The Invisible Tower

by Nils Johnson-Shelton

  Dragoling blood.

  Great.

  When he was done, Thumb looked him up and down and said, “Good as new. Merlin’s upstairs waiting for you. He’ll give you what you came here for.”

  Artie looked over his shoulder and saw the hilt still hanging there. It was so light. “Okay,” he said.

  “I’ll be seeing you right soon, lad. You and me, we’re going to have lots of capital-A adventures!”

  Artie felt like they’d already had a capital-A adventure and wasn’t so sure he wanted another.

  Dazed, Artie shuffled up a few stairs before turning back. “Hey, Tom, thanks for taking care of those things back there.”

  “Don’t mention it, lad. Someone’s got to look after you. Off you go now!”

  Back in the shop Merlin was talking to a couple of kids a little younger than Artie. A grown-up behind them thumbed through a graphic novel. Artie was suddenly conscious of the sword. Merlin broke away from his customers midsentence, turned to Artie, and said under his breath, “Don’t worry, they can’t see it. Look in the video monitors.” Artie looked and, sure enough, there was no sign of Cleomede. Then Merlin piped up and said, “Children, you are very lucky. This young man has proven himself worthy of one of my rarest possessions! He has won the Golden Controller!”

  “No way!” exclaimed the boy, expressing immediate admiration for Artie.

  “I thought no one could get that!” said the girl, sounding more disappointed than impressed.

  “Not no one, child, just not anyone. Artie is this young man’s name, and he is quite special. Go on, Artie, help yourself. Take the controller, but come back tomorrow when the tournament is over. We have some unfinished business to attend to.”

  Artie went to the case, which had been opened since he’d gone on his surrealistic adventure, and picked up the controller. It was a lot heavier than he expected. He put it in a bag that Merlin held open for him, and headed toward the exit.

  “I called a taxi for you,” Merlin shouted. “And remember tomorrow, sire!”

  Sire. That would take some getting used to.

  Artie climbed into the yellow Cincinnati Checker cab idling in front of the shop and found himself back at the hotel in five minutes. He was so out of it that as he was getting out, he didn’t hear the young driver exclaim, “I’ll be seeing you around, kid!”

  Artie threw Cleomede over his shoulder as inconspicuously as he could. No one said a thing about it or paid him any special attention.

  He had an invisible sword? Really?

  He walked through the lobby, got into a full elevator, and no one stared. He passed a cleaning lady in the hallway outside his room, and all she said was, “Hello there.”

  He had an invisible sword. Really.

  He let himself into the room. Kay and Kynder were resting on the beds. When he walked in, Kynder propped himself on his elbows and said, “There you are. I was just beginning to worry.”

  He didn’t notice the sword at all. “Nothing to worry about!” Artie said uneasily. “Here. Check it out, Kay.” Artie removed the controller from the bag and held it out.

  She took it without taking her eyes off her brother. Kynder didn’t seem to notice, though, and he said, “Well, that looks really cool, Kay. I think it’ll work great for the tourney, don’t you?”

  “Uh, yeah, should be fine,” she said.

  “Great,” Kynder blurted, “I’m going to grab a shower.”

  “Cool,” Kay said.

  Kynder went into the bathroom and closed the door. Artie didn’t move.

  Kay asked, “What is that?”

  Artie said weakly, “That’s your stupid controller.”

  “I can see that, Slick, but I mean that.” She pointed directly at him and said in a desperate whisper, “The sword!”

  “What sword?”

  “Uh, the medieval-looking broadsword hanging over your shoulder!”

  “You can see it?”

  “Of course I can.”

  “No one else can. Kynder can’t. The cabbie couldn’t. No one else can see it!”

  “Bull.”

  “Not bull. Look, I’ll take it off and lean it against the wall over here, and wait and see if Kynder says anything.”

  “Wow. Okay. But you’re crazy.”

  “Maybe.” Artie put the sword down, and as he did, everything that had happened drew into focus. He had met Merlin. Tom Thumb had guided him. He had taken the sword from the stone. He had seen and slain a dragoling. He was King Arthur and, while totally unsure of what that meant, he was proud of himself.

