by L. H. Nicole
Aliana raised her chin, her eyes trapped on his. “You can’t be that deluded. Nothing you could do would ever make me your queen, much less let you use my magic to further your psychotic plans.”
He tracked her, ignoring her words. “I watched you, since the first moment you arrived in Camelot and smiled at me. Stood up for me in front of those bullies of knights. There was a feel about you, but I never thought it was magic, not until we were on that field with the Manticore and I saw your Dragon and your amazing magic. I knew then you were beyond priceless.”
“You did set the Manticore on us. On Camelot.”
He tilted his head to the side. “I did.”
“Why?”
“To test the strength of Camelot and, by default, you.” He raised a hand to touch her. She flinched to the side, narrowly avoiding being cornered again. “You may not have revealed all of your magic then, but it was enough.” His hand shot out, grabbing her right hand. He raised it between them, his thumb running over the magic stone.
She felt that caress all the way to her bones. Her magic was tied too deeply to the stone. “That still doesn’t tell me why you think I would ever be your queen.” God why did her voice have to sound so shaky?
“I will make you mine, have no doubt. In fact I’ve already started.”
Aliana tried to jerk her hand free, but the sluggishness in her muscles made her too weak. And her connection to her magic was terrifyingly weaker.
“You are already feeling the effects.” He pulled her roughly forward, her body crashing into his. “You took in my magic, and it will in turn consume you. Sadly, for the magic to have full effect it must first bring you to the point of death. After your heart misses three beats, my magic will bring you back to life, your memories gone and then, you will be my jewel, my queen.”
Burning cold terror singed her down to the marrow. If Mordrid succeeded…there would be nothing to stop her magic, bent to his will. All her friends and family and countless innocents would suffer.
She felt Mordrid’s hot breath by her ear. “You will be mine.”
She heard Dagg’s enraged roar before she saw him appear. He slammed into Mordrid, knocking both of them back. The wizard’s grip fell away as they hit the floor. Aliana touched the power of her ruby, felt its connection even weaker than it had been, but used what she could to attack Mordrid. Dagg zipped to the side as Mordrid deflected the attack. Her heart gripped, its beat becoming weaker.
“There’s nothing you can do now. It’s too late, my magic is already doing its work.”
Sweaty, furious and scared beyond belief, Aliana let her temper fly as she threw a ball of pink sparking energy at Mordrid. He deflected it, again with a flick of his hand, sending it colliding directly into Dagg.
Her guardian fell to her feet in pain. Aliana felt it like her own, on top of the fading power of her pulse and muscles, and it became harder to breathe.
“The more you use your magic, the quicker my poison works, and the closer you get to being mine.” Mordrid held out his hand toward Dagg, the smoke that had poisoned her earlier wrapping around him like a cage.
“No!” she screamed, getting back on her feet.
“I know you two have a special bond. I suspect he is able to help you heal, but it will not work this time.” The cage trapping her guardian rose. “However, no need to take chances.”
With Dagg trapped, her magic leashed, and her strength fleeing her, Aliana was truly at his mercy. Terror shook her.
“Come, there’s something you need to see.” He gripped her around the waist and led her, like a caring boyfriend, out of the cave and into the valley where her lungs frosted over.
Aliana watched Viviane use blue magic chains to strap a beautiful creature with red, orange, brown and gold feathered wings onto an altar.
“What are you doing? Stop this now!” she demanded.
“It’s far too late for that. This is the last of the eighteen Firebirds we captured.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as Morgana drove her curved blade into the creature’s neck. Aliana’s scream came as the bird exploded into a tower of magic fire that rushed into Morgana’s magic bloated body. Even with her weakened senses, she could see the abundance of power gathering inside the sorceress.
How could she have forgotten this part of the story? Titania herself told her of Morgana’s sacrifice of Firebirds to create the army of black knights that fought with Mordrid in the final battle in Camelot.
“No,” she moaned, sagging. She knew what happened next, or at least she thought she did.
