by J. M. Briggs
Stumbling back, the small boy pressed himself tightly against the wall, trying to move away from the pulsing orb of light. Alex gaped at it, feeling sparks jumping between her outstretched fingertips. Her eyesight was still fuzzy around the edges, but there was a faint glowing connection between her hand and the orb that shimmered like dark silver. In her fingers she could feel the magic of the orb brushing against her palm and when her hand twitched at the odd feeling so did the orb. With her attention on the orb and mind still clouded, Alex barely noticed the guard reaching for the horn of his belt, but saw the movement in the corner of her eye.
Turning her head quickly, Alex spotted the horn and tried to roll to the side and climb to her feet. The orb followed her movement, shifting away from Ryan and closer to the guard. Eyes widening, the guard began to lift the horn to his lips. Alex pushed her arm forward, using the connection to shove the orb of energy at the guard. A sharp note escaped the horn. The orb collided with his chest, knocking the horn from his hands and forcing him to stumble back.
Gritting her teeth, Alex pushed herself to her feet, drawing the sword in a clumsy movement. More of the golden metal cracked off of the blade, but she hoped it was still sharp enough. The guard gripped the wall behind him and shook his head. Surging forward, Alex thrust the sword forward, throwing all of her weight behind the attack. There was a moment of resistance from the armor, but a sharp high pitched metallic sound followed as the armor crumpled around the blade tip. Groaning and gasping, the guard struggled against Alex. She didn't look up at his face, keeping her eyes on the hilt of the sword as she tugged it to the side. A sharp groan of pain reached her ears before it stopped just as suddenly.
The guard's body slowly dissolved, still struggling to push her away until its hands turned to dust. Alex released her grip on the sword and let it crash to the floor of the tunnel with the chest armor plate. Taking a shaky breath she reached into the pile of gear and pulled out the guard’s sword. She glanced down at the wound in her arm that was beginning to clot and rubbed her hand over it. The blood began to ooze slowly out and with a cautious glance at Ryan; Alex lifted the sword to the wound and watched her blood ooze over the blade. Once again the metal began to take on a red tint and she knew it was only a matter of time before this blade fell apart. She repeated the process with her iron dagger.
She turned towards Ryan, the boys eyes were closed tightly and his face was partially buried in his sister's blanket. Amy's little hands were touching her brother's cheek and tugging at his hair. Swallowing, Alex slowly stepped towards him and called his name. He didn't respond the first time and Alex moved closer, trying again. Raising his chin up, Ryan met Alex's eyes and gave her a watery smile. He was shaking, still clutching the stone and Amy. When Alex moved to take Amy from him, his grip only tightened and his sister gurgled in response.
“Okay you carry Amy,” Alex told him, rising to her feet and looking down the tunnel. “We have to keep moving Ryan.”
The boy didn't argue and when Alex started walking, he trailed along just behind her. The light source was brighter now without Ryan covering it, but stealth was no longer the issue. Breathing slowly, Alex tried to calm down and ignore the throbbing at the back of her skull. Sheathing the sword, she reached back and gently touched the source of the pain. There was already a large bump starting to swell, but an examination of her hand revealed no blood.
They walked in silence, Alex had no idea of the time that had passed or the distance they had covered. Her mind was a jumble as stray thoughts like worrying about more guards, Ryan's emotional health and the fact that she had used magic all competing for attention. She flexed her fingers around the hilt of the dagger, trying to remember what had happened with the orb exactly. But it was blur of pain, confusion and fear for Ryan. Those orbs didn't kill, that much was clear, but they were probably what the Sídhe used to keep prisoners under control and Ryan was so small, not to mention it could have hit Amy.
Alex shook her head, trying to snap herself out of stray thoughts, only to get a rush of pain from the concussion she'd suffered for the action. Taking a slow and deep breath, Alex tried to relax her muscles and focus on the goal rather than the gradual increase of pain she was feeling.
