreed,” Sebastian smiled.

  Dad started the van.

  “I am so excited about going to battle with you guys!” Gail said.

  “I’ve got to admit, I’m a little worried though. Sure, Merlin gave us some training. But we’re still unarmed against trained people,” Mika said.

  “Actually, due to budget restraints, the museum has cut down on their security team’s training. Morgana probably figured her magic would be enough to protect the place against 99.999 percent of the population,” Merlin said.

  “Yeah, but what about people like Gwen?” Sebastian asked.

  “Knowing Morgana, she’ll have something special waiting for Gwen. But it’s nothing she can’t handle…” Merlin said.

  As we drove, my mind went back in time to my Camelot. I sat up on a hill overlooking a battlefield. Arthur and Lance were there...observing also. We watched as two of our fine knights, the powerful Galahad, and the always clever Bedivere, battled two of Morgana’s black knights. Morgana’s rat of a son, Mordred, stood off in the distance watching the battle.

  “Should we not help them?” I said to Arthur and Lancelot.

  They both turned to me and smiled. “My queen, we will if needed,” Lancelot reassured me. “But for now the odds are even. How better for Galahad and Kay to grow in skill and confidence and courage!”

  “Agreed,” Arthur said. “We must trust those we need to trust.”

  I steadied my gaze on the battle below. The black knight thought he was invincible.

  Galahad attacked constantly. Thrusting his sword over and over. He pared each blow like he was swatting away a flea.

  “Why doesn't he strike?” Arthur asked.

  “He waits for the perfect time,” Lancelot said.

  The black knight raised his sword over his head. He charged at Galahad, letting out an unearthly scream. With a flick of his wrist, Galahad cut the knight in half. The knight crumbled into a pile of black dust.

  “Merlin was right, they are magic beings,” I said.

  Meanwhile, Bedivere fell to the ground. The knight he fought rushed in eagerly to take advantage. I knew that Bedivere was a clever fighter. He might have seemed at a disadvantage, but he was not. As the black knight closed in, Bedivere thrust forward, plunging a dagger into him. The knight crumbled into a pile of dust.

  I was back in the present. The car slowed to a stop. We were very near our destination.

  Mom turned to us. She opened a large backpack. “I made you all some masks,” she said, “just in case.”

  My knights all reached in and took their masks. They were silver. “Oh, the masks also have communication devices,” Mom said. “I learned a thing or two during my days at MIT and Cornell.”

  Dad parked the van. “Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you?”

  “Too dangerous,” I said.

  “Yeah, you people are like, way old. Leave this to us kids!” Bart said.

  Dad pulled out a bag. “Here are some things that might help. I made a few stun sticks. I learned some stuff at Oxford and also during my time in the Military Academy. They look like normal staffs, but touch a person with the red tipped end and they will be stunned.”

  Man, I really didn’t know my parents that well at all. I guess they did have lives before me.

  I leaned over and gave them both a hug. “Thanks, guys, you are amazing!”

  “Do these silly things really work?” Bart asked, looking at his stick.

  Brett took his stick and touched Bart in the side with it. Bart started convulsing. He dropped to the ground shaking like a fish out of water.

  “Wow, it works great!” Brett said.

  “Brett, we can’t take out our own side!” I scolded.

  “I didn’t push it into him that hard,” Brett said, unable to meet my gaze.

  “I’m fine,” Bart groaned from the ground. His right leg was still shaking.

  Brett shook his head. “He’s a bit soft. Bart’s never been great in a fight. He’s more of a tech guy…”

  I held out my hand and offered it to Bart. I pulled him to his feet. He stalled for a second or two. “Don’t worry I’ll be f-fi-fine,” Bart told me.

  I patted him on the back. “I’m sure you will.”

  There we were...walking down the street with our masks and our stun sticks. We were getting ready to battle dark knights and normal everyday security people. My heart pounded in my chest.

  “I can feel your heart beating from here,” Merlin told me.

  “Well, I am carrying you,” I told him.

