Prophecy

by Gregory Cholmondeley

  Janus interrupted, “Wait, you mean that your dragon stones, filled with magical energy, landed near Arthur’s father’s castle?”

  “Yes, but Uther did not realize that Artie was his son yet, and that is a different story,” said Merlin with a wave of his hand. “You are correct, however, that I was also searching for Artie, who I knew as Janus. On the way, I had the good fortune of meeting Igraine, Artie’s mother, while visiting Uther’s castle. Again, this is another story for another time. The important part is that she told me that King Cabo, who everyone called Kay, was taking care of her son while pretending he was a servant. I headed straight over to Kay’s castle, introduced myself with a letter from Igraine, and promptly became the tutor for Kay’s son and Artie.

  “I tutored Artie for years until Uther died, Artie married Gwen, and the three of us decided to change the world. We built Camelot on some land at the eastern edge of Gwent, which was given to the happy couple by Gwen’s dad, Twedrig. Then we began our mission to unify the Britons.

  “You see, it was critical that Camelot was not a kingdom, and that Artie not be a king. His vision was to unite the Britons to defend themselves against the Saxons. We had seven significant kingdoms and many smaller subkingdoms which could easily be wiped out by Wessex, Mercia, or Northumbria unless we worked together.

  “Those seven kings would never bow to another king. So, Artie needed to convince them to convene somewhere non-threatening to combine their forces for their common defense. Camelot was a kind of neutral ground.

  “The thing about Artie is that he was a decent swordsman, but he was neither a powerful warrior nor a strategic general. He was more of a salesman with a vision. We used to joke that there was no need to attack a castle when you could send in Artie. Within an hour, the local lord would be gifting his castle to Artie and begging him to marry his daughter.”

  Merlin laughed as he remembered this tidbit, but Saturn physically gasped, as if being struck when he heard it.

  Merlin coughed and continued, “That is why we constructed Camelot. Artie even built a round table so that there would be no favoritism shown at the meeting. His goal was to convince each of the seven kings to commit soldiers and resources for him to lead in Briton’s defense.”

  “You mean there really was a round table?” Stavius excitedly asked.

  “How did he manage to get the seven kings to agree for him to be the leader?” asked Saturn.

  Merlin raised his hand and said, “Yes, we used the same table idea I had when we stole the talismans on Avalon. But the story I’m trying to tell is one about how Artie was chosen as their leader. It’s about a sword stuck in a rock.”

  Nariana grumbled, “Yeah, everybody knows Arthur was the only one who could pull out the sword. Everyone was impressed and immediately crowned him the once and future king of all England.”

  Merlin glared at her.

  “As I was saying, Artie was a fabulous salesman. Even so, none of the kings were just going to give the reins to this youngster. Besides, Cyngen Glodrydd, the king of Powys, was the obvious candidate to be their leader. He was the strongest and most influential of the kings, and his kingdom bordered with Mercia, one of our biggest threats. But being the most powerful king also made everyone distrust him. Still, the first meeting of the Kings of the Round Table, as they would later be called, was held in Cyngen’s castle.

  “These high-powered meetings always involved massive amounts of drinking and singing. I have no doubt that political and business meetings still operate this way in your time. Some procedures are so perfect that they will never change.

  “Anyway, at some point, after several flagons of mead, Artie gets up to relieve himself. I go with him because he isn’t walking very well and because a tinkle sounded like a good idea to me too.

  “We were peeing on a large rock in the courtyard when Artie looks up and sees the handle of a sword sticking out of it. He says, ‘Hey, that’s my sword!’ I say, ‘Hey, watch what you’re doing. You’re tinkling on my foot!’ Then Artie says, ‘Sorry Merl, but that really is my sword sticking in this rock.’ That’s when I look up and say, ‘Well, I’ll be. I believe that is your sword.’

