Geeks and the Holy Grail Read online

  And then there were the people! Thousands of them crowding the streets. Many dressed very oddly indeed. “Look at him!” Stu exclaimed, pointing to a man half dressed in a Pikachu costume, the character’s head sitting on his lap as he waited at the bus station, smoking a cigarette. “And them!” he added as they passed a couple of kids break-dancing on the sidewalk to a crowd of admirers who clapped and threw money into a hat.

  “All these lights!” Sophie marveled, her nose pressed to the glass. “Can you imagine their electric bill?”

  “They get their electricity from the Hoover Dam,” Ashley informed them, not looking up from her phone. She’d been glued to the thing the whole time they’d been in the cab, clearly not impressed by the sights. Of course, this was her old neighborhood.

  “I’d love to see the Hoover Dam!” Stu exclaimed. Then he glanced at Sophie. “After we save the world, of course.”

  She laughed. “I think you might need to hit up Merlin for a time-stopping spell,” she teased. “To fit all this in.”

  As if on cue, Stu’s phone buzzed again in his pocket. He groaned. A time-stopping spell could definitely be put to good use right about now.

  “So you used to live here?” he asked Ashley as they drove by a giant pyramid-shaped hotel, complete with a replica of the Egyptian sphinx. He tried to imagine what it’d be like to grow up in a place like this.

  “We actually lived outside of Vegas. In a regular neighborhood,” Ashley explained. “But my mom worked on the strip and my dad would bring me in all the time to gam—uh…visit her and stuff.” She set her phone in her lap, looking out the window. “He still lives here somewhere.” She sounded weirdly sad.

  “Did you want to meet up with him while you’re here?” Stu asked.

  Ashley turned from the window. “Nah. I’m good. I want to help you guys.”

  At that moment, the cab pulled off the main road and drove up a long driveway toward the Excalibur. Stu watched out the window, his breath caught in his throat as the castle hotel came into view. It was incredible! Much more amazing than he’d even imagined. With gleaming white and gray walls stretching into the sky and topped with brightly colored turrets of red, blue, and gold. Two towers rose on each side of the main building—presumably where the hotel rooms were. And all around were drawbridges, gates, and even a castle moat.

  At the very front there was a large marquee sign with a giant depiction of the legendary sword for which the hotel was named. And underneath was an advertisement for some kind of show called the Tournament of Kings.

  The cab pulled up to the entrance. After paying, they headed into the hotel, Stu dragging Spike’s carrier along with him. For such a tiny little dragon, he was sure getting heavy. Stu could feel the small creature start to shift inside his cage, finally waking up. Stu picked up the pace, a little concerned about what Spike would do once he fully roused. The sooner they found Merlin the better.

  But all thoughts of waking dragons fled his mind as he stepped through the front doors of the casino hotel and into another world. And here he’d thought the outside of the castle was over-the-top! Inside was something else altogether—with colorful stained-glass windows, stone walls, and mini-turrets that looked appropriately castle-esque right alongside rows upon rows of slot machines and bars and gaming tables that were decidedly less medieval themed. And then there were the people—hordes of them, milling about, talking and laughing and playing games.

  “This place is huge!” Stu cried, having to shout over all the dinging and clanging of the slot machines. “How are we ever going to find Merlin?”

  “I don’t know,” Sophie hedged. “I had no idea this place would be so crazy.”

  Stu set the carrier down and took a peek at Spike. The dragon was definitely awake now, his eyes darting from left to right as he began to claw at the front of the cage. He looked about as overwhelmed as Stu felt.

  “Don’t freak out, dude,” he told the dragon. But if Spike understood him, he didn’t give a sign. Thankfully, he still had his mouth strapped down.

  Stu looked up at the girls. “We need to figure something out. Quick.”

  “What does Merlin look like?” Ashley asked.

  “Well, he’s old,” Stu explained, rising back to his feet. “And he’s got a beard.”

  “And he usually wears a long blue robe,” Sophie added.

  “You mean like that dude over there?” Ashley pointed across the casino.

  Stu followed her finger. His eyes widened as they fell upon an old man with a beard, wearing long blue magician robes, just strolling through the casino. No way!

