A/N: So... it's been a while... Like, 6 months... But anyway, I've decided that I should probably focus on finishing this story first, since I'm so close to the end, and then work on my other stories. I mean, I have the entire plot lined out, so writer's block shouldn't be too much of an issue. I hope.
Anyway. Did I say 3 chapter from the end? Because I'm not sure I can finish this in 3 chapters... This ending is turning out a little more epic than I'd envisioned, but I guess that's okay, right? I mean, I'll do my best, but it's more like 3 chapters after this one. I hope. Anyway, if it's more than that, it'll just be more for you guys to enjoy, right? Right.
So without further ado:
Recap:
Morgana was approached by Alvarr and Mordred to steal the crystal of Neahtid, which allows only the strongest magic users to view glimpses of the future. Morgana also has some feelings for Alvarr. Merlynn doesn't trust the whole situation, so she goes with Morgana to the camp to find out what's what and see if they have good intentions or not.
Merlynn spots Alvarr with his blonde girlfriend and tells Morgana, who storms off. Merlynn talks to Mordred and reveals his destiny, saying she still believes that everyone is free to choose their own fate. Alvarr comes by and is angry that Merlynn outed him. He tries to manipulate her, but she isn't having any of it. Mordred then reveals who she is to Alvarr, who gets even angrier. Merlynn shows off a little of her power and strides off, Mordred in her wake.
/*/
Chapter 22: The Witch's Quickening - part 3
I searched for Morgana for hours, but the camp was fairly large, and there were a lot of places to hide, especially if she'd gone into the woods. As far as I knew there weren't any dangerous creatures in the forest surrounding us, so I wasn't too worried; Morgana could take care of herself. It was Alvarr that bothered me. He hadn't said anything since I'd revealed who I was – or, rather, since Mordred had revealed it – but he kept glaring at me whenever I came within his line of sight. He must've been planning something. Luckily, he wasn't strong enough, magically speaking to threaten me directly. As long as I stayed in the camp, there was nothing he could do.
Mordred, on the other hand, had followed me around like a puppy. I was fairly certain he'd attach himself to Morgana as soon as we found her, but I thought I was growing on him.
"You're angry," he said as I led him on our third round of the camp.
"I'm not angry," I replied automatically.
"Annoyed then, you're not happy that I told Alvarr who you are," he said. He was intelligent for his age, I'd give him that.
I sighed and stopped walking. I needed a break. "How did you end up with Alvarr?" I asked. Arthur and I had delivered him to a group of druids, and Alvarr was no druid.
"The druids were scared of me. I didn't know then, but I think they must've known my destiny… One night I heard them talking about binding my powers, so I ran away. Alvarr found me and took me in. He gave me food and was nice to me."
And what more would a child need to feel safe? I couldn't imagine anyone binding my powers, even ignoring the fact that it most likely wouldn't work, the prospect sounded terrifying. I'd lose my connection to the world around me, I wouldn't be able to feel anything anymore. I shuddered. "I see why you ran…"
"I wanted to see Morgana, she always made me feel safe…" Mordred said softly, looking down at the grass between his feet. "When Alvarr said he needed the crystal, I told him she'd help."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sat down. "Mordred, I know you're young, but I also know you're intelligent enough to understand this. Getting that crystal would mean war, which in turn would mean a lot of people would die or get hurt. I want to prevent that."
He frowned at me. "But it would also mean we could stop hiding. And when the war is over, we could help people with our magic."
He really wasn't evil in his heart, but I could also see how convictions like that could turn him into a man like Alvarr, who would do anything to get what he wanted. Because he believed that what he was doing was right. "It's not that simple, Mordred. When the war is over, the people who lost loved ones won't just give up and accept what's happened. The same thing that happened after the Purge would happen now; people seeking revenge, and not caring about the consequences."
"But not everyone," he protested, even as he looked unsure.
"No, not everyone," I agreed. "But enough to cause unrest. If you take action, there will always be a reaction. And if that action is aggression, that is exactly what the reaction will be."
"You want us to wait. But people are dying right now!"