  “Well, we had a good laugh about how the sword he had flung through the air hole was now sticking in a rock in Cyngen’s courtyard and especially about the fact that we had just peed on it. Then we went back to the party and resumed drinking.

  “A few hours later, Cyngen says that it’s time to decide who’s going to be the leader. Now, nobody trusted Cyngen, nor wanted to follow his orders, but he did throw a good party. So, it seemed likely that he would get the job.

  “That’s when Artie suggested, ‘What if the job goes to whoever can pull the sword out of that big rock in the courtyard?’

  “Well, most of the kings didn’t know what he was talking about because they had gone out the back door to pee. But the ones who had also peed on the rock in the courtyard knew all about it.

  “Cyngen had apparently planned on getting everyone drunk and holding the vote, but everybody else thought it would be great fun to go out and tug on the sword. He agreed because he knew that thing was really wedged in and that none of these drunks were going to be able to remove it anyway. So, we took a break and went out for a walk.

  “Cyngen proudly explained that a farmer had found the sword wedged into this giant rock on his land and that it had required twenty men to wheel it over and place it in his courtyard. It was quite a tourist attraction with people arriving from all over to see it and to give it a tug. The unique artifact was marvelous for the rooming business, the Sword and Rock pub, and some nearby shops which sold small sword-in-rock souvenirs. Cyngen received a percentage of all sales, of course, because he was the king.

  “Each king climbed the rock and yanked on the sword. We all had a great laugh as each of them struggled and failed. Soon six drunk, sweaty kings were sitting in the dirt giggling and trying to catch their breath. Cyngen knew better than even to attempt to extract the sword but was enjoying watching his mates make fools out of themselves.

  “Then Artie climbed up on the rock and proclaimed, ‘I am Artorius Pendragon, and this is my sword. Let all who witness this act recognize me as the once and future leader of all Britons.’

  “This was great theater, which made everyone clap and roar with laughing appreciation. Artie always had a way with a crowd. Then he grasped the grip of the sword with one hand and smoothly withdrew it from the rock.”

  Merlin expected his audience to be astonished, but they weren’t.

  Janus said, “We’ve all kind of heard variations of the sword in the stone story before.”

  “Sword in the stone,” muttered Merlin with approval. “That does have a better ring to it. Anyway, Cyngen made Artie put it back, then everyone tried again, claiming they had loosened it for him. Of course, nothing worked, and they made him pull it out and put it back. This went on for nearly an hour until a vote was taken and a decision made.

  “We decided we were bored with this game and unanimously agreed to return to the beer hall for more drinks. Once we were there, Cyngen called for a vote again. But everybody agreed that a deal is a deal. Artie was now the leader of the Britons.

  “Cyngen was mad, but what could he do? He grudgingly agreed, a toast was raised, and the meeting ended. However, Cyngen insisted the next meeting would be hosted in Camelot by their new leader, and that Artie would buy the beer.

  “Cyngen and Artie never really got along well after that, especially since Artie insisted on keeping the sword. Cyngen reminded him that twenty of his men had moved the rock and sword into his courtyard and that thus it was his by the ancient rule of finders’ keepers. Artie thanked him for his effort in returning his sword, and graciously offered to let him keep the rock.

  “Cyngen did keep the rock and tried to use the story of Artie pulling out the sword to promote it, but his tourism business was never the same. Room rentals plummeted, and souvenir sales bottomed out. The pub, howeve
r, was still there and doing well the last time I visited.”

  All this talk of drinking had left Merlin a little parched, and he sipped a glass of water, grinning at the pure physical pleasure it provided.

  ✽✽✽

  Merlin’s story cheered everyone up, but the mood didn’t last long. Stavius soon remembered that he couldn’t do magic, and Janus returned to sulking by his side.

  “What’s up, Janus?” Stavius finally asked.

  “Oh, I’m still trying to figure out what went wrong with Merlin’s magic engine and what we need to do to fulfill this prophecy. I’ve been reading more of Louis Janus’ writings and am wondering about an idea he had.”

