“Yeah, right,” said Jack. “Okay.”
“Good,” said Annie. “Now, stand beside me and don’t move.”
Jack put away his notebook. Annie threw the velvet cloak over his shoulders and backpack.
“Great. It’s big enough for both of us,” she said. She carefully arranged the folds around them. Then she pulled the huge hood over both their heads.
Jack looked down. He couldn’t see his body at all! He felt like he couldn’t breathe. In a panic, he threw off the hood.
“I hate that!” he said.
“I told you it’s creepy,” said Annie. “But if we don’t wear it, we won’t get past the guards.”
“Yeah, I know, and we won’t have protection in the Otherworld,” said Jack. He took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Annie pulled the hood up again.
“I’ll hold on to the hood so it won’t blow off,” she said. “You just think about getting across that bridge. Nothing else.”
“But I can’t see my feet,” said Jack.
“You don’t need to see your feet to walk!” said Annie. “Come on. Do it for Morgan!”
“Right,” said Jack.
He and Annie stepped onto the bridge.
“Whatever you do, don’t look down,” said Annie.
As they started over the bridge, the wind whistled around them. Jack couldn’t help it—he looked down.
Not only was his body missing, but the fog beneath the bridge was moving in a wild, spinning whirl. Jack felt dizzy and faint. He stopped.
“Keep going,” whispered Annie.
Jack took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. Then he started walking again. He went slowly—step by step—toward the pale light beyond the bars of the gate.
In the flickering torchlight, the guards looked like giants. As Jack and Annie slipped invisibly by them, Jack held his breath.
How will we open the gate? he wondered.
“WHOOOSSSHHH!” said Annie loudly.
Jack’s heart nearly stopped. Had Annie lost her mind? “What are you doing?” he whispered.
“I’m the wind!” Annie whispered back. “WHOOOSSSHHH!”
Annie gave the gate a shove. It swung open, as if pushed by the wind.
Jack looked back and saw that the guards had turned in their direction.
“Quick!” whispered Annie.
She and Jack moved silently through the gateway.
“WHOOOSSSHHH!” said Annie.
She pushed the gate back. It shut with a clang. Through the bars, Jack saw the guards face the bridge again.
“Good work,” he said to Annie.
“Thanks,” she said.
Jack and Annie then turned away from the gate.
“Ohh!” whispered Annie.
“The Otherworld,” whispered Jack.
The Otherworld was completely different from the dark, cold world Jack and Annie had just left behind.
They were standing at the edge of a pale green meadow. The meadow was bathed in warm, rosy sunlight. Three horses—one black, one brown, one gray—were grazing nearby. On a hillside beyond the meadow, red and purple flowers sparkled like bright buttons.
“It’s so nice here,” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “Maybe we won’t need this anymore.” He pulled the hood of the cloak off their heads. He was relieved to see Annie’s face—and to see himself!
“What was the first rhyme again?” asked Annie.
Jack took out his notebook. He found the first rhyme and read aloud:
“Beyond the iron gate
The Keepers of the Cauldron wait.”
He looked around warily. “I wonder where the Keepers of the Cauldron are?” he said.
“What do you mean?” asked Annie. “We just sneaked past them. Remember? WHOOOSH?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “The rhyme says ‘beyond the iron gate.’ Those guards were standing in front of the gate. They weren’t beyond it.”
“Shh,” said Annie. “Listen.… ”
From over the hill came the faint sounds of sweet, joyful music.
“Maybe the Keepers of the Cauldron are playing that music,” said Annie.
“Maybe … ,” said Jack. He listened for a moment and smiled. The music made him feel light and happy.
“Let’s go meet the Keepers!” said Annie.
“Not so fast,” said Jack. “Shouldn’t we be invisible again? Just in case?”
“I guess so,” said Annie, sighing.
Jack pulled the hood of the cloak over their heads. Together, they started walking invisibly across the soft meadow. They passed the three horses and climbed the flower-covered hill. At the top, they looked down.
“Oh, man,” said Jack.
The hill sloped gently down into a misty green glade. In the middle of the glade, a band of musicians played flutes and pipes, drums and violins. Around the band, hundreds of dancers danced in a huge circle.
“The Keepers of the Cauldron!” said Annie.
The dancers and musicians were smiling and laughing. They wore blue coats and green coats, white gowns and yellow gowns. They wore sparkling red slippers and hats with colored feathers.
The dancers looked like people—except they all had glittering gold skin and wings that shimmered in the mist like spun silver.
“They’re beautiful!” said Annie.
“Yeah, they are,” said Jack.
“I don’t think we need to be invisible with them,” said Annie.
“I think you’re right,” said Jack.
He and Annie threw off the red cloak. They left it in the dewy grass and ran down the hillside to the winged dancers. The dancers paid no attention to them. They just kept going around and around in their joyous circle.
“I feel like dancing with them!” said Annie.
“Me too!” said Jack. It was strange—he was usually shy about dancing. But he wanted to join this dance more than anything.
Jack pulled off his backpack. As he set it down, he saw three swords lying in the grass. But he didn’t stop to wonder about them. The music was calling.
