-Thirty-Five -
The Test
"I need something," the Wraith told Ryll as she stood before it. The threat that had followed her throughout her life, the beast that had taken the lives of her parents, now stood before her offering her a second chance at the life she should have had. She knew she shouldn't trust it. It was a Shadow Wraith. It sucked the life from people. In her childhood, Ryll's mother had trapped the demon inside of the magic ring Ryll had later inherited. She'd used her magic to keep the Wraith from hurting anyone more. Too late, it seemed, because her parents had died along with everyone she knew. What it was offering her was something she could not get on her own though.
"I need your soul," the Wraith continued. "You will not die without it, and your beloved can be happy again."
"What?" Ryll's heart dropped.
"It will only hurt a little," the Wraith told her, reaching out skeletal fingers. Ryll shrunk back.
"I'm not giving you my soul," she told it. "That's asking too much."
"Is it? Is it really too much for the one you love? He can be happy again. Isn't that what you want above all else? Even above your own happiness?"
Ryll thought of Merlin, of how much he'd changed, how sad and worn he'd become. He had lived too long and been through too much. There was no reversing that.
"He'll be happy?" she asked.
"Yes. And you will be happy to see him so. You've already died. What do you have to lose?" it asked.
Ryll took a deep, shuddering breath. She pressed a hand against her heart as if she could feel her soul beating beside it. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll do it."
…
The dungeons were just as cold and unfriendly as Merlin remembered them being. He strode next to Morgana, magic tingling at his fingertips. Uther was in the very last cell, and two guards stood next to it.
"We need to speak with the king," Morgana told them.
"Sorry, my lady, but we are not to let anyone speak to him," one of the guards said, looking uncomfortable.
"Not even the king's ward?" Morgana asked.
"I'm sorry. We have our orders."
"Well then." Morgana flicked her hand and the guards dropped to the floor. She waved her hand again and the locks on the cell clicked. She opened the door and they entered.
Uther was sitting on the hard bench inside looking utterly defeated. He looked up at Morgana, eyes flitting to Merlin and then back to his ward. "Morgana. Why have you come?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Morgana asked. "It's time for you to pay for your crimes."
"You killed Ryll," Merlin said, taking a step forward. This was his revenge. Morgana had had hers in their previous life. "You took her from me."
"Have you come to kill me?" Uther asked. He didn't look afraid. He looked resigned. It only fueled Merlin's anger. "You're not a killer," Uther told him.
Merlin clenched his fist. The cell door slammed shut behind them, locking. "You have no idea who I am."
…
Morgana turned to face the mob following her through the dark forest. The crystal was dark behind her, placid and unchanging. How did she leave this vision? Was she to die here? Suddenly a warm breeze stirred the air and the sounds of shouting died away. A light grew behind her, and Morgana turned to see her mother standing there.
"Well done, Morgana," Vivienne said, her smile warm. Her skin held color now, and she looked more like Morgana remembered her and less like a corpse. "But there's one final thing you need to do before you pass the test."
"I forgave Uther," Morgana said. "What more is there?"
"You have not yet forgiven yourself."
Morgana opened her mouth, but her mother was right. There were still the bitter remnants of hatred that never really vanished. She tried to forge onward, try to be a better person, but she could not erase her past deeds.
"But what I did before was terrible," she told her mother. "I killed people."
"That was in the past. You're moving forward. But you can only move so far forward if you don't forgive yourself."
"I don't know how," Morgana admitted.
"Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let go," Vivienne told her.
Morgana nodded, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of the forest. She let the breath out in a long exhale, her shoulders relaxing. "I forgive myself," she said aloud. "I'm not the same person I was before. I'm not a prisoner to my anger nor my rage. I have no hatred because life is too short for hatred. I've been given a second chance, and I will not waste it. I'm who I was meant to be."
When she opened her eyes she was back in the caves looking through the crystal. Her mother stood on the other side. She lifted a hand to the stone, and Morgana placed hers over it. Then Vivienne was gone, and the crystal went dark.
…
Lancelot made his way back through the caves the way he'd come from. He couldn't hear Nimueh or Arthur, but he seemed to know where he was going though he couldn't explain it. He heard running water and followed it for a time. He wasn't sure it led anywhere until he came to a great cavern. He stopped short. A lake took up most of the space and a tree grew in the very center of it. The tree was very clearly dying, and somehow he knew this was the source of the magic.
Across the water he could see three figures. Two had their hands placed against the tree's bark while a third stood on. Lancelot wasn't sure how they'd gotten across. There were no boats in sight. He looked back, about to call out, but he stopped short when he saw that Byron was shaking Ryll's shoulder.