And that was the hardest part of this problem, wasn't it? "Yes, they are. But if you have a choice between letting dozens die now, or hundreds later, what would you choose? It's not easy having the kind of power you and I have, Mordred. We have to make the hard decisions, even if our own people will hate us for it. Because it's the right thing to do."
Mordred still didn't seem entirely convinced, but he also didn't offer any more arguments. Merlynn looked up at the sky and winced at how low the sun was. "It's getting dark. Where is she?" she muttered to herself. Then she sighed. "We should get you something to eat. If Morgana's not back by nightfall, I'm heading back to Camelot on my own."
/*/
Morgana did come shortly after nightfall, but I was too angry with her to be happy. "Where have you been?" I asked as Morgana walked into camp, close to where she and Mordred had been sitting by their fire.
Grinning, Morgana reached into a pouch on her belt just as Alvarr and his blonde woman walked into their little circle. "I got this," she said breathlessly as she pulled out a larger crystal.
Alvarr's eyes immediately landed on the magical item, and a hunger entered his eyes that I didn't like. "You've saved us all, Morgana!" he called out as he stepped forward to take it.
But I got there sooner. "Don't!" I said, and grabbed the crystal without thinking. In the blink of an eye, I was no longer standing in the clearing with Morgana, but was further out in the woods. Knights on horses and on foot were making their way through the trees, heading in their direction. Another blink and I saw my own face, covered in tears. Blink. An older-looking Mordred kneeling over Arthur's prone body, his sword slick with blood. Blink. A city made of stone and metal, with steel carriages and a foul stench in the air, and myself, looking as I did in the present, gazing out over it.
With a gasp, I let go of the crystal and sank to my knees. Mordred is beside me. "What did you see?" he asked, sounding both awed and a little frightened.
"But she can't have seen anything in it, she doesn't… have…" Morgana trailed off, and I knew my secret was out now. "You lied to me," Morgana whispered.
I managed to stand up, having finally calmed down somewhat from the barrage of visions, and looked at my friend. "Morgana, please. I never meant-"
"You lied!" Morgana shouted. "All those times I told you how scared I was, and lied to me! Oh, how you must have laughed," she spat. "The poor little noble lady, scared of her own magic!"
"No, I- This is stupid, the knights are coming, we need to-"
"It isn't stupid!" Morgana screamed, and my heart broke at the betrayal I could see in my friend's eyes. "I'm not stupid," she repeated, much softer.
"I'm sorry, but Arthur and his men are coming, and we need to go," I said, reaching out for Morgana's arm, intending to take her away from all this before we were found.
"No." Morgana snatched her arm back. "I want you to say it," she hissed. In my periphery, I could see people leaving, gathering their things. Alvarr was speaking softly to the blonde woman, before sending her away. "I want you to admit what you are," Morgana said.
I sighed in frustration. We didn't have time for this! I had no idea how far into the future that vision was, except that it was today, and we needed to leave! "I have magic!" I shouted, frustrated. "Is that what you wanted me to say? I have magic! In fact, I have more magic than anyone else here combined. My name is Emrys, and I'm the most powerful sorceress to ever live!"
Goddess, it felt so good to say that out loud for once. To acknowledge that I had power, and that I should be respected for it.
It felt less good when an arrow pierced my shoulder.
I screamed, and chaos broke out. The pain made my magic act up, and I was vaguely aware of everyone in her vicinity being blown back. Alvarr was up first and called for his men to scatter while knights in their red cloaks appeared from between the trees. I wanted to call out to Morgana, but I only just saw the hem of the other woman's dress disappear in the same direction Alvarr had fled.
Pain made me slow, but I definitely couldn't ignore it when Mordred pulled on my free arm, trying to drag me away. That finally broke through my haze, and I quickly threw up a hand to block incoming arrows. As the shafts fell to the ground, I looked up and made eye contact with Arthur. He didn't have a crossbow, so he hadn't been the one to fire at me, but the betrayed look and anger that were written all over his face were even worse.
He'd seen. Arthur knew I had magic.