  Stavius stared at his friend for an awkward amount of time before saying, “Well, what is it? Don’t leave me hanging like that, dude!”

  Janus smiled and explained that Louis Janus was a Christian and a firm believer in God. He spent much of his life trying to reconcile his religious beliefs with his experiences on Mearth. He finally concluded that The Prophecy was a message from God trying to save us.

  Louis believed that God was a timeless being who could see where humanity was heading, and who could broadcast his prophecy across all time. He thought that it altered the Egyptians’ religions. He believed that it brought Christianity to the Romans, which was somewhat true. Julius Caesar’s reign was at the close of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire, which would spread Christianity throughout Europe. And, of course, King Arthur was known as a champion of Christianity in England.

  He believed that we were also receiving The Prophecy to try to change our ways of hatred. He had lived through the horrors of both World Wars, and the pestilence of the Spanish Flu. He currently lived in the frightening world of the cold war, where nuclear bombs were poised to destroy civilization. He believed that The Prophecy helped fill the dreamers with faith for them to improve the world.

  He also believed that The Prophecy included instructions on how to bring God’s miracles to Earth. He felt Merlin’s magic engine was not intended to just open a door between the worlds. He thought it was designed to bring God’s magic to our world. Merlin simply didn’t quite get the instructions right, and Louis was no closer to an answer either.

  Stavius looked at Janus and remarked, “Louis’ model aligns with ours, but I haven’t heard any new ideas. What’s bothering you?”

  Janus weakly smiled and said, “Well, Louis believed that God is beyond time so that his prophecy was broadcast throughout time. That is why everyone – us, the Britons, the Romans, the Egyptians – have all received it. If he’s right, then there’s no reason why it wouldn’t have been sent to future people as well.

  “He proposed that maybe it was sent to the future and that someone succeeded. He believes that Mearth is Earth after God’s miracle of magic was brought to it.”

  Stavius grinned and noted, “Well, that’s a much happier ending than Avalon, the mind-controlling monster!”

  This made Janus smile too, and he added, “You see, Louis was convinced that even though some future people brought God’s miracles to the world, it was too late. All the Mearth religions say that the gods brought magic to a barren world, and Louis postulated that his Earth had been devastated by nuclear war. He believed that The Prophecy was fulfilled by a group of nuclear holocaust survivors in the distant future. He concluded that it is God’s will to bring magic to our world before we destroy ourselves and that our generation could be the last chance for that to happen.”

  Stavius gulped and said, “Wow, that’s a lot of pressure, man. Does he give any suggestions on how we should do this?”

  Janus nodded and said, “Yes, he had a theory. He left his notes for us to find, and he wants the people from the future who solved the riddle to do the same.”

  Stavius was puzzled, “But how would they do that if they’re in the future?”

  Janus answered, “Let’s say that you’re right about the magical cycles. The next one would occur around the year 3200 near Edmonton, Alberta. That would be in the future for us on Earth, but it would be thousands of years in the past here on Mearth. If the Canadian Prophecy Heroes leave a message about how to solve The Prophecy in the future on Earth, we could pick it up here even further in the future on Mearth.”

  Stavius rubbed his aching head and said, “I have to think about this, but even if it does make sense, how would we ever find their message?”

  Janus sighed and said, “Louis was a clever man and had an answer to that as well. The Order of The Key room has artifacts from throughout History, so someone, probably the Soul Reapers, must move the entire room to the new location every thousand years. He wants us to leave his notes in that room so future Prophecy Heroes can find and read them. When they succeed in fulfilling The Prophecy, they can hide their solution on Earth, where we can find it.”

  Stavius asked, “And, did he have a particular place in mind?”

  “Yes, it is the only place he knew between Edmonton and Cincinnati, unlikely to be destroyed by nuclear missiles, that we could find thousands of years in the future. He wants them to hide the answers in the small room carved behind the heads on Mount Rushmore.”

