The Inheritance

by D Michele Robbearts

  Merlin looked at Morgaine and could not believe she had said those words. He really looked at her. Her eyes shone with fire. She was distraught and Nimue was at the center of her ire. “Morgaine, I do not have anything going on with Nimue. She is our teacher and that is not an honorable thought to have in your head. What has come over you? You cannot go. Nimue determines each of our training and when we are done. You have to have her blessing, to leave would bring shame to your family and yourself! What is this madness you speak of?”

  “Merlin, will you go with me? If you love me, you will come with me. We will be together, and our magic will grow on our own. We do not need some bitter old crone to tell us we are ready. Who is she anyways? She is not the Mother Goddess. I do not need her permission to leave. I do what I want!” Morgaine spoke harshly. Merlin knew she was angry, but never imagined she would be this rash. He didn’t even point out the Lady of the Lake was not an old crone. She still looked youthful. He did not know exactly how old she was, but she had been The Lady of The Lake for as long as he could remember. She looked young still. Morgaine was being rash and petty, and he began to see qualities that he did not like. He was starting to see the real her. And it was not a good look for her.

  CHAPTER 3

  Merlin loved her to be sure, but his honor would not allow him to leave. He would not disgrace himself or his family. He looked at Morgaine and spoke, “I love you… but I cannot go with you. My honor will not allow me to betray my family. Please… think about what you do.” Morgaine thought for a minute that he would prove her vision wrong. That he would go with her. Merlin loved her but he cared more for his honor than for her.

  Love was a lie and made one weak. She knew that now. Love made her think for a moment that she would have him. In that moment, Morgaine’s heart broke and turned black. She never in her life felt pain to equal that betrayal then the tears began to flow down her face and her breathing became shallow, as if she couldn’t catch her breath. The enormity of it all weighing on her was too much for her to bare.

  Merlin saw her pain and it hurt him. “I’m sorry Morgaine, please stay.” Morgaine turned away and walked off, she didn't even glance back. If she turned back, he would see her anguish and see her weakness. Never would she ever be that stupid again, never would she show weakness. Love was a fake emotion and any one that was stupid enough to fall in love would end up disappointed. Merlin had been her first kiss. He made her feel special and wanted. He fed her ego and Morgaine loved it all. Now that she looked back on it, she didn't know if it was love or the idea of love. Whatever the case, Merlin let her down and she knew the only person she could depend on was herself.

  Merlin stood there for what seemed an eternity. She had walked away and never looked back not even once. He thought that they were in love, supposed to get married and have the happily ever after. Life was complicated enough without heartbreak. How was he ever going to be the same? He was stuck to that spot and could not move. It was as if Merlin's body had shut down and he could not think straight. After a few agonizing minutes, he took a deep breath. It was then he realized that he was crying. He felt his world turned upside down. They would never marry, never have children, never have a future. It was over just like that and he was devastated. Merlin knew she was gone, out of his life forever, and he didn't think he could survive it.

  CHAPTER 4

  Nimue was in a rage when she found out Morgaine had left without permission. Never had she been so disrespected by a student. The completion of a student's training was her decision to make and when a student was ready, there was a ritual performed. How dare Morgaine slight her! Before they were given her blessing to go out into the magical world when she said they were ready! Not one minute before! Nimue knew that Morgaine had a darkness in her. She had seen it in her and saw it building with each passing day. She had hoped the loved she had for Merlin would keep her on the right path, that it would keep her in the light. She had sought out a vision from the Goddess. She knew that Morgaine was on the path to the dark. She also knew that Morgaine had the potential to be stronger than even her.

  Dark magic corrupts and twists the wielder, feeds off of dark desires and emotions. Morgaine had all those and then some. Nimue now felt responsible for what Morgaine had become. She had really tried to like Morgaine, attempted to train her to be accountable but Morgaine had always thought Merlin was her favorite. Nimue gave credit where it was due, she also didn’t hold back when there was fault. Morgaine simply could not accept any type of criticism.

  Darkness grabs hold onto even the smallest shreds of envy, greed, or jealousy. It taints and turns that tiny shred of the dark into a bigger one. There it grows until it finally takes over. In the end, there is no light left only cold darkness. That is what evil celebrates, the complete takeover of a being of light ending into a creature of hate. It happened gradually, in most cases. The closer you were to the darkness the faster it took hold. Evil begets evil and It is easier to hate than to love. Morgaine was so consumed with self-importance that she did not realize she had darkness in her. She was arrogant, selfish, petty, and spoiled.

  The Goddess had shown Nimue that war was coming. Light magic against dark and somehow Morgaine was in the middle. She would be the main driving force, with an army of dark allies. She wanted to rule the world and Morgaine would do anything to accomplish her goal. The Lady of the Lake was afraid for the future. She had seen so much...

  No one knew where Morgaine had gone. Word was sent out to her mother but it wasn't long before Nimue had found out the student's mother was dead. The villagers believed that Morgaine had killed her. They whispered of her being a dark witch and avoided her at all cost. Morgaine had no other family save for her mother, now she was dead and Morgaine was missing. Nimue had to let Merlin know what was going on. Merlin was heartsick over Morgaine leaving. He had been keeping his distance and working on his magic alone. Nimue had wanted to give him time to deal with Morgaine leaving Avalon, but she could wait no longer.

  The vision the Goddess had shown Nimue was like all visions, ever-changing. Depending on the choices made by the people involved. The final outcome was something no one could predict, always subject to change. Nimue had to try to figure out what to do, felt it was her duty. She was a being of the light and she always fought for good, what she had seen the dark enemy would be formidable.

