Warning: this chapter has some pretty big twists, so you may want to wear a seatbelt while reading it.
On the battlefield, chaos reigned. Knowing they wouldn't be able to participate in the battle since their fire wouldn't harm the immortals and they were too big to engage in close combat but still wanting to help, several dragons had dug a deep trench outside the city, which slowed the enemy somewhat as many of them fell in and couldn't climb out, but more kept coming in endless waves until the newest arrivals were able to cross the trench by crawling over their trapped comrades. Arthur was hacking through them as fast as he could, and the knights were trying to make his task easier by steering the Escetians toward him in twos and threes while Nimueh, who had reappeared just before the fighting commenced, immobilized them with magic - still, the defenders were being slowly overrun. After all, the enemy were unaffected by wounds from any weapon except Excalibur, whereas the men they killed stayed dead.
In the midst of all this mayhem, no one saw Merlin and Morgana breaking away. Moments later, a pair of identically-patterned hawks took flight - Morgana had only managed the shapeshifting spell with Merlin's help, which caused her to mimic his favored form - and soared over the battlefield, circling until they spotted Morgause on her horse, surrounded by a ring of heavily armed men.
The coward! Morgana exclaimed. Why is she hiding behind her soldiers instead of leading them from the frontlines?
Probably doesn't want to risk losing the vessel, Merlin replied. I expected it to be something she could keep on her, and it looks like I was right - do you see her necklace?
With her bird form's enhanced vision, Morgana had no trouble making out the fist-sized blood red jewel hanging from Morgause's neck. An impractical accessory for a battlefield, isn't it?
It's also steeped in dark magic. Can you feel it?
Morgana hadn't at first, but now that Merlin mentioned it, she did think there was a certain sinister aura about the pendant. I'll retrieve it for you. With a sweep of her wings, she shot like an arrow toward her half-sister.
Morgause looked up at the sound of a bird's angry screech, just in time to see a merlin diving at her, talons extended - a merlin that suddenly changed into her sister just as it seized her. Returned to her human form, Morgana's weight sent her and Morgause crashing to the ground; as they fell, she ripped the necklace off and flung it at Merlin, who had also landed and changed back. "Here!"
A split second later, her scalp exploded in pain as Morgause used her long braid to pull Morgana off of her. "Let go of me!" Jerking her hair free, Morgana got her feet under her and sprang up, unsheathing her sword as she quickly put herself between Morgause and Merlin. "I won't let you touch him again! He's mine, do you hear me?"
Morgause only laughed. "I have no further need of Merlin; he has already supplied me with everything I require."
"Well, he's about to undo the foul magic you forced him to create."
"Perhaps, if my guards don't kill him first." Morgause glanced over Morgana's shoulder, and the younger witch whirled around to see the Escetian soldiers charged with protecting their queen converging on Merlin with their swords raised.
Before she could make a move to help him, Merlin threw up a magical barrier that kept the men from coming within five feet of him and then turned his attention back to the jewel. Morgana turned back to Morgause with a triumphant smile. "Looks like your immortal warriors can't help you now - and if you want to stop Merlin yourself, you'll have to go through me first!" She lunged, swinging her sword, but to her surprise, Morgause backed away from her attack.
"I have no wish to fight you, sister. I had hoped my army would eliminate Merlin, his father, Arthur, and Uther-" Her face twisted with hatred as she spoke her father's name, becoming quite ugly for a second before she regained control and smoothed her expression "-but it doesn't matter if we fail tonight. This attack has already paved the way for me to gain a far more powerful weapon than this mindless rabble."
"What are you talking about?"
"Why, this battle has brought us together again. Surely, dear sister, you've heard the prophecy concerning the son Merlin will have one day. Why do you think I waited until your marriage was consummated to stage our little reunion? Now, I'm afraid you will have to live with me until you give birth; I know we've had our differences, but don't worry, I won't detain you any longer than is necessary. I can't have you challenging my influence over the child, so once you deliver it you will be free to join our beloved mother in the afterlife. And you should put that down." With a flick of her wrist, Morgana's sword tore itself out of her slackened grip. "We can't have you overexerting yourself."