“Mordrid!”
Aliana’s head snapped to the trees ahead of her as Arthur rushed from the forest, Excalibur raised, his shield at the ready. “Release Aliana now, return the pieces of the Spear of Hel and I will let you live!”
Viviane and Morgana appeared in front of her and Mordrid. The evil wizard laughed shrilly. “You will let us live? I think you have that backward.”
Mordrid shoved Aliana back so hard she tumbled to the ground. Even from across the field she could see the anger in Arthur’s hard face.
Arthur lowered into an attacking stance, his eyes fixed on Mordrid. He charged them; Viviane and Morgana raised their hands summoning spears of magic. Aliana’s heart hopscotched more beats. Where were the others?
Her question was answered when orange lightning poured down, colliding with and exploding the evil magic. Galahad, the knights, Falorn and D’varin flooded the field from all sides. Viviane threw spear after spear of burnt blood red magic at the four who rushed her. They deflected the attacks with their shields, Aliana’s weakened senses feeling the magic Merlin must have infused them with to make them resistant to attack.
The evil trio spread out, dividing to take on the attacking Fae and knights.
“Morgana, stop this,” Merlin pleaded as they exchanged blows, the other guys striking when they could. “I have the magic needed to free you of the evil darkness!”
She sneered. “But I don’t want to be freed!” She lashed out with her whip. “I like this power. You’ll soon see. You’ll join us, I know it.”
Merlin fell back a step, the others swarming the witch.
Gentle hands grabbed Aliana. “My lady, I am here, cloaked to remain hidden. I will get you away.”
“Delphina? I can’t,” Aliana said as the invisible Fae pulled her back. She didn’t dare try to use her mental voice for fear it would weaken her even faster. “He’s poisoned me. He wants control of my magic and is going to bring me to the point of death to get it.”
She felt the Fae’s horror and surprise. “I know this magic; it is the darkest kind used only by the evilest of Dragons!”
Aliana’s hope dimmed even further. She watched Mordrid fight Arthur with a gray magic sword he conjured. Arthur again proved to be the better swordsman, his shield deflecting strikes as he moved like water and cut gushing wounds into Mordrid.
She looked to Viviane, who was faring just as badly against Percival and Owaine and their team. The Sorceress was being cut and injured faster than she could heal the wounds or fight back. “End this, Morgana!” she screeched.
The blond witch glanced briefly at her counterparts before a wave of icy fire magic blasted out of her like a rippling wave. All the guys were knocked back, their bodies crashing to the ground, against rocks or into trees. Delphina’s hands were ripped from Aliana. She heard the startled cry before a loud smack of a body hitting the mountainside. The apricot-haired Fae became visible as she slid into unconsciousness.
Mordrid looked back toward them and sneered. Aliana immediately shifted to place herself between the evil man and her Fae friend.
“She is of no threat to me,” he said, dismissing the fallen girl.
He turned back to the battlefield as the knights struggled to get back to their feet. “Do it, Morgana! Let these pathetic wasters see what true power is.”
Viviane, Morgana and Mordrid vanished only to reappear surrounding the altar that Morgana had used
to sacrifice the beautiful Firebirds. Both witches pulled out four of the five pieces of the Spear of Hel, Mordrid summoning the fifth piece he had used to knock her out earlier. The pieces jumped from their hands, lining themselves up in the air like they had a mind and will of their own.
Knowing the story behind the spear, it was quite possible it did. Fear churned alongside the black magic slowly poisoning her as she studied the fearsome weapon.
Seeing all five pieces together, Aliana’s suspicion was confirmed. The five jewels that decorated each piece of the Spear were in fact the same jewels that had decorated the sword the Fire Elves had made for Arthur until he reclaimed Excalibur, the same weapon they had given Titania!
That was when the panic truly set in. She struggled to push it away, tried to touch her fading magic, anything to find the strength to stop what was about to happen.
Magic stronger than any Aliana had ever felt flared, coming from the five pieces of the spear.
