Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve (2 page)

KRAW!

“Oh, man!” said Jack.

A giant black bird swooped down to the ground. The bird strutted through the fallen leaves. Its feathers glistened in the golden afternoon light.

“Wow, is that a crow?” asked Annie.

“It's too big for a crow,” said Jack. “I think it might be a raven.”

“A
raven
?” said Annie. “Cool.”

The raven lifted its sleek head and stared at them with bright eyes. Jack held his breath.

The bird hopped forward. It flapped its great black wings and lifted into the air. Then he glided into the autumn sky and headed toward the Frog Creek woods.

Annie jumped up. “It's a sign! Morgan's back!” she said.

“I think you're right!” said Jack. “Let's go!”

Jack and Annie hurried across their front yard, crunching through the leaves. They ran up their street and into the Frog Creek woods.

When they came to the tallest oak, they saw the rope ladder swaying in the wind. The magic tree house was waiting for them.

“Just as we thought,” Annie said, smiling.

Jack followed her up the ladder. When they climbed inside the tree house, they saw no sign of Morgan le Fay, the enchantress from the kingdom of Camelot.

“That's weird,” said Jack, looking around.

The wind blew hard again, shaking the tree branches. A huge yellow leaf fluttered through the open window and came to rest at Jack's feet.

“Oh, man,” he said. “Look at this.”

“What?” said Annie.

Jack picked up the leaf. There was writing on it. The letters were curvy and old-fashioned.

“Wow,” whispered Annie. “What does it say?”

Jack held the leaf up to the tree house
window. In the fading light, he read aloud:

“M!”
said Annie. “Morgan never signs her messages with
M.
…”

“Right …,” said Jack. “But …”

“
Merlin
does!” they said together.

“Like when he sent us the invitation to spend Christmas in Camelot,” said Annie. She pointed to the Royal Invitation that still lay in the corner of the tree house.

“Now he's inviting us on Halloween!” said
Jack. “Halloween was called ‘All Hallows Eve' a long time ago.”

“I know,” said Annie. “We have to go!”

“Of course,” said Jack. There was no way they could turn down an invitation from the master magician of all time. “But how do we get there?”

“I'll bet our invitation will take us,” said Annie, “like when we went to King Arthur's castle on Christmas Eve.”

“Good idea,” said Jack. He pointed to the fancy writing on the leaf. “I wish we could go— uh—”

“To where this leaf invitation came from!” said Annie.

“Right!” said Jack.

The wind began to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

J
ack opened his eyes. A chilly wind blew into the tree house. Oak leaves swirled outside the window.

“Look, we have our costumes,” said Annie. “I'm not a princess
or
a vampire.”

Jack looked at their clothes. He was wearing a knee-length tunic and tights. Annie was wearing a long dress with an apron.

“Camelot costumes,” Jack said softly.

They looked out the window together. They were high in a huge oak tree in a thick forest.

The afternoon sun was low in the autumn sky.

“So what do we do now?” said Jack.

“The invitation says we're supposed to meet Merlin in the heart of the oak,” said Annie.

“Yeah, but what does that mean?” said Jack, scowling. “The heart of an oak?”

“Let's go down and try to figure it out,” said Annie.

She carefully placed their invitation in a corner of the tree house. Then she and Jack climbed down the rope ladder. They stepped onto the leafy ground. In the fading daylight, they began circling the base of the giant oak.

They walked all the way around, until they came to the rope ladder again.

“We're back where we started,” said Jack. “We never found the heart.”

“Wait a minute,” said Annie. “What's that?” She pointed to a long, thin crack in the bark of the tree trunk. A sliver of light seemed to be coming from the crack.

Jack touched the bark around the light. He pushed. The crack got bigger.

“It's a secret door!” said Jack. He pushed harder.
Creak.
A tall, narrow door swung into the tree. Light streamed from inside.

“We found it,” whispered Annie, “the heart of the oak.”