As Morgause took hold of her hand and began the incantation to transport them to wherever she lived now, Morgana, who had listened in stunned silence while Morgause laid out her diabolical scheme, finally found her voice. "I'm afraid there's a flaw in your plan, 'sister'. You see, the Great Dragon knew of the prophecy too, and he acted to thwart it. I'm not pregnant, and I never will be."
"What?" Morgause's eyes narrowed dangerously as her hand moved to Morgana's abdomen, and a magical probe confirmed that there was no spark of new life inside her. "What have you done? You stupid girl!" Drawing her sword, she lashed out in a fit of rage.
Her sword's hilt slammed into Morgana's temple with such force that the seer was blinded by pain, and a blow to the small of her back from Morgause's gauntleted fist sent her to her knees. She heard an earth-shaking roar that was probably just in her own ears as Morgause gripped her chin, wrenching her head back to expose her throat, and brought her sword up…
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While the sisters fought, Merlin worked furiously to unravel the complex tangle of spells contained in the scarlet gem. It was a task that demanded every ounce of his concentration - even more so since the malignant magic resisted his efforts to tease it apart and deconstruct it at every turn - so he did his best to ignore the emotional tumult he sensed in his wife. It wasn't easy, but he managed it…until he received a blow to the head that shattered his vision into a thousand points of brilliant white light. He was momentarily stunned, but then his brain registered that the pain he felt wasn't from his injury. It was from hers.
Shaking off his daze, Merlin peered through the circle of men still trying to smash their way through the invisible wall keeping them from him and saw that Morgana was down, and Morgause was about to slit her throat. Knowing that saving her required some sort of immediate, drastic action, but that any spell he cast was likely to be absorbed by the immortals before getting anywhere near its target, he did the only thing he could think of and sent a final, concentrated burst of magic into the gem, which crumbled in his hand.
As he'd hoped, the immortals collapsed when the enchantment sustaining them broke, clearing his way to Morgana, and the victorious shouts that went up from the castle's defenders as they realized their enemies were dying distracted Morgause. Her attention only wavered for an instant before she refocused on the task at hand - even if her attack had ended in complete failure, she was determined to at least kill her sister for daring to foil her ultimate design - but that instant was all Merlin needed to reach her and fling the handful of crimson dust that used to be the vessel into her face.
As she staggered back, clawing at her eyes, he grabbed Morgana and pulled her away from her sister. "Morgana! How badly are you hurt? Here, let me fix your head."
Her glazed eyes cleared at the touch of his healing magic, and she smiled as she looked around at the fallen Escetians. "You did it! Does this mean they're gone for good?"
Merlin nodded and threw his arms around her in a celebratory hug. "It's over, Morgana."
"You're wrong!" Morgause had recovered somewhat, although her eyes were red and watery - and gleaming balefully as they fixed on Morgana and Merlin. "This is only the beginning. Incendes!" A ball of flame shot from her fingertips and streaked through the air toward them.
Merlin nudged Morgana out of the way and countered by conjuring a wave of water to douse the fireball, then freezing it and directing the ice shards at Morgause, who produced another gout of flame to melt the hail before it struck her, after which she cast a spell that sent three of her dead soldiers' swords flying at him. Morgana deflected the blades, which then turned on her. Keep your eyes on Morgause, she growled at Merlin when he glanced over his shoulder at the sound of clashing metal behind him. I can handle this!
I know you can. He returned his attention to Morgause just in time to turn aside another ball of flame. "Fire again? Can't you be more creative?"
"If you insist." Drawing her sword, she lunged at him while at the same time redoubling her magical attacks in order to keep him on the defensive. Merlin might be able to easily counter her spellwork, but she knew her skills with more mundane weapons far outmatched his, and he couldn't fight her with both sword and sorcery at once. Still, he held his own against her dual assault for a short time - until she copied his opening attack on her and conjured a small whirlwind to blow a wave of dust in his face. As he choked on it, she moved in for the kill.
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A short distance away, Morgana froze, the magically animated swords that were still attacking her forgotten as a series of overwhelming sensations flooded her consciousness; she tasted the grit obstructing Merlin's nose and mouth, suffocating him, felt the point of Morgause's sword sliding under his chin and piercing his skin, and heard the final, incoherent fragments of thought flashing through his mind - mainly panic at not being able to breathe, followed by faint awareness of the sword pressing into his throat, less than half an inch away from hitting something vital, and the realization that death was imminent.
