Posted November 14, 2021.


CHAPTER 8: THE CAULRDON OF DAGDA

On the Matter of the City of Murias

The city of Murias is a location of one of the four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann. It is located on the west coast of the Emerald Isle.

Its treasure, the Cauldron of Dagda, is coveted. It can hold any potion or antidote. Only a master of potions can use this Cauldron.

– From the Book of Fay


Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Flora smiled as the helicopter zoomed over the cliffs. The Winx stared at the cliffs in amazement, taking everything in slowly.

"Incredible!"

"It's so beautiful!'

The Cliffs of Moher extended far down through the water. The blue ocean sparkled in the sunlight, and the waves hit against the cliffs, crashing magnificently. White sea foam was everywhere. Flora gazed at the cliff, and let out a gasp.

An obelisk stone was standing in the water. It was one part of the rock formations, she knew, which was not connected to the cliff. She turned towards her friends.

"I think that's the location of the city of Murias," she said. "The Cauldron of Dagda must be located there."

"How do you know?" Layla asked.

"Because I sense a strong magical energy coming from there," Flora answered. "I think I need to go there." Bloom nodded.

"Take Chatta with you," she said. "The rest of us will work on helicopter repairs and get some food."

Flora nodded. After their last encounter with the Wizards, the helicopter was not in a great shape. It wasn't broken, but Tecna had decided that they'd needed to repair it, before the helicopter crashed. She waved farewell to the other Winx.

She frowned, thinking of Mirta and the other Specialists, stuck in Gardenia. She knew it must've killed them to be separated from the Winx and Pixies; they were probably freaking out about her right now. If they managed to break free from the Wizards, that is. She swallowed, doing her best to hide her fear.

She needed to be strong now. Roxy needed her, after all – all of the Winx needed to be strong, in order to take care of her. Taking in a deep breath, she nodded to her bonded pixie.

"Come on, Chatta," she said. The two of them flew down to the tall obelisk, gazing around it.

It was difficult for Flora to keep her balance. She stood precariously on the stone, Chatta on her shoulder. "Woah," the golden-haired Pixie said as they stood on the rock. "What next?"

Flora stared at the stone she was standing on. A strange imprint was on it – as Flora looked closer, she realized there was an inscription written. She placed her hand on it.

Immediately, she was transported through the stone. She landed on her feet, staring at the tiny city around her. A man walked up to her.

"Welcome to the city of Murias," he said. "Let us begin the quest for your power."


Musa sat with Tecna and Roxy as the helicopter was being fixed. She gazed at the helicopter parts as Tecna screwed something in the dashboard. As always, Roxy looked irritable.

"I don't see why I can't go home," she kept complaining.

"Look, I'm sorry," Musa answered, "but you know this is for the best. We have to protect you from those Wizards."

"I just can't believe this is happening." Roxy stared at the helicopter. "This just sucks."

Musa sighed, gazing at the Cliffs of Moher. They shined brilliantly in the sunlight, filling her with warmth. The cliffs themselves were beautiful.

It almost reminded her of Yīnyuè, where her father lived. She remembered one day when she'd been sitting outside the house, listening to the musiwhales sing. How she'd laughed in joy, listening to their song and voice. She could still remember that day clearly, nine years before…

Nine-year-old Musa had sat outside in the sand, right on the edge of her coastal home. After abdicating the throne to throw off his arranged marriage to Li Chang, the current queen of Melody, her father had settled in Yīnyuè, right off the coast of the Sea of Calliope. It was not far from the capital of Symphonia, the residence of the royal family. Even then, their proximity had not proved useful when they'd rushed Musa's mother to Symphonia Divinity Hospital after her heart-attack; the staff had been unable to revive her.

Yīnyuè was one of the most popular tourist-locations to visit the musiwhales. People from all over the region of Harmonia, the entire planet of Melody, and even the UR as a whole, came here. It was incredibly busy over the summer months; the rest of the year, though, it was a quaint, quiet town. It was during the autumn, in Musa's opinion, that it truly came alive. She smiled as she watched over the whales, who yipped excitedly at her as they swam. Then they began to sing a beautiful, wordless song, one filled with the sorrow and the sadness of the sea.

Musa couldn't stop the tears from falling. The music filled her body with sadness, from the tips of her feet to the crown of her head. And yet, it soothed and released something in her, filling her with a sense of peace she hadn't felt in months.

She found her mouth open. Her voice echoed the same wordless song of the musiwhales, filling her with peace. For the first time since her mother's death, she sang, allowing her voice to fill the air like it had never before. Her music was back, and she could not stop it from filling her with joy.

The monsoon clouds drifted over her head. Soon it was raining heavily, thundering almost. The water drenched Musa, as fierce as the waves of the sea and the love of the musiwhales. Still she continued singing, releasing her pain and sorrow into the water. She would not stop, for it was just too wonderful…

A door crashed open. Musa stopped abruptly, turning around. Standing in front of her was her father, a furious look on his face.

"What've you been doing?" he demanded. "Standing out in the rain – you'll catch your death of cold! I told you to stay inside!"

