Geeks and the Holy Grail
Page 21
“Are you ready?” he whispered to Nimue. In the darkness, he could just see her nod. She held Damara by the scruff of her neck. And Spike sat on Emrys’s shoulder, his mouth wrapped tightly in the hair band to prevent him from firing off too soon. Emrys drew in a breath. Would they really be able to do this?
Nimue gave him a serious look. “If this doesn’t work,” she said softly, “I want you to know, I’m still glad we tried.”
He smiled at her, feeling a warmth rise in his stomach, displacing a little of his fear. “Me too,” he replied, daring to reach out to squeeze her hand. She squeezed his in return.
“All right,” she said. “Let’s do this.”
He watched as she dropped to her knees before the dog, whispering something in her ear. Damara’s ears perked up as she listened, and a moment later she was off, bounding through the woods. Soon Emrys could hear loud barking in the near distance.
Sir Agravaine set down his bottle. “What was that?”
“Sounds like a dog.” Sir Kay yawned, clearly not impressed.
“What would a dog be doing out here?”
“How am I supposed to know?”
“What if he’s with someone?”
Sir Kay groaned. “Go check it out if you’re so concerned.” He tipped back his drink and gulped it down.
“Maybe I will. Nothing else to do, anyway,” Sir Agravaine huffed, then grabbed his sword and stalked off into the woods.
Damara kept barking. Good dog.
Emrys turned to Nimue. “Now’s your chance,” he whispered.
She nodded, stepping out from behind the shadows of the hut and into the center of the village. She walked confidently to the remaining knight and cleared her throat. He looked up from his drink, his eyes widening.
“You!” he cried, stumbling to his feet. “You’re that girl. That cook from Merlin’s cave.”
Nimue smiled prettily. “Aye,” she agreed. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “And thank goodness I’ve found you, my brave knight in shining armor! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
“What? Why’s that?” Sir Kay cocked his head, clearly confused.
“That…artifact you were looking for? Why, I think I have found it!”
“You have?” Sir Kay squinted at her. “How is that possible? And…” He scratched his head. “How did you find me here?”
Emrys snorted. Not exactly the sharpest sword in the armory, that was for sure. Which would hopefully work to their benefit.
Nimue’s smile dipped to a frown. She made a tsking sound with her tongue. “So many questions,” she scolded. “If you’re not interested, I can give it to someone else.”
“No!” Sir Kay protested. Then his lips curled greedily. “Bring it to me. If it is what I seek, then I promise you will be rewarded handsomely.”
Nimue shrugged. “I am sorry, but I cannot bring it to you. However, if you were to come with me…” She beckoned him with her hand. “I promise, it is not far.”
She turned and walked off into the woods. The knight watched her for a moment, not moving, and Emrys could almost see the smoke emanating from his ears as he tried to work out what to do. Emrys held his breath, praying the man would follow—that this risk had not been for nothing.
At last the knight sighed. He took one last glance at Merlin, seemingly satisfied that the wizard was still immobile, and then stalked off after Nimue. And bonus? He left his sword behind.
“Slow down!” he called out as he disappeared into the trees. “Wait for me!”
Emrys squared his shoulders. It was now or never. Pulling Spike down off his shoulder, he ran the dragon to the block of ice.
“All right,” he said once they reached it. “Time to save Merlin, Spike.” He reached down and pulled the band off the dragon’s mouth, then set him in front of the ice. He stepped back a few feet, readying himself for the blast. “Do it! Now!”
But Spike did not do it. Instead he slurped up another beetle off the ground and crunched it between his teeth. Emrys groaned.
“Come on!” he begged. He shot a nervous glance into the woods. It wouldn’t be long before one or both of the knights returned. “Breathe fire! Burp! Anything!”
But the dragon only fluttered his wings. Then he started picking at his teeth with his claw. Panic rose inside Emrys. This was their one chance. If they didn’t save Merlin now…
“Spike, please!” he cried. “Blow fire.”
