Song is, "The Call" by 2WEI, Louis Leibfried and Edda Hayes. I put the lyrics at the end of the chapter.

https/youtu.be/saTjJRzJYuc

Chapter 21: The Call

As Arthur watched Aynaet run down the stairs, he closed his eyes and sighed in mild frustration. Something real fishy was going on and he was going to find out what it was. He looked at Rose and Babd with a serious expression.

"Alright, look," he said, holding his hands up. "I know somethin' is goin' on so why don't you tell me what it is, you two?"

Both the Goddessess of Death glanced at each other, then Babd walked to Arthur and patted his head. "You'll know in time, don't be so impatient," she said before opening the panel on the sphere. "What kind of adjustments did she-"

"Don't treat me like I'm an idiot, woman!" Arthur snapped. "I want answers!"

Babd arched a brow at Arthur, then she sighed before going back to messing with the panel. "You can ask questions, Arthur, but I may or may not answer them. Oh Aynaet, you little stinker," she chuckled before taking out a tool kit of her own to fix whatever Aynaet did. "That girl is far too adamant for her own good."

"Why the hell did Aynaet marry Mallacht in the first place?" Arthur spat out.

Rose sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Let's just say...she took a gamble and lost," she explained.

Arthur's head snapped in Rose's direction. "What'd you just say?"

"I said, "she took a gamble and lost."," Rose repeated.

Mr. Morgan felt his blood run cold and he was almost certain his heart stopped. That's what Lilly said in one of her prayers.

Lilly took a gamble and lost, and she didn't think Arthur would forgive her for it.

"Fuck..." he thought. "No, Lilly can't be the queen. There's no twin flame between Aynaet and me. That confirms she ain't Lilly."

Arthur felt the need to convince himself that it was impossible for Aynaet to be his wife, but if she was, it would definitely answer a lot of questions...like the sex doll. Apparently the thing had a name. It was Allan. Arthur was still trying to wrap his mind around that one, and while it was flattering, it was still creepy.

But if Lilly was the queen, the sex doll made sense, but if she was the queen, why didn't she say anything?

As Arthur contemplated the reasons why Lilly would keep something like that from him, O'Callaghan walked up to him with Rose. "Are ya okay?" Rose asked.

Arthur felt like he couldn't breathe all of a sudden and he wobbled before plopping on the ground, everyone clambering around him with concern. "What's the matter, laddie?" Sir Jack asked.

"I, uh...I dunno," Arthur lied. "I got light headed...feelin' anxious."

"Cernunnos, check Arthur's health lines," Lugh said.

O'Callaghan fussed over Arthur's well being while Rose dug around in her satchel. "I got just the thing fer that," she said, pulling out what looked like a cigarette and a blue rectangular container full of fluid with a mechanical mechanism on the top. She put the cigarette in her mouth and lit it, then she puffed and held it out to Arthur. "Smoke this."

"What is it?" he asked, grasping it and sniffing it. It was...very strong, whatever it was, then he squinted an eye when he realized the smell was very familiar. "Really? You're givin' me marijuana?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Rose croaked before exhaling, coughing a little. "It's medicinal."

Arthur huffed. "Fiiine..." he grumbled before puffing on it. He immediately coughed and wheezed before almost falling over from his fit of hacking. "Wha...what..."

Rose cackled with the others and Babd closed the panel and shook her head before grabbing the joint from Arthur's hand, smoking a nice, long drag from it. "Don't hog it all, you greedy asshole," she chuckled.

Rose laughed even louder and pointed at Babd. "I didna know ya even knew how tah curse, Aunt Babd!" she wheezed with laughter.

Arthur felt pressure in his forehead and his face got hot, but not uncomfortably so. It was more interesting than worrisome. And then he felt it. He wasn't sure what it was but it hit him like a strong wave, yet it was smooth and gentle at the same time. His jaw went slack as he looked up at everyone. People started laughing like crazy at him.

"Oh my gods, the look on yer face!" Lugh guffawed while bending over and holding his stomach. "Ya look like a baby bird wantin' food from his mommy!"

Arthur couldn't help but giggle hysterically. He didn't know why he found that imagery to be funny and he'd certainly never giggled before, then he remembered how Lilly would get when she'd get high.

"I'm high," he laughed.

