Chapter 44

Nicola and Will sat in the woods watching the camp. They were uneasy. They hadn't heard from Danni in a few days and it looked like Dedric was about to attack Midas. Will was sure that Regina had issued the warnings by now, but she was afraid to the Golden Kingdom. They were watching the movement inside the camp and trying to see if they could spot Danni. They saw plenty from their perch, but not what they wanted.

"Do you think that she'd found a way out?"

"I don't know, Nick. I hope so. Because the alternate, with her power, is unthinkable. Danni isn't going to let him control her. She can't. She isn't tethered to the dagger," Will answered.

"That doesn't mean that this jackass hasn't found a way," Nicola replied.

"That's true, but I doubt it. Danni is too strong. She dislikes magic to a degree. She isn't going to let herself be abused in that manner. She'd fight back, magic or no magic. Dedrick isn't as strong as he thinks he is. He can controls mortals and such, but his magical control is limited. And, I think he is beginning to notice," Will stated.

"Why?"

"He wants to take the Golden Kingdom as soon as possible. He hopes that in taking it that he'll make it an example. But, Midas and Katherine have been holding out. Katherine isn't going to let the kingdom go without a fight and Midas just has to touch somethings to get money. Gold sways a lot of minds and for the right price, Dedrick's men will turn from him."

"But, he has magical control over them," Nicola said.

"But, is it enough?" Will countered.

"I don't know."

"If Danni can get into the camp and move around like she hoped, then no, it isn't. She probably hasn't sent us word because she doesn't want to out herself as possessing magic. She is in a warlord's camp and said warlord hates magical beings. I wouldn't be flaunting my powers until I had to. She's doing the same, I'm sure. We just need to give her time. Regina has the Rocs and they are training with the troops. If they are needed, they'll fly in quickly with knights," Will told her.

"I just hope that it is enough."

"It will be. Regina doesn't leave anything to chance. Danni won't either."

Nicola just nodded. She knew that they were both worried, but she also knew that Wilhelmina was worried about Danni, yet. She trusted her completely. If Will trusted her, Nick would give her time. It wasn't that she worried about Danni being able to do the mission. She wasn't. She was worried about what Dedrick would do when he realized that the Dark One was in his camp. They didn't know what sort of power he actually had. It was true that Danni wasn't tethered to the dagger, so there wasn't a object that could control her. She was the first one in Dark One not to be tethered. It was a magical counterbalance that Danni didn't have. That is what worried Nick. If Danni went off the rails, there was nothing that anyone could do to stop her.

"Do you think that she is worried about Danni?" Nicola asked.

"Who?"

"Regina," Nicola answered.

"No, she isn't. Danni is her daughter and she trusts her. She might not like how she does things because of the darkness inside her, but she's never had reason not to trust her. And, neither do I," Will replied.

"Okay," Nicola stated defensively.

They both sat back and watched the camp. Will was hoping that they would come to a resolution soon. Nicola hoped that nothing bad happened. She didn't think that her niece would survive it if it did.

Danni sat down around the campfire. She watched everyone, never staying on person too long. She wasn't sure that Morgan wasn't going to do something to out who she was. Drea sat beside her as they eat their meager breakfast.

"You're quiet," Drea stated.

"Just thinking," Danni answered.

"About?"

"How I'm going to get out of here," Danni replied.

"You've found a way?"

"Not yet, but I'm going to try soon."

"Dedrick's getting ready to attack Midas. I heard him talking about it last night while I was on guard duty again. He's keeping the same guards near him. Guess he thinks that he's safer with us," Drea added.

Trane walked up. His armor was dirty and he looked tired. Drea and Danni both moved over to let him sit down.

"Where've you been?" Drea asked as she passed him a bowl of food.

"The woods."

"Why?" Drea questioned.

"Dedrick is looking for a new place to attack from. He had a squad patrolling last night. We just got back. He had more squads out there now. He thinks that there is some break in the magic barrier. He's got us looking for it."

"Does he even know what to look for?" Danni inquired.

"Hell, if I know. I'm tired and hungry. I just want to go to bed. I hope that I don't get called for guard duty today."

"I don't know if you will. I'll see what I can do. Seems Dedrick has taking a liking to a few of us. I just happen to be one of the lucky few," Drea told him before turning to Danni. "What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing that I know of. I think I have guard duty later, but I wanted to check and see if I can see a way out. Doubt that I'll find anything, but it doesn't hurt to look."

"Just don't get caught. I'll keep you off the roster as much as I can. Let us know if find anything," Drea stated as she stood up and started back towards Dedrick's command tent.

