by Ben Zackheim
Simon fell into another dream as soon as his head touched his pack. He was in his uncle’s place. He watched his parents bend over the table in the map room. They were fixated on a single point on the map. His dad was marking it, excited.
Simon missed them more than ever. It was only a dream, but seeing them move again, talk again, made his heart sink. He wanted badly to wake up, but he wasn’t sure how. His father took a break from his mad scribbling and looked over his shoulder at his son.
“I’m very proud of you, Simon. You’re doing Lancelot proud.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, dad?”
“Because you… wake up, Simon.”
“What?”
“Wake up.”
Simon woke up and clutched his blade’s hilt. Someone sat next to him. He couldn’t make out who it was in the dark. He pressed his sword to the stranger’s neck.
“Simon!” It was a man’s voice, familiar. With his free hand, Simon grabbed a smoldering torch and held it up to the intruder’s face.
“Dad?”
40
Simon knew it was his father when he felt the beard on his cheek. He cupped Simon’s ears in his hands and covered his face in prickly kisses.
“Simon!” Maille yelled, pulling out her wand. It glowed a scary purple.
“It’s okay! It’s my dad!” Simon’s cheeks were wet with tears that he quickly wiped away. His father did a worse job of covering up, slapping at his face and settling his palms on his temples. It looked like he was trying to keep his head from blowing up. “His name is Thadeus.”
At last, they embraced.
Everyone was awake, barely illuminated by the dim torches. The surprise on their faces made Simon want to laugh. Maille’s doubt was as thick as her baseball bat. Hector also stood ready to strike if need be. His eyes scanned the forest around them for a trap.
“It’s really him,” Simon assured them.
“How do we know that?” Maille asked. Her bat-wand faded from red to a less threatening yellow, but she still held it ready.
“Ask him something only he would know the answer to,” Russ suggested.
Simon looked up at his father, who smiled warmly. “Go ahead,” he said.
“What’s the funniest thing about cars in London?” Simon asked.
“Their steering wheel is on the wrong side!” His dad let out a laugh, and no one else did. It was his father, all right. The smile on Simon’s face made everyone relax.
“Where’s Mom? Where have you been? What are you doing out here?”
“I don’t know where your mother is, Simon. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. As do I! But if you don’t mind, I haven’t eaten in three days. Do you have anything in those bags of yours?”
Hector rummaged through the packs and found some food. Simon noticed for the first time that his dad seemed much older. His clothes were rags, as if he’d wandered the woods in the same guise for two years. The others stayed close, not sure if they should linger for the reunion. But Simon gestured for them to sit down. He wanted his friends to meet his dad.
When Caradoc emerged from the shadows, Thadeus’ eyes went wide.
“He’s okay Dad. He’s a troll. One of the good guys.” His dad nodded his head.
After Josh and Russ sat, Simon’s father began to speak, glancing nervously at Caradoc every once in a while.
“By now, you’ve probably been told by Merlin that you are a descendant of Lancelot,” his father said, with a full mouth of half-chewed jerky.
“Yeah, he told me. Why didn’t you?”
“First of all, because it’s not true.”
Simon’s stomach dropped. Gwen gasped. Russ managed something like “Whoah.” Simon’s mind raced over all the things that had happened that seemed to indicate it was true. How could they all be wrong?
“You aren’t a descendant of Lancelot, Simon. The other knights are descendants. But you, my son, you are Lancelot. Lancelot reincarnated. Every memory he had, you have buried deep. Every talent is yours to rediscover. Whether they know it or not, the people have been waiting for you to return and now you’re here.”
Simon almost interrupted, but decided to hear his dad out.
“I’m your father and I wanted to bear the burden of this knowledge until we tracked down Merlin. Your mother and I knew he had plans for you, but he hid from us. He kept in constant contact with the parents of the descendants, and he knew we were out there, but he never tried to discuss your future with me or your mother.”