  Stavius said, “Dude, you have to return those notes to the Order of The Key room and go to Mount Rushmore!”

  Euryale stuck her head in and added, “And take Betel with you. Those boys are really getting on my nerves!”

  Chapter 16

  Heart Attack

  January 19, Earth

  I woke up with a start to the sounds of screaming. It was pitch dark, and someone was yelling in the distance. It took a few seconds to mentally transition from talking with a wizard on Mearth to wherever I was now. My visits to Mearth usually started and ended when both Staven and I were asleep. Something must’ve pulled me out of a deep sleep, and I suddenly knew what it was. That was my mother screaming and sobbing at the top of her lungs.

  I leaped out of bed and raced down the stairs to find my mother kneeling over my father. She was in the hallway, pounding on his chest, yelling, “Call 911! Call 911!” So, I dove for a phone and called for help. As soon as the operator answered, I gave her our address and told her to send an ambulance fast.

  When she asked what the problem was, I responded that I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that my mother was giving CPR to my father on the floor of our house. My immediate thought was that a Mearth Agent had found us and shot my dad, but Mom yelled out that he had a heart attack. The operator heard her, told me that help was on the way, and advised me to stay on the line. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

  I dropped the phone and ran over to my parents. Mom was furiously alternating between pumping on his chest and pinching his nose while breathing into his mouth. It looked like she was doing it right from what I remembered from my first aid training, but she was so intent that she didn’t notice what I saw.

  “Mom, stop! Stop! Mom, stop!” I yelled. “He’s breathing. You can stop now!”

  She paused for a moment and stared at Dad. Then, as soon as she saw his chest rise, she fell on top of him, crying. I had to pull her off before she suffocated him, and she sat back, held me, and sobbed.

  I’ve never seen my father so fragile, nor my mother so scared. When I held Dad’s hand, I was amazed at how cold it was. He was lying on the floor, trembling and dripping wet with his shirt unbuttoned. I’m not sure how much of that water was his and how much of it was from Mom’s tears and sweat as she worked on him, but he was starting to move his head and incoherently mumble.

  My sister, Chloe, had just come downstairs and started screaming, so I put Dad’s hand in Mom’s and ran over to calm her down. I held Chloe, told her that Dad was OK, and tried to soothe her. There was a bang on the front door, and I was shocked to see two firefighters standing there when I opened it. I thought that the 911 operator hadn’t understood the problem, but they elbowed past me and quickly strode over to Dad. Two paramedics worked on Dad while a third firefighter took Mom aside and t
alked to her. A fourth asked how we were doing. I said that I was fine but that my sister could use some reassurance.

  They brought in a stretcher after about ten minutes and strapped Dad in to take him to the hospital. Mom was demanding that we all ride in the ambulance with him, but the paramedics insisted that there wasn’t any room. They explained that she needed to follow them in her car.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” came a voice from outside. “Can’t you see that this woman is in no condition to drive? Go with Alex in the ambulance, Nika. I’ll stay here and watch your children.”

  The voice belonged to Dr. Price, Tyler’s mom.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth,” said Mom. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

  “Your son called and asked if I could come over and watch the two of them while you took care of your husband,” answered Dr. Price.

  Mom turned and stared at me with a look I’ve never seen on her face before. In fact, I think this was the first time she’d even noticed me since this whole crisis had begun. She had never taken her eyes off of Dad until this moment.

  She started to say something, but all that came out was a soft “Thank you. I love you,” before a paramedic told her that they needed to leave, and Dr. Price pushed her out the door.

  Dr. Price turned to us as the ambulance pulled away and said, “Don’t’ worry. Your father will be OK. Your mother did a great job with the CPR, and you were amazing at keeping your head and getting them help.”

  “It was nothing,” I mumbled. Tyler was with his mom, and I was kind of embarrassed by her compliment in front of my friend.