22 - IN WHICH MERLIN APOLOGIZES FOR BEING AN INSENSITIVE WIZARD

Artie and Kay tried to reconnect with Kynder on the iPad for about ten minutes, but it was pointless. Apparently the network at the Library was down. They didn’t know what to do, but a short while later the iPad chimed, and Kay rushed to it.

“Is it Kynder?” Artie asked.

“Naw. It’s Merlin,” Kay said unenthusiastically.

Artie stepped next to her and took the tablet. He swiped it on and accepted the chat invite.

“Merlin, I don’t—” Artie began.

“Wait,” Merlin said, holding up a hand. “Before you get mad at me again, let me speak. I want to apologize for the way I’ve behaved. I can see that you are devoted to Qwon, and committed to saving her, even, it seems, at the expense of reaching Avalon.”

Artie frowned. “Go on.”

“Being a king is hard, isn’t it, Artie?” Merlin asked.

“You can say that again.”

“All people with responsibilities like yours face the same problem at one time or another,” Merlin continued. “Sometimes you have to choose between what’s right and what’s smart.”

Artie considered this for a moment.

“What’s he talking about, Art?” Kay asked.

Artie looked at Kay. “I want to save Qwon. I have to save Qwon. That’s the right thing to do. But going to Avalon is the smart thing to do.” Artie let out a long sigh. “I mean, the fate of the worlds hinges on my getting there! Is Qwon really more important than that? Should I want to save her more than I want to go to Avalon? More than I want to become king?”

Kay blew out her cheeks. “Man, I never thought of it that way.”

“I think I can help, Artie,” Merlin consoled him. “There’s a word—one I’d forgotten and that used to be very closely associated with the first King Arthur—that perfectly describes your desire to save your friend.”

“What is it?” Artie asked.

“Noble,” Merlin said with an air of gravitas.

Noble. Artie liked that.

“Like kingly,” Kay observed.

“Yes, Kay, like kingly. But it’s more than that. It means honorable, moral, principled. Only the best kings are noble in both rank and in spirit. You, young Artie Kingfisher, in spite of your misguided wizard, embody both of these perfectly.”

Artie leaned closer to the screen. At that moment he knew what he would choose, and he understood that the decision to save Qwon was smart. It was smart because it was right. After that he would figure out what to do about the rest of his mission.

“Thank you, Merlin,” Artie said.

“Thank you, sire, for being so patient with me,” Merlin said.

Artie clapped his hands. “So now that we’re agreed, and we’ve gotten Bors’s report, what do you think is the best way to go about getting Qwon? Should we follow Bors’s advice and wait till tomorrow or use the map he provided, sneak into Castel Deorc Wæters, and attempt to whisk her away now?”

“I still think it foolish to try a special-ops rescue,” Merlin said. “But I do think we can support his escape plan by distracting the witch. And the best way to do that, I believe, is by going for Kusanagi now.”

Kay huffed, “So, what? Nothing’s changed then?”

Merlin shook his head. “No, Kay, everything’s changed. From here forward, saving Qwon will be our primary purpose.”

Artie nodded slowly. “Okay, but if Qwon is priority number one, why bother with Kusanagi?”

“Because it will vex the witch. Morgaine will sense that we are pushing forward for another of the Seven. This will preoccupy her and should help our friends.”

“So off to Japan, then, eh?” came a voice directly behind Artie and Kay.

“Tom!” Kay said, jumping from her chair. “You scared me!”

“Hello, Mr. Thumb,” Merlin said. “Lovely to see you. We were just discussing Qwon’s blade.”

“I heard,” Thumb replied. “Looking forward to going to Japan. I’ve read a lot about it.”

“It should be quite an adventure,” Merlin said with a wink.

Kay pointed at the iPad. “Hey, none of that winking stuff between you two.”

Merlin chuckled. “Mr. Thumb will go over everything else. The blackout Bors desires for his escape tomorrow requires my attention. Things are happening quickly now, sire. We mustn’t tarry.”

“Roger that, Merlin,” Artie said.

Merlin hesitated. “Before I sign off, do you mind if I ask what you were discussing with Kynder?”

“He said he thinks Mordred isn’t our enemy but our friend!” Kay blurted, unable to contain herself.

Thumb made a choking sound. “Amazing!” Merlin said. He stroked his long sideburns for a moment, considering this news. “Did he say why he thinks this?”

This was an essential question for the wizard. Merlin knew that only a short while ago Kynder had abandoned his keeper stone. He didn’t know why or how this had happened, but he was pretty miffed about it. If Kynder no longer had the stone, then he might have told Artie the secret that Merlin had made him promise not to reveal: that Morgaine was the one who’d made him. If Artie knew that, Merlin was afraid that Artie would begin to question his allegiance to Merlin, especially since Artie was on record as feeling manipulated by the wizard.

That wouldn’t do. If it happened, Merlin’s entire plan would be compromised.

Artie shrugged. “Naw, he wouldn’t say. Just called it a gut feeling.”

Merlin fought an urge to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Interesting. I don’t know if Kynder is right, but since we now know Mordred holds the Peace Sword, it may not hurt to exercise some restraint next time you see him.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Artie said.

“All right. Off to Japan, then!” Merlin said. “Once you’re back, we’ll decide on our next move.”

“All right, Merlin. Good luck with the blackout,” Artie said. “Over and out!”

The wizard swiped his finger across the screen and disappeared.

Artie looked at Kay and said, “I guess we should see what this thing has to say about Kusanagi, huh?”

“Yep. I’ll do it,” Kay replied, opening the sword app. “Let’s see. Kusanagi. Really old, originally found in the body of an eight-headed serpent. Went missing for a long time. Some believe it’s in a place called Atsuta Jingu, others think it was lost at sea. Says here it’s actually in a mysterious Otherworld shrine that can only be accessed from a remote Japanese national park called Shiretoko.”

“The Shrine of Horrors,” Thumb interjected matter-of-factly.

“Oh, wonderful,” Kay said. “Is it guarded by some psycho giant too?”

Thumb shrugged. “Unknown, lass. The Shrine of Horrors is a shadowy place. The monocle from Qwon’s house is supposed to help us find the crossover that leads to it.”

Artie nodded and said, “Get some rest, both of you. I’ll tell the others about the plan and we can meet here at three a.m. Be ready.”