by R. L. Stine
It grew and grew. Longer. Thicker. Heavier.
It grew until it was the size of a real knight’s sword.
I grabbed on to its handle. It fit perfectly in my grip.
I stretched out my arm and waved it. The blade caught the moonlight. It twinkled with the light of a hundred stars.
Then a whooshing sound rushed through my ears. And, out of nowhere, pieces of golden armor appeared in the air. Like magic, they snapped onto my body.
Golden shin guards clicked onto my knees to protect my legs. A golden breastplate snapped over my chest.
Golden gloves slipped over my hands. And golden metal sleeves sprang out from them, covering my arms.
“All right!” I whooped.
My voice sounded funny. Echoing inside the helmet that had suddenly appeared over my head.
Holding the golden sword high, I spun around and faced Mardren.
I thought the wizard looked mad before. But that must have been his “have a nice day” face.
Mardren tossed back his head. His lips curled into a sneer—revealing his long, pointed teeth. He let out an ugly snarl. Sparks of lightning crackled from his fingertips.
“So you think you can defeat me?” he howled. A heavy wind whipped through the room, nearly knocking me down. “Nothing can destroy my magic!” he roared.
Mardren spread his arms wide—and started to grow. Into a towering giant.
A huge bolt of lightning exploded from the tip of his staff.
The conservatory lit up with a blinding white light. It hurt my eyes, and I squeezed them shut.
The lightning bolt hung in the air. It sizzled. Cracked and snapped. I could feel its intense heat through my armor—the heavy golden metal singed my skin.
With a sweep of his arm Mardren sent the deadly hot bolt on its course.
On its course—straight at me.
15
I leaped in the air. Just in time.
The lightning streaked beneath me. Inches below my metal shoes.
I staggered back and landed in the arms of the knight.
“Don’t give up, Mike.” The knight whispered the words against my helmet.
“Carly?” I gasped. “Is that you, Carly?”
“Yes!” she whispered, peeking out of the space between the breastplate and the bottom of the helmet. All I could see were her beady little eyes.
“You distract him,” I whispered. “I’ll run up and take my best shot.”
“I can’t see what I’m doing in this soup can,” she said. She pushed me back on my feet. “You’ve got to fight him alone!”
Then she shoved me forward.
I shook from head to toe. My armor rattled. I lifted one heavy leg and raised my sword.
Mardren stood tall. He sneered a wicked sneer.
I stared into his eyes, about to strike.
Mardren stretched out his arms. He held up a silver stick and waved his arms. His purple robe billowed all around him.
I jumped back.
He tossed his head back and shrieked long and loud. The skin on his face shimmered again, stretching out in all directions. His arms stretched out, his hands turning into big scaly yellow claws. His legs stretched, too, and his body puffed up, like a huge purple blimp.
Cackling wickedly, he floated up from the floor and sailed above me.
I staggered back. My mouth hung open.
I saw his neck stretch out and his beaky nose grow into a long snout. He swooped up to the very top of the ceiling, spinning around in the shadows.
I held tightly to my sword, getting ready for… I didn’t know what!
I squinted at his dark, twisting form, sailing above me. Then it swooped down. Coming in for a landing.
I crouched down and covered my head.
Flapping wings beat the air and something huge snarled and hissed.
I gulped and looked up again.
I stood face-to-face with a dragon.
A gigantic, hideous dragon with big purple wings.
All over its huge body purple scales oozed foul-smelling slime. Three big yellow eyes rolled around in its head. Two long black forked tongues curled out its mouth. Disgusting green saliva dripped everywhere. The gluey drops sizzled as they hit the floor. The tiles vaporized.
I took a step forward. I swung my sword with both hands wrapped around the handle.
The dragon twisted its ugly head back. The two tongues curled out at me. The dragon sucked in a deep breath. Then blew it out. A putrid cloud hit me. It smelled horrible.
The disgusting stink turned my stomach upside down. It burned my eyes. Inside my armor I gasped for air.
