Lake in the Clouds

by Edward Willett

  “Sweet dreams,” Major said, but he already had his nose in the book.

  Ariane, fuming, made her way to the bedroom at the back. She used the larger-than-usual lavatory just beyond it, then went into the bedroom and closed the door. Besides the twin-sized bed and a barely-there side table, the only furnishing was a leather-upholstered chair built into the aft bulkhead. Wally must have slept in here on the way back from France, she thought as she sat on the edge of the bed. She kicked off her shoes and swung her stockinged feet up onto the bed. After he betrayed me.

  Hot tears welled in her eyes and she dashed them away with the back of her hand. Not enough water to be useful, she thought bitterly. And salt, at that.

  There had to be a way out of the trap Merlin had locked her into. There had to be a way to take the third shard for herself, flee back through the clouds to Canada, retrieve the first shard. That would give her three. With three, Major wouldn’t have a chance. She’d have the power to go anywhere in the world to retrieve the fourth and then the fifth shards. Major would be left sputtering and impotent, and she would rule in his…

  She caught herself as that thought surfaced. Rule? she thought. I don’t want to rule. I just want to stop him from ruling.

  But with the sword re-forged, with all the power stored in the shards united and amplified, what could she do? Or maybe the right question was, what couldn’t she do? Without a shard, she’d toppled a mining shovel. With one shard, she’d flown singlehandedly across the Atlantic, and unlike Charles Lindbergh, hadn’t needed an airplane to do it. With Excalibur whole and in her hand, she could do whatever she wanted.

  Including crossing to Faerie herself and delivering Excalibur into the hands of the Lady of the Lake.

  That thought made her blink, because it didn’t feel at all like one of her own. It felt like it had come from outside her, like someone was trying to order her, or at least influence her, to do something he or she wanted done, rather than what she chose to do.

  The Lady? she thought. Is she still trying to get her claws into me through the tiny opening between her world and Earth?

  Well, that’s a creepy thought, she thought. Then she frowned. Wally had expressed doubts as to the Lady’s trustworthiness. Could he have been right all along?

  She snorted. Even if he was, it didn’t follow that Rex Major was the trustworthy one.

  Maybe we shouldn’t trust either of them, she thought. Maybe the only people we can trust are ourselves.

  But then she remembered how the power had seized her and made her throw Flish and her friends around like dolls on the tennis court, and the black thought settled in her heart that maybe she couldn’t even trust herself.

  I wish none of this had ever happened. I’d rather be the bullied foster kid than the Lady of the Lake. I wish…I wish…

  If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, ran the old cliché. No matter what she wished, it would not change reality – not without a genie’s lamp at hand.

  All she could do was continue to muddle along the best she could, looking for a way to thwart Major’s plans. Once he was neutralized, she’d have time enough to worry about the Lady.

  And Wally? the thought came unbidden.

  She thrust it away. Let Wally worry about himself, she though bitterly. That’s what he’s good at.

  She lay back on the bed, but whether it was because it still wasn’t very late or for other reasons, she did not sleep.

  •••

  Wally had never been more exhausted in his life. It was 3 a.m. and he’d been in the airport since mid-afternoon. The security guards had approached him after he’d been there four hours or so, but he’d shown them his boarding pass for the morning flight and they’d shrugged and let him stay. He’d drunk as much Tim Horton’s coffee as he could. He’d eaten two meals. He’d bought a fantasy novel from the gift shop – the cover, featuring a copper-coloured mask studded with rubies, had caught his eye – and read half of it. The fifteen-year-old heroine in it had faced way more danger than he had, which made him feel better. On the other hand, every decision she made seemed to make things worse. He decided she wasn’t much of a role model.

  He’d dozed, changed seats, dozed some more. He thought the night would never end.

  He was heading to the bathroom when he saw Frank from Ochrana Security standing just inside the main doors to the terminal, staring up and down the brightly lit but almost empty hall. Two other big suit-clad men flanked him. With a flick of his hand he dispatched one toward the luggage-retrieval area, and the other toward Wally.