Danni watched her go. She was still watching the camp. Her spell was still active. The number of people who were actually loyal to Dedrick was dropping steadily as they waited to attack Midas. But, she wasn't really worried about the soldiers. She was worried about Morgana. She could undo everything with a single word and Danni would be taken prisoner.

Okay, she wasn't really afraid of Morgana. She knew that she could handle the witch, but she didn't know if she could actually trust her. Danni knew the stories of Avalon and Camelot. Hell, she'd even been there after Morded's war. It was a wasteland now. Magic still flowed freely, but the people were wary of it and with good reason. But, it was one of the few realms that had bleed over in it from the beginning. Christianity ran rampant and was the "State" religion. It was hard for the people with magical backgrounds to turn to Christainity, but they did. Because of Mordred. Being Morgana's son had only helped him somewhat. And, Excalibur was lost, broken on the field of battle between father and son. Rumor had it that Morgan took the mythical sword in order to repair it. Others stated that she threw back into the lake near Avalon. Men, realms over, had been searching for it for years. And, then a harrowing thought crossed Danni's brain.

Did she give it to Dedrick? Is that why she is here? Is she looking for a new champion?

"Stop thinking so hard. They might actually hear you. Have you thought about our arrangement some more?" Morgana asked as she down at Danni's fire.

Danni whipped around to face her. Her blue eyes watched her. She just gave Danni a large smile as she warmed her hands.

"You're jumpy this morning," Morgana quipped.

"You would be, too, if you were me."

"Trust me. I've been jumpy, but not like that. I also understand your hesitance to believe me. My name proceeds me."

"It does."

"Not all the stories are true," Morgana lamented.

"So, Mordred didn't try to kill his own father for not naming him the heir of Camelot for the simple fact that he was also the son of his half-sister and the leader of the pagan cults of Avalon?"

"Well, that much is true, yes."

"Then, that is all I need to know."

"I didn't raise him, you know?"

"Mordred?" Danni questioned.

"Yes, I didn't raise him. I was told that he died shortly after birth. My aunt kidnapped him and raised him in the Northlands. She wanted him to succeed Arthur. She also cursed Arthur from ever having children more children. Mordred was the only heir that Arthur ever had. Guinevere eventually figured it out and tried to leave him with Lancelot. But, none of that matters here. I was stuck on Avalon and the land of magic. I couldn't stop it, even if I wanted to. Mordred was bent on destroying Camelot in what he thought was his father slighting him for being the next Pendragon."

"Pendragon isn't a family name?" Danni asked.

"No, it is a title given from Avalon. It was given to the kings of the realms that agreed to allow magic to practiced. Arthur did so before his marriage to Guinevere and he was punished severely for breaking his oath. No children from his marriage. His bastard son came to claim the throne in the name of Avalon as it should have been. His kingdom was divided as soon as the truth was told. The people were still practicing magic in secret. They still believed in the old ways. And, Arthur was warned that if he turned his back on the gods, that a wolf would destroy him and his symbol."

"The stag and the wolf?"

"Yes."

"I know more than you think I do. Your legends are legendary in my foster realm. The land of Dedrick, his rightful place, a land with no true magic, but yet, he's here...with you at his side. Why?" Danni inquired.

"He doesn't know who I am. He just thinks that I am a powerful sorceress and that I am jaded by magic just like he is. I mean I am jaded, but I know that magic is useful and needed in some instances. He doesn't. He thinks it is all the devil's work. There is no swaying him."

"Have you tried?" Danni questioned.

"You think I came here completely on my own? I joined with him in order to get home. Surely you understand that. This was not part of the deal. This was his madness taking over. I've done what I could to stop it, but it wasn't enough. There are fanatics everywhere, in every realm, in every kingdom. They support him now, even though their number is dwindling greatly. But, he still has enough. Is it enough for him to follow through with his mission? Probably not, but he can pull support from other beings until he gets what he wants. Then, he'll deal with them."

"Meaning he'll kill them."

"More than likely," Morgana answered.

"And, what would you do then?"

"What I've been doing all along," Morgana replied.

"Which is

"Subtly blocking his reign of terror. I knew that if he went after Midas that things wouldn't go as planned. I had to get him there first. I sent word to Midas as soon as I could. I needed it to look like Dedric would win. Midas did just as I asked."

"And, why would he do that?"

"Because I asked?" Morgana replied.

"I highly doubt that. Midas is a cautious fellow. I would be too, if I had been duped by a magic being before."