Jack nodded.

“Let's go in,” said Annie. They slipped through the narrow doorway into the bright hollow of the tree trunk.

Jack couldn't believe his eyes. The round room was lit with hundreds of candles. Shadows danced on the curved brown walls.

This isn't possible!
thought Jack. The heart of the oak seemed much bigger than the tree itself!

“Welcome,” said a deep, whispery voice.

They turned around and saw an old man sitting in a carved wooden chair. He had a long white beard and wore a red cloak.

“Hi, Merlin,” said Annie.

“Hello, Annie. Hello, Jack. It is good to see you again,” the magician said. “I am grateful for the help you gave us on Christmas Eve in Camelot. Now Morgan and I believe you might be able to help us again.”

“We'd love to!” said Annie.

“The whole future of our kingdom depends upon your success,” said Merlin.

“Are you sure you want
us
?” Jack asked. “I mean, we're just kids.”

“You have passed many tests for Morgan,” said Merlin. “Are you not Master Librarians and Magicians of Everyday Magic?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, we are,” he said.

“Good. You will need all your skills on this mission,” said Merlin. “You will also need a helper and guide from
our
world, the world of magic and legend.”

“Are you coming with us?” asked Annie.

“No,” the magician said. “Your guide shall be one much younger than I. He is in my library now. Yesterday he brought me some books I had requested from Morgan's library.”

Merlin rose from his chair. “Come,” he said, leading them to a door in the curved wall. He opened it and stepped into another room. Jack and Annie followed him.

The musty room was filled with scrolls and ancient-looking books. Sitting on the floor was a boy about eleven or twelve years old. He was reading by the light of a lantern.

“Your helper and guide,” Merlin said to Jack and Annie.

The boy looked up. He had a friendly, freckled face and dark, twinkly eyes. He broke into a big grin.

“Arf, arf!” he said.

“Teddy!” cried Annie.

Jack couldn't believe it! Their helper was the young sorcerer who was training as Morgan's apprentice!

Merlin, for once, looked surprised. “You already know each other?” he asked.

“Yes, we met a while ago when I accidentally changed myself into a dog!” said Teddy.

“Morgan wanted to teach Teddy a lesson,” explained Annie. “So she sent him with us on four tree-house journeys before she changed him back into a boy. He saved us on the
Titanic.
And he saved us from a buffalo stampede!”

“And from a tiger in India,” said Jack, “and a forest fire in Australia.”

“Wondrous journeys, indeed,” said Merlin. “I am glad you are already friends. Your friendship may help you on this mission.”

“What
is
our mission?” asked Annie.

“We are now in one of the outlying realms of Camelot,” said Merlin. “Beyond these woods lies the castle of a duke.”

Merlin leaned forward, as if he were about to tell them something really scary. “It will be your mission,” he said, “to bring order to the duke's castle.”

Merlin sat back in his chair. His gaze was calm, but a fierce light shone in his eyes.

Bring order to a castle?
thought Jack.
Is that all?

“Who messed it up, sir?” asked Annie.

“You will find out soon enough,” said Merlin.

“We accept our assignment gladly,” said Teddy. “The mission will be done without fail!”

Merlin fixed his gaze on Teddy. “Perhaps,” he said. “But a warning, my boy: you are hasty and
careless with your magic rhymes. On this mission, you must choose
all
your words wisely.”

“Indeed I will,” said Teddy.

Merlin turned to Jack and Annie. “And a warning to you, too,” he said. “You are about to enter a tunnel of fear. Proceed onward with courage, and you will come out into the light.”

Tunnel of fear?
Jack thought.

Merlin picked up the lantern and handed it to Teddy. “The duke's castle lies to the east. Go quickly,” he said. “Order must be restored as soon as possible.”

Teddy nodded at Merlin. Then he turned to Jack and Annie. “To the duke's castle!” he said, and he led them out of the heart of the oak.