The Legacy of Arthur

Part 5

"No such luck," I fumed, pushing aside an ornate tapestry to pluck the wizard ball from the ground. He was covered in a fair amount of dust and debris, but none the worse for wear. "Thanks for the warning. That could have ended terribly if it weren't for you."

"Ah!" Merlin moaned, disappearing into his hair. "No, no!"

"Should we dress your wound?" Wes asked cautiously, likely concerned that I'd snap at him as I had with prior inquiries into my abilities.

"It's dislocated, not the end of the world. You're going to be in charge of any heavy lifting." I kept my pistol out and nodded to where the lantern had fallen. "That, and keeping track of our illustrious guide."

"I'll not guide you anywhere!" Merlin pouted in response.

"We're already here, and you already did." I folded my right arm at the elbow, pointing the Colt up at the ceiling in an easy carry. "Let's go."

The opposite end of the hallway opened into a large sallyport. At either end was a massive portcullis, with iron bars preventing us from travelling into the courtyard or out of the castle itself. A bonfire was burning in the center of the castle, but the view from the main gate was more ephemeral. Beyond the walls of the castle, an ever moving aurora borealis of colors and stars shifted and swayed.

"That's promising." I frowned, moving to see out as best I could. "Is there a way back out of this place, gramps?"

"Of course!" Merlin grumbled, "How do you think I got out? Unseal the castle, and we can all go home. Or die, and leave me alone. Either way, do it quickly!"

A twin to the small door behind us had been left open on the opposite wall of the sallyport, and we moved through it and into an entry hall. Winter cloaks and heavy clothes filled a few small alcoves, and a staircase led up into an open chamber. Intricate gears and cogs covered the ceiling of the chamber, ropes and chains extending in random, unfathomable directions. At the very center of the room stood a pedestal inset with three rings. Arcane runes covered each circle. My left eyebrow rose in curiosity at the complexity of the machine. Set into the far wall was a thick wooden door, covered by a securely closed iron gate.

"Aha!" Merlin exclaimed, the smugness returning all too easily. "The greatest minds of our time created this puzzle. It would be laughable if you thought you could understand it. ."

"Do you think you can figure it out?" Wes came around to the side, looking down at the set of circles.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, tilting my head as I considered. "I suppose that depends on your definition of figuring it out." I glanced down at Merlin, smirked, and raised the Colt. I took careful aim at one of the myriad ropes crossing the ceiling and fired. The shot grazed the edge of the rope, causing it to fray.

"What are you doing?" Merlin cried, his face smashing up against the edge of his prison sphere. "Stop that!"

I ignored his protests and fired again, catching the opposite side of the rope. It held by a single strand now, and I placed my handgun back in the holster as it slowly stretched, strained, and finally broke. A resounding crash followed as the gears worked and the chains moved. The gate that prevented our entrance groaned and finally fell into the ground with a crash.

"That's cheating!" Merlin whined loudly, beating his fists against the side of the ball. "You can't just break it!"

"What would you have done if that didn't work?" Wes asked, cramming Merlin back into his satchel.

"The same thing I'm doing now: improvising," I said, crossing the distance to throw open the door.

A gargantuan dining hall stretched beyond us, the walls covered in burning candles and smoldering torches. A large round table took up the majority of the floor space, surrounded by dozens of ornate chairs. Each had been decorated with a shield and coat of arms, unique and often backed by weapons of some sort.

"Oh!" Wes started, darting across to the first. "This must be it, Chance!"

"Must be what?" I asked, distracted, as I let my eyes sweep the room for any sign of another threat.

"Surely, you're being facetious." Wes said, looking over his shoulder with a legitimately hurt expression. "This is the Round Table. King Arthur's Round Table."

"English history isn't really my strong suit." I winced, but Wes seemed perfectly ready to explain.

"This must be Sir Gawain, and here, this is Galahad!" He moved from chair to chair, running his fingertips along each shield in turn. "It was remarkable for the time, a round table, where everyone was seated equally. That was Arthur's strength, you know. He brought all of these feudal lords into a single, unified nation."

"I don't recall England being unified for that long." I took a few hesitant steps forward, holding my left shoulder with my right hand.

"Well, no." Wes frowned, pausing as he arrived at the far side of the table. "Arthur had no children, and the kingdom dissolved into chaos after his death. Or so the legend goes. There aren't really any historic records of the time." He waved his arm back in the direction that we had arrived. "Which is partially why this is so confusing. The armor we're dealing with is confusingly anachronistic for the time period where Arthur rul--"

"Hey, Wes?" I cut him off, and he stopped, looking up from the table to me.

"Yes?"

"Your parents were right. You are too academic. We can concern ourselves with the history and heraldry after we've found a way back out and made our report to command."

"Oh, yes, of course." He was actually blushing. "Lead the way."

"Check with Grumpy and see what he means by unsealing the castle." I worked my fingers into the muscles of my shoulder, wincing at the pain this brought. I could hear grumbling the instant Merlin was brought back out of the satchel, but his muttering was unintelligible.

"Merlin, what did you mean by unsealing the castle?" Wes asked politely.

"Precisely what I said. There's a seal in the center of the courtyard. You'll have to destroy it to return Camelot to the present time and place." Merlin answered haughtily. "Your bag smells of brimstone," he added, Wes looked up at me imploringly.

I said, "Gunpowder, from your rifle rounds. Don't worry about it."

"Ah, yes, of course the witch knows the source of such a scent," Merlin said in a pretentious, hushed whisper to Wes.

"You're lucky that you're trapped in there," I hissed.

"You're lucky that I'm trapped in here!" Merlin retorted childishly, and Wes sighed in exasperation.

Judging by the path we'd taken from the sallyport, I found a door that led out into the open air of the courtyard. Empty stables filled one corner of the massive field, and I thought I could see a blacksmith's forge tucked away at the side. Stray carts and saddles littered the ground, as if the castle had only been abandoned that morning. The bonfire continued to crackle and burn, the flames easily casting light enough to move about.

True to the wizard's word, there was a stone seal at the center of the courtyard, in front of the fire, that showed a hand lifting from a body of water, holding a sword aloft. I paced out the outer edge, chewing on the corner of my lower lip.

"We don't have enough explosive to destroy this, unless you happen to have dynamite on you?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," Wes answered.

"Maybe we can find a hammer or a mace. It would take hours, but we should be able to do enough damage to break it." I glanced down at my arm, and then up at Wes. "Well, you'll be able to. I don't think I'll be much help."

"Maybe he can help?" Merlin added helpfully.

I glanced down at where the sphere was perched in Wes's hand and asked, "Who?"

"Him!" A fingertip pressed against the edge of the glass, indicating that I should look up.

My eyes darted to the sky, spotting a set of massive, leathery bat wings that blotted out the swirling array of color that served as a backdrop to the castle. Long, sleek and powerful, the creature bearing down on us was no doubt reptilian in ancestry. Vicious teeth and billowing smoke filled its mouth, and two powerful legs stretched out like the talons of a great bird of prey.