Harcourt nodded and crossed to the signallers to issue fresh orders.
‘As this venture involves witch business, I would like Madam Le Fay, Queen Eloise, and her entourage to join us. Arch-Mage I wish you to remain here in Londum should the prime minister need any Magickal assistance. Now then-‘
‘We can’t go yet,’ interrupted Morgan le Fay.
‘Why not?’ asked the king. ‘You can tell us where his grave is, we have witches aplenty to support you, what more do we need?’
‘Excalibur.’
‘Excalibur? King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur?’
‘Excalibur. You will need it to carry out the ritual,’ stated Morgan.
‘And it was all going so well,’ sighed the king. ‘Where on Earth are we going to find Excalibur? If I remember my mythology correctly it was given to The Lady of the Lake by Sir Bedivere, wasn’t it? How are we going to find that?’
‘That was just the story he told to stop anyone searching for it. In truth, Sir Bedivere hid it away and then passed it on to the next king he felt worthy of it. I didn’t find this out until many years later and by then it was of no use to me. Mordred my son was dead, I had been cursed by Merlin to this miserable existence ... to use Excalibur to gain power no longer interested me so I didn’t attempt to find it. But now that it is needed again, it calls to me. It’s near, I can feel it,’ Morgan told him.
Intrigued, he asked her, ‘How near?’
‘I have lived outside Londum for more years than I care to remember but I have never felt it before today. Since I have been brought to the palace.’
‘What are you saying, that it’s here, in the palace?’ said the king, incredulously.
Morgan just shrugged.
The Arch-Mage stepped forward, ‘Majesty, where do you keep your Royal treasures?’
‘Well, in the Tower with the Crown Jewels or downstairs ... in the archives,’ the king said, as the penny slowly dropped. ‘Of course, the archives, they go on for miles, there’s lots of stuff down there that I’ve never even seen, stretching back centuries. Footman, fetch the Royal Archivist, bring him here at once.’
The underling rushed off to do as he was bid.
The king looked around the room. As well as the group around Morgan le Fay, everyone else in the room had gradually drifted over to listen in, aware of the momentousness of the occasion. A real life witch from King Arthur’s time! Of course they were all professionals and sworn to secrecy but this would be one to tell the grandchildren about, when it no longer mattered.
‘Okay, everyone back to work,’ he ordered them. And they went back to their posts, disappointed.
Shortly the footman returned followed by a flustered little man, a book under one arm, glasses on top of his head, slightly dusty from the archives. He seemed to be scared at the prospect of meeting the king, he probably never ever saw him unless they passed in the corridors and certainly never spoke to him. As he joined the group everyone turned to look at him. He started when he saw the age-riddled old hag in the bath chair but retained enough composure to bow to the king and ask, ‘Your Majesty sent for me?’
King Victor put on his best, ‘Hello and what do you do here?’ manner that he adopted when dealing with members of the public on Royal visits, so as not to spook the little man and asked him, ‘I’m told that we actually have King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, in our archives. Could this be true?’
‘Excalibur? In our archives, Your Majesty? Well, I would have to check to be sure but I believe that may be possible. Just let me examine my records.’ He took the book from under his arm and then searched for his spectacles, finally finding them on the top of his head.
‘Now, let me see ...’ he said, as he flicked through the book to the pages marked ‘E’. ‘E ... EX ... EXC ... ah, here we are, Excalibur. Yes, Your Majesty, it appears that we do have it.’
‘But how can this be?’ asked the king. ‘It’s the most famous sword in Albion’s history. How can we have it tucked away on a shelf in the archives and no one knows about it?’
The archivist seemed to shrink in on himself. Unsure of what to tell the king, he just shrugged.
Queen Eloise offered an opinion. ‘Perhaps as Madam Le Fay suggests, Bedivere gave it to the next king that was worthy. Given the legend that no one but Arthur was supposed to wield it otherwise evil would befall them, maybe he wasn’t inclined to take the risk and hid it away in the Royal treasury. After that as history progressed, the treasury would be handed down to each successive king, even when the Royal line changed, until eventually it was forgotten about except by little men looking after dusty shelves. No offence meant.’ She smiled at the archivist.
