CHAPTER TWO
The Second Visitor
Eleven o’clock rolled around and Christopher lay wide awake in bed. He tossed and turned until midnight, trying to figure out why King Rupert had left the cellar. Finally he jumped out of bed, threw on a flannel bathrobe and tiptoed down the hall to Molly’s room. He gently opened her door and whispered into the darkness.
“Molly, you awake?” No answer. He walked to her bed and found it empty. “Molly?”
“Over here,” a voice softly called. Molly sat in a chair in the corner holding a stuffed koala bear. “You can’t sleep either?”
Christopher plopped on the edge of the bed. “I keep thinking about King Rupert. What a dirty trick for him to run away.”
Molly cuddled her pet. “Even Sebastian can’t fall asleep. What rotten luck! We’ll probably never find another king even if we turn wrinkled and live to be forty.”
Christopher agreed. “What do you think happened? Maybe he was scared off.”
“I thought so, too. King Rupert seemed very nervous. Maybe he had an emergency to take care of.”
“That’s possible. And we can’t forget that he left his crown and sword in our cellar. Maybe he plans to return for them.”
“That would be wonderful!” Molly jumped out of the chair with Sebastian. “Then we could introduce him to Mom, Dad and Vergil.”
Christopher ignored Molly as his attention was drawn to the window near the bed. It faced the front road, providing a clear view of Mrs. Halloway’s barn. He studied the rickety building for a moment then looked at Molly. “What’d you say?”
“I said it would be wonderful if King Rupert returned. But what were you looking at out the window?”
“Nothing. Thought I saw something.”
“That’s probably because you’re up so late. Let’s try to get some sleep and talk in the morning.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “My brain can’t keep track of all this stuff right now.” But as soon as he said this, Christopher turned again to the window and stared at the barn as if a magical force drew him. “I see it this time! My eyes weren’t playing tricks after all. Take a look, Molly.”
She hurried toward the window and peered out. Mrs. Halloway’s barn stood hauntingly still in the moonlit field. The branches of nearby pine trees groped at the building like searching fingers. “I don’t see anything.”
“Look closely between the cracks in the barn wall. I see flickers of light.”
Molly strained her eyes and concentrated, and then snapped to attention. “You’re right, Chris! I did see a flicker of light. I really did.”
Christopher searched through Molly’s toy box at the base of her bed and dug out a small magnifying glass. Placing it over his eye, he gazed out the window. “This is no use,” he grumbled. “Everything looks blurry.”
“You look silly,” Molly said. “A magnifying glass won’t work for something as far away as the barn.”
“If only I had a pair of binoculars.”
Molly yawned, then took Sebastian and sat down in her chair. Even the thought of a real king across the road wasn’t enough to keep her awake much longer. “You won’t know what’s happening in the barn unless you go there yourself. But I know where I’m going now–to bed.”
Christopher clapped his hands. “That’s it! Let’s sneak across the road to investigate.”
Molly snapped wide awake at the suggestion. “I’m only kidding, Chris. It’s cold and dark outside.”
“No problem. We’ll wear slippers and jackets. Besides, we’ll just be gone a few minutes. Long enough to discover what King Rupert is up to.” He tossed the magnifying glass into the toy box and hurried out the door. “Get ready, Molly, and meet me downstairs.”
“I guess a few minutes won’t hurt. Just don’t wake up Mom and Dad. And especially little Vergil. If he starts to whine, we’ll never get out in secret.”
But they did, as quietly as two fish through water. The children sneaked out the kitchen door into the chilly night. The moon rose directly above. Molly shivered under her winter coat. Christopher felt just as cold but pretended not to be bothered. They hurried across the road and through the field to Mrs. Halloway’s barn. The twigs and leaves on the ground crackled like a campfire as their slippered feet marched over them. Drawing nearer, they were more certain than ever that a light burned inside.