Simon didn’t know what to say. He could have fixated on the whole reincarnation thing, but he wasn’t able to get over his parents flat out lying to him for years. They hadn’t been on an archaeological crusade. They’d been trying to find Merlin so they could figure out what to do with their son.
“I’m sorry we kept this from you, Simon,” Thadeus said. “I thought it was for your own good, but now that I see the way you’re looking at me, maybe it wasn’t.”
Simon tried not to look hurt. He didn’t want to seem weak in front of his friends. “But why didn’t Merlin look for you?” Simon asked.
“I don’t know. The other descendants say he does things his own way, and listens to no one. I suspect he has some kind of plan. But the times we live in are dark. I know the moment for Arthur’s return is approaching. So first we had to find Merlin.” Thadeus chewed on the rough meat, his eyes distant for a moment.
Everyone listened intently. Maille put down her wand. Hector sheathed his sword.
Finally, Thadeus said, “I’d been pursuing a theory that Excalibur had been out of Merlin’s reach since the death of Arthur. If true, then he’d pay a large price to find it. Even hold court with me, if I could find it first. I assumed it was in the United Kingdom somewhere.
“The night we were pulled into this mess, your mother and I had a bit of a breakthrough. She theorized that after the death of Arthur, Merlin would have pursued the missing Excalibur. He may have assumed that the enemy had it. She believed that he would have left the original Camelot in Tintagel to go to what is now Scotland. We followed the terrain and ancient roadways on my map to see where an old man with a walking stick would go.” Simon recalled the map at Victor’s house with the red X through Tintagel, and the wavy line up the coast to Scotland…
“To Uncle’s?” Simon asked, trying to keep up.
“Near him, yes. We asked Victor if we could stay with him while we searched, and he obliged us. Looking back, we made a big mistake.”
“He told me you were a danger to his business.”
“Yes, well…” Thadeus tried to chuckle but he couldn’t quite get it out. “I always wondered where my brother got his antiques and curiosities. It appears he had more success in tracking down Merlin than I did. Victor helped fund my efforts, but he saw clues I didn’t see. Or Merlin met him halfway. I’m not sure how they met. But the result was obvious to me as I explored his mansion and found unbelievable treasures. Things that appeared to come from the time of Arthur, proving that he’d existed. In fact, I believe Victor is tasked with gathering all evidence of Arthur and keeping it out of sight of scholars.”
“You said you were pulled into this mess. Who pulled you?” Gwen asked.
“I suspect it was Victor. Your mother and I opened a lot of doors in that place. Doors I now know were best left closed. We found a stairwell under our bed in the guest quarters. That house is packed with surprises.”
“Yeah I found the stairs, too. Your book was still on the table,” Simon said.
“HA! If you found it untouched, then that means Victor doesn’t know about that room after all.” Thadeus leaned back against a tree, chuckling. Simon decided he’d tell him about his unpleasant run-in with Uncle Victor later.
“Anyway, one night my brother was out of town so we decided to go exploring in that cursed mansion. Oh, the things we found, Simon. Weapons, scrolls of spells, ancient art depicting Arthurian tales. On the fifth floor, and the hundredth turn of a knob, we opened a do
or into darkness. We weren’t going to enter, but two hands reached from the pitch black and pulled us in. There was no floor. We must have fallen for a full minute. I spotted a light far below us and braced for the end.
“But I started to just, I don’t know, float. I touched the ground without a sound. It was like someone scooped me up and laid me down. It was night. Pitch black. It smelled like forest and there was a light wind, so I was outside somewhere, even though there were no stars. No moon. I called out for your mother. She’d fallen with me but now, in the darkness, I couldn’t find her anywhere. I yelled until my throat was gone. I was afraid to move. As far as I knew I was on the edge of a cliff. So I sat and waited for the sun to come up.”
He glanced around as if he’d just realized there were people listening to his story.
“You don’t have to keep going,” Simon said. “You’re tired, Dad.”
“Maybe you’re right. I think I need some sleep. Don’t even know how long it’s been since…”
He smiled weakly and everyone took that as a sign they should go back to their spots.