‘Well fine, go and get the sword please. Bring it to me at once. You two footmen, go with him and lend a hand. Go! Go now!’ He waved them away.
The group talked amongst themselves while they waited. Adele turned to Cobb and Jim and said, ‘Can you believe this is happening? Elves, Arthur, Excalibur, Morgan le Fay, isn’t it wonderful? I’ve always been intrigued by Arthurian myth, I made a study of it. And now it seems I may actually get to see him in the flesh – incredible.’
‘Yes, it is,’ agreed Jim. ‘But I mean, bringing him back from the dead is a tall order. That’s going to require “Beacoup de Mojo” as the Gauls would say. Plenty of Magick. Do you think they can really do it?’ he indicated the queen and her entourage.
‘Well there’s only one way to find out, go to Glastonbury and try it. And I’ll be there when they do. I’m so excited to be a part of this, aren’t you?’
‘Do you want the short answer or the long answer?’ replied Cobb.
‘Both.’
‘Well, the short answer is no. The long answer is ... hell no!’
‘Oh, Cobb,’ said Jim. ‘You don’t allow yourself get excited about anything do you?’
‘Remember what Rudyard Kibling says,’ replied Cobb. ‘ “If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs ... you’re a better man than I, Gunga Din!” or something like that. Keeping a cool head can be what saves your neck, sometimes.’
‘Yes but it takes all the fun out of life,’ argued Jim.
‘It’s better than taking the life out of life. All I’ve ever wanted is a quiet existence, a bit of detecting during the day and spend my nights with Adele but things like this keep happening to me. I’ll be glad when it’s all over and we can- Oh watch out, they’re back.’
They looked round to see the archivist enter the War Room followed by the two footmen. One of them carried a long, thin object wrapped in faded, red velvet, tied up with golden coloured rope. They approached the king and at his instructions laid it on the dining table.
He waved them back and unwrapped the velvet, revealing a sword. It had a large ruby in the pommel and an ornate, carved handle portraying two dragons entwined as if fighting with each other, but otherwise it seemed like an ordinary sword, perhaps slightly longer than normal. The metal of the handle and the scabbard was dull after centuries of laying around, waiting to be used.
‘So this is the actual “Sword in the Stone” that Arthur drew to prove he should be king?’ asked Admiral Collins.
‘No,’ said Morgan le Fay. ‘That was a different sword. It was broken in battle so he was given Excalibur by The Lady of the Lake, as a replacement.’
Victor stretched out his hand to grasp the handle and the Arch-Mage cautioned him, ‘Careful, Your Majesty, isn’t Arthur the only one allowed to wield this sword?’
‘But Bedivere carried it,’ said the king.
Morgan le Fay croaked up, ‘The difference is that carrying it is allowed otherwise his squires would never have been able to clean it or the armourer to sharpen it. It is actually wielding it in battle that is forbidden for anyone but Arthur. If you only intend to handle it, that will be all right.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Victor.
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ she challenged him. ‘If you are the king, you will lift it, if y
ou daren’t ... then perhaps you shouldn’t be king.’
Goaded into action Victor drew the sword from the scabbard and held it aloft. The blade flashed as the light hit it and Victor was sure he felt a vibration run through it as it did. ‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘This is Excalibur, all right.’
He laid the sword on the table next to the scabbard. ‘Footman, bring some cleaning materials, please. Archivist, you’ve been trained in restoring antiques, I assume. I want you to clean the sword and return it to its former glory. Now then, everyone to business, we are leaving shortly and you should all be ready to travel.’
The group dispersed as those with tasks to carry out left to fulfil them before departure. Adele said to Cobb, ‘The queen wants me to accompany her so I won’t be coming home tonight, looks like I’m off to Glastonbury. When do you think you’ll be going away?’
‘Tomorrow from the looks of things. I’ll stay here until you leave then I’ll go. I said goodbye to Thornton last night, so I might as well go home and get a good night’s sleep. The next few days are going to be a bit hectic, I imagine.’
Adele dug into her pocket and said, ‘Here, I got this for you.’ She held out a white rabbit’s foot.
‘What’s this?’
‘It’s a rabbit’s foot, for luck. I asked the queen to bless it.’
‘I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but the rabbit had four of them and it didn’t do him much good.’
‘Oh just shut up and take it, it might bring you back safe,’ she said, with a slight catch in her voice.
‘Okay, I’ll take it but I’m relying on Jim to get me back safely.’
‘I’m hoping it’s mutual,’ replied Jim. ‘Anyway, I’m going to see if the admiral will release me, if so I’m going. Still got some goodbyes to say. Take care Adele,’ he kissed her hand, ‘and have fun at Glastonbury. Remember, if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right! Cobb, I’ll see you here tomorrow for the start of our big adventure. Bye for now.’
***
Jim and his five man detachment of guards arrived at Annie Parker’s establishment. Situated on the edge of the East End, just where it began to get respectable, a modest exterior concealed a sumptuous interior. Which of course is how the best brothels usually hide themselves in the local neighbourhood without giving themselves away, hiding in plain sight.
Jim and the sergeant in charge of the troop went inside, while the others tended the horses. He led him into the dining room/bar where he introduced the sergeant to Annie, the owner and proprietor.
(Jim had actually lent the money to Annie to open the brothel but as far as he was concerned it was a straight business transaction and the establishment belonged solely to her. He took no part in it as he didn’t wish to be labelled as a ‘brothel-keeper’.)
‘Good Gods, Mr. Darby’ said Annie. ‘What ‘ave you done to earn an armed guard? Or is it to keep you from causin’ trouble?’ (She always called him Mr. Darby, she refused to call him Jim while she was in debt to him.)
‘Very funny,’ replied Jim. ‘No, it’s simply that I’ve offered to do my bit for the war effort and the army have very kindly taken it on themselves to look after me until it’s over. I’ll be leaving Londum tomorrow so I thought I’d spend my last night here, if that’s all right with you?’
‘Certainly, you’re more than welcome, Mr. Darby. What about the soldiers though?’
He turned to the sergeant, ‘Sergeant, I’ll be sleeping upstairs so I would suggest that you station one of your men at the head of the stairs and another in the foyer to keep an eye on the carriage and the horses. The rest can wait in here, in the warm. I’ll tell the barman they can have a drink on me but no more than two pints each. If anything should happen we want them with clear heads. The ones not on guard can sleep here in the dining room. And they are not to fraternise with the girls.’
‘Righto, Mr. Darby. I’ll see to it, but there’ll be no drinking on duty, sir.’
‘Very well then, if you need any tea, coffee or something to eat, just ask Sam the barman, he’ll take care of it, it can go on my bill. I’ll bid you good night then, Sergeant. I’ll see you in the morning.’ He went to the bar and spoke to Sam while Annie instructed her girls not to bother the soldiers. Then she and Jim went upstairs to bed.
As she closed the bedroom door behind them she said to him, ‘You didn’t say but I presumed you’d want some company, if this is your last night in Londum.’
‘Indeed I did Annie, thanks for coming upstairs with me.’
Annie took off her dress and sat on the bed, Jim just removed his jacket and lit a cigarette. She fiddled with the ribbons and lacings on her undergarments as she watched Jim slowly pacing up and down the room. ‘Well, I guess you’re not just ‘ere for the sex, then?’ she said.
He leaned his elbows on the foot of the bedstead and looked down at her. ‘I’m sorry Annie, just thinking about tomorrow. Like I said, I’ll be going away and it might be some time before I come back. Or ... I may not come back at all.’ He couldn’t help thinking about the old gypsy’s prophecy about him dying to save a friend. ‘I just didn’t want to spend my last night on my own.’
‘Well, I’m glad you came to me.’
‘If you don’t hear from me within, oh let’s say a month, I want you to go to Mr. Roper, my solicitor. You remember him? He drew up the paperwork for this place. I’ve put it in my will that all debts owed to me are to be written off in the event of my death.’
