OMG!
I cannot tell you how much I suck for making you all wait this long. Though... I do have a decent excuse. XD Basically, the end of my marriage has become official and I have been dealing with the fallout from all of that. Please, do not say sorry. Lol. I am so much happier now. The very fact that I am writing this story is proof that I have survived the intense emotional mess that the entire situation had me in. I have emerged!
I originally was going to chop this chapter off around the 3.5k mark simply because that is pretty much the average of most of my chapters, but for waiting so long, I give you moar wordz. I hope you've been looking forward to some magic battling!
Reviewer Responses
Heart of Diamond: Eh-heh... sorry. It's the final fight! I can't very well NOT have cliffhangers, now can I?
MegamiTenshiHime: Oh he wants to. XD He misses being able to make faces at Arthur. Among other things... like eating. Oh, and sleeping. He cannot WAIT to sleep. Lol
jediyam: Lol yus! Dayla for the win! Glad you like her. :)
IndiaMoore: She does that. She's a slippery lil' thing. And BAMF is my favoritest thing ever. And be ready for more Arthur and Merlin BAMFery. Plenty of it in this chapter.
Emrys Is Merlin: Her new nickname is Emrys' lil' helper. :D And thank you! Sorry for the wait!
White Cat: Sorry it took so long to get up. But here 'tis!
CaptainOzone: *squee!* Thanks! I love it when stories use possessive pronouns with Merlin and Arthur. It IS bromantic, isn't it?! 8D And I always figured that Gwen would make a good mother. She's almost a mother to Merlin and Elyan in the show, so I thought it suited her.
1983Sarah: Thank you! I take a lot of pride in my fight scenes and mess with them a lot before I post. Possibly one of the reasons that I spent so long actually writing this one aside from the real life distractions; most of this chapter is fighting and action and stuff. One of the scenes literally took weeks for me to hammer out. I am happy with the final result, even if I am not entirely sure about the writing itself. lol As for the animals, that was a friend's idea. The same friend that has been helping me with the falconry and some of the battles suggested the idea that she would cut them off completely. He's a genuis. XD
Morena Evensong: Yus! Merxcalibur! I love it. And thank you! I'm glad the tension and such is coming through. I adore writing Gwen. She is a strong female character, and I did miss her in season 5. It kind of felt like she wasn't there, because of what Morgana did to her. Though there was also a sense of sadness, because the two of them reminded me a little of the adorable friendship they had in the first two seasons. I missed it.
monkey76: *squee* Original?! YAY! That's my favorite new word. Lol. Thank you so much. The idea of Merlin in the sword was the idea that spawned this story so I am happy it is going over so well.
Ready for some violence?! Here we go!
A strange and haunting cry echoed among the towers of the castle. Huddled together at the top of the steps, the knights and their queen looked to the sky at the inhuman sound. As it died away, the first enemy rounded the corner of a house and appeared in the archway of the main courtyard. He didn't seem to notice the oil that sloshed about beneath his feet as he charged forward with his sword held high and a cry of battle bursting from his throat. Leon gripped the torch tight when he saw him...
... and then tossed it onto the ground.
Like a ripple cascading across the surface of the water, fire burst from the torch, quickly consuming the courtyard. Guinevere and the knights were forced to take a few steps back as they were blasted with heat. They heard the screams of those who had stepped into the oil before it was lit and sight of the coming army was lost in the blaze that roared between them. The statue of the mounted knight that stood in the center of the stone steps cast a frightening shadow down over the men that crowded around the edge of the flames like wild dogs circling prey. The figure's stature seemed even larger in the bright light and somehow the knights around it were bolstered even further; their loyalty and love for their kingdom swelling powerfully in their breasts.
The knights that had retreated into the citadel at the queen's command began to venture slowly onto the landing and down a few of the broad steps, hands ready to draw swords and eyes squinted at the flames to see the actions of the men on the other side.
The queen herself had been shuffled into the center of the gathering of men, Leon and Elyan at her sides. And they resolved to wait.
But their hearts soon filled with terror as they were not made to wait long.
A powerful wind suddenly swept into existence. It swirled at the center of the courtyard, growing in strength and size until it began consuming the flames around it, along with the oil that fueled the blaze. The wind swirled faster and stronger as the seconds ticked by until Guinevere was certain that she would have been sent flying were it not for the armor-clad knights around her.
