The professor drove forward, following the driveway up a hill toward a palatial mansion at the top, a modern-day castle, complete with at least three turrets and a short drawbridge that lay open over a narrow moat.
“Sir Patrick’s residence.” The professor nodded toward the massive house.
At the foot of the drawbridge, he stopped the car. “We walk from here.”
Billy and Bonnie climbed out and joined the professor at the edge of the moat. With a huge castle standing against a sparkling blue sky and a pristine lawn of emerald green spreading out toward a distant forest, the atmosphere crackled with the feel of old England. Billy could almost see armored knights riding muscular steeds on endless fields of grass and stones. Dragons flew into the misty woods in the distance, carrying glittering gems to their caves, always wary of trailing treasure hunters who might be seeking their lairs.
The chime from the professor’s cell phone brought Billy back to the twenty-first century.
“Charles Hamilton speaking. . . . Yes, Marilyn, we’ve just arrived. We have quite a story to tell you. You see— . . . Yes, I am able to meet them. . . . No, I think I should introduce William and Bonnie to Sir Patrick first. I have plenty of time to do that and still make it to Heathrow. . . . What? . . . Yes, I understand, but I must tell you about Clefspeare. He— . . . Very well. . . . Good-bye.”
The professor pressed a button on his phone and eyed the screen. “How strange!”
Billy leaned over to take a look. “What’s up, Prof?”
“No caller ID. Your mother must have called from a blocked line. I wanted to tell her about your father’s capture, but she cut our conversation short. She didn’t even ask to greet you.”
Billy reached for the phone. “Here. Let me call her cell.” He punched in the numbers and waited through eight rings before shaking his head and handing the phone back to his teacher. “Nothing. The battery might be dead. But I thought I’d at least get her voice mail.”
“I don’t think it was an imposter. Her voice was quite clear.” The professor clipped the phone back on his belt. “In any case, her vehicle has broken down, so she is unable to meet Miss Stalworth and Mr. Foley at the airport. She is trying to procure a replacement, but the rental company says it will be several hours before they can accommodate her.”
“So we have to go to London?”
“Not ‘we.’ I will go. We will meet Sir Patrick, and he and I will explain your mission. Because of the loss of secrecy, it’s important that we prepare you as soon as possible.” He turned and gazed at the driveway behind them, and Billy followed his line of sight. The twin totem poles at the bottom of the hill kept watch over the quiet country road in the distance, and their eerie vigilance gave Billy a shiver. The professor continued. “I have a feeling that even more trouble lurks, but I cannot say why. We must be on our guard and trust no one but those who have proven their love and loyalty.”
Palin slid each of his feet backwards a step, biting the inside of his cheek and keeping his eyes glued to the cave’s theatric display. The colorful aura over the floor chasm floated like a levitated tapestry. The swirling colors painted a photo of a lonely figure standing on a remote hilltop, a solitary woman in a desolate field. “I see our agent,” Palin said, “but is this the past? The future?”
Morgan swept one arm across the front of the luminescent screen, and the scene began moving as though a movie director had called, “Action!” She trained her dark eyes on the display, her lips barely moving as she spoke. “The recent past, Palin, only a few minutes ago. Our number eight has completed part of her assignment. Listen.”
A middle-aged woman with an angular jaw held a cellular telephone like it was a beloved musical instrument. Her throat grew taut as she pursed her lips to create a precise sound, like a flutist searching for the perfect note. Her voice played in time with the vibrating aura, distorting the view. “Wait. I’m glad you made it, but please hold your story until later. Listen, my car broke down, and the rental company said it might be several hours before they can get another one to me. Can you meet Ashley and Walter at the airport? There’s no way I can make it in time.”
After the phone exchange ended, the display’s colors melted into their previous pattern of twisting ribbons. Morgan waved her long, slender arm toward the halo again, and the glow faded to bright white. “Now that we have arranged for Merlin to separate from Arthur, our real work can begin. Our knights must be in position when the boy king steps into our realm. He has no idea what he’ll be facing, and Merlin won’t be around to whisper any last-minute poems in his ear.”
