The Prison Of Ice & Shadows (Prophecies Of Fate Book 2)

by T J Mayhew

  Merlin smiled wearily. “I am…” He paused, smiling wryly. “I am alive,” he finished, looking sadly at Owain.

  Cai and Lancelot watched as Merlin left them, walking towards Badden who was still hunched over Owain. He straightened as Merlin knelt and spoke quietly to him.

  “He was a brother to me,” Cai heard Badden murmur, as he looked down upon his friend.

  Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder. “He gave his life for yours; there is no greater friendship than that.” He paused. “How do you wish to honour him?”

  Badden was silent for a moment, staring at the face of his friend, and Cai wondered if he would be able to bring himself to answer. “We shall go on,” he stated determinedly, his voice hardening. “We will finish what we started together; we shall save his son and take him back to Camelot.”

  Lancelot nodded, stepping closer to the small group. “That we shall, my friend,” he promised.

  Merlin glanced at Badden. “Will you allow me…?”

  Badden sat back on his haunches as Merlin stood over Owain’s body. Cai watched with bated breath as Merlin held his hands out in front of him, palms face down and, in hushed whispers, began to murmur words Cai did not understand.

  After a few moments, Merlin fell silent and turned to Badden. “He shall remain here, untouched and unseen, until I am able to return him to Camelot where he shall have his final resting place.”

  Badden stood, nodding. “Thank you.” He cast one final look at his friend before getting to his feet and, as if by some unspoken agreement, the men started to return to the cave entrance, every one of them eager to leave this place far behind them.

  Night was drawing in as they stepped onto the beach and Cai suddenly felt exhausted but relieved that, for now, the fighting was over. As he followed Lancelot up the rocky path, he considered what should happen next. Now that they were reunited with Merlin, they would soon be ready… They would find Mordred, rescue his mother, and end this, once and for all…

  However, that would wait for tomorrow. For now, they needed to rest and regain their strength, especially Merlin, and they also needed to mourn the loss of their fallen comrade.

  But, as Cai finally hauled himself onto the cliff-top, it was obvious none of this would be possible now…

  47

  All Cai could do was stare at the sight that greeted him.

  “Did you really think it would be that easy?”

  Mordred’s voice rang out in the darkness and Cai could only look on, helplessly, as he threw his head back and laughed. Nimue and Morgan flanked him and, behind them, stood their men, their weapons drawn...

  Bedivere, Galahad, Percival and their forces knelt nearby, held captive by Mordred’s men.

  Beside Cai, Lancelot reached for his sword but Morgan and Nimue raised their hands towards them. Suddenly, Cai felt strange and, as he tried to move, realised he had been immobilised, his arms pinned to his sides.

  He watched helplessly as the two women approached; their eyes fixed firmly on them, they began to chant in their strange tongue and Cai suddenly found himself forced to his knees. He tried to fight it, tried to break free of their hold but, no matter how much he fought against them, he couldn’t win.

  Morgan smiled, her eyes sweeping over the men in front of her. “The more you struggle, the more you will tire yourselves,” she said, her voice gentle, as if speaking to children. She grinned, her eyes flashing dangerously. “And I promise you, you will want to be awake for this.” Her gaze fell on Cai and bore into him. “We have such plans for you, Cai Pendragon…” Her smile widened as she relished the thought of what was to come.

  Cai glared up at her, saying nothing.

  Do not panic, Cai.

  The sound of Merlin’s voice in his head startled Cai and, had he not been unable to move, he would almost certainly have reacted in some way.

  Stay calm, Merlin continued. You cannot afford to let them know we are communicating right now.

  Cai glanced nervously at Morgan le Fay, watching her carefully; thankfully, it appeared she was oblivious to Merlin’s words.

  You need to listen to what I am about to tell you… Merlin paused before continuing. I will break us out of this and, when I do, you need to be ready; there will be no other opportunity... I shall ensure Nimue and Morgan’s attention is on me. Just make sure you are prepared...

  Cai watched as Mordred drew closer; behind him his men followed, waiting for his signal to attack.