“That must be King Rupert,” Christopher whispered. “Shall we find out what this is all about?” Molly nodded, and so they quietly slipped inside the barn for a second time and hid behind the pile of crates near the entrance.
Their suspicions were confirmed. At the end of the barn next to a small bonfire sat King Rupert. Molly wanted to rush up to him to find out why he had run off, but Christopher held her back. “Look.” He pointed at the fire. “There’s somebody else with the King.”
Then Molly saw the second figure as light from the fire shone on his face. The stranger was a gray-haired man many years older than King Rupert, with a beard trailing down to his waist and a hooded cloak draped over his shoulders. As he talked to the King, Molly and Christopher listened to each word with interest.
“I’m afraid it might take a few days to determine when the door will reopen,” the man said. “The star patterns here are different from those back home. Why, there’s even a bright round world circling their sky. The calculations will be complicated indeed.”
“How difficult?” the King inquired with a hint of fear in his voice.
“Very difficult. Especially with him to muddy up matters. I hope I’m up to the task.”
Christopher tried to unravel the meaning of the strange conversation. He guessed that the men were talking about the timedoor King Rupert had mentioned earlier. But as to who the him was that King Rupert’s friend referred to, Christopher hadn’t the slightest idea.
Molly nudged her brother, interrupting his train of thought. “Move over a little. I want a better view.”
“You can see just fine from where you are.”
“No I can’t,” she insisted, standing up on one of the taller crates and steadying herself on another stack in front of her.
“Kneel down, Molly. They’re sure to see you,” Christopher warned in a stern whisper.
“King Rupert won’t see us. It’s too dark over here.”
Molly seemed so sure of this that she stood on her tiptoes, completely exposing her face over the highest crate. But in the next instant she felt as if she stood on thin ice. She heard the wood slats groan and split, and then suddenly the sides of the crate buckled and Molly tumbled to the ground and screamed.
“Molly!” Christopher rushed to her aid, relieved to find that she only suffered from a small bruise on her left hand and a large case of embarrassment.
“Who’s there?” King Rupert’s voice boomed as he jumped up from the fire. He didn’t know whether to laugh or to scold the children when he found them sprawled amidst a pile of splintered crates.Soon Christopher and Molly were warming themselves by the bonfire, explaining their midnight adventure. King Rupert introduced the children to his friend. His name was Artemas, the King’s magician and advisor.“A real magician!” Molly said, hoping for a magic show. “Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat?”
Artemas wrinkled his brow as Christopher whispered to his sister. “I don’t think he’s that kind of magician.”
“I do know some magic, young lady,” Artemas said, looking at her with eyes as blue as an ocean. “Though I can’t recall ever pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Is that customary for magicians in your world?”
“Some of them.”
“How peculiar.”
Christopher smiled and then addressed King Rupert. “If I might ask, sir, why did you leave our cellar earlier? I wanted to introduce you to my parents.”
The King frowned. “I’m sorry I left in a hurry.”
“You even forgot to take your sword and crown,” Molly said.
“Indeed I have. They were weighing me down
, so I took them off for a while. All part of the burden of being a king,” he said.
“But why did you leave?” Christopher repeated.
“While I was in your cellar I looked out a window and saw Artemas return to the barn. I had to let him know where I was,” he explained.
“I had been out examining the stars,” Artemas said.
“Then you’re an astronomer and a magician?” asked Christopher in amazement.
“What’s an astronomer?” the King asked.
“Someone who studies the stars and planets.”
“That’s exactly what I do,” Artemas said. “But we magicians study the stars right along with our magic as a matter of occupation. It’s all in the same mix, so to speak. Am I to infer that your astronomers don’t study magic?”
“Not exactly,” Christopher said. “But if you’re from another world, why are you studying our stars?”
“To determine when the timedoor will reopen.” Artemas saw that Christopher and Molly looked confused. “When one is lucky enough to create a timedoor, one must also be careful to return through it before it closes.”
