Chapter 43 [Midnight—Solstice]
[Road to Camelot]
A single rider pressed his horse down the dirt road from the White Mountains. Foreboding pressed him to glance over his right shoulder every so often. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His heart pounded in pace with the horse's hoofbeats.
The horse rasped despite its efforts. Devotion could only keep it going for so long.
"We be almost there, Girl! I am so sorry!" He urged her onward. His eyes spied the citadel in front of them. Within a few more heartbeats, he rode her through the front portcullis and into the Lower Town.
All around him, people danced and thought of feasts and celebration. A minstrel played his rebec in the background.
They have no idea! The rider pressed his horse toward the Upper Town and its citadel.
Warning could not wait….
[Throne Chamber—A Quarter Turn of the Hourglass Later]
Uther brought his fist down on the throne's armrest. Anger flared in his icy eyes. His mouth coiled in on itself like a snake. He had sent Leon and Hector to Nemeth with his demands for Arthur's return and Merlin's surrender. He ordered the other knights to prepare for departure by first light. While he allowed his subjects their celebration, Solstice ate at him….
…it was a reminder of the old religion after all….
He glared at the wizened councilors before himself. "What do you mean GAIUS IS NOT HERE?"
"We cannot find him, Sire." Geoffrey bowed. He shuddered. "We have had the entire castle searched for Prince Arthur and him. They are nowhere to be found."
Uther sighed with a terse note. "Are you CERTAIN?" He shook his head. "Of course you are! It is sorcery! The boy, Merlin, is behind this. I should have known!"
"Merlin, Sire? You mean Arthur's servant?" another of the councilors asked.
"AYE! He had magic right under our noses!" Uther slammed his fist again. "Either him or that damned witch, Nimue. No matter. I know where Arthur, that boy and the girl are. I will demand them from Rodor! He will learn not to shelter sorcerers!"
At that point, a young knight rushed into the chamber. He bowed before the elders. "Pardon me, Sire! Walter of Ninesborough is here with dire tidings!"
"Ninesborough?" Uther frowned. He knew the small hamlet lay halfway between the White Mountains and the city. "What dire tidings?"
"An enormous army from his tidings." The knight bowed again.
"Bring this Walter in. I will hear him." Uther had a few hours to kill in any event. He needed to listen to these requests. Perhaps Rodor has allies? They would not attack me here. He would not dare!
The knight rushed out and around the corner.
"What could this be? On Solstice?" Geoffrey wondered aloud.
"There are some who do not care about such things." Uther rubbed the side of his head. He watched Walter gasp and stumble into his presence. He collapsed to his knees halfway to the throne. "Si…sire!"
"Aye." Uther could see Walter's exhaustion and fear. He narrowed his eyes. "You have ridden a long way. What is the matter?"
"I…I am sorry, Sire." Walter coughed. He pulled his head up to meet Uther's. "Thank you for seeing me."
"Sir William said you had dire tidings?" Uther put forward. "What is the nature of your emergency?"
"Sire, I would not have come like this." Walter pulled himself to his feet. "It was horrible!" He took several breaths to collect himself. "A hundred men dressed in red tunics and black ones on horseback rode through at mid-afternoon. Not long ago, I saw torches from my watch tower. They resembled fireflies and stretched on as far as the eye could see! I rode in here as hard and fast as I could!"
Uther sized up the threat. Granted, the poor man could have imagined that sight. Hyperbole could increase the invaders' size or scope. "I thank you for that, Walter." He turned to the waiting servant. "Tynesford! Bring some water for Walter."
Tynesford bowed. He hustled out of the chamber. He rushed down the stairs toward the ground level. He edged next to a torch and reached into his pocket.
In his hand, a small cloth bag emitted a pungent odor.
Tynesford dropped it into the torch. The bag exploded with a bang. A purple mist wafted into the passage. He descended another level toward the dungeon and disappeared from view….
Back in the council chamber, Geoffrey ground his teeth. "Red and black tunics? Those sound like Cawdorian and Mercian knights!" He wanted to tell Uther not to send the knights to Nemeth. Still, given the King's foul mood, he did not dare.
