March 12th, 1999
Camelot Ruins, near Lindwyrm, Wales
Four hours earlier…
"The tower," Arthur Pendragon said "Was the rookery for the Camelot Clan of gargoyles."
"Like your knight, or Elisa Maza's friends," Lydia Duane said. ""More than just mere legends." She glanced back at Macbeth and Merlin, who were examining where Griff and Arthur had dug into the castle from their previous trip.
"Living breathing guardian statues that come alive at night," Lydia continued.
"Quite," King Arthur said. "It puzzles me to no end that one of the noblest and most honorable races in Creation has faded into myth and legend. Though I wonder if they might have had help in that."
King Arthur turned and glanced over at Fleur, who silently nodded.
"Sir Percival has kept himself busy," Pendragon commented bitterly.
"What was that?" Lydia asked.
"Nothing," Pendragon said, shaking off his thoughts.
"You certainly do seem to hold the gargoyle species in high regard, your majesty," Morwood-Smyth commented.
"I was raised among them," Pendragon said. "The once-largest clan in all of Britain was at Tintagol and a rather small clan, not much larger than Goliath's dwelt at my foster father Sir Ector's castle."
"Back in the day," Merlin commented as he and Macbeth approached the group, "Having a gargoyle clan guarding your castle was something of a status symbol. If you were well-to-do, you had a gargoyle clan."
"A far cry different than my time," Macbeth said quietly. "By the 11th century, the English had wiped out most of the clans in Britain, and Constantine III had damned near done the same for Scotland."
"The plight of the First Race does weigh heavily upon my heart," Pendragon said.
"First Race?" Arthur Morwood-Smyth commented.
"Because they were Created on the Fifth Day?" Arthur said frowning. "Thus they preceded us."
"Gargoyles walked this Earth long before man," Macbeth clarified. "They are the First Race. Humanity is the Second Race. T'was once common knowledge. Less so now."
"I saw something in Merlin's cave that made reference to the 'Third Race'," Lydia said.
"The Third Race is Oberon's Children," Merlin said. "The Fair Folk. Beings of pure magic."
"They're real?" Lydia whispered.
"As real as I am dear," Merlin said smiling. "Seeing as I am of their blood on my father's side."
"Oberon has forbidden direct interference in Mortal Affairs," King Arthur explained calmly. "So the knowledge of the existence of the Third Race has fallen into the realm of myth and legend. But they are very much still around."
"We can share more details on the history of the Three Races later," Macbeth said. "I for one would like to see inside!"
"There is not much left to see," Arthur admitted. "Much of the old structure has been buried in earth. Sir Griff and I managed to make it to the Treasury, which had been emptied. But the Great Hall was cut off to us."
"Surely I can assist with removing whatever obstacles are between the courtyard and the great hall," Merlin commented dryly.
"Merlin," King Arthur noted, "What magic could you possibly use to aid us? Nimue has—"
"I'm still capable of shape shifting, Wart," Merlin scoffed. "Maybe not others like in the old days, but myself, easily."
Merlin slammed his staff down, and the hole that King Arthur and Griff had clamed into the castle in previously expanded to ten-feet-by-five feet.
"Besides," Merlin said, wheezing slightly, trying and failing to cover up the exhaustion he'd felt after exerting that spell.
"I still know a few magic tricks," Merlin gasped.
King Arthur took point, stepping inside the massive mound that used to be Camelot. He could see the others climb in behind him. Then Merlin crossed the threshold of the cave.
Instantly the underground courtyard was illuminated with red light, as runes all throughout the walls began glowing bright red.
Merlin let out a yelp and staggered forward, clutching his head.
"You shouldn't have come here, Merlin!" a feminine voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Son of Oberon, hear my voice; You've crossed the threshold you have no choice,"the woman's voice declared. "Mother's madness will now you bear, till Dragon's death you feel despair!"
"Morgana!" King Arthur declared, drawing Excalibur and looking around the courtyard frantically.
"Arthur," Merlin said, stumbling forward and clutching his head. "You should be running now…"
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Now…
Griff raised his Lightning Gun, "Merlin, I don't want to shoot you," Griff said. The gargoyle hesitated as the bear snarled and lumbered forward. Griff took aim and fired. The bear bellowed in pain.