The wind roared in her ears, expanding outwards until the entire courtyard was dry and each flame had been doused. But as the wind died, what she saw standing in the center of what had been a powerful storm was not at all what she had expected.
A sword was held up high, the point reaching for the heavens. Two men in chain mail were crouched at the feet of the tall man holding the sword. Three horses, their reigns held loosely by one of the kneeling men, reared and screeched. They quickly pulled free and made a mad dash for the royal stables as they were hit with the smell of home.
The wind finally retreated and Arthur stood with Gwaine and Percival in the center of the courtyard. Gwen had to hold back tears as happiness and relief overwhelmed her.
Arthur's body tipped to one side and then to the other, his brain suddenly having difficulty deciding which way was up and which way was down. He looked around the courtyard until his eyes found the crouched knights behind him. He smirked and and then laughed.
"Less than two days indeed!" he cried.
It took Percival and Gwaine a few minutes to gain their bearings enough to get to their feet. As soon as Gwaine's eyes caught sight of the queen and the knights he grinned and tapped Percival's arm. Arthur, however, quickly caught sight of the throng of Saxons and mercenaries that were still standing- stunned- at the edge of the courtyard. He crouched, and held up his sword.
"Arthur..."
The king looked to the gem that rested beside his face. "What is it?"
In lieu of an answer, the magic in Arthur's mind opened and a golden thread appeared at his feet, winding back behind him and toward the citadel. Realization curved his lips into a smile.
"The gem," he whispered.
"Why would it be here?"
"I think we have more important things to worry about, Merlin," growled Arthur, his eyes narrowing at the men that appeared to be slowly getting over their shock at the sudden appearance of the king.
"We don't have time to worry about this!" cried Merlin. "I need to get back to normal!"
Arthur felt Merlin's magic tugging him back toward the citadel, but he stubbornly remained in place. "I'll not let them into my palace!" The magic tugged at him again, and feeling Merlin's magic swelling in his chest, he relented, swearing silently at the warlock. But his frustration quickly vanished when the magic in his body swelled greater and he turned on the steps in front of the archways to face the invading army. Percival and Gwaine also seemed reluctant to abandon their posts, but they quickly followed. At the silent urge from the sword, he shoved the blade down in between two stones. The magic exploded, his eyes burning gold.
"Grundwæg æt lyft ástandan!(1)"
The earth roared and the stones below their feet began to vibrate and shake. The bandits backed away and with one last blast of power, the ground surged upwards into a tall stone wall that completely blocked off the area leading to the archways of the castle.
"Satisfied?" demanded Merlin.
Arthur had no time to respond (and the smugness that eeked from the blade didn't make him want to). He was nearly thrown off his feet as Guinevere threw her arms around his neck and held tight. Arthur smiled and embraced her, inhaling the scent that was always more amazing the longer he was away. He kissed her hair and placed her on the ground as nearby, Percival and Gwaine locked arms with Leon and Elyan.
Arthur looked to Leon and the knight needed no command. "The city has been completely surrounded, and the lower town is lost. The people from the surrounding villages as well as those from the lower town are in the vaults and citadel," he reported.
"Good. Has anyone seen Morgana?" the king demanded.
Gwen shook her head. "There has been no sign of her, but Dayla said that she felt her enter the barrier."
Arthur pursed his lips in thought.
"She probably has the gem with her. That where she would believe it is most safe."
Arthur nodded, but then his heart dropped into his stomach. The golden thread had been leading back into the castle.
Saying nothing, he dashed past the knights and began to fight his way through the crowd of red cloaks toward the center of the citadel. Guinevere and the four knights struggled to keep up and they finally did when Arthur stopped in a clear area were the knights ebbed and gave way to the citizens huddled in the corridors. Several of them looked up and smiled brightly at their king, their absolute faith in him almost completely banishing the despair and terror in their eyes.
The golden thread pointed directly into a wall.
"Merlin!" he cried. "That's not helping!"
"You think the connection is gonna navigate the halls for you?" cried the sword indignantly. Luckily, the people in the hall didn't react to the sourceless voice and Arthur figured he had confined the message only to his head.
