Rose had poured out these questions and explanations in a breath, and when she stopped Honeysqueak laughed in her most delicious fashion.
“This being ill is one of the absurd ways of mortals that I simply cannot understand,” she said, finally. “But I don’t believe there’s much sickness in you two any longer. Certainly not enough to keep us from going on an adventure. Indeed, that’s what I came for. And as I want to see an old friend of mine, I’m going to choose this time.”
“And where will you choose to go? Darling fairy, tell us, because we want to know who your old friend is.”
“I’m going to take you to see little Guinevere, and have a chat with old Merlin myself.”
“Queen Guinevere?” gasped Ruth.
“Well, she isn’t queen anything yet, because she’s only a little girl. But she lives in a castle, and her mother’s a queen.”
“Hurry up and let’s go,” begged both the excited girls, stretching their hands toward the sound of Honeysqueak’s voice.
Her tiny hands slipped into theirs, and immediately their eyes closed. Off they floated ... floated ... thump!
Before them a huge grey arch of stone curved into the air, barred by a great iron gateway. Through the bars of this gate they could see a moat full of dark water, and hanging in the air, or so it seemed, was a bridge.
“Blow the horn hanging by the gate,” said the voice of Honeysqueak.