Triptych

by S. C. Mitchell

  Maggie would have been another. She had a ton of information on NASA’s spacecraft designs. There wasn’t much about space flight she didn’t know. From childhood, as she’d told him countless times, she’d set her sights on becoming an astronaut.

  Paul was glad she’d chosen to serve Xi Force and turn down NASA’s offer. Otherwise he probably wouldn’t have met her.

  Still, that meant she’d never get into space, travel to strange new worlds, and seek out new life and new civilizations. Would she regret her decision in light of this new discovery?

  ~ ~ ~

  Maggie stepped from a sun-lit world, into a realm cloaked in starlight and moon beams.

  Donavan released her hand. “Welcome to Tír nAill, the Fae Realm. I am Donavan, King of the Fae. You are most welcome here, Maggie O’Donnell, Morrigan incarnate.”

  Glowing sprites, like fireflies, skittered all about, casting wan light in a glade of emerald-green grasses skirted by tall, dark trees. Fires blazed in two braziers, one on either side of a large, raised dais, upon which sat two wooden thrones.

  One of the sprites flew toward her. It morphed into a tiny woman, no more than two inches high, with pink, translucent wings.

  Maggie jerked back. “Woah, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

  Chuckling, Donavan motioned her toward the thrones. “Technically, you’re not even in Ireland anymore.”

  “I . . .” Where did she even begin?

  “You have questions.” Donavan’s tone was light, easy. “Sit and I will answer them. Even the ones you don’t know you want to ask.”

  She sat on one of the thrones. The wooden seat cushioned her butt like three inches of memory foam, yet when she touched it with her finger it remained hard, stiff oak. Amazing.

  “So, you’re the King of the Fae? Is this your throne?”

  He sat on the throne beside hers. “This is my throne. You sit in the queen’s throne.”

  Maggie jumped to her feet. “Should I be doing that?”

  He motioned her back down. “Queen Guinevere hasn’t sat there in centuries, and you’ll soon understand why.”

  “Queen Guinevere?” Maggie’s stomach knotted.

  “It would be easier to show you then to explain.” He pointed the index finger of his right hand at her. “Trust me.”

  Maggie couldn’t figure out why, but she did trust him. Maybe because he was Gran’s friend.

  He touched his finger to the center of her forehead.

  Maggie’s mind swam and spun. Then she was standing to the side of the thrones.

  Donavan was seated in his, and a beautiful, blond-haired woman was seated in the one Maggie had recently occupied.

  A pretty auburn-haired girl stood before them weeping. “They killed her. They killed them all.”

  Donavan sat up straighter. “What? Are you sure?”

  The girl, who couldn’t have been more than fifteen, suddenly became three.

  Maggie gasped. The girl must be her ancestor. She was viewing a scene from the past.

  “It took us all by surprise,” Donavan’s voice spoke in her head. “Well . . . not all.”

  The blonde put her hand to her face. “Oh, Moria, child. I’m so sorry.”

  “Guinevere had ruled the fae by my side for centuries. I loved her, yet I didn’t know her. I never suspected her ambitions.”

  Donavan, rose from his throne, fist clenched. “They rode under a flag of truce.”

  Guinevere rose to her feet, her gaze on the three girls. “Arthur is a monster, his knights, little more than thugs, and that wizard of his is evil incarnate.”

  “History and mythology has made Arthur the tragic hero and cast Morgana, Morgause, and Morgan le Fay as the villains of the story. The truth was quite different.”

  The girl in the center ground her teeth. “As soon as I received the powers of the Morrigan, I knew my mother was dead. I became the raven and flew to find her and her party.”

  Maggie’s point of view shifted to that of the girl, the Morgan aspect. The pain and loss instantly rolled over her. The vision of a woman, much loved, bleeding crimson on a green field of grass. Around her, others. Familiar to the girl, but Maggie didn’t know them. A white flag lying trampled next to the bodies.

  “They rode to negotiate a peace treaty with Arthur,” Donavan continued, “to protect Ireland from invasion. He already ruled England and the Scotts at that time. So the monster eyed the Emerald Isle as his next conquest.”

  The Fae Queen approached the girls. “I cannot give your mother back to you, but we will extract revenge. Loan me but a portion of your power and I will bring a host of banshees against this usurper.”

  Donavan’s gaze narrowed. “Guinevere, you ask too much of the child. She’s only recently come into her powers.”

  “Exactly.” Guinevere rounded on Donavan. “She is too young and inexperienced. Yet Ireland has never faced a bigger threat. We dare not risk her until she has a daughter of her own to pass her powers to. The Morrigan must survive for the sake of Ireland. But with the banshees and a wee bit of her powers, I can stand against Merlin and his sorcery.”

  The three girls pulled back into one and Moria knelt before Guinevere saying, “Take it. Take what you need from me. Kill them all.”

  The world spun for Maggie once again, and she returned to the queen’s throne and the present time.

  Donavan’s eyes darkened. His frown deepened. “Guinevere betrayed Ireland and the fae . . . and me. She took that portion of the Morrigan’s power, but instead of fighting against Arthur, she joined him. I kept Moria here, protecting and training her. Slowly we pushed against the darkness and won Ireland back, but it took decades.”

