Gods of Merlin Page 2

  My specialization in procurement, however, had gotten me kicked out of five foster homes. I didn’t want to lose this one. They were…abnormal. Neither Mr. Gladwell nor Mrs. Gladwell yelled. For a whole year, my ears had rested from sweet harmony, and I wasn’t about to give it up.

  A scream caught my attention. “I don’t believe it!”

  Quickly getting rid of the handcuffs in a trashcan, I crossed to a large TV in the middle of the mall. People crowded around the screen to gape at the news.

  “It dropped down and caused a big explosion. Everyone thought it was a bomb. But then…poof, the air cleared. And there it was…”

  Was what? I fought through the small group to get in front of the TV. “It’s a giant stone with a metal cross.”

  “Trafalgar Square, London.” An old man munched on fries as he read the tagline on the TV. Smoke obscured a big courtyard. Water spilled everywhere, though a few pigeons persisted in hanging around the destruction. British policemen ran yellow tape and barricades to keep away crowds of onlookers and tourists who were taking pictures at the perimeter. A giant stone sat in the middle of a broken fountain.

  “It’s not a meteor, folks,” said a cheery reporter with the name tag Anders. “But it has caused a sensation. It is confirmed, however impossible it may seem, the epicenter of the Total Tremor is this giant stone.” She hooked a thumb behind her to the black alien-looking stone.

  I peered at the screen. “The Total Tremor?”

  An older woman patted my shoulder. “That would be all the shaking and lights going in and out. When this here stone landed, it made the ground itself shake.”

  “The ground shook all the way in England and here just a few seconds later,” the man with the fries said. “It went around the world. That’s why it’s the Total Tremor.”

  “That’s ridiculous and against the laws of physics.” I pointed a finger at Trafalgar Square. “It only destroyed a fountain.”

  On the screen, the reporter touched the microphone piece in her ear. “We have some amateur video…a tourist in the square today filmed the entire thing.” Anders waved to an unseen crewperson. “Let’s roll this.”

  A grainy video clip showed the giant stone poofing out of nowhere above the big fountain. Then, as if gravity struck it suddenly, the massive hunk of stone dropped fast to the ground. A big boom shook Trafalgar Square as the stone landed. A wave radiated out and the square shook with tremors. People screamed—no doubt thinking, Terror attack.

  The camera overturned showing sideways footage as people ran. However, the wave spread. It reached tall buildings overlooking the square and shook them like they were paper cutouts instead of concrete and steel. It went on for several seconds. Then, finally, the ground steadied as the wave traveled through. Tourists returned to the center of the square. Attracted to the crash like curious ants.

  The footage righted again. Mammoth lion statues perched on the edges of Trafalgar Square calmly watched over its destruction. Water flooded the square and its spray cascaded over the hilt of the sword stuck into obsidian stone, the size of a small building. The fountain dedicated to Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, lay broken.

  Anders, the cheery reporter, approached a tourist. “What do you think of this, sir?”

  “I can’t believe it.” A man with glasses and a clipped British accent clapped his hands together. “It’s Excalibur, the sword Merlin put into the stone for the rightful heir. Whoever pulled it out would be the one and true ruler of Camelot.”

  “Camelot?” Anders repeated. “But, sir, there is no Camelot.”

  The gray-bearded man blinked. “If the sword in the stone is here, it stands to reason Camelot isn’t far away. What if chivalry and knights aren’t as a dead as we thought?”

  “Merlin was a wizard,” piped up a young boy with wild hair, black glasses, and a long Obi-Wan Jedi robe. He swished around a toy lightsaber.

  Some of the tourists laughed, though it sounded nervous.

  “Ridiculous,” I repeated. It had to be a stunt. Some kind of bizarre publicity or conspiracy thing. Swords and stones didn’t just fall out of the sky. Knights didn’t exist. I clutched the bag with the stolen dress. As the small crowd dissipated, I hurried to the nearest exit. My path led past the store from where I’d taken the dress.

  Before I could think better of it, I tossed the bag with the stolen dress back into the store. Alarm bells went off immediately.

  I bolted.

