The Shadow Dragons - James A. Owen [54]
“If it helps,” added Bert, “we never knew which three Caretakers would be the ones referred to in the Prophecy—not until it came to pass. We realized you were the right three, because you were the ones on the job when the Winter King reemerged.”
“Excuse me,” Charles said, raising his hand. “May I ask a question?”
Chaucer smiled. “No need to raise your hand, Caretaker. We are all equals here.”
“Some of us are just more equal than others,” said Defoe.
“Hear, hear,” said da Vinci.
“I was just wondering,” Charles continued, “what the point is of revealing the Prophecy to us now, when we battled the Winter King so many years ago?”
“Ah,” said Chaucer. “So we get to the meat of it. Do you want to answer that, Samuel?”
“Certainly,” Twain said, tapping out his cigar on a plate. “You are, of course, referring to your first encounter with the Winter King, are you not?”
Charles gulped. “I suppose so.”
“We discovered after the crisis wherein all the children and Dragonships were taken that the King of Crickets was actually the Winter King’s Shadow in disguise,” said Twain, “and for his Shadow to survive, he must also still be alive.”
“That constituted your second conflict with him,” said Chaucer. “We believe the third is yet to come; the Prophecy speaks of three battles with the Winter King—who, despite your victories, remains our great adversary.”
“But we destroyed the Shadow,” said John, “or at least, Peter Pan did. And we’ve come to believe in recent years that our true enemy is actually Richard Burton.”
“Where choosing new apprentices was concerned, I had a very shallow learning curve,” Dickens said apologetically. “First Burton, then Magwich. We’d all have been better off if I’d never been chosen at all.”
“That isn’t so,” said Kipling. “You yourself were a stellar Caretaker, and other than those two nonstarters, you’ve demonstrated exceptional judgment.”
“Well, thank you, old fellow,” Dickens replied, “but when Burton is one of our primary adversaries, I can’t but regret all the training I did impart to him.”
“Should we say anything about Kipling?” Jack whispered.
“And look like idiots?” answered John. “He’s not said a foul word since we got here and hasn’t so much as looked cross-eyed at any of us. If he’s playing for the other side, he’s hiding it well. But if he isn’t, we’ll have just made a new enemy in our own camp.”
“On the whole,” said Chaucer, “our record has been one with more victories than defeats, and we have more allies than enemies. And while our enemies are resourceful, and have much knowledge, they do not have it all. We have the Histories, and the prophecies, and the Imaginarium Geographica. And most vital to our cause, we also have the Grail Child. The odds are in our favor, regardless of those who chose to turn traitor.”
There was more table thumping—but disturbingly, several pairs of eyes flickered toward Jamie as Chaucer spoke. Rather than ignore the glances, Jamie stood.
“I may be unique among this gathering as the only one among us who was once a full Caretaker, and then resigned,” he said amidst an undercurrent of grumbles. “But I think my presence here is proof of where my loyalties lie. I have never, nor will I ever, betray our secrets to Burton or any other enemy of the Archipelago.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” asked John. “Burton feels exactly the same way. He believes he’s more loyal to the Archipelago by trying to bring all its secrets to light. He truly doesn’t understand what kind of havoc will be wrought.”
“The Imperial Cartological Society,” Dickens said darkly. “They have been a thorn in our side for too long, and Burton has seduced many of our former allies.”
“Have you been approached, Barrie?” Kipling asked. “Has Burton tried to recruit you?”
Jamie blushed and fumbled with his buttons. “I must admit that he has tried, but not in years,” he replied with a glance at the companions. “He believed