Why do I have to always stay inside? She stared numbly at her father, the rain soaking her black hair. Water dripped down every part of her body as he glared at her, motioning for her to come inside. She lowered her head as she entered the house, taking her shoes off.

"Go drink some Virus Protection Potion," he demanded, "and then take a shower. You will not get sick – not on my watch! I don't want anything to happen to" –

He stopped as the musiwhales' song filled the air, filled with sadness and longing. To Musa, the song was beautiful, something she couldn't live without. She watched breathlessly out the window, yearning to follow them into the sea.

But for Musa's father, it was nothing short of rage. He slammed the door open, glaring at the musiwhales.

"OUT!" he bellowed. "Get out of here, you foolish thugs! Don't you DARE come near this house again, you hear me? Get out, you wretched creatures!"

The musiwhales continued singing. Enraged, Musa's father picked up his sword, launching towards the musiwhales.

They scattered out of the way just in time, diving into the depths of the sea. He glared at them, shouting curses in Harmonian. At last he came out of the rain, his body just as wet as Musa's. The water dripped down his wild hair, giving his face a feral look. His eyes were wild, like how Musa had only seen them once before – when he'd destroyed all the instruments in the house, that horrible night.

"You weren't singing, were you?" he asked harshly.

"No," Musa whimpered.

"Good," he said harshly. "Now go shower."

Musa scampered up the steps, doing her best to avoid her father's rage. She locked the bathroom door and quickly took her clothes off, getting into the hot steam. When she had dried herself, heading downstairs in completely dry, clean clothes, her father was still standing in the foyer, dripping wet and cold.

And now she was sitting with Roxy, putting the helicopter together. Suddenly, a piercing cry filled the air. "Those girls again!"

Bloom, Stella, Layla, and the Pixies were running towards them, fear in their eyes. They were holding groceries under their arms, rushing to the helicopter. Musa grabbed Roxy's arm, pulling her inside.

A group of policemen had surrounded them, pointing guns directly in their faces. Roxy let out a terrified scream, and Artu barked madly. Layla scooped up Artu, neatly dodging shots and leaping into the helicopter. Tecna rammed the engine.

"Let's go!" she shouted. They flew into the air, amid the shots.


Flora stared at the cramped city in disbelief. The people, she could make out, were very sick. She looked at the man, asking, "What happened?"

"An illness has come through our city," the man answered solemnly. "We have used the Cauldron of Dagda, which has many healing properties, to try and make a healing potion. None of the potions have worked." He pointed forward.

Flora stared at the green Cauldron. Determination shot through her. I'm gonna do something to heal these people. She and Chatta flew forward, inspecting the Cauldron.

The shining green Cauldron stood before them; they gazed at it in astonishment. "Wow," Chatta commented. "That is one big Cauldron."

"I know how to brew a healing potion," Flora said, "but it's going to take some work." Her bisabuela had taught her the best brew; she was ready to start making it. She turned to the man. "Can I collect some salt water?"

The man bowed. "It will be yours." He passed her a bucket of salt water. Flora stirred the water in the Cauldron, wishing that she'd had flowers to put in the potion. Unfortunately, it was nearing winter on Earth, which meant that she was out of luck. She turned towards the man. "Can you get me some flower petals?"

"We have a few dried petals in stock." The man handed her lavender. Flora stirred it into the potion, gazing down.

The potion turned lavender, turning exactly the way Flora's bisabuela had taught her to make it. She picked up the cauldron, heading towards the sick people. She lifted a spoon of potion, pouring it into a sick infant's mouth.

Immediately, his cough quieted. The family looked incredibly relieved. Flora and Chatta continued passing spoonfuls of the potion to the people of the city. Soon there wasn't a single cough. The leader bowed down to them, looking extremely grateful.

"You have saved my city," he said. "And as a reward, you may have this." He held the Cauldron of Dagda out to them.

"Thank you," Flora breathed. The man smiled.

"Thank you," he answered. "I hope you are successful in your endeavors to save the fay."


Roxy leaned against the chair, exhausted. They had just picked up Flora and Chatta from the obelisk stone, and were now headed up to the clouds. Thankfully, the invisibility booster was on. She shuddered, remembering the sight of the policemen chasing after them.

She still couldn't stop shaking. She had been so close to freedom from these crazy fairies, so close to getting rescued. But Musa's grip on her arm had been too tight for her to escape. She glared at Musa, shaking her head. Musa let out a sigh.

"Look, I know you're not happy that I didn't let you go," she said, "but I had no choice. You need our protection, Roxy. The Wizards will easily capture you if you don't stick with us."

"Whatever," Roxy shrugged. Flora frowned.

"Roxy, we're just trying to help you," she said. "I know this is painful, sweetie, but" –

"Whatever." Roxy stood up, staring out the window. She gazed down at Ireland, nothing but pain in her eyes.

She wished she could go home. Forget all of this fairy nonsense, and be home with her father. She lowered her head, forcing the tears to remain in her eyes.

"Next stop," Tecna said, "then we'll have all the treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann." She steered the helicopter. "United Kingdom, here we come."


Next chapter:

Stella finds the Stone of Destiny.

The Winx go to the Giants' Causeway.