But it wasn’t happening. And they were quickly running out of time. Emrys looked around the camp, desperate for another option. It was then that his eyes fell upon the piece of flint lying next to the fire pit. His mind flashed back to Nimue sparking her own fire. No magic or dragon necessary.
Emrys dove for the flint, then reached into his pocket to find the wad of cash paper he’d gotten in Vegas. It looked like it would prove useful after all. He arranged the paper in a small pile, then struck the flint against a rock.
Nothing happened.
He gritted his teeth and tried again. And then a third time. Finally, on the fifth try, he got a small spark to ignite.
Which went out immediately, before igniting the paper.
No! Emrys dropped to the ground in frustration, squeezing his hands into fists. He should have known he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t even start a bloody fire—that’s how useless he was. No wonder Merlin wanted to send him home. The wizard should send him home. That’s where he belonged. He should just walk away from all of this and never look back. He would be doing everyone a favor.
But just as he started to rise, his mind flashed to Nimue. She was still out in the woods, risking her life for this. She was counting on him. She’d trusted him with everything.
To me, you are a true hero of Camelot.
He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. Nimue wouldn’t quit. She would fight until there was no breath left in her body.
And Emrys wouldn’t let her down.
He reached for the flint again. But to his surprise, Spike stepped into his path, blocking his reach.
“Move,” he scolded the dragon. “You good-for-nothing—”
Spike squawked. Then, to Emrys’s surprise, he opened his mouth and directed a small stream of fire at the ground, easily igniting the pile of paper. Emrys stared at the small fire in shock, then up at the dragon, hope rising in his chest.
“Yes!” he cried. “Good boy! That’s how you do it!” He patted the dragon on the top of the head. “But we need more! We need to thaw Merlin!” He pointed to the block of ice. Then to the fire Spike had started.
Spike cocked his head, as if not quite understanding. Emrys pointed to the fire again. Then at the dragon. Then at the ice. Then he repeated the gestures all over again.
Finally, Spike’s eyes brightened. As Emrys watched, breath caught in his throat, the dragon slowly turned to the block of ice. He pulled back his head…
And blasted Merlin with fire.
Emrys expected the ice to melt. He didn’t expect it to explode at the first lick of flame. But this was magical ice, and explode it did, the force of the blow sending him flying. He hit the ground with a painful thump, icicles raining down on top of him.
“Ow!” he cried, rubbing his back. Then he sat up, heart in his throat. With trembling hands he looked over to where the ice block had been.
It was gone. Only Merlin remained, on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Merlin!” he cried, scrambling to his feet and stomping out the rest of the fire, which thankfully wasn’t large. He scooped Spike up with one hand and grabbed the wizard’s arm in the other, dragging him in the direction of the hut. “Come. Quick!”
Merlin stumbled, still dazed, but managed to follow Emrys across the clearing and back into the hut where they’d been hiding. Once they were inside, Emrys slammed the door shut and pulled a table in front of it. Then he dropped to his knees to see to Merlin. The wizard was shaking with cold and dripping wet. But he was alive. That was all that mattered.
&nbs
p; “By the gods,” Merlin exclaimed, his voice still a little froggy. “That blasted witch! I thought I’d be stuck in there forever.” He looked around. “Where’s Nimue? Why aren’t you two hiding underground like you’re supposed to?”
“You should be very happy we aren’t,” Emrys shot back. “You’d still be stuck in a block of ice if we were.”
“Oh,” Merlin began to bluster, wringing water out of his beard. “Well, yes, I suppose—”
Emrys gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, Merlin. You can scold me later. Right now Nimue’s still out there. I have to make sure she’s all right.” He made a move toward the back door. But before he could open it, he heard a scream.
A scream that sounded a lot like Nimue.
He stumbled over to the window, peering outside. His eyes caught movement in the bushes. A moment later Sir Kay emerged, a struggling Nimue in his grip. He threw her to the ground in front of the fire pit, shaking a fist at her. “You vile wench! You try to trick me—”
“Where’s Merlin?”