"Byron!"
The druid turned and saw Lancelot. "I can't wake them!" he shouted back. "They're failing the test."
"What do you mean?" Lancelot asked.
"The tree is testing them, showing them things to see if they are worthy. But they will die if I don't wake them."
"How do I get across?" Lancelot was a fair swimmer, but it might take too long to swim to the tree.
"Magic." Byron lifted a hand and the lake parted down the middle creating a pathway for Lancelot.
Suddenly Ryll let out an inhuman scream. Byron's concentration wavered and the water sloshed back into place, baring Lancelot from crossing. "Let her go!" he heard Byron shout. The druid waved a hand at the tree and a ball of fire hit its trunk. He continued to attack it.
"Watch out!" Lancelot shouted as a branch went crashing toward Byron's head. The druid barely managed to duck out of the way. The tree was alive. Lancelot kicked off his shoes and waded into the water. He nearly slipped as the rock fell away from him. It was very deep. He backed up, preparing himself for the swim. It was then that several things happened. He heard Byron shout as the tree hit him hard across the chest. He went flying into a tangle of roots which quickly moved to bind him. Then Ryll screamed again and pried her hand from the tree. She fell backwards, stiff as a board, hitting the water with a resounding splash.
"Ryll!" Lancelot threw himself into the water, swimming as hard as he could. The lake was pitch black, and he tried not to think of how deep it went down. He couldn't see Ryll at all as if it had swallowed her whole. He reached the roots and dove down where he had seen Ryll fall. He tried to keep his eyes open though the water stung. It was too dark to see anything. He surfaced, breathing in deeply and looking around for her, but she was somewhere in the depths. He dove again but it was useless in the pitch darkness. He began to panic. Byron was engulfed in roots, and Merlin was still holding onto the tree as if his life depended on it. Lancelot dove again and this time stayed under as long as he could. Just when he was about to surface again, a light penetrated the water. It was weak at first but then grew brighter. He caught sight of a hand sinking down below him. Ryll. His lungs were bursting so he swam up as quickly as he could, gulping in air.
Merlin stood on the edge of the tree roots. His nose was bleeding and his eyes were too dark, but he nodded at Lancelot. A light grew around his hand and he forced it deeper into the water. Lancelot dove again, going straight down. Ryll was pale as a China doll as he caught her hand and pulled her up with him. He dragged her onto the tree roots and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but she wasn't breathing.
"She's not breathing," he told Merlin. He hadn't been fast enough.
Merlin knelt next to Lancelot and placed a hand over Ryll's lungs. The next moment she choked up water, turning on her side and spitting it out until her lungs were clear. She rolled onto her back, looking up at Merlin and Lancelot.
"Am I dead?" she asked. "He took my soul." She reached a hand up to touch Merlin's face. "I just wanted you to feel happy again."
Merlin grasped her hand. "I am happy," he told her. "You're alive. I thought you were dead."
Somehow Lancelot didn't think he was talking about her near drowning. "What did you two see? Byron said it was some sort of test. Byron!" Lancelot looked over to where the tree was holding the druid captive.
"Let him go," Merlin commanded. The roots fell away from Byron, and he scrambled to his feet. Merlin turned back to Lancelot. "The tree showed us visions. Alternate realities. We were tested…I think I failed."
"You and Ryll both failed because your love for each other distracts you from the quest," Byron said. He gave the tree a nervous glance. "Where's Morgana?" he asked Lancelot.
"She's trapped in one of the crystals," Lancelot told them.
"Why are you even here?" Ryll asked, her voice rough. "I thought you were taking Arthur to see his father."
"I did. Nimueh was waiting for us. She's the one who's been controlling me. She's been manipulating Uther too. She forced me to drive us here. I think I broke her control over me though. She wants the magic for herself so that she can save her people. She wants to kill those without magic," he told them. "We can't let her succeed."
"And how do you propose you do that?" A female voice drifted across the cavern, an ethereal echo. They all turned to see Nimueh standing there. Uther knelt at her feet. She had a sword to Arthur's neck. "Hand over the magic or your king dies."
"I don't have it," Merlin said. "Neither does Ryll. We didn't pass the test. The tree didn't pass it on to us."
"Then who?" Nimueh asked.
"Me." Everyone turned. Morgana stood in the entrance of the cavern. Lancelot felt a surge of pride. She'd figured out how to get out of the crystal which meant she'd passed her test. Magic seemed to glow around her, wrapping her like a blanket. She'd never looked more beautiful. "The tree chose me as its vessel," Morgana told Nimueh. "And you are not going to get its magic."