  “And Guinevere?” Curiosity niggled at Maggie.

  “Moria eventually captured her and returned her here to be imprisoned for her crimes. Still, Guinevere refused to relinquish that portion of the Morrigan’s powers she’d stolen, and each time the aspects move to a new host, in that instant where they hover between life and death, she receives enough cosmic energy to break her bonds and free herself from the Fae Realm.”

  “But each time my ancestor has beaten her, and brought her back here?”

  “Sometimes it took years, even decades, for the Morrigan to prevail. Rarely would Guinevere defeat the Morrigan, and it took the next generation to subdue and return her. But yes, we’ve always eventually won and set the stage for the next generation.”

  Maggie rose from the throne, determination fisting her gut. “Then I’d better go find her and bring her back.”

  Holding up his hand, Donavan halted her. “Always before, we have had the daughter of the Morrigan here for safekeeping when she confronted Guinevere. You have no heir. I would offer you the same protections as I did Moria, until you can produce a daughter. She can’t harm you here. There are any number of young, fae males that would—”

  “Not gonna happen.” She wasn’t ready for kids, not yet, and not like that.

  A thin smile spread across Donavan’s face. “I thought not.”

  “And I won’t be alone. I have powerful friends.” Xi Force would help her find and capture Guinevere. Maggie simply needed to explain the danger to Shade and Aaron.

  Donavan produced a yard-long length of shimmering, golden cord. “Beware, she is a powerful sorceress in her own right, and tends to find powerful allies, but she’s not unbeatable. Subdue her, bind her wrists with this, and she will be helpless. Then bring her to me.”

  “Piece of cake.” She hoped.

  Chapter 5

  The Xi-1 touched down in the hanger at Xi Force headquarters without a scratch. Maggie patted Birdy’s shoulder. “Nice flying. This bird could be all yours soon.”

  Her new powers should qualify her for a spot on the Xi For
ce team. She hated the thought of giving up her position as the Xi-1 pilot, but with her new powers, on the team was where she should be. Then again, maybe she could do both. At the very least stay on as Birdy’s backup and co-pilot.

  And attaining the elevated status of Xi Force member would also put her on a par with Paul and eliminate the barrier to dating him.

  Yeah, that was right where her mind went on the return flight from Ireland. There was a certain thrill that rumbled through her core at the thought of taking their friendship to a different level.

  How would he feel about it though?

  They’d been careful over the past months to keep everything in the friend zone, but she couldn’t deny her attraction. Those dark eyes, hard masculine lines, and tempting lips.

  She at least had to give this a try.

  The wonderful aroma of aviation fuel hung in the air of the hanger. Though most would probably find the smell offensive, the scent held special meaning for Maggie, who associated it with some of the best memories of her life.

  Kayla and Joel met her as she descended the landing stair. No, when they were in their costumes they were Phaze and Shade. She needed to get used to calling them, even thinking about them, by their superhero names whenever they were suited up. “Hi, guys.”

  Phaze hugged her. “You okay?”

  One of her first real friends here at Xi Force, Phaze had taken on a big sister role that Maggie didn’t mind at all.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Gran’s at peace, and she passed somethin’ on to me that you all might find interestin’.”

  Shade narrowed his eyes. “A sword?”

  In her arms she cradled the triptych and sword, but it wasn’t the items she was talking about, and if anyone could handle the surprise, it was these two.

  She shifted into the three aspects.

  ~ ~ ~

  She was Morgana now. Still Maggie, with all her memories, skills, and desires, yet she had no concept of how to cast a spell or make her hands glow with healing power, things she’d understood only moments ago. It was such a weird thing.

  The sword had remained in her hand after shifting. The keen blade felt so right in her hand. Sharp, balanced, and pulsing with power. But she was the warrior, so retaining the sword made sense.

  The sword had a name: Fragarach, the Answerer. According to Gran’s notebook, it was the weapon of Manannan mac Lir, another of the old Irish gods and her forefather. Legend had it no one could lie with Fragarach at their throat. Something she’d need to test at some point.

  The triptych had stayed with Morgause, the healer, the protector. That seemed fitting as well, though she doubted Morgause would take the triptych into battle. There’d be no need, but it sure would look good on Maggie’s dresser.

  My dresser? She was still Maggie when she was Morgana, wasn’t she? And if not, where did Maggie go when she split?

  No, Maggie was right here, but also there and there. Everything that was Maggie remained in all of them, it was the Morrigan’s power that split into three.

  Morgana planned to wear the sword at her side. She was the warrior. She’d need a scabbard. Phaze, an awesome costume designer, could help her with that.

  Undoubtedly, Morgan would prefer to be unencumbered while wielding her sorcery. Could her raven form even carry anything? Morgause could probably use some kind of weapon as well, perhaps a stun gun like Phaze’s.

  But the sword had shifted with Morgana and it felt right in her hand, so she planned to keep it.

  In reaction to Maggie’s split, Phaze’s jaw dropped, and Shade crouched into a fighting stance.