The warning bells rang throughout the city. Torches appeared along the top of the walls. The drawbridge pulled itself upward. The portcullis came down.
Uther shook his head. "SIR WILLIAM!"
"Aye, Sire?" William rushed back into the chamber.
"Tell the others to prepare for battle! They are to go to the walls. We are about to face a hostile force. Prepare for siege!" Uther turned to the councilors. "Nemeth can wait! Leon and Hector have not even reached the Severn yet." He marched to the window facing the citadel's front.
By the woods' edge, torches bunched on the western road. He imagined the invaders' blockades on the northern and southern roads as well. He knew Meleagant and Cenred would make escape difficult at best during the night. Their army would ring the city in an impenetrable barrier upon arrival.
"GET THERE NOW!" Uther bellowed at William.
"At once, Sire!" William ran out of the chamber and toward the knights' barracks.
Morgause slipped through the darkened woods. She anticipated that Camelot would focus on the roads. Instead, she and three dozen knights passed without much sound between trees and behind rocks. They stole toward the tunnel entrance under the walls and directly into the citadel itself. She saw a light ahead in the darkness.
Tynesford waited in front of the entrance in question. He watched the woods carefully. Upon seeing the priestess, he waved to signal them.
She grinned. "We have our way in." She led her forces toward the door in question. "Have you done everything?"
Tynesford bowed to her. "I dropped the package into the Lower Town's well earlier this afternoon. The herbs are burning in the lower citadel. The guards there are unconscious. Pardon me for not signaling you with a torch, Mistress."
"Nay. You did the right thing. They are with me." She watched the knights congregate by the tunnel. "When you get in there, cover your faces! You will have little resistance until you reach the royal apartments." She would have rather had Morgana leading them in. Since her sister's betrayal, she had little choice. She put a piece of cloth in front of her face. Then she led her companions down the passage.
Sleeping knights lay sprawled across the floor and at the table. The remaining fumes in the air numbed their senses.
Satisfaction gleamed in her eyes. The mighty Knights of Camelot laid low by Valerian. She smirked. She urged the knights up the stairs and into the citadel proper. She saw another dozen knights downed by the airborne agent. "Follow me!" She marched toward the next staircase. Two more flights found them at the royal sanctuary passage.
"IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!" William drew his sword. He stood his ground for a couple of heartbeats….
…well at least until the odds worsened to 25 to 1….
William ran back toward the council chamber. "SIRE!" He floated into the air. Then he hit the wall hard. A resounding crack echoed a distance down the passage.
"Such a young boy." She rolled her eyes. "Never a chance." She turned her attention toward the council chamber. "Forget him." She turned to her companions. "You three take that door. Nobody leaves that way!"
The three knights rushed down the passage in question. They determined to bottle up the way in question.
As they passed the council chamber, Uther stepped out. "What is this?" He cursed himself for not having any weapon. He glanced back into the chamber and the councilors therein.
The knights grabbed his arms. They pulled him over the threshold and onto the stones underfoot. They tied his hands behind his back.
"Why, Uther? Lying down when you have guests?" She snickered.
"How did you get in here? We have guards! We…" Uther stammered. He struggled with the hands holding him down.
"I took precautions. I am taking another." She put her forefinger against his face. "Cadal!" Her eyes glowed canary.
"You're…" Uther's eyelids sagged from the spell. He fell into a deep sleep.
"The prize is ours!" She strutted into the council chamber. There she found the remaining councilors. "Now my victory is complete. I would kill you except I need you." She waved to her companions. "TAKE THEM TO THE DUNGEON! I will keep Uther here with me. I wish to make sure that he is quite secure." She waved her hand again.
Uther floated through the air. He slumped onto a bench.
She waved her hands again. Her eyes glowed once more. Chants escaped her lips.
The air glowed about the King.
"Now you will sleep undisturbed, Uther, until Meleagant and I are ready to end it." Her grin spread ever more than before across her face.
Betrayals could be overcome after all, it seemed….