by GR Griffin
“Now I’ve got you!” the pilot shrieked in delight, steering the helicopter in dramatic, jagged lines.
Lance swayed against the actions, feeling his hands betray him and start to slip. He spared a glance down. He wished he didn’t. It was a long way down. There was no surviving that, and with his teleporting device gone – there was no escape. Hastily he attempted to hoist himself back up onto the helicopter again. He had just enough time to do it before a shower of bullets from the pilot scraped past his fingers. Impulsively, he moved his hands, sliding clumsily back down onto the railings with a thud. Then he saluted to the pilot through the glass, releasing himself from the helicopter. Within a few moments, the helicopter exploded in the air.
That didn’t alter the fact that Lancelot was falling.
♦☼♦
“My name’s Olivae, I’m from Saerion.” The brown-haired girl, no older than five, proudly announced to a young, fresh-faced woman sitting alone in the chamber. The woman smiled up at the girl, as she sat beside her. “Where are you from?”
Sighing, the woman answered the question as swiftly as possible.
“Ealdor.”
The girl’s eyes widened as she moved closer to the woman.
“The place they…” leaning closer animatedly, Olivae’s voice became a whisper. “destroyed?” as the innocent voice flew through her ears; the woman blinked back tears at the horrible memories. Many of her friends had been lost that day, and many more would be lost today. Unable to respond, she turned her head from the little girl.
“Let’s not talk about that now little one,” another voice said gently, crouching beside the other woman. Eisha felt a swell of relief wash over her at the sight of Abellana. She was a maternal figure for her, one of the few from the Ealdor clan not still shaken by grief.
“How long are we staying down here?” Olivae asked Abellana shyly, becoming a sleepy and nuzzling into the side of the woman. Caressing the young girl’s cheek, Abellana smiled softly.
Behind them, a scene far from peace was unfolding. Two of the volunteers emerged from the tunnels, panting and clearly a bit shaken. Morgana noticed the flare of panic in Keita’s eyes the moment she entered from the fifth tunnel. A few heads turned, and Morgana realised she’d reacted far too fast for a normal report. Diverting her vision to those who seemed interested, she offered a reassuring smile, hoping it would detract focus from them. Seconds later, her smile faded as she studied the two figures before her. One of the volunteers abruptly burst into stifled tears on Gwen’s shoulders, pointing down into the tunnel.
Abellana studied the serious conversation between Morgana, Gwen and the volunteers, sensing only trouble from their inability to hide the renewed emotions on their faces.
“As long as we’re here,” she whispered to the child, turning her head from them. She cast Eisha a look of anxiety when the young woman glanced over with fear in her eyes.
Then, Abellana did the only thing she could do to console the child; she lied.
“We’re safe.”
♦☼♦
Clinging to Aithusa’s scales, Arthur gritted his teeth. He knew what to do. The Dragon surged higher, and Arthur took his chance. With Excalibur in hand, he slashed the propeller of the aircraft, detaching it from the machine. The propeller fell lethally down to the plain as the helicopter began to spiral down at a disturbing velocity. Arthur just hoped the Druids on the ground were also mindful of things falling from the sky, because nobody was going to survive a collision with that. Narrowing his eyes he gazed across the sky. Will and Topia were flying together, their Wyverns alone not enough to defeat the aircraft.
Then Arthur finally spotted what he’d been looking for. Settling over Mt Breguoin, was a vast black ship. It was at least seven times the size of Aithusa, carrying no doubt a large amount of people. He was certain his father was one of them. The ship also had great power, causing havoc on the ground with missiles and shooting fervently into the sky in hope to catch the Dragons. Aithusa instinctively breathed fire as an unexpected attacker ambushed them from their right. Arthur lost his grip on her scales at the abrupt shift in altitude, feeling himself slip. He tried to adjust himself back onto the saddle. He failed.
Arthur! Aithusa roared titling her back a little to try and maintain him. Hold on.
