Arthur looked ground the dishevelled room. To her surprise, his lip curled in amusement. "Let's just say housekeeping isn't one of Merlin's specialties," he joked. "And he left rather in-.a hurry." He pointed to the hole in the ceiling, as if indicating this was how the wizard had made his exit.

  "Did Merlin make you clean for him, too, like Sir Ector did?" Guinevere asked curiously, remembering what Arthur had said about his foster father.

  "Merlin usually leaves the cleaning to magic," Arthur replied. "Which is.interesting... if not always effective You should have seen the one time he tried to we magic to help me with the castle , dishes!" He laughed, remembering the moment fondly. Guinevere watched, curious despite herself as Arthur

  I A fo l' M A N C:U $[

  walked over to a round blue ball painted with strange brown markings and set on a stand. He spun it with his hand and it twirled around and around, the markings blurring as it went. It was still disconcerting to Guin to hear Arthur talk about Merlin. His voice took on an affectionate tone when he spoke of his teacher - as if he loved him a lot. It was clear he was some kind of father figure to him, as Mim had been a mother to her. Did he have any inkling of the darkness lurking inside this madman who had taken: him under his wing?

  She tried to imagine how she'd feel if thè tablés were turned. If Mim were the evil one, and Guin had been tricked by her treachery. The idea made her feel quite uncomfortable.

  "How did you meet Merlin, anyway?" she asked, mostly to change the subject.

  "Oh! It was kind of an accident," Arthur said, looking bashful all of a sudden. "I was trying to get Kay's arrow, which had gone into the woods; I accidentally fell through his ceiling just as he was having tea. And he invited me to stay." He grinned at the memory. "He told me he had been expecting someone, but he didn't know who until I dropped in - literally."

  "So didn't seek you out?" Guinevere asked, surprised. "Yau found kirn?"

  SET Wr iS'Ji.®^ Bi

  "I guess so." Arthur shrugged. "He told me he wanted to be my teacher. And I was- thrilled to have him. No one ever really paid me any attention before then. As I said before, I was not much more than a bother to my foster father aiid brother. And I was always breaking dishes in the kitchen, so the cook wasn't fond of me, either. But Merlin - be treated me like a real person. Like someone with value." He stared down at the floor. "Everything I am now, the person I've become it's all because of him."

  Guinevere nodded, not sure what to say. The Merlin described by Arthur,sounded nothing like the man she'd been told to fear all her life. He sounded almost... kind. Decent. Like Arthur himself. How could a man like that murder her parents in cold blood? It didn't make any sense. She thought back to how she'd asked Mim why he'd murdered her parents. All she'd said was that he was evil. But that wasn't a real reason, was it? There had to be «something else. Something Mim didn't want her to know.

  But what could it be? B "So now what?" she asked, looking around the room. "Are you going to look for some writings of Merlin's? Something to prove his plan?"

  - "No," Arthur replied with a grin. "I'm going to try to bring him back."

  M A R I M A N G UiS I

  "What?" Guinevere cried,before she could stop herself. This was was not part of the plan.'

  But Arthur was already shuffling through papers on a nearby table. "There's got to be a spell," he murmured "He used a spell to send himself to Bermuda. There has to be another spell to return him home." He turned to a towering bookcase full of books. "We just have to find it."

  Guinevere's heart pounded, seemingly louder and faster than when confronted by the wolf in the forest. It was one thing to search an evil wizard's lair. It was quite another to conjure up the actual evil wizard.

  But she couldn't exactly say that to Arthur. ;

  "That might be easier said than done." she reminded him instead, pulling out a book at random. It was titled The Tame of Terrible Turnips, which didn't seem particularly applicable to their current situation, "There are so many books in here. How will you ever be able to find the right one?"

