Chapter twenty-one

Gwyn dropped Puck's still twitching spine and grinned, showing his bloody teeth.

"Good try," he said conversationally. "You managed to hurt me. That is very impressive for a human, but ultimately futile. I told you, I am a god."

"You keep saying that, but I don't see a god," Daphne said. "I see a little boy who treats people like toys and stomps on them when they don't do what he wants."

"Big words for a mortal," Gwyn hissed.

"But not inaccurate," a voice said from behind them.

Turning, they all stared at Tom Riddle. Tom waved at them cheerfully. "There seems to be a party and I wasn't invited. That's a bit rude don't you think?"

Gwyn glared at Tom. "Alright, how did you get here?"

Ariana and Pansy stepped out from behind Tom. "He had help," Ariana said smugly. She smirked. "Your sister says hi by the way."

"This doesn't matter," Gwyn snarled. "None of this matters. So there are a few more of you to swat. Do you honestly think it's going to cause me any difficulty to snuff out your lives? I can do it without a thought."

"Perhaps," Ariana began, "but look how much trouble you've had with Harry and Daphne. You've had trouble killing a mortal and an elf barely into his teens. Your reputation as a badarse really taken a hit, hasn't it?"

"You talk too much," Gwyn said calmly. A blast of purple flame leapt from his palm heading straight for Ariana's chest.

A transparent blue shield snapped into place in front of Ariana. The purple flame struck the shield and vanished.

Gwyn arched an eyebrow staring at Tom. "Do you really think you can stop me, Tom Riddle? You may know how to use magic without a wand, but you are still nothing to me."

"Oh I know that," Tom said. "I just needed to distract you."

"What…" Gwyn began.

"The crystal now," Tom said to Harry.

Harry stared at Tom for several seconds. What was he talking about? Then he remembered. Of course, the crystal Merlin had given him for Christmas. The one he'd said would send Harry's soul five minutes back in time. "But how did Tom know about that?" Digging into his pocket he pulled the glowing blue crystal out and hurled it to the ground.

The crystal shattered with a tinkling sound. The entire court shuddered as reality warped and time was bent back upon itself. Just as everything settled back to normal, Harry saw Gwyn rising up behind Nimue.

Swiftly Harry teleported behind Gwyn and kicked him in the balls.

Gwyn let out a pained sound and collapsed to the ground. Nimue turned around and smiled at Harry.

"That could have gone bad for me, I think," she said shuddering slightly.

"You have no idea," Harry said looking down at Gwyn.

Gwyn glared back. "That was a dirty trick, you bastard."

Harry grinned unrepentantly. "Those who fight fair are doomed to lose. Besides, you're in no position to cast stones. You were going to kill Nimue from behind. That's not exactly honorable, is it?"

Gwyn looked around and saw that Puck, Dumbledore, and Nimue were all standing back to back. His head ached fiercely. Looking down, he saw his hands were shaking slightly. Exhaustion tugged at him like the waters of the Arctic Ocean, determined to drag him down into unconsciousness. What was he going to do? This battle had taken far more out of him than he'd like to admit. He'd hoped a sneak attack would've given him time to recover, but somehow the boy had anticipated that and thwarted him. To make matters worse, the entire Seelie court was watching. He had to end this fight now. He had to show the Seelie that elves were superior to every other race. Straightening his back, he glared at Harry. "This fight isn't over."

"You're right it's not," Tom said appearing in a burst of flame with Ariana and Pansy. "This fight has just begun."

"We brought reinforcements," Ariana said.

No sooner had she spoken, there was another burst of flame. Lady Summer appeared along with Morgaine Le Fay and a tall skeletally thin woman with raven black hair and blood red eyes.

Gwyn stepped towards Tom. "So there are a few more cockroaches to swat. Do you really think a few more elves and two teenage girls are going to make any difference?"

"Let's find out," Tom said, firing five jets of green light from his fingertips.

Gwyn dove to the side, just managing to avoid the curses. He gestured, silver spikes flying from his fingers.

A golden dome shaped shield surrounded Tom. The spikes struck the shield with a deafening clang that echoed around the court.

Opening his mouth, Gwyn exhaled a blast of fire. The fire twisted and writhed, becoming a lunging serpent. The snake lunged, punching straight through Tom's shield. It's snapping jaws just missed his face.