“Which you obviously didn’t do,” Christopher said with a smirk.
Artemas turned red. “I’m afraid not. An obstacle prevented us from returning right away, so we’re stuck in your world until the door reopens.”
“When will that be?”
“I’m not quite certain, which is why I was studying your sky. I know when the door will open in my world, but I don’t know what time and day that corresponds to in your world.”
Molly scratched her head, staring curiously at the magician. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Artemas. I’m only eight, after all.”
“Let’s see if I can make this easier to understand,” he said. “From what I witnessed so far today, I’ve concluded that our worlds are very different. I believe a day in our world is longer than yours, as well as our year. In fact, it is winter right now in Endora and our sun is probably just rising.”
“I think I see what you mean,” Molly said.
Artemas smiled. “That’s good. Now suppose, for instance, the timedoor was to reopen at midday in four of my days. When that would be in your time I can’t predict right now. But by studying the stars and the length of your day, along with the occurrences of the equinoxes and solstices–oh, and maybe throw in a nearby planet’s conjunction for good measure–and comparing them to calculations about my own world, well then I should be able to find out what time it is here when it is a particular time there. That will ultimately let me know when the timedoor reopens.” Artemas suddenly looked worried. “I only have two more chances.”
“Why only two?” Christopher asked.
“The curious thing about a magic timedoor is that it will open and close to a particular place only three times, then it is gone forever,” Artemas said. “The one I created already opened and closed once. King Rupert and I have two more chances to return or we’ll be trapped in your world forever.”
Christopher wondered if that’s why King Rupert had been so worried, or was there something more. He decided to pose the question he had asked earlier. “King Rupert, why did you enter our world in the first place?”
The King sat silently. He glanced at Artemas who only shrugged his shoulders in reply. Finally King Rupert cleared his throat. “It seems I can’t keep the truth hidden from you any longer. And since this is your world, you deserve an explanation. You see, Artemas and I went through the timedoor to–uh–hide from someone.”
“Who?” Molly asked.
“Maybe you should start from the beginning,” Artemas suggested.
“That is probably best,” he agreed, lowering his voice as he began his tale. “Artemas and I were hiding from an evil sorcerer named Malaban who lives about a day’s journey from my kingdom. He recently marched his army to my lands to attack, temporarily laying siege to my castle. Luckily my soldiers fended off Malaban’s troops and turned them away. At least that’s the last news I heard before I left through the timedoor. If Malaban had brought his entire guard we may not have been so fortunate.”
“If your soldiers were winning, then why did you run through the timedoor?” Christopher asked.
“You would have run too if you were being chased by a sorcerer who has a fancy for turning people into rocks or toads or dragonflies,” the King said grimly. “Malaban was chasing me through the corridors of my castle shortly after I had spoken to Ulric, my chief guard. He is the one who informed me that we were defeating Malaban’s troops.”
“That still doesn’t explain how you ended up here,” Molly said.
“After speaking to Ulric, who had also informed me about another serious problem, I was on my way to consult with Artemas. That is when Malaban began his chase.” King Rupert’s face tightened with worry and distress. “I rushed to find Artemas in his chamber, warning him to hide because Malaban was closing in fast. Since there wasn’t any place to run, except back into the corridor to face the sorcerer, we escaped through a timedoor that Artemas had recently created.”
“Luckily so,” he said with pride. “Timedoors are a hobby I work on when conditions are proper. It takes some magic on my part, but the planets have to be aligned a certain way and in the proper season. But watch out if a stray comet sweeps by. That can really complicate matters! I last created a timedoor about a year ago. It’s a tricky business. You never know where a timedoor will lead. Yours is the strangest world I’ve been to yet. I especially like that bright satellite sweeping across your sky.”
“We just call it the moon,” Christopher said.
“Rather a dull name, though I do wish our world had one. Still, I’m happy having seventeen planets to study in our system.”
“Seventeen? We only have nine.”