"He did what I wanted him to do. He contacted Regina. He started the end game. All of the Enchanted Forest against Dedric, I needed a catalyst to start the anger towards him. He was just moving through here like it was no one's business. I had to stir him towards someone that would seem sympathetic while asking for help elsewhere. Midas would do that. He was indebted to Regina and the Charmings."

"How did you know that?"

"I talk to the people. They don't know who I am. I've gotten to learn a lot of about the people of this realm and their rulers. Even though Regina was hated for her part in King Leopold's death, she was and still is respected. The fact that she's brokered a peace with the Charmings and the rest of the Enchanted Forest, who treat her like a High Queen, says a lot about her and what she is capable of. I need that kind of power to get home. I cannot stay here. I need to get back to Camelot and Avalon. I need to try to rebuild my brother's legacy," Morgana told her.

"Do you think that they want your help?" Danni inquired as she moved to sit back down.

"I don't know."

"Well, that's comforting," Danni replied.

"I just want to go home. And, I know that Regina is powerful enough to send me. I need a mirror to get there or some other magic portal. However, Earth doesn't have a portal back to Avalon anymore. The Christians destroyed it when they came to power, along with any other magical relic they could get their hands on. People don't realize what they've done or what they're missing. Magic has no real basis there. It is all parlor tricks and slight of hand. But, you and I both know that magic is so much more than that," Morgana stated.

"Do we really?" Danni countered.

"For someone of your status, I am surprised by your nonchalance towards it," Morgana quipped.

"You know nothing about me, Witch."

"I know enough just by watching you," Morgana countered.

"Watching me? Why the hell would you be watching me? What is it you are really after, Morgana?"

"I knew that you had magic, but then I saw you do the spell on the camp. Clever, very clever in deed. You marked those with affiliation to Dedrick so you could avoid them and weed them out. Then you sought out all those with magic. Have your told your friends, yet? That they have latent powers?" Morgana asked her.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Your companions?"

"Who are you talking about? I don't have any companions. I came here alone," Danni told her.

"I doubt that. You may have entered the camp alone, but you didn't make your way here alone. You are the Dark One. No one dares to speak your name though for fear of conjuring you in the flesh. So, I think the better question is, why are you alone?"

Danni just stared at her. She squinted as she tried to figure out the woman sitting there with her. Morgana was many things in many stories, but who was she really? What did she really want in the Enchanted Forest? Danni wasn't sure that she could trust her and that could be a problem because of Dedric. She wanted to trust her, well at least believe her to a degree, but she was Morgana or Morgan La Fey. It was a name that didn't bode well for a happy ending.

"Have I given your something to think about, Princess?"

"No, you haven't. I knew about my friends before they did. I wasn't at a point in my life where I could tell them when I met them. I was a little heartless and not very emotional. I was running from magic and I didn't want to see it, let alone tell them about it. But, things came to a head when my aunt came back for me. I couldn't stay away and I had to deal with mana burn or mana sickness. Something that my mother never had to deal with, so I was never taught to handle it. I may have magic, Morgana, but I am no fool. I know what my magic means and how I got it. I would never abuse it," Danni warned her.

"Abuse the power of the Dark One? I would think not. No one would really do that unless they had a dagger to control you. So, who controls you, Danni? Who has your dagger?" Morgana inquired.

Ah, there it is. You've tipped your hand, Morgana. I know what Dedric wants now. Something that he can never have.

"You want my dagger?"

"I don't want it, but I know that someone controls it. Who do you trust enough to control you, Danni? Your mother? Your Queen? A random stranger?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Danni said as she stood up.

"You are a mystery to me. So, yes, I would like to know. Who bears the powers of the Dark One? I think that it is someone in your family."

"Why?"

"Why do I think that it is someone in your family?" Morgana asked.

"Yes," Danni answered.

"Because, they know that they would be able to bring you home with it. The magic possessed in the dagger is stronger than anyone believed. It can not only command the Dark One. It can summon him, much like the lamps for genies. The dagger is important. It is the symbol of the Dark One. It is a part of them. It is also a relic that they don't want to get into the wrong hands. So, I am assuming that someone in your family has it. If things started to go wrong, they would call you back to them. They kept it as a way to protect you from yourself," Morgana stated.

"You think you are so smart and that you've got it all figured out. You tell me that you want to go home, and I don't doubt that. But, you are the catalyst that has started this war. You brought Dedric here in hopes of meeting the Queen Regina, formerly known as the Evil Queen. But, you've gone about it in the wrong way. All you will incur now is her wrath. She will not help you take Avalon back from the powers that be, nor will she give you anything magical to help you."