Aliana’s desperation won out when neither of the men she loved moved. “Help! Someone! Father, Titania, anyone!”
“Ask and you shall receive.”
“What do you think we are, chopped liver?”
Aliana’s head snapped up, her eyes wide as she stared at the ghostly figures of her best friends, Lacy and Dawn.
35
Lacy was already consumed by the magic of the Well when we reached her. Delphina stopped us from going to her, told us of the consequences of any interference. I am going to have a very long discussion with Dawn, Lacy, and Aliana when we all get home. If we want to defeat Mordrid we need to trust each other completely. And I need to finally speak to Queen Titania. Delphina still has not told me why she has kept so much a secret. I only hope she doesn’t suffer for all she has done for us.
~Arthur
“WHAT…HOW ARE YOU GUYS HERE?” She looked around but no one seemed to notice them. “Dagg can you see them?” She risked weakening her magic even faster to keep anyone from realizing what was happening.
“Yes.”
Her hope returned.
“How?” she asked, mentally ignoring the irregular beats of her heart.
“The Well of Realms. Duh, Lia,” Dawn chastised with fake annoyance.
“Why can’t anyone else see you two? How are you even using a Well? Where are you guys?”
“The magic of the Wells.” Lacy grinned. “We’ve learned some very helpful tricks in the other realms. I’m in the Isle with Arthur and Percy and Leo. Merlin and Lancelot are in Olympus.”
Dawn added, “I’m in Avalon with Owen, Wade and Galahad. Your Elf friend, J’alel is hot too, Lia.”
Tears burned Aliana’s eyes. “I’ve missed you two so much! And I can feel how much your magic has grown, both of you.”
“Yeah, we’re just as hot stuff as you now, Lia.” Lacy’s face turned serious as she looked at the evil trio. “What are those things floating around like bad Halloween decorations?”
“And who is that truly old woman in need of a serious fashion police intervention?” Dawn added.
Aliana grinned. “Says the girl who wears KEEP CALM shirts.” But it was time to set her happiness aside and get down to business. “That’s Viviane. Readers Digest version, she trained Morgana and Mordrid in magic, is a corrupting force who killed Galahad’s little sister with a poisoned bracelet that was meant for me. Morgana only turned against Merlin and the knights because she took this crazy I-will-control-you dagger that was meant for Merlin, saving his life.”
She ignored the girl’s gasps of outrage and rubbed her hand over Dagg’s leathery wings for comfort and strength.
“The three of them gathered together those five spear pieces that form this Excalibur type of indestructible-crazy-deadly-power-mythical weapon called the Spear of Hel. And Mordrid is far more psycho then I ever thought he was and he’s infected me with a poison that will all but kill me, then bring me back to life and enslave my magic to him.”
The two stared at her as she struggled to her feet before looking out and taking in all that was happening around them. But she lost her footing as sheer magic rained down from above, like a powerful G-force weighing them all down to the ground. Dagg fell from her shoulders, also pinned.
“Lia?” both girls cried out, unaffected.
“We have to stop them!” She tried to push her body up. It would have been difficult with her normal strength, but now with this life-sucking poison, it seemed impossible.
Cool magic, like liquid moonlight, gripped one of her arms; leafy pale purple magic gripped the other.
“We’ve got you, Lia!” Lacy smiled at her as Aliana managed to lift herself up.
Dawn nodded. “We’re sisters, in every way that counts, and that means we support each other.”
Aliana’s tears fell. “I’ve missed you both so much!”
Lacy wrapped one arm around Aliana as she managed to straighten. “You already said that, silly,” her sweet and loyal friend joked.
She met the surprised eyes of the guys and the Fae who were all still bogged down.
Dawn wrapped her arm around Aliana’s other side. “But you can keep telling us how bad ass we are.”
The trio giggled then sobered. “How do we do this, Lia?”
“Best I can figure we blast it with everything we’ve got.” She studied the gems again, all five glowing like her ruby would when she used its magic. “I have a sneaking suspicion the real power is those jewels.”