Artemas stroked his beard. “Only nine? A pity.”
“So is that the end of your story?” Molly asked.
King Rupert jumped in. “Why yes. That’s it entirely! That’s all! Why would you think there’s more? Artemas and I escaped through the timedoor and are waiting for it to reopen. Complete end of the story!” he concluded, folding his arms and not saying another word.
Christopher was intrigued by the King’s eagerness to end the discussion and could get no more answers out of him. He did, however, suggest a way to help Artemas with his timedoor calculations. “My father works at a museum.”
“Daddy’s a crusader!” Molly said.
“A curator,” Christopher corrected. “That’s a person who runs a museum.”
“How can he help?” Artemas asked.
“The museum where my dad works has a planetarium in it. That’s a round room where images of the stars and planets are projected onto a domed ceiling. It’s really neat,” he said. “He can move objects around exactly like in the real sky, only much faster. Molly and I have been there lots of times for a show. Maybe you can use it to help calculate when the timedoor will reopen.”
Artemas thought this was a splendid idea and accepted Christopher’s offer. Of course, this meant that King Rupert and Artemas would need to meet the children’s parents, and Mr. Jordan would have to agree to allow a king and a magician access to the museum, a possibility that seemed unlikely to Christopher at the moment. So the four of them walked back across Mrs. Halloway’s field in the cold night air, with Christopher and Molly believing that this was the best plan to return the visitors to their home so far away.
CHAPTER THREE
The Trouble with Time
“Wake up! Wake up! We need to talk with you!”
Molly and Christopher shook their parents in bed, trying to wake them at one o’clock on a cold October morning. The children had just returned from Mrs. Halloway’s barn and invited King Rupert and Artemas to wait downstairs in the living room.
Mrs. Jordan blew at a lock of chestnut-brown hair in front of her eyes as Christopher explained what had happened. “Not again!” she said, shaking her husband awake. “Get up, Sam! The childre
n still insist they’ve found a king–and now a magician!”
Mr. Jordan growled as he fumbled for a pair of glasses on his nightstand. “If you two are fibbing this time, you’ll be grounded for a week! This is going too far!”
Soon the four tiptoed past little Vergil’s room and marched downstairs. A single lamp glowed softly in the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan rubbed their eyes in disbelief when seeing King Rupert and Artemas sitting on the couch. They looked at each other in shock and then glared at the children.
“First you bring a stranger into our cellar, and now two are lounging in the living room! What’s going on?” Mr. Jordan asked, bubbling with anger. He walked up to the unexpected guests on his couch. “Just who are you?”
“Didn’t the children already tell you?” King Rupert kindly inquired.
“They mentioned something about a king and a magician. And though your friend with the long beard might pass for a magic man,” he said, rolling his eyes, “I’m afraid you look nothing like a king!”
“Don’t forget the sword and the crown,” Molly said.
“Of course,” King Rupert agreed. “I would look more like a king if I had them.”
Mr. Jordan had forgotten about those items and calmed down. Hadn’t he admitted they were genuine? “But I still find it difficult to believe you’re an actual king–crown or no crown. Can you prove it?”
King Rupert was unprepared for such a challenge. No one had ever doubted his word before. All the power he had attained in Endora would amount to nothing if he was left stranded in this world forever. “I might tell you stories about my kingdom, but you could say I was lying. So I guess that isn’t the type of proof you’re looking for.”
“Not exactly,” he said.
Molly pleaded with her father. “Why don’t you believe him, Daddy?”
“Because it’s after one in the morning and I’m cold, miserable and wide awake.” Mr. Jordan noticed his wife dozing off in one of the living room chairs. “And look at your mother! This whole matter could have waited until tomorrow. And to top things off–” But Mr. Jordan stopped speaking when he noticed little Vergil walking quietly into the room in his pajamas, clutching a stuffed teddy bear. “Now we’ve wakened Vergil besides. And you want me to believe them?”
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 2