The winged dancers broke their circle and welcomed Jack and Annie into their dance. Annie held Jack’s right hand as he grasped the slender golden hand of the dancer on his left.
The dancer smiled down at him. Like the others, she was as tall as a grownup. But she didn’t have any lines or wrinkles on her face. All the dancers looked very young—yet they seemed ancient at the same time.
As Jack danced around in the circle, his heart leaped. His spirits soared. His glasses fell off, but he didn’t care. He kept dancing. As he danced, everything in his mind became a blur. He forgot about Morgan and Camelot. He forgot about the quest for the Water of Memory and Imagination. He forgot all his fears and worries.
“Jack, look!” Annie cried.
Jack looked at her. “Hi!” he shouted, laughing.
“No! Don’t look at me!” she called. “Look there! Look across the circle!”
“I can’t see!” he said.
“Three knights!” Annie shouted. “Three knights dancing!”
“Great!” Jack shouted.
“No, Jack! They look awful! They look sick!” Annie yelled. She pulled away from the circle and tumbled back into the grass.
“Jack!” she called. “Stop dancing!”
But Jack didn’t want to stop. He wanted to dance to the wild music forever. Forever … and ever … and ever.
Annie chased Jack around the circle.
“Stop, Jack!” she cried. “Stop!” She grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him out of the dance.
“Let go, Annie!” he said. “Leave me alone!”
But Annie wouldn’t let go. Finally, she pulled so hard that Jack broke hands with the dancers and tumbled backward into the grass.
The winged dancers didn’t seem to notice. They closed their circle and kept going around and around.
“Why did you do that?” said Jack, sitting up. “I w
as having fun!”
“Look at the knights!” said Annie. “See them?”
Jack still couldn’t see. The world was spinning before his eyes. He ached to get back into the dance.
“Here, I found your glasses!” said Annie. “Put them on!”
Jack put on his glasses. He peered at the circle of dancers. He caught sight of armor glinting in the sunlight. He saw three knights dancing in a row. Two of them looked very young. The third looked much older.
As they came closer, Jack saw their faces. All the joy of the music drained out of him. The knights looked tired and sick. Their hair and beards were long and scraggly. Their faces were bony and pale. Their eyes stared wildly and their lips were frozen in ghostly smiles.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Jack.
“They can’t stop dancing!” said Annie. “They’re dancing themselves to death!”
“They must be the lost knights from Camelot,” said Jack.
“We have to save them!” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. He tried to clear his mind and think. “What about this? We get back in the dance—and we take places between the dancers and the knights.”
“Yes! Then we can pull the knights out of the circle!” said Annie.
“Wait,” said Jack. “What if I can’t stop dancing again?”
“Just don’t let yourself get caught by the music,” said Annie. “You have to think about something else. Think about why we’re here. Think about Morgan.”
“Okay,” said Jack. “I’ll try.”
Jack and Annie crouched in the grass. They watched and waited as the knights danced closer … and closer … and closer.…
“Now!” shouted Annie.
Jack and Annie rushed forward. They broke into the circle on either side of the knights. As Jack started dancing, his feet seemed to fly to the beat of the drum. He felt a wave of great joy. His worries left him.
“Now, Jack!” cried Annie. “Pull away!”
But Jack didn’t want to pull away. The music rang in his ears. Nothing mattered except the dancing.
“Jack! Pull away NOW!” Annie shouted again.
Jack shook his head, trying to shake off Annie’s voice.
“Morgan! Morgan!” Annie yelled.
The word Morgan made Jack stumble a bit in the dance.
“Morgan! Morgan!” Annie shouted.
Jack stumbled again. Then he used all his might to stop himself from dancing. He let go of the hand of the dancer on his right and threw himself out of the dance—pulling the knight on his left with him. Annie and the other two knights tumbled back with them onto the grass.
Just as before, the dancers didn’t seem to notice. They closed their circle and kept going round and round in their joyous, timeless dance.
The three knights lay in the grass, fighting for breath.
“The dance … We must stop … stop dancing,” gasped the older knight.
“You have stopped! We pulled you away!” said Annie.
The knight looked up at her and Jack. He had a rough, craggy face.
“Who … who are you?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Friends!” said Annie. She spoke loudly to be heard over the music. “We come from King Arthur’s castle!”
“We’re on a quest,” said Jack, “to get the Water of Memory and Imagination.”
“To save Camelot!” said Annie.
“Camelot—” whispered the knight. “We come from Camelot …. I don’t recognize you ….”
“We’re just visiting,” said Annie. “But we know all about you. You’re Sir Lancelot, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” breathed the knight.
“And Sir Percival and Sir Galahad,” said Jack.
“Yes … my son, Galahad … ,” said the knight.
“King Arthur thinks you are lost forever,” said Annie.
Sir Lancelot closed his eyes. “The dance … ,” he said, “it made us forget.… ”
“I know,” said Jack. “The dancers must be the Keepers of the Cauldron. You can’t get past them without getting caught up in their dance.”