Morgan’s dark form slowly shrank, her bare feet hovering inches off the ground. Although her body maintained human proportions, she stiffened, and her shriveling skin seemed to morph into shiny, black porcelain. After shrinking to about a foot tall, her body suddenly began shaking. Her arms and head thickened, and her nose stretched to a hardened point. When the shaking ceased, a raven stood in her place, its feathers puffed out to double its size. With another quick shake, the black feathers smoothed out, making the bird indiscernible from other ravens.
With a low-pitched “Caw!” the raven flew up to Palin and landed on his shoulder. It croaked into his ear. “Soon I will send you back again to the sixth circle, where you will await your turn to meet the young king. I know how you yearn to get your revenge, but you will follow my instructions to the letter. Understand?”
Palin just nodded, sweat pouring down his cheeks.
“Good. And now I must pay a visit to my friend, Sir Patrick.”
The raven flapped its coal black wings and zipped through the cave entrance, vanishing in mid-flight.
Billy and Bonnie followed the professor up a short flight of stairs to a marble-tiled porch that skirted the entire wing of the huge mansion. With the professor marching at a brisk pace, the younger pair had to quicken their stride to keep up, their shoes squeaking on the walkway’s tactile floor.
As they passed one of the many tall white columns, Billy rubbed a finger across its smooth, mirrored surface. He glanced from side to side. Something about this place bugged him. It felt like they were being watched, like those weird totem poles out front had unseen cousins probing them with camera eyes.
Bonnie tugged his sleeve. “What’s wrong? You’re as nervous as a politician hooked to a lie detector.”
Billy kept his voice low. “Yeah. I feel like something’s not right, like we’re being watched.”
“We probably are. A place like this must have lots of security.”
“Yeah,” Billy said, letting his voice grow a bit louder, “this guy must be rolling in cash. If he’s one of the good guys, why is he wasting money on a marble-coated castle?”
The professor stopped at the massive front entryway, a solid oak door with carved panels and a stained glass window near the top. “Your judgment is premature, William. I suggest that you withdraw your comment and wait for further evidence of Sir Patrick’s character.” He grasped the huge doorknocker just below the glass panel and gave three loud bangs.
After a few seconds the door swung open revealing a gray-haired man dressed in faded blue jeans and an Oxford University sweatshirt. In one arm he carried a young, dark-skinned child, a smiling, walnut-eyed boy who looked to be about a year old. The man’s youthful complexion belied his gray hair. His smile exuded the vigor of a teenager, yet the gravity of his brown eyes made him appear as old as England itself.
“Merlin!” he shouted in a strong, dignified British accent. “You made it!” With a sweep of his free arm, he motioned for them to enter.
“Yes, Patrick,” the professor replied, “but just barely, I’m afraid.”
Patrick put a strong hand on the professor’s shoulder, and his brow created a shadow over his deeply set eyes. “The Circle’s network buzzed with rumors of an attack, and Markus reported his escape with Bonnie and the capture of the great dragon. I have already dispatched Sir Bradford and his company to help Hartanna seek Clefspeare’s whereabouts. I’m so glad you weren’t also a victim.” He knelt, let the boy down on the floor, and with a love pat on the child’s back, shooed him away. The boy pattered across the tile, and an elderly woman scooped him up into her arms, then disappeared into a hallway. “We retrieved your luggage from our safe house,” Patrick continued. “I apologize for its lack of safety.”
The professor cupped his hand under Patrick’s elbow and gestured toward Billy and Bonnie. “Sir Patrick of Glastonbury, I would like to introduce you to William Bannister and Bonnie Silver.”
When Sir Patrick cast his gaze on Bonnie, his jaw fell. He swallowed hard, took a step toward her, and knelt, gently gripping the fingers of her hand as though he would give her knuckles a formal kiss. With a bow, he closed his eyes for a brief moment, then stared at her, his lips trembling to match his voice. “Young lady,” he said, tears filling his eyes, “it is a pleasure to be in your presence. Stories of your courage precede you, decorating you with honor and bringing glory to the great God whom you serve.”
When he rose, Bonnie blushed and smiled. “I’m delighted to meet you, Sir Patrick.”
He then turned to Billy. With his hands spread out, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head again. “Has Arthur finally made his presence known? If you are the Once and Future King, I submit myself to your service, Your Majesty.”
