Lost Kingdom

by Matt Myklusch

  His mother looked at him. “You could have told me the truth. It’s a good explanation, but it’s not an excuse for sneaking around. Lying to your brother. Lying to your father. Lying to me. You know better than that.”

  “I do know, and I’m sorry. It’s just… you and Dad were so upset about how things went with the wand. And you told me Joey and Lea couldn’t come here unless it was to bring the magical artifacts from the theater. I didn’t want to show up with them empty-handed. We weren’t going to stay. I wasn’t even going to show them around! We just wanted to get in and get out, so I hid them. I didn’t want to make you angry.”

  “I have a right to be angry. I was angry. I was livid.”

  A ray of hope appeared in Shazad’s eyes. “Was?”

  Shazad’s mother’s lips tightened into a hard line. “I see now you didn’t have a choice,” she said with some difficulty. Her stern facade cracked ever so slightly, and Joey saw Shazad breathe a little easier. He was not yet forgiven, but it was a start. “I also understand more than you know,” his mother went on. “You three don’t have any idea who you met in that cottage, do you?”

  “Do you?” Joey asked.

  “I think so. Three sisters, three questions, and three cryptic answers that left you at a crossroads? It was fate that brought you here. Or should I say, the Fates.”

  “The Fates?” Leanora leaned forward. “Like in Greek mythology?”

  “Not just Greek myths,” Shazad’s mother replied. “They appear in many stories. So many it’s hard to know which ones are true, but it’s possible there are elements of truth in all of them. They’re ancient powers. Old magic. The Vikings called their three Fates the Norns. They were also referred to as the Weird Sisters, from the Norse word ‘wyrd,’ meaning ‘fate.’ If you’ve read your Shakespeare, you know Macbeth met three ‘Weird Sisters’ who told him he would be king.”

  “The Weird Sisters,” Joey repeated, wheels turning in his head. “J. K. Rowling used that name for a witch’s rock band in the Harry Potter books! Holy cow, I just got that reference. We read Macbeth in school, but I never made the connection before now.” His mind was reeling. He thought about the Greek myths he’d learned reading Percy Jackson. The three Fates spun out the thread of life, creating it, deciding what it would become and when it was time to cut the line. It was just like the cards he had drawn from Redondo’s deck—the women with the thread, knitting needles, and shears. “We really did meet the Fates, didn’t we? But this wasn’t like Macbeth. They didn’t tell us our future.”

  “What did they tell you?” Ali asked, fascinated by the conversation’s unexpected turn.

  “They’ve been protecting us,” Shazad said. “Protecting the theater. They’re the ones keeping everybody out, not us. But we have only one week left. After that, anyone can get into the Majestic. The Invisible Hand has an office right across the street. They’re just waiting for an opening.”

  “Then we haven’t a moment to lose,” Shazad’s mother said. “Maybe now you’ll listen to reason, now that fate itself is forcing your hand. Move the magical items out of the theater while there’s still time,” she urged. “What are you waiting for?”

  Joey looked at Shazad and Leanora, unsure how to proceed. He knew Shazad wanted to do what his mother said, but Leanora clearly wasn’t ready for that. Neither was he, for that matter. They still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about everything that had happened in the cottage. Their hesitation did not go unnoticed.

  “I’m curious,” Shazad’s mother began, addressing Joey and Leanora, “why aren’t you two asking us to help you empty the theater? You know you’re running out of time, but still you resist. What aren’t you telling me?”

  Shazad answered for them. “There’s something else, Mom. If those were the Fates we met up on the mountain, they didn’t tell us what to do or where to go, but you could say they put us on a path.” Shazad got up and took the storage tube off his shoulder. He crossed the room to an empty table and took out the Secret Map of the World. “We were given this.”

  Everyone crowded around the table as Shazad spread out the map and held it down. His mother looked at the map the same way Joey and Leanora had looked at the gallery outside the library. “Jorako is on this map,” she said, staggered by a sight Joey assumed she had never seen before.

  “Not just Jorako,” Shazad said. “Other places too. Look.” He pointed out Transylvania, Waywayanda, and more. In the process, he showed his mother how to scroll the map and zoom in and out.

