Chapter 6 -- Cerridwyn

"She's lost a lot of blood, Nigel..." Bridgit whispered to him, glancing over her shoulder at Sydney who was leaning against a wall, panting. "And I don't like that bump on her head, either."

Nigel nodded weakly and smiled reassuringly at Sydney. "Is anything broken?"

"We both heard the sound when she hit. As close as I can tell, she's got a few broken ribs and maybe her clavicle, too. And... I think she might be bleeding internally."

Nigel closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Oh, God..."

"How's the foot?"

"Broken." Nigel shrugged. "That shot you gave me seems to have helped the pain a bit. Can you give Syd something, too?"

She shook her head. "Not without killing her, I can't."

Nigel nodded slowly. "Will she be okay?"

"I'm not sure. We need to get her out of here, and going back the way we came is… out."

Nigel nodded and glanced to where the cave narrowed into a tight passage. "So, we go on?"

"Yeah. We have to."

"She can't walk, can she?"

"Well, she shouldn't walk, but I can't carry her and with your ankle..."

"I can carry her." Nigel nodded firmly, as much to convince himself as to convince Bridgit.

Bridgit nodded and approached Sydney. "Professor Fox? We need to get you out of here, okay?"

Sydney opened her eyes and nodded, trying to pull herself to her feet.

"Oh no you don't, Syd!" Nigel said quickly, rushing to her side. "No walking for you. Doctor's orders."

"Then how am I supposed to get out of here?"

"I'm going to have to carry you, Syd."

Sydney laughed weakly and shook her head. "Nigel, you've got a broken ankle."

He gave her a strange smile. "And I'm still in better shape than you." He bent over and scooped her up.

"Nigel!" Sydney protested, struggling.

"Don't make me drop you, Syd..." Nigel suggested grimly, following Bridgit down the narrow passage.

"Nigel…" Sydney whispered as he walked.

"Yeah?" Nigel asked.

"Nigel, that wall didn't give out under my feet by accident. It was rigged."

He sighed. "I was afraid of that. What should I do?"

"Nothing until we get out of here. We're not in any shape to fight right now, even if we are being set up."

He nodded and kept walking, ignoring the stabbing pains and the audible grating sound that his foot made every time he put weight on it.

"Guys!" Bridgit called from down the corridor. "Come and see!"

She ran back to join them and followed Nigel, half skipping with excitement. Nigel took a deep breath, wondering if they were walking into a trap. But there was nothing that he could do, even if he had known for a fact that they were. He stopped at the point where the passage fed into an enormous chamber and glanced around in awe. It was like something out of a fairy-tale. It looked as if the walls were made of millions of cut diamonds, closely placed. The weak light from their flashlights was reflected and magnified until the chamber was as brilliantly lit as if they had been under a dozen floodlights.

Sydney glanced around, impressed. "Wow..." she managed.

"This is it." Bridgit smiled and looked around. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Nigel gently rested Sydney on the ground. "How are you holding up?" he asked softly.

"I'll be fine. Document this."

"Sydney..." Nigel protested, shaking his head.

"Come on, Nigel. Don't let me die for nothing."

Nigel shook his head. "You're not going to die, Syd."

"Do you see a way out of here other than the way we came?"

Nigel sighed. "You are not going to die, Syd. Not here, and not like this."

"Hey, you always said that I would die on a Hunt."

"I meant twenty or thirty years down the road!" Nigel protested.

"Get the pictures, Nigel. Please?" Sydney asked weakly.

Nigel sighed and nodded. "Do you want some water?"

She nodded and accepted the canteen he offered her. She tried to raise it to her mouth, but stopped short, wincing in pain.

"Here." Nigel took the canteen and held it to her lips. "Sydney," he whispered, "if I have anything at all to say about it, you are going to get out of this."

She smiled weakly, coughing a little from the water. "I know, Nigel. You're the best assistant I've ever had."

The phrase sounded a little too much like a 'good-bye' to Nigel, so he picked up the camera and started taking photos, never leaving Sydney's side.

"What's that?" he asked finally, pointing to the large, deep pool of water in the middle of the chamber.

Bridgit smiled. "About time you noticed it. That's what we're looking for."

"That's the Cauldron?" Nigel asked, frowning uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Cauldron is a mistranslation. The word originally meant 'pool' or 'well'."

Nigel frowned. "Well, then, how are we ever supposed to get it out of here?" he demanded of her, rising.

She looked surprised. "We can't. I only wanted you to find it."

"Find it?" He advanced on her, looking furious. "You're telling me that Sydney is about to die for a glorified... mud puddle?"

"Nigel, please don't..." Sydney coughed. "She's not... She's…" she stopped, too weak to finish.

Surprised, Nigel returned to Sydney's side. "Hang in there, Syd. We're going to get you out of here."