  I "I'm not sure," Arthur confessed. "Especially since I can't exactly read." -

  "You can't?" Guinevere stared at him, astounded. She couldn't imagine life without books, It would be like life without... well, life,

  "I mean, I know my ABCs, thanks to Archimedes," , Arthur amended, looking a little embarrassed. "But we

  didn't have a chance to get much further than that. Let's just say reading wasn't a big priority in the kitchens of Sir . Ector's castle. In fact, I'm not sure even Kay can read-and he's a noble knight."

  ~ Guinevere 'considered that this was probably true' judging from what she'd seen of the oafish lad in question. And if Arthur was never meant to be more than a squire, there would have been no practical reason to educate him. If it hadn't been for Merlin...

  She shook her head. "Well, then, I don't know how this is going to work," she said. "I can read, but I'm only one person. It would take ages for me to get through all these books to find the correct spell. Even if I did know what I was looking for, which of course I don't."

  She knew she was talking too fast, making too many excuses. And it hurt to see Arthur's face crumble at each one. But what other choice did she have? Undo her mother's spell, free an evil wizard from captivity, and set him loose on the world? Because that was essentially what they were talking about here.

  Arthur sighed deeply, walking across the room to the window and picking up a book on its sill. "I suppose it's too much to ask for them to read themselves..

  Suddenly, to Guinevere's shock, the book seemed to leap from his hands. She watched, amazed, as it hovered in

  M A R. r w Afi^f eirei

  the air, then popped itself open to its first page. A moment later a low-pitched voice rose to her ears.:

  "It's doing it!" Arthur cried excitedly, pointing to the ¡book. "It's actually reading itself!" I

  Sure enough, the book was, indeed, reciting; the words on its page. When it had finished it turned itself to the next page and kept going.

  "That's it!" Arthur exclaimed l completely forgot All of Merlin's possessions are magical. He used to have this teapot that filled cups of tea on its own. And these books all packed themselves when we left his cottage for the tower! Of course they'd be able to read themselves, too! That just makes sense if you think about it!"

  Guinevere watched the book, her heart poundings Magic. This whole place was bursting with magic. And they had no idea what they were dealing.with'. .'What was she thinking, agreeing to come here? She should leave now. Before—

  "I have an idea!'' Arthur blurted out. "What if we commanded the books to find the spell we're looking •for?"

  Guinevere paled. "Do you think they'd listen?" she? -asked.

  "They listened when I mentioned reading themselves," he reminded her. "It's worth a try, right?"

  S ET N --S T< ©. N E

  Guinevere found she couldn't argue with that. The look on his face Held too much hope, mixed with desperation.

  "I suppose it can't hurt," she agreed reluctantly. ;

  Arthur nodded, looking excited. He turned to the shelf of books. "Look, um, well, I don't know if you've noticed books, but Merlin is missing. We need to find him. Do you happen to have a Spell.,. or something:.. to help us do that?"

  He paused, looking at the shelf expectantly. But nothing happened. The: books remained still and unread. Only the first book, which had settled onto a small table by the window, was still reciting its text.

  "So much for that," Arthur muttered, sounding discouraged. He sank down in a chair by the cold, ashy hearth and put his head in his hands. "I should have known it couldn't be that easy." He sighed deeply and rubbed his face, "What am I supposed to do? Why did I even come here?"

  Guinevere squeezed her eyes shut. She let out a long breath, then opened them again. "I.. think you need some magic words," she said slowly. "I mean, at least to get them started..."

  Arthur's head jerked up. "Of course," he said, his voice filled with excitement again. "Merlin always had magic words for each spell! Good idea, Guin!"

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  Guin gave him a wan smile, her insides churning. What are you doing? she scolded herself. You're going to ruin everything! After all, Mim had trapped Merlin in the future to help keep the kingdom safe. And now Guinevere was helping to bring him back?

  "We just need to figure out what they are" Arthur looked down at the book that was still reading itself; A moment later, his eyes lit up and he beckoned to Guin. She stepped towards him, her knees wobbly and her hands shaking. Arthur pointed to the page, where, sure enough, a string of strange words had been illuminated in glowing golden letters.