Sir Agravaine stomped out from the bushes, joining his friend. Thankfully, Damara was nowhere to be found—hopefully she at least had gotten away. The knight stared down at the puddle of water—all that was left of Merlin’s icy prison—his arms crossed over his chest. Then his eyes snapped to Nimue.
“You!” he spit out. “You’re that girl from Merlin’s cave. What did you do with him?”
“Please. As if I would tell you!” Nimue replied, shooting daggers with her eyes in his direction. Sir Agravaine kicked her in the stomach and she fell backward with a groan. It was all Emrys could do not to dive out of the house and tackle him. But he forced himself back. He had to play this right if he were to have any chance of saving her.
“What are we going to do?” Sir Kay moaned, looking down at her in disgust. “Morgana will have our heads if she returns to find Merlin gone.”
“Do not fear. He will come back,” Sir Agravaine insisted. “After all, we have his cook.” He grabbed Nimue by the scruff of the neck. “Merlin!” he shouted into the woods. “We have the wench! Show yourself or I will slit her throat.” He yanked a knife from his belt, as if to prove his point.
“No!” Emrys whispered hoarsely. He turned to Merlin. “You have to do something. Please!”
“I’m sorry.” Merlin rose shakily to his feet. “But I cannot.”
Emrys stared at him, horrified. “What? What do you mean you cannot? You’re Merlin. You can do anything.”
“Not at the moment. I am weakened and unable to access my magic.”
“Then what are we to do? We can’t let her die!” He turned back to Nimue. His eyes locking on the knife Agravaine held to her throat. “You have to save her!”
“Actually, you do,” Merlin replied in a quiet voice.
“What?”
“You said you wanted to learn magic, Emrys. Now is your chance.”
A chill tripped down Emrys’s spine. “But I can’t—I mean, remember the last time?”
Merlin held up a hand. “A wizard does not dwell on the past. Only the present.”
“Right.” That was easy for him to say. Emrys stared out at Nimue. She was scowling at the knights, not showing a hint of fear, even though he knew she must be terrified. She was so brave.
He needed to be brave, too.
“All right,” he rasped out. “Tell me what I need to do.”
Merlin nodded solemnly. “Just repeat after me.”
Emrys drew in a breath and did just that, repeating the magic words Merlin fed to him. He was careful to pronounce them exactly right—in the exact right order. Which wasn’t easy to do with his lips trembling so hard. But he couldn’t make any mistakes. Nimue’s life depended on it.
As he repeated the last words, there was a puff of smoke. A flash of fire. A scream that turned into…
A squawk?
Oh dear. Had he done it right? He could barely breathe, waiting for the smoke to clear. When it finally did, his eyes fell on Nimue, who was standing alone in the clearing, looking bewildered beyond belief.
Well, alone, that is, except for two very angry-looking chickens.
“Wha—?” Emrys cried. “Oh no! Not again. Not more chickens!”
Merlin broke out in a laugh. He slapped Emrys on the back. “Sorry!” he cried. “I couldn’t resist.”
Emrys stared at him, his mouth open. “So…wait,” he stammered. “I did it? I performed the spell correctly?”
“You performed it perfectly,” Merlin assured him, patting him on the shoulder in a fatherly way. “Good work, my young apprentice. Perhaps you have the makings of a fine wizard after all.”
“Oh, Merlin!” Emrys cried, throwing his arms around the magician before he could stop himself. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Stop squeezing me! I’m fragile still, remember?” Merlin humphed, untangling himself from the hug. But he didn’t sound angry. In fact, he sounded rather proud, which made Emrys’s heart soar with joy.
“Now,” Merlin instructed, “go get that girl and bring her back inside. And try to stay out of trouble until I get back.” He chuckled. “Not that you two can’t handle yourselves, I suppose.”
“Where are you going?” Emrys asked, cocking his head.
Merlin looked up. “First I am going to the sacred well to get my magic back. Then I will go to where I should have gone from the start,” he declared. “The land of Faerie.”