"I was hoping," grumbled the king. He jogged down the corridor and turned to the left as soon as he got the chance. The pounding of boots behind him told him the knights were following, but when he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed at the sight of his wife among them. He halted and rounded on her. "Guinevere, I need you safe. Go to the vaults," he ordered in a voice that none but two people in the entire kingdom would dare question.
Unfortunately for him, Gwen was one of those two people.
"I belong with Gaius, helping with the injured from the outer walls. I'm not going to hide," she insisted. The look in her eyes told him that even if she bothered to pretend she was following his orders, she would head there herself later.
"Fine... but take the back way. There is less chance you will run into Morgana." The queen nodded, and hurried away.
He grumbled and continued his rush down the hall, his mind running over the possible destinations in the direction that the thread pointed to. He stopped in his tracks as realization came over him. "Merlin!" he cried.
"What's wrong?"
"The connection is leading toward the physician's chambers. She knows you're vulnerable. She's going after you, Merlin!" His jog turned into a full-out run, and he could barely hear Leon's call up to him as he moved.
"Merlin's body has been moved, Sire!" he cried, gripping tight the hilt of his sword as he ran. "I had Sir Bedivere move him."
Some relief trickled into his mind, but horror exploded into it again almost immediately as he realized where his queen was headed. "Guinevere," he growled.
They were approaching the spiral staircase that lead to Gaius' chambers when he skidded to a halt.
The scream of a man echoed down the hall. As it died, another rose up to take its place but was almost immediately cut off by a thud and sickening crack.
The golden thread was suddenly strangled and consumed by tendrils of darkness. They crept down the corridors like a mass of snakes, coiling and curling around each other; a miasma of dark magic. Arthur's vision darkened like a room when the curtains were drawn. His lungs were full of it and he coughed roughly.
Merlin's anxiety rose. As Arthur was becoming more accustomed to magic and his sensitivity was beginning to heighten.
The darkness saturated the corridor, seeping into the stones and imbedding itself in the mortar. Arthur stopped his mad dash, and he heard his knights unsheathe their blades as they sensed the king's discomfort. The torches dimmed, as though the flames themselves were attempting to flee the dark magic that hung in the air like a thick fog.
Merlin's emotions twirled like a tempest. A mixture of fear- not for himself, but for the one holding the blade and those tensed and ready behind him- anger, guilt, pity, and pain completely consumed the section of his mind that he and Merlin shared. He had no time to contemplate the implications of any of them for around the corner swept the source of that magic that threatened to overwhelm and choke him.
She stood tall and proud, beautiful and terrible at the same time. Her skin was the pale color of the stones that surrounded them, and her face had lost none of the loveliness that she had possessed when she served as the king's beloved ward; high graceful cheekbones, full perfect lips- curled into a grin that was equal parts sinister and confidence- and dark sultry eyes that any man would be hard-pressed not to fall into.
The tattered black dress she was wrapped in bore a low neckline and nestled between the top of her breasts was a pendant; an oval red gem that sparkled unnaturally in the nearly-absent light.
"Arthur," she cooed in a voice that most would consider friendly and loving. "It's good to finally see you."
Merlin's spirit tensed in the sword, but Arthur pushed it aside. "I wish I could say the same."
"You have quite a talent for misreading people," she said, looking down at her long and perfect fingernails. She did not move her head, but looked up at him from under her delicate brow. "A servant...? It's an impressive amount of deception."
Guilt poured from the sword, and Arthur could tell it stemmed from far more than her comment.
"Considering the stone is still active, it seems you let him live," she continued, brushing her fingers fondly across the surface of the gem. The smile vanished. "There truly is no end to your hypocrisy."
Arthur did not answer. He almost felt like he couldn't. He was now harboring a sorcerer, keeping Merlin's secret. But the hypocrisy of his actions diminished none of his determination:
He would protect his manservant.
"You won't find Merlin's body in Gaius' chambers," he cried suddenly.
Morgana simply smiled again. "I am well-aware of that." She stroked the gem again. "You followed a connection between your half of the gem to my sorcerers it seems. Did you think that connection only went one-way?"
Arthur's heart fluttered in his chest. Could she truly follow the connection to Merlin's body?
Something flashed across her dark eyes. "He deserves to die for all that he has done to me. Not even you would pardon such transgressions."
A strange burst of raw fury hit Arthur's mind so suddenly he almost physically staggered. "You invade an entire city, willing to slaughter thousands!" For the first time, Morgana's mask of superiority and control cracked, and she looked around for the source of Merlin's voice. Arthur held the blade up in front of his torso, the gem turned toward the witch. "All for the sake of revenge for slights inflicted by only myself and a dead man, saying nothing about the pain you have inflicted on this city." She stared at the gem as though she hadn't heard anything that Merlin had said. After a long moment, the look of control and confidence returned as understanding flashed across her eyes.
"Is that you, Emrys?" she asked quietly, using the name to banish any familiarity she once held for him.
"I am the only person in this city that you have reason to hate!" The guilt returned, and Arthur glanced to the gem. "Not even Arthur has wronged you!"
She giggled a little, continuing to ignore him. "How fortunate." She slowly raised her hands to her side and, had he one at the moment, Merlin's heart would have nearly stopped.
The magic that coiled so easily to her hand was nothing short of frightening. Perhaps he simply noticed it now because of his raw state, but he had never imagined her to be this powerful. But there was something familiar about the movement of magic; behaving as though she pulled it from the very earth where no dark magic originated.
Arthur flinched. He could suddenly feel the earth crying out, wailing for help as its magic was ripped from it and bent into the dark.
"The connection between the gems is far deeper than a simple ability to find one another," she said. As the magic gathered, Arthur could feel Merlin's magic flood from the gem and wrap its protective arms around him and the knights that stood still behind him. "Emrys' power has freed mine in ways I never thought possible." Her eyes widened and her lips twisted into a manic smile. "It will be a pleasure to destroy you with your own magic."
Arthur's body tensed and Merlin's magic began to move through him. It filled his entire body; from the crown of his head to every finger and toe, intertwining with his muscles until it was difficult to distinguish between sinew and power. Though the magic filled his body, Arthur felt no loss of control; it coiled with every tense, and swelled with every breath.
"Get to Gaius' chambers and keep Guinevere safe," he growled at his knights, sounding far more angered than he truly was. The knights began to protest, but when he rounded on them and glared with bright glowing eyes, they scurried to obey.
At his momentary distraction, Morgana threw both hands out, and a blast of magic roared toward him. Arthur held the sword before his chest again, and the wave broke against the barrier that appeared in front of him.
Gelíce ætíegstrém nædre flód!(2)"
As though pouring from within her sleeves, snake after snake dropped to the ground at her feet and slithered toward the king, hissing and rattling madly. Arthur held one hand toward the ground, and raised the sword with the other. A blast of Merlin's magic crushed the snakes into dust and he swung the sword in a wide arch, fire exploding from the blade and shooting toward Morgana.
The witch held her hand up, and the flames dove into her palms, vanishing for a moment. She moved her hand in a small circle and an orb of fire materialized, growing as wide as the corridor they stood in within a few seconds. It rumbled toward them, the heat forcing Arthur a few steps back far before it got near him. He raised his sword again and sliced a clean vertical line through its middle. The two halves dissipated instantly.
"You are ill-suited to magic, Brother!" she screeched, heaving her arms in an arch in front of her. A mass of stone erupted from the wallat her side and as she threw one arm forward it flew down the corridor at the king.
Arthur grunted and had to resist taking a step back. A nudge from the magic in his body made him draw back an arm and when he thrust it forward, magic exploded from his fingertips with a loud bang. The center of the mass tore itself away from the rest of it, creating an opening large enough for the king to duck through as the stone rumbled past him. He stood and saw Morgana's mask of confidence crack again. It was clear she hadn't expected such a skillful display of magic from the king.
Behind her the stone and mortar of the wall groaned, but she stood still as a statue as it gave way to the left of her slender form. Stone from the above floors tumbled into the hallway, far more than the king could see, kicking dust into the air and obscuring his view of his opponent slightly.
"You have no right to use Emrys' magic," she growled. The fog of mortar that had consumed the end of the hall seemed to shiver at her words, as though the air itself feared her anger. There was no attempt to force him to back down with words, but simply a bubbling rage that seemed to be rising to the surface. "Your hands stain it with the blood of its people!"
