cry?”
Irene shook her head. “Not without provocation. I have not yet learned all the ways of women.”
“Then try to look sad, as though entreating the king for someone’s life.”
Within seconds a servant came to the inner doorway of the court. “Sir Devin to see His Majesty.”
Merlin nodded to Jared, who spun around toward the back of the room. Irene dropped to her knees and extended her folded hands toward him, twisting her face in counterfeit pain. Merlin stepped to the entryway to intercept the quickly marching Devin. “His Majesty has a guest, Sir Devin. May I give him a message for you?”
Devin looked over Merlin’s shoulder at Irene and squinted for a few seconds. “Is the lady ill? She seems to be having intestinal distress.”
“Not sickness; her entreaty is a private matter. We will be in prayer for her for the next half hour, and then I shall escort His Majesty to his chamber if he wishes to go.”
Merlin noted a hint of a smile in Devin’s otherwise stoic expression. Devin bowed and spoke in his most formal and reverent voice. “Please give His Majesty my blessings, and I will spend the entire half hour on my knees as well.” Devin gave Merlin a polite nod. “Good evening to you, Master Merlin.” The knight left the court with the same quick march that brought him in.
When the door closed Jared turned around. “Do you think it worked?”
“I think so. A man who is not trustworthy rarely trusts anyone, yet, I believe that our ruse has convinced him that King Arthur is in this room.”
Irene stood and approached Merlin. “Then how soon will he attack?”
“He believes he has a half hour, so I would guess we have only half again of that before he strikes.” Merlin bent down and knelt on the platform, and Jared and Irene joined him. “We should pray, as I told Devin we would, but not for the lady’s entreaty, rather for the king’s quick return with his men.”
After a few moments of silence, Merlin stood and pulled Excalibur from its sheath. The sword blazed, and Jared jumped to his feet, his heart pounding at the sight of its brilliant, unearthly glow. Irene’s eyes widened to take in the beauty. It shone much more brightly than when its gentle flat side dubbed them Arthur’s adopted heirs. Now it looked ready to sever the heads of a thousand hardened soldiers.
Merlin waved the blade slowly, and a blinding beam of light shot from its tip and burned a hole through the ceiling. “It will cut boulders and oaks for any warrior that wields it,” he said, “but its greatest power is reserved for the hands of the holy.”
Merlin tilted his head upward as though talking to someone suspended in the air. “I am now certain that the king will not arrive in time. I will have to use Excalibur to extinguish the enemy, and in the process, I will conduct my greatest experiment.”
“Experiment?” Jared asked.
Merlin cast his gaze on Jared and Irene. “Excalibur does not merely cut,” he continued, “it transforms. It changes matter into light energy; it transluminates. If I wield it to kill, its radiance will shatter a man’s bones into shards of flashing luminescence, and his remains will be absorbed into a candle’s breath or crushed by the ignorance of a dark shadow. And his soul? If it is not somehow trapped on the earth, it will be sent straight to the judgment seat of God.”
Jared stared, enraptured by the old man’s explanation, while Irene stood equally transfixed, frozen in fear on the cold stone floor.
“Jared, you and Irene must enter the tunnel door for safety. When Excalibur’s power fills the room, all who remain will be transluminated, perhaps even you, though you now wear the king’s name. Since I bear the sword, I think I will not die, but since I am not of Arthur’s lineage, I am still vulnerable. I believe I will be changed.”
“Changed?” Irene asked. “Changed into what?”
“As with the rest, my body will likely become light energy, though I
Irene shook her head. “Not without provocation. I have not yet learned all the ways of women.”
“Then try to look sad, as though entreating the king for someone’s life.”
Within seconds a servant came to the inner doorway of the court. “Sir Devin to see His Majesty.”
Merlin nodded to Jared, who spun around toward the back of the room. Irene dropped to her knees and extended her folded hands toward him, twisting her face in counterfeit pain. Merlin stepped to the entryway to intercept the quickly marching Devin. “His Majesty has a guest, Sir Devin. May I give him a message for you?”
Devin looked over Merlin’s shoulder at Irene and squinted for a few seconds. “Is the lady ill? She seems to be having intestinal distress.”
“Not sickness; her entreaty is a private matter. We will be in prayer for her for the next half hour, and then I shall escort His Majesty to his chamber if he wishes to go.”
Merlin noted a hint of a smile in Devin’s otherwise stoic expression. Devin bowed and spoke in his most formal and reverent voice. “Please give His Majesty my blessings, and I will spend the entire half hour on my knees as well.” Devin gave Merlin a polite nod. “Good evening to you, Master Merlin.” The knight left the court with the same quick march that brought him in.
When the door closed Jared turned around. “Do you think it worked?”
“I think so. A man who is not trustworthy rarely trusts anyone, yet, I believe that our ruse has convinced him that King Arthur is in this room.”
Irene stood and approached Merlin. “Then how soon will he attack?”
“He believes he has a half hour, so I would guess we have only half again of that before he strikes.” Merlin bent down and knelt on the platform, and Jared and Irene joined him. “We should pray, as I told Devin we would, but not for the lady’s entreaty, rather for the king’s quick return with his men.”
After a few moments of silence, Merlin stood and pulled Excalibur from its sheath. The sword blazed, and Jared jumped to his feet, his heart pounding at the sight of its brilliant, unearthly glow. Irene’s eyes widened to take in the beauty. It shone much more brightly than when its gentle flat side dubbed them Arthur’s adopted heirs. Now it looked ready to sever the heads of a thousand hardened soldiers.
Merlin waved the blade slowly, and a blinding beam of light shot from its tip and burned a hole through the ceiling. “It will cut boulders and oaks for any warrior that wields it,” he said, “but its greatest power is reserved for the hands of the holy.”
Merlin tilted his head upward as though talking to someone suspended in the air. “I am now certain that the king will not arrive in time. I will have to use Excalibur to extinguish the enemy, and in the process, I will conduct my greatest experiment.”
“Experiment?” Jared asked.
Merlin cast his gaze on Jared and Irene. “Excalibur does not merely cut,” he continued, “it transforms. It changes matter into light energy; it transluminates. If I wield it to kill, its radiance will shatter a man’s bones into shards of flashing luminescence, and his remains will be absorbed into a candle’s breath or crushed by the ignorance of a dark shadow. And his soul? If it is not somehow trapped on the earth, it will be sent straight to the judgment seat of God.”
Jared stared, enraptured by the old man’s explanation, while Irene stood equally transfixed, frozen in fear on the cold stone floor.
“Jared, you and Irene must enter the tunnel door for safety. When Excalibur’s power fills the room, all who remain will be transluminated, perhaps even you, though you now wear the king’s name. Since I bear the sword, I think I will not die, but since I am not of Arthur’s lineage, I am still vulnerable. I believe I will be changed.”
“Changed?” Irene asked. “Changed into what?”
“As with the rest, my body will likely become light energy, though I
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