Chapter 10: A Mystery Unfolded

"My mother…she…she had a ring just like this." Myra's hands shook as she held the ring with the dark crystal on it. "No…it can't be! It just can't!"

Arthur shook his head. "But…you said your mother was dead. She can't be who you think she is."

"We might have to talk to Merlin about this," Myra said after a moment of silence. "He might have figured out a little what this is all about."

"Clever idea," Arthur agreed. "Come on."

Leaving the lobby, Arthur and Myra climbed the stairs to Merlin's room, carrying the sword up with them. It seemed to take longer than usual with the magnitude of their story, but they trudged onward as usual; if there was anything usual about this.

Finally, when they reached the door, Myra rapped violently on the thick wood.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice called from the other side. Now that was not Merlin.

"Archimedes, can we come in?"

"What do you want?"

"Where's Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"Well, where do you suppose he is? He's in the library. And, say, aren't you two supposed to be there right now?"

"Now that you mention it," Arthur answered with a light shrug. "We're sorry, Archimedes, but something's happened, and we need Merlin's help."

"What sort of business?"

Myra and Arthur looked at each other before Arthur answered. "We were attacked, by the same thing that came to the castle before. But this time, it almost killed us!"

"Why are you telling me this? Merlin would know more about this than I do."

"And then, we found a little ring with a violet crystal in it," Myra added.

"Wait, wait, wait! Did you say 'ring' and 'violet crystal' together in the same sentence?"

"Uh-huh," Myra answered.

There was suddenly a great flapping of wings from the other side of the door. "Good heavens, good heavens!" Archimedes yelped, his voice suddenly speedy. "Quickly! Quickly! Let me out, and we'll go find Merlin!"

Myra did as she was told, and as quickly as Archimedes had spoken, the trio rushed to the library, throwing the door open when they reached it. Merlin looked up sharply from the table in the center of the room, and stood up quickly.

"Great Scott, what's happened?" he asked, rushing to grab his wand before meeting his pupils.

"Merlin, it's come back!" Arthur answered, breathing heavily from the run across the castle. "The thing…that Myra saw before…it came back! And then it came after us and it tried to kill us and-"

"Be calm, lad, slow down," Merlin said. "Now, tell me everything."

"That evil you talked about- it came back and it tried to attack me and Arthur," Myra explained. "We tried to run from it, but it came after us quickly! And we had to use my magic and the sword!"

"The sword?" Merlin asked, peering at Arthur. "You used the sword?"

"Yes," Arthur said. "Except, this time, I was able to control it, just a little. I think it was actually the sword, and Myra, that saved us!"

"And Myra?" Merlin repeated with a satisfied grin. "Wonderful to know, I will say, but, how did you stop the forces from swallowing the both of you?"

"The sword's magic, of course," Myra answered. "And mine. But, you see, we've discovered a way to better control and boost the sword's power. If I touch Arthur's arm, and cast some sort of spell, I can channel some of my magic through him and into the sword. I'm not sure why that happened, but it might be a way for us to defeat the thing that found us on the grounds."

"Not only that," Archimedes broke in. "But they also found a ring on the ground, in the courtyard. Show it to him." He spoke a little frantically to Myra, who hesitantly took the ring from her pocket and handed it to Merlin.

For several moments, there was total silence as Merlin examined the ring, with the dark crystal resting on a circle of silver. His eyes grew wide, his fingers nearly dropping the ring to the floor as he collapsed into the chair behind him.

"This ring only means one thing," Merlin finally said. "She has come back."

"She?" Myra asked.

Merlin sighed, massaging his mustache with his thumb. "Well, I guess this can't wait much longer," he muttered. "Come, gather around, and I'll tell you what this may mean."

Quickly, Myra, Arthur and Merlin gathered in the armchairs circled around the fireplace not too far off. Archimedes perched himself on top of Merlin's chair, looking down on his master as he began to speak.