  His first instinct was to hide. But then he remembered where he was. What was Frank going to do? Haul him kicking and screaming out of the terminal? That would bring the security guards running and the police would follow up soon after. Very awkward questions would be asked, involving who had hired Frank and why a private-security firm was kidnapping children from airports.

  And so Wally went into the bathroom as he’d intended, and when he came out, walked down to where Frank stood and gave him a cheery wave. “Hi again,” he said. “Are you looking for me?”

  Frank was wearing dark glasses, apparently oblivious to the fact it made him look either like a Secret Service agent in a Hollywood movie or someone with an eye infection. He stared at Wally as though he couldn’t believe he was talking to him. “You lied to me,” he growled. “And Mr. Major isn’t happy about it.”

  “Didn’t think he would be,” Wally said cheerfully. “What is he going to do about it?”

  “You’re coming with me,” Frank said.

  Wally glanced over his shoulder. A security guard was watching them, just as he’d expected. Not to mention who knew how many cameras. “Really?” he said. “Because I don’t see why I should.”

  Frank glanced at the guard. “I’ll tell him I’m your father.”

  “I’ll tell him you aren’t,” Wally said. “Which will be easy enough to prove. Especially since my father is a well-respected businessman in Regina. Rex Major may be way richer, but he doesn’t have any Saskatchewan office towers named after him. Or advertise on the big screen at ’Rider games. Or give generously to the Regina Symphony Orchestra and Globe Theatre. Or…”

  Frank’s frown turned into a scowl. “You can’t hide in here forever.”

  “I’m not hiding,” Wally said, which was both true and not true. He wasn’t hiding now, but he had been up until five minutes ago. “I’m just waiting for my flight.”

  “Where to?” Frank said.

  Wally laughed. “Why would I tell you?”

  “Mr. Major can find out.”

  Wally shrugged. “Let him.”

  Frank stared at him. Wally gave the big man his most insolent grin, the one he’d been told to wipe off his face more than once by authority figures – and a lot more than once by his sister.

  Frank’s compatriots were converging on them. He glanced at them, glanced at the security guard, then said, “Let’s go,” to the others, and led them out.

  The guard came over. “Everything all right, kid?” he said.

  “Abso – solutely,” Wally said, around a yawn that threatened to swallow the word. Now that was over, he felt more exhausted than ever. “Just some friends coming to say goodbye.”

  “At 3:30 in the morning?” the guard said skeptically.

  Wally shrugged. “They do shift work. Start at four. Only time they could come see me off.” Inspiration struck. “That’s why I’ve spent the night hanging around.”

  The guard shook his head. “It’d kill me,” he said. “But I’m not as young as you are.”

  Wally was feeling about twenty years older than usual, if truth be told, but he nodded. The guard went back to his station. Wally turned to face the terminal’s big glass windows and saw the black SUV he remembered from the quarry driving away in the early-morning darkness. Frank was presumably already on the phone to Rex Major, who had probably already landed in Honolulu.

  He found a bench and settled down to wait
some more. Half a day in an airport, he thought. And here I thought magical quests were supposed to be exciting.

  Could Rex Major find out where he was flying to? Wally didn’t know for sure, but that was the way to bet. Still, he thought, as long as I stay in public areas in airports, he can’t do anything. Not in Calgary, not in Los Angeles, not in Queenstown.

  And once he was in Queenstown?

  I’ve got a long flight ahead, he thought. I’ll figure it out as I go. Play it by ear.

  He snorted. Once, just once, he’d really like to have the sheet music.

  •••

  Rex Major’s private jet had left Vancouver at 8 p.m. and landed in Honolulu at just after 12:30 a.m. Vancouver time – 10:30 p.m. Hawaii time. Customs was quickly dealt with: Major was frequently in Hawaii, and well-known to the customs agents there.