No! No, no, NO! This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be taken from her now, not like this, and certainly not by her cruel, selfish sister; Morgana simply refused to accept it. Fueled by her desperation and rage, her magic exploded out of her in a searing, withering blast that reduced stones to dust, stripped every blade of grass within a fifty-yard radius from the ground, and swept Morgause away like a leaf in a gale.
Morgana was oblivious to the destruction she'd caused; all she knew was that suddenly Morgause was gone, Merlin was on the ground coughing and bleeding and she was right beside him, trying to assess the extent of his injuries, and he was making it difficult because he kept trying to tell her something. "Shh, don't try to speak yet."
All right, I just thought you should know we have company.
"What? Who?" She glanced up, and saw the entire detachment of Camelot's knights lined up a few yards away, staring at her. "What?" she demanded again. Why were they all looking at her so strangely, like she was some unknown and possibly dangerous animal? Then, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized that they must have seen her use her magic. Her secret was a secret no longer.
Arthur was the first to find his voice. "Morgana…what have you done?" His eyes were fixed on something crumpled on the ground between them, which turned out to be a body - but it wasn't Morgause. The person lying there in a heap, bleeding profusely from a head wound, was Uther. "When the enemy fell and he saw Morgause across the battlefield, fighting you and Merlin, he tore after her like a man possessed. We followed, but he outran us all…and then you…" Uncertain how to describe what Morgana had done, he trailed off into silence. She didn't need him to say anything more to figure out what must have happened - Uther had come too close and got caught in her deadly explosion of magic, and had sustained unknown but obviously extensive injuries as a result.
"Gods, Arthur, I'm sorry. I never saw him coming…"
She moved closer, intending to see if there was anything she could do for Uther, and the knights of Camelot shook off their bewildered torpor and responded as their years of training dictated. It didn't matter that many of them had known Morgana for years; she had just performed deadly magic that had nearly killed their king, so they brandished their weapons and braced themselves for combat, and Leon actually shouted, "Stay back, witch!"
Morgana stumbled back a step as if she'd been stabbed - this was precisely the reaction she had dreaded since the moment Merlin confirmed she had magic, the fear and rejection from her lifelong acquaintances; after all, it was unrealistic to expect everyone she knew to be as loyal and tolerant as Gwen - and bumped into her husband, who quickly took hold of her and cast a transportation spell that whisked them back to the palace so that he could patch himself up. More importantly, he wanted to get her away from the knights of Camelot before they either tried to hurt her or, more likely, caused her to hurt them.
"I'm sorry about those idiots," he said hoarsely. "Are you all right?"
"Me?" She sounded equally choked up, though for different reasons. "I'm not the one who was nearly suffocated and then stabbed in the throat. You need Gaius and Alice…"
"They're both on the battlefield, helping people who are seriously hurt. Thanks to you, Morgause only gave me a flesh wound; I can make do with a bandage…and maybe some water." A healing spell would have been better, but given Morgana's current emotional state, he wasn't sure he wanted her using magic on him.
"Oh…of course." Moving as if in a trance, she went for the water pitcher first since it was sitting on a table in plain view, then scanned their chambers, wondering if they had anything there besides socks that would make a passable bandage. Then she regained enough presence of mind to remember that she had more efficient ways of dealing with injuries. "Wouldn't you rather I just heal you?"
"Are you sure you're up for it?"
Morgana overreacted to the question with a look of utter devastation. "You don't trust me anymore. You think I'm dangerous."
"No, that's not it at all-"
"Everyone else certainly thinks so, and you're probably right; I completely lost control of myself. I nearly killed Uther. Maybe I did." She paused in an effort to get control of herself but was unable to stop her tears from spilling over. "I know it's hard to believe after all the times you've heard me wish him ill, but I swear I didn't want this to happen. If I was thinking at all, it was only about stopping Morgause from killing you… I didn't even know he was there until Arthur- Oh gods, Arthur must hate me!"
"I doubt that. I'm sure he's confused - what happened tonight is a lot to take in, but once he's had time to process it all, I don't think he'll hate you."
Morgana wished she could share Merlin's confidence but, despite her prophetic abilities, she had never been more unsure of what the future held.
Only three more chapters left now, I think…