Hey guys! Here's Chapter Ten!

Chapter Ten

Puck rapped hard on the gate. I doubted anyone would be able to hear, but I didn't see a knocker or bell. There was a pause. We waited for a couple of minutes. It seemed like forever.

Then the gate melted in a shower of gleaming gold, and it rushed out, flowing across the golden drawbridge. I jumped back, knowing the molten gold was probably boiling hot. You can never tell, with magic. I lifted myself into the air and swooped over to Daphne. I tried to lift her up, but couldn't. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled slightly, but her feet were glued to the drawbridge. I glanced at the melted gate. It was solid now, and everyone but me was stuck.

I frowned. This had not been a good day so far. Sighing, I pulled the feather out of my hat and started to wave it in the air, creating a sort of box ish pattern, and keeping this up for about thirty seconds. There was a slight pop, and a glow from inside my box of air. I tucked the feather back into my hat, and crossed my arms.

"Busy, Tink? That took forever," I said.

"Whatever. I have a life, too, you know," she groused, but she was always like that. She probably was excited to have an adventure to go on.

"Yes, I know. There anything you can do to help us here?"

"Ooh! I've always loved these! Melting gates. A nice style to it, don't you think?"

"So you know how to fix it, then?"

"Heck no! You need one of three people: The person who created it, the person it was made for, or Merlin, and I imagine he's indisposed. Invented them, you know."

"Fudge."

"Indeed. What are you doing here? Damsel in distress? And what's with the tour group?"

"Daphne's sister needs a prophecy from here."

"Ah. Well, summon the master of the mountain, then."

"What?"

"Summon the master of the mountain."

"How's that work?"

"This isn't a time for joking, is it? You're on a mission."

"No, really."

Tink rolled her eyes at me and sighed. "I can't do it for you, it's your quest. Raise your right hand."

I did, waiting for further instructions.

"Now say 'King of the mountain, I would speak with you. Do not turn away a questing knight errant from your lofty thresh hold.' "

" 'King of the mountain, I would speak with you. Do not turn away a questing knight errant from your lofty thresh hold.' What's with that? We're not knights."

"You are now. The King is still living in the past. Look down."

I did. I was wearing a full suit of armor. As soon as I saw it, I felt it's weight, dragging me down. It was all I could do not to sink into the moat. Puck and Canis had armor as well, while Daphne and Veronica were wearing leather armor that looked far lighter over tunics of purple and gold. I sighed.

"This is soooo cool!" Daphne grinned. "Look, I have an actual bow! Too bad I can't shoot."

I had a sword, as well as a shield with a flying boy on it. All that was missing was the horse.

"So, where are the valiant steeds?" I grumbled sarcastically. There was a whinnying, and suddenly I was on top of about four tons of horse. The others were mounted as well, although my horse was by far the largest. Daphne was petting hers, and looked delighted. "Mom, can I keep it? He could live with the unicorns!"

Veronica just sighed.

"Go ahead. A gift from me to you. Just leave me alone. I don't like knights errant. A lot of bother, and far too noble for me," said a voice. It was reedy and hollow sounding, that of a very old man who had seen a lot of things in his lifetime, and was very tired of the world.

I looked over at the speaker. It was an old man, wearing a flowing crimson robe, and with a white beard that was at least three feet long. He looked very sad. I felt sorry for him immediately.

"We need a prophecy. We've heard that you have it, and we were taken here by someone who said you might ask us to perform a task for you," said Henry, getting right to the point.

"Oh? And did this mysterious friend of yours say what I might ask of you?"

"No."

"I did not think so. What do you think an appropriate task might be?"

"I don't know. I'm sort of new at this retrieving archaic prophecies thing."

"Well, as it happens, if you refer to the prophecy of The King of Faerie, then you are out of luck. I had a man ask it of me, and he brought me an apple from the tree of Golden Apples, and I gave it to him."

Everyone groaned. Including me. "Can you tell us what the prophecy said?" I asked.

"No. I was given it by a very old and very wise person who told me not to open it for anything in the world. I was to keep it for a thousand years, and then pass it on to the first quester who performed a task that showed them clever and brave enough to possess such a piece of information, and give them the same instructions as she gave to me. So I did as I was asked."

"Did this person say if the prophecy. . . if it was. . . bad?" Veronica asked.

"I was told only that it's time would come, and that it would make some very happy and others very sad. I cannot say whether you are to made happy or sad. I wish you luck. If you like, you may stay the night here. I have plenty of space, as you can see."

"Where are we?" Daphne wanted to know.

"Why, New York City. Have all of you been to the land of Faerie? Yes? Good. The door to this place works similarly. You only have to repeat the summons you gave me while standing on the drawbridge to leave."

"Thanks for offering to let us stay, but we really should be going now."

"Then I bid you farewell." he turned to leave.

"Wait! How are we supposed to leave? And are we going to pop up in New York looking like this?"

The old man drew what looked like a magic wand from his wide sleeve, and waved it at everyone in turn, then at the drawbridge. The knight outfits and the horses disappeared, and the only things left that we hadn't had before were a golden medallion on a chain around each of our necks.

The gold that held everyone else down flowed back, forming itself into a gate in front of the King of the Golden Mountain.