Christmas in Camelot (4 page)

“How do we do all that?” asked Annie, wiping her eyes.

“Remember these three rhymes,” said the Christmas Knight.

“Wait, let me write them down,” said Jack.

His hands trembled as he pulled out his notebook and pencil. He looked at the Christmas Knight.

“Okay, I'm ready,” he said. Gripping his pencil made Jack feel stronger.

The knight's voice rang out from inside his helmet.

“Beyond the iron gate

The Keepers of the Cauldron wait.”

Jack quickly wrote down the knight's words. “Okay, what's next?” he asked.

The Christmas Knight went on:

“Four gifts you will need—

The first from me.

Then a cup, a compass,

And, finally, a key.”

“Cup … compass … key … . Got it,” said Jack.

The Christmas Knight's voice boomed again:

“If you survive to complete your quest,

The secret door lies to the west.”

Jack copied down the last rhyme, then looked up at the knight.

“Anything else?” he asked.

Without a word, the knight pulled off his red cloak. He dropped it to the floor. It fell silently into a heap at Jack and Annie's feet.

The Christmas Knight snapped his horse's red reins, then galloped out of the great hall.

O
nce the knight was gone, the candles and torches in the great hall grew dimmer. A bitter chill crept over the room.

“What do these three rhymes mean?” said Jack, looking at his notebook. “Who are the Keepers of the Cauldron? What secret door?”

“I don't know,” said Annie. “I just know we have to save Morgan.”

She gathered the red cloak up in her arms. “We've got our first gift,” she said. “Let's go.”

“Wait—we should figure this out first,” said Jack.

“No. We should just go,” said Annie. She turned and headed for the archway.

Jack pushed his glasses into place and looked back at the Round Table, at the frozen king and queen, at the frozen knights, and at Morgan le Fay.

He loved Morgan. She was their great friend and teacher. If he and Annie did not go on their quest, Morgan's story and the stories of Camelot and all the stories about the magic tree house would end forever.

Jack took a deep breath. He put his notebook into his backpack. Then he turned toward the archway.

“Annie?” he said.

She was gone.

“Annie, wait!” he shouted. “Wait!”

Jack ran out of the great hall.

“Annie!”

“I'm here,” she said quietly. “I'm waiting.” She was standing at the end of the entrance hall peering outside.

“How do we get to the Otherworld?” she asked.

“Maybe the tree house can take us there,” said Jack. “Come on.”

Together, Jack and Annie hurried through the inner courtyard of the castle and over the drawbridge. They ran over the frozen ground to the moonlit grove of trees.

Clutching the red cloak, Annie started up the rope ladder. Jack followed. They climbed inside the tree house and sat on the floor.

Annie picked up the Royal Invitation. “Close your eyes. I'll make the wish,” she said.

Jack closed his eyes. He was shivering from the cold.

“I wish we could go to the Otherworld,” said Annie.

The bare branches of the trees rattled in the wind.

“I think it's working!” whispered Annie.

The wind stopped blowing.

Jack opened his eyes. He and Annie looked out the window. The dark castle loomed against the sky. They were still in Camelot.

“It d-didn't work,” said Jack, his teeth chattering.

“Yes, it did!” whispered Annie. “Look down.”

Standing below the tree house was the biggest deer Jack had ever seen. The deer was staring up at them with amber eyes. His huge antlers seemed to glow in the cold moonlight.

Most amazing of all, the deer was completely white, as white as new-fallen snow.

“A white stag!” said Jack.

Puffs of frosty air blew from the stag's nostrils. He stepped toward the tree house and shook his giant head.

“He's come to take us on our journey,” said Annie.

“People don't ride deer,” said Jack.

But Annie had already started down the rope ladder. Jack watched from the window as
she walked to the stag and spoke softly. The stag knelt. Annie climbed on his back.

“Come on!” she called to Jack. “Bring the cloak!”

“Okay, okay,” said Jack. He gathered up the heavy velvet cloak. Clutching it against his chest, he climbed down the rope ladder. He hurried over to Annie and the white stag.

“Put on the cloak and climb on behind me,” said Annie.

Jack put the cloak on over his backpack. He pulled it around his shoulders and buttoned it at the neck. As the cloak fell down around his body, the soft, smooth cloth made him feel warm and safe.

“Ready?” said Annie.