"Your magic is twisted!" shouted Merlin. The explosion of fury consumed the warlock's portion of the king's mind again. "Can you not hear the earth crying out at you? It cries in pain because you and other worshipers of dark magic have so perverted it! You are the one that does not have the right to use magic!" There was a righteous anger and offense that Arthur sympathized with and a shiver ran down his spine. Like Morgana's magic had done earlier, both king and witch began to feel Merlin's magic fill the corridor. It bubbled away from the gem, and Arthur watched as it began to oppress Morgana's cloud of darkness. "Least of all, mine."
~ooOoo~
Gwen stood up from where she had knelt to help a woman bandage a cut on her son's leg. She placed a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled. She hurried down the hallway, doing her best to smile at the many hopeful and loving faces that turned toward her as she moved. Even with her rule as queen only starting, the love that the people held for Arthur had quickly spread to her by proxy. It both warmed her heart and placed a pressure on her shoulders. She had always loved the people of Camelot, but the amount of love they were now returning was new and strange. She now had a responsibility to keep their lives as safe and happy as she could manage.
She received a slight reprieve as she entered a deserted hallway. She had not taken two steps when something fluttered in her peripheral vision. She looked up to see none other than Frio disappearing around a corner. She hiked up her skirts and dashed down the corridor.
"Frio?!" she called.
Rather than the bird, the head that peeked out at her belonged to Dayla. She smiled cautiously at the queen and stepped fully into the corridor, Frio on her heels. Guinevere couldn't deny that she was happy to see the girl unharmed, but something in her bubbled with anger and fear.
"Dayla!" she cried, in a very similar voice to the one her mother used to use when scolding her. "You are meant to be with Sir Bedivere! What are you doing here?!"
She glanced up at her guiltily and sighed, looking down at Frio. "I'm sorry, My Lady. I was heading back to him, but I got lost," she said, reverting back to her title. "I have to do my job."
Gwen knelt before her and placed a hand on her head. "You've done your job, Dayla. You held off the army long enough for Arthur and Merlin to return. Now it is time for us to do ours."
Dayla shook her head, but before she could say anything, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. A growling sound erupted behind them down another corridor, and the stones from the wall began to collapse as Morgana's spell pulled out the ones beneath them. Stones and mortar spilled into the hallway, and before she could move, Gwen saw green fabric dash right into the path of the collapsing stones.
"Dayla!" screamed Guinevere. The rocks settled, and dust hung heavily in the air. The floor beneath them remained somehow intact, but the ceiling of the corridor had begun to cave in, filling it completely with stone and mortar.
Frio scuttled back and forth in front of the blockage, screeching and flapping her wings. A few times, she hopped onto a nearby stone and took a moment to look entirely baffled.
Gwen's hands flew to her mouth and she looked to the bird. Her stomach twisted and rolled and all she could do was hope the child had made it through to the other side, though she was at a loss to explain why Dayla had done such a thing.
She looked down at the bird who had begun to scratch at the floor and peck at the pebbles that had gathered at the base of the pile, cooing pathetically. Gwen couldn't help but smile at the poor creature. She looked around and then crouched down next to Frio. "I'm sure she's fine," she said, running her hand down the bird's back. Frio seemed comforted a little by the touch, but then perked up as though someone had called her name. With a flinch from Gwen, she took off from the stone pile and zoomed down the hallway, screeching and turning a corner.
Gwen sighed. The bird could take care of herself for now, and the infirmary was hardly the place for such an animal. She turned and hurried back down the hallway toward Gaius' chambers.
~ooOoo~
"Hlaep on bæc!"
Arthur pressed himself against one wall as a blast of magic flew past him down the corridor. He coughed as the dust from the collapse behind Morgana choked him. He pushed himself back into the middle and aimed the point of his sword at her. His own blast of magic flew at her, and he ran at her behind it. She held up a hand and the blast dissipated. Arthur leapt at her, but rather than move or pull her own weapon, she merely held out her hand.
The blade slammed into her flesh, but no blood was lost. The weapon pressed against her skin, but did not break it. She seemed to require no effort to hold the prince's attack off. She grinned at his perplexed expression.
"No blade can harm me, now," she cooed. She pressed her free hand against his chest, and Arthur could feel magic gather there.
In an instant, there was an explosion as warlock and witch's magics plowed into each other. Morgana's back hit the wall and she yelped. Arthur flew back down the corridor, landing with a loud clank as armor and chain mail sparked against stone.
