The Seven Swords by Nils Johnson-Shelton Page B

Morgaine interrupted. “You must see it.”
    Dred approached the desk and found a messy contraption of wires and transistors and colored glass surrounding a thin sheet of sangrealite. On the sheet was a picture of a vast plain dotted with aurochs.
    â€œNice snap of Surmik, Mum,” Dred said, relieved that it wasn’t a picture of Qwon eating porridge with her spoon.
    Morgaine slapped him hard on the back of the head.
    â€œHey!” Dred blurted. “That hurt.”
    â€œLook closer. Did I not raise you to pay attention?”
    Dred rubbed his head and leaned forward. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him. But then one of the aurochs loped across the image, only to disappear into thin air!
    Dred jumped back. “Is that a crossover point? One that’s just been left open?” Dred said with a sinking feeling.
    â€œYes,” Morgaine said. The scarlet-tufted jaybird then landed on the table next to the picture machine. He had a small green gem affixed to the front of his neck, which Dred knew allowed him to gate around the Otherworld.
    â€œThis is Eekan,” Morgaine said. “He was attached to a dragonfly regiment on Sylvan. A decimated dragonfly regiment.”
    The jay made a guttural click and bowed his head. His plumage, mostly dark purple and black, was streaked on the wings and crown of his head with bright red. Dred knew that Eekan was a spy.
    â€œWhat happened?” Dred asked earnestly. He might have been sick of his mum, but he still believed that the Otherworld’s sister world had to remain closed off under all circumstances.
    The jaybird explained (every Fenlandian boy and girl learned Jaybird in school) what had happened to the dragonflies when they’d tried to capture one of the special knights in Sylvan. As the dragonflies were beaten, Eekan hid in the forest, carefully avoiding the keen eyes of Tiberius, and waited. He surreptitiously followed the boy-king and four others, including the boy-king’s sister, through a moongate to Surmik. He then hid in a herd of aurochs and watched as the group found and opened an ancient crossover point—and went through.
    â€œSo it’s as you feared, isn’t it?” Dred asked when the bird was finished.
    Morgaine stared hard at the image on the sangrealite screen. “It is. And what’s worse, I can tell that the sword Gram has been retrieved. The boy-king is moving.”
    â€œHow are you feeling, Mum?” Dred asked, knowing that open crossover points were bad for her power.
    â€œIt’s just one crossover. So long as the King’s Gate stays shut, I’ll be fine.”
    â€œGood,” Dred said. Then he asked, “Where does that crossover let out?”
    â€œI checked the ancient maps. Some place called Sweden. Surely it’s awful,” Morgaine said. “Mordred, we must redouble our efforts.”
    â€œIs the wizard with them?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThen we should go and meet them. We can try to stop them as they cross back.”
    Morgaine frowned. “Mordred, my child, there’s hope for you yet. Gather thirty men and leave at once. Don’t harm the boy-king. Kill the others. Bring me Gram and the sword carried by the girl.”
    â€œYes, Mum.”
    â€œNow go!” Morgaine ordered. “Eekan will show you the way!”
    The jaybird took off. Dred followed him down to the barracks, and then onward as they gated to the barren slopes of Surmik.
    Â 
    Lance and Bedevere were relieved when Artie, Kay, and Erik finally emerged from the boreal forest.
    â€œHow’d it go?” Lance asked after they’d shimmied across the rope bridge.
    â€œAnd how does it feel to have that ?” Bedevere asked, pointing at Gram.
    Erik turned his new ancient sword in his hand and said, “Weird. Really weird. After I got it out of the tree, it, like, downloaded a bunch of stuff into my head.”
    â€œSuch as?” Lance