"Years back- several years back- I had another student. Her name was Morgan, and she was the most ambitious child I knew. Every morning, she would wake up before the sun had even risen and beg to start lessons right there; but I always had to tell her to wait until after breakfast. She threw her heart and soul into everything she did, especially when she practiced magic."

"A witch?" Myra clarified.

"Oh yes- an extremely ambitious one at that. And, sooner or later, I became accustomed to the little girl just as I did to Arthur. She as well found that she could trust me with her life, and later, when she became a young woman, she told me why she was so ready to become a full-fledged witch.

"Her family had been destroyed, a short while before she came to me to learn the tricks of the trade. Her father was murdered, by the king. And her mother, bless her little heart, was taken by the king as his wife. She tried to leave him, of course, but he would not let her unless she agreed to have another child with him."

Myra sank into her chair. "Great deck and jack! That's awful!"

"Yes," Merlin said forlornly. "She didn't tell me this next bit, but I learned it soon enough. Morgan had been forced by her stepfather to be betrothed to one of his novice friends. And after that, she swore to use her magic to destroy her stepfather, and anyone who dared get in her way. Her magic had changed her, and…it was all my doing."

"No, Merlin!" Myra said. "Don't say that! You had no idea! But…was that why you were slow to take me as another student? 'Cause you thought that maybe my magic would change me too?"

"I do admit that, at the beginning, I was terrified of what the future would be, child," Merlin answered. "But seeing that you fought back to destroy evil, I'm starting to believe perhaps the outcome will be different."

"Don't you remember the ring?" Archimedes interrupted. "What does that mean?"

Merlin turned his icy gaze to the ring. "Ah, I remember that ring. Morgan was handed that ring from her mother, and she wore it all throughout her studies; never took it off once."

"Then, do you think that maybe it's Morgan who's been attacking us all this time?" Arthur wanted to know.

Myra sank further into her chair the more she thought it over. She was so sure that she had seen her mother wear that exact ring; she never removed it. It just couldn't be so. Her mother wasn't a bad person. She hadn't done anything horrible while she was alive.

But…maybe…

"And so, after all this, I saw something coming in the future. The king- Uther Pendragon, his name was- and Morgan's mother, Igraine, had another child. But, I saw a change in Pendragon's behavior. He was a good ruler, but cruel to Igraine when she became his wife. Then, something in him must have come undone. He started to become homicidal, threatening his servants with death if they didn't do his bidding exactly as he pleased. At times, he nearly brought his wife down with an axe!"

Arthur and Myra groaned and wriggled in discomfort over this story. Just how long had Merlin been hiding this story from them? Myra wondered. And the more her suspicions heightened, the more frightened she felt. If her mother was who she suspected, then the evil was one greater than they had previously thought.

"Morgan had left her home at that point, but I knew that my part in this story wasn't finished," Merlin continued. "In the night, I traveled to this very castle, and rescued the baby lad from his crib." He paused, clearly unsure whether to continue. "The both of you must know this, because I haven't told it to anyone up until now. After I rescued the child, I looked around for a home, and finally, I put him on the doorstep of a castle in London- the estate of Sir Ector himself."

Arthur stood still and stared at Merlin, his eyes wide enough to fall from his skull. He blinked several times before coming back to reality. "My father? He was the cause of all this? He…he…?"

"Indeed. Uther Pendragon was your father, and Morgan's stepfather. I'm sorry, lad. I'm sorry that I've kept this from you, but now I think it's important that you know this."

"Merlin, I think I might know who else Morgan is," Myra said, clutching the ring tight in her fist. A mixture of emotion tore through her again- the vortex of anger, sadness, and a little frightened confusion- but she was certain of what she would say. "My mother wore this ring when she was alive. I just know she did."

"Then, if we are correct…" Merlin gave Myra that firm gaze she knew well, but there was a hint of dark worry inside it. "Myra, my child, Morgan- Morgan le Fay- is, in all aspects, your mother."