Thadeus lay down, his head rested on a tree root. Simon covered him in his blanket and went to get him something else to eat. But his father was snoring within seconds.
“Simon.” Hector stood under a nearby tree. “Come here, please. I want you to have something.” Hector held out a bundle. Simon unwrapped it.
It was the sword that Merlin had tested him with. The one that was supposed to have an inscription on it, but didn’t.
“I believe yer dad is right. This is yers now, as it always has been. It was Lancelot’s last sword before he died. He made it with his own hands. Go ahead.”
Simon slipped the sword from its scabbard. The sharp edge managed to shine, even in the darkness of the forest.
And on its blade, near the hilt, he saw the inscription!
He read it carefully two times. It was in plain English, but he didn’t know what it meant.
“Why can I see the writing now?” Simon asked. “I couldn’t before, in the throne room.”
“Can you?” Hector said, eyebrows raised. “It may be that Lancelot wanted you to see the message at a certain time. Could be that Gwen’s brother is around here somewhere with his vambrace. Magic. Who knows.” Hector said the word ‘magic’ with a distaste that Simon had never heard from his friend before.
“The inscription says I need to use the sword to...”
“Do not tell me, Simon. “I think it’s safe to say that it’s a message from who you were to who you are now. So never tell a soul what it says. There’s a lot of power in that message, is my bet.”
“Thank you,” Simon said, reading the words a third time to himself. What did it mean? He’d have to think about it tomorrow.
“Why are you giving this to me now?” Simon asked.
“What better time?” Hector responded with a smile. He glanced over at where Thadeus slept and, with that, he walked off into the darkness.
Simon stuck a bundled up shirt under his father’s head. After everything, after all the searching and questions, his dad had simply shown up.
In the middle of a forest.
He couldn’t believe it. But he was determined to believe it anyway.
41
Simon woke up smiling. His dad was alive. When he found his mom then life could go back to the way it was. Simon knew he was being too hopeful. So much could go wrong in the next couple of days. So much would go wrong. But he let the feeling of hope flow over him like warm water on cold skin. It had been a long time since he’d felt this good.
Of course, he expected a few thousand more apologies from his father for hiding the real reason behind the Sharp family’s quest for Camelot. He started thinking of ways to leverage his parents’ guilt. Humongous weekly allowance. Dessert portions.
A jolt in his gut yanked him out of his fantasy.
Something’s wrong.
Simon glanced over at his dad’s blanket. Thadeus was gone.
Simon stood and walked through the camp, searching for a sign. He saw Caradoc whittling a sharp point on a thick piece of wood. Maille was packing with some help from Russ and Josh.
But his dad ...
“He’s getting water at a stream that he says he passed yesterday,” Gwen said from behind him. Her calm voice helped Simon breathe again.
“Oh. Thanks.” He smiled, a little embarrassed. “I guess I want to keep my eye on him.”
“Hey, I get it. He’s a cool guy.” Gwen was packing up her stuff.
“He’s okay,” Simon said, with a shrug that he hoped would hide his giddiness. “Kind of serious. I guess that’s where I get it.”
“Nah. You’re more fun than you think. Look where we are.” Gwen lifted her arms, as if introducing him to the crazy adventure he’d trapped them in. “All thanks to you.” They laughed. He hadn’t thought of it that way. “I am worried about Hector, though,” Gwen said. “I haven’t seen him all morning.”
“What are you two laughing at?” Josh asked, joining them.
“You,” Gwen and Simon said at the same time.
“Funny. Maille sent me to get you, Gwen. She wants to talk.”
“Oh goody,” Gwen sighed. “I don’t know why she thinks she’s my boss.”
“She thinks she’s everyone’s boss,” Josh said. Gwen laughed and walked to where Maille was packing up (with a frown on her face, of course).
That’s when Simon spotted his dad emerging from a dark patch of the forest. His wide eyes told Simon there was trouble. Thadeus was too winded to say anything, but he obviously wanted to. He settled his hands on his knees, terror in his eyes.
