A/N: Thank you PadrePedro and GuestM Live for reviewing!


Chapter 3

Gwen and Elyan carefully made their way along the branch of Rift they were scouting, making sure to keep several feet of distance between them and the tear in the Veil. They didn't need a repeat of someone getting too close and sucked in. Gwen tried to suppress a shudder at the memory. At least they knew how to retrieve someone if it did happen again.

They had all split down to pairs by this point, and Gwen worried it wouldn't be enough to cover all the ground the tributary of Rifts covered. If they didn't find anything, would it be because they missed it? Or because Uther had lied to them? Gwen honestly didn't know which would be worse.

But then she and Elyan came upon a section of Rift where a visible disturbance was happening. The edges of the torn fabric, usually just a refraction in the air like a mirage, were churning like gray froth. And the gap was wider in this spot. Gwen shared an anxious look with her brother; this had to be it.

Elyan spun a light flare and sent it straight up into the sky to alert the others. Then both of them spun weapons of light to have at the ready. Neither of them knew what to expect—Uther hadn't described this "great evil" that was trying to get out. But Gwen could see the jagged ends of the Veil peeling back in small increments as it continued to widen.

Percival and Leon arrived first, and Gwen wordlessly pointed out the phenomenon to them.

"Any ideas?" Leon asked.

"Go in and confront it?" Elyan replied.

Gwen shook her head fervently. "We barely escaped last time. It's too dangerous going in blind."

"We could spin a solid wall to cover the gap?" Percival suggested. "Seal the Rift?"

"It could find another tear to come through," Elyan said.

"If the quakes are related to it, then it's obviously taken it a few days to work at the Rift," Leon put in. "We could slow it down."

"And then spin a wall along the entire Veil?" Elyan added dubiously.

"If we must," Gwen concluded. They could delay the unknown evil long enough to send bigger teams out to seal off the remaining Rifts. It was a wonder they'd never thought of attempting this before, as it would stop more Wraiths from coming through into their world.

A shriek interrupted their discussion, and they instantly shifted into defensive stances as a couple of aforementioned Wraiths came swooping down on them. The flare had likely drawn them, but the Lightspinners were ready, and Gwen and Elyan struck both phantoms with solid spears of light that exploded the Wraiths into dust.

The rest of the group arrived at that moment, and Gwen wasted no time taking charge.

"We're going to attempt to seal this section of Rift," she said. "Elyan and I will forge posts into the ground to anchor the shield. Merlin and Lancelot, see if you can weld the top into the seams of the Rift. If not, we'll have to fold it over and try to get it down the other side." That would have to be done by feel, since they couldn't cross under the Rift and it was too long to go around. "The rest of you, spin the plating."

They set to work, the lot of them spinning huge swaths of light that blazed in the dim daylight. Gwaine and Leon stood on guard with swords wrapped in light sheaths in case they drew more Wraiths to their position. Gwen and Elyan had burrowed the first light pole into the soil and were solidifying it when the sheet of light the others had formed began to bend and wobble.

"Whoa, what's that?" Merlin called.

"Hold it steady," Percival ordered.

"I am!" Niall, one of the younger Lightspinners, responded.

The light wavered as though it was melting, and then it seemed to be slurping into the Veil. Gwen felt the pole she was holding weaken and fold, and then it was like she was being sucked into a current toward the Rift.

"Elyan!" she cried.

Her brother grunted as he also seemed to be fighting against the pull. So were the others, digging their heels into the ground and leaning back as the light was visibly wrenched through their grasps.

"What's going on?" Leon asked urgently.

"I don't know," Gwen shouted back.

"I can't let go!" Lancelot yelled.

"Me neither!" cried Hurin.

Gwen's breath stole from her lungs. She tried to break the connection to the light pole, but for some reason she couldn't. They were going to be sucked in with it.

Gwaine and Leon finally leaped in with their light blades and began hacking at the sheets of light. Gwen felt the snap physically and mentally when they cut her loose, and she stumbled backward, losing her balance. The others were freed as well, and they all staggered away from the Rift as the last of the light was slurped through the portal. The gap flared and tore wider with a resounding crackle on the air and a rolling lurch through the earth. A massive pillar of writhing shadow emerged to touch down on the earth outside. No, not a pillar, a leg, with a broad, clawed foot.