  "What do they say?" he asked, looking up at her, his blue eyes shining with hope; I She swallowed hard. Lie!' she told herself. Just make something up.

  But instead, the real words rose to her lips. "Higgidis... piggidis?" she whispered.

  The room burst into life. Books started flying from the shelves so quickly, Guin was forced to duck so as not to be struck on the head. As she and Arthur watched, each book began flipping madly through its pages, faster and faster, the words blurring into one another as they read.

  "It's working!" Arthur cried excitedly. "It's actually working!" Instinctively, he leapt up and threw his arms

  ì'S/ET" l^t,. iS T
  around Guinevere, locking her into an exuberant embrace "Guin, you're like a real wizard!" he gushed happily.

  "I'm not a wizard!" Guih protested before she could stop herself. She struggled out of thè hug, putting hèr hands out in front of her as if to ward off the words. Her cheeks began to burn.

  Arthur looked at her, completely confused. "I— I was just joking.. .■" he stammered. "Sorry." Guinevere closed her eyes, drawing in a long breath, Then-she opened them again. "No, I'm sorry," she said. "It's just... well, magic scares me, if you must know."

  "I understand," Arthur said, his voice softening. "I felt that way once, too. But Merlin showed me that magic can be used for good. It can help people. It can make things better"

  Guinevere nodded stiffly, not trusting herself to speak. Her head felt as if it was swimming with confusion. She wanted to run from the room and never look back. But at the same time, she couldn't bear to leave Arthur's side. ;

  The books began to move faster, words on each; page lighting up one after another after another as they told their stories to the tower room. Their voices rose in a cacophony of sound until Guinevere just wanted to put her hands over her ears to block them all out.

  At last, she watched as a heavy golden tome, bigger than

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  the rest, slipped down from the very top of the bookshelf, where it had been hidden behind a small book with a crimson cover. It flew across the room, landing oil; the table with a loud thump and then opening, itself to a gold-leafed page. Guinevere and Arthur ran over to it and scanned the text. * "What does it say?" Arthur asked

  "It's written in Latin;" Guinevere told him: "So I can't be quite sure. But I believe, it says', 'How to find someone through time.'"

  "That must be it!" Arthur exclaimed. "Should we--"

  He was interrupted by the sound; of a slamming door down below.

  "What was that?" Guinevere whispered, worried. Arthur ran to the tower door and put his ear to the wood. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed "I think 'Sir Ector has returned. He must have fled the castle after they arrested Kay." He swallowed hard. "If he sees me, he could try to kill me. Like Kay wanted to. I'm sure he was the one behind the challenge in the first place. No ,chance: Kay had enough smarts or ambition to come up with it on his own. Guinevere gnawed on her lower lip. "What do we do?" she asked. "Should we try to get out of here?" She looked out the window. It was a long fall to the ground. Maybe she could try to find another shapeshifting| spell? One that would work for both of them?

  SET IN STOWS

  More magic. It had become a true slippery slope

  But Arthur shook his head, walking back over to the table and the spell book, "We can't leave. Not without Merlin. This is our only chance to reach him. We need to try to cast this spell, whatever it is. It's the only way."

  Guinevere picked up the book and looked down at its golden words. Her heart was beating very fast. The last thing she wanted to do was try to cast a random spell without having any idea of what she was doing. Especially a spell to conjure up an evil wizard.

  But then, if Arthur was right - and Sir Ector meant to kill him - Merlin might be their only hope.

  "All right. Let's give it a try," she ventured. "But no promises it's going to work."

  "I believe in you," Arthur said simply. And she felt a tug in her heart again.

  Sorry, Mother. But I have no choice...

  Drawing in a breath, she looked down at the golden words on the page. Here went nothing. "Iter per tempus... she began chanting, and the golden letters started to glow on the page as she spoke them, "Iterper tempus... tempus viator..."

  And suddenly everything went black.