“Father … we must find … the water.… ” Sir Galahad tried to sit up, but he was too weary. He lay back in the grass.
“That’s okay, we’re here now,” said Annie. “You should all rest.”
Sir Galahad closed his eyes.
“Yeah, don’t worry,” said Jack. “Annie and I will find the magic water for Camelot.”
“But you … you are just children,” said Sir Percival, the third knight. “You must wait … for us.… ”
“There’s no time to wait,” said Jack.
“Camelot is dying!” said Annie. “We have to hurry!”
“Then you must … take this … ,” said Sir Galahad. He reached into a leather pouch that hung around his shoulder. He took out a silver cup. With a trembling hand, the young knight gave the cup to Annie.
“A cup!” she said.
“Take … this, too,” said Sir Percival. He pulled a small wooden box from a bag that hung from his belt. He handed it to Jack.
Jack opened the lid. In the middle of the box was a pointer with markings all around it.
“A compass!” said Jack.
“And this … ,” said Sir Lancelot. He took a silk cord from around his neck. A glass key hung from the cord.
“A key!” whispered Annie.
Lancelot handed the key to Annie. She and Jack looked at it closely. Then Annie hung it around her neck. When she turned back, all the knights were fast asleep.
“Sweet dreams,” Annie said gently. “You guys need a long nap.”
Jack and Annie stood up.
“I think we have all our gifts now,” Jack said. “But I’d better make sure.”
He hurried to get his backpack. It was lying in the grass near the knights’ swords. He pulled out his notebook and read the second rhyme:
“Four gifts you will need—
The first from me.
Then a cup, a compass,
And, finally, a key.”
“Great,” said Annie. “We got the cloak from the Christmas Knight and the other three gifts from them. This quest is really easy.”
Jack shook his head.
“It’s not over yet,” he said. “We still have to find the cauldron with the Water of Memory and Imagination.”
“We’ll find it,” said Annie. “Read the third rhyme.”
Jack looked in his notebook and read the third rhyme aloud:
“If you survive to complete your quest,
The secret door lies to the west.”
“No problem!” said Annie. “We survived the guards and the dance. Now the compass can show us how to go west. And the key will unlock the secret door. And we’ll fill the cup with water from the cauldron! See, it’s all easy!”
Jack still felt worried. A little too easy, he thought.
“What are we waiting for?” said Annie. “Let’s go.”
Jack looked down at the compass. “Okay … ,” he said. “The pointer’s pointing north. So west must be that way.” He pointed left, toward a thicket of bushes and small trees.
“Great,” said Annie. “Here, carry the cup in your pack.”
Jack put his notebook and the silver cup into his pack. Then he and Annie started into the thicket.
They ducked under branches and pushed past bushes. Thorns scraped their hands. Twigs snapped against their faces.
Jack kept checking the compass. Could they really be searching in the right place? he wondered. What kind of door would they find in a tangled thicket?
“Listen,” said Annie. “It’s so quiet now.”
The thicket had grown eerily silent. No birds called from the bushes. No music could be heard in the distance.
Jack checked the compass once more. “It says we’re still going west,” he said. “I just hope this thing works.”
“It works,” Annie said softly. “Look—” Annie was holding back a leafy branch. She
pointed to a rocky hillside beyond the thicket. Halfway up the hillside was a ledge.
Between two giant boulders on the ledge was a shining glass door.
“The secret door!” whispered Jack.
“Yes!” said Annie.
Jack dropped the compass into his pack. Then he and Annie scrambled through the bushes and climbed up the rocks to the door.
Annie took Sir Lancelot’s glass key from around her neck. She slipped the key into the keyhole. She turned the key slowly.
Clink.
“Yippee,” Annie said softly. She pushed open the door.
Beyond the door was a huge, glittering cave. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of clear crystal.
Jack and Annie stepped inside. The cave was filled with dancing streams of purple light.
“It’s so bright!” whispered Jack. “Where’s all the purple light coming from?”
“There,” said Annie. She pointed to a crack on the far side of the cave. “Let’s look.”
They crossed the cave and peered through the crack into a room. Along the brilliant crystal walls of the room were four doorways.
In the far corner of the room was a fire. The fire blazed with leaping purple flames. Over the flames hung a gleaming golden cauldron.
“There it is,” whispered Jack.
“Wow,” whispered Annie.
“The cauldron with the Water of Memory and Imagination,” whispered Jack.
“I know,” whispered Annie. “Let’s go!”
They squeezed through the crack, then walked toward the gleaming cauldron. Jack reached into his pack and pulled out Sir Galahad’s silver cup.
“The cauldron’s too high,” said Annie. “We can’t get to the water.”
“Here, take this,” said Jack, handing her the cup. “Climb on my back.”
He bent over, and Annie climbed on piggyback. Jack stood up shakily. “Hurry!” he said. “You’re heavy.”
“I can’t reach it,” said Annie. “Move closer.”
Jack staggered forward a few steps. Stretching as far as she could, Annie reached again. She skimmed water from the top of the bubbling cauldron, filling the silver cup.
Christmas in Camelot Page 3