I saw the dragon’s huge jaws gape open again. I jumped back and braced myself for the smell.
My eyes widened as I saw a long stream of fire spew out his mouth. The flames licked the toes of my armor boots. My feet were burning up.
“Hey!” I yelped. I hopped from foot to foot. The dragon drew in another deep breath. I readied myself for another huge flame.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I saw Carly running toward us with a fire extinguisher. Dad kept them all over the museum, just in case.
Carly had removed Dad’s armor, and she moved just fast enough.
She leaned back and aimed at the dragon. She pulled the lever and fired.
With a pop and a whoosh, foamy white stuff flew all over the place. The plume of foam shot right down the dragon’s throat. It cooled off my feet.
“Way to go, Carly!” I gave her a high five.
When I looked back at the dragon, I saw only Mardren again.
Foamy white gunk dripped off his beard. Globs of it clung to his hat and his purple robe.
His yellow face twisted with anger.
“I am through playing games!” Mardren tossed his staff up in the air. He snapped his fingers. The staff came down again and magically turned into a gleaming sword.
Mardren grabbed the sword. He charged.
“Mike, look out!” Carly screamed.
I pushed her out of the way and raised my sword.
I looked up and there was Mardren.
A sword’s length away.
Mardren swung. I blocked his swing with my golden sword. The two blades crashed together.
Sparks flew everywhere. My arm vibrated. It felt as if it had been yanked right off my shoulder.
The next time Mardren came at me, I dodged his sword.
Mardren jabbed low. I jumped. As fast and as high as I could.
By the time Mardren backed off, he was breathing hard. I panted, too. We glared at each other. Beads of sweat ran down my face. Dripping into my eyes. My heart pounded against the suit of magical armor.
Struggling to catch my breath, I kept my eyes on the wizard.
He raised his sword. I saw his lips flicker. I heard him mumble.
Mumble another wicked magic spell.
Mardren raised his sword straight up toward the sky. Purple sparks burst out of the end of it.
The purple fire hit the glass ceiling. It rained down all around us. Just looking at it made me feel dizzy. And sleepy.
Not a good sign.
“Don’t look at it. Don’t look at it.” I kept repeating the warning over and over inside my head.
But I couldn’t help it.
Mardren’s magic sparks glittered like jewels. The sparks hypnotized me.
“Don’t fall asleep now!” I told myself. “You’ll be finished!”
I kept blinking my eyes. My eyelids felt so heavy. They drooped, almost closed. I shook my head. My head felt heavy, too. Too heavy to hold up.
I felt my eyes close and my head drop against my chest.
My knees were weak. I staggered forward. My knees buckled.
“No, Mike! No!” Carly shouted at me. Her voice sounded as if it came from really far away. “Don’t let him do it!”
I’m not sure how I did it, but I forced my eyes open. The purple sparks fell all around me. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if they hit
me.
With every last little bit of energy I had, I clasped the sword in two hands and raised my arms.
I propped my sword up on my shoulder. When the sparks got close enough, I batted them with the sword.
Line drives. Grounders. High flies to center field.
Some of the sparks sputtered and sizzled. Some of them bounced. They hit the ceiling and fell down again.
Right on top of Mardren.
“No!” the wizard shrieked. He gave a bloodcurdling scream.
The sparks hit his hat. I heard hissing. Each time one landed on him, I saw a puff of purple smoke rise. The sparks covered his purple robe. They landed all around him on the floor and burst into puffs of purple smoke.
The smoke got thicker. Darker. He tried to move away, but the smoky cloud clung to him. He couldn’t shake it off.
In seconds he was standing in a thick, billowing purple cloud.
“No! No! You monstrous children! How could you do this to me?” Mardren waved his arms in the smoke.
Carly crept up beside me. Side by side, we watched the purple cloud cover Mardren from head to toe. And then close in on him.
“No! No!” Mardren’s eyes bulged. His mouth twisted in a gruesome scowl.