"Fall back!" Leon yelled, and they all reached for each other to scramble away from the Rift.

A second leg emerged, followed by a hulking mass. The demon's head came next, a rotund face and muzzle, with pitted eyes that burned with fire. Its skin looked to be made of shadow and igneous rock, and small cracks of molten lava ran along its hide like flaming veins. As it fully emerged from the Veil, it drew itself up to a towering height of at least two stories. Six webbed wings gradually fanned out from its bulky sides, and a tail with a spear-shaped end flicked back and forth. It opened its maw and let out a deafening roar that shook the ground.

Gwen finally snapped out of her terror and gathered her wits. "Drive it back!" she yelled, surging to her feet and spinning a long lance of light.

Her friends did the same, forging blazing weapons that they fired or jabbed at the humongous beast. But their weapons bounced off its hardened exterior. The demon roared and swung its head down at them, snapping its jaws around their spears and breaking them into pieces. Gwen stared in shocked horror.

Gwaine charged in to try to stab up under its belly, only for his blade to break on impact, not only the light sheath but the iron beneath.

"Gwaine!" Elyan yelled.

The demon shuffled its stance, and Gwaine dodged its massive bulk as he tried to get clear. Hurin spun twin scythes and struck out with them at the creature's face. It spun around and lashed out with a giant paw, bringing it down in an earth-shaking stomp that crushed the young man. Gwen's heart dropped into her stomach.

The demon swung back, its underbelly clipping Gwaine and knocking him flat. Before he could be trampled, Elyan's light wolf burst out and darted in to snatch the knight up by the collar of his shirt. Percival's lion followed and charged the demon to distract it, but got backhanded by a huge paw and went flying. Percival reeled from the blow to his animal spirit. Elyan's wolf dragged Gwaine clear, but then a horrendous scream rent the air, and Gwen spotted Niall impaled on the demon's tail. With a flick, the beast dislodged its victim and sent the body smashing into a rock with a bone-crunching impact.

Merlin unleashed his dragon spirit with an explosion of blinding light. Rearing up to nearly the same height as the demon, the light dragon flapped its wings and attempted to beat the demon back toward the Rift. The beast snarled, eyes flaring. It shot a clawed foot out to swat the dragon down, following through to pin it to the ground between its claws. The dragon twisted in an effort to get free and gnashed its teeth against the thick, igneous skin. The demon opened its maw wide…then wider, far larger than any anatomy should naturally stretch. The inside of its mouth was a swirling vortex, and it came straight down, crashing over the dragon and completely swallowing it in shadow.

Merlin jerked violently, like he'd been shot, and then he crumpled. The demon slowly straightened, and there was a deep, groaning sound. At first it looked like an aura of black was rising off its back, but then the shadows turned solid and Gwen realized it was growing. Several feet taller and wider. When it opened its maw to roar again, there was no glimmer of Merlin's dragon. It was gone.

"Retreat!" Gwen screamed with all her might.

Lancelot and Leon bolted for Merlin, hauling him up between them, and they ran. In the darkness of their light defenses winking out, the demon did not follow.


Arthur found himself in the doorway of Gaius's chambers, though he didn't announce himself. Gaius appeared to be busy going through books off the shelf. When he finally turned enough to catch sight of Arthur, he startled.

"Arthur. Is everything all right?"

Arthur didn't really know how to answer that. "He's still in the mirror," he said.

Gaius's brows furrowed. "I see. Did he have more to say?"

"Nothing of substance."

Gaius was quiet for a moment. "And what about you? Do you have more to say to him?"

Arthur pursed his mouth. Did he? No, he'd had his confrontation with his father years ago in the Veil. And the encounter had left a bitter taste in his mouth. There was nothing that either of them could say to make things better.

"You raised me," he said instead. "You have been more of a father than he ever was. Ever could be, from what I can tell."

Gaius gave him a soft and patient look.

Arthur shook his head in frustration with himself. "So why am I so reluctant to cast him out?"

"It's natural to be curious. He is your father."

"I know everything I need to know about him," he countered.

Gaius canted his head in concession. "You are not rash, Arthur. Do not mistake the time spent weighing all angles of an issue as indecision. Especially when the decision you're contemplating carries permanence."

Arthur's tension loosened slightly. He nodded in agreement and gratitude; he'd known he could always count on Gaius's wisdom.