She shook her head faintly. Her voice was weak. "No. You aren't. Not this time, Nigel..."

"Syd... Don't talk like that." Nigel took her hands in his and stared at her hopefully. "Come on, Syd. You've gotten out of worse than this before."

She smiled sadly. "I know, Nigel, but not this time. I can't... I can't even see any more."

Nigel stared at her in horror. "Oh, Syd..."

"It's okay..." she assured him. "It doesn't even hurt any more, Nigel." She gently caressed his cheek, and then her hand dropped.

"Oh, Syd... No..." Nigel felt for a pulse. "No, Syd... You can't... Come on, Syd." He gently slapped her face. "Wake up, Syd."

Bridgit touched his shoulder. "She's not going to wake up, Nigel."

"Get off me!" he shouted, shoving her away. "This is your fault!" Ignoring her, he pulled Sydney into his arms and began sobbing.

"I know..." she whispered, picking herself up. She retreated to the other end of the chamber, allowing Nigel to be alone with his grief.

Nigel's sobs finally eased and he looked up at Sydney's still face. She looked quiet, peaceful even, and so beautiful. Still crying quietly, he laid her out on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. He did not know what else to do for her. He picked up one of her hands and kissed it gently before returning it to her chest.

"Sydney..." he whispered. "You were always the brave one, and the strong one, and I... I've always caused more trouble than I've solved, and I... I'm a coward, Syd. It's not my fault; it's just the way I am. But... it should be me lying there right now, Syd, and if I could change places with you, I would. You don't deserve to die like this, and I'm so sorry, Syd. For everything." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Syd..." he whispered. "I told you that once before, but this time you know I'm telling the truth." He was crying harder again, but he did not care. "I love you, Syd..." he repeated.

"Nigel..." Bridgit whispered after a few minutes.

He glanced furiously up at her, pulling Sydney's knife from her boot without even really being aware that he had done so. "Just.. tell me why she had to die like this?"

"Nigel..."

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"I can't deny it, Nigel." Bridgit knelt next to him and gently extracted the knife from his hand. "And I'm sorry that it had to be this way, but... there was purpose to it all."

Nigel shook his head, angry. "What possible purpose could there be to..."

"Look at the... glorified mud puddle, Nigel. Tell me what the writing around it says."

Nigel stared suspiciously at her. "Is it my turn to die now? Who do you work for?"

"You wouldn't understand. I think Sydney might have had a glimmer before she died, but it's hard for the living to understand some things."

"The living?" Nigel scoffed. "What's that make you?"

Bridgit shrugged helplessly.

Nigel stared at her for a moment. Something occurred to him very abruptly. "Bridgit was another name for Cerridwyn, wasn't it?"

She nodded, her expression not changing.

"My God."

"No, not yours, my child."

"You're..." Nigel swallowed hard. "Cerridwyn?"

"Cerridwyn, Bridgit... Pick whichever you're most comfortable with."

Nigel shook his head, disbelief warring with a desperate desire to believe this madness, because, if it was true, then Sydney might still be saved. "No, you can't be."

"Why?" She smiled curiously. "We've met once before, you know."

"Have we?" Nigel frowned.

"When you were five, you got separated from your parents in the London Underground. You were terrified. Remember?"

Nigel gaped at her. "How did you..." He had never told anyone about that experience, not even Sydney.

"I was watching over you even then, my child. We knew that you would do great things."

"'We'?" Nigel asked, frowning. He was beginning to feel very much as though he had fallen into the Twilight Zone when he was not paying attention.

She nodded. "I'm not the only power in the universe, Nigel."

"Um, no... of course not." He stared at her helplessly. His sanity had apparently decided to take a short vacation after Sydney's death, because he was actually beginning to believe her.

"So... you and the other Celtic gods have been watching me since I was a child?"

She smiled. "Well, not just the Celtic ones, but yes."

"I see. Why?"

"Because of your association with Professor Fox."

"Sydney? But... I only met her a few years ago."

She shrugged. "Time doesn't mean a lot to us. We've known since before your birth what you would become." She smiled warmly at him. "We were not disappointed."

He blinked. "So, um... exactly... um, that is... How does this work with you, exactly?"

"You mean my association with the others?"

He nodded.

"Well, to put it in terms that you'll understand, we're the Elohim."

"Elohim? That's... Old Testament, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Do you know what it means?"

He considered. "'They who come from the stars', isn't it?"

"More or less. Do you know who it refers to?"

"Um, in Genesis... originally in Genesis, before the revisionists got their hands on it, Yahweh isn't said to create the world and man, the Elohim is."

She nodded. "Very good."

"So... the Elohim is... all the gods?"

She nodded. "Basically."

"Why..." Nigel took a deep breath. "Why would the Elohim be interested in Syd?"

