A.N. Enjoy the next chappie guys =). Christmas soon, can't wait! Just so you know, in case you're wondering why I seem to update in the middle of the night (if you're american, austrailian or a new zealander) I'm English, so I have the conventional english spelling as well.
Slight warning for this chapter - there's very horrific (or so I'd like to think) and graphic imagery.
Arthur woke when he heard Merlin groaning beside him. His hands and feet were bound and he lay on a hard, stone floor. The Prince turned himself over, with a lot of effort, and found his nose about an inch away from Merlin's eye. He recoiled immediately, and rolled away from Merlin. The servant regarded him quietly - checking for injuries, while Arthur did the same to him. Apparently the yellow light had done nothing to actually harm them, it had just knocked them out.
Arthur looked around him. They were in a cave that spanned far in front of them, the ground sloped downwards and there was a cliff and then a bottomless chasm just beyond the it. In the center of the vast cave was an island, suspended in air. The island was made of crystal, and a broken pathway spanned from the island to the plateau that Merlin and Arthur were lying on. There was a figure on the island, but it was shrouded by misty clouds.
There was a cracking sound as the figure stepped onto the path. More crunching sounds followed, as the figure grew ever closer to the small spot of land that Arthur and Merlin lay bound upon. The figure whispered some words, its voice sounding harsh and cracked.
There was a musical whistling sound – like a wind chime. And then pillars rose out of the ground, snagging Arthur and Merlin's binds as they rose. The two struggled, but neither could escape. They were forced into an upright position, all their weight on their arms that wrapped around the pillars. They watched as the figure finally stepped upon their ground. And finally, it came into focus.
It was a teenaged girl, dressed in a plain white dress. She had pale skin – almost as pale as the clean white dress she wore. Her black hair was plaited into one long black braid, and even then it reached the floor. She stared at the servant and at the prince through glaring crimson eyes. But it was not her frightening beauty that attracted the men's attention – it was the wings.
Her right wing was beautiful and pure. It was made of feathers and shone with a beautiful white light. The very sight of the pure white wing made the two men want to bow to her; if not for the other wing. The left wing was black and leathery - a bat's wing. The leathery surface of the wing just barely covered the wing's skeleton. In places, the white bone pierced through the flesh and bloody patches surrounded the tears. The black wing had a sickening aura that was running through to Merlin's core. He could not take his eyes away from the evil thing.
"Ah," The woman spoke, her voice was strange – it sounded as though three people were talking at once, and there was a harsh edge to each word she spoke, "I see you have noticed the gift from the grand master of the heavens. This wing suits me well – don't you think?" She flapped it, as though to prove a point. The wing made a repellant shattering sound that was like breaking glass. Merlin cringed at the scent that came his way – it was the repulsive and rotten smell of the dead.
Then she barred her teeth at them, and a snake's tongue flicked out from behind them. The teeth that protruded from her blood red gums were shaped like shark teeth and they glistened with a nauseating red light.
Merin shied away from the sight, twisting his body as far away from her as he could manage. He was feeling sick – the girl possessed a magic that was beyond evil, and Merlin was afraid of it. Her eyes burned through him and turned his blood to ice. The girl laughed at Merlin, and the sound that came out was a strangled choking, it reverberated off the walls creating innumerable echoes.
This girl had been the one making the inhuman sound earlier. The girl walked over to Merlin and reached out with her left hand. Merlin let out a frenzied scream at it. It was a skeleton's hand, but scraps of skin and muscle still clung to the bone. There were long, black, protruding claws where the fingernails should be. The talons were curved viciously. The bones of her arm clicked threateningly when moved, and the claws glowed ominously with a dark magical light.
"Oh, aren't you a pretty one? I want to keep you," She snarled, bringing her face close to Merlin's, while the skeleton's hand trailed down his face. She cackled and dug her deadly claws into Merlin's skin, raking them down his cheek. Merlin writhed under the pain, and cold hands grasped his heart; he was afraid.
"Leave him alone, Witch!" Arthur cried from Merlin's right
The girl stopped her nails at Merlin's jaw, and wrenched them roughly out of his skin, leaving four blood-red tracks down Merlin's face. She turned to face Arthur slowly, her eyes beginning to glow a menacing red.
"What did you call me?" she hissed, her echoing voice deepening.
Arthur didn't answer. He could only stare in inescapable horror. The girl grew larger, and larger and towered over him. A black stain spread from the corners of her eyes and began to grow, plaguing her skin. Her eyes stayed free of the black mark that was growing; glowing red orbs that hung in darkness. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth hungrily, and she hissed. A grey smear spread down her white wing, which shrank, while her sinister black wing grew larger and larger.
Soon it wrapped around the pillar that Arthur was attached to, forming a tent of sorts that shut out all light. All he could see was a pair of scarlet eyes that bored into him through the blackness.
Gaius frowned. Where on Earth had his bumbling young Ward gone? Merlin and Arthur had gone for a simple hunting trip, that was all, so why hadn't they come back yet? It was definitely not going to be a successful trip - not with Merlin there. Merlin was the King of getting in Arthur's way on hunting trips, so what had delayed them so long that they'd been gone for one and a half days?
Gaius shook his head, and dispelled his frown. Whatever was happening to the two of them, the great warlock Emrys would find a way to save himself and Arthur.