  He flew there not only to get away from Toronto’s winters (although that wasn’t a completely trivial reason – he’d often wished the original doorway from Faerie hadn’t led to cold and rainy England; the climate in his native Avalon was more like San Diego’s), but also because Hawaii was home to the United States Pacific Command (a.k.a. USPACOM – the military loved its acronyms). He was working closely with the U.S. military to integrate his new super-secure Excalibur server software into their systems, all in the name of making sure enemies couldn’t hack into it, of course. He’d had similar meetings with the Canadian military and the other members of NATO. What they didn’t know was that his clandestine agents were also selling his software, albeit under a different name and apparently originating from a rival company in Moscow, to less savoury nations. All of that software contained threads of Merlin’s magic. When Excalibur was reforged and his power came surging back stronger than it was even in Arthur’s heyday, he would be able to use that software to seize control of the bulk of the world’s armed forces – including, most importantly, every nuclear missile. And with his soothing, Commanding Voice spread worldwide by mass media and the Internet, the people of the world would soon be lining up to serve his glorious cause.

  Hence the full-day layover in Hawaii. Finding the third shard of Excalibur was crucial to his plans, but so was nailing down his deal with the military.

  He’d booked himself a room in an airport hotel. This time Ariane would have to stay aboard the plane. He couldn’t take her with him to USPACOM headquarters for his meetings and he didn’t dare leave her where she would have access to a telephone or the Internet in case Wally somehow managed to track her down and get a message to her about the rescue of Aunt Phyllis. He’d called ahead and a guard had already come aboard the plane.

  “I’m in Hawaii, and I’m stuck in this stupid plane for a day and a half?” Ariane said as Major walked past her on the way to the front hatch. “You know I can’t do anything as long as you have Aunt Phyllis. What are you scared of?”

  “I don’t trust you,” Rex Major said. “You have two shards of Excalibur, one of them on your person. The sword will try to influence you. It might convince you that it’s more important to steal away with it than to save your Aunt Phyllis.” He gestured at the luxurious cabin. “There’s no water here to speak of, so no matter how tempted you are, you can’t act. In a hotel room, you might.” He nodded at the guard, a taciturn Hawaiian wearing a floral shirt and khaki pants, with tattoos on top of muscles on top of muscles on his thick arms. “Alika here will keep you company. His name means ‘guardian,’ by the way. How apt is that?”

  Ariane stared at Alika. He stared back. “Oh, yeah, he looks like a barrel of laughs.”

  “You are my prisoner, you know,” Major said. “Once that would have meant nights in a cold damp dungeon interspersed with periods of agonizing torture. Count your blessings.” He nodded to Alika, who nodded back, and headed down the gangway into the soft tropical night.

  His limo delivered him to his hotel, where he intended to go straight to bed so he would be fresh for his meetings in the morning: but while he was brushing his teeth his cell phone rang. He spat out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth quickly, then went into the room and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. “Rex Major,” he said. He would have liked to ream out whomever it was for calling him so late, but since the call could be coming from anywhere in the world, it would have been silly – it might be noon wherever the call originated.

  It wasn’t, though. Frank LaFebvre said, “Mr. Major, we’ve found Wally.”

  He came awake. “Where?” he growled.

  “Saskatoon airport,” Frank said. “He’s been there all day. But we couldn’t grab him – too public. He says he’s flying out in the morning. He wouldn’t tell me where.”

  “Not to Toronto, that’s for sure,” Major said. “Any sign of Phyllis Forsythe?”

  “No,” Frank said. “Do you want me to keep looking?”

  “Of course I want you to keep looking,” Major snapped. But then he consciously softened his tone. “You did the best you could with Wally, Frank. I appreciate it. Be sure to send me your invoice for the work to date. I’ll make sure it gets paid right away. And let me know the moment you have something on Phyllis.”

  “Yes, Mr. Major,” Frank said. “Thank you.”

  Major disconnected. He could have told Frank he wouldn’t be paid since he’d been duped so thoroughly, but not paying the bill would just create an enemy who might be able to cause him minor difficulty later on. Major liked to keep focused on the big picture. Well-treated underlings were typically far more loyal than those whom he coerced with threatening and punishing.