  “Merlin!” he shouted, running across the casino floor, dragging Spike along with him. He couldn’t believe that they’d found him so quickly amid all these people. Of course, he did kind of stick out. “Merlin! It’s us!”

  Merlin turned around at the sound of his name. “Children!” he exclaimed. “Welcome to Camelot!” He pushed a flyer into their hands. “I hope you will come see the show tonight. The Tournament of Kings! It’s a magnificent jousting extravaganza. You’ll love it!”

  Stu’s heart sank as he caught sight of the man’s face for the first time close up. Not Merlin. At least not the real one. Just an actor playing the role. He took the flyer reluctantly, shoving it into his pocket. He should have known finding the magician wouldn’t be that easy.

  “We’re actually looking for someone,” he tried. “Someone named Merlin.”

  “I am Merlin!” the man announced in a grand voice, throwing out his arms. “Magician of Camelot.” The crowd around him broke out in applause. Merlin gave a toothy grin, stepping away from Stu to strike a pose. Everyone held up their phones to take pictures.

  Stu dove after him, accidentally photobombing what probably would have been a great shot. “I mean the real Merlin. No offense. He has a white beard. Sometimes has twigs in it? Blue eyes?”

  Not-Merlin laughed heartily. “There is only one Merlin, lad!” he declared. Then he shoved Stu out of the way, preening for another picture. Stu noticed his fake beard was coming unglued from one side of his face; Stu had to resist the urge to rip it off altogether.

  Finally, the crowd dispersed, leaving them alone. Not-Merlin turned to the three of them, his smile dipping into a frown. “Are you still here?” he sniffed, looking irritated.

  Ashley reached into her purse. She pulled out a wad of bills and shoved it in his direction. “Merlin,” she said in a voice that sounded as if she were talking to a three-year-old. “Do you know where the real Merlin is?”

  The actor glanced from side to side, then grabbed the money quickly, shoving it into his robe. He nodded for them to follow him and led them over to a quiet corner. Or relatively quiet, anyway—it was Vegas after all. He gathered them around and spoke in a whisper. “I know exactly who you are talking about. And you can tell him to forget it!”

  “Huh?” Stu cocked his head in confusion.

  “That Merlin guy. The one with the twig-filled beard. He was here two days ago. Just wandering around as if he owned the place. Stealing my thunder, taking selfies with my tourists!” He huffed. “He even had the nerve to ask if he could fill in for me at the Tournament of Kings tonight! As if I would ever agree to such a thing! That’s my show! My public expects me!” He fluffed up his fake beard.

  Stu glanced at Sophie and Ashley, his heart beating a little faster. “Where is this Merlin now?”

  “How am I supposed to know?” the man blustered. “I told him to get lost. That he wasn’t welcome in my castle. I even had to call security! Guy wouldn’t take a—” His eyes suddenly dropped to the pet carrier.

  “What is that?” he demanded. “Is that a pet? We do not allow pets here at the Excalibur!”

  Sophie leaped in front of Stu, attempting to block not-Merlin’s view of Spike. “Thank you for your time,” she told him. “Good luck with your show!”

  And with that, the three kids turned, practically running out of the casino. Stu could hear not-Merlin sho
uting after them, but he and the girls ignored him, bursting through the doors and back outside. They ran halfway down the drawbridge, then stopped to catch their breath. Stu set Spike on the ground, his arm aching from carrying him.

  “That was…interesting,” he remarked. “You think he was talking about our Merlin?”

  “How many Merlins could there be?” Sophie pointed out.

  “True.” Stu looked up at the huge castle. “So he’s here. Somewhere.”

  “Yeah. But where?” Sophie scratched her chin. “That’s the question.”

  “I don’t know, but we need to figure it out fast,” Ashley interjected. She had gotten down on her knees in front of the carrier and was looking worriedly at Spike. “Or at least get this guy to a quiet place where he can spread his wings and chill. He’s totally flipping out.”

  Stu began to nod. But before he could speak, a loud roar suddenly echoed across the bridge, causing him nearly to jump out of his skin.