  Nimue cast a location spell and got nothing… That meant dark magic was at play. Her spell had been a strong one and for her to hide from it meant one thing. Morgaine was in hiding and already on the dark path. The only thing the spell had revealed was that she was still alive. Nimue had a feeling that Morgaine was shielding her whereabouts.

  That was one spell that Morgaine had excelled at. Cloaking was hard to do, it proved that Morgaine was on the path to darkness. All magic was rooted in the elements. Depending on the strength of the bloodline calling forth the magic and everything coming together at the right time.

  Merlin couldn't believe that his love had turned dark, He desperately wanted to hold on to the memory of how Morgaine was in the early days. She was beautiful and carefree. As the days passed, the tales of her black deeds reached them he had to admit it. Rumor was that Morgaine had recruited a dark warlock ally. They had to be near Cornwall, the villages were telling tales of seeing her and of people disappearing and being killed for the dark arts. The villagers in the surrounding areas made sure to be indoors by nightfall.

  One of the worst stories was the disappearance of a child. There were whispers of the dark ones having the child. Nimue and Merlin had sought a vision to find the child. Only to get the awful truth. Morgaine and the dark warlock had taken the child. To use his flesh in a dark spell for flight. Nimue knew the spell that Morgaine had used, it required the flesh of the innocent… a child to be used to brew a potion to use in a spell to allow the witch to be able to fly… Morgaine was lost to them, she had committed to this most awful of things and there was no going back for her.

  Merlin
had to accept that Morgaine was evil finally. No one could do that to an innocent and not be tainted. She was truly lost to him and he had to get on with his life without her. Merlin and Nimue, along with the rest of the students, continued to train. Training was the only thing they could do as long as Morgaine continued to hide. Nimue decided to come up with a plan. She had been thinking and planning all while training the Army of the Light. The war had started every day new stories of Morgaine’s treachery reached her ears.

  One piece of information that had come to them was who the dark warlock really was. The Fae Queen of Emerald Oaks Forest, Queen Teharessa, came to Avalon to talk to Nimue. Teharessa was powerful in her magic, while all the Fae were blessed with beauty in form and face, strong magic was something that not all of them possessed. The Fae all had a little magic in their blood, a gift from the Primal Gods, allowing them to live longer lives and perform basic magic such as glamour. The queen, however, was the most powerful of their kind. Fae magic was like the kind Nimue wielded but grounded in the Earth itself. They were part of the Earth and their magic was primal and rooted in the elements and nature. The strength depending on the purity of bloodline. Nimue wondered what was so important that the Queen came to tell her in person.

  Teharessa appeared on the beach and began the walk up to the great hall. The guard that stood on either side of the entrance tried to block her entry. She waved them aside, “I’m Queen Teharessa I’ve come to see The Lady of the Lake. Tell her I am here and be quick about it!” One of the guards ran to do her bidding. Nimue felt a magical presence. Just as she was about to go look for it her guard came running through the door. “Lady, you have a visitor, Queen Teharessa is here and bids you please come talk to her.” Nimue inclined her head to the guard and moved to walk out the door. The guard had to run to catch up with her and move in front of her. Nimue smiled, he was trying to protect her. While it was a sweet gesture Nimue knew the full extent of Teharessa’s power. He could not defeat her if it came to a fight.

  CHAPTER 5

  Nimue enters the great hall and Teharessa turned to look at her. The Queen was beautiful. Like most Fae, she had long hair that was silver-white in color. Her eyes were almond shaped and the most beautiful shade of green she had ever seen. On the tips of her pointed ears, she wore jeweled ear cuffs that covered her ear points. They sparkled with diamonds and colorful jewels. Her black velvet gown hugged her lithe figure and she gave off a very powerful magical presence. Her presence was felt by Nimue from afar.

  Her beauty was not a glamour, Nimue could see through a glamour spell. She was a beauty in truth. “Queen Teharessa, I must say that I’m surprised to see you on my isle. If I would’ve known you were coming, I would have made the keep ready for your visit. Whatever you have come to tell me must be very serious,” she said in surprise. It was a polite rebuke for not sending word of her coming visit. Teharessa gave Nimue a half smile, it was not in her nature to apologize.

  Fae were creatures that thought themselves better than most, so it was rare for them to apologize to anyone. They were haughty and full of self-importance. They were once considered lesser gods and worshipped by mortals. Teharessa looked down her nose while speaking, “Forgive my intrusion Nimue, but I have news for you that affects us both. I came to tell you my news in person as it is of a personal nature. I would like to ask for a personal audience to have a private conversation. I didn't think to send word. I came alone so that should tell you of the importance of my news.”

  Nimue felt it then, the worry coming from the queen. One of Nimue's many gifts was being able to feel what others felt. Her powers had been passed through her Fae mother, while her father had been a warlock and the power of empathy, she got from him. Being an empath was both a blessing and a curse, she could feel if someone was nervous or scared. Nimue could even tell if they were being deceitful. This power had always served her well.

  “Please have a seat Teharessa and relax for a minute. Let me send for some refreshments. Then you can tell me what has you so worried,” Nimue spoke as she sent the guard to tell the kitchen to bring refreshments and then the guard was to go outside the door for his duty. The Queen and the Lady had taken seats in the great hall, both waiting impatiently for the food to come. Teharessa looked at Nimue, knowing that the lady had Fae in her she could tell the Lady had magic from another race as well. Nimue didn’t have the silver-white hair of a full-blooded Fae. