CHAPTER THREE

It was fortunate that it was cloudy as the near-full moon would have illuminated the courtyard. Even so, they kept to the shadows, both of them dressed in britches and soft boots. Once into the tower, Gwyar cupped her hands, her eyes flashed amber, and fire erupted in her palms. She transferred this to one of the torches and lit the descending spiral staircase. At the bottom, well below the level of ground floor, the corridor split into three. One corridor led back under the courtyard, and the other two ran under the walls that surrounded the courtyard.

Gwyar checked the documents in her hand and confidently turned right under the rear wall of the castle. There were cells on either side of the corridor, empty, but Seren shivered as she passed as she could clearly see the chains, the plain low bench and where the residents had scratched on the wall. She kept close to Gwyar who slowed at the end of the corridor and began to examine the end wall. Seren could see nothing, just rock, but Gwyar eventually located what she was looking for. Taking a step back, she began to circle the torch around a central point and began an incantation. Three times she circled in one direction, then three in the other, and then she pushed at the central point. Nothing.

She tried again, the circling, the incantation, but again, nothing. Then a third time. Again, nothing. She sighed heavily. 'Seren, you try. The words are written here.'

Seren read them through first, struggling with some of the ancient writing, until she was confident she could recite them. She mentally prepared, breathing heavily, sinking into herself, and then took the torch from Gwyar. She showed her the central stone which, on closer inspection, contained a shining focal point. Seren circled the torch while chanting the words, one way, then the other, and then there was a growling noise and a crack appeared in the stones, zig-zagging down the wall, widening, the stones seeming to crush into each other until there was a gap wide enough for both of them.

'Well done, Seren,' she whispered. 'Beautifully done.'

Seren followed her into the opening. The path was clear, but the stones not hewn so flatly as the main corridor. It began to slope even further down and the two women walked more closely together, not knowing what to expect or when this path had last been trod. Gradually the passageway began to open wider and soon the two women could walk side by side, the roof lifting away from them. Seren kicked a stone and it clattered down the passageway, echoing. The sound of the stone must have disturbed something as there was a sudden rushing noise, as though wind was blowing, and then they could both feel it.

Gwyar and Seren pushed themselves back against the wall of the corridor as a wave of rushing air passed them. They paused, searching for each other's hands in the darkness as the torch was extinguished. But the wind passed and, with no further sign of disturbance, Gwyar re-lit the torch. They progressed down the passageway until it opened out into an enormous cavern, a large lake in its base. There was no obvious sign as to what had caused the wind, so they progressed along the narrow path at the edge of the cavern, the water some distance below them.

Suddenly there was another rushing sound and the torch was extinguished once more in the wind that blew over them. They stood in the darkness, both shaking with fear, and then a small flame appeared in the distance, increasing in size until they could see its source. A dragon so large that Seren cried out in fear had landed on a rocky promontory directly opposite them. It snorted once, blowing flames towards them, lighting them on the path where they stood. He then proceeded to light some of the torches in the cavern by spitting puffs of flame at them.

When he spoke, it wasn't English, but Seren was curiously able to understand it.

'Ladies. What a pleasure,' and he bowed.

'Great dragon,' Gwyar replied, her voice trembling with fear. 'We did not know you resided here.'

'Normally I do not. I am a free dragon now. But I wanted to meet you. I have a message for you.'

'For . . . for me?' Gwyar asked.

'For you both. Lady Gwyar, you have found a worthy pupil in the Lady Seren. Yet she still has much to learn, as do you, Lady Gwyar. I know what you are searching for.'

'It is here?'

'It has not been moved, but you should know its power.'

'I do, great dragon.'

'You may call me Kilgharrah.'

Gwyar bowed her head, acknowledging the importance of the dragon revealing its name. 'Thank you, Kilgharrah, last of the great dragons. I understand the power of the spell that's hidden here. I believe it is time to use it.'

'For your benefit?'

'For Camelot's.'

'You will need assistance.'

'I have Seren.'

'You will need Seren. You know she is more powerful than you.'

'She is untrained,' Gwyar retorted sharply.

'She is still more powerful, Gwyar. You should appreciate that she has more natural talent than you and is stronger than you.'

'She is untried.'

Kilgharrah snorted derisively. 'Seren, step forward.' Seren took a pace forward into the light. Kilgharrah looked her up and down. 'You, child, have a spark in you that I have seen in only one other in these recent days. You will be tested and you will have a difficult decision to make. The most difficult of your life.'

'Will I make the right one?'

'That I do not know. That is your destiny, Lady Seren.'

'You will help us find the book?' Gwyar asked.

'If you are meant to find it, you will,' Kilgharrah said obliquely. 'You have come further than most. Now I must go,' and he took to the air with a flapping and whooshing of wings that extinguished all the torches in the cavern. Gwyar relit her own and they stood and stared at each either in silence, both of them trying to take in what Kilgharrah had just told them.

'We must find this book,' Gwyar eventually said, and they continued along the ledge until they came to a widening of the path with a central pillar. Gwyar consulted her papers again and then handed them to Seren. 'I can't do this. You must.'

Seren read the documents, realising the importance of what she was doing. She walked round the pillar three times in one direction and three times the other mirroring the opening of the wall, and then recited the incantation. Nothing happened for a few moments and Seren was beginning to think that she'd not done it right, but then an opening appeared in the pillar. She reached in to the shallow fissure and removed an ancient book which she immediately handed to Gwyar.

'Thank you.'

The next week was spent studying the book. It was not straightforward, they could barely read the ancient letters, let alone understand the meaning. There were verses, pictures and instructions, but Gwyar was left to study them alone as the king of neighbouring lands and his entourage were visiting Camelot, and Seren was needed to assist the maids to the ladies.

It was late one night when Seren returned to her rooms to find Gwyar waiting impatiently. 'I've done it.'

'You understand it? All of it?'

'Not all of it, but enough to know what we need to do. Sit down and I'll tell you.'