Gaius fingered his necklace, as he always did when he was worried about Merlin. The necklace itself wasn't glamorous but perhaps that was why Gaius loved it. It had been a gift from Merlin the day he'd slain Nimueh. It was a wooden disk with a simple leather cord that ran through a hole in it. The disk had an ancient Egyptian symbol on it – the Ankh. Merlin had seen it on the cup of life, and knew it symbolized eternal life and the life-giving power of the sun. He'd carved it into the wood and then given it to Gaius, in the hope that the ankh would keep Gaius out of life-threatening danger.
Of course, it was only a symbol and Merlin hadn't expected it to work. It was mainly just a gift of thanks to his mentor.
Still, however modest it looked, Gaius wore it in his every waking moment – he'd feel distraught if it broke – like his link to Merlin had disappeared.
Little did he know, that that link would soon be cut.
"Arthur!" Merlin cried frantically. He struggled in the bonds that held him to the pillar. Terror pulsed through him with every heartbeat. The sharp, rotten smell of the dead was stalking towards him, and the harsh cracking sound of the wing seared through him. He felt his life-blood flowing down his cheek, and the lesions that sliced down his face stung. But he didn't care.
He felt it, down in his very core. He must save Arthur.
"Arthur! No! Oi you, witch, go away! Run away! Disappear!" Merlin roared, hoping to tempt away the 'witch'
Her wing moved slightly, and the bone arm shot towards him, stretching with a vile popping sound. It grabbed him by the neck, and one claw pressed into his neck.
Hush Emrys, The girl's voice whispered seductively into his mind, I shall not kill your beloved Prince Arthur. After all, I have much more exciting plans for both of you…
Arthur was frozen in panic. His mind was telling him to run, but his body wouldn't move.
"I am no witch, mortal," The girl snarled, her voice low and quiet.
"Arthur!" He heard Merlin cry, and he wanted to call back. But his voice wouldn't come out. He struggled in vain against the bonds that bound him to the pillar. The girl giggled, pressing her body onto his, and resting her right hand onto his chest. The hand was beautiful; it looked nothing like the skeleton hand that had scratched Merlin. The skin was silk, so smooth that Arthur wanted to stroke it. The other, tainted hand suddenly shot out of the foul Wing's barrier… in the direction of Merlin.
"Hey! What are you doing!" He demanded, suddenly finding strength in his voice. The girl looked down on Arthur - she was taller since she'd got angry.
"I am no witch, Arthur," She growled almost playfully, her layered voice getting louder, "I am First Angel of the Ninth Division, I serve under Archangel Michael,"
Her eyes narrowed, "At least I was until the Grand Master of the Heavens decided I wasn't fit to be an angel, and cursed me to walk upon this Earth,"
Her black face contorted into a mask of sheer fury, and for a brief moment, Arthur pitied the angel.
"The beloved Grand Master of the Heavens, gifted me with this beautiful form. Now no creature will love me," The Angel cried, her voice becoming livid. She stared deep into Arthur's eyes – panicked blue meeting enraged red.
And then she was gone, light returned to Arthur's eyes. He released a frozen breath and relaxed his body. Then he turned his gaze to Merlin, only to see the angel's back obscuring his view.
Merlin screamed and all peace shattered.
The Angel's forked tongue glided over the stripes that she'd cut into his face. Her black saliva ran into the wounds, contaminating his blood.
She turned her head ever so slightly to look at Arthur, and smiled wryly.
Merlin shuddered and slumped, his head lolling forwards.
"Arthur Pendragon, before you enter the world of pain, you should know the name of your torturer," She smirked, "I am Elvira, servant of Lucifer and Nyx. You fear me, and rightfully so – for you will live here in pain. You will be in agony here and you will die here, away from all light of day,"
Arthur's breath, which had been coming in panicked pants, evened out. He closed his eyes for a moment before staring Elvira in the eyes. He glanced quickly at Merlin, who was only just conscious. He was shaking his head at Arthur and mouthing "No,". Arthur tuned his gaze away, and peered into Elvira's eyes, that were wells of blood.
"No." He stated. It was not a denial, it was an order.
Elvira smiled. And then she struck out.
A.N. Wow! That turned out to be more suspenseful and horrific than I intended… Anyway, I tend to update quickly if I get loads of reviews/alerts/faves =)
Thank you to those who added this story to your alert =)
Now time for review replies – hehem. (I don't pick favourites, I just tend to write enough to satisfy what I get from the review.
Tori-Lee-Ri – My pleasure! I'm glad you found it exciting, and I'm happy that I made your day a lot better – your review made mine better, so we're even ;)
ruby890 – Yes Arthur is taking his stress out on Merlin, but he does also shove Merlin nowadays (though not usually as spontaneously)
Emachinescat – I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction =). By the way, is there any special meaning to your name? I like it very muchlies XD
TheTerribleTwos - Thank you for complimenting my writing style – it's mainly due to the fact that I refuse to have the same adjective in a chapter more than twice :P. Thank you for the favouriting – and I'll never get tired of seeing people write 'please update soon!' cause it means that my story's appreciated.
Alina Storm – I'm intrigued as to what exactly this machine was… It probably did sound like the shriek – just imagine a sound that will most definitely make your ears bleed, and you'll be there =D. I was really nervous about writing the banter – I'm not very good at dialogue, and I was afraid that I wouldn't get the balance between sarcasticness, humor and mocking…