Ch12-The Isle of Avalon

CHAPTER TWELVE The Isle of Avalon "Now what?" Jack asked. "Now I thank you," said a deep voice. "Merlin!" cried Annie. Merlin stepped out of the shadows. He wore his red magician's cloak. His long white beard shined in the radiant glow of the sword.

"You brought the Sword of Light out of the gloom just in time," he said, "before nightfall on the summer solstice." "Why did we have to get it on the summer solstice?" said Jack. "That is the day when the powers of the Ice Wizard of Winter are weakest," said Merlin. "The Ice Wizard of Winter?" said Annie. "Does the sword belong to him? Did we just steal it from him?" "No," said Merlin. "Long ago, the Ice Wizard stole the sword from the Lady of the Lake and brought it to his kingdom high above the North Sea." Merlin pointed to the snowcapped mountains beyond the rocky coast.

"The wizard soon discovered that the Sword of Light was useless to him, for the Lady of the Lake had placed a spell upon it that made it powerful only in the hands of worthy mortals. Still, the wizard refused to part with it. He buried it at the bottom of the cove." "The Cove of the Stormy Coast," said Jack. "Yes," said Merlin. "Only recently did the seabirds tell me of the sword's whereabouts. I knew I needed worthy mortals to retrieve it. So I sent for you on the summer solstice, when the Ice Wizard could send no mighty storms to keep you from finding it. He could only throw the 'Cloak of the Old Gray Ghost' over you." "So the Ice Wizard sent the fog," said Annie.

"And did he put the sea monster in the cove, too?" asked Jack. Merlin smiled. "No. The serpent serves the Lady of the Lake. Long ago, he secretly took it upon himself to find the sword and guard it. Should any mortals survive the wizard's storms and gales, they still had to prove themselves worthy by answering the serpent's question. I believed you two would be able to answer the question wisely. And I was right." "Your rhyme helped," said Jack. He and Annie carefully handed the Sword of Light to Merlin. "Will you put this sword in a stone now?" asked Annie. "So Arthur can pull it out someday and

become king?" "No, this sword is even more powerful than the sword in the stone," said Merlin. "This sword has a name—Excalibur." "Excalibur!" said Jack and Annie. "I will take it back to the Isle of Avalon now," said Merlin, "and return it to the Lady of the Lake. Someday after Arthur is king, she will give it to him. The sword will help him face many challenges bravely and wisely. He will—" Merlin was interrupted by a strange sound from the water below. It sounded like the deep bellow of a foghorn. "What was that?" said Jack.

"Ah, yes, there is one last thing to do," said Merlin. He raised the sword and pointed it toward the Cove of the Stormy Coast. Like the beam of a giant searchlight, the sword's light streamed over the black waters. Merlin moved the beam back and forth, as if he were looking for something. "Ah," he said. "There he is."