  2

  Acton-Concord High School

  The city bus dropped me back at school just before lunchtime. The office would have already called my fosters, but I had all the mental issue excuses ready to go. If I finished a half day at school, they wouldn’t worry too much. As long as I passed my classes, everyone could pat themselves on the back that they’d managed to get a foster through school. My extracurriculars and numerous tardies would be excused. It helped to have a low bar for success.

  I also managed to usually fail a test or two in every class, just to give my caseworkers a good sense of accomplishment when I made it over the finish line each year. I prided myself on doing just enough to keep it interesting. One teacher had picked up on my underachievement and insisted I take his class despite its advanced math curriculum. Therefore, having been tricked into becoming a big marshmallow, I strolled into Mr. Hainey’s physics class a few minutes before the bell.

  I stopped at the sight of broken equipment and fallen books that littered the classroom.

  A short bald man with thick glasses picked up a broken beaker from the floor. “Miss Patience, we are honored by your attendance.”

  “I only come for the gaming closet.” I winked. Hainey had a dream closet hooked up with all the latest gaming systems, a fancy TV, and surround sound. I glanced around at the mess. “The Total Tremor did all this damage?”

  He grinned. “Isn’t it fascinating?”

  “If you say so.” My eyes fell to his desk. A broken box lay on the surface. On top of the box pieces lay an arched blade of black stone. I picked it up and stabbed the air with it. “What’s this? It looks like something out of a horror movie. When’s the Grim Reaper coming?”

  Hainey rushed over from where he’d been straightening chairs. He snatched back the blade. “It came in the mail. They delivered it to me. It was supposed to be a vintage sand timer, but instead they delivered some kind of artifact. It’s some kind of variation on a scimitar. But you’re right, I could see the Grim Reaper harvesting souls with this thing.” He cut the air with the scimitar. “The blade is sharp.”

  I laughed. “Guess we better behave today.”

  Hainey gazed at the blade thoughtfully. “This stone is so dark. Very unusual. I wonder if I should ask the geology teacher to take a look at it.”

  “Maybe we should clean up your class first.” I crossed the room and began straightening. Tall barstools still lay overturned under the high tables of the lab.

  “Smart girl.” Hainey set the curved sword down. “You made a hundred on the last test.”

  I shrugged. I’d liked the subject—gravity equations—and had forgotten to make at least some math mistakes. “Just trying to impress the counselor. She said I’m here as a trial.”

  Hainey smiled. “I’d say you passed.”

  I picked up another stool and put it in place. “So, this Total Tremor…do you think it’s real?”

  “I’m just an average high school physics teacher. The idea of a rock that big falling and causing a tremor halfway around the globe is impossible.” He hooked a thumb at the closet. “We’ll see if there’s more news after class. There must be a scientific explanation, but I have to say—for now, it seems like magic.”

  “Magic is just science we don’t understand.”

  Hainey raised a brow. “You seem awfully sure.”

  “I’m awfully sure there’s no such thing as magic. I’d rather do the work myself.”

  “Good. That’s the attitude I like to hear.” Hainey stepped o
ver shards of glass and handed me a broom and dustpan.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yep, people like me always get to do the work.”

  The short teacher patted my back. “People like you could also deign to do better in all her classes. She just chooses not to. Where’s the work in that?”

  The bell rang.

  Luckily, other students began to file into the class and I successfully avoided answering Hainey’s question. My stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t had anything to eat today. Then, the last student loped in with an easy smile. Light caught his wavy brown hair and winning dimples. My stomach turned up a notch.

  “Mr. Emrys,” Hainey hailed. “Finally. Maybe you can help straighten up the corner bookshelf you and Miss DuLac made a mess of earlier.”

  A few snickers came from around the room. Apparently, I’d missed something interesting. Not that it could be anything too interesting. Matt Emrys was a total goody-goody.

  Matt’s big brown eyes went wide at Hainey’s words. “We didn’t mean to…” He cleared his throat. “It was the Tremor.”

  “Yes. Yes.” Hainey gestured at me. “Eowlyn, if you would give Mr. Emrys the broom?”

