The Hunt for Excalibur

33 Like the Lady of Shalott

Arriving over the coast of Arran’s island, Ava gasped at the beauty of the Scottish island. The day was gray, but mild, allowing them to appreciate the green majesty enclosed by a dark and calm ocean. Below them, the island was divided up in odd ends of farmland and small forests in patches in different hues of green, bordered by roads and tree lines.

From the coast, smoky spray permeated over the small town of Brodick. The blade slap of Purdue’s helicopter got louder as the air craft tilted to turn into the wind, heading north towards the castle grounds. Purdue was going to land the helicopter on a patch of land near the castle grounds, where it could sit until the party of four returned. He had arranged it with the landowner over the phone and wired the agreed funds to the man’s account.

Sam, Ava, Kostas and Purdue stretched their legs after the turbulent, but pleasant flight down to the Isle of Arran. From where Purdue touched down, the view was wondrous.

“It really does look like a scene from King Arthur,” Purdue remarked as the mild wind swept his white hair.

“Aye,” Sam agreed, enjoying some libation from his flask to keep the cold at bay. “I just hope there is something out there to look for. Even if this sword is actually real, it would hardly be handed to us by a hot woman in a lake. How will…?”

Purdue leaned in and hushed Sam. “Listen, we just get a goddamn sword and give it to them so that we can get Nina back. It is a weapon from a fictional book, Sam. We might as well be looking for a fucking unicorn.”

“Look at the castle!” Kostas exclaimed, gesturing up for Ava to see. “The Viking age lords knew how to build.”

Atop an elevated cascade of rolling green lawn, the striking castle perched. It had overlooked the Firth of Clyde for centuries, even since the medieval times, born from a fortress that originally stood on the site. These days it resembled a more stately estate than a hardy castle, holding off enemies and protecting the town adjacent.

“Too many tourists, even when the bloody castle is closed for winter,” Sam lamented, and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Shall we?”

“The day is still young. If we focus, and the scabbard is accurate, we should find the key before nightfall,” Purdue said. They proceeded through the immaculate gardens of the castle grounds. Kostas wished he could spend more time admiring the landscaper’s work, but he had to admit that the prospect of holding the sword of Arthur was far more engaging. They walked in silence, finding other people roaming the stunning gardens, but they had a mission. According to the scabbard, they had to measure the paces, fifty-four in total, from the castle’s most northeastern corner stone to reach the channel under the clump of trees. Purdue’s satellite phone rang in his backpack’s side pocket.

“Who the hell would that be?” Ava asked, looking vexed. Kostas kept count of the paces.

“The devil,” Purdue teased, and answered the call. “Yes?”

On the other end of the line, a familiar voice said, “This is your mother, calling from France.”

Only Sam noticed that Purdue was shocked. The playboy explorer had a magnificent poker face, but his closest friends could instantly tell different. He stuttered, “Bonjour Mama!”

Ava rolled her eyes. “His mother is French?” she asked Sam.

“Oui,” Sam smiled. “His father is Scottish, so he was born and raised here, but his mother is French. Since his father’s death, she has chosen to live in her motherland.”

Ava bought Sam’s fabrication, while Sam’s heart raced warmly in his chest. He knew that it was Nina. The French mother was her code between them. In turn, Sam realized that Ava did not speak French, otherwise she would have known that Purdue mentioned that they were in the company of enemies.

Sam rejoiced that she was alive, and if she could make a call, she had to have found a way out. However, Sam kept his feelings well hidden, as did Purdue, who was rambling on in French. Nina told him that Bernard was dead and that he was surprised by Johannes Rian, the main cock of the pen.

“I have Warkadur. The Callany family is still in Guernsey, where they kept us in an old abbey ruin. I hope you do not mind, they are staying at a holiday lodge there and I chartered a flight back to Edinburgh… all on your tab,” she told Purdue.

Ava glared at him, trying to figure out if anything unsavory was afoot. He answered Nina in French to keep up appearances, telling her that all was in order. Finally, she asked, “So, how do I get to you?”

Purdue pressed a code into his communication device, creating a marker for her to follow via the faux wristwatches they all wore during expeditions. “Merci,” she said. “See you soon.” Nina knew where Purdue kept the watches in his B-lab. With a deliriously happy Lillian packing ample food for her trip, Nina finally left Wrichtishousis to drive west to Ardrossan on the west coast of Scotland. From there she took a ferry to Brodick the entire trip taking her less than five hours. Soon, Nina was trailing her friends to make sure that no harm came to them. It was always good to have a card up the sleeve, after all.

Purdue and Sam felt victorious in many ways. Now that they knew Nina was safe, their surroundings held new splendor. Whether they found a sword or not, matter no more. If they should find Excalibur, it would be a bonus. At the end of the fifty-four paces, a dense canopy of wild growing rose bushes and twisted stalks of vine greeted them.