I could hardly see him anymore. The weird symbols on his robe were dissolving in the smoke. Then his long white beard went up in smoke.
The smoke spread over his face. The cloud covered his eyes. The last thing to disappear was the very tip of the wizard’s purple, pointy hat.
“No! No! No!” From out of the smoky cloud we heard Mardren’s smothered voice. He whined and groaned. “This can’t be happening. Not to me. You evil children! I am Mardren, the most powerful wizard in all the world. No! No…”
Mardren’s voice got weaker and weaker. Finally I couldn’t hear it anymore. The huge cloud of purple smoke swirled around. An awful smell made me choke and cough.
Except for my coughing, the place was suddenly as quiet as a tomb.
Carly and I stood there, listening. Waiting to see what would happen next.
From out of nowhere a cold wind swept through the conservatory. The purple cloud blew away.
Mardren had vanished completely in the smoke.
Or had he?
Right at the spot where the wizard had vanished, I saw something. A huge, hideous purple snail.
“Yuck!” Carly jerked back.
“He can’t hurt us anymore.” I went a little bit closer to the snail. Bulging red eyes dangled from the ends of long yellow antennae. Thick slime covered a big purple shell. A slimy snail body, a disgusting shade of green, wriggled beneath the shell.
I poked the snail with my golden sword. “Slow as a snail!” I said.
The snail’s antennae wiggled in the air, and its eyes bugged out. It tossed its disgusting head. Then it slithered away.
All that was left of Mardren was a trail of purple slime.
16
“Mike, you were… you were…” Carly shook her head. Her smile grew wider and wider. “You were awesome!”
I whipped off my helmet. I couldn’t help myself. I smiled, too.
“I was awesome, wasn’t I?” I waved my sword over my head. I laughed.
“You were pretty awesome, too, Carly,” I admitted. “What made you put on that armor?”
“I was going to play a joke on you,” she admitted. “But then I heard what Mr. Spellman… er… Mardren… er… whoever he was… said! I knew Dad was out. I had no choice. There was no way I’d let him turn you into a mouse. I mean, what if the cat ate you? The poor thing would have gotten sick!”
“Thanks a lot!” I was too tired to think of anything funny to say. I’d get her later. After a few hours of sleep.
I yawned and tossed my sword down. The second I did, the rest of the golden armor unsnapped. The pieces clattered to the floor.
I sighed and wiggled my shoulders. I hadn’t realized how heavy the armor felt.
“Boy, it’s not easy being a knight in shining armor!”
I plunked down on the floor. Right next to the charred pile of Sir Thomas’ armor. Now Dad would have to put it all back together again. I poked one of Sir Thomas’ shoes with the tip of my sword. I pushed aside one of his gloves.
I set the golden sword down on the floor, between me and the pile of Sir Thomas’ armor.
“I feel like I ran a couple miles,” I said with a huge yawn. “I can’t believe I—”
Something moved next to me. My words stuck in my throat. I heard Carly’s muffled scream, but I didn’t dare turn to look at her.
My gaze was stuck on Sir Thomas’ glove.
All by itself the glove slid out of the pile and right over to the sword. One by one the metal fingers flexed. They closed around the handle of the golden sword.
“Yikes!” I rolled out of the way. I scrambled to my feet.
With the glove still holding on tight, the sword rose in the air. I heard a deep moan. The sound raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The moan started low. And sounded far away. But it got louder by the second. And closer.
Then it surrounded us.
The sword pointed toward the pieces of armor that protected Sir Thomas’ legs. With a whoosh they rose up off the floor. They floated over to the sword and the glove. They stopped in the place where the knight’s legs would be. Next, the sword pointed to the knight’s metal boots.
“Mike!” Carly’s fingers dug into my arm. “Mike, do something! He’s coming back to get us!”
He was! I had to do something. Fast.
I made a diving grab for the boots.
The second my fingers touched the metal, I yelped and pulled them back. The armor stung my fingertips with cold.
I rubbed my hands to warm them. I saw the boots clatter away. Clanking against the tile floor, they marched into place right under the leg guards.