"But I will if I have to," Griff smirked.
The bear snarled and reverted back to human shape, his eyes still glowing blood red.
"Merlin?" Griff asked.
"Merlin?" the wizard replied. "Who is Merlin? I'm the Doctor. No I'm not. I'm Malcolm Tucker. Wait…No…I'm Rabbit!"
"Merlin, you're not making sense," Griff said.
"Not making sense!" Merlin yelled back. "You're the bear eating marmalade!"
"I'm just going to shoot you again," Griff said. "It seems easier than dealing with this…"
Merlin cackled and glowed red, his body suddenly expanding into that of a large black wolf, his eyes still glowing red. He surged towards Griff faster than the gargoyle could react and clamped his jaws down on Griff's arm, biting through Griff's armband; it shattered apart in Merlin's maw.
Griff let out a yelp of pain and dropped his Lightning Gun. Which Macbeth caught and fired at the wolf.
"Thanks," Griff whispered hoarsely. He glanced at his arm. He was bleeding.
"Come on lad," Macbeth said, handing the weapon back to Griff. Merlin was already recovering, the wolf shaking itself off and snarling.
"What's going on here?" Griff wondered as the helped Macbeth down one of the dark corridors. The wolf turned to bound after them. Griff fired at the canine and it staggered back for a moment.
"Near as we can figure," Macbeth said. "Morgana le Fay left a magical trap for Merlin in the ruins of Camelot. A spell designed to drive him mad."
"He's definitely pretty mad," Griff commented. "But this isn't a simple spell. To turn someone mad…a mystical power source is required. And to keep him mad, a release clause centered around that power source must have been invoked in the spell."
"Your clan does know its magic," Macbeth admitted, surprised. "I surmised the same thing. Which is why I separated from Pendragon and the Archeologists. I am not easily slain. So I could created a diversion while they—"
"Sought the spell's source," Griff completed the sentence. "Good plan. So Arthur's all right?"
"Aye," Macbeth said. "I used my own Tesla Blaster to clear a path until Merlin smashed it. Kind of actually wish I'd read the wizard's scrolls now. I might have found a weakness."
Griff let out a soft chuckle at that as Macbeth paused at the end of a hallway, his brow furrowing.
"What's wrong?" Griff wondered.
"There was a door here," Macbeth said. "It's where I left Pendragon and the others.
"I don't see-," Griff started to say, when a pair of hands suddenly reached out of the wall and yanked Griff and Macbeth through the wall. They passed underneath some sort of cloth curtain or drape.
"Sssh!" Pendragon whispered.
"What in the world?" Griff glanced over. From this side, it was easy to see. A cloak, not unlike that of the cloak he had worn when they departed Into the Mystic was draped over the doorframe.
"Is that what I think it is?" Griff wondered.
"The Mantle of King Arthur," Morwood-Smyth said, from across the room. Griff looked around. The Archeologists both had flashlights, which might as well have illuminated the entire room to his sensitive gargoyle eyes. "One of the Thirteen Treasures of Great Britain. I literally tripped over it."
Griff recognized the room they were in. It was once Arthur's treasure chamber, he'd been there once before. The Once and Future King had collected a dozen coins from the chamber floor, and with Una and the Archeologists help, he'd sold them at auction last year.
"It was draped over this chest of gemstones," King Arthur said, gently tapping the chest with his boot. "Guinevere's dowry from her father."
"Nice,' Griff said. "But what about…"
"The source of the spell, whatever it is," Arthur said. "It is not in here. But I do not wish to leave Lady Duane and Lord Morwood-Smyth unprotected. Not while Merlin is succumbing to the Madness of Mab."
"Mab?" Morwood-Smyth asked, frowning.
"Queen Mab," Arthur clarified. "The Ruler of the Third Race before Oberon. She was quite mad. Merlin seldom spoke of her. And when he did, it was in hushed, deadly fear. It is my understanding that he helped Oberon overthrow her, but the fight was not a pleasant one."
Lydia Duane swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
"I'm sorry that this expedition has not turned out quite as we planned it," Arthur said to the two Archeologists. "I never meant for Merlin to attack us. Nor did I intend to overwhelm you with information that shakes your very worldview."