  “This is an extraordinary piece of magic,” she said, astounded. “The Fates gave you this?”

  “To go with what they couldn’t tell us,” Joey said. “They said something about the Lost Kingdom, the Caliburn Shield, and the Imaginary Vortex. Does that mean anything to—”

  Shazad’s mother put a hand on Joey’s shoulder. “Did you say the Caliburn Shield?” She held her breath. Excitement bloomed in her eyes.

  “You know what that is too?” Joey asked.

  Shazad’s mother chuckled, suddenly almost giddy. “Wait here.” She left the table and went to a nearby shelf. Walking down a row of books, she ran her fingers over their spines, searching for a specific title. Eventually, she found what she was looking for: a giant, leather-bound book the size of an old photo album. She lugged it back to the table, dropped it down, and opened it up to the middle. “There, the Caliburn Shield,” she said, tapping at a picture of a medieval king holding a sword and shield. Joey read the caption beneath the picture. It wasn’t just any old king.

  “That’s King Arthur,” he said.

  Shazad’s mother nodded. “It certainly is. Caliburn is another word for Excalibur, the legendary sword in the stone. I’m sure you know that story. Everyone does.”

  “I saw the Disney movie,” Joey said, recalling an old animated film. The remark earned him disapproving looks from Leanora and Shazad. “I mean, I don’t know how historically accurate it was, but I liked it.”

  Shazad’s mother smiled, humoring Joey a bit. “There are many stories, just like with the Fates. Excalibur is one of the most famous magical weapons ever forged. However, those of us who have truly studied Arthurian legend know of other gifts Arthur received. Lesser-known objects, lost to history. Until now.” Shazad’s mother flipped through the book, energized by the hunt. Any anger or disappointment she had felt toward Shazad seemed now to be a distant memory. She stopped turning pages at a more detailed image of the shield. It was round with twelve swords painted on its face. They were arranged in a circle like spokes on a wheel, pointing in toward a center ring. “This shield… This is important. It’s ancient magic. Power that could rival the wand.”

  Joey scrunched up his face, confused. “I don’t understand. You have stuff in the next room that’s way older.”

  “Older, yes, but not necessarily more powerful.” Shazad’s mother waved at the gallery outside the library. “Those relics out there, they’re enchanted items—things that were infused with magic long ago. The Caliburn Shield comes from a pivotal point in magical history. If it’s anything like other Arthurian relics, it could be a lightning rod for magical energy—able to channel it on an ongoing basis. It could bring new magic into the world. Do you have any idea how rare that is?”

  “An infinite supply of magical energy?” Joey imagined the possibilities. “I get the appeal. But wait… What others?” He looked back toward the gallery outside. “Do you guys have King Arthur’s sword out there and I missed it?”

  Shazad shook his head at Joey. “I think you would have noticed that. As far as we know, only one other Arthurian relic has ever been found. It wasn’t the sword, and my family never had it. I was supposed to get it for us, but you already know how that turned out.”

  Leanora furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about? The wand? The one Joey threw away?”

  Joey sighed. “I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”

  “That wand belonged to Redondo,” Leanora said. “Before that it wa
s Houdini.”

  “What about before that?” asked Shazad’s mother.

  Leanora’s face went blank. “I don’t know.”

  Shazad’s mother raised an eyebrow. “Care to hazard a guess?”

  Leanora realized what she was saying before Joey did. “You don’t mean…” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

  “What am I missing?” Joey asked, impatient to understand what everyone else seemed already to know. “Whose wand was it?”

  “Who helped Arthur become king in that movie you saw?” Shazad asked. He spun his mother’s book around to face Joey, displaying a picture of an old wizard with a long white beard and pointy hat.

  Joey’s hands shot to his head. “I gave up Merlin’s wand?” He nearly crumpled to the ground like a broken marionette. Joey looked at Shazad in disbelief. “You knew about this?”

  “I couldn’t tell you,” Shazad said. “I knew it would only make you feel worse. What would have been the point of that?”

  “Exactly, what’s the point?” Ali asked. “The wand’s already gone. Back to the shield. You think this map can lead us to it?”