"Can't you think of an answer to that, my child?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because, you are. One of my titles is 'Mother of the Celts', and that includes the Britons."

"Oh." Nigel nodded. "You've really been following me around since I was a child?"

"Well, not following, per se. Just... keeping track."

"Oh."

She smiled reassuringly. "Do you remember the time you got lost in the Underground?"

He nodded. "There was a woman... a girl. In a green dress... She spoke to me and told me it would be okay."

Bridgit nodded gravely.

"But, she looked nothing like you!" Nigel protested.

"Do you prefer that form?" As Nigel watch in amazement, the redheaded woman before him became a pretty girl of about sixteen with freckles and black hair. Only her green eyes were the same. "Better?" she asked cheerfully.

"This is not happening."

"Sure it is." She leaned forward and pinched him.

"Ow!"

"See?" she asked, grinning at him. "Hey, I'm a triple goddess. What'd you expect?"

"You have another form as well?" Nigel asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, wise old woman."

"Oh." Nigel nodded slowly.

"Do you remember what I said to you when you got lost?"

He nodded. "You told me I was going to be okay."

"Do you remember the words?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. They're still with you, I promise. Go to the Cauldron and read the writing."

Nigel approached the pool and knelt next to it. There were words carved into the edge of the pool.

"Go ahead, Nigel." Bridgit smiled at him and nodded reassuringly.

Nigel slowly translated. "Mine is the secret that opens the door, and Mine is the cup of that wine of life that is the Cauldron of Cerridwyn, that is the holy Grail of Immortality." He looked up at her.

She smiled. "Very good, Nigel. Read the rest."

"Love is the..." He shook his head. "I don't know this word."

"Wellspring, Nigel. Read on." She nodded encouragingly.

"Love is the wellspring. And from this spring all things do flow, and even my Triple Blessing, which is life, and wisdom, and magic herself."

She nodded her approval of his recitation. "And now you know all that you need to know to resolve this situation."

"Is this a test?"

She nodded.

He took a deep breath. "This is the Cauldron. It can bring Syd back."

She nodded again.

"But... there's a catch, isn't there?"

Another mute nod.

Nigel sighed and closed his eyes, thinking. "If it is to bring Syd back, I have to... what? Love her? I already love her, though. Um... I have to prove my love, is that it?"

"Now you understand. Even we are bound by certain rules, Nigel, and in this case proof is required."

"How do I prove it, though?" Nigel asked. "Help me, please."

Bridgit leaned over the water and brushed her fingers against it. The water began boiling and steaming in the pool. Nigel recoiled, startled.

"If you love a person enough, you would give anything for them, Nigel."

Nigel nodded slowly and stared at the pool. "If she's to live, I must die?" he asked slowly.

"You must be willing to make this sacrifice of your own free will, my child, if Professor Fox is to be saved."

He took several deep breaths and nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Simply carry her into the Cauldron."

"Will she be hurt?"

Bridgit shook her head. "You will suffer, but in taking the pain upon yourself you free her from it. She will come out of the Cauldron unharmed, with the injuries that killed her healed."

"As good as before?" Nigel asked.

"Better, even."

Nigel took another deep breath. "How badly will it hurt?"

"You will be boiled alive. It will be more painful than there are words to describe."

"But Syd will be okay?"

Bridgit nodded. "You may take as much time as you need to decide, Nigel."

"There's nothing to decide." Nigel rose and walked over to where Sydney lay. Bending over, he gently picked her up.

"If you change your mind and try to back out once you have entered the Cauldron, she will be irretrievable, even if you later change your mind again. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Go in, stay in. No matter how much it hurts. I've got it."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Good luck, my child."

"Will... will I see you on... the other side?"

She smiled reassuringly and nodded. "I am there, and many others. It's a wonderful place. You will like it."

"Thank you, Bridgit." He took a final deep breath and walked towards the Cauldron.

"Do you remember now?" she asked.

"Remember?" he asked. He did not slow down because he was afraid of losing his nerve if he did.

"What I said to you when you were five. Do you remember?"

He nodded. "You said, 'You are braver than you can know, Nigel Bailey, and braver than any other will likely ever imagine. May it serve you and those you love well in times of darkness.'" He smiled at her over his shoulder and tightened his grip on Sydney. "Thank you."

She nodded. As he stepped into the Cauldron, she spoke, "You may think yourself a coward, my child, but I do not, and I doubt Professor Fox ever has, either."

Nigel nodded and plunged in, holding Sydney tightly against himself.

Bridgit had been right. There had not yet been words invented to describe the kind of pain Nigel found himself in as he submersed himself and Sydney. Despite the pain, and the nagging suspicion that it was driving him mad, Nigel never considered, for even a moment, attempting to get out. He just bit his tongue against the scream he felt rising within his chest until he was in too much pain even to scream.

When the darkness came, Nigel was smiling.