The blasting of a horn behind them made Alex want to scream and curse; the soft gasp it caused Ryan to make kept her focused. Her hands were shaking; feeling heavy and awkward as Alex took another step forward. At her side, Ryan slowly followed, balancing his sister in his arms while keeping the light clutched tightly in one hand.
Another horn bellowed down the tunnel, but Alex hesitated to look behind her. Up ahead was the intersection, complete with a small pile of armor. A burst of fresh air sent a rush of strength through Alex and cleared her head.
“We're almost there,” Alex murmured.
Ryan's steps gained more speed and she heard the boy greedily gulping in the air. Amy giggled softly in his arms, almost making Alex smile. The sound of horns behind them was growing fainter, but Alex thought she could hear voices and Hounds snarling. She risked a glance down at Ryan, but the boy had his gaze locked forward. Looking behind them, Alex studied the curving tunnel, but could see nothing beyond the light of their stone.
The fresh air may have given Alex a boost of strength, but her shoulders were beginning to ache from the strain of fighting and the weight of the armor. Pain at the back of her head was now a constant throb that she could almost, but not quite ignore. A stronger blast of air rushed down the tunnel, this time accompanied by a soft whistle. Alex's heart jumped in her chest as a memory of seeing a cave in Washington once with her family and the sound the wind made of the entrance came to mind.
Swallowing, Alex tightened her grip on the sword and once again said, “We're almost there.”
A howl ripped up the tunnel from behind them, followed by another and another. Spinning around, Alex caught sight of beams of light coming up the tunnel and three shapes rushing towards them around the curve. Air rushed from her lungs and her limbs grew heavy as three more Síd guards ran up the tunnel towards them.
Forcing herself to breathe, Alex raised the sword and dagger. She exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the pain threatening to overwhelm her and the chill sinking into her bones as the Hounds approached. Behind her Ryan screamed, frightening Amy who howled and wailed. One Hound rushed ahead of the others and lunged. Alex swung the sword across her body, connecting to the side of the Hound with the fleshy smack. The iron tainted blade met its flesh a sickening hiss. The Hound fell to the side, but Alex fixed her eyes on the two who were now on her.
The next Hound dodged her swing and snapped at her arm, almost catching it in its jaws. Lunging forward, Alex buried the dagger in its neck. Pain jolted through her left leg is the other Hound clamped its jaws around it. Her scream drowned out the Hound whimpering in pain as her iron blood spilled into its mouth.
A guard rushed forward, creating one of the glowing orbs in his hand. Groaning, Alex stumbled forward as the Hound dissolved, freeing her bleeding leg. Her eyes locked on the orb and she raised her hand. Trying to remember the lessons, Alex attempted to calm down, but the pain of her leg, head, shoulders and arm all crashed down on her. The ball of magic sparked violently in the Síd's hand, the golden color darkening to dark silver and growing larger. Frantically, the Síd moved to throw the orb, but it exploded in a burst of three streams of magic, each one plowing into the chest of a guard, twisting and sparking like bolts of lightning.
Alex couldn't look away as all three Síd seized up, their mouths open in silent screams. Their body's natural pale color darkened to the same metallic shade of the magic for a moment before all three crumbled to dust. Gasping for air, Alex stared at the piles of armor and weapons for a moment before bending down to retrieve the dagger. She hissed in pain as her leg throbbed and couldn't ignore the feeling of blood seeping down her leg underneath her ripped jeans.
“Alex?” Ryan's frightened voice called from behind her.
Taking a s
low breath, Alex turned and gave the boy a tiny forced smile. Amy was still crying, but her wails were beginning to soften, something Alex's pounding head was grateful for.
“I'm alright,” Alex managed to assure Ryan before she gestured down the tunnel. “Let's go.”
Each step hurt; the cold air of the tunnel not helping her wounded leg and the stone floor making each step jarring. Alex resisted the instinct to check the wound, too afraid of stopping. She had her phone: when they got out she could call for help and get the kids somewhere safe. The memory of their mother still on the ground hit her hard and Alex had to grit her teeth to keep from losing the shaky control that she still had.