  Not that he was above threatening and punishing if he thought it would do some good. Threatening and punishing Wally Knight, for instance, he would have enjoyed very much at that moment.

  If he’s flying out, he’s bought tickets. Let’s see what I can find out.

  Air Canada was one of the companies that made extensive use of Rex Major’s software. It took him no time at all to find the thread of Wally’s name in the weave of his magical web, now that he was looking. He swore when he saw the boy’s itinerary.

  He knows!

  Wally Knight was flying to Queenstown, New Zealand. And because Major had to stay in Honolulu for a day, he would get there first. He’d undoubtedly hang around the airport and try to communicate with Ariane when they arrived, tell her that Aunt Phyllis was safe. Frank was quite right: there was no way to grab the kid from an airport without causing a scene and raising questions whose answers would inevitably and uncomfortably focus attention on Major.

  Then he smiled. But there was also no way Wally Knight could gain access to where Major’s jet would land, where there would be a vehicle waiting to whisk them away the minute they set down. Wally Knight could watch them drive away, but he’d never know where they went. And a few hours after that, the third shard would be his.

  And when Wally did leave the airport…

  He checked the time. There was only an hour’s difference in time between Honolulu and Queenstown. An hour’s difference and an entire day, since Queenstown was on the other side of the International Date Line, but that didn’t matter as far as figuring out business hours went. He’d call his people in Queenstown sometime during his day’s meetings.

  He would get Wally back – and then get on with the threatening and punishing he was already looking forward to.

  He yawned and went back to getting ready for bed. The next couple of days were going to be busy.

  And then, just as he was pulling back the covers, his cell phone dinged, the distinctive sound of an urgent email arriving. He sighed, picked up the phone and read the message. He read it again. Then he smiled.

  His magical web had just snared another bit of valuable information – extremely valuable.

  He knew where Ariane had hidden the first shard. It would still be easiest to have her retrieve it for him, but just in case things went horribly awry…

  Mentally adding another item to the next day’s to-do list, he put down the cell phone and climbed under the covers
.

  He was still smiling when he fell asleep five minutes later.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Welcome to New Zealand

  Flying is greatly overrated, Wally thought groggily as he blinked bleary eyes at the city of Queenstown through the window of the Air New Zealand Airbus A320. Not that it wasn’t a pretty town, set on the shores of the spectacular Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by even more spectacular mountains. It was also surprisingly small: only about twelve thousand permanent residents in the town itself, with maybe another ten thousand in the surrounding Lakes District, according to the research he’d done during the three-hour layover he’d had in Auckland even after clearing customs (where he had invented a doting aunt waiting to show him the sights of New Zealand to take their minds off the suspicious fact he was an almost-fifteen-year-old travelling alone).

  It was while he was in Auckland that he’d finally figured out what to do once he reached Queenstown.

  All during the long hours, flying from Saskatoon to Calgary to Los Angeles to, finally, Auckland, he’d been mulling it over. He knew from the flight plan filed by Rex Major’s pilot that he had a good chance of getting to Queenstown first. But he also knew from the appearance of Frank at the Saskatoon airport that Major knew he was on the loose, and he had to assume Major could access airline computer systems and discover he was flying to Queenstown.

  The question was, what would Major do with that information? The answer seemed clear: he’d arrange for someone to try to nab Wally at the airport. They might not be able to grab him in the terminal itself, but he couldn’t stay there forever, especially not if he intended to help Ariane, and the minute he set foot outside of it, they’d come after him.

  But then Wally had realized: for that to happen, Major would have had to get in touch with someone ahead of time. And since it was unlikely he had private security people at his beck and call everywhere, the most likely people for him to contact were his own employees – employees of Excalibur Computer Systems. A little Googling at a public terminal in Los Angeles had shown him that while there wasn’t an ECS office in Queenstown, there was one in Auckland – the only one in the country, in fact.