Christmas in Camelot - Mary Pope Osborne [9]
The dancers looked like people—except they all had glittering gold skin and wings that shimmered in the mist like spun silver.
“They’re beautiful!” said Annie.
“Yeah, they are,” said Jack.
“I don’t think we need to be invisible with them,” said Annie.
“I think you’re right,” said Jack.
He and Annie threw off the red cloak. They left it in the dewy grass and ran down the hillside to the winged dancers. The dancers paid no attention to them. They just kept going around and around in their joyous circle.
“I feel like dancing with them!” said Annie.
“Me too!” said Jack. It was strange—he was usually shy about dancing. But he wanted to join this dance more than anything.
Jack pulled off his backpack. As he set it down, he saw three swords lying in the grass. But he didn’t stop to wonder about them. The music was calling.
The winged dancers broke their circle and welcomed Jack and Annie into their dance. Annie held Jack’s right hand as he grasped the slender golden hand of the dancer on his left.
The dancer smiled down at him. Like the others, she was as tall as a grownup. But she didn’t have any lines or wrinkles on her face. All the dancers looked very young—yet they seemed ancient at the same time.
As Jack danced around in the circle, his heart leaped. His spirits soared. His glasses fell off, but he didn’t care. He kept dancing. As he danced, everything in his mind became a blur. He forgot about Morgan and Camelot. He forgot about the quest for the Water of Memory and Imagination. He forgot all his fears and worries.
“Jack, look!” Annie cried.
Jack looked at her. “Hi!” he shouted, laughing.
“No! Don’t look at me!” she called. “Look there! Look across the circle!”
“I can’t see!” he said.
“Three knights!” Annie shouted. “Three knights dancing!”
“Great!” Jack shouted.
“No, Jack! They look awful! They look sick!” Annie yelled. She pulled away from the circle and tumbled back into the grass.
“Jack!” she called. “Stop dancing!”
But Jack didn’t want to stop. He wanted to dance to the wild music forever. Forever … and ever … and ever.
Annie chased Jack around the circle.
“Stop, Jack!” she cried. “Stop!” She grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him out of the dance.
“Let go, Annie!” he said. “Leave me alone!”
But Annie wouldn’t let go. Finally, she pulled so hard that Jack broke hands with the dancers and tumbled backward into the grass.
The winged dancers didn’t seem to notice. They closed their circle and kept going around and around.
“Why did you do that?” said Jack, sitting up. “I was having fun!”
“Look at the knights!” said Annie. “See them?”
Jack still couldn’t see. The world was spinning before his eyes. He ached to get back into the dance.
“Here, I found your glasses!” said Annie. “Put them on!”
Jack put on his glasses. He peered at the circle of dancers. He caught sight of armor glinting in the sunlight. He saw three knights dancing in a row. Two of them looked very young. The third looked much older.
As they came closer, Jack saw their faces. All the joy of the music drained out of him. The knights looked tired and sick. Their hair and beards were long and scraggly. Their faces were bony and pale. Their eyes stared wildly and their lips were frozen in ghostly smiles.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Jack.
“They can’t stop dancing!” said Annie. “They’re dancing themselves to death!”
“They must be the lost knights from Camelot,” said Jack.
“We have to save them!” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. He tried to clear his mind and think. “What about this? We get back in the dance—and we take places between the dancers and the knights.”
“Yes! Then we can pull the knights out of the circle!” said Annie.
“Wait,” said Jack. “What if I can’t stop dancing again?”
“Just don’t let yourself get caught by the music,” said Annie. “You have to think about something else. Think about why we’re here. Think about Morgan.”
“Okay,” said Jack. “I’ll try.”
Jack and Annie crouched in the grass. They watched and waited as the knights danced closer … and closer … and closer.…
“Now!”