  He couldn’t explain why it all made sense, but suddenly it did.

  He looked at Kay. “Later on today, after you win the tournament, I think things will get a little clearer.”

  “How’s that?”

  “You—you and Kynder—we’ve got to go back to that store. You’ll see.”

  “See what?”

  “I can’t explain.”

  “Artie, what is going on?”

  “After the tournament,” he said.

  Kynder walked out of the bathroom in a robe to get a clean shirt before showering. Kay said, “Hey, Kynder.”

  “Hey, Kay.”

  “Notice anything weird in here?”

  “Not really. You two can be a little weird, but I like you that way,” he said with a smirk.

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, but thanks for the compliment. What I mean is, you see anything, like, strange over in that general area?” Kay pointed directly at the sword.

  Kynder looked at his daughter quizzically, then to where she was pointing, then back to her. “You all right, Kay?”

  “You don’t see anything weird over there?”

  “Unless the wall is strange, no.” Kynder shook his head. “Did you have too much Coca-Cola yesterday?” He headed back to the bathroom, mumbling, “Really, I don’t know why I indulge you two like I do.”

  Kay was dumbfounded. “Artie, what is going on?” She walked up to the sword and touched it. She picked it up. “Man, it’s light.” She turned the sword in her hands. Then she looked closely at the blade and demanded, “Artie, what is this? Is this blood?”

  The boy who would be king just nodded sheepishly.

  7

  IN WHICH MERLIN DROPS SOME SCIENCE

  Kay calmed down, loved the new controller, and summarily kicked everyone’s butt at the tournament in record time. Her victory was so complete that Kynder deemed her controller “inspiring.” He insisted that before leaving town they visit “this Indivisible Tower place” to pay a debt of gratitude.

  And so at five thirty they found themselves staring at the Invisible Tower’s front door.

  Kynder pulled it open, and they stepped inside.

  Like Artie, Kay and Kynder were also very impressed with the place. Kynder gravitated immediately to a case full of vintage action figures. Kay moved to the comic book shelves. Artie just waited for Merlin.

  After a minute or two the old man drifted up the center aisle toward Kay, who, looking at an issue of The New Avengers, didn’t notice him at all.

  When he was next to her, he said, “Hello there!” in a velvety, soothing voice.

  Kay yelped, “Oh!” She took one look at the old man and said, “Wow! Nice tats, Gramps.”

  “Aha! I’m glad you can see them.” Artie walked toward them as Merlin whispered conspiratorially, “Not everyone can, you know. Your brother can. Your father will not.”

  “Like that crazy sword Artie’s carrying?”

  “Precisely.”

  “So you gave that to him?”

  “No. He had to go and get it. As a matter of fact, he’s supposed to give it to you once he retrieves Excalibur.”

  The mention of Excalibur didn’t faze Kay in the least. She thumbed through the comic book, saying, “Really? Cool, I guess. Not sure why Artie has a sword, but it is pretty sweet, being invisible and all.”

  Artie stepped to Kay’s side and awkwardly said, “Sis
, this is—well, his name is Merlin—and he’s got something to do with—”

  Kay interrupted, “Wait. Merlin? Are you kidding me?”

  Artie shook his head. Merlin placed a hand on Kay’s shoulder and said, “He is not, my dear. I am the wizard Merlin, and your brother is a king, and you are his champion.”

  Kay spun to her brother and demanded, “Artie, what’s this geezer talking about?”

  Artie held up his hands and answered, “Just listen to him. I know it sounds crazy, but just listen, okay?”

  Kay scrunched her face and turned back to the old man. “All right, Pops. I’ll do what Artie says, but I want you to know that you’re starting to creep me out.”

  Merlin smiled. “Of course I am, my dear! It’s not every day you meet a wizard! Come. Let’s find your father.”

  Kay rolled her eyes and said, “Okay, whatever.”

  They made their way to the back of the store as Merlin called out, “Kynder Kingfisher? Come here, please.”

