The Invisible Tower (17 page)

The wolf snarled and lunged. Artie ran toward it.

They crashed into each other. The horns of Artie's great helm caught Mrs. Dire Wolf squarely in the snout, and forced her head up and away from him. The wolf's throat was right there. Artie pushed his dagger into it and the creature cried and crumpled. He pulled the dagger free.

Artie, out of breath, stood over the vanquished creature, and the anger fell from his shoulders instantly.

Cracks of lightning shook the sky. The wolf bled out over the wet ground.

He stepped back. The rain suddenly stopped, as if shut off from above.

The forest quieted. Artie dropped to a knee, tears forming in his eyes.

He couldn't believe that he'd just killed this beautiful creature.

“Over here!” Artie yelled
.

His friends emerged from the thicket, with Vorpal bringing up the rear. Kay held Cleomede and Excalibur. When the group reached Artie, Kay handed Artie his sword. He asked it for more light and it obliged.

Kay looked at the gray heap at Artie's feet. “Whoa. You did that, Bro?”

“Yes,” Artie said softly.

“Well done, sire!” Bedevere said.

Artie shook his head. “I don't know, Bedevere. I don't think this was supposed to happen.”

Thumb stepped next to Artie and put a hand on his leg. “You did what you had to do, Artie. I'm sorry, but this is how battle works.”

Artie nodded, but his shoulders drooped. He hoped that Lord Numinae hadn't been watching as he'd killed this animal. It didn't make him feel kingly at all.

Bedevere suddenly reached for Artie's leg. “Sire—you're injured!”

Artie looked down. “I was, but the scabbard healed me instantly.”

Bedevere inspected Artie's ankle. There was plenty of sticky blood but no gash. Instead there was a raised line in his flesh about three inches long, like a wound that had been expertly stitched and healing for weeks. “Amazing,” Bedevere whispered.

Artie stood up quickly. “That's it! Of course!”

He dropped Excalibur and fumbled with his belt, removing the sword's scabbard. “Kay, go get the backpack!”

“Artie, I told you not to order me around,” Kay warned.

“Jeez.
Please
could you go and get the backpack?”

But she was already gone. “Man, what a royal pain,” she whined, her words trailing into the woods.

Artie got his belt free and pushed it under the animal. He buckled it tightly over the wound, hoping it would stanch some of the bleeding. He then carefully laid the length of his sword's sheath over the beast's shoulder.

Artie knelt and put one hand on Excalibur and the other on the scabbard. He started talking lowly in an ancient tongue he barely understood, repeating words that just sort of came to him.

The sword started glowing as rays of intense light pierced the woods.

Artie put a hand on the wolf's chest. He pet her fur as if she was his best canine friend. The wolf's body was still warm.

But still no life was in her.

Thumb and Bedevere watched in silence. Thumb said, “Artie, I don't think—”

“Shh!” Artie hissed. Thumb bowed his head.

Kay bounded back and skidded to a stop next to Artie. “What'll it be, Art?”

“The wizard's first aid kit and one of Kynder's warming potions.” Kay fumbled in the bag and pulled these out. “Okay. In the kit there's some healing balm in a little tin. Get that and open it.”

“Again with the ordering!”

“
Please
open it, Kay?”

Kay found it and twisted it open. Artie took a big dollop of glittering white goop and smeared the ointment over the animal's wound. Then he placed both hands on the scabbard and repeated the strange words.

He closed his eyes.

“Sire!” said Bedevere.

“Gross! She's bleeding again!” said Kay.

“I think it's working, Artie!” said Thumb.

It was. Only things with pumping hearts bled.

Artie said, “Kay, pour the warming liquid into her mouth.”

She did, and when the last drop was out of the bottle, Excalibur got so bright that they all had to close their eyes.

The animal began to breathe rapidly. Then Excalibur's light faded, and they opened their eyes.