  “That and more,” Shazad’s mother said, tracing the crimson lines on the map with her finger. She went from city to city, like an Indiana Jones plane in a travel montage, crisscrossing the globe until she arrived at a blurry patch of land in southern England.

  Shazad gasped. “How did I not see this? If the Caliburn Shield is Arthurian legend, the Lost Kingdom must be—”

  “Camelot,” his mother said, finishing his thought.

  The room grew especially quiet as the weight of the revelation sank in.

  “Whoa,” Joey said, eloquently breaking the silence.

  “Whoa indeed,” Shazad’s mother agreed.

  “What about the Imaginary Vortex?” Leanora asked. “What is that?”

  His mother pursed her lips, thinking. “I’m not sure.” She leaned back over the map, scrutinizing the faded section on the southern tip of England. “Things get fuzzy here in this area.”

  “You think they’re connected?” Shazad asked.

  “There’s only one way to find out for sure,” Joey said. All eyes turned to him. “I mean, we’re going, right? We can’t pass this up.”

  “You’re right,” Shazad’s mother said, staring at the map. “We certainly can’t.”

  “Really?” Shazad asked. “You want to come with us?”

  “Come with you?” Shazad’s mother laughed out loud. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re staying here. Your father and I will go.”

  “What!” Shazad nearly fell over. “You expect me to stay here?”

  “You were expecting something different? Please. You’re obviously grounded.”

  “Grounded! But you said—”

  “I said you had a good explanation for doing what you did. And I forgive you. But there still have to be consequences, especially for the lying.” Shazad’s mother turned to Joey. “Also, not to rub salt in your wounds, but we can’t risk losing Camelot and the shield the way you lost the wand. Better to leave this quest to more experienced hands.”

  Ouch again, Joey thought. There was nothing he could say to that, but Leanora was indignant.

  “You can’t keep us here,” she declared.

  “On the contrary, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “Shazad!” Leanora hit him in the shoulder. “Say something! This is our quest!”

  Shazad looked up at his mother with pleading eyes, but it was plain to see her mind was made up. He grimaced, resigned to defeat. “Not anymore it’s not. We’re getting the boot.” As he spoke, he started rolling up the map and stole a furtive glance at Leanora’s feet. Joey caught it, but Leanora didn’t.

  “You’re giving up?” Leanora said. “Just like that?”

  “What do you want me to do? Change her mind? You don’t know my mom.”

  “This isn’t fair!” Leanora railed.

  “No, it’s not,” Shazad said, stuffing the map back into the tube. “Believe me, I don’t like it any more than you do. If it were up to me, I’d go out to the gallery, grab the magic carpet, and fly us all out of here, but I can’t do that, can I?”

  “Shazad’s right,” Joey told Leanora. “He can’t do that. We’re getting booted.” Joey nudged her magic kicks with his toe. “Get it?”

  “Ohhh,” Leanora said without a trace of subtlety. “Got it.” She tapped her feet, and the Winged Boots of Fleetfoot once more sprouted wings. She was gone in a flash. The sound of glass shattering out in the gallery made everyone jump, and a second later she was back, holding the magic carpet.

  Shazad’s mother was taken aback, but the momentary flash of shock she must have felt quickly gave way to warning. “Shazad, stop this right now or so help me, I will see to it you never touch another magical object as long as you live. I will call your father in here, and you will be banished from Jorako. All of you. Shazad!”

  Ali’s jaw was on the floor. Joey was equally shocked as Shazad slung the map over his shoulder and flapped out the carpet. It hovered in the air, waist-high. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m not going to argue with you, but I can’t stay here and do nothing. Not when I’ve got a second chance.” He climbed onto the carpet. Joey and Leanora were right behind him.

  “What are you talking about? A second chance to do what?”

  Shazad pulled back on the front edge of the magic carpet, bringing it up into the air, away from his mother. “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but I’m going to make you proud,” he called out. “You’ll see!”

  “Shazad, no!” his mother shouted. “COME BACK!”

  Ali shouted, “Take me with you!”

