Author's Note: A chapter! Finally! Sheesh, took me long enough. I do have the excuse of getting a second job and moving into an apartment and not having internet for three weeks, but I'm back into writing mode now! I even have some ideas. This is the last chapter in part two which I should have written a month ago, but here it is. I'll be working on part three asap! Thank you for all the favorites and follows! I really appreciate it. Thanks for sticking with me. I will finish this story! And no more month long breaks between chapters!


-Twenty-Eight-

The Crystal Caves

Ryll had never seen the Crystal Caves in her lifetime. She didn't know exactly what to expect. Perhaps towering mountains filled with glittering stalactites and stalagmites. And perhaps that was what was within the caves, but right now all she could see was what looked like an abandoned quarry. A pile of collapsed rocks blocked the entrance and if Ryll hadn't already known what she was looking at, she would never have suspected this had once been the entrance to the famous Crystal Caves. Merlin pulled the car over and cut the engine. The caves lay amidst the woods and a dried up riverbed fronted them. Merlin had looked for other entrances before, he'd told them, but everything had been blocked off as if the caves did not want anyone to enter them. Ryll was hesitant to believe it was because of some preordained path they were on or destiny. Maybe by now she should have stopped doubting destiny. Her whole life, it seemed, had been part of a destiny much bigger than her. She didn't like the idea of someone pulling her strings though.

Her shoes crunched on the broken stone, and dust stirred up as she walked forward. Signs of Uther's attempts to breach the caves stood out here. There was heavy machinery sleeping in the clearing and some of the trees had been torn down to make more room. Scrape marks indicated where they'd tried to remove the rubble, but nothing looked disturbed other than the trees and the dirt.

"Doesn't look like he got very far," Byron said as he joined Ryll. Morgana hung back.

"I didn't either," Merlin admitted, putting a hand against the stones blocking the entrance. "It wouldn't budge under my magic." He turned to Morgana. "But maybe yours."

"What makes you think I can get us in?" Morgana asked.

"That prophecy was about you," Byron said.

"It didn't say anything about me getting into the caves."

"We have to try," Bryon told her. "That cave holds the answers. It might hold Ryll's magic."

"You're strong, Morgana," Ryll said, walking over to her friend and taking her hand. "But this is your choice. If you don't want to use your magic, then don't. We can find another way."

"No." Morgana shook her head. "There is no other way. You're right." She stepped forward, standing before the wall of fallen stones. The wind stirred around her, and Ryll wasn't sure if it was her magic or just a storm brewing. "I can feel the magic inside," Morgana said softly. "It's like it has a pulse…a heartbeat." She pulled her hand back. "It's like nothing I've ever felt before."

"I can feel it too," Merlin said. Byron nodded in agreement, but Ryll couldn't feel anything. She tried putting her hand against the stones but all she felt was the dusty, rough surface.

Byron turned to look at her, but all she said was, "What are we waiting for?" In truth she was eager to get her magic back. She felt unnecessary and useless right now, and it was not a feeling she enjoyed. Merlin gave her a sympathetic look, but she shrugged her shoulders.

"I think you should stand back," Morgana said. She looked serious, hazel eyes set on the stones like they were a puzzle she was trying to solve. They moved back to Merlin's car leaving Morgana alone before the caves. She held out her hands. At first nothing happened, but then Ryll felt the earth beneath her feet begin to shake. Cracks were appearing in the dry earth, spreading like roots until they reached the heavy machinery. There was a creaking as the equipment began to sink. The earth collapsed underneath, burying them below. Then the rocks covering the entrance began to tremble. Ryll kept her eyes on Morgana. The girl was concentrating hard, but as the rocks began to shift, Ryll saw her begin to tremble a little. The magic was taking its toll on her, and Ryll could do nothing to help. She turned to Merlin but he was already reaching out his magic to aid Morgana. His eyes glowed amber, and suddenly the rocks burst from the entrance. They scattered, and Ryll threw her arms over her face. Nothing hit her though. The rocks splayed out around them on the ground, leaving the four of them unharmed. The silence that followed the explosion of stone was choked with dust. Ryll could barely make out Morgana's form ahead, but as the dust cleared, her eyes moved to the gaping hole in the side of the caves. The entrance. The path had been opened to them. Part of her wanted to get into the car and go back. She had wanted answers for so long but now that she was faced with them, she was terrified. What if she didn't like the answers she received? What if she could never get her magic back? The others looked equally worried as they stepped forward toward the caves. Merlin looked back when Ryll didn't follow at once.