The moaning grew louder. It made my ears hurt. The breastplate flew into the air. It floated into place right above the knight’s legs.
The arms came after that. With a clang they snapped into place where the breastplate met the shoulders.
The other glove flew onto the arm that didn’t have a hand. That hand gripped the golden sword, too.
I felt petrified. Worse than petrified. I could feel my pulse pounding against my temples. Hammering so hard, I felt my head about to explode.
Carly and I stared at Sir Thomas.
He stood before us in one piece again.
All except for his head.
With a piercing whistle that made the hair on my arms stand up on end, the sword swung and pointed at Sir Thomas’ helmet.
With an answering wail that came from inside, the helmet slowly rose off the floor.
The helmet sailed past us. The air turned icy as it flew by.
The helmet glided over to the rest of the armor. With a click, it floated down into place.
The second it did, the fire behind the visor flared to life.
Sir Thomas’ eyes flashed. They sparked. Not purple like Mardren’s magical sparks.
Red.
Blood-red.
Sir Thomas didn’t say a word. He lifted his sword.
He pressed the tip of it against my heart.
17
Sliced to ribbons.
We were about to be sliced to ribbons.
I watched the ugly fire in Sir Thomas’ eyes flicker. He stepped forward and I felt the knife point jab me through my T-shirt.
I held my breath and waited to feel his sword run me through.
The knight turned his head. He looked at the puddle of smelly purple slime. Then he turned back and looked at me.
“Who has destroyed Mardren?” His question echoed from inside the armor.
I tried to answer him. But all that came out was a sputtering, choking sound.
Carly pushed me forward. “Mike did it,” she said. “He turned the wizard’s own magic against him.”
The knight didn’t move. I could feel his gaze burning from behind th
e visor.
“Is this true?” he asked.
“Yes,” I croaked. “I didn’t have much choice. First he tried to turn me into a mouse and then he shot purple sparks at me. But I batted them back at him. With that.”
I pointed at the golden sword. My hand shook like crazy. “When the sparks hit Mardren, he was smothered in a cloud of purple smoke. Then he turned into a snail. A big, slimy purple one.”
“A snail!” Sir Thomas boomed with laughter. His laugh had a deep metallic ring that echoed through the room. “A slimy purple snail! How fitting for the evil one!”
He laughed and laughed, and the red fire behind the visor settled down to a warm glow.
Suddenly he didn’t seem nearly as scary. He didn’t seem scary at all.
Sir Thomas knelt on one knee. He bowed his head. “Then, good sir, I owe you my thanks.”
“What?” I looked down at his shining helmet. He still held his sword, but now it rested on the floor. “Is this some kind of trick? You mean you’ve stopped trying to chop me into little pieces?”
Sir Thomas shook his head. “You must forgive me,” he said. “When I saw you with the pendant, I thought you were Mardren. I thought the evil wizard had changed himself into a boy to deceive me. I see now that I was wrong. You were not in league with the wicked sorcerer.” The knight looked around the museum. “All of you here, you were never my enemies. You were always my friends.”
“Me?” I pointed at myself. A big, goofy smile lit up my face. “I’m your friend?”
“That is correct.” Sir Thomas struggled to stand up. In spite of all the oil Dad had used on him, his joints were still pretty rusty. He creaked and wobbled.
I offered him a hand.
This time when I touched the metal, it didn’t chill me to the bone.
“I know the story Mardren must have told you,” the knight said once he came to his feet. “He told you I was evil. Am I right?”
I nodded.
“Mardren was a scoundrel. A vile and hateful creature.” Sir Thomas raised his head. He held it high. “I was never evil. Mardren was the evil one. Many hundreds of years ago I fell in love with his beautiful daughter. He would not allow us to marry. He wanted her to have a husband who was richer and more powerful than I. He put a spell on me, trapping me forever in my suit of armor. I could only be free if Mardren was defeated. And only one thing could defeat him—my golden sword.”