  Kynder wandered down the far aisle and when he got to them, he stuck out his hand. As promised, he didn’t seem to notice the old codger’s tattoos at all. Kynder said, “Hello, sir! Seems my children already told you my name, but let’s make it official. Kynder Kingfisher. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The old man took his hand and said, “I can assure you that the pleasure is all mine, Mr. Kingfisher. My name is Merlin.”

  “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Merlin,” Kynder said casually, as if the old man was instead named “Steve.”

  “Likewise. If I may say, you’ve done a marvelous job with the children.”

  “Thank you,” Kynder replied. “And thank you also for selling Artie that lucky controller. I’ve never seen someone play a video game as proficiently as Kay did today. Really, I hesitate to say it, but it was almost magical!”

  Merlin beamed. “Imagine that! I’m glad to have been of service and I thank you for your gratitude. As a gesture of goodwill, I wonder if you might allow me to give you the dollar tour?”

  “That would be great, wouldn’t it, guys?”

  Artie and Kay both said sure.

  “Fantastic!” Merlin said. He tented his fingertips. “Well, you’ve seen the store, so let’s continue with the really interesting stuff, which happens to be in the basement.”

  Merlin moved behind the desk and parted the curtain, holding out his hand as an invitation. Kynder accepted and walked to the back.

  “Here we go, I guess,” said Kay.

  Artie, bringing up the rear, confirmed, “Yep, here we go.”

  And they went downstairs.

  Kynder didn’t get to see all the interesting stuff—only because he was so impressed by the second room. As soon as they’d stepped into the tropical greenhouse, Kynder gawked like a kid in a candy store.

  “Ghost, phantom, Florida blue!” Kynder’s finger pointed around the room, indicating orchids. “A nun’s orchid, a pansy. Oh, look! What’s that one, Merlin?”

  “A Dracula cutis-bufonis.”

  “My goodness, it’s hideous! It’s gorgeous!”

  “Thank you, Mr. Kingfisher. How about you stay here with these precious plants while Kay and Artie and I carry on? I’ve a few things to discuss with them.”

  Enraptured, Kynder absently said, “Yes, yes, that’s fine.”

  Artie and Kay shared a puzzled look. Merlin said, “Great. Follow me, then, children.”

  Merlin led them through the same rooms that Artie had seen the day before, and they were every bit as fantastic the second time through.

  Artie watched his sister closely. He was glad to see that he was not the only one who couldn’t believe what was happening. Yet Kay’s open mouth and widened eyes made him a little more afraid. What he couldn’t believe was happening was happening.

  Eventually they reached a comfy sitting room, and Merlin stopped. The room had three overstuffed leather chairs arranged around a low, round coffee table.

  “Please, sit down,” the old man said. They did. Merlin stood behind the chair opposite them.

  Kay studied the room. Its walls consisted mostly of shelves covered with musty scrolls and hefty tomes; it smelled ancient and was lit by dim electric sconces. Aside from the books, a whole shelf was devoted to an elaborate, open-air terrarium, in the middle of which stood a large mushroom-shaped thing made of Legos. As she looked closer, she saw windows in its large red cap, and a brown drawbridge door in its sturdy stem. In front of the mushroom house on a patch of moss were a little table and chair. And then, suddenly, she noticed something move behind one of the windows. She shook her head, but there it was again: the silhouette of a small man. Her heart quickened. To conceal her anxiety she pointed at the coffee table and quipped, “So, what, is this like the first meeting of the new knights of the Round Table?”

  Merlin chuckled and said, “Well, I hadn’t meant it that way, but yes, it is!”

  Artie clapped his hands on his knees and with a lot of uncharacteristic authority he proclaimed, “All right—if this is supposed to be the Round Table, and I’m supposed to be King Arthur, and you’re supposed to be my wizard—why don’t you tell us whatever it is you’re going to tell us?”

  Kay playfully punched her brother on the shoulder and said, “You tell him, Your Highness!”

  Merlin was equally impressed. He sat and stared intently at both Kingfisher children. Then he said, “Very good. Where should we begin?”

  “Why don’t we tell Kay about what happened yesterday?” Artie suggested.

  Merlin nodded and began, “Well, as you know, Artie came here in search of a special controller for your tourn—”

  “Wait,” Artie interrupted. “Why don’t we get Tom to tell her?”