  Fern sat on my shoulder and went, “Twit…”

  “What does that mean?” I asked Merlin.

  “He says I’m a twit for bringing that up.” Merlin looked at Fern. “I didn’t mean it was a bad thing. She has a strong heart. That’s what I should have said.”

  I had an idea. I touched Fern on the head,” Farn spaek Anglosh!”

  “About time you thought of that!” Fern told me.

  “Sorry, a lot on my mind lately,” I said.

  “Understood,” Fern told me. “Merlin really should have mentioned it.”

  “Listen, bird, you’re lucky I didn’t eat you!” Merlin spat.

  “I’m so excited!” Mika said.

  “I’m nervous but extra excited!” Gail said.

  “I’m not sure what to think,” Sebastian said. He looked at me. “I just know that I trust you!”

  “Thanks, guys,” I said. “I’m not sure if any of you are my old knights or not, but no matter what, I know you are my knights now!”

  Sebastian made a fist. And held it out. “We are your knights, day or night!” he said.

  Mika groaned. “My bro…” she made a fist and put hers over Sebastian’s.

  Gail happily placed her fist on top. “I knew you guys were special!”

  Brett put a fist on top of Gail’s. “Go team!” he said.

  Bart put his fist over Brett’s. “Hashtag v-vi-victory!”

  I smiled and put my fist in with theirs. “We are going to do this!”

  I turned to my knights. “Now remember the bird, the cat and I are the only ones who go into the museum. After all, they can’t arrest a bird and a cat, and I have magic to escape if needed.”

  They all nodded reluctantly.

  We walked along the high black fence surrounding the museum. Looking at the top of the fence, we noticed razor wire strung from post to post.

  Brett pointed to the wire. “They really don’t want visitors.”

  “Morgana has always liked dealing out pain,” Merlin said.

  Reaching the gate at the entrance to the museum grounds, we found it locked shut. Bart looked at the lock. “It’s a digital lock. I can open this. It will just take time.”

  “I can magic it open,” I said.

  “Save your magic for when you really need it,” Bart said.

  “The boy has a point,” Merlin said.

  “Ah, I can fly,” Fern said.

>   “Yes, you’re a bird, you can fly,” Merlin told him.

  “But I am a bird as strong as a dragon,” he said. “I can carry you and Gwen over the grounds to the museum.”

  “No. I stay with my knights!” I said.

  The door popped open.

  A long arm reached out and grabbed Bart. “Ha, our tip was right. Got ya, kid.” The huge guard connected to the arm said.

  Mika shot forward and hit the arm with the tip of her stun stick. The guard staggered back, falling into his partner. Before the partner could react, Mika slid across the ground and hit him in the knee with her stun stick. He fell too.

  A black robed arm slinked through the fence and grabbed my shirt. My body shivered. An arrow rushed over my shoulder. The arm disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  “That was a dark knight,” Merlin said.

  “Yeah, kind of figured that out,” I said.

  My knights and I walked onto the grounds. We saw the stairs leading up to the museum’s front door looming ahead. A few dark knights floated across the ground towards us.

  “Cool!” Brett said.

  Sebastian threw his stun stick at them. The stick passed right through. “Okay, not what I was expecting…”

  “These are creatures of magic so only magic or magic tipped weapons can stop them.”

  Fern took to the air. He hovered above us. He blew red hot fire, lighting the night air. The dark knights burst into flame.

  “Magic fire also works,” Fern said.

  “I need to get to the back door,” I said.

  Mika and Sebastian came up to my side. “We’ll keep them busy,” they both told me.

  Fern had a good point. He could quickly fly Merlin and me to the back door. Problem was, my knights also needed Fern’s dragon fire to stop the dark knights. Robin could cut some down, but I wasn’t sure he could handle them all. “Fern, can you charge the knights’ stun sticks with dragon fire?” I asked.

  “I can, but they will be hot to touch at first!” Fern said.

  “Then we just drop them to the ground,” Gail said.