Another gust of air hit their faces and the whistle was louder than before. Panting, Alex looked down at Ryan, the boy was clearly tiring and moving slowly, but his grip on Amy was protective and he was speaking softly to his sister. Suddenly there was a rumble up ahead of hooves and the snarls of Hounds. Alex came to a stop and listened as Ryan stepped behind her with a small whimper. The din of hooves and snarls was quickly joined by crying, muffled screams and high pitched laughter.
Gritting her teeth, Alex bent over and used the dagger to cut at her torn jeans, exposing the wound fully. She slid the dagger over the wound, allowing the seeping blood to cover the blade with a thick red sheen before she raised it in front of her. After a moment of consideration, Alex slid the sword into the sheath and transferred the dagger to her right hand.
Breathing deeply, Alex tried to focus on how to call her magic. It had worked against the last few guards and now it sounded like she had a small army coming down the corridor. Flexing her fingers around the hilt of the dagger, Alex tried to remember how the others had described it. They visualized what they wanted, but they had elements or telekinesis. They just had to picture the water moving or ice or fire or how the object moved.
Alex exhaled and pushed the thought away, trying to focus on something that wouldn't lead to panic. The orbs were like light, but when her magic touched that last one it had turned darker, almost like silver. So it wasn't light that she could control, but what was it?
Uncertainly, Alex closed her eyes and tried to ignore the approaching sounds of Sídhe revelry and tried to envision the magical bolts that had destroyed the guards. Her fingers twitched and she felt a small shock travel up her right arm. The feeling grew stronger, her arm tingled and Alex turned her palm up and opened her eyes. Small dark silvery sparks of magic were dancing in her palm.
A small laugh escaped Alex as she watched the sparks of magic zip between each other and connect, forming tiny dark lightning bolts.
“I've got it,” Alex breathed, a smile taking over her face. “I am a mage.”
“Alex?” Ryan called from behind her, backing away as the sounds of the Sídhe came closer and closer. “What do we do?”
“Stay back there and keep Amy close,” Alex ordered, tightening her sparking hand into a fist. “I've had enough of this place. We are going home,” she growled.
The magic in her hand sparked at her words and Alex opened her fist once again, a shining metallic colored orb that pulsed with magic forming. Light poured down into their part of the tunnel as the Sídhe descended the long tunnel and Alex put her hand out in front of, ready to throw the orb.
A Rider appeared first, leading a tall pale horse with one hand and holding a golden cord in the other. Alex's eyes narrowed as the Rider's widened in surprise as she took in the young girl bound by the cord. Arcing her arm forward, Alex pushed her arm forward and visualized the bolts of magic striking the Rider down. To her surprise, the orb vanished from her hand, not being tossed through the air and instead a bolt of dark lightning sprung straight from her fingertips.
The Rider screamed, his body convulsing for only a moment and the golden cord falling from his hand before his flesh turned to dust. Two Hounds burst forward around the little girl who whimpered under the magical gag. Screaming, Alex pushed her hand forward and twin bolts of dark lightning erupted from her hand. The Hounds were instantly vaporized, letting Alex catch sight of three Riders pulling their swords and moving towards her.
The first one, dressed in the most gold with the longest horns glared at her and placed his hand in front of his body. The other two Riders waited on either side of him as a large glowing orb of magic formed in front of him. It sparked and had a strange green tint to it that distinguished it from the ones used on her earlier. The Rider released it, sending it shooting through the air at Alex. She raised her hand instinctively and felt the pulse of the magic. Grabbing that feeling, Alex commanded it to stop and it did.