  I will keep Morgan and Nimue engaged in battle, so you need not worry about them.

  Cai looked up at Mordred defiantly as he came to a stop in front of him; there was no way he would let Mordred see any other emotion.

  “Well, well, well,” Mordred smirked, his gaze fixed on Cai. “I do believe it is my dear, dear cousin! How I have longed to see you again!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in glee. “We left so much unsaid at Camelot, did we not?” he mused.

  Cai tried, desperately, to struggle against the invisible force keeping him locked in place but it was hopeless.

  Mordred shook his head, laughing. “There is no point in doing that; you will not break the bonds.” He gestured towards Nimue and Morgan, who stood on either side of him. “They are very good at what they do, are they not? Escape is impossible.”

  “Where’s my mother?” Cai demanded, finding himself still able to speak.

  Mordred chuckled. “Even after all this, even when you find your life hanging in the balance, you still ask after her; how… touching.” He stepped closer to Cai and whispered in his ear, “Do not worry; I have been taking very good care of her, I assure you. She is enjoying her stay very much.”

  “You’re gonna pay for this!” Cai raged, his anger ablaze.

  Mordred burst into laughter. “A worthy threat, indeed; one I would take seriously, had it not come from a boy on his knees, bound by magic.”

  As Mordred stepped back, Cai caught sight of Excalibur hanging at his side.

  Mordred chuckled as he noticed and pulled it free of its scabbard, admiring the blade. “How ironic that you will be executed by your father’s blade.” He glaring at Cai, smiling contemptuously. “Almost poetic, I feel… Do you not agree?”

  Cai clenched his jaw, wishing that Merlin would hurry up with whatever he was planning; he…

  As if reading his mind, Merlin’s voice was in his head again. I am almost ready; prepare yourselves...

  It wasn’t until that moment that Cai realised Merlin hadn’t just been talking to him, but to all the knights.

  Cai focused all his attention on his sword, knowing that, as soon as he was able, he would grab it and...

  Suddenly he was thrown to the floor as Merlin broke the bonds holding him in place and chaos erupted around him. Mordred shouted to his men to move back as he backed away, never turning his back on Cai and his forces. With his eyes fixed on Cai, he drew Excalibur from its sheath, grinning wickedly.

  Finally free, Cai drew his sword as he scrambled to his feet and ran at Mordred.

  “Cai, get down!” Lancelot cried desperately, grabbing Cai’s arm as he pulled him to the ground.

  “What the…?” Cai demanded but stopped as he saw Merlin step forward, his arms outstretched. He watched in awe as a bolt of purple light burst from Merlin’s palm, hitting Nimue and Morgan squarely in their chests, sending them both reeling.

  Merlin’s attack had been quick and merciless but, as Cai looked around, he realised Mordred had taken advantage of this distraction and had disappeared. Getting to his feet, Cai quickly scoured the sea of men for any sign of Mordred but was forced to abandon his search when one of Mordred’s men ran at him, sword aloft.

  Deflecting the blow, he stepped forward and twisted out of the way, pushing against the knight’s heavily armoured upper body. The man stumbled backwards and Cai followed through, slashing his sword at his stomach; the knight tried to block the blow but only succeeded in losing his balance. Dropping to the ground, Cai brought the pommel of hi
s sword down onto the man’s head cracking his skull, knocking him unconscious.

  Pushing himself away from his fallen enemy, Cai pushed through the fray, renewing his desperate search for Mordred.

  Everywhere he looked, men were falling to the ground, dead or wounded; screams and shouts filled the air, now thick with the sickening metallic scent of blood.

  Suddenly, an unseen assailant knocked him to the ground and, rolling over, he stared up into the twisted face of another of Mordred’s men, grinning, wickedly, down on him as he raised his sword above his head...

  Cai instinctively kicked at the man’s legs, causing him to momentarily lose his balance. Scrambling to his feet, Cai faced the man, who had now regained his footing. With his eyes trained on his opponent, Cai circled him.

  The man moved forward and Cai made to block the expected blow but realised, too late, the man had changed direction and brought his sword up, landing a heavy blow on Cai’s left shoulder.