“Great,” Ava scoffed. “Dead end.”

Purdue smiled. “It is clear that you know nothing about the concept of hiding relics, my dear. You should get out of the musty antique shops a bit more.”

Kostas kept watch for any other hikers from the gardens while Purdue and Sam parted the entwined bushes.

“Is there a boat?” Ava said sarcastically.

The men stepped aside for her to see the rugged tied raft in the channel. “There is your boat, oh lady of Shalott,” Purdue invited. Reluctantly, she stepped forward to let them help her onto the raft. As she did, Sam saw Purdue and Kostas exchange glances. Purdue followed Sam onto the raft, but Kostas stayed behind. Sam used the long oar like a gondolier, and pushed them off into the slow current of the narrow channel. On both sides, the foliage was dense and high and green. Upon the water of the rivulet a smoldering mist rose, imparting the mood and image of entering another world through a Celtic birth canal of antiquity and wonder.

Ava looked back at Kostas, gradually fading behind the veil of drizzle and fogginess. “Why is he staying behind? I did not tell him to stay behind.”

“For one thing, he is too heavy for the raft to carry us all,” Sam explained. “Secondly, he should stay behind to make sure nobody discovers our little mission while we retrieve the key.”

It made sense, but Ava did not like being alone with Purdue and Sam, even with Kostas nearby. Sam’s earlier threat against the car swirled in her head. The raft glided along the meandering channel for what felt like an eternity, and the scenery stayed similar. It was rather disconcerting to see no change, as if they were eternally rowing in one place in some sort of afterworld.

“There, Purdue,” Sam suddenly indicated. To the side of the brook there was a rock naturally shaped like a shield, typically one of those that carried a coat of arms. This was where the confined little river ended in a pond. Its circumference was small, but the pool was deep.

“Oh my God! Is that Excalibur?” Ava gasped. She was lurched over, peering at a silvery shimmer in the pool. Purdue swallowed hard and looked at Sam. “Could it be?”

Ava dove into the dark water without warning.

“Jesus! Are you daft, Ava? It is freezing!” Sam exclaimed as she sank deeper into the water. He looked at Purdue. “What do you think?”

Purdue shook his head. “I have no idea. I just know that her gun is going to get wet.”

Sam chuckled. Ava resurfaced, barely keeping her head above the surface, holding a large silver shield in her hands. “Take it quickly! It is fucking heavy!” she groaned.

The pulled the shield up on the raft first. “Maybe we should just leave her there. Park the raft over her head,” Sam suggested to rile Ava up, but he pulled her out. Ever the gentleman, Purdue gave her his jacket to keep warm. Sam rowed back up the canal as Purdue and Ava scrutinized the shield. Made of a remarkable material they could not readily identify, the thing was almost 1.5 meters in length and thick enough to withstand fire and steel. Apart from its impressive strength, there was not much in the way of appearance.

“How is this a key?” Ava wondered out loud. “I cannot very well imagine sliding this into a slot, can you?”

“I suppose it is called a key, because it facilitates entry, not necessarily serving the old fashioned purpose,” Purdue reckoned. “After all I have seen as an explorer, the ancient world especially, had profound methods of engineering.”

Ava did not answer him. Her eyes were fixed on something that terrified her in the mist.

“What is it?” Purdue asked, but she remained mute, just gawking. He turned to see what she was looking at as they neared the canopy of rose bushes of the thicket. Sam smiled when he saw it too. Next to the towering bodyguard stood a small figure with an intimidating posture.

Through the mist she became clearer, brandishing a thick belt with a scabbard hanging from it. Ava’s nose pulled up as she growled in rage and she drew her SPP-1 on Nina and fired. Three consecutive shots clapped in the misty enclave. Purdue and Sam hit the deck and Nina fell.

“Jesus! Nina!” Sam shrieked. Ava swung the gun at him, but she was surprised with a fist to the cheekbone that propelled her to the water. On the way in, Ava hit her head on the side of the thick silver shield. Kostas was tending to Nina, while Purdue tried to restrain Sam from holding Ava under. The SPP-1 sank to the bottom of the canal while its wielder drowned under Sam’s powerful force. Purdue fought to pull Sam away, but he was fueled by rage and impossible to move. Ava’s hands clawed at Sam’s wrist, but his clouded mind only saw Nina collapsing with three rounds in her body, over and over and over.

“Sam! Sam, she is dead! Let her go!” Purdue mumbled in his friend’s ear. “Let her go.”

“Sam, let the bitch sink,” Nina said. Her voice was like a chorus of angels to him. He could not believe she was alive, the second time today. Still shaking profusely with fury, Sam let go of Ava’s silver hair and watched the water swallow her.

“Lady of Shalott, indeed. Cursed while she travelled by boat on a river to Camelot,” Purdue remarked softly.