Tom leapt backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away from the fire construct. "I've never seen anyone conjure Fiendfyre so easily," he called ducking a swipe of the snake's tail.

"I'm not a wizard," Gwyn said his upper lip curling. "I am not bound by their limitations."

"You always were too arrogant for your own good," Summer said acidly. There was a whooshing sound. Tom winced as he felt heat scorch the back of his neck. Glancing back, his eyes widened. The fiery serpent was gone. There was only a row of scorch marks where it had been.

Gwyn stared at his sister in shock. "How? How did you do that. Fiemdfyre is fire summoned up from the pit. How could you just snuff it out so easily?"

"I am Lady Summer," Summer said emphasizing her name. "All fire is mine to command."

"None of this matters," Gwyn bellowed his yellow eyes flashing with rage and frustration. "You can't win."

Harry walked calmly up to Gwyn. "Who are you trying to convince of that?"

"You can't kill me. No weapon of this universe can."

"That's right," the Morrigan rasped. "No weapon of this universe can kill you, but death is beyond this world."

"What are you talking about?" Gwyn snarled.

Summer clicked her fingers imperiously. Vivienne appeared, her white hair flying out behind her.

"Is it done?" the Morrigan asked.

Vivienne tossed something to Harry. Harry's hand shot out and caught the object. Looking down he saw a spear a little over a foot long. The tip appeared to be made out of a simple stone with some sort of engraving on it.

The other end of the spear appeared to be wrapped in a silvery cloth. Power thrummed through the spear causing the wood to hum in his hands.

Gwyn scoffed. "Crude," he said dismissively. "What are you going to do with that?"

"I'd think that was obvious," Morgaine said. "We're going to kill you with it."

"Are you people slow…" Gwyn began.

"Yes we know," Vivienne said mockingly. She imitated Gwyn's superior tone. "Nothing of this universe can kill you, but that spear has been forged from the Deathly Hallows. Those are objects touched by death itself. I think that qualifies as not of this universe, don't you?" She glanced at Harry. "I'm sorry, but we had to retrieve your cloak as well. The power of the spear could only be completed if all three hallows were used in its construction."

Harry shrugged unconcernedly. "You can't miss what you never got to use."

For the first time, Gwyn's haughty expression faltered. "And you really think I'm going to just hold still and let you kill me?"

"No," the Morrigan said, "but we think that our power combined should be able to bind you long enough for Harry to deliver the final blow."

Gwyn's smile was back. He looked at the row of silent elves sitting around the court room. "Get them," he commanded. "Bring me their heads so I can piss in their eyes."

"Okay," Harry said as the crowd of Seelie surged towards them. "That's just gross."

An iron sword appeared in Morgaine's hand. The iron was etched with strange runes and sigils. She cut viciously at the closest Seelie.

The enchanted blade cut through his torso like a hot knife through butter. The Seelie elf screamed as the iron touched him. Where it touched, his skin blistered. Boyles appeared swelling up before bursting open spilling clear puss down his stomach. The smell of rotting meat filled the room. The elf collapsed backwards his skin tearing wetly as he fell.

Daphne's gun roared. Two more elves fell, bloody holes in their foreheads. Black smoke rose from the holes along with the smell of charring meat. At the sound of the gunshots, everyone froze.

The court was silent for several seconds. No one moved. They all stared at the blistered corpse on the ground. Then, the court descended into Bedlam.

Puck knocked a screaming elf away with a punch before snapping one's neck that tried to sneak up behind him. He felt a fiery hand clawing at his back, trying to catch hold of his shirt. Spinning, he saw a Seelie grinning at him. "I'm going to enjoy this," he croaked. Puck nearly gagged at the smell of dirt and rot wafting out of the Seelie's mouth.

"Dude," he gasped. "What did you eat, a shit sandwich?"

The Seelie let out a yell and lunged at him. Puck merely snapped his fingers. The Seelie exploded splattering blood and chunks of meat over a distressingly large distance.

Summer appeared beside him. "And you call them gross," she mocked before waving a hand in a wide arc. A wall of fire swept through the court. There was a Corus of terrified screams. When the fire faded, half the crowd of Seelie was gone. Puck scowled at her.

"Show off."

Summer wiped a speck of imaginary dust of her shoulder. "Jealousy is not an admirable trait, dear," she said lips twitching.

"No it's not," Gwyn said appearing in front of her. "This ends now, sister."