  “Aha! Good idea. Tom?”

  Kay asked, “Tom? Who’s Tom?”

  The answer came from the Lego mushroom. A voice there said, “I am Tom. Tom Thumb. And I am at your service!”

  Kay shook her head. There, near the little chair on the patch of moss, stood a man no more than three inches tall. Kay stood up quickly and exclaimed, “What’s that? Is this some kind of game?”

  Merlin rose and held out his hand for Thumb to climb into and then sat back down. Kay remained standing, never taking her eyes off the little man.

  Artie put a hand on his sister’s arm and said, “Kay, I know it’s crazy, but that is Tom Thumb.”

  Kay dropped back into her chair, saying, “Like from

  Grimms’ fairy tales or whatever?”

  Thumb answered, “The same, my dear, though I was never properly a member of the family Grimm. The truth is that I have always been a friend of Merlin’s, and I was very dear to King Arthur himself—for your information you are looking at a bona fide knight of the Round Table!”

  “Artie, please tell me what’s going on,” Kay pleaded weakly.

  Artie smiled and asked Thumb to explain instead. And he did. With lots of class and good-natured British authority, Tom Thumb told Kay all about the adventure to pull Cleomede from the stone, and how together they’d killed three nasty little dragons.

  When he was done, Kay asked quietly, “But how can any of this be true?”

  “Well—” Artie started.

  But Kay had a revelation. She interrupted, asking, “Does this have anything to do with what Kynder told you last night? About how you appeared in my crib? About Mom?”

  She had heard. Artie’s heart sank.

  “My dear Kay, it has everything to do with that!” Merlin said excitedly. “Please, can I tell you some of what I know? I’ll first tell you why you’re here, and then tell you about the Otherworld.”

  “The Otherworld,” Kay said flatly. “Like the video game?”

  Artie said, “Kinda. The real Otherworld. That’s where I got the sword.”

  “Oh, okay,” Kay deadpanned.

  Merlin interrupted them by waving his hands through the air. The library changed. All around blossomed a world of giant trees and purplish skies. Apparent
ly, Merlin’s tale was going to be illustrated.

  Merlin cleared his throat and began, “Tom and I used to live in the Otherworld. In a place called Sylvan.”

  “That’s one of the lands in the video game!” Artie said.

  “Yes, and it’s what you see now in this room,” Merlin said.

  “Sylvan is the emerald isle of the Otherworld,” Thumb said longingly. “I spent many a fine year there.”

  Merlin continued, “The Otherworld is this world’s sibling. It’s not an alternate reality, but more a hidden place that is superimposed over and around ours in subtle and invisible ways. This side shares much with its sister: trees, plants, and creatures; the atmosphere; the planet and its location in the solar system; time. In some ways the worlds feed each other. For instance, when animals go extinct here, they move there. And in other ways they are totally different: while we get our energy from oil and coal, they get theirs from an amazingly clean source only found on their side; while we have too many people, they have too few; and while we have science and progress, they have magic and stasis. The Otherworld is where I learned all of my ancient craft, and I yearn to return to it.”

  “Wow,” Artie and Kay said together.

  “Yes. It’s a remarkable place. One that I’ve been unable to see for a long, long time. In fact, I’ve not seen even a crack of sky or a patch of meadow in this world for the same length of time. The Invisible Tower is my prison, you see. A cabal of Otherworld witches and sorcerers conspired first to murder the original King Arthur, and then to jail me. I have been here for nearly fifteen hundred years, unable to see a path to escape. Until now.”

  “You mean until Artie showed up?” Kay asked.

  “Precisely. Which brings me to why you are here. Artie, I need your help. Simply put, I need you to break me out of this prison.” Merlin paused, and the silence was deafening. He put his hands together like he was praying. He leaned toward Artie and said quietly, “Our fates are intertwined, my liege. Only with your help, and the help of your sword, Excalibur, can I get the key that will destroy the invisible tower that rises above this building in Cincinnati, Ohio.”

  “You mean there really is a tower up there?” Artie asked faintly.