فصل 30

A Night in Terror Tower - Chapter 30

“I don’t believe this,” Eddie murmured. “I really don’t.”

But I could see the sadness in Morgred’s purple eyes and hear it in his low, soft voice. The sorcerer was telling the truth.

The horror of the truth was sinking in. My brother and I weren’t Eddie and Sue from the twentieth century. We lived in this dark and dangerous time. We were Edward and Susannah of York.

“I tried to send you as far from this Tower as possible,” Morgred tried to explain again. “I sent you far into the future to start new lives. I wanted you to live there and never return. Never return to face doom in this castle.” “But what happened?” I demanded. “Why, then, are we back here, Morgred?”

“The Lord High Executioner was spying on me,” Morgred explained, lowering his voice to a whisper. “He must have known that I wanted to help you escape. And, so—” He stopped and tilted his head toward the door.

Was that a footstep? Was someone out there?

All three of us listened.

Silence now.

Morgred continued his story in a whisper. “When I cast the spell that sent you into the future, the Executioner must have hidden nearby. I used three white stones to cast the spell. Later, he stole the stones and performed the spell himself. He sent himself to the future to bring you back. And as you both know, he caught you and dragged you back here.” Morgred took a step forward. He raised his hand and placed it on my forehead.

The hand felt cold at first. Then it grew warmer and warmer, until I pulled away from the blazing heat.

As I pulled back, my memory returned.

Once again, I became Princess Susannah of York. My true identity. I remembered my parents, the king and queen. And all my memories of growing up in the royal castle returned.

My brother glared angrily at Morgred. “What did you do to my sister?” he cried, backing up until he bumped into the stone wall.

Morgred placed his hand on my brother’s forehead. And I watched my brother’s expression change as his memory returned and he realized he really was the prince.

“How did you do it, Morgred?” Edward asked, pushing his dark brown hair off his forehead. “How did you send Susannah and me to the future? Can you perform the spell again?” “Yes!” I cried. “Can you perform it once more? Can you send us to the future now—before the king’s men come?” Morgred shook his head sadly. “Alas, I cannot,” he murmured. “I do not have the three stones. As I told you, they were stolen by the Lord High Executioner.” A smile slowly spread over my brother’s face. He reached into his pocket. “Here they are!” Eddie announced. He winked at me. “I stole them back again when the Executioner captured me in town.” Edward handed the stones to Morgred. “Fastest hands in all of Britannia!” he declared.

Morgred did not smile. “It is a simple spell, actually,” the wizard said. He raised the three stones into the air, and they began to glow.

“I pile the stones up one on top of the other,” Morgred explained. “I wait for them to glow with a bright white heat. Then I pronounce the words ‘Movarum, Lovaris, Movarus.’ I then call out the year to which the traveler is to be sent.” “That’s the whole spell?” Edward asked, staring at the smooth, glowing stones in Morgred’s hand.

Morgred nodded. “That is the spell, Prince Edward.”

“Well, do it again! Please hurry!” I begged him.

His expression grew even sadder. “I cannot,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

He returned the three stones to the pocket of his robe. Then he uttered a long, unhappy sigh. “It is my fondest wish to help you children,” he whispered. “But if I help you to escape again, the king will torture me and put me to a painful death. And then I will not be able to use my magic to help all the people of Britain.” Tears brimmed in his purple eyes and ran down his wrinkled cheeks. He gazed unhappily at my brother and me. “I—I only hope that you enjoyed your brief time in the future,” he said in a whisper.

I shuddered. “You—you really cannot help us?” I pleaded.

“I cannot,” he replied, lowering his eyes to the floor.

“Even if we ordered you?” Edward asked.

“Even if you ordered me,” Morgred repeated. With an emotional cry, he wrapped Edward in a hug. Then he turned and hugged me, too. “I am helpless,” he whispered. “I beg your forgiveness. But I am helpless.” “How long do we have to live?” I asked in a tiny, trembling voice.

“Perhaps a few hours,” Morgred replied, avoiding my eyes. He turned away. He could not bear to face us.

A heavy silence fell over the tiny room. The gray light filtered down from the window above our heads. The air suddenly felt cold and damp.

I couldn’t stop shivering.

Edward startled me by leaning close and whispering in my ear. “Susannah, look!” he whispered excitedly. “The door. Morgred left the door open when he entered.” I turned to the door. Edward was right. The heavy wooden door stood nearly half open.

We still have a chance, I thought, my heart beginning to race. We still have a tiny chance.

“Edward—run!” I screamed.