Summer stepped back, placing her feet a shoulder length apart. "Do we really have to do this, brother?"

"You have betrayed me for the last time," Gwyn said. "I always heard that family comes first, but now I know that's not true, at least with you."

"Please," Summer said softly. "Abandon this mad quest. All I ask is that you live among the humans for a year. Take that time to truly get to know them. You have proven that you can change. I know that you spared that woman and her children when you could've killed them and taken their eyes as a replacement for the one Merlin destroyed. That shows me that there is some good in you."

Gwyn looked down at his shoes. For the first time since they'd arrived, he seemed unsure of himself. "The humans must be wiped from the earth," he said quietly. "It's the only way we'll be safe."

"Your paranoia will never be satisfied," Summer pleaded. "Please brother, it's not too late."

Gwyn looked back at her his jaw set. "It is for me. I have to do what needs to be done to protect our people. I listened to you, so now you need to listen to me.

Join me," he said earnestly. "Stop fighting me. With your help, we could crush the mortals sooner than I can alone. You are Lady Summer. Fire, earth, and heat are yours to command. With your aid, we could starve the mortals into a war with each other. That's the one thing they're good at. They love killing one another."

"No," Summer said firmly. "I will not kill and entire race. I am not a genocidal maniac."

Gwyn looked down at the ground sadly. "I see. We have reached an impasse that cannot be breached."

Summer nodded. "Goodbye, brother."

Gwyn nodded back, a tear running down his cheek. "Goodbye, sister."

It was summer that struck first. Roots shot out of the stone floor wrapping around Gwyn's feet.

Gwyn looked down at the roots and they blackened and cracked apart. He gestured sharply with one hand. A massive block of stone plummeted down from above aimed directly for Summer's head.

Summer pointed a finger at the block of stone and it flew apart. Each shard of stone reformed into tiny stone butterflies that dove at Gwyn.

Gwyn threw up an arm to shield his face as the butterflies bit into his skin. His eyes widened as the tiny stone creatures began to multiply. The soon filled the entire throne room biting and slashing at Gwyn's exposed skin. The butterflies quickly swarmed over him, covering him from head to foot. Summer gestured down at the floor. Several of the tiles rose up and became rats that attacked Gwyn's legs.

With a roar, Gwyn released a burst of purple light. The rats and stone butterflies turned to ash. "Nice try sister, but not good enough. Did you really think such simple parlor tricks would defeat me."

Summer smiled slightly. Gwyn's face and arms were covered in several tiny cuts. His right foot was missing the end of his shoe along with his big toe. "It may not have defeated you, but it sure did a number on you, didn't it?" She nodded at his foot. "Do you think you can regrow limbs?"

Gwyn glowered at her. "You think this is funny?"

"Yep," Summer said popping the P. She watched as the cuts on Gwyn's face slowly began to close. "This fight's sure done a number on you. You're not healing nearly as fast as you were before. Are you sure you want to continue this?"

There was a wet popping sound. Glancing down, Summer saw that Gwyn's big toe had grown back. It looked shiny and pink, as if a baby's big toe had been blown up to adult size and stuck on Gwyn's foot. "Now that's just sick," Summer said making a face.

"Enough games," Gwyn snapped. A barrage of purple lightning flew at Summer who just managed to raise a shield in time.

"Still think its funny," Gwyn screamed firing black flames from both fists. "Come on, why aren't you laughing now?"

Summer stumbled backwards, her hands moving in defensive patterns. Her shimmering blue shields sparked and fizzed as Gwyn's attacks struck. Sweat streamed down her face as she struggled to maintain her defenses. She had to think of something. She couldn't keep this up for long.

With a supreme effort, she threw up her hands. Stones appeared in the air above her, each the size of a small house. The stones spun in the air faster and faster. Heat shimmered off them and they began to melt. A sea of lava swirled above her head. Lowering her hands, Summer mixed the lava with her shields. The molten rock was now lit with a pure blue light. Gwyn's attack continued coming, causing the light to grow brighter and brighter.

With an inarticulate cry of effort, Summer flung her hands outward. The glowing blue lava splashed over Gwyn binding his arms and legs tightly.

There was a sizzling sound and Gwyn screamed. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Summer watched as Gwyn's flesh bubbled and melted. His screams were high pitched, agonized desperate. The lava swiftly hardened trapping him inside.