A cup on the table began to rattle as the ground rolled beneath their feet. It lasted several long seconds and was stronger than the previous ones. Arthur shared a worried look with Gaius. But there was nothing either of them could do until the others returned from scouting the Rifts.

Arthur excused himself and went up to the castle wall. To his surprise, Freya was already there, hunched over the wall in apparent anxiousness. She hadn't been involved in the meeting, but Merlin and Lancelot likely would have told her about where they were going and why. Arthur quietly walked over and leaned his elbows on the wall beside her. She flicked a startled look at him, followed by a fraction of a greeting smile, then turned her gaze back out again. Neither of them spoke. At this time of day, the dome was blazing so brightly that it was opaque. Arthur wondered if he should order it thinned so they'd have some warning if something was out there. He glanced sideways at Freya, then cleared his throat.

"I think we should dim the shield," he said. "So we're not blind. Can you do it?"

She blinked in surprise, then nodded.

So they headed to the central tower together, passing the guard at his post outside the stairwell. At the top, Freya reached up to grab the single rod that had been burrowed through the roof, so she could connect her power to the crystal welded on top. Arthur watched as the dome shield modulated in response, dimming down to a gossamer curtain. It was the equivalent of night for them, even though the clock tower hadn't been rung to signal the close of day.

They stayed up in the tower, scanning the now visible horizon for their loved ones. The guard came up a few moments later.

"My lord?" he queried. "Did you intend to change the shield early?"

Arthur nodded. "Just as a precaution. Set a watch on the walls."

The man nodded. "What are we looking for?"

"Just…anything unusual. A group went out, and I want to be alerted when they return."

"Yes, my lord."

Arthur was glad the guard didn't press for more answers. That was an advantage to being king. He wasn't ready to tell anyone else about Uther—especially if he needn't tell them at all. And as for this potential threat…better not to worry everyone without probable cause.

"I should have gone with them," Freya spoke up in a rare moment of candidness with him.

"There's nothing you should have done," Arthur countered. "I would never send anyone out to face the darkness if they didn't want to." He let out a rueful smirk. "Merlin is probably happy you stayed behind where it's safe. Heaven knows I wish Gwen would."

Freya cast a shy look at him. "I wish I was as brave as Gwen."

"Bravery comes in different forms, and you are no coward," he replied sincerely.

A ripple in the shield caught their attention, and they squinted at the base of the dome where someone was modulating it to gain entrance. They turned and hurried down the steps. As they exited the tower, the guard from before was just coming toward them.

"My lord—"

"I know, thank you," Arthur said. "Keep the watch for now."

He and Freya hastened outside and across the courtyard to the gate. They caught sight of Lancelot on his griffin flying up to the tower where the crystal sat. Alarmed by the urgency, they quickened their pace and met the others halfway down the lower town. Arthur immediately noticed they were several short.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Where's Merlin?" Freya chimed in frantically.

"Lancelot took him up to see if the crystal could heal him," Percival answered grimly.

Arthur's gaze immediately found Gwen. Her face was streaked with tears but she appeared unharmed.

"What happened?" he asked again, closing the distance and taking her by the arms.

"Uther was right," she said. "A terrible demon did come through the Veil. We tried to stop it, tried to force it back, but our light was useless against it."

"So were our regular weapons," Leon added. "We lost Hurin and Niall."

Arthur reeled at that information, but then the light griffin came gliding back down to land. As its wings folded back, Arthur caught sight of Merlin limp in Lancelot's arms.

"Did it not work?" Elyan exclaimed.

Lancelot shook his head, expression fraught as he passed Merlin down to Percival.

"Was his animal spirit injured?" Arthur asked. They'd learned a fatal blow to that was also fatal to the Lightspinner…but the crystal should have healed him.

Gwen nodded. "The demon…devoured his dragon."

Arthur stared at her dumbfounded.

"But why wouldn't the crystal heal him like it did me?" Freya asked, distraught as she hovered over Merlin's still form in Percival's arms.

"Your bastet had returned to you after it was injured," Lancelot said, voice thick with emotion. "Merlin's dragon is…gone."

The weight of that statement felt like the glass bubble they'd been living in had abruptly shattered around them. Because that meant the light inside Merlin…a piece of his soul…was gone too.