Arthur Hood: the Heir of Robin and King

Chapter Seventeen

The three had barely made it to the bank of the river, when the broom just dropped and they plonked with a thud onto the ground next to the Home for Enchanted Girls.

'That was another close one,' said Merlynna.

With their shoes squelching below them, the three then dashed through the orphanage's grounds and behind a stack of large cauldrons, where they peered over and looked around.

'See anything?' Arthur asked.

'Nothing,' answered Merlynna.

'Me neither,' added Little Johnny.

'Good, I guess,' said Merlynna. 'Now, follow me–but wait–let me dry out our shoes first.' And as she waved a hand over them, she said, 'Tioram.'

Arthur felt an instant tingle in his feet but that was all.

'That's odd. My shoes didn't dry out,' said Melynna before asking the boys if theirs had.

Arthur and Little Johnny shook their heads.

Merlynna tried another spell. 'Felm.'

Once again, Arthur felt a tingle in his feet. Yet still, his shoes remained wet.

'Any change?' Melynna asked.

'Nope,' replied Arthur.

'Me neither,' said Little Johnny.

'Hmmm,' said Merlynna, 'Whatever magic broke the orphanage's disguising charm seems to be having an effect on mine.' Then without warning, she leapt out from behind the stack of cauldrons and over to the closest window.

'Wait for us,' breathed Arthur, and he and Little Johnny followed her over, where all he saw was darkness inside.

'It's locked,' whispered Merlynna. 'And I've tried unlocking it with a spell but nothing.'

'Let's check the other windows,' said Arthur. 'Surely one of them is unlocked.'

Sadly, none were.

'Now what?' asked Little Johnny.

'Let me think,' Merlynna replied.

But the answer of how to get in zoomed over their heads.

Thinking it was a fairy, the three of them dived inside a bush close by, but after hearing a few meows, they crawled back out and saw Fury up on top of the roof. The winged cat then slinked over to the chimney, leapt up before disappearing down the flue.

'Where does that lead?' Little Johnny asked.

'Into the dining room,' Merlynna replied.

'All right, I'll meet you two at one of its windows.'

'What?' breathed Arthur. 'What are you talking about?'

'Just watch,' replied Little Johnny. 'Now, I think I'll be able to fit.'

'Seriously, though,' said Merlynna, 'what are you talking about?'

Little Johnny didn't answer but held out his staff to the young witch. 'Can you hold onto that for a second?'

'Okay.' And Merlynna took it.

'Thanks.' Then like that, Little Johnny scurried off and over to a drain.

Now what he did next made Arthur and Merlynna gasp. He began to climb the pipe. And he was so swift that it made Arthur and Merlynna gasp again. The two then watched as Little Johnny clambered onto the roof, darted over to the chimney and disappeared down.

'That was quite something,' said Merlynna.

'You can say that again,' replied Arthur.

'Come on, follow me.'

The two kept to the walls of the orphanage like scampering rodents before stopping underneath another window. Then as they were about to peer through, Little Johnny appeared on the other side of the glass and unlatched the lock.

Moments later, Arthur and Merlynna joined him inside.

'That was brilliant,' Arthur whispered to Little Johnny.

'Thank you,' Little Johnny replied before the two bolted after a determined looking Merlynna crossing the dining room.

The three then made their way out into a corridor and quietly searched every room they came across, but there was no sign of the caretakers or the other girls.

'Maybe the Shadow took them like they took my parents,' whispered Arthur as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. 'And maybe they took the piece of the Sword in the Stone that you found too.'

'We shall see,' Merlynna replied and she picked up the pace.

Soon, the three were standing in her bedroom and looking at an absolute mess.

'My goodness,' said Merlynna, 'If Miss Harrower, Madame Joan and Mrs Good saw this, they'd freak out.'

'So this is where you kept it?' asked Arthur.

'That's right. And clearly the Shadow knew it was in here, but they didn't find it.'

'Where is it then?'

'I put it under a floorboard.'

'Which one?' asked Little Johnny.

'Now that's a good question,' said Merlynna. 'I used a spell to jumble them all up. If I still had my magic, I'd be able to arrange them back.'

'We'll just have to rip them all up then.'

That, however, was to be unnecessary, for Arthur's piece of the Sword in the Stone, which was in his pocket, suddenly began to glow more brightly.

'What's-what's happening?' he sputtered the moment he took it out. He then stepped forward to show the other two and the radiance increased.

'Maybe it's . . . .' began Merlynna.

'Maybe it's what?'

'Let's see what happens to it if you take a step back.'

Arthur did and the shard's glow dimmed.

'Now take two steps forward,' said Merlynna.

Arthur again did as she commanded and the shard burned brighter than before.

'Oh my,' said Little Johnny, 'I think it's showing you where the other piece is.'

With haste, Arthur zigzagged around the room. The shard brightened and dimmed, brightened and dimmed, until he finally found where the shard burned its brightest. Then looking down at the floorboard beneath him, he said, 'I think I've found it.'

Little Johnny and Merlynna rushed over, got to their knees and ripped the floorboard up. And there it was, the other fragment, it glowing as splendidly as the one Arthur was holding. Then unexpectedly, and which sent all three of them into paralyzing surprise, the fragment inside the secret compartment shot up.

The next thing Arthur heard was a clash of metal on metal before a blinding light burst all around like an exploding star. But in a flash, the blaze vanished and Arthur stood looking down at the conjoined creation of the two fragments.

The three gazed at it in awe until Little Johnny said, 'It looks more like a sword now.'

It sure did, thought Arthur, and he wondered about the Princess of the Fays' piece. It would surely make the sword whole. But that was soon thrown from his mind as he heard a noise coming from outside.

'What was that?' Merlynna asked, and they dashed over to the window. 'Uh, oh.'