There was a grinding roar as the stone above them spilled into the hallway in the gap between the priestess and king, the floor above yielding under the pressure of magic. Luckily for the combatants, the walls remained intact, littering the corridor with stone rather than engulfing it. Arthur winced as a small bit of rock bounced off of his leg but paid it little mind and focused on getting to his feet. His armor weighed heavily on him and he had to use Excalibur as a crutch to right himself. His lungs burned with dust, mortar, and magic, and his eyes could barely make out the slender form of his sister on the other side of the corridor.
Finding his balance again, Arthur held his sword in front of him and sighed. This almost seemed an exercise in futility. The witch barely seemed winded (though he couldn't clearly make her out) and he was now struggling to stand. However...
… as long as she was fighting him, she wasn't killing his citizens.
Magic gathered like a growing bonfire to the end of the hall and Arthur felt Merlin's magic tense like a coil of butterflies in his stomach.
"Gástléas sceala: níwfyllan!(3)"
Arthur braced himself, locking his arms in place and gripping Excalibur's hilt tight. No blast came. Among the groaning stone and rustle of dust and mortar, the sound of chain mail and armor shifting echoed from Morgana's end of the hall and Arthur's insides twisted.
"Stay away from the witch!" he shouted to the guards that were clearly hurrying to his aide. "Guard the citizens first!"
There were no protests or calls of assurance. There were merely the heavy footfalls of armored knights, though they walked with no sense of urgency. The steps were even and purposeful, like a trained march that should be completely absent in such a time of siege.
Sinister magic slowly invaded his senses from far down the hall to Morgana's right and from the rooms set behind the spiral staircase at her back. A strange and familiar groan hit Arthur's ears; one Merlin recognized from the rusty hinges of the door to a small armory near the staircase. The dust in the air quivered again at a strange giggle from the priestess.
"Aww, I don't think they're listening," she cooed.
Two tall shadows loomed behind Morgana and two more lumbered over from the adjacent hallway. As the dust began to settle, Arthur's heart dropped into his stomach.
Four suits of armor- complete with jousting helms and empty as he could easily see through the chain mail around their non-existent torsos- marched toward him. They were animated through nothing but the serpentine coils of dark magic that clouded around the priestess. Standing shoulder to shoulder, two of the suits filled the corridor with the other two standing behind them holding spears across their chests with gloved non-hands. The two in front held swords toward the king, their freshly-sharpened points aimed at him.
"You'd be surprised how much you can do when a little freedom is afforded your magic," continued Morgana.
Arthur gritted his teeth and clicked his tongue, staring at the jerkily-approaching suits. He certainly hoped that their skill with a sword wasn't equal to Morgana's. He was her better with a blade, certainly; though he didn't fancy fighting four of her.
However, when he took a step toward them, his body tensed and his sword raised for combat, he could feel the magic intertwined with his muscles hesitate, as though he had suddenly stepped out of a cloud of power. He looked to the gem briefly before glancing ahead and growling at his lifeless opponents.
"Merlin, what's wrong?" he demanded.
There was no vocal response, but Arthur's senses were suddenly opened. The visual plane melted slightly from his mind and instead of four empty suits of armor, he saw the four masses of dark magic which powered them. Beyond the suits was the heavy fog of magic that surrounded his sister, spilling down the hallways, slithering around the staircase at her back, and licking the stones beneath her feet. What he didn't expect was another small source of magic far to the left of the witch, glowing and pulsing near the pile of stones that collapsed from the floors above. It felt strangely familiar, though Arthur couldn't place it.
"Dayla!" cried the sword.
"What?" demanded the king. He looked back to the small ball of energy that vanished behind the stone of the wall beside him as his eyes overtook his sense of sight again. "What is she doing here?" he demanded through clenched teeth.
There was no response to be had. Magic swelled in his chest and bubbled around him, seeping into the stone beneath his feet and at his sides. He felt his eyes burn and Merlin grabbed hold of his voice.
"Cuman carr æt andflystan mín! Ðá gástléas ástyntan!(4)"
Magic leaked into the floor and walls, creating a loud shifting like thousands of boots upon gravel. He could feel Morgana's power tense in response. He looked back to the empty creatures before him, who had stopped in their tracks. The two in front twitched slightly, their arms lunging forward just a little in effort to continue walking, but something invisible had stopped them.
Arthur took the opportunity and dove for the small opening between two of the suits, though he had to bring his sword up to block as the one on his left took a swing at him. The empty gloves were powerful and Arthur's arms shook with the effort to hold off the strike. His legs wobbled and threatened to collapse under the stress and out of the corner of his eye he saw the suit on his right turn its attention from its trapped feet to the king. He saw the torso turn with the effort to raise its sword to strike, but the blow never came, and Arthur found that he had never been fearful it would.
He looked back to the suit in front of him to see a thin ribbon of gray stone wind around the wrist of the glove. The ribbon pulled back, relieving the strain on Arthur's arms until he was free to stand and walk past the suits of armor. From the walls and floor flew thin strings of stone like hundreds of fingers reaching out and curling around the magical limbs of his opponents and dragging them away from the center of the corridor. As the gloves touched the walls they sunk in, their hands vanishing to the wrists into the stone and locking there. As Arthur walked past, he couldn't help but notice the rock slowly crawling up the gloves and overtaking the plated arms; gradually creating statues connected to the walls.
When Arthur's eyes finally met those of Morgana once again, (hers seemed to be filling with annoyance) a small voice echoed in the hall.
"Cuman!(5)"
There was a strange movement that followed the cry. Morgana suddenly tipped to the side as though someone had taken a handful of her hair and yanked. It only lasted a moment, and the witch quickly righted herself and the annoyance vanished from her eyes to be replaced by the haughtiness that Arthur had come to know and loathe.
She adjusted the chain around her neck and looked down the hall to her left. "I'm sorry, Child, but it will not be quite that simple." Her smile vanished and Arthur shot the rest of the way down the hall and careened around the corner, just barely missing barreling Morgana over in the process.
As Merlin had said, the small druid girl stood (looking rather wobbly) before a mass of stone that consumed the corridor behind her. Her hand remained outstretched and she gave the king a strange sheepish smile.
"What are you doing here?" Arthur demanded, surprising himself with the amount of anger in the cry. He took a position between the girl and Morgana as Dayla fiddled with something in her pocket.
"I have to do my job," the child mumbled. Arthur almost didn't catch it.
"You've done your job!" cried Merlin, his magic swelling again and filling the corridor as though to create some form of barrier between the druid at the witch. "You should be in the vaults or somewhere safe!"
Morgana adjusted the gem on her chest again. "She's quite brave, the little one," she muttered thoughtfully. "Though her magic is ill-suited to offense." She twirled her finger into the silver chain from which hung the Emrys stone. "Even if it wasn't, a magical chain is not easily broken."
Arthur winced as a familiar screech blasted his ears. A mass of beige feathers plowed into the side of Morgana's head and the witch's face vanished behind a frenzy of wings and talons for a second. With a cry, a black-clad arm arched around and slammed into the bird's side, sending her careening down the hallway to land at Arthur's feet.
The king dared not remove his eyes from Morgana, but Dayla rushed to Frio's side as the bird flipped back onto her feet and spread her wings menacingly. Dayla's attempts to get the bird to take refuge behind Arthur were ignored.
The annoyance returned to Morgana's dark eyes. "I don't have time for this," she growled, and magic pooled around her. "I have a warlock to kill."
It was a strange sensation; reading magic. There was something suddenly familiar about the way it moved and the way it collected, as though it were singing to whomever had the ability to listen. But while Nature's magic was melodious and beautiful, Morgana's twisted dark magic was raucous and horrid.
It screamed to him and Arthur knew what was to happen a moment before it did. His body moved on instinct and he dropped to his knees, draping his armored torso over the small girl and the bird, gripping the sword tight and hoping Merlin had a spell ready for this. He felt the magic in his chest surge, but die away quickly and he braced himself as the pile of stone behind him exploded and two floors-worth of rocks came crashing down on top of them.
1: "Ground rise to the sky!"
2: "Snakes flow like a river!"
3: "Spiritless husks: be completely filled!"
4: "Stone come to my aid! Restrain those without life!"
5: "Come!"
SORRY!
Oh wait... that's right. Not sorry. Hey! Like I said, it's the big finale! There can't NOT be cliffies! Hopefully the next chapter won't take nearly as long. x.x Hope you enjoyed! Review and tell me what you think!