"Ya never been high before?" Sir Jack asked with a chuckle.

"No," Arthur replied. "Drunk, sure. High? Never."

"Let me have some!" Lugh exclaimed.

"What the fuck?!" Aynaet shouted from behind them all. Arthur remained seated but everyone else turned around to look at her. "Are you getting people high, Rose?!"

"Arthur was havin' a panic attack," Rose replied innocently. "He's fine now."

Aynaet huffed before closing her eyes, then she jerked her head to the side and Arthur heard a very loud crack when she did that. "Yes, he's fine now," Aynaet hissed as she glared at Rose. "But I need two volunteers to go with me to Sisika Penitentiary. The rest of you can be high all you want, but we're on the clock."

"And why would we do that?" Sir Jack asked, stalking up to Aynaet slowly. "Why should we help ya get yer children out?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," Aynaet replied calmly.

"But what if all this is some trick of yers and Mallacht's?"

"It ain't, Dad," Rose answered coldly. "Trust me."

Arthur got himself up slowly as Rose put the joint out and put it back in her satchel. He looked at the queen, her hands enfolded regally over her front. Her gaze was calm but clearly showed authority, that she wasn't going to back down. Aynaet was going to get her children out with or without their help.

"We're gonna help her," Arthur decided. "She's been cooperative and ain't really done anythin' to suggest she ain't on our side. The rest...just speculation from others. I think we should trust her."

Jack looked behind him slowly, his eyes narrowed at Arthur. "Yer judgment is clouded right now so excuse me if I dunna listen tah ya."

The Earl of Moycullen straightened his back. "You're not excused."

It was at this point that Jack faced Arthur fully, a surprised but amused look on his face. "Oh, I'm not, aye?" He chuckled before stepping up to Arthur. "Just who do ya think yer talkin' tah, boy?"

"My father-in-law," Arthur snorted with a laugh. "And my subordinate."

Lugh guffawed loudly and turned away while the rest averted their gazes. They knew what was coming and so did Arthur. Jack's face was colder than stone as he looked Arthur in the eye.

"Yer subordinate..." Jack mimicked before humming. "Ya may be in charge of this mission, laddie, but ya still got a lot tah learn before I ever become yer subordinate."

"That may be," Arthur said with a goofy grin. "But until we get outta here, I am in charge. If you don't like how I'm runnin' things, go back home. We'll find someone else to come fight in your stead." He stood even straighter with a wild gleam in his eye, itching for a fight. "What's it gonna be...boah?"

The tension in the air, which was pretty thick when the showdown began, got even heavier. Arthur had already been through all this bullshit with Mary's father, but this was different now. Arthur already had the girl and he wasn't going to put up with Jack O'Callaghan's bullshit anymore.

But then Jack did something unexpected.

He smiled brightly, clapped Arthur on the shoulder and laughed. "It's about time ya stood up tah me, Arthur," Jack said before looking around Aynaet. "Ya wantah call yer banners and evacuate people now?"

Arthur glanced at Lugh who had a smug grin on his face, then it dawned on him. Jack had been testing Arthur ever since the two met.

And he passed.

Aynaet smirked at Arthur before walking towards the sphere. "Yes," she answered. "Arthur, Lugh, Jack, O'Callaghan, Scotty...you may want to hang back," she remarked.

Play music here

The others moved out of Aynaet's way as she climbed the steps to the sphere, but Babd and Rose stayed by her side. "Are you sure this will work?" Aynaet asked.

"Of course it'll work, child," Babd giggled. "What do you take me for, a senile old fraud?" The old woman pat Aynaet on the shoulder before turning her. "I know you're nervous, but you're an excellent student. You can do this."

Aynaet smiled gently with a nod and Babd bent the queen's head down to kiss her forehead. "Thank you, Babd," she said before turning towards the sphere.

Babd descended the small steps to join the rest of the group, standing beside Arthur as she beamed at The Demon Queen with pride. Arthur watched in awe as Aynaet dragged a claw down her arm. In the blink of an eye, her black metal tipped staff appeared in her hand as the wound sealed shut. He was pretty impressed that she could seemingly keep anything stowed away inside the suit.

Lilly was always pretty damn good at keeping things hidden on her body, so that strangely made sense.

