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"For I Must Now to Oberon" Puck stood over Casey, looking pleased with himself. With vines encircling his body and covering his mouth, Casey was in no position to interfere with Puck’s plans. And soon he would be out of the way for good. Transforming himself back into Horatius’s double, he sent a magical summons to Tommy. “Meet me in the forest,” he said, in a perfect imitation of the old man’s baritone. “Your friend is in terrible danger.” Immediately, Tommy ducked behind a building and said his magic word. As the Champion, he flew to the forest and found Horatius waiting for him beside a large clump of vines. “Tommy,” Horatius said. “You’re just in time. I’ve located the portal that Puck is using to enter this world.” He gestured toward the clump of vines. “It is concealed within this unusual cluster of vines. You must use your powers to place an unbreakable seal over it, so that nothing can go in or out ever again.” Wrapped within the vines, Casey could hear Puck’s words. He tried desperately to shout a warning to his friend, but no sound could penetrate the dense latticework of vines holding him. He was about to be imprisoned forever – by his closest friend! “What are you waiting for?” Horatius said. “Puck could come back through the portal at any moment.” The Champion raised his hands but then hesitated. “Why not close the portal from the other side?” he asked. “Wouldn’t that be safer?” Horatius scowled. “I gave you a direct order, Tommy,” he said. “Do not question me further.” The Champion shrugged. “That’s good enough for me.” He placed his hands on the clump of vines and his closed his eyes. A blue glow began to spread over the vines. The Champion stepped back. The blue glow was having a very strange effect on the vines. They began unraveling, pulling back to reveal Casey. “Just as I thought,” the Champion said. He quickly lowered his friend’s gag. Casey smiled gratefully and said, “Elysium!” The Champion and Kid Champion turned to face Puck, who had dropped his disguise after realizing that his ruse had failed. “My hat is off to you, sir,” Puck said, bowing slightly. “How did you know?” “Simple,” the Champion said. “Horatius has never once called me ‘Tommy.’ It’s always ‘Thomas.’ And he’s never ordered me around the way you did. I figured there was something in the vines that you did not want me to see, and a revelation spell showed I was right.” “You have bested me, Champion,” Puck said with a rueful smile. “I will take you to your fellow students – they are unharmed, I promise you. Then I will return to my realm. I am no match for you.” Both heroes were suspicious, but Puck did in fact lead them to the missing students. They were sent back to the campus, confused by none the worse for wear. “As I am an honest Puck, I will now return to my own world,” Puck said. “You’ll understand if we don’t take your word for it,” Kid Champion said. Puck looked offended. “Gentle sir, you wound me,” he said. “I admit that I have taken advantage of you a time or two, but I know when I am honorably beaten. I said that I would leave your world, and I shall.” “Not good enough,” the Champion said. “Then accompany me,” Puck said. “You can deliver me to Elysium yourself. King Oberon will no doubt punish me severely for venturing into the mortal world again. Will it satisfy you to see me locked in his dungeon?” “It’s a start,” Kid Champion said, grinning. “Then come, I will lead you to the portal,” Puck said, setting off toward the west. Soon they had come upon a stand of gnarled trees with a stump in the center. “Here it is,” Puck said. “Join hands with me, and we will return to Elysium.” A blue light enveloped them, and momentarily they were standing in an Elysian forest. Tommy recognized the impossibly tall trees. He turned to Kid Champion – but saw Casey looking back at him. Tommy realized they had both returned to human form. Both boys shouted, “Elysium!” but nothing happened. They tried several more times, but the magic words had no effect. Puck cackled. “I figured that might happen,” he said. “The magic that gives you your powers is designed to travel from this world into yours. It won’t work when you’re here.” He grabbed the boys by their collars. “I did keep my word, though,” Puck said. “I returned to my world. Now I just need to find a place to keep you two out of trouble while I go back to yours.” As Puck spoke, the sound of hoofbeats rang through the forest. They were getting closer. Then someone sounded a strange sort of horn. “It’s King Oberon!” Puck hissed. “The royal entourage is approaching!” Neither Tommy nor Casey knew much about Oberon, but any enemy of Puck’s was a friend of theirs. They both began shouting. “Help! Over here!” “Quiet,” Puck said. He placed a hand over each boy’s mouth. “I don’t want you telling His Majesty a bunch of outlandish stories about my doings in your world – true though those stories might be.” King Oberon rode up on his horse, his eyes blazing with fury. “Puck! What are those mortals doing in my realm?” the king thundered. He had little patience for the trickster and his endless scheming. “Your Majesty,” Puck said obsequiously, bowing his head. “These human spies are merely the vanguard of a full-scale invasion. You must chain them up in your most secure dungeon, lest they bring the rest of their army to your doorstep.” Oberon and his courtiers roared with laughter. “These beardless youths are going to invade my kingdom?” Oberon asked. “This is the most ridiculous tale you’ve ever tried to spin, Puck.” Puck sighed and shook his head. “They look