  Crying out in pain, Cai fell to his knees, at the same time, bringing his sword up to deflect a second blow. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain shooting down his arm, Cai gathered up what was left of his strength and pushed himself to his feet, casting his enemy’s sword arm aside. Breathing heavily, Cai fixed his eyes on his opponent who was now circling him, a predator toying with his prey.

  Clenching his jaw, Cai threw himself towards the man, bringing his sword down and forcing him into an awkward defensive position. Without giving an inch, Cai attacked again, causing his opponent to step backwards, but not before he pushed Cai’s blade aside. Before he could recover, Cai barrelled into him, knocking him to the ground.

  The man rolled over and, scrambling to his feet, ran full force at Cai, shouting, brandishing his sword, fully prepared to run Cai through. At the last moment, Cai moved aside and wielding his sword above his head, brought it down to strike his opponent across his shoulders; it was a clumsy move and one that was easily deflected by the man’s chainmail. The blow did, however, knock the man off-balance and he stumbled before falling face down on the ground. Seizing his chance, Cai stepped forward and thrust his sword into the man’s back, ignoring the wave of sickness in his stomach as the man cried out in pain before the life left his body.

  Pulling his sword free, Cai stepped back, shocked by what he had done. Fighting the urge to throw up, he forced himself to refocus; his men needed him to fight.

  Turning, he saw Mordred and Badden engaged in a vicious battle, both men fuelled by bloodlust and hate.

  Seizing the chance to not only help his friend but also to finally save his mother, Cai stepped forward, ready to fight. But he didn’t have the chance to engage Mordred as Badden shoved him away; he stumbled as his boot hit a body, sending him sprawling to the ground.

  The battle between the two men continued relentlessly and it wasn’t long before Mordred gained the upper hand; as Cai got to his feet, he could only watch as Mordred brought Excalibur down, slicing deeply into Badden’s side. Badden hit the ground at Cai’s feet, reaching for his wound, blood pouring between his gloved fingers.

  Cai dropped to the ground, instinctively adding pressure to the wound, desperately trying to stop the flow of blood. “You’re gonna to be OK,” he promised, his voice barely a whisper.

  Badden slowly brought his eyes up to meet his. “My Lord…” he gasped.

  Cai was about to speak when he saw Mordred’s boots come to a stop in front of him. “How very touching… I do hope your words of wisdom lend him some comfort in his last moments.”

  Cai’s head snapped up to see Mordred smiling down at him, relishing his suffering. He leapt to his feet and, roaring with rage, launched himself at Mordred, all rational thought gone.

  Mordred easily deflected his blade, laughing maniacally, as he stepped aside.

  “Come on!” Cai demanded furiously. “Let’s finish this now!”

  Mordred kept his distance, shaking his head. “Oh, I don’t think so, dear cousin,” he drawled. “This is not how this will end; I still have so much more to do… So much more to show you…” He turned, sparing Cai a final glance. “Until next time!” And with that, he disappeared into the fray.

  Cai made to run after him, but was stopped as Badden groaned desperately at his feet. Looking down, Cai dropped to his knees, gripping Badden’s shoulders as reality crashed upon him: Badden was dying.

  “You’ll be OK,” he murmured, unable to stop his voice from breaking. “Merlin will...”

  Badden shook his head, struggling to keep his eyes open. His mouth moved, but no sound came out; Cai bent down to hear him.

  “Remember...” Badden whispered just as his head dropped to one side and the light left his eyes.

  Cai stared, too numb to move; reaching out, he swept his hand lightly over Badden’s face, closing his eyes forever. Clenching his hands into fists, and fighting back tears of anger and hurt, he looked around for any sign of Mordred; in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb.

  “Hey! Cai!” an urgent cry rang out.

  Cai turned to see Logan running, frantically, towards him; grabbing his elbow, Logan half-pulled, half-dragged him to his feet, forcing him to relinquish Badden’s body.

  “I’ve seen him,” he gasped, tugging at Cai desperately. “I’ve seen Mordred! He’s making a run for it!”