Rose went to the wall where a gray, metallic container was and she opened it to reveal a red tipped lever that was in the down position. With a nod to Rose, the dark haired woman grasped the handle and pushed it up.

A loud clank was heard as electricity zapped from the panel and the rings of the sphere began to turn with a creaking. Arthur's eyes widened when the gold panels on the ceiling started folding up and over to reveal the outside. They had a clear view of the sun sitting low to the west and wisps of snow danced around wildly across his vision. A small, circular hole appeared in the floor in front of Aynaet and she neatly placed her staff into it. It sunk down a couple inches with a loud clank and tiny spikes appeared from the exterior of the staff.

"Uh, what are the spikes for?" Arthur whispered to Babd.

The rings of the sphere slowed to a stop when they were lined up with one another and Aynaet spread her legs apart before taking a deep breath. "It's a ritual, Arthur," Babd replied. "This magic requires a blood sacrifice." As Aynaet placed her hands around the staff, Arthur went to intervene but Babd grabbed his arm. "She'll be fine."

The rings went nuts, swirling around in rapid pulses as Aynaet groaned loudly, the spikes shooting out to pierce her flesh. A loud roar escaped her for a brief moment while the spikes drained her blood. Arthur could see dark purple colored smoke form inside the sphere around the tablets, purple lightning striking the stones. The whole room was flashing with lights from the rings that were beginning to form bright, glowing purple lines. Rose rushed to the group to watch the show. One by one, tablets with bright purple writing began lifting out of the sphere single file before floating above the machine. They spun faster and faster until it looked like a bright purple loop was floating above the magic sphere.

Purple lightning shot out from the rings as they continually spun, purple fire rose from within the sphere and Aynaet let out a deep, deafening roar as the lights got brighter and brighter and the rings were encircled with light. An explosion of light blinded Arthur's sight for the moment before he saw the glowing tablets fly high into the sky, a strike of lightning hitting them as they all went off in different directions.

"Holy shit!" Arthur barked loudly.

Aynaet's breathing was heavily labored but she managed to stay standing as the spikes disconnected from her body and sunk back into the staff. She pointed towards the large outdoor platform as the gold panels opened in its direction, the other ones closing with loud clunks. "Skeleton key," she breathed loudly.

Arthur immediately rummaged through his satchel and grabbed the skeleton key he had, then he ran out towards the platform as the wind and snow blew around him. He stood up to the console that was at the edge of the circle and noticed there was a keyhole in the square panel. He looked back at Aynaet who was lumbering outside with the others, Rose holding onto her.

"Go ahead, Mr. Morgan," Aynaet said, her breathing still labored.

Arthur turned back around, looking at his wife's key with a determined expression. He put the key into the hole with a click and he turned it. A slow rumbling shook the mountain top and Babd pulled Arthur away from the console back into the building. The ground quaked a bit too much for Arthur's liking but as the platform doors opened, he knew something big was about to come out.

So when a very large griffin came climbing out of the hole, its yellow talons smashing down to pull itself up, Arthur wasn't that surprised. Everyone backed up as the griffin, standing at least a hundred feet high, lowered its head down to look at everybody with blue, glowing eyes. It raised its head and looked around before turning and lifting its wings, letting out a high pitched screech. It jumped into the air and flew to a nearby mountain peak, the group running out to watch as it landed at the top, secured itself on the rocks and let out a blue stream of light from its mouth towards the sky.

Arthur was blinded for a few moments and he covered his eyes with his arm, then he blinked a few times and lowered it to see an image in the sky, floating in a shield of white and blue.

Silhouettes of The Four Horsemen on their steeds and a griffin in the background lit up the sky like the northern lights. Arthur looked back at the griffin, which was now part of the rock face but was emitting a shield around a lot of the northern territory.

"Ain't the enemy gonna see this?" Arthur asked.

"No," Rose replied. "Only the ones loyal tah us will see it."

Aynaet wheezed softly as she looked at Babd. "Why are...you still here? You...I set the-"

"I know what you did, you little sneak," Babd laughed. "I undid it. I've told you before, Aynaet. I'm not leaving until the war is won and Mallacht is either dead or imprisoned while suffering an eternity of torment."

Arthur frowned when Aynaet's knees gave out but Rose held her up. "Ya need rest, Yer Majesty," she said.

"But my children..."