"Nonsense you majesty!" Morwood-Smyth snapped in response, surprising Arthur. "Learning that there was a real-live space alien living underneath Rapa Nui shook my worldview. Learning that the policewoman who helped us protect the Scrolls of Merlin was friends with a clan of gargoyles and knew King Arthur shook my worldview. This…this is nothing. I'm afraid that you can only shake someone's worldview so many times before they get used to it. Well we're used to it. And while we didn't ask for Merlin to go crazy…we want to help you fix it."
"Have I mentioned that I like these two?" Griff commented.
"As do I," Arthur said. "I'm not sure exactly how they can help but…"
"If I may," Lydia said. "How deep into these ruins did you get last time you were here?"
"Just as far as this treasure room, why?" Griff wondered.
"Well," Lydia said. "This is Morgana le Fay we're talking about here. If she's anything like the stories say, she's got a bit of an ego on her. Am I right?"
King Arthur nodded in confirmation.
"She probably didn't expect Merlin to show up with anyone else," Morwood-Smyth continued his partner's thought. "Since Arthur claims to have awakened early."
"I did, I assure you, awaken early," Arthur said.
"So if I was an egomaniacal sorceress," Lydia said,
"Hell-bent on driving Merlin insane with a Magical Trap," Morwood-Smyth continued.
"Then there's only one place that I'd set that trap," Lydia continued.
Inspiration hit everyone at once.
"The Round Table!" King Arthur, Arthur Morwood-Smyth, Griff, Lydia, and Macbeth all said at once.
"In the Great Hall," King Arthur offered. "It's not far from this room if we…"
The Once and Future king was cut off by the sound of a low growl. Merlin's wolf head had ducked under the mantle and the wizard-turned-lupine now stood in the doorframe.
"The Mantle his us from sight," Griff said. "But he's a wolf. He smelled us."
The wolf let out a series of chuckle-like growls.
Macbeth suddenly let out a loud Gaelic war cry and leapt upon the wolf's back.
"Now!" the Scottish King cried out. "While he's distracted!"
Griff dropped to all fours and darted around the immortals fighting on the ground. He grabbed the Mantle of Arthur and threw it over his shoulder.
"This way!" Arthur yelled, pointing down a long corridor. Several piles of rubble and half-rotted wooden beams ahead blocked the path. Griff fired his Lightning Gun several times, blasting the larger piles of rubble apart. Climbing over the other piles the group quickly made its way down the corridor, before entering a large, open area.
The moment that they entered a number of torched on the wall ignited, illuminating the room well enough that even the humans could see clearly by orange fire-lit glow.
The Round Table, such as it was, was cracked in half, and lay in two half-circles on either side of the room. The once massive stained glass windows that allowed natural light to pour into the room were gone, shattered and turned to dust centuries ago.
And in the center of it all, a massive stone dragon, with a giant emerald-green stone in the center of its chest.
"Sir Griff," Arthur said, his eyes falling upon the sight of the dragon. "Does that…"
"Look like the same bloody dragon from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens?" Griff finished Arthur's thought.
The moment he said it, the creature shuddered, his eyes glowing as it roared to life.
"Take cover my friends," Arthur said to the Archeologists. He directed them to one half of the round table.
The Timeless King then turned towards where he'd last spotted Griff, but to his surprise, could not find the gargoyle.
The dragon roared again and issued a blast of fire from his jaws that nearly incinerated Arthur, had he not jumped at the last possible second.
At that moment, Merlin-in-Wolf form bounded into the room. The Dragon immediately turned his attention to the wolf, blazing him with flames immediately.
The burned wolf glowed and transformed back into wizard form. He let out an angry cry and the red glow surrounded him.
A moment later a tyrannosaurus rex with glowing red eyes stood in Merlin's place. It roared and snapped at the stone dragon.
"I knew that I shouldn't have let Lunette watch Jurassic Park with Merlin the other night," Griff's voice muttered from behind Arthur. The king turned in surprise, but still couldn't see the gargoyle.
The dragon issued forth another stream of flame, before stopping short, suddenly. Claw marks had formed in the emerald-green stone on the dragon's chest.
The Mantle of Arthur fluttered off of Griff's back as the gargoyle shredded the magical stone that was embedded in the dragon's chest. The dragon suddenly crumbled apart into gravel, and Griff staggered to the ground. Battered, and still bleeding profusely from his right arm.