  With reluctance, I trudged over and held out the broom. Perfect white teeth flashed as clean-cut Matt Emrys leaned over to take it. My palms suddenly sweaty, the broom slipped from my grasp. It fell to the ground. However, before it could hit the floor, it changed course and smacked into Matt’s open hand, almost as if his palm was magnetized. I blinked, telling myself I’d seen wrong. Still, I gave Matt an odd look.

  He returned an innocent smile, which I distrusted immediately. Years as a foster kid made me adept at spotting fakes. I scowled.

  Matt backed up a step. “Ah, Miss Patience, do you want to help?”

  My scowl deepened. “No, Miss Patience does not want to help someone who doesn’t know her first name.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you,” Matt said quickly.

  But I stomped back to my desk, leaving him to sweep up the glass. Something about his innocent boy-scout act just didn’t sit right. But I couldn’t help giving him a sidelong glance. Something about him bothered me.

  He caught my look and smiled nicely. I quickly turned my head away.

  Or it’s just you, Miss Paranoia Patience.

  The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. The sky turned to thunderous gray during the middle of last period and by the time I got out to the bus line, dark clouds spat droplets of rain. As usual yellow school buses piled in late. A flashy black motorcycle pulled up on the curb in the bus line. Students began heckling the motorcycle rider for showing off. The rider took off his helmet and revealed himself as Matt.

  Entitled much? I rolled my eyes as I went to get on my bus. Matt got off the bike with an extra helmet in hand and walked to a short blonde girl. Though she didn’t take his extra helmet, Ryan DuLac, lacrosse player and luckiest orphan at Acton-Concord High, flashed him a beautiful smile. A mild case of disgust made me sigh as Matt and Ryan made googly-eyes at each other.

  I hurried to get on the bus, which I rode with Ryan. We needed the bus to shuttle us around the small spread-out New England town. Concord had two-hundred-year-old Colonial houses, expansive land, and narrow roads that led off on eerie detours to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Mostly I loved it during the holiday—strung up with cheery lights that tried to hide its haunted history. Just as I dropped into one of the cold bench seats, a loud whoosh sounded. The bus driver, Tommy, let out a loud groan.

  “Tire’s popped.” Tommy marched down the short steps out of the bus. He waved frustrated arms. “These buses are supposed to be inspected daily.”

  Out in front of the bus, Ryan took one look at the flat tire and grabbed Matt’s extra helmet. She climbed on behind him. The sleek motorcycle purred, and Matt sped out of the parking lot with Ryan. I sighed. Some girls had all the luck.

  A fancy red car sped off after the motorcycle. I muttered out loud, “Who’s that?”

  “Grey and Alexa Ragnar,” another girl on the opposite seat chattered. “I used to ride the bus with them, way back in elementary school. They live in that big mansion at the end of the bus route. Ryan never gets off there. She told me she likes to walk, but I think she does it so that Tommy doesn’t have to go down an extra street. Isn’t she the nicest? I’m not surprised the family’s adopting Ryan, you know.” She sighed. “That Grey Ragnar is super cute. What I wouldn’t give to be her.”

  I had no such desire. Ryan DuLac and the Ragnars could keep all their fancy cars and houses. Nothing compared to having a nice family who didn’t treat you like you were trash.

  Tommy walked around the front of the bus to the door. He stuck his face inside through the opening. “Sorry, boys and girls, we’ll have to de-board. They’re sending another one, but it’ll be an hour. You can try to find a ride home or wait.”

  Wait it was. My head knocked against the glass pane of the window. No one was coming to offer me a ride on a motorcycle. My foster sister usually had debate club after school, but it would be two hours before she finished. I followed the herd off the bus.

  As most of the students plunked down on a stairwell just by the curb, I went back inside the school. My feet wandered to Hainey’s classroom once again. If he was still around, maybe I could convince him to let me on a game console for a bit. To my surprise, his classroom door was shut. Voices came from inside. I leaned against the thin door. It opened just a sliver.

  “You have seen the girl?” a man’s voice asked.