Once the rock began to cool Summer relaxed. She glanced around the court room. Every eye was fixed upon her. She swayed on her feet. her hands shook uncontrollably. Maintaining her defenses against her brother had been far more difficult than she'd ever imagined.

She cried out as something plunged through her back and exited her chest in a spray of blood. Looking down, she saw the blade of a sword jutting from her ribs. Slowly, she fell forwards. She tried to get her hands up to catch herself, but it was no use. She landed flat on her face on the stone floor. She cried out again as the sword was withdrawn accompanied by a wet sucking sound. With the last of her strength, she rolled over to face her attacker.

Gwyn stood above her, smiling sadly. "You forgot how good I am at illusions, didn't you sister?" His voice was quiet and filled with a terrible pain.

Summer spat out a mouthful of blood. "I suppose I did," she croaked. "But there's one thing you forgot? Funnily enough, it's the same lesson I failed to remember."

Gwyn arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What is that?"

Harry appeared right in front of him. Before Gwyn could move, he'd driven the death spear into his heart. Gwyn's eyes widened as the spear slammed home. Blood burst from his nose and mouth. He staggered back from Harry, looking down in horror at the shaft of the spear protruding from the center of his chest. Faintly, he heard Summer's giggle.

"Never drop your guard." Gwyn crumpled to the ground as Harry withdrew the spear, landing right beside Summer.

"Looks like this is the end for both of us," he croaked, blood dribbling from his mouth.

Summer laughed raggedly. "The death of the old and the birth of the new."

Gwyn shuddered violently. "I'm afraid," he whispered.

Summer took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm right here," she said softly. "I won't leave you."

"Morgaine," she called.

Morgaine knelt beside her. She looked down at the blood spurting out of Summer's chest. "We can heal you," she whispered.

"I'm afraid not," Summer said taking her hand. A helmet of golden light formed over Summer's head. At the same time, a helmet of white light formed above Morgaine's.

"The mantle of Winter will serve you well," Summer said her voice fading. She gestured for Vivienne to come closer. The helmet of golden light moved until it hovered above her head. "The mantle of Summer will serve you well," she whispered faintly.

"You told us the mantle of Winter would choose a new host," Harry said walking up to stand beside his Mother.

"I did," Summer said. "The mantle of Winter has chosen Morgaine because she has suffered hardships. She has been forced to compromise her morals to achieve her goals. She has a ruthless streak in her that will aid her in being the new Lady Winter. For Winter, compassion is not a virtue."

"Shouldn't she have a choice," Harry asked angrily.

Morgaine took his hand. "It's alright," she said kissing his cheek. "I accept this."

Gwyn looked up at Harry. "You fought well and you won our battle. In the end, that is the only thing that matters during war."

The helmets of light descended onto Morgaine and Vivienne's heads. There were two blinding flashes of light, one gold and one white. When it cleared, Vivienne's hair had turned the pure gold of Summer sunlight and Morgaine's hair was as white as snow.

Summer gestured. Fiery chains sprang out of her fingers, binding the remaining Seelie. "Go," she commanded. "Our deaths draw near. When we die, there will be a release of energy that will level this entire court. If you want to live, you cannot be here when that happens."

The remaining Seelie began to struggle against the chains, shouting angrily.

"Let's go," Morgaine said taking Harry's hand. Swiftly, they all gathered in a circle their hands linked.

"Wait," Gwyn called.

Harry looked back at him. "What is it?"

"When the Seelie are gone, this land will begin to heal." He looked at Harry meaningfully. "Do you understand?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I understand," he said quietly, but why are you telling me this?"

"You won our fight," Gwyn said. "In the end, I forgot that strength is only one way to win a battle. Teamwork and cunning are just as important. Now that you've won, I am honor bound to give you any information that may aid you."

Gwyn let out a sigh and relaxed back on the floor. His and Summer's bodies began to glow. As they watched, all the color drained from their skin. There was a feeling in the air, like an approaching thunderstorm.

"We can't wait anymore," Vivienne said urgently. "We have to go now."

"Right," Morgaine said. As they began to fade, Harry stared at the fading Summer and Gwyn. Summer's words echoed in his mind. "The death of the old and the birth of the new."

Just as they were disappearing, there was a roar, like a hundred thunderclaps all rolled into one long sound. The light that accompanied the explosion left an after image on his eyes for hours. Faintly, he could hear the screams of the Seelie as the queen of Summer and the fallen king gave in to death.