  2)6

  chapter twenty-four ARTHUR

  Arthur opened his eyes and looked around, blinking a few times to get used to the sudden bright light that shone down on him with an intensity that was almost blinding. A moment ago, the tower had been dim, not to mention damp and chilly. Now everything was sunny and warm. He was practically sweating under his tunic and tights.

  "What's happening?" he asked, trying to force his bleary eyes to focus. Something in the air smelt strangely of sail. "Did the spell work?"

  "Um..." Guinevere stepped up beside him, looking quite dazed herself. She was still holding the book in her hands, but the golden letters had dimmed to black.

  fjf

  S ET I N StBN E

  •

  She blinked a few times, too, then her mouth dropped like a fish's. "Oh..." she whispered. "Oh, no."

  "What is it?" Arthur asked just as his vision began to clear. When he finally got a good look at his surrounding, he gasped out loud.

  "Where are we?" he whispered.

  One thing was for sure: they were definitely not in Merlin's leaky old tower any more. In fact, they were not in a tower at all, but rather outside, on the ground, standing on some kind of sandy patch of land on the shores of a vast sea.

  Where were they? And how had they ended up here?

  "Wait," Arthur said, a slow realisation beginning to wash over him. "Did something in that spell...?"

  He trailed off, feeling embarrassed to voice his wild theory. But still, what other explanation could there be? One moment they were in one place, the next somewhere else entirely.

  "Don't be alarmed," Guinevere said slowly, reaching down to scoop up a handful of sand. Arthur watched.as the tiny crystals slipped through her fingers and rejoined the beach below. "But I think the spell didn't work exactly howl thought it would." She looked up, meeting Arthur's eyes with her own worried brown ones. "Instead of returning Merlin to us," she said, "I think it took us to Merlin."

  Arthur stared at her, for a moment unable to speak.

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  The spell had taken them to Merlin? Merlin... who had been trapped in the future?

  Were they in the future?

  In Bermuda?

  An unexpected thrill prickled his skin. He knew he shouldn't be happy about this accidental time travelling; it was bound to bring about even more complications :than they were already facing, which admittedly were quite a few. But still! How could he not be just a little bit excited about the prospect of seeing the future with his own eyes?

  Merlin had always talked lovingly about the future. All the amazing inventions humanity would develop and use in everyday life: machines that travelled faster-than horses, medicine that healed like magic, and hot running water inside people's own homes to bathe in anytime they wanted, without having to jump into a freezing lake to do it. In fact, Merlin had claimed these people of the future were even able to fly from place to place using big winged inventions called planes - no shapeshifting necessary. And, even wilder, the world had actually become round! i

  No The world had always been round, he corrected himself, remembering Merlin's-, words. It was just now, everyone knew it.

  "This is amazing!"' he cried, twirling in a circle, taking it all in. "I can't believe we're here!"

  SET: IN STONE

  "Me neither," Guinevere agreed, though she sounded a lot less enthused. Arthur glanced at her, surprised. Sh looked almost frightened, wringing her hands together i front of her. On instinct, he placed a hand over hers.

  "It's going to be all right," he assured her. "We're going to find Merlin. And he'll know what to do."

  It was then that he spotted some kind of castle behind them. But it was unlike any castle he'd ever seen before, Three strange-looking manor houses were set in a U shape around a courtyard, each three stories high and featuring impossibly large glass windows, lined up in triple rows, all along their sides. Arthur gave a low whistle. He'd never seen so much glass in his life. And it was so smooth, too, not bubbled and rough like the glass back home.

  He looked down at the courtyard, which was taken up almost entirely by a very large pond filled with the dearest crystal-blue water Arthur had ever seen. Around the pond was some kind of smooth stone perimeter - filled with strange-looking beds covered in brightly striped doth. Each bed had a large cloth banner hanging above it, held up by a shiny metal stand, providing shade from the sun's harsh rays.

  But that wasn't even the strangest part - not by far. For lying on some of these beds were people - in a horrifying state of half undress. Arthur stifled a gasp as he watched a woman wearing only two small strips of fabric saunter by

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