Merlin whipped around to where the voice originated, causing everyone to do the same. Many yelled in shock upon seeing who was now amongst them.
An old woman was standing by Minerva's desk, as though she had been there the entire time. She wore a black ratty robe with the hood up and fell in tatters all around her. In her right hand, she gripped a staff. Whether it was magical or not, they had no idea. She had long stringy grey hair and lines crossing the surface of her face, a product of her old age. Her eyes though, were what caught everyone's attention. They were dull, lifeless. As though she had seen so much, she simply did not care about anything anymore. Looking at the old woman made them all feel dread, as though death was upon them soon and there was no escape.
The only one who did not seem to be affected by her presence, besides feeling immense shock, was Merlin.
He stared at her with wide eyes and mouth hanging open. He seemed to stop breathing out of shock. The woman was paying no attention to the wizards; her sole focus was on the Warlock. She had a small smile on her face as she gazed upon him. Something she hasn't done in thirteen-hundred years.
"Hello again, Lord Emrys." She spoke. Her voice did not sound raspy as many thought. It instead sounded strong and ancient, yet underneath there was coldness. A feeling one only associates with one thing.
Death.
Everyone looked at Merlin, confused on why she was calling him Lord Emrys. How does he know her? He was over a thousand years old! Sure, the woman looked old, but not that old!
Merlin continued to stare at her for a few more minutes before he finally seemed to find his voice. His face turned emotionless and he spoke one word, "Cailleach."
Cailleach smiled at him, stretching her ancient face. She inclined her head slightly in a show of respect and, flabbergasting the room, Merlin copied her action.
"What are you doing here Cailleach?" Merlin asked, his voice slightly hard. He seemed worried about something. "The veil has not been ripped, I would have felt it. Did Morgana bring you?"
Cailleach seemed to smirk at him, causing the others in the room to shift awkwardly; feeling as though they were intruding upon something very important and personal.
"No Emrys, she did not." Merlin sagged in relief. "I am here of my own choosing."
Merlin looked at her, suspicious. "Why? You never get involved with the living unless forced to."
A chill seeped into the room and down everyone's spines at Merlin's words. 'The living'? He made it sound like she wasn't part of 'the living'. Like she was….dead.
Her smirk grew. "Well, I have a certain fondness of you." Merlin shifted, uncomfortable. "With all that is happening here," she glanced shrewdly at the screen then turned her attention back to Merlin, "I decided to give you a little gift. Free of charge, if you will."
Merlin turned pale, causing worried looks. "What do you mean," he asked slowly, "'free of charge'?"
Cailleach gave a soft chuckle. "I believe you know what I mean, Emrys. There will be no price, at least none of which that concerns you."
Merlin glared at her. "Not concerns me? You will be taking an innocent life!"
The others in the room gasped, a few even pulling out their wands and aiming them at Cailleach. The two ignored them.
Cailleach waved her hand slightly, as though pushing the thought away. "Only an old man a few days before he dies naturally. What is the harm? He would die only two days earlier. This way I can make his death painless and easier."
Merlin's glare softened slightly, but then scowled at her in suspicion. "What do you have to gain from this? You would not act unless you get something in return."
Cailleach grasped her staff tighter and smiled deviously at Merlin. "That is easy. I want Morgana Pendragon's life."
No emotion showed on Merlin's face, unlike everyone else in the room. All of which were pale, shaking and very confused. "Who will you bring back?" He whispered; hope starting to seep through his voice.
The others glanced at him. Bring back? What did he mean by that? This whole conversation was not making any sense. To them at least.
Cailleach's smile turned more gentle at Merlin's question, and the hope in his voice and eyes. "I believe you know the answer to that question, Emrys. But do you know the answer to this; can you handle it?"
Merlin's breathing became difficult. His eyesight turned slightly blurry from the tears building in his eyes. He took a deep breath and spoke. "Yes."
The Cailleach nodded, expecting the answer. She turned around and a giant arrow shaped void of swirling blacks and blues appeared. Everyone besides The Cailleach and Merlin jumped back, as they were the only ones who knew what it was. The void/vortex seemed to radiate fear, hopelessness, sorrow and, worst of all, death. Just before The Cailleach entered the veil between life and death, she turned her head toward Merlin. "Remember Emrys, the balance must be restored. I will be awaiting your payment." She stepped into the swirling veil and disappeared. Though the veil remained, as Merlin knew it would. It would remain until He stepped out, and returned to the living.
"What was that?!" Kingsley snapped at Merlin, whose eyes did not leave the veil. He was waiting. "Merlin! Who was that woman? How do you two know each other? What was all that talk about death and taking someone's life about?"
Merlin continued to stare at the veil, his heart beating a mile a minute, but he answered Kingsley's questions. "That woman was The Cailleach. She is the gatekeeper to the Dead." Several people gasped, some screamed and the rest jumped (Hagrid almost knocking down a bookshelf in the process). Merlin ignored them and continued to answer the questions. "I met her thirteen-hundred years ago, when Morgana ripped open the veil between Life and Death by using her sister as a sacrifice." Everyone looked horrified. She murdered her own sister?! "We discovered that the only way to seal the veil was with another sacrifice. Arthur was planning on sacrificing himself, which I would not allow. I knocked him out and was about to take his place." His voice grew sad. "But I was not counting on my friend, the only person besides Gaius who knew of my magic, to take my place. He sacrificed himself to the Cailleach, causing the veil to heal and disappear. That man was Lancelot." Everyone gasped at that information. They never knew any of this. Kingsley was about to ask more questions, when the veil began to shift.
Merlin's attention was riveted on the veil. He was now ignoring everyone else in the room, waiting for Him to come through. Everyone else's attention was now on the veil as well, wondering what was happening. Merlin said that the Cailleach was the gatekeeper to the Dead, so did that mean…? But no, that was impossible! Was it?
A dark shape was seen in the veil, coming closer and closer. As it grew nearer, it began to take the shape of a person, most likely a man as it had broad shoulders and thick arms. A bright light shown in the room when the person exited the veil, momentarily blinding the occupants. When the light disappeared, so did the veil, leaving only a single man in its place. Around the room; jaws dropped, gasps escaped, eyes widened and Neville and Slughorn fainted.
For standing in front of them, a large grin upon his handsome face, stood a man of Legend.
In front of them, stood Arthur Pendragon.
I know you were all expecting a full chapter, but this was too good of a cliff-hanger to pass up. I will try and finish the next chapter as soon as I can.
Love you all,
EmrysLover12