Disclaimer: The Lost Land, Gwion, Gwddno and the Pendragon belong to Susan Cooper.
"My lord?"
Gwyddno's vision swam. He tried to make out
the vision of Gwion, of Taliesin, the crisp curly grey hair and the odd
dark stripe of the grey beard. But the great surprise of the Pendragon
and Excalibur had taken its toll.
"Is it...over?" Gwion nodded.
"The Lost Land is where it was destined to
be. At the bottom of an ocean." He looked sadly out to the balcony. All
around the familiar area of land was a purple, pulsating energy keeping
the waters from the other side at bay. The Lost Land was indeed lost, but
the magics inside were too great for the High Magic to let go.
"...Taliesin?"
"My lord!"
Gwyddno Garanhir, the king of the Lost Land,
slumped to the ground. Gwion ran to him. He was still alive, but barely.
"Majesty, hang on! hang on..."
Gwyddno's head gave another spin. "No." he
said calmly. "This is the beginning of the end. It was written.." The King
coughed twice. "It was written in the prophecies. Gwion, my minstrel, my
heir...it is time for you to know.
"The Lost Land is only a part, a piece of
a whole, much older land. It existed long ago, when the first of the Old
Ones was just a young man learning his magic from a bard. They had a very,
very powerful source of energy. The four Balance orbs were once kept in
the center of this land.
"But the power was....too great. In a last
attempt to keep the forces from destroying the land, the citizens attempted
to seperate the orbs. They sent the Earth orb to the west, the land that
centuries later was known as the lost land. The Fire orb they gave to the
many headed Fire Hydras who live in the Earth's core itself. And the Wind
Orb.." Gwyddno struggled to speak. "The Wind orb was lost. But it didnt
matter. The Water orb that remained there was too powerful on its own.
Almost the entire land of Atlantis sank.
"The west corner was elevated above the rest
of the areas significantly. We kept the Earth orb and pretended that were
part of Wales. But it was always our destiny that it would betray us for
using it for malice. The orb brought a great earthquake, and with it its
sister of Water brought the storm. The same storms you just saw...to send
the Lost Land beneath the sea.
"Gwion..." The King's voice rose with urgency.
"You MUST FIND the Earth Orb! I know I had it in my posession, but my head...after
the emptyness, it just didnt matter anymore."
The King took a breath and parted his lips
to say more, but suddenly he went limp in Gwion's arms. The King of the
Lost Land was dead.
Gwion gave out a cry of despair. Throughout
the Lost Land, a huge ballad of sadness shot through the Castle, the Country,
and the City. The whole land mourned for the loss of the King in a slow,
funeral march type lilting song. The words had been forgotten long ago.
Suddenly Gwion heard a noise behind him. The
entire wall was spinning around. Behind, a large set of passageways opened
up. He set the Kings hands peacefully on his chest, stood up, and walked
down the tunnel.
It was a long way before Gwion saw the end
of the tunnel. There, a green throne, laced lavishly with golden frills,
was occupied by a man with dark black hair. He was sitting with his face
down.
Gwion reached the room. The man looked up.
It was Craig.
Craig laughed. "Gwion! Ah, you come seeking...this?"
In his hand was an orb, beatifully adorned with designs telling of the
beginning of the Earth and the cause of it's end.
Gwion paused warily. "Yes. How did it come
into your possession?"
"That's an interesting tale. It was right
here, sitting in it's place." Beside him was a golden chalice-type cup.
Four, in fact. They were connected to the throne with long metal poles.
"But do you know WHAT this place was for?"
Gwion shook his head. Craig smiled, malice
written all over his face.
"Ah. You see, Gwion...this was the control
room of Atlantis. Here, the Fire orb would sit. Here, the Water orb. Here,
the Earth orb and here, the Wind." He pointed to one of the gold cups as
he mentioned each orb. Inside one, the Water orb sat, a majestic blue color
richer then even Eirias.
Craig set the Earth orb in it's place and
grabbed a nearby lever. "You see, Gwion, this is where they could utilize
the powers of the four orbs. Just as I intend to do when I find the other
two."
"But...you can't! It will destroy you, and
along with it every living creature on the earth!"
"Isn't that the true purpose of the Dark?"
Craig's eyes flashed a cold blue, as if the Rider inside was peeking out.
Gwion looked at him coldly. "You are mad.
You have no power here, in the Lost Land. What are you trying to do."
"Well you see, I figure, two of the orbs should
be enough power for a simple task."
"Oh? And what will that be?"
"Taking out the King of the Lost Land!"
Gwion stood, anger and sadness conflicting
inside him. "King Gwyddno is dead. He died after Eirias was taken."
Craig frowned. "What? Then what is the power
I've been sensing? The power that has the control over these two elements?
The only one that poses as a threat?"
Gwion shrugged. "Not that I'd tell you if
I knew, but I have no idea. Perhaps it is something of the High Magic."
Craig laughed. "You do not yet know the true
power of the four orbs combined. They are strong enough to wipe out the
High Magic with a pull of a lever. Don't you understand the power? The
SHEER POWER!?"
Gwion surged forward with rage. "You are crazy,
insane? How do you expect to find the lost Wind orb? How can you deal with
the Hydras of the Fire orb? How do you think you can DO this?"
Craig smiled calmly. "With this." He pulled
from his pocket an amulet glowing an intense blue. "It was used by Sappho,
considered the tenth muse, to find two girls with the power over these
elements. I noticed it sensed to energies of my orbs and therefore will
be able to locate the other two much easier."
Thoughts raced through Gwion's head. He must
be crazy. These two girls are the ones he seeks, the ones that control
these powers. And yet he doesnt notice.
Craig blinked twice, and the blue flashed
again. "But...of course..." he whispered. "The girls that control the elements.
That's who I've been sensing this whole time."
Damn.
Craig looked back at Gwion. "I'm not going
to waste these energies to kill you now. But you cannot do much from the
depths of the ocean. Yes, it should be safe. I'll find these two. Even
if it's the last thing I do." With that, he raised a hand and disappeared.
The orbs still sat in their places.
Suddenly Craig appeared again. "Whoops, forgot
the orbs," he muttered, embarrassed. He grabbed them and vanished.
Gwion frowned. "He doesn't seem to be much
of a danger...he's a shadow of a man. He's not all THERE."
A/N: Whew, done. Actually it works better uber-long. I was planning to have the Rider kill Gwion...but I couldn't do it. So now I'm mad at myself. But anyway. Post review things or you will turn into a large mole. Just kidding.