10. The Mage

Lucy quickly retrieved her sister's pendant and met the mage in the library. Her brain was riddled with worry, but curiosity outweighed her concerns. What would the mage see? Would they find Lucy's sister and bring her home? Did the mage know about Merlin's journal? Why could Lucy read it?

It only took a several minutes to travel from the bedroom to the library and Lucy made her way with haste. She was eager for answers. She wanted to know what happened to her sister.

She entered the library as the mage was starting a fire in the large fireplace with a solid oak mantle above it. Lucy approached the woman, with the pendant tightly clutched in her hand. This was the moment of truth.

Lucy sat across from the mage and watched as she set up her space which consisted of a candle, a bowl of water, a feather and a rock set up in a circle with an empty place waiting to complete the circuit. Beneath the items, drawn in chalk, was a pentacle. This was nothing short of a full blown ritual. Lucy had read about magick, but she never actually seen it practiced.

''So what is it that you are doing exactly?'' Lucy asked curiously, wanting to know more about the mage and what it is she does exactly.

''I am going to try a technique called descrying. I am going to evoke the gods, use your sisters object to concentrate the visions and use the fireplace to look into.'' Mága explained as she set up each item.

''Your sister's item?'' Mága asked. Lucy handed her the pendant and Mága's eyes flashed with recognition. The action was so quick Lucy missed it, as she was distracted by her sister's pendant hanging from its cord.

Mága added the pendant to the circle and sat with the alter in front of her and facing the fire.

''In flamma ignis dantis saltare,

Da mihi consilium intueretur.

Invoca me secundum aspectum;

Fac me psychica est lux vestra.

Ignis splendet

Redde nunc mihi visus secundus.'' Mága chanted as she stared into the center of the fireplace.

Lucy easily understood what she saying in the forgien tongue.

("Blazing fire as you dance,

Give me now the secret glance.

Call upon my second sight;

Make me psychic with your light.

Blazing fire shining bright,

Give me now the second sight.")

Mága repeated the chant several times until she suddenly entered this trance-like state...

The night was clear, you could see every star in the sky. The moon was full and bright, illuminating the forest adequately. Mága stood between two rows of trees, listening, waiting.

''That stupid kid and his magickal sword.'' A gruff voice whined.

''Sir, we cannot go back empty handed, we will be the laughing stock of the village.'' A younger boy complained.

''We've have plenty other successes.'' Someone else argued.

''If we take him now we might be able to surprise him and take the sword away.'' The gruff voice huffed.

Men rallied and cheered. They were hungry for victory. These men would rather die a bloody death and be granted access to the doors of Valhalla than to return home as failures.

''No, I have a better plan, come, we will fight another day.'' A strong and deep voice hummed.

"Push dear, almost there, last one.'' The man prompted his wife who was giving birth.

''AAAGGGHHHH!" The woman screamed, pushing as hard as she could until there was almost a pop sound.

"Waah! waah!" Escaped the first cries of the final baby.

''It's a girl.'' The midwife announced.

''Did you hear that dear? Another girl.'' The man kissed his wife's head.

''I love you too.'' She faintly smiled.

''Can you believe it? We just had triplets?'' He smiled, giddy with joy. Such a thing was unheard of, impossible even, but yet it had happened.

''It's a miracle.'' She sighed, exhausted from the intense labor.

''Our miracles.'' He smiled as his wife began to fall asleep. In his pocket were three triquetra pendants, one for each child.

There was nothing but darkness. Mága couldn't see anything anymore but instead she could feel. She felt malevolent, envious, and rejected. The harsh negativity swirled into a brewing storm. As the storm grew so did the power it contained. The emotions had no outlet and burned inside of her. It was obvious these were Mary's emotions, but why couldn't Mága see anything? She took a deep breath and came to...

After several moments of the mage being stuck in a trance, Lucy began to worry. Then Mága took a deep breath and had seemingly come back from her otherworldly experience.

''What did you see?" Lucy asked almost impatiently.

''Your sister is alive.'' Mága said after a moment of silence.

''She is? That's wonderful! Where is she?'' Lucy asked greedily.

''I didn't see where she was, she has warded herself. But Lucy, I have to ask you...'' She took a deep breath, ''Where did you get this necklace?''

Author's Note:

Uh Oh! Cat's out of the bag now.

This chapter was hard to write but I really like how it pulled together. Always remember the power of 3, that is my tip for you today.

Any guesses as to what's coming?

Also, who's ready for some more Arthur? I AM.

But I've been thinking, this story is progressing quite well, I like it, but it's not going to last long. Because of that I'm thinking a series of Adventures and trials for both Arthur and Lucy. I definitely need to work on my Arthur character more, but its something to work on and look forward to!