Thumb spoke for everyone when he stammered, “I-I can't believe…”

Artie couldn't either. He removed the scabbard, picked up his sword, and handed these to Kay. She held Excalibur up for the light as Artie undid the belt buckle and began to reach under the animal's huge neck when the wolf yelped, opened her eyes, and suddenly stood.

Everyone jumped. Bedevere brandished his claymore, but Artie put out a hand and said, “It's okay. It's okay.”

The massive wolf whimpered and darted confusedly one way and then the next. Finally she fell onto her haunches, her head resting on her forepaws.

And then the thing Artie had seen earlier in camp dropped from the canopy, landing in between the knights and the great she-wolf.

“What the?” Kay barked.

Bedevere yearned to strike, and Thumb drew the
wakizashi
in a flash, but Artie ordered, “No!”

The wolf-head man was in a semicrouch, his palms facing the knights, pressing the air between them.

“I don't think he'll hurt us,” Artie said.

“Speak for yourself, Slick, but that's a grade-A monster!” Kay said.

“We've seen each other before! I'm sorry, but let me deal with him,” Artie implored.

Kay rolled her eyes.

Artie stepped gingerly toward the wolf-man. “I helped her, okay? I didn't mean to…”

The wolf-man was silent.

“Can you talk?” Thumb asked.

The creature shook his head.

Artie pointed at the she-wolf. “She's with you, right?”

The wolf-man nodded.

“Can you check and see if she'll be all right?”

The wolf-man pushed the air with his hands again. Artie understood. “Put away your weapons, everyone.” He looked into the red and yellow eyes of the creature and said, “I have to keep mine out for the light, but I'll put it down. We won't hurt you, I promise.”

Artie took Excalibur by the blade and placed it pommel first on the ground. He commanded, “Stay!” and let go, and it balanced there, perfectly on end. “Please, check to make sure she's okay,” Artie requested.

The wolf-man knelt and stroked the she-wolf's mane. He leaned to her ear and made a series of low yelps and growls, and she said something back. He removed his red cape and draped it over her. She nuzzled his hand and he rubbed her ears.

He stood. He nodded.

“She'll be okay?”

The wolf-man placed his hands together and nodded again. And then he made a little bow.

Artie couldn't remember ever feeling so relieved.

Then Artie got a notion and asked, “Were you sent here to find us?”

The creature didn't move. Finally he dipped his chin, just once, very quickly.

“
She
sent you, didn't she? The witch from Fenland?”

He nodded again, his shoulders slumped. He looked ashamed.

“Why didn't your pack try to kill us? Why haven't
you
killed us?” Artie asked.

“Jeez, Your Highness, give us a little credit,” Kay said. “They might have if we hadn't overpowered them.”

Artie started to scold his sister, but the wolf-man made an odd sound like a chainsaw starting up.

He was laughing.

“See?” Kay said. “He gets it.”

“All right, Kay,” Artie said over his shoulder.

The wolf-man looked at the she-wolf.

Artie frowned. “She's your—she's your wife, isn't she?”

He nodded.

“I'm so sorry—”

The wolf-man shook his head and his hands forcefully, and then motioned to the she-wolf again.

Artie thought he got it. “I mean, you're welcome?” And the great creature bowed, then rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a crumpled rectangle of yellowing paper, which he held out to Artie.

Artie cautiously walked to the creature and took it. It was printed with very orderly block letters. It said:

“CABLE
WOLFHEAD
A-0000-H

Artie turned the paper in his fingers and said, “Nice to meet you, Cable. I'm Artie.” Artie offered his hand. The wolf-man took it in his. It was gigantic.

They released hands and each took a half step back.

Artie asked, “This is if I need you, isn't it?”

Cable nodded hard and made a quiet but high-pitched howl. Then he came very close to Artie and underlined the
A-OOOO-H
on his card with his clawed index finger.

Artie said, “So if I need you, I call your name and howl like this?”

Cable nodded again, holding up a single finger very insistently.

“It's only good once?”

The wolf-man nodded one more time, and shrugged apologetically.

“Don't worry, Cable. I won't cry wolf. Thank you, truly. But I'm wondering if you could do a couple other things for me?”