harmless enough, but they know strange and powerful spells. If I were to permit them to speak, they could wreak havoc.” The king laughed again. “That I would like to see,” he said. “As you wish, your Highness,” Puck said. He removed his hand from Tommy’s mouth. The boy began to speak. “We’re not—” At that moment, a clap of thunder pealed and bolts of lightning began to strike. Puck clapped his hand back over Tommy’s mouth. “Do you see, your Highness?” Puck shouted over the echoing thunder. “He speaks for a moment and summons a mighty storm. Do you dare let him complete his spell?” Oberon looked alarmed. “My apologies, Puck. I was deceived by their cunning disguise. We must deal with these mortal sorcerers at once.” He turned to his guards. “Seize them! And take care to bind their mouths. We dare not let them utter their incantations.” The guards put Tommy and Casey in manacles and tied coarse cloths tightly over their mouths. “Come with us, mortals,” the guards growled, throwing the boys across the backs of their horses. “Our dungeons will hold the likes of you.” Puck watched the guards ride off with his young adversaries, trying with every ounce of will to keep from bursting into laughter. Inwardly, he smiled at the thought of those meddlesome young heroes languishing in Oberon's dungeons. But that still left the possibility of escape . . . perhaps he could persuade Oberon to impose a more permanent solution. "Sire," Puck said with a small bow, "I fear those young sorcerers may yet pose a threat to your realm." "How could they be any danger chained in a dungeon, gagged and unable to utter spells?" Oberon replied. "Ah, but their gags must be lowered to give them food and water - they might seize the opportunity to invoke some terrible curse or hex," Puck said gravely. Oberon seemed alarmed by this. "But what are we to do? Surely you do not expect me to slay lads so young, even if they are sorcerers?" "Certainly not, your grace. I propose a more merciful but equally effective remedy. You could use Queen Titania’s orb to capture their voices – make them unable to speak. Then I would happily volunteer to escort them back to the mortal realm,” Puck said, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed delight. He thought of the fun he could have tormenting Tommy and Casey once they were unable to say that blasted magic word. Once he was bored with them, he could move on to the whole mortal world, without any interference from those insufferable boys. “Why, Puck, that is a brilliant plan,” Oberon said, unaware that he was being manipulated by a master. “Arrange to have the lads brought to my royal chamber at sundown – properly restrained and silenced, of course. I will send an honor guard to retrieve the orb.” “To hear is to obey, my lord,” Puck said, with a deep bow. In the blink of an eye, he transported himself to the dungeon beneath Oberon’s castle. He grinned at the sight of Tommy and Casey shackled to the wall, unable to do anything other than rattle their chains and protest into their gags as he taunted them. Puck decided to have a little more fun with them. He called to the guard stationed outside the door. “You there! Are you mad?” Puck said to the startled soldier. “Do you want these blackguards to destroy us all?” Tommy and Casey looked at each other and grunted in frustration. What was Puck up to now? “I beg your pardon, Sir Robin, but I do not know what you mean,” the guard answered. “The prisoners are completely secure.” Puck scoffed. “Only to your untrained eyes. Do you see the strange shoes that they wear?” He pointed to their sneakers. “Clearly enchanted and possibly dangerous. Take them to my chamber for further study.” Looking perplexed, the guard dutifully removed the sneakers. “Just to be safe, I should study those strange blue trousers as well,” Puck added, gesturing to Tommy’s blue jeans. Ignoring their muffled protests, the guard took their jeans as well. “You may leave us now,” Puck said. “I must interrogate the prisoners.” “Is that not dangerous, my lord?” the guard asked. “My orders were not to let them speak.” “I have taken appropriate precautions,” Puck said. “But I cannot vouch for your safety, unschooled as you are in these matters. Leave us.” Gathering up the sneakers and blue jeans, the guard left hastily. Once they were alone, Puck lowered the gags covering Tommy and Casey’s mouths. Casey spoke first, his voice hoarse from being gagged for so long. “How long do you think you can keep up this game, Puck?” Casey said. “You can’t keep us gagged forever, and even someone as dense as Oberon will eventually figure out that we’re not wizards. We can’t even do card tricks.” “Ah, you have a point, lad,” Puck said. “That is why I have persuaded the king to let me take you back to your world. This very night.” “What’s the catch?” Tommy said. “Nothing’s ever that simple with you.” “Well, I have persuaded his majesty to take a small precaution before releasing you back to your native habitat,” Puck replied. “You are familiar, I take it, with the Orb of Titania?” Tommy and Casey both shook their heads. “Honestly, what do they teach you at that school?” Puck said. “The Orb of Titania is one of our most powerful magical objects. It is capable of a great many spells, including one for capturing voices. Tonight, at sundown, Oberon will use it to capture your voices, and then I will take you back to your world. And if you thought we had fun before, just wait until you see what I have in store for you now. Best of all, you won’t be able to say a thing about it.”
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