“Dad?” Simon said, moving to help. But he lost his footing when the forest shook and a tree slammed to the ground nearby.
“Giants,” Thadeus gasped.
“That can’t be,” Caradoc insisted, pushing himself up to his feet. “Giants are extinct.”
Three not-extinct giants slammed their way through a wall of trees. Each towered twenty feet high. The largest of them spotted the small party and let out a roar that shook healthy green leaves from the trees.
If the giants’ bulk and strength didn’t kill everyone, then their ugly faces would. One giant’s nose wart was so humongous that it blocked the vision in one eye. Simon saw a rat scuttle through his sideburns and hide behind his ear.
Another giant suffered from a nasty cold. Before anyone could make another move, he sniffled and sneezed, sending a six-foot long rope of snot flying through the air. It slammed against a small tree snapping the poor sapling in two.
“Any ideas?” Thadeus asked anyone in earshot.
“Scatter!” Simon yelled.
And with that the giants ran at them. But the party’s scrambling confused the attackers. One giant collided with another, which immediately led to a fistfight between the two. The third giant egged on both of them with grunts and tongue raspberries that sent baseball-sized spittle flying a hundred yards. The monsters didn’t appear to like each other.
The skirmish lasted for eight seconds flat and left the smaller of the two with a bleeding wound on his forehead.
With the fistfight over, the giant with the large wart on his nose quickly fixed his eye on Simon. The giant tried to grab him, but Simon lifted his new blade over his head and slashed the sword down, slicing the huge hand’s palm wide open.
Simon took advantage of the moment and ran between his enemy’s legs, swinging his sword. Both of the giant’s shins felt the brunt of the blows, and he cried out in agony, then lunged at Simon with even more rage. He sensed that Simon was more than just a tasty lunch. He was a serious threat.
Unfortunately for the giant, Simon saw a last opportunity to save himself.
It was as if the world were moving in slow motion. Simon could sense where the giant’s foot would fall next as he charged closer. He could almost see lines in the air connecting his enemy to their surroundings. And in those connections he spotted a pair of trees, ab
out seven feet apart, with giant trunks.
Strong, thick trunks.
Yes, they’ll do nicely.
The giant had three steps to take before he would be in striking distance. So Simon had two steps to save himself.
On the first of the giant’s steps Simon jumped out of the way.
On the second step, Simon was in midair when he threw his sword at the giant’s feet.
On the third step, the giant tripped on the weapon and fell.
Simon could see where the monster would land before he even got there. As his mind’s eye and reality collided the giant’s head lodged itself between two trees with a loud CRACK!
The behemoth struggled to get up, but he was stuck. When he couldn’t move, he hit the trees hard with his fists. But even a giant wasn’t strong enough to break down trunks that size. He was stuck.
Precisely as Simon had planned.
How did I do that?
He hadn’t read the future. Not in any way that made sense to him. No, he’d set the giant up for a fall, a complex fall, and it had played out just as Simon had foreseen. But he hadn’t read the future. He’d created it.
The roar of rage and terror that filled the forest awoke Simon from his trance. He caught the smile on his face and did his best to kill it. There was no time to enjoy himself. One giant might have been out of the picture for the moment, but two more were at large. Who knew what damage they had done while he was feeling so proud of himself?
Maille had her hands full with the bleeding-forehead-giant. She was hurling spells, but he was holding his own by keeping her off balance.
The biggest giant had pinned Thadeus and Caradoc against a boulder. The sheer rock was impossible to scale, leaving the two to make their last stand.
Russ, Josh, and Gwen were nearby. They weren’t the focus of the monsters but they also didn’t have a lot in their arsenal to help. Or so they thought.
Simon had an idea as he scoped out the situation. “Fight each other. Loudly,” Simon told Josh and Russ. The boys looked at him as if he were nuts. “Do you want to help or not?” Russ and Josh nodded. “Then go out there and take some swings at each other and yell about something. Loud as you can.”