Billy had no idea what to say. A string of words came to his mind, and he tried to formulate a coherent sentence before opening his mouth. “Sir Patrick, the offer of your service is . . . um . . . a treasure beyond words. I trust that as I . . . embark on this mission . . . I won’t really foul things up.” He cringed. He hoped he didn’t sound too ridiculous.
Sir Patrick rose again. The nervousness in his smile was easy to read. “Merlin, our compatriots have discerned great danger. That’s why I sent Markus to find Bonnie. I have a well-placed spy in our enemies’ ranks who learned that our secrecy was compromised. Since your rendezvous point was already known to them, I dispatched my own squire to head them off.” He took a deep breath and gazed at Billy and Bonnie. “The mission has taken a dangerous turn. Our enemies may have infiltrated my staff, so I can trust only Markus from now on.”
“Agreed.” The professor reached into his shirt pocket and withdrew two microchips, displaying them in his open palm. “I extracted these from dark cloaks worn by our attackers.”
Sir Patrick pinched one and drew it close to his eyes. “Yes. My people brought the cloaks to me just a few minutes ago. The New Table has had cloaks and ID chips for years, but this is a new technology.”
The professor extended his palm, and Sir Patrick returned the chip. “I have an expert coming from the States,” the professor explained, “who will help us analyze them thoroughly. In fact, after we reveal the details of the mission to William and Miss Silver, I must be off to collect my expert and her traveling companion at Heathrow. They arrive during the evening hours, so I’m afraid I will have to leave before William’s appointed time.”
Sir Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Is that so?” His concerned expression then vanished as quickly as it came. “I can handle the monitoring on my own until you return.”
“Yes, I’m sure you are able, if our assumptions are correct. I wanted to be on hand, but these circumstances prevent me from attending at least the first circle. I shall return as soon as possible.”
Sir Patrick added a dose of cheer to his voice. “Then let’s all make the journey to the compass room, shall we? You still have several hours before you have to leave.”
As they moved deeper into the recesses of the huge mansion, the sound of laughter drifted through the hallway, children playing somewhere in the distance. Bonnie reached down and scooped up a clothbound book from the tile floor. She thumbed through its barnyard scenes as she walked. “How many children do you have, Sir Patrick?”
Patrick smiled and looked back. “Last count, I’d say about seventy-five.”
“Seventy-five!” Bonnie repeated, reaching the book toward him. “Your poor wife!”
He stopped and took the book from Bonnie. He hesitated as if he was going to say something, but he just folded the book and pushed it into his pocket before continuing his march down the hall.
“Sir Patrick inherited this estate,” the professor explained as he kept pace, “and converted it into an orphanage of sorts. He rescues the neediest element of society—abandoned, abused, or otherwise forsaken children—and uses his wealth to house them here, complete with the best teachers and counselors in England.” He nudged a plastic baseball bat out of the way with his foot. “Patrick, how many children have passed through this home?”
“Over the years? About three thousand, I would guess.”
More signs of children cropped up—three wooden letter blocks, a jump rope, and an assortment of scattered puzzle pieces. Billy shook his head in wonder. “You’ve helped three thousand orphans? That’s awesome!”
“Well, orphans and displaced children.” Patrick stopped at an intersection to another hallway. “My motivations aren’t altogether altruistic, William. My wife and I were bereft of children, so we filled that void in our own way. Just before she died, she made me promise to continue our ministry. I told her that heaven and earth would have to collapse before I’d abandon the little ones.”
Patrick turned to his right and walked quickly through a narrow corridor that signaled a sudden change in the house’s architecture. With a lower ceiling and rough plastered walls, it seemed older and less polished. He picked up a flashlight and an oil lamp from a shelf along the way and stopped at an old oaken door, the end of the hallway. He handed the lights to the professor, then pulled an old-fashioned brass key from his pocket and inserted it into a hole under an octagon-shaped knob.
After turning the key, Patrick raised his hand. “Before I open this door, I want to warn you not to touch anything. This part of the castle is essentially the original building, dating from the fifth century. It has been restored only once in all those years, so even the walls are fragile. Please walk softly and take care.”