“Like your prophecy ruby?” Lacy asked.
“That makes total sense,” Dawn cut in. “The wood Nymphs have been teaching me a lot about the magic of the earth and have said some of its strongest conduits are jewels of the earth.” Dawn hesitated.
“What is it?”
“Iris said that magic gems are almost impossible to destroy.”
Lacy spoke up, her idea a stroke of genius. “Then we destroy the spear pieces. Is there a way to dampen the power of those jewels?”
“There might be.” Aliana thought back to the veil that hid her own prophecy stone for so long here in Camelot. “Leave that part to me.”
Dagg clawed his way up Aliana’s body and wrapped around her shoulders.
“Glad you could join the party,” Dawn said with teasing affection.
“Me too, but to do what you want you will need what’s left of my strength as well.”
“That’s the first time you’ve spoken to us in our heads!” Lacy sounded amazed.
“Time to do this, girls.”
The others watched her while they struggled to get to their own feet.
She lifter her ruby gloved hand, her palm facing the evil trio that were so immersed in the magic to bind the spear they were ignorant to what was around them—the first stroke of luck Aliana had had since returning to Camelot. Pushing aside the pounding fear that she might be speeding up the magic killing her, Aliana opened her senses wide, calling on all five elements and the strength of her own magic.
Her ruby glowed, much like the jewels of Hel. Moonlight magic flared next to her, as bright as the largest full moon on a crystal clear night. Pulsing pale purple magic brightened like the most beautiful of leaves in the summer sun.
Aliana looked at Dawn, meeting her loving and strong, determined gaze. Her sister raised her right hand, palm forward, skin to skin with Aliana’s. “Thank you.”
She turned to Lacy who brought up her left hand, mirroring her and Dawn, loyalty, hope and determination glowing around them. “You don’t even need to say it.”
Together the three focused on the spear of Hel and the ones who wanted to control the realms with it. Dagg’s silver purple magic swirled around their hands. “Fire at will,” Aliana commanded.
The magic tore through her, for one blinding second ripping open the poison cloud to blast free. The girls watched amazed as their magics swirled and twisted together like winding beams of pure light, soaring through the air. They split apart and wrapped around the spear like constricting ribbons of magic.
“No!” Morgana and Viviane shrieked as cracks started to form on the five pieces. The girls’ magic took advantage and sank into the weapon until it imploded like a bomb.
Five bright flares pulled at Aliana, almost like they were responding to the magic of her prophecy stone.
On instinct, Aliana summoned five individual magical veils, wrapping each of the gleaming gems up skintight before tying it off so tight not even air could get in or escape. The world stopped around the three girls.
All were weak, Aliana fighting off the pull of the poison. “I love you both, you know that right?” Since she had landed here in Camelot she had wished for little else besides having her best friends back by her side. A feeling of almost nostalgic desperation filled her.
“Of course you do!” Dawn sniffled, her weary eyes telling her she sensed Aliana’s fading life force. “You will come home to us, yourself. I’ll kick your butt if you don’t!”
Aliana blinked back her tears. She needed, for just a moment, to feel like her old self again.
“You’re going to make me cry.” Lacy wiped her eyes. “D’s right.” She squared her shoulders. “You’re our sister, nothing else is acceptable.”
Aliana felt them fading, along with her own strength. “I couldn’t have done this without you guys. I couldn’t have asked for better sisters or friends!”
“We’ll see you soon!” Lacy promised, blowing her a kiss.
“Girl power rules!” Dawn grinned and waved once.
Their banter may not have seemed appropriate to others, but right now it was the only thing that gave Aliana a little hope to hold on to. “See you soon.” I hope, she added silently as the girls faded completely and she crumpled to the ground.
The weight holding the guys prisoner vanished. They sprung to their feet, rushing the evil trio. Mordrid flung himself to the side as Excalibur cut into him, blood flinging and seeping as he scrambled away from Arthur’s furious pursuit.