  But they were already gone. Joey held on tight as they went hurtling through the halls of the house, reaching the courtyard in seconds. Leanora whooped as they swung around the floating sculpture, riding the magic carpet out into the night. Joey gritted his teeth, holding on for dear life as they huddled close together, soaring through the sky.

  9 The Devil’s Teeth

  “That was amazing!” Leanora exclaimed, her voice a mixture of shock and elation. “I can’t believe you did that!”

  “Me neither,” Shazad said. His eyes were wide as the moonlit dunes raced by beneath them. “My mother definitely couldn’t believe it.”

  Leanora nodded in agreement. “I take back what I said before. She is going to kill you.”

  “Maybe. Probably. Then again, maybe not.”

  Joey scoffed at Shazad’s optimism. “Are you kidding? Did you see your mother’s face back there? You’re dead!”

  “I don’t know.” Shazad chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking it over. “I might be all right. I don’t think I’m even responsible for my actions right now.”

  Joey’s eyebrows went up. “That sounds nice,” he said sarcastically. “Who is responsible then—Leanora?” Joey threw her a playful grin. “Technically speaking, she’s the one who stole the magic carpet.”

  “Shazad wanted me to get it!” Leanora protested. “That wasn’t my idea!”

  “It wasn’t my idea, either,” Shazad said. “It wasn’t any of us—it was fate.” Shazad looked straight ahead as he spoke. Joey couldn’t tell if he was serious, or just working overtime to rationalize what he’d done. Either way, he was flying pretty fast for someone who claimed not to be worried about the consequences of his actions. “You heard my mother. Fate’s forcing our hand. She said so herself!” Shazad’s voice went up an octave with each new sentence. Joey had a feeling if he kept talking, pretty soon only dogs would be able to hear him.

  Leanora chuckled. “I know what your mother said, but I don’t think this is what she had in mind.”

  Shazad shrugged as if to say it was over and done with and there was no use dwelling on it now. “No one expects fate to tap them on the shoulder. I’ll be fine as long as we don’t mess this up.”

  Joey turned to look back at the oasis, which had already vanished from sight. Wind whi
stled through his hair, and he gripped the carpet hard enough to fray the edges. They had to be going at least fifty miles per hour. “Is your family gonna come after us?” Joey figured the quickest way to mess things up would be to get caught.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be gone before they catch up.”

  “Where are we going?” Joey asked.

  “What kind of question is that?” Leanora replied. “We’re going to Camelot, of course.”

  “But where are we going now?” Joey clarified. “Don’t we need to go through Jorako to get out of here?”

  “Ordinarily, yes, but while you were sleeping I was studying the map and I found another way.” Shazad banked a hard right, taking the carpet off in a new direction. “If you zoom in close enough on the map, you can see the ends of those red lines connecting the different cities. I did that and a message appeared.”

  “What message?” Leanora asked.

  Shazad recited the note from memory:

  Walk through the sand to a dangerous land, but danger lies beneath.

  Be not afraid; courage serves those who have strayed beyond the devil’s teeth.

  “Okay. Creepy,” Joey said. “Any idea what it means?”

  “I know what it means,” Shazad said, somehow willing the carpet to go faster. “I wasn’t going to use it before, but we don’t have the luxury of being picky now.”

  “Why exactly weren’t you going to use this… whatever it is?” Leanora wanted to know. “You still haven’t said where we’re going.”

  “I don’t want you to worry,” Shazad said. “It’s better this way, though. I think we’re supposed to be here.”

  “Where?” Joey and Leanora asked in unison.

  “The Devil’s Teeth.”

  They came upon a ring of pointed rocks in the desert. Cone-shaped peaks, big and small, grew up out of the sand like stone fangs, creating an uneven circle thirty feet in diameter. The ground fell away beyond the jagged rock border to form a deep pit with loose sand at the bottom. Joey tried not to imagine a many-tentacled monster lurking underground, but it wasn’t easy to keep his imagination in check. Moonlight bathed the area in a supernatural, haunted glow that turned his blood into cold fish oil. The place was downright creepy, and it wasn’t just the name. Everything about the Devil’s Teeth said “Stay Away.”