He held out a hand for her and, after a moment, she took it. Whatever they would face in the caves, they would face it together. She took a deep breath as Merlin led her toward the dark entrance. Morgana had already entered, Byron right behind her. Ryll hesitated before setting foot inside the caves. She rocked back on her heels, and Merlin stopped, turning around and taking her other hand.

"Whatever is in there, we're going to be all right," he told her.

"Sometimes learning the truth doesn't leave you all right," Ryll said.

"And sometimes staying in the dark leaves you lost," Merlin said gently. "I know you're scared. I am too, but the answers are in there. I can feel it. Don't you want to understand what happened in our last life? Don't you want to know why you came back?"

Ryll nodded after a moment. "I do," she said. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Let's get some answers."

The air was bitterly cold inside the caves and it sent chills up Morgana's arms. It was thick too, musty and unused. It weighed down on her oppressively until she felt like she couldn't breathe. She wanted to turn around and find the open air again, but she forced herself to keep going. Her footsteps echoed in the open space, and she could hear water dripping up ahead. So far none of the legendary crystals were in sight. Morgana was starting to think the caves had been overhyped, but she could still feel the ancient magic pulsing through them. It called to her, and she was both eager and fearful to answer the call. The light was fading as she travelled further into the caves and she used her magic to create a light ahead of her. It burned as a bright ball and led her onward, casting shadows across the walls. Her magic felt stronger than ever and she couldn't imagine why she'd wanted it gone before. It felt so right, a part of her. She couldn't imagine being without it. She fingered the crystal that had once belonged to Ryll. Did Ryll feel the magic's call too? She turned to ask her, but Morgana found herself facing the empty tunnel of the caves.

"Ryll?" Her voice echoed around the caves but there was no answering reply. "Byron? Merlin?" When no one answered she started back the way she'd come. Instead of leading her back to the entrance, she found herself in an open part of the cave she hadn't seen before. She stopped sort. There were crystals here. They weren't very big and the magic wasn't very strong, but they gleamed in her magic light. She forgot her lost companions for a moment and moved forward into the room. Tunnels led off from the room going in five different directions. They all looked the same to her. She moved toward each, feeling out the magic. The one on the left felt the strongest so she took that tunnel hoping the others would catch up to her. Something kept her moving as if she had limited time to get to the center of the caves. The tunnels ran on and on, and Morgana got twisted and turned around until she was hopelessly lost. Her magical light dimmed leaving her in the darkness.

A light to her right caught her eye. There was something there, and she moved toward it hoping it was the way out. It wasn't. She stopped short. This cave was lit up by a crack in the ceiling, but that wasn't what caught her eye. She stepped forward into a forest of crystals. Some were bigger than a car, reaching high up into the looming cave. Some pointed downward, sharp as daggers. Morgana caught reflections in the crystals. She was too terrified to look for longer than a second.

"Such power."

Morgana jumped as a voice interrupted the silence of the caves. She whirled around but could find no one.

"Over here."

Morgana walked carefully across the cave, ready to defend herself if necessary. There was something familiar about the voice, and she realized why a moment later. A particularly tall and wide crystal stood in the center of the cave. It was like a mirror, reflecting back Morgana's image. It wasn't a mirror image though.

"Hello Morgana," the reflection spoke. Morgana stared at herself, hardly believing what she was seeing. She wore a ragged black dress covered in a ratty coat. Her hair was a wren's nest, tangled and knotted. Her eyes were hard and desperate, her cheekbones sharp. "You don't look happy to see me."

This was the Morgana she'd left behind, the hateful, desperate Morgana who wanted to hurt her friends, who craved power.

"I am not you anymore," she said, her voice coming out in a hiss.

"Are you sure about that?" her reflection asked. "Shall we put it to the test?"