‘You didn’t ‘ave to do that, Mr. Darby.’
‘Oh, it was the least I could do. The way you’ve looked after me over the years. Besides, what would I need the money for? I won’t be around to spend it.’
‘Well that’s very kind of you, very kind indeed.’
He stubbed out his cigarette and taking her hands he pulled her to her feet.
‘Tell me you love me,’ he told her.
‘What? What are you talkin’ about?’
‘I know you love me, you’ve never said it but I can tell. Tell me you love me. I’d like to hear somebody say it to me, one last time. Let’s pretend just for one night that we’re a young couple, madly in love with each other and spend the night in passionate embrace.’
‘Well, if you say so, Mr. D-’ She stopped as he put his finger on her lips.
‘Ah, ah!’
She looked up into his eyes and he stared back. It was true; she did love him and was finally getting the chance to say it out loud. ‘I love you, Jim.’
‘I love you too, Annie.’
Although she knew it wasn’t true and would never be, she seized on the lie and held it tight. Normally it would never have been enough ... but for tonight ... well, it would just have to do.
Secrets and Lies
In the gardens at the rear of Buck House a small party awaited the arrival of the airship. Jim and Cobb were with Admiral Collins and Harlequin. A few others had come along to see the arrival up close and there were a few guardsmen on hand to help tether the ship. The prime minister had come down to see them off, while the Arch-Mage and Field Marshal Harcourt were watching from the windows of the War Room. Everyone else from the “inner circle” as Cobb thought of them had departed for Glastonbury the previous day.
Jim was talking to Cobb who was doing his best to ignore Harlequin, so Admiral Collins turned to Harlequin and asked, ‘Will you be joining us on this trip?’
‘No, I have a few other things to take care of. I can check up on things on the other side as well and report back to you later. I’ll meet you at the drop off point.’
‘But you won’t know precisely where the airship will drop them off or at what time. They can’t hang around you know.’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll find them. It’s what I do, remember?’
‘Just be sure you are there otherwise the plan falls through.’
‘Pas problem. Au revoir, mon Admiral.’ With that Harlequin gave a bow and then faded away.
‘Humph! Fellow’s a slippery character, all
right. Do you trust him?’
‘About as far as I can throw him,’ replied Cobb.
‘Well, he’d better keep his word, the whole plan rests on him ... and you of course.’
‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
Collins was about to reply when someone shouted they had spotted the airship approaching. They all scanned the sky eagerly. Airships were a fairly new invention and before the war not many people had seen them, let alone flown in one.
Only because they were close friends and as a joke, Cobb, in an unusual display (for him) of one-upmanship grinned at Jim and told him, ‘I’ve flown in one of those before, you know. All the way from Caledonia. Have you ever done anything like that?’
Jim looked at Cobb for a moment then replied nonchalantly, ‘Actually, I stole one of those once and piloted it half way across Europe. Then I blew it up and sank it in a lake.’
‘Damn it, Jim! Do you always have to go one better than me?’
Jim just smiled and shrugged.
The airship circled Buck House checking out the wind speed and direction while deciding on the best approach for landing. Although the gardens were quite extensive, much of it was wooded, only leaving a small space for such a thing as an airship landing.
Eventually the pilot chose to approach the landing zone parallel to the palace, in case they overshot. That way they would run into the trees instead of Buck House itself.
Expertly the airship approached from the right hand side from the point of view of those watching it. It edged slowly over the trees and then dropped down, to glide forward until the single wheel under the gondola touched the floor, at which point the propellers were thrown into reverse. It ran some distance and then came to a halt. On command the soldiers ran forward to grab the dangling ropes and immediately the door of the gondola was thrown open and two of the crew jumped down to assist the soldiers in controlling the ship.
Cobb read the name plate on the side “H.M.A.S Pegasus”. ‘It’s the Pegasus!’ he cried.
The Londum Omnibus Volume Two (The Londum Series Book 12) Page 44