Arthur was still higher than a kite but that didn't stop him from rushing over and immediately lifting the queen up in his arms. "Let's get her inside. We'll get 'em out, Your Majesty, you have my word," he said before marching towards the stairs.

"You...you don't have to carry me..." Aynaet began to say but Arthur gave her a look that silenced her quickly.

Arthur didn't know if this was his wife or not. If she was, she was keeping a secret for a reason. He wasn't sure why but he was going to find out. Either way, this woman deserved some respect after what she just managed. As people followed him down the stairs, Arthur kept stealing glances at her tired face.

"Are you hungry?" he asked quietly.

"No, just tired," she replied in an exhausted tone.

"Does your voice hurt?"

"No, surprisingly. Whatever...whatever Cernunnos gave me...works very well," she said, breathing harshly.

"You don't sound too good," he said with concern.

"She just needs rest, Arthur," Babd said. "The sphere took a lot of blood from her."

Arthur stopped in his steps then turned and looked up at Babd, who was on a higher step than he was. "Was she in any danger of dyin'?" he asked.

"Of course not," Babd said.

"Why did you need her blood to perform the ritual?" he asked, turning away to continue down the stairs.

"Aynaet and I are the most experienced blood magic users in here. Anyone lesser would've perished."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like Lilly," he thought to himself. "So why didn't you perform it?"

"I'm old, have some pity," she joked.

Arthur cackled with laughter. "Fair enough."

They reached the first floor and Babd quickly opened one of the doors in the walls to reveal a small guest bedroom. She flicked on a light and Aynaet's eyes immediately shut as she hissed. Arthur stopped as he looked at her with worry. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh dear," Babd said, flicking the light back off. "Aynaet sometimes has...trouble adjusting to light changes when she's been weakened."

Rose went to the bed and pulled back the covers as Arthur put Aynaet into the bed, going to her feet to take her tennis shoes off. He chuckled as he pulled on the laces.

"What kind of shoes are these?" He asked as he pulled one off and worked on the other.

"They're called tennis shoes, or sneakers," Rose replied. "Quite comfortable, great fer physical activities such as runnin' or walkin'."

Aynaet and Arthur's eyes met and he froze. She was blushing furiously and she quickly looked away from him. A soft smirk formed on Arthur's face before he looked back at the shoe and pulled it off. The shoes went to the floor with a clop and Arthur and Rose tucked Aynaet in, Arthur making sure she was nice and toasty.

"Thank you," Aynaet breathed with relief before shutting her eyes.

"Yer welcome, Yer Majesty," Rose grinned before bending down and kissing Aynaet's forehead. "Sleep. I'll go get the kids out."

Aynaet's eyes shot open and she shook her head. "No! It's too...too dangerous!" she hissed, though she sounded out of breath.

"Bitch, please," Rose joked. "I got this. Lugh, Dad, yer with me," she said before giving Arthur a kiss on the cheek and walking to Babd, handing her some sort of device. "In case she wants to have another bath or something while I'm gone." Rose snapped her fingers and she turned into who Arthur assumed was Violet based on the hair and eye color. "O'Callaghan, feel free tah use me bedroom across the way tah fuck the daylights out of our husband while I'm gone," she grinned before leaving the room. "But dunna make him too tired! It'll be me turn when I get back!

O'Callaghan smirked evily before looking at Arthur. "Consider it done," she said.

Jack huffed with a chuckle before leaving the room as well, followed by Lugh. Arthur eyed the queen who only looked calm and collected, waving her hand to shoo them out of the room. The couple left the room and shut the door.

If Aynaet was Lilly, Arthur felt bad for leaving her out, but as O'Callaghan clung to him and kissed him softly, the thought went out of his mind as O'Callaghan led him to Rose's room.


Hear my plea to the fallen

Leave me to be with the broken

One last time before I go

Hold the last burning ember

Let us never surrender

May we rise unto the call

For the glory and the call

For the beat and the broken

For the lost and forsaken

Let us never surrender

May we rise unto the call

For the beat and the broken

For the lost and forsaken

Let us never surrender

For the glory and the fall

To the beat and the broken

For the lost and forsaken

Let us never surrender

Now we rise unto the call

(For the beat and the broken)

Chains that we are breaking

Fate that we are awaiting

We will rise unto the call

(Rise unto the call)

For the glory and the fall