Arthur immediately ran to his knight's side, helping the gargoyle to his feet, and wishing profusely that he might share the magic of the sheath of Excalibur with Griff, but knowing full well that the weapon did not work that way.
The T. rex looked confused for a moment, and a blue-glow surrounded it, transforming back into the form of the wizard, still looking dazed and confused.
"Let me guess," Griff muttered in annoyance. "He doesn't remember."
"I wish," Merlin said. "No…I very much do remember everything. I think that Morgana wanted me to remember, even when my sanity returned. So as to punish me."
"Punish you for what?" Griff wondered.
"No more than what I deserver, Sir Griff," Merlin said. "And I am sane once more. And at least this time, I didn't hold any conversations with pigs."
"This time?" Griff said.
"Allow me to make it up to you," Merlin said, gesturing towards the broken round table.
"Id redintegrare et restituere illud priore gloria Tarraconem est in mensa." The wizard said, and energy flowed out of his staff and into the round table. The ancient piece of furniture groaned and flowed together, rejoining and reforming. A moment later the Table sat in front of them, returned to its full glory.
Merlin staggered and Arthur and Griff immediately grabbed and supported the wizard.
"Look!' was all that the wizard said.
King Arthur Pendragon appeared in golden letters in front of the King. On the right hand side, however;
Sir Griff of the London Clan
"Oh…" Griff said, blinking.
"Restored its magic," Merlin said. "Each new Knight's name will appear on the table…Just like in the old days. I…Am sorry for the trouble I caused."
"Nonsense," King Arthur said, waving his hand dismissively. "It was Morgana, not you."
"But she did prey upon a weakness that I already had," Merlin said grimly. "And if I had even just a fraction more magical power reserves…I might have fought her off."
"No harm is done, wizard," Macbeth said, entering the room. "You only mauled me, and it was only temporary. No need to dwell."
"Nevertheless," Merlin said, bowing his head in shame.
"Is that what I think it is," Macbeth said, noticing the restored table.
Arthur simply nodded.
Macbeth walked over to the table and placed his hands upon it. Tears began to well up in the Scottish king's eyes.
"The Round Table itself," Macbeth said. "As I live and breathe. A thousand years, and you think that you have seen everything, but even I never dreamed that I would see this table…"
"I think that I'm going to take Una up on that Glamour Charm after all," Merlin said as Macbeth and the Archeologists cooed over the table and the great hall, now that they looked around, they could see the crests of various knights adorning the walls.
"Humility is never an easy trait," Arthur said. "It can be hard to see ones own weaknesses, and even harder to ask for help."
"Don't you start acting wiser than me, Wart," Merlin muttered.
"But master," Arthur said playfully. "They're your words. Spoken to me oh so many years ago."
Merlin closed his eyes and smiled. He had never been prouder to be Arthur's teacher than at that very moment.
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Apex Tower, Manhattan
March 12, 1999
There was a soft green glow and Morgana le Fay reappeared in her apartment. She glanced over at a digital calendar.
"Nineteen-Ninety-Nine," she muttered. "I hate Avalon time. At least Lord Oberon finale gave me leave to depart. It only took—three years, apparently—of wheedling."
A Eurasian-Eagle Owl swooped down and landed next to the woman.
"Ah, Gwrlais," she purred happily. "Always happy to see me."
Suddenly red runestones lit up all over the darkened apartment.
Morgana's eyes widened in shock.
"He's loose! He set off my trap!" She darted over to a large dark paperweight on her desk, covered in Celtic Runes. She picked it up and it crumbled apart in her hands.
"And…He destroyed my trap, and the Stone Dragon…"
Typical.
She threw her hands up in the air and slumped into her sofa angrily.
"I need a weapon more powerful than a stupid dragon simulacrum if I want to kill that damned wizard. Something that even he couldn't possibly prepare for,"
Gwrlais flittered over and landed on the television remote. The TV over the fireplace mantle flickered on.
"Oh no! The Evil Ninjas have the Pack Surrounded! Do our heroes even stand a chance! Join us next time to find out!"
Morgana's eyes widened…and an evil grin spread across her face.
"Now there's a weapon I can use…"
Never the End…