"I am done with you!" She shouted this time, her voice ringing around the caves like a cacophonous symphony. "I left you behind in the last life." She turned to leave but her reflection laughed behind her. It was a cruel sound, and Morgana closed her eyes for a moment as she remembered the hatred she'd once felt. Had she really left that girl behind? If she had then why was she laughing at Morgana's back, reflected in the crystal?

Morgana took a deep breath and turned around to face her reflection. "Fine," she said. "Test me."

"If you wish," her reflection said. She twirled her hand and the light from above suddenly dimmed. Morgana was plunged into darkness. She tried to summon her magic, but found it diminished.

"Let the tests begin." The voice was a whisper against her ear. A light was growing now, emanating from the crystal. Now she saw a forest reflected perfectly in the surface. She walked toward it and put a hand forward, testing the stone. Her hand went straight through and she could feel the warmth of the sun in the forest beyond. She pulled her hand back and looked around but all she could see was the light from the image. She straightened her back, refusing the fear that pressed against her, and stepped into the stone.

Merlin and Ryll caught up to Byron who was looking a little lost. "Have you seen Morgana?" he asked. "I was right behind her, but then I lost her. I don't know what happened."

"You lost her? Are there any other tunnels?" Ryll asked, frowning.

"Not that I've come across. She probably just hurried ahead. We'll catch up to her," Byron said, but he didn't sound too sure. He sounded unsettled which was just about how Ryll was feeling. The air was oppressive here, and she didn't want to linger. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this musty, dark place. She felt no magic, but that was most likely her own deficiency and not the cave's. She looked over at Merlin, but he was tightlipped and said nothing. She took his hand and kept close, not wanting to get separated. Byron had move up ahead and called back to them that he had found something. They hurried ahead and found him standing in the entrance to another part of the cave. There was a trickle of water and they found that a river ran straight through the cave.

"We should follow it," Byron suggested, splashing through to the other side where it exited into another tunnel. Merlin and Ryll followed after him, Merlin lighting the way with his magic. The river led further and further into the caves and here the air was humid. Ryll's hair stuck to her face where the moisture clung to her, and she pushed it back. They found Byron standing at a solid wall. The river they'd been following led straight under the wall and there was no way to follow it. Two tunnels ran along either side of the wall but it was unclear which one would find the river's path again.

"Which way do we go?" Ryll asked.

Merlin was quiet for a moment. Then he pointed right. "I can feel the magic that way," he said. Ryll felt nothing, but she followed him and Byron nonetheless. Her worry for Morgana was increasing. She could have taken the other tunnel. They could be hopelessly lost, separated for who knew how long. There was no use in separating to find her though. It was best to stick together.

They walked for an uncountable amount of time, and Ryll found herself longing for the sun. After a time she could make out the delicate trickle of the river. They rounded a bend and found themselves at the entrance to a wide cave. Here sunlight flowed in from a large hole in the top of the cave. The river emptied itself into a small lake that occupied most of the cave. Ryll's eyes were set on the tree that grew in the very center though. Its roots were like canals, digging deep into the water. Its branches reached toward the sunlight, and the leaves were a light shade of pink like a cherry tree. They caught the light and shimmered though, and Ryll realized they were not leaves but crystals. They dangled from the branches, swaying in the light breeze. Ryll had never seen anything quite as beautiful as that tree.

"What is it?" Byron asked.

"I think it's the source of the magic," Merlin said softly. "I've never felt anything so powerful."

"I can feel it too," Byron said. "It's like it's calling to my elemental magic." He turned to Ryll. "Can you feel it?" he asked eagerly.

"No," Ryll said, shaking her head. "I can't feel anything."

Byron's face fell. "We'll get your magic back," he told her.

"Maybe it's not meant to come back. Anyway, I thought you said the magic was dying," she said, turning to Merlin. "But yet you say it feels powerful?"

"Powerful, yes," Merlin said. "But dying. Look at the bark."

Ryll gazed past the crystals and saw what Merlin meant. The bark on the tree was peeling and sickly. Some of the branches were cracked as if they were not strong enough to hold the crystals. Some of the crystals had fallen, and Ryll could see them sparkling in the shallows of the lake.