"Are you sure of that?" Morgana asked as she reached out for Danni's arm.

"As I am her daughter, yes," Danni answered as she turned into a dove and flew away, through the magical barrier.

Morgana stood there, amazed at her powers. Danni could defeat her, but chose to run instead. It was an interesting turn of events for the witch, but she didn't know if she would tell Dedric or not. He was a means to an end. She was in the Enchanted Forest. She'd met the Dark One. Now, all she needed to do was find the dagger and she would control the daughter of Queen Regina. With Danni by her side, she would be able to restore Avalon to its glory and rule Camelot.

Nicola looked up at the sky. There were birds flying in every direction, but where towards the camp was dug. She didn't know if it was sign or not, but she didn't like it. She missed Vulcannon now that she was home, but she knew that it was in ruins. There was nothing really for her there but death and destruction, ruins and memories. She hadn't been the first born princess. She hadn't been the princess that her father wanted. She had been a warrior and a lover. Neither of which were so bad, but she didn't follow orders well. It was amazing that her father made her the General of the Phoenix Legions and that Princess Royal. Both were titles she didn't care for, but now, sitting in a hole, with her new Queen, her niece Wilhelmina, she meant to keep the oaths she'd given to her father. Being Vulcannon wasn't just a way of life, it just was. Vulcannonians couldn't escape their immortality in traditional means and Nicola hadn't either. Going through a portal to Earth to live with a mortal she loved had been her answer. She hoped that in a world without magic she would be able to pass on after he did. She didn't. She started looking for magical ways to end her life, but Earth was fresh out of magic and she didn't dare go home to Vulcannon.

"What's wrong?"

"Something isn't right."

"Like what?" Will asked her as she started looking up too.

"The birds," Nick replied.

Will watched them, too. They were all flying away from the camp. It was a sign but of what?

"What should we do?"

"Wait for her, Will. She'll be back. She'll tell us what to do," Nicola told her.

"And, then what?"

"We fight. We destroy. Or, we go back to the castle, have a big chalice of wine and talk about our days out here," Nicola stated as if it was the most obvious answer.

"That's what I am afraid of...a war. I am not sure that I am ready to lead Regina's men into battle. I know that Emma will be by my side and that we have the Rocs now, but it isn't right. He is leading all those men to a slaughter and he knows it. He is using them as fodder. Their armor will only protect them from the Wolves and other Weres. Regina has them on the periphery and not as part of the main combatants. The armor will do them no good. We would he sacrifice them all like that. It doesn't make sense. He doesn't have any military training. He is just spouting off at the mouth and gaining followers," Will lamented.

"That is only part of it," Danni said as she walked back into the camp.

Will and Nicola were on their feet quickly. Will gave her a quick hug and then backed up to look into her eyes. She could see the haunted look in them. There was something that she wasn't saying and Will knew that it was big. She would wait, but she hoped that Danni would just tell her quickly.

"What's the other part?" Nicola asked not waiting for Danni to just tell them.

"Morgan La Fey is his witch. And, trust me, she's is a bitch, too. She wants something that she can't have and she's using him as a means to the end."

"What does she want?" Will questioned looking into her dark eyes.

"She wants Dedric to be defeated because she is expecting Mom to send her back to Avalon, but that is only the beginning."

"Beginning?" Nick inquired.

"She's want my dagger."

"The Dark One dagger?"

"Yes."

"She wants to control you?" Will questioned.

"She does."

"But, why?"

"She wants to take Avalon and Camelot back."

"It's nothing but ruins ravaged by war. The people fled to Earth years ago and live in the Highlands of Scotland, near the Rivers of Ireland, and the Foothills of Wales. They helped to fight back against the Romans. They took up the Cross and fought in the Crusades. There is no one left to rule there. Surely she knows that," Nicola added.

"One would think so, but she knows that her powers are limited."

"Do you think that she'll hurt your mother?" Will asked as she bristled, thinking about her charges.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"What are we going to do?"

"We're going home. There is no negotiating with him and Morgana has him believing that he can win. We'll have to try to get the men under him out, but he still has loyal followers," Danni told them.

"Won't they know you are missing?"

"Only Morgana knows now. And, I doubt that she'll rush to tell Dedric. It would cost her her life. She's got some planning to do. Unfortunately, that means we do as well. We need to go, before she realizes where we are."

"Is it too late to 'poof' as Emma calls it?" Will asked.

"Not bloody likely," Danni answered as she embraced them both before they were surrounded by purple, blue, white, and red smoke.