With grit determination, he hauled himself back onto the saddle, eyes flashing silver as someone tried to shoot at them from their helicopter. Suddenly, the gun fell from the man’s hands, leaving him defenceless. The White Dragon gnawed at the tail of the helicopter, biting it off and leaving it unbalanced. The tail flew dramatically into another helicopter, close to hitting Kilgarrah and Merlin.
“To Arthur, Kilgarrah!” Merlin shrieked over the booming, thunderous noise sounding from the plain.
Meeting Aithusa and Arthur, the pair continued to fly, knowing that remaining put would cause risk of being injured. Turning to Arthur, the wind tousling his hair, Merlin spoke through his mind urgently.
We have to take that big ship down!
Glancing downwards, Arthur gritted his teeth. Aithusa spun quickly out of the way of an oncoming assault.
My father’s down there, I know it.
Merlin understood the implications, what Arthur was asking him not to do. Regardless of what he’d done, he was still his father. And it was clear Arthur wanted to confront him, needed this final meeting between them.
We’ll cut the wings; they’re almost over Mt. Breguoin now. Merlin saw Arthur flinch at the thought of bringing down the ship. Grimacing he sighed.
Arthur. We have no choice, more people will die if we don’t-
-Enough. You’re right. Let’s go. Let’s just…do it right now. Arthur snapped back tetchily, ordering Aithusa to dive down towards the large ship before Merlin could respond. Kilgarrah was unmatched in speed, swooping past Aithusa and downwards towards the ship. Arthur ground his teeth together in apprehension. He was unsure where the sudden streak of compassion came from for his father. It crinkled the corners of his vision slightly, dizzying him. He should feel nothing but joy putting an end to his father’s tyranny. He didn’t. Both Dragons didn’t hesitate as they approached the large ship. Aithusa targeted one wing, Kilgarrah the other. In seconds the ship began to fall, hurtling into Mt Breguoin. Eyes wide, Arthur watched the ship’s cataclysmic crash.
He then realised it was getting further away.
♦☼♦
Uther clenched his fists as he gazed around the plain. The Druids were far stronger than they appeared. But this wasn’t the problem, their sheer volume of numbers were the problem. Camelot had the resources, but it was severely outnumbered. His eyes caught sight of a silvery mythological creature flying through the air. A Dragon. The person riding this magical creature was his son. Arthur. As the Dragon coiled around them on one side, he looked over to the other to see another Dragon. It was Merlin, Emrys. Then it became clear what exactly the Dragons were doing. They were trying to crash the ship. Pure rage seethed through him. His own flesh and blood, betraying everything he had strived for, destroying the essence of Camelot.
Immediately a warning signal flared up. The pilots began to open fire outside as the ship jerked unnaturally side to side.
“NO.” He roared slamming a fist angrily down upon the window. The action startled the pilots and gunmen on-board. “I want them both alive, and brought to me.”
What happened next caught them all off-guard. The wings of the aircraft crumbled down the mountainside, and suddenly they were plummeting downwards.
♦☼♦
Go back! Go back now! Arthur hissed at Aithusa viciously, watching as the large ship split down the middle. One half of the ship began to tumble down the mountain; the other wavered perilously close to doing the same of the other side. Arthur’s eyes scanned the wreckage. He saw the man he was looking for, seemingly unscathed and gun in hand. By the looks of it, he had ejected himself from the plane long before it was going to crash. He faded into the distance as Aithusa
rose back into the air.
No, where are you going? I need to fight him! Aithusa!
Aithusa growled as he dejectedly slammed a fist down absently onto her back.
You can’t fight him Arthur, you won’t be able to bring yourself to.
You’re wrong. He spat rather convincingly. He has caused so much suffering; let me put an end to it.
Your heart is too pure to be tainted by such darkness.
Frustrated by her words, Arthur glared into the sky.
Aithusa-!
-Ignoring his calls, she continued to attack the helicopters in the air ferociously. Clutching Excalibur tightly, Arthur probed the area. What he saw stunned him. Someone was falling from a helicopter, falling drastically fast and form this height there was no way they’d survive. The people on the plain were too small to separate, like ants on the ground. Even Mt Breguoin was small from up here. It took Arthur a second to acknowledge who this person was.
“Lancelot!” he yelled, steering Aithusa frantically downwards to try and catch the man.
♦☼♦
Eyes wide, Gwen gazed down into the dark abyss, where Keita was pointing. Whatever it was, it did not bode well for them. She exchanged frantic glances with Morgana. The raven-haired woman’s façade cracked. Inhaling a ragged breath, Keita spewed words from her mouth. It was words that nobody wanted to hear, horrible, terrifying words.
“We…heard voices.”
At the words Gwen felt her body stiffen, shoulders hunch together. Morgana’s countenance became severe. Voices. But that was impossible. It wasn’t impossible that was the scary thing. In fact, it was possible. Heart racing, Gwen gazed fearfully over to Gŭaire. Part of her wished he would tell her this wasn’t true, that Keita was feverish and needed rest. With a solemn frown, the young man nodded, confirming her words. Raising her head bravely, Gwen tried to steady her uneven breaths.
“That’s not all,” Gŭaire said in a low voice, fully aware that the People simply could not be allowed to hear this exchange. “Leahme is missing. He was patrolling the fifth tunnel. Doane was going to swap with him, but he never returned.”
Gwen could feel her hands trembling against Keita’s shoulders, hardly comfortingly the woman anymore. She gazed over to Morgana, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Leahme. She didn’t even know who this boy was. Yet he was missing and potentially in danger. Taking a step forwards, Morgana bravely pulled on a mask of calmness.
“Thank you Gŭaire. We need to set up provisional defence on the fifth and sixth tunnel entrance. Meanwhile, nobody is to patrol the tunnels, call everyone back. We don’t want to draw attention to where we are or cause any casualties.” Nodding in agreement Gwen regained her composure. She had a duty to the children, to the people here. She had to stay strong for them.
“These tunnels can carry every minute sound. Tell the children it’s time for them to sleep, and the others must talk very quietly.” She added wisely.
“What reason do we give them for keeping quiet?” Morgana asked, a little distressed. “If we tell them the truth, we create mass panic.”
The word truth flustered Gwen, as if Morgana had already jumped to conclusions with the evidence given.
“Perhaps as an act of respect?” Gŭaire supplied. The confused looks on the faces around suggested he needed to elaborate. “To those who have already fallen in the great battle, we must pay our respects.”
“You and the others spread the word around to the People.” Morgana replied with a soft smile, though there was a dangerous flicker in her eyes that only Gwen caught sight of.
“And what of young Leahme? They’ll start to notice he’s missing.” Gwen asked Morgana when the volunteers had established their new positions, so nobody could overhear them.
“I’ll have a look.” The woman made her way to the fifth tunnel entrance. Instinctively, Gwen followed.
“No Morgana!” she snapped, afraid her emotions would cloud her judgement of how loud to speak. “It’s too dangerous. We all have to stay here.”
“If anyone’s there, I’ll see them before they see me.” Morgana almost boasted with a false grin. Her attempt at persuading Gwen failed miserably.
“We both know that’s not always true.” At these words, these honest words, Morgana’s grin slipped from her lips. She leant closer to Gwen, eyes wide and earnest.
“Trust me Gwen. If they have come here, then we’ll need to be prepared.”
Reluctantly, Gwen gazed over to the People who were now settling quietly, many of the children already asleep. The volunteers were now on every tunnel entrance, surrounding the chamber protectively. By the time she turned her head back to Morgana to respond, there was nobody there.
Morgana was gone.
♦☼♦
Hearing Aithusa and Arthur’s exchange, Merlin frowned. Of course, both had valid arguments, but Aithusa was correct. Arthur, the Once and Future, he did not deserve to face his own father in warfare. It was a dark fate wished upon not even the worst of men. As Kilgarrah crunched a helicopter with his talons, Merlin bit his lip decisively. The next helicopter required his assistance. Summoning his magic, Merlin effortlessly aided his kin in the fight. When it seemed relatively safe in the sky for them, he spoke.
“Lower me down!” Merlin cried to the Dragon, gazing down at Mt Breguoin intently. Kilgarrah said nothing, continuing to fly. The Dragon knew exactly what Merlin had in mind. He could hear those selfless, foolish thoughts running in the man’s head. “Don’t make me order you Dræɡən. I can feel you’re loosing your strength carrying me too.”
The excuse was weak and for a moment Kilgarrah continued to defy him. Instead, the Dragon plunged into warfare with another metallic sky monster. Eyes flashing gold, Merlin felt a wave of power flush over him.
“O Dræɡən,” he roared, voice low and authoritative. “leáfa mi, ic áfége woruldgefeoht.” Reluctantly, but still unable to refuse, Kilgarrah descended downwards to Mt Breguoin. In one swift motion Merlin leapt off the Dragon’s back, landing firmly on the mountain. The Dragon flew back into the fight, breathing amber flames onto the vessel that grew too close. Merlin watched the Dragon rise into the sky majestically for a moment. Then he swallowed-hard and took a step forwards.
He was going to face Uther Pendragon.
♦☼♦
He was falling at an alarming velocity now. There was no question that when if he hit the ground (the sky was full of bullets) it would be a fatal landing. He took this moment to think of Gwen, the woman he loved. Gwaine, the cheeky, mischievous figure who never ceased to misunderstand the right time to make a joke; his field partner Leon. Then his thoughts drifted over to Arthur, one of the best men he knew. Merlin was the other, the bravest of them all, the most loyal and resilient. Would they find him among the masses, he wondered. And as he fell, dwelling on his imminent death, the last thing Lancelot expected was to land on the back of a Dragon.
Swinging his legs round to ensure he stayed on the Dragon, Lancelot gaped. Arthur glanced over his shoulder at him, almost scornfully.
“What do you think you’re doing, sacrificing yourself like that?” he yelled over the noise. Annoyance was clear in his voice.
“It was necessary,” Lancelot responded, feeling a little queasy as the Dragon swooped radically lower. He’d never enjoyed flying. Concealing the sensation, he continued. It would only be for a few moments longer, Aithusa was dropping him to the ground it seemed. “The bows and arrows are no good against them, we needed real weapons.”
“So you just decided to offer yourself up as an unsung hero?” Arthur sighed. He felt a little disappointed, because Lance was so much more than an unsung hero yet clearly didn’t see it.
As Aithusa landed, he grabbed Lance by the shoulder imploringly.
“You’re a great man Lance, a true friend, watch yourself out there.”
With that Aithusa spread her wings once more, aware that the men on the ground were taking avid interest in her, particularly with their wea
pons. Lancelot opened fire, tossing one of the guns to a struggling man beside him. The man caught it in reflex, standing back to back with Lancelot as they pushed through the enemy lines. They briefly met eyes and broke into surprised laughter.
“You did it then.” Elätha remarked, sounding almost relieved.
The pleasant atmosphere instantly faded when their eyes met two figures clearly in distress, completely surrounded by men.
“They need our help, ready?” Elätha nodded in response, readying his bow and the strange machine the man had passed him.
Patting him on the back, Lance broke into a run, tossing a grenade over his shoulder as he did so. The plain behind them became engulfed in smoke.
♦☼♦
Morgana wasted no time. She walked frantically down the tunnel, unsure what it would lead to, but certain it would give her answers. Guilt consumed her. Gwen would be unhappy and worried, to say the least that she had gone alone into the tunnels. It was necessary, however. Something was lurking here, and it had to be stopped. She had walked far enough now to leave the tunnel, entering a wider system of Iaonam. Part of her thought she should turn back, the other was determined to find whoever was threatening the People. Abruptly, she came to a halt at a heart-breaking sight. Crouching down beside the young man, she gently pressed his eyelids over the vacant eyes. Leahme was dead. He had been killed. Examining the body, she narrowed her eyes in confusion.
There were no bullets, no stab wounds, which led her to one conclusion. Whoever did this had magic. Getting to her feet, Morgana clutched her dagger tighter as a figure emerged in front, face concealed by a dark cloak. Fury overpowered her. Whoever this person was, they had betrayed Albion. They were magic, yet they had sided with Uther Pendragon! It was enough to be called treason in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, Morgana slowly walked forwards.