  “It’s okay.” It fell to Morgana to be the spokeswoman for her . . . sisters? It was a weird situation to be sure. One she was still coming to grips with. “I acquired some superpowers on my trip to Ireland. Is Xi Force recruiting?”

  Shade cocked his head as his gaze traveled to all three of her. “Let’s go see Aaron. He’s the man in charge.” A smile tipped his lips as he straightened. “I can’t wait to see his face.”

  Phaze nodded. “And I can’t wait to hear your story.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Xi Force assembled in the conference room and Maggie demonstrated her new powers. Shifting between her three and one aspects, flying as the raven, healing a cut. She told what she knew of the story and how she’d come to receive such a gift from her Gran. El Brujo examined the sword closely, then handed it back. “That artifact is ancient, and pulsing with mystic power. At some point I’d like to study it further, señorita.”

  “Of course.” He was the master of all things mystic. His input on the weapon would be priceless.

  Aaron paced in front of her in the Xi Force conference room. “Amazing. You’re certainly on the team if you want to be. I hope Birdy is up to taking over for you on the Xi-1.”

  “He is, and one of me can always be his backup.” It appeared all three aspects retained Maggie’s ability to fly the super-jet. “In fact, if you think about it, we now have four trained pilots for the craft.”

  In theory. She still wasn’t sure if one of her could sleep while the other two were active, though it had happened at Grans. She still had a lot to test.

  “You’ll unfortunately have to go through the new, official application process.” Shade handed her a stapled form. “And Paul Tompkins has to approve you for duty. I think Paul’s at the old office right now, taking applications.”

  Maggie was still technically on leave for the next few hours. “Then I’ll head right over.”

  Phaze grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the doorway. “Not until I design you a costume.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Paul held in the groan.

  He sat at a desk in the business center of the old Xi Force headquarters building in the Megopolis business park. The cubicles had been cleared to create one vast chamber for him to interview perspective new Xi Force members.

  The one he was interviewing now was not going to make the cut. “Thank you, Mr. . . . Justice. We’ll be in touch.”

  Duct taping hand grenades to the shafts of his arrows did not make this guy a superhero.

  Arrow of Justice held his ground. “I can hit a bull’s-eye at a hundred yards.”

  “Noted. We’ll take that into consideration.” Paul tried to add a hint of optimism to his tone to lessen the impact of what he had to say next. “But I’m afraid we’re going to have to confiscate some of your arrows.”

  He motioned to Tex, who stepped up behind the man and pulled the shafts containing grenades from the quiver. There was no way a civilian could have gotten access to that kind of ordnance legally, and Paul wasn’t about to set this menace loose on the public with live hand grenades in his quiver. Hopefully he didn’t have any more at home.

  “T-those are mine.”

  The serial numbers on the grenades would prove or disprove that. “We’ll keep them safe for you, and if you make the cut, we’ve got some excellent engineers that can make a much better, more aerodynamic design. As I said, we’ll be in touch.”

  He’d also be in touch with the county sheriff and the ATF once he tracked down where the grenades came from.

  Shoulders slumped, Norm Loftus, AKA the Arrow of Justice, headed for the exit.

  “Nice costume, by the way.” It was well made, if a bit gaudy. Not up to Phaze’s standard to be sure, but not bad. He’d seen worse.

  Paul stretched his legs out under the desk, easing the tired muscles. Damn, why wouldn’t his strength return faster? There were things he needed to do.

  Dr. Logan said he still needed time, but this convalescence was killing him. Xi Force had been called into action this morning, and left without him. They’d returned in less than an hour, and it hadn’t amounted to anything . . . but still.

  Aaron had forbidden him to return to t
he sub-basement level after his brief glimpse. “It’s too dangerous for someone in your condition. Until Dr. Logan tells me you’re one-hundred percent, you stay upstairs.”

  At least he had this. Work he could do. Yes, it was seated work for the most part, but he’d never been good at lazing about.

  With the new under-mountain base still a secret location, they’d set this operation here at the old headquarters building. No secret about this place anymore, though it was a miracle it was still standing.

  Shortly after Xi Force saved Megopolis from Red Guard, applications began pouring in. Paul had taken on the job of screening. They hadn’t discovered any legitimate super beings yet, only a lot of people like Norm. Regular people with big, foolish dreams. Some fancy costumes but no real superpowers. Most of the applicants had no idea what being in Xi Force entailed, and in the field they’d be more danger to themselves and their teammates than helpful. Norm Loftus pushed the boundaries further than most with those grenades.

  He’d offered to shoot one of the exploding arrows, to prove he knew how to use them. Heaven knew this old building had seen its share of explosions. Could it even handle another?

  Paul wasn’t about to find out. The insurance on the place had gone up significantly after Wall-crawler fell off the side of the building, down two-and-a-half stories to break both legs.

  Yeah, he’d let that one get out of hand. Should have stopped the man after the first floor. Where do these people come from?

  “Any more today, Tex?” As well as being one hell of a scrapper, Tex had turned out to be an impressive administrative assistant.

  A sly smile spread across Tex’s face. “Yes. One more. I think her superpower is to make men go weak in the knees.”

  His gaze fixed over Paul’s shoulder, Tex winked. “How ya’ doin’, gorgeous.”