The orb hung in the air sparking in front of Alex for a moment before its color began to darken. Laughing in triumph, Alex pushed her magic in the orb, imagining the entire thing darkening. Her legs shook and tingled as a drained feeling began to take over her body. She heard the Riders shouting and the slick metallic sound of swords being drawn, but didn't let it distract her. Exhaling slowly, Alex felt the orb finish transforming and mentally pushed against it, breaking the stream of magic between herself and it. Closing her eyes, she heard the Riders charging and commanded the orb to destroy them.
A wave of pressure hit Alex's chest as the orb burst into tiny bolts of dark lightning, striking the Riders and the horses. She didn't have to open her eyes to see their bodies changing colors and start to turn to dust. The pulse of her magic in the air allowed her to see it from behind her closed eyelids. Slowly, Alex breathed in and opened her eyes.
Before her were piles of armor and weapons and just up the slope of the tunnel were several golden bridles and saddles. Alex took a slow step forward, panting softly as her legs and arms shook. The dagger fell from her hand and clattered to the stone floor of the tunnel. Alex ignored it and stumbled forward, following the slope until she reached the first little girl who was already shaking loose the cord. Behind her were three more children ranging from four years old to a young teenager.
They were all looking at her with wide eyes. Saying nothing, Alex moved around to help them tug off the golden cords. Then the questions started, first from the young teenage girl and then down. Clutching her head, Alex tried to keep her focus.
“Enough!” she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel. “Not now. First we get out of here!”
Alex stumbled forward, gripping the wall to keep from falling before looking back to see Ryan dashing forward. He stopped just behind her, waiting for her to keep walking. The others shifted uncomfortably, but had fallen silently. Swallowing thickly, Alex took another step and then another, following the rise of the tunnel as quickly as she could manage.
She wanted to drop: Alex would have taken a nap on the hard and cold stone floor had it not been for the footfalls behind that reminded her what she was doing. Soft cries and sniffing echoed softly in the tunnel and made Alex wish she had the energy to be comforting. Her fingers gripped at the stone walls which became rougher with each step. She could smell real dirt now, breathing in the scent of real earth and not just stone. Another burst of fresh air breezed down the tunnel which Alex inhaled greedily. The cold air made her skin feel raw, but Alex ignored the discomfort.
Then the tunnel evened out, creating a small smooth landing just before a tall cave opening. Beyond it Alex could see snow and a few ice covered trees in the earliest light of dawn. Whispers and small cheers rose up from behind her as Alex reached the opening. She put one foot outside and looked to the east just in time to see the first hint of the sun rise above the horizon. Stepping towards it, Alex closed her eyes and felt the warmth of it on her face, listening as the children rushed out of the tunnel behind her. They were shouting and cheering and saying all kinds of things that Alex couldn't hear anymore.
Alex barely felt the weight of the armor vanish as it turned to dirt and crumbled around her along with the Rider's belt and sword. A few flecks of the dirt fell into her hands before she allowed them to fall to the earth. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, t
oo tired to even hiss in pain as her wound hit the snow. A moment later, a warm hand was on her shoulder.
“Alex,” a familiar feminine voice called gently. Something heavy and warm was wrapped around her shoulders. “Welcome back.” The grip on her shoulder tightened and the voice added, “Happy Imbolc.”
33
Cave of the Sword
811 B.C.E. Somerset Levels
The slow rising of the sun was a relief for Morgana as she trekked after Merlin and Arto across the moor and over the rolling hills. Even behind thick gray clouds, the light was a welcome addition, helping Morgana navigate over the terrain. Her knees were sore and her dress was filthy from every tumble she had made trying to follow them without the benefit of Merlin's magical light. They had turned north soon after leaving the tor, making Morgana uncertain of their destination. While she was breathing hard, there was no sign of Merlin or Arto slowing down. The only change was that the light on Merlin's staff was slowly fading away.
She had no notion of how far they had walked, but her body was aching at the abuse of hiking all night without any rest. Another spark of anger at Merlin rose up in her at his rough treatment of Arto, but then she saw the boy make an excited jump up ahead of her. They slowed down and Morgana ducked down, letting the long grasses of the plain disguise her presence.