Cable looked at his revived wife, then turned to Artie, listening.

“Okay. First, is the road close?”

Cable nodded.

“Good. How far?”

He held up one finger.

“One more day?”

He nodded.

“Great. Now this one may be a little harder, but it would mean a lot. Can you hold off for as long as possible before reporting what happened tonight? We need to keep a low profile, and I don't want the witch to know about my friends and me.”

The wolf-man tilted his head and frowned. He stayed like this for several moments.

Thumb stepped forward. “Please, Sir Cable. This kindness may just buy us the time we need.” And then the little man bowed.

Cable stood bolt upright and clapped his hand over his heart. He bowed deeply.

“Thank you, friend,” said Artie, sounding—and feeling—more kingly than he ever had before. “I can promise that we won't tell anyone about what happened here tonight, either. You have my word.”

“That's right, Wolfie, and that actually means something,” intoned Kay, clearly impressed with Artie. “That's my bro, and he's King freaking Arthur.”

Artie bowed low to Cable. The owl, invisible in the canopy above, hooted three times. Then it fell into the woods, and flew off.

Cable was right. They hit
the road in the late afternoon on the following day.

Now all they had to do was figure out which way to go to get to the Great Library.

Down the road a ways stood a massive white pine. Thumb suggested climbing it to get the lay of the land.

When they reached the tree, Bedevere grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself up. He quickly disappeared into the high, darkening boughs. Fifteen minutes later he came back into view, flushed and covered in scrapes and long needles.

He dropped to the ground, brushed himself off, and said, “Good news. I can see the Glimmer Stream—which in spite of its name is Sylvan's biggest river—not far to the north. Just before it is a village. I'm positive I can see the library there.”

“Which means we can get our map!” Kay said.

“Which means we can
try
to get a map that will help us,” Thumb corrected. “Finding the Font won't be easy, but I see no reason not to follow Bercilak's advice.”

They started down the road.

Artie was next to Thumb, who hopped along on Vorpal. As they walked, Thumb said, “There's something you should know about Cable, Artie.”

“Yeah, what's that?”

“Well, I can't be certain, but Arthur the First's wolfhound was named something quite similar—Cabal. He was unerringly faithful to Arthur, and was a fierce fighter.”

“You think there's a connection?”

“Perhaps. Cable may be descended from Cabal, and it may be why he was used to try to find you. The witch might have guessed that he would have stood the best chance of tracking you down.”

“But then why'd he give us his card? It seemed like he wanted to help us.”

“Maybe after seeing what you did for him, he realized that harming you was not in order.”

Artie shook his head. “So can we trust him or not?”

Thumb took a moment before answering. “I think we can. You earned that for us by resurrecting his wife. He won't forget that.”

“I hope not,” Artie said quietly.

Thumb continued, “But we must remain vigilant. If the witch manages to find out where he discovered us and when, we may be in more imminent danger than we think.”

They continued on in silence, passing a grove of small chestnuts and elms. In due time they came to a wooden sign with gilt lettering. It read in plain, modern English:

VELTDAM, THE TOWN OF KNOWLEDGE!

Behind the sign was a small brick building. Past this stood the beginnings of the town, which looked pretty abandoned.

Just beyond the sign in a small clearing stood a tight group of golden metal rods about ten feet high. They surrounded a very brightly glowing blue pole. At the top of this cluster was a golden upside-down bowl, out of which jutted an antenna-looking thing, and from which extended a cable that stretched to a wooden pole twenty feet away on the right side of the road. The cable went on this way down the road and into the town.

Artie was reminded of Merlin's electricity demonstration with Excalibur back at the Invisible Tower. “Are those power lines?” he asked.

“That's right, lad,” answered Thumb. “The blue rod has a tiny bit of sangrealite in it. Deep belowground its other end is immersed in a vein of lava. Capacitors and transformers are distributed along the power line as it gets through the town. And that's quite simply how the whole thing works.”

“Clean energy in action,” Kay marveled.