  “What was that?” Sophie cried, sounding as alarmed as Stu looked. Her eyes darted from left to right, trying to locate the source of the sound.

  “Look!” Ashley cried, pointing over the side of the bridge. “Down there!”

  Stu peered down, surprised to see a mammoth green creature rise from the water.

  A creature that looked a lot like a dragon.

  It wasn’t a real dragon, of course. Stu could see that once it had fully emerged from the moat. More like a giant animatronic one you might find at a theme park. And it wasn’t in the best shape, either. Its plastic scales were flaking off in multiple spots and its motions were jerky. Its eyes, however, glowed a vivid green, and realistic puffs of smoke shot from its nostrils. Stu imagined it probably looked pretty amazing at night.

  “Oh my gosh, no way!” Ashley squealed.

  Stu and Sophie turned to look at her. She pointed to the dragon. “It was my mom’s favorite show as a kid. This dragon rises from the moat every hour and this wizard guy would come out of his cottage to defeat it with his magic. I didn’t know they started it up again.”

  “Wizard? Do you mean like Merlin?” Sophie asked, her voice rising in excitement.

  “Um, maybe? Anyway, he lived in that cottage down there.” She pointed over the side wall.

  Stu and Sophie scrambled to the side of the bridge to look down. Sure enough, they found a little cottage built into the side of the castle. It had a thatched roof and a wooden door and a small dock that led out to the moat, like a little hobbit house.

  Stu studied the cottage. Could the real-life Merlin be staying down there? Hiding out from not-Merlin and his casino goons? If so, how would they ever get there to find him? He watched as the dragon “swam” closer to the castle and cottage. It must have been on some kind of rail. Its belly started to glow red. More steam shot from its nostrils.

  “Now Merlin comes out,” Ashley explained. “He fights the dragon with his magic and saves the—”

  “SQUWAK!”

  Stu almost fell over as Spike suddenly rammed the door of the pet carrier so hard it hit him in the back of the knees. He looked down, horrified to see the dragon going crazy, clawing at the cage, steam shooting from his nostrils.

  “Uh, guys?” he said, trying to hold the carrier steady as Spike continued to freak out.

  “Relax, Spike!” Ashley scolded, dropping to her knees to attend to the dragon. “It’s okay. It’s not a real dragon. It’s just pretend!”

  But Spike didn’t seem to care. He screeched angrily, butting his head against the wire door a second time. A few people on the bridge turned their attention from the show to the three of them, watching with curious eyes.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Sophie asked worriedly.

  “I don’t know!” Ashley cried, wrestling to keep the door shut. “Help me get him under—”

  Spike charged the front of his cage, popping the door open like a cork from a bottle. He shot out into the air, his wings breaking through their bindings and sweater as he arced like a cannonball across the sky.

  “Spike!” Sophie exclaimed. “No!”

  Stu dove after the dragon, but it was no use. Spike had flown past the railing and was out of reach. The elastic bands they’d used to hold his mouth closed had finally snapped, allowing him to let out a burst of fire.

  Not good.

  Now everyone was watching. Even people who had just been walking past were crowding the railing, mesmerized by the spectacle. Many had their phones out, recording Spike as he flew in circles around the big fake dragon, screeching and blowing flames.

  “Is this a new part of the show?” Stu heard one of them ask.

  “How did they make that thing fly?”

  “Maybe it’s a dragon-shaped drone?”

  Stu turned to Sophie. “Do something!” he begged. “Use your magic!”

  Sophie nodded grimly, hands fumbling at the clasp of her bag. “Hang on. I need my spell book.”

  “Hurry!” he cried, turning back to the dragon. “Before he falls!”

  Because, sure enough, Spike now seemed to remember he didn’t know how to fly. Unfortunately, this realization came after he was already fifty feet in the air and nowhere near a good landing spot. Stu watched, horrified, as the dragon started flapping his wings desperately, eyes darting around, searching for a safe place to land.

  “Spike!” he shouted, waving his arms madly at the dragon. “Over here! Come back here!”

  Spike’s head jerked in his direction. His eyes seemed to bulge in recognition. He started flapping toward Stu, trying to get closer.