“Yeah,” said Jack. He climbed on the stag's back behind Annie.

The white stag slowly stood up. Annie leaned forward, putting her arms around its neck. Jack leaned forward, too, and held on to Annie. The
red velvet cloak draped over both of them, falling past their feet.

The white stag stepped gracefully over the frozen grass. He walked through the outer gate of the castle. He blew out a puff of air, then broke into a leaping run.

Jack held on tightly to Annie as the stag dashed across a frost-covered field. He jumped over hedgerows and stone walls. He bounded across icy streams.

Annie's braids floated on the wind. The red cloak billowed behind them. Jack was amazed at how easy it was to ride on the stag's back. He felt calm and safe as the stag sped like a white comet through the wintry countryside.

The stag ran past flocks of sheep and herds of goats asleep in the meadows. He ran past thatched huts and quiet stables.

The stag ran on and on through the starry night. Jack saw a cloud-covered mountain range in the distance. When they came close to the
craggy mountains, Jack was sure the stag would stop. But he galloped on—not even breaking his stride as he started up a rocky slope.

The stag finally came to a halt on the ledge of a steep cliff. In a windy swirl of fog and cloud, he knelt to the ground, and Jack and Annie slid off his back.

The stag stood up. He stared down at them with his glowing amber eyes.

“Thank you!” said Annie. “Do you have to leave now?”

The stag lowered his head and raised it again. He blew out a frosty puff of air, then leaped away, vanishing into the mist.

“Bye,” Annie said wistfully. She stared into the mist for a moment, then turned to Jack. “What do we do now?”

“I don't know,” said Jack. “Let's read the three rhymes again.”

He reached under the red cloak and pulled off his pack. He took out his notebook and
started to read the first rhyme:

“Beyond the iron gate—”

“Jack!” interrupted Annie. “Look!”

Jack looked up. The wind had blown away some of the fog. Beyond the cliff rose another mountain. A huge gate was built into its side. A pale light shone between the gate's thick iron bars. Two knights in gold armor stood guard under flaming torches.

“Oh, man,” whispered Jack.

“That's it—the iron gate!” said Annie. “If we pass through that gate, we'll be in the Otherworld!”

A
s the wind blew away more fog, Jack and Annie saw a bridge. It was made of thick wooden planks held together with iron bands. It stretched all the way from the edge of the cliff where they were standing to the iron gate.

“Come on, let's go!” said Annie.

“Wait!” said Jack. “What about the guards?”

The two guards in gold armor stood perfectly still. Their huge spears gleamed in the torchlight.

“I don't know,” said Annie. “Read the second rhyme.”

Jack looked in his notebook and read aloud.

“Four gifts you will need—

The first from me.

Then a cup, a compass,

And, finally, a key.”

“The first gift is the Christmas Knight's cloak,” said Annie.

“Yeah, I guess it's supposed to help us somehow,” said Jack.

He unbuttoned the cloak from around his neck. Then he held it out to get a good look at it.

“Maybe it can make us invisible,” said Annie.

“That's nuts,” said Jack.

“Seriously,” she said, “cloaks sometimes do that in stories.”

“Well, it didn't make
me
invisible, did it?” said Jack.

“Maybe you were wearing it wrong,” said Annie. “Give it to me.”

“Oh, brother,” said Jack. But he handed the cloak to Annie. It flapped in the wind as she pulled it around her shoulders.

“Can you see me?” she said.

“Yes, Annie,” said Jack, rolling his eyes. “I can see you.”

Jack looked back at the gate.
Even if we get past the guards, what then?
he wondered.
The Otherworld swallowed up Camelot's best knights. King Arthur said it was filled with magic and monsters.

“Jack! Look at me now.”

Jack turned to Annie. She wasn't there.

“Where are you?” he said, staring at the darkness.

“Cool, it works!”

“Where are you?” Jack said again, turning around.

“Here.”

Jack felt a hand touch his face.

“Ahh!” he said, jumping back.

“It's me! I'm invisible! I pulled the hood over my head. That's the trick.”

Jack felt a chill run down his spine.

“Oh, man,” he whispered.

“Watch. I'm going to take the hood off.”

In a flash, Annie was back.

“It feels creepy to be invisible,” she said.

Jack was speechless.

“The magic only happens when you wear the hood,” said Annie. “Good trick, huh?”