  In an odd monotone, Hainey answered, “She is here.”

  “You will tell me where she has gone.”

  Though I heard him, I couldn’t see another man. Nor Hainey’s face. He’d turned his chair so only his back showed to the door.

  Hainey said, “I do not know, milord.”

  Milord. I peeked inside the door. Hainey sat in a chair at his desk, facing a window on the opposite wall. He held the curved sword. He slammed it down on the desk. It shuddered under the forceful strike.

  The man’s voice thundered, “Find out, insignificant man, or suffer my wrath.”

  Hainey didn’t move or show any shock, but his voice shook as he answered, “I-I am yours to command.”

  What was going on? Part of me wanted to run far, far away. Be smart. Keep your head down. Don’t get involved. But this was Hainey. I pushed the door open and marched inside.

  3

  Golden Eyes

  “Get away from my teacher, you jerk. Who do you think you are ordering him around?”

  Hainey stood up. He turned around.

  There was no one else in the room.

  “Where is the bastard threatening you?” I asked.

  Hainey’s eyes glowed golden.

  My stomach nearly dropped to the floor, and suddenly I understood why Hainey had been blubbering. The golden-eyed stare burned. Their molten depths sparkled with enough intensity to make stars weep and beasts cry. Light from the window formed around Hainey, causing him to glow around the edges. Hainey smiled, showing blindingly white teeth. Of their own volition, my hands went to my eyes as if to shield me.

  Hainey picked the scimitar up from the desk.

  It broke the trance. “Hainey, what is wrong?”

  Golden-Hainey blinked. “Don’t question me, mortal.”

  I took a few steps toward the eerie man. “Why should I not question you?”

  “I am not Hainey.” Golden eyes burned brighter. “He is gone.”

  “What do you mean gone? You’re right here.” I peered at the short physics teacher. To my relief, his chest rose and fell as breath whooshed in and out. He wasn’t gone…or dead. At least I didn’t think so. “Are you a robot?”

  “I am not accustomed to being spoken to in such a manner,” Golden-Hainey said in a robot voice. He eyed my clothes. “It is time. There is no sense of decorum. You little creatures act like uncivilized brutes.” He tsked and gestured with his hands. “Or it could be those hideous clothes. They ar
e so unflattering. No—” said Golden-Hainey, “I can no longer converse with you looking as you do. Let’s have you change.” He waved his hand.

  My T-shirt and jeans disappeared. Instead gauzy white fabric wrapped around me like a gown. The waist was cinched by a golden belt. I fingered the metal, having an inkling the chunk of gold was real. If Golden Eyes cared about my clothes, the possibility he was Hainey’s robot double went out the window.

  Golden-Hainey snapped his fingers. “This is most fortuitous, girl. I came here looking for you, and as the Fates would have it, you have handily fallen into my lap.”

  Hainey had gotten himself possessed and turned into a creep. I backed up a step. “I am not going anywhere near your lap.”

  “Don’t be silly, girl. I do not want anything untoward. I have a proposition.”

  “For your information, proposition usually means untoward.” I backed up again. Wrapping my arms around the low-cut gown he’d somehow magicked on me, I tried not to squirm at my near nakedness. Even my undies had disappeared. “Give me my clothes back.”

  “I like your nerve.” Golden Eyes stared at me.

  My eyes, caught by his gaze, couldn’t look away. I tried, but I couldn’t manage it. My corneas started burning. He blinked and the hold broke.

  I gasped as my irritated eyes filled with water.

  “So fragile.” He shook his head. “Still, I have good news. I have gone to much trouble and arranged for you to come to this place, this time. I have a task for you.” He hesitated.

  “I don’t think so.”

  He smiled, looking almost like the benevolent physics teacher I knew. Then, his eyes glowed and the illusion disappeared. An arrogant eyebrow rising, he declared, “You are not who you think. You have a destiny. You are to be my champion, Gwenhwyfar.”

  He was crazier than a box of crazy coo-coo-puffs. Shivering in my cold toga, I bit out, “You have the wrong girl.”

  “I am never wrong.” He sighed. “But I see you need convincing.”