Sophie stared up at the fairy castle, her heart thumping hard in her chest. She knew she should be thrilled to see it—especially after all they’d gone through to get here. But at the moment it was difficult to stay focused on the task at hand, especially after everything that had just happened in the cave.
If only she could call a time-out—put the quest on pause—like a video game. Then she and Stu could talk it out. And clear the air before moving on to the next level. Her mind flashed back to him hanging off the cliff, his fingernails slipping, this close to plunging into the abyss. Game over—forever.
At the time, his moving to California didn’t seem as big a deal.
But now that they were safe on solid ground, it all came rushing back to her. Like a dodgeball straight to the gut. Stu was moving. Stu—who had lived down the street from her her entire life—was now going to be three thousand miles away. Which meant no more 7-Eleven Slurpee runs after school. No more lazy snow days with hot chocolate and marshmallows. If they wanted to hang out, they’d have to board an airplane and cross the entire country to do it.
She felt like she was going to be sick.
Maybe it wasn’t definite, she told herself. Maybe this was just something his mother was suggesting. Or maybe Stu would figure out a way to stay with his dad. Maybe…maybe…
“Sophie? Earth to Sophie!” Ashley waved her hands in front of Sophie’s face, snapping her back to reality. “Are you just going to stand there? Or do you want to go hit up the fairy queen?”
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m coming.” She glanced longingly at Stu, who, she realized, was watching her with worried eyes. She wanted so desperately to go over and give him a hug. There were so many questions buzzing around inside her head. When was he leaving? Was he ever coming back? But she knew if they started talking about it now, she might fall apart, and they still had their mission to complete. She’d hold it together just a little longer.
Sophie forced her feet to move toward the castle. Or what stood for a castle in Fairyland, which was very unlike the castles she’d seen in the real world. For one thing, instead of being built of stone, it was carved into a gigantic living tree, stretching high in the sky—at least eleven stories tall—with thick, strong branches adorned with emerald-colored leaves. Little windows had been carved into the wood and fitted with colorful stained-glass patterns.
But the coolest part of all was the carvings. Etched everywhere into the tree’s trunk were elaborate depictions of great battles and highly detailed portraits of mythical forest creatures: unicorns, win
ged Pegasus-like horses, griffins—and some Sophie didn’t recognize.
It was impressive, that was for sure. And also…well guarded, Sophie noticed as they got closer. The main entrance, a huge set of double doors that stretched twenty feet high, was flanked by at least ten guards, dressed in uniform, and sporting large wings. She wondered why they needed such security. Were they at war with the goblins, perhaps?
As they approached, the guards stepped into their path. The tallest one slipped from the pack and met Sophie and her friends. He had blue eyes and a trim green beard. Also, a sharp-looking spear.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “State your names and business or begone from this place.”
Sophie swallowed hard. Here went nothing.
“Um, I’m Sophie? And these are my friends Stu and Ashley,” she replied, trying not to trip over her tongue. “And we’re here to see the fairy queen?” She paused, then added, “Is she home right now?” It would be just their luck, she realized suddenly, if the fairy queen were on spring break as well.
The guard looked her up and down. “You’re mortal,” he noted. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes? That’s not a problem, is it?”
“It depends,” he replied. But did not elaborate. Which was so not helpful. Sophie shot a glance at Ashley. Use your talking powers, she tried to project.
Thankfully, Ashley seemed to get the message. “Look! We’re cool, I promise!” she piped in. “The fairy queen will love us! We even brought her the most amazing present!”
The guard frowned. “A present? You can just leave that with us. We will make sure she gets it.”
Ugh. These guys were impossible.
“You don’t understand,” Sophie argued. “We need to see her. To talk to her.”
The guard sniffed. “The queen does not simply talk to mortals,” he said with a huff. Then he narrowed his eyes, as if something had just occurred to him. “Who sent you, anyway? And how did you get here? No mortal can open up a fairy portal and just walk right through.”