"Something is draining the magic."

"But what?" As far as they knew, no one had breached the caves in centuries.

"There's not enough magic out there in the world to balance it."

"Then how do we save it?"

Merlin turned to look at Ryll. "I don't know," he said.

"We're supposed to find answers here," Byron said, sounding frustrated. "I'm not seeing any answers."

"Maybe there never were any," Ryll said softly. "Maybe we're on our own."

The castle grounds were silent and still as Lancelot pulled the car up the drive. He parked in front of the entrance. Arthur got out, stretching gratefully. "It is more comfortable than a horse," he admitted.

Lancelot smiled. "Uther spared no expense when he bought that one."

They walked up the castle steps, entering the front hall. It was silent inside too, and something prickled at the back of Lancelot's mind. He led Arthur up the stairs and to Uther's office. It was empty.

"I'm not sure where he is," he said, looking around for any sign of the king, a note or something. A clattering downstairs caused them both to jump. Lancelot grabbed a sword from a display on the wall, motioning for Arthur to do the same. They crept down the hall and back down the stairs to the entrance hall. The doors to the castle stood wide open. Lancelot tensed his grip on the sword and walked outside.

"Please…." A voice drew their attention and they saw Uther kneeling on the ground next to the car as if he'd been trying to get into it. "Please…leave me…alone…"

Lancelot didn't think Uther was talking to them. He hadn't even noticed them approach. It was Arthur who moved first, running over to his father and kneeling next to him. "Father?" he asked, his voice soft. Uther looked up at his son. His face broke into a smile for a moment, and he reached up to touch Arthur's face. Then his face contorted and he pulled away.

"You must leave," he told Arthur. "Get away from here before she comes."

"Before who comes? Father? Who's coming?" Arthur asked.

Uther was scrambling backwards in the gravel drive. "No, no…" He was muttering incoherently now. Lancelot had never seen him like this.

"What's wrong with him?" Arthur asked helplessly.

"I don't know."

"Who is he talking about?" Arthur got to his feet, looking around them.

"I don't know."

"Ah, excellent. I've got you all together now." A female voice sounded from behind them and Lancelot and Arthur turned to see who spoke. Nimueh walked out from the castle. She wore a tight, red dress, and her hair was pulled back in a braided bun. Her eyes were an unearthly blue that not even the sky could match. Lancelot lifted his sword but suddenly a vice like grip tugged his arm down until his sword was lowered. His hands started shaking and he dropped the sword. Arthur threw him a confused look.

"Lancelot?"

"I can't control…I can't…" He looked up at Nimueh. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Did you seriously think it was Uther controlling you all this time?" Nimueh asked with an amused laugh. "I've been using you as a spy," she told him. "Bending you to my will."

"That's not possible. I would have known…" Lancelot was trying to move, but his body was frozen in place.

"I'm afraid it is. For all your honor, you're incredibly naïve," Nimueh told him.

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur asked. Nimueh turned her eyes to the king.

"Self preservation," she said. "My kind is dying and if I do nothing then our legacy will wither like the magic in the Crystal Caves. Your father would see it destroyed, see us destroyed. I cannot let that happen."

"I don't want to see magic destroyed either," Arthur said. "Morgana is my sister. I don't want to see her lose a part of who she is."

"It changes nothing. The world is afraid of magic. You might have made peace with it long ago, but the world has moved on. The world does not remember your treaties with the druids. The world would see us dead. I will see it dead first."

"Not if I stop you." Arthur lifted his sword.

Nimueh laughed, the sound ringing out, clear and loud. "I don't think so, little princeling."

She flicked her fingers, and Lancelot picked up his sword. He turned to Arthur, raising the weapon. He couldn't control his hands as he pointed the sword at Arthur. "I can't control it," he said. Arthur took a step back.

"You have to fight her," he said. "You're stronger than her."

"You humans are so weak. You don't even see it," Nimueh said. "Lancelot answers to me. Now make sure he doesn't stop us." Lancelot moved toward Arthur, his feet moving of their own accord.

"I'm sorry," he said as he lifted his sword. Nimueh's magic wrapped itself around him and he swung the sword at Arthur.