Episode Two: ...And the Phantom Village


Tag: Brocéliande


The Back Door blew open and Eve and Flynn raced through and immediately closed the door behind them. They leaned against it for a moment to recover as Flynn patted his coat pocket and then sighed in relief. He hurriedly made his way to the Card Catalogue. They had the Library back but when they needed to find information in a hurry The Annex's Card Catalogue was the best way to go. He furiously flipped through the cards and pulled the ones that he thought would be helpful. Jenkins came in from his lab and gave them a curious look.

"When did you two arrive?"

"Just now," Eve said as she brushed the dirt off of her jacket and approached him. "How are the kids?" She blew a loose strand of hair out her face and crossed her arms over her chest. Business as usual.

"Home safe," Jenkins said with a sigh. "But perhaps not so sound. The case didn't go as they had hoped, particularly for Mr. Jones."

Flynn started up the steps to the stacks to pull the books he needed. He raced up and down the steps several times in a hurry. Eve gave him a concerned yet amused look before turning back to Jenkins.

"I'll have to get details later. Are they dealing with it okay?" She asked worriedly.

"As well as can be expected. So, what did the two of you find?" Jenkins asked as he too shot the noisy Librarian a look. But his was more of annoyance than concern.

Flynn interrupted him by pulling the ring out of his jacket pocket and holding it up for Jenkins to see as he came down the stairs with a stack of books.

"How in all of Tennyson did the two of you come across that?" Jenkins asked as he took the ring from Flynn.

Flynn's head shot up. "You know what it is?"

"Yes, of course. The Ring of Dispel. Given to Lancelot by the Lady of Lake to protect him from magic and enchantments," Jenkins said as he studied the ruby in the center. "It's been lost for centuries."

"The Ring of Dispel! How did I miss that?" Flynn berated himself as he dropped the books onto the table with a huff.

"Where did you find this?" Jenkins asked the couple.

"Brocéliande," Flynn said simply.

"Creepiest forest I have ever seen in my life," Eve said with a grimace.

"You know, some people consider it the most romantic forest," Flynn said with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, well those people have never been chased through it by ghostly knights, have they?" Eve asked him with a pointed glare.

"Probably not, no," Flynn agreed with a chuckle.

Jenkins smirked to himself before he spoke. "You found this in Morgan le Fay's backyard. My will she be put out when she gets word of this. So this is what the Clippings Book led you to?"

"It would appear so," Flynn told him with a nod as he stared down at the books he no longer needed.

"Fascinating," Jenkins said as he continued to study the ring.

"What's so fascinating about it?" Eve asked.

"Not the ring, per say, but the fact that The Library led you to this ring so soon after The Lady of the Lake came thundering into our lives. It's an extraordinary coincidence," Jenkins said as he wondered off into his lab. Presumably to find something to contain the ring in.

"I'm getting a little tired of that word," Eve said with a sigh.

"What word?" Flynn asked.

"Coincidence," Eve clarified. "We have far too many of those around here."

After a certain amount of them, they stopped being coincidences and started to look more like calculated moves. But who's moves they were she couldn't begin to guess.

"Remind me, in the Annex and The Library we have Sir Galahad, The Lady of the Lake, The Crown of King Arthur—"

"The Grail—"

"We have the Grail?"

"How do you think The Library came to employ Sir Galahad?"

"And then on our list of enemies we have Lancelot and Morgan le Fay. You ever think we're a little too involved in the Arthurian stuff?" Eve asked warily.

"Being involved with real life legends is part of what makes this job so much fun, Guardian."

"Oh really? I thought it was the monsters and evil cults that did that, Librarian?" Eve asked with a half hearted grin.

"Eh, only sometimes," Flynn said with a chuckle as he came around the table and stepped closer to her. He frowned when Eve didn't smirk at him or react at all. Instead she looked off into the distance thoughfully."What are you thinking?" Flynn asked.

"Coincidences make me nervous. Plus, Dulaque was a little too interested in us before, throw in Cassandra's new Lady of the Lake title—"

"Trust me, Dulaque is not who we need to worry about," Flynn said as he interrupted her. "Viviane raised him. He respects her too much to hurt her legacy. No, it's Morgan we should be focusing on now. There's no limit to what she's capable of, and Cassandra's control over magic is still a work in progress. That makes all of us vulnerable."

Eve sighed. "They need a Guardian more than ever now, and I can't be in two places at once." She gave Flynn a hesitant look. "As much as I love working with you I think…I think I should stick to the kids for a while."

"I can't say I wasn't expecting this," Flynn said with a nod. "And I think it's a good idea. At least until the Library finds us some help."

Her brow furrowed at him. "You think the Library might bring us another Guardian?"

"The ratio of Guardians to Librarians has changed pretty drastically. No one would expect you to protect all of us at once, Eve. I'm almost positive the Library is already working on it," Flynn said as he looked toward the ceiling. "Aren't you?" He asked the room loudly.

A book fell from a shelf over Eve's shoulder and she bent down to pick it up. She grinned and shook her head. "I'll take that as a yes," she said as she flipped through the book.

"What is it?" Flynn asked.

"A photo album full of previous Guardians, with one blank spot on the last page."

"Let me guess, right next to your charming picture?"

"Charming? Why do I look so…stern?"

"I forget you didn't see yourself in the early days."

She turned and glared at her Librarian and he quickly held his hands up in surrender.

"Still you were charming. Absolutely charming. Dinner?" He asked with a smile. "My treat."

"After today, it better be," Eve said with a chuckle as she pulled his hands down from the air and looped her arm through his. "Lead the way, Librarian."

"Don't mind if I do, Guardian."