We stared at each other for a moment as Arthur's men engaged the remainder of Alvarr's. But one of the knights - luckily no one I knew - stepped in between us and raised his sword. I could feel Mordred gathering his magic sloppily. Whatever he was going to do, it would be raw, powerful and deadly. As quick as I could, I redirected the boy's attack to a nearby tree. It made a horrible sound as the base splintered and it fell towards the knight that had attacked us. Another quick push of my magic ensured that the knight would be out of its path, but not in a position to follow us. And then I finally let Mordred drag me away.
A single glance over my shoulder showed me the chaos the attack had wrought. Tents were on fire, knights in red cloaks were swarming the campsite, and the few men that had remained had only managed to kill a few knights before succumbing to Camelot's greater numbers. And through it all, I could still make out Arthur's form, watching me flee. He hadn't raised his sword, hadn't even called for his men to grab me. He simply stared with that same pained look on his face.
And I knew right away that it was a look I'd never be able to forget for the rest of my days.
/*/
It was a few hours later when I finally deemed it safe enough to stop and make camp. Mordred started a fire with his magic, while I sat down on a rock and focussed on not fainting from blood loss. "You know, I think at some point, I probably said something about needing to learn more healing spells, but I never got around to learning them," I muttered, not sure if I was talking to Mordred or myself.
It felt like my whole body ached, while my shoulder burned and throbbed with every heartbeat. I'd left the arrow in to slow the bleeding, but it was also increasing the pain.
"I only know small healing spells, for cuts and scrapes and minor broken bones," Mordred said, looking remarkably calm for a little boy in the presence of a bleeding woman.
"Minor broken bones?" I questioned. My brain must not have been getting enough blood, because why else would I be asking such stupid questions, as opposed to, say, trying to heal my shoulder.
"Like toes and noses," Mordred replied with a shrug. "Won't do anything for your shoulder."
I nodded. "Right. I know a searing spell that could cauterize it, but I need this arrow out. Think you can manage?"
Mordred simply held out a hand and whispered a spell. I didn't have time to stop him before the world went white as pain overloaded my senses.
I must have fainted after all, because when I woke up, I was laying on my back next to the rock I'd been sitting on. Mordred was looking at me a tad anxiously. "I meant with your hands," I managed to mutter, before putting my free hand over my wound and muttering the cautorizing spell. Again, I held back a scream as pain seared through my shoulder and into my back and neck, but when I was done, it had dulled somewhat.
My breathing was loud in the quiet night, and for the first time since leaving the campsite, I had some time to think. "Arthur saw me," I whispered, more to myself than to Mordred.
For a moment, nothing could be heard except my breathing and the crackling of the fire. "I'm sorry," Mordred said eventually, but it was clear that he didn't completely understand the situation. No matter, he didn't have to.
"Did you see what happened to the crystal?" I asked, distracting myself. I couldn't think about Arthur right now.
"Alvarr picked it up," he replied.
Great.
"We have to get to Camelot. It looked like Arthur took most of the knights, so its defences are low. Alvarr will see this as the perfect time to attack." Then I sighed as my shoulder gave a particularly painful throb. "But probably not until morning. Arthur'll probably head out at first light, too. We should get some sleep," I said, lifting up my head to look at the boy, but he was already sleeping.
I couldn't help a soft smile. Proof that there really was a little boy underneath all that magical power. I lay my head back down and looked at the stars I could spot through the canopy.
Arthur… He probably hated me now. I struggled to remember what I'd said to him last, but I simply wasn't sure. Had I told him I loved him? I sighed. Did it matter anymore? Arthur probably thought I was some filthy sorceress who had enchanted him or something. Bloody stubborn prat.
Although… he had refrained from sending his men after us. Maybe he wasn't sure what to think?
I sat up. There was only one way to find out. I had to go infiltrate his camp and talk to him.
A/N: Told you there would be some action in this chapter! Anyway, tell me what you think!
Next chapter: Merlynn talks to Arthur, Alvarr and Morgana head to Camelot, and things really start happening.