  Suddenly a large hawk seemed to come out of nowhere, swooping down through the skies, going straight for the tiny dragon. Spike let out a screech of horror and began flapping furiously, trying to get away. But he was losing elevation fast, dropping closer and closer to the moat.

  Just before he hit the ground, the hawk plucked him up with his talons, jolting him back into the air. The crowd gasped. Spike struggled, squealing with panic.

  Just then there was a flash of light. Stu looked down just in time to see the cottage door swing open. An old man stepped out, cloaked in a cloud of smoke. He wore a full-length blue robe, accented with silver stars and moons, and…a Yankees cap?

  “I am Merlin! Wizard of Camelot!” he declared loudly. “And, um, sorry I’m late. I ran into a little trouble with security and—”

  He stopped short, clearly realizing no one was looking at him. Or at the big animatronic dragon, for that matter. His gaze lifted to the real spectacle in the sky—the hawk and the baby dragon. The hawk seemed to be having some trouble of his own, Stu realized suddenly. The dragon was fighting too hard, and the hawk was barely able to hang on. Stu didn’t know what to root for. If the hawk dropped the dragon, Spike would crash to the ground and be flattened. But if the hawk managed to hold on—what would it do to Spike?

  “Where’d Sophie go?” Ashley demanded. “Seriously, this is no time for a pee break!”

  Stu turned, surprised. In all the craziness, he hadn’t realized that Sophie had disappeared. For a moment, he was confused. Then it hit him.

  He thought back to the fight they’d had with Morgana the first time they’d gone back in time. How Sophie had used her magic to turn into a bird.

  Not just a bird. A hawk.

  His eyes rose to the sky. Could it be? Could it really be her?

  “Merlin!” he cried, waving frantically at the magician. “It’s Sophie! You gotta help her!” He pointed up at the hawk.

  Merlin cocked his head, looking confused. Which wasn’t surprising. After all, Stu would be the last person he would expect to find in Vegas, interrupting his show.

  “Stu?” Merlin stammered. “What in Excalibur’s name are you doing in Vegas?” It was a valid question. But Stu didn’t have time to answer. Hawk Sophie was struggling to keep elevation, and had started to flail. Stu didn’t know how long she could hold on without dropping like a stone. If Merlin didn’t do something quickly, they’d hit the ground to
o hard and too fast. It would be game over—for sure. A real-life one, with no do-overs.

  “It’s a long story. Just please help Sophie!”

  Merlin nodded, then raised his hands above his head. He muttered something under his breath. To Stu’s relief, the hawk and dragon stopped falling. For a moment, they seemed to hover in the air like they were weightless. Then they floated back toward the ground, slowly this time, as if being cradled by an invisible hand.

  “Dude, how are they doing that?” demanded someone in the crowd.

  “Wires,” his friend decided. “Or mirrors. That’s what magicians use.”

  The hawk and dragon landed on the ground. There was a puff of smoke. When it cleared, Sophie sat there, in human form again, cradling Spike in her arms.

  The crowd went wild. Stu groaned. That was way too close.

  “Wait, how did Sophie get down there?” Ashley cried. “And how did she get Spike away from that bird?”

  Merlin looked up, his gaze trained intently on Stu and Ashley. Meet us in the arcade, he instructed Stu, though his lips never moved. Right now.

  “Wait here,” Merlin instructed Sophie after they’d stepped through a small door on the side of the castle and into a tiny storage room filled with boxes. “I’ll make sure the coast is clear.” He slipped through a door, leaving her alone with Spike.

  She sank down on a box, trying to catch her breath. She still couldn’t believe she’d pulled off that stunt. One moment she’d been paging through her mom’s spell book; the next she was launching herself into the sky, trying not to look down—or remember she was deathly afraid of heights.

  She was lucky, she realized in hindsight, that Spike hadn’t burned her to a crisp during the rescue. After all, he didn’t even like the human version of her—never mind the predator who grabbed him out of the air and wouldn’t let him go.

  Thankfully, Merlin had been there to finish saving the day. Real Merlin. She’d never been so happy to see him.