  48

  That was all Cai needed to spur him into action…

  He tore after Logan, following him to the edge of the battlefield.

  “There he is!” Logan cried frantically, glancing back to Cai.

  Cai sprinted for all he was worth and, spotting Mordred’s retreating form, pointed as he shouted, “Over there!” Ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the burning in his chest, he sprinted, blindly, into the night.

  The boys skidded to a halt as they realised Mordred had stopped running and had turned to face them. Breathing hard, Cai glared at him. “This ends now,” he announced, realising just how ready he was to finish this. Gripping his sword, he planned his first move…

  But was surprised when Mordred chuckled. “I think not… this is far from over. We still have so much more to do together, so much more to discover...” He glanced behind Cai. “Isn’t that so, Logan?”

  “Leave him out of this,” Cai ordered, still glaring at him.

  “Ordinarily, I would,” Mordred replied. “But that would be difficult, considering he has been so instrumental in getting you here.”

  Cai frowned, turning to face Logan. “What’s he talking about?” he asked, bewildered. Logan remained silent, staring at Mordred. Cai stepped back, towards him. “Logan? What the hell is he talking about?” he demanded, his voice betraying his anger and confusion.

  “You know, your father looked just like that when he discovered my betrayal,” Mordred observed, smiling, waiting for the slightest reaction.

  Realising Mordred’s ploy, Cai rounded on him. “Shut up! This is between you and me; Logan has nothing to do with it!”

  Mordred scoffed. “Your naivety is endearing but does become rather boring after a while.”

  Cai leapt at Mordred, his sword raised, but his attack was cut short as Logan shoved him roughly to one side. Cai could only watch, stunned, as Logan positioned himself between them, glaring at Cai, his sword drawn, ready to use against him. Staring at him, Cai saw no sign of the boy he had once called a friend, the one who would crack jokes at just the right moment; gone was the boy he had laughed with, the friend he had trusted.

  The person standing before him now was filled with hatred, hatred directed solely at Cai.

  “Logan… what are you doing?” he asked warily, still unwilling to accept that which was becoming clearer with every second.

  Logan advanced slowly, his eyes dark and cold. “This isn’t just about you and him,” he said quietly, nodding towards Mordred, all the while, his eyes never leaving Cai. “It has never just been about you and him.”

  Cai shook his head, unable to believe what was happe
ning. “I don’t understand...”

  “No, you have no idea, do you?” Logan scoffed.

  “No idea about what?” Cai demanded, desperate now; desperate to understand why his friend, the one who had always stood by him, was now staring him down, siding with Mordred.

  “Your father ruined my life!” Logan screamed, moving closer, looking as if he would like to kill him.

  Behind them, Mordred laughed clearly enjoying the scene being played out before him.

  “What?” Cai demanded, horrified by the accusation. “Your father fought with mine, you said so yourself! They were friends!”

  Logan scoffed. “Your father killed my father and now it’s you who’s going to pay for it!” He raised his sword as he stepped closer…

  “Not so fast!” Mordred intercepted, appearing at Logan’s side and pulling him away. “I told you: we only end him when the time is right.”

  Logan glared at Cai, jaw clenched, but said nothing.

  “So, what? You’ve been working with him all this time?” Cai asked incredulously.

  Logan nodded. “All this time,” he confirmed, smirking. “And you had no idea, did you? Didn’t you ever wonder how he was able to know so much about what was happening at Camelot?”

  Cai stared at him. “Yeah, but I figured that was Nimue… Are you saying that it was you all along?” he asked, trying to take in this new revelation.

  “Yep, I was feeding them information, right under your nose!”

  And, just like that… everything became clear: the way Mordred had always known exactly where to find them, the way Logan had encouraged him to doubt Lancelot and, now, the way he had lured him from the battlefield…

  And then it dawned on him: this was a trap and he had walked right into it.

  “Ah, here she comes; free at last!” Mordred cried, looking skyward.

  Cai barely had time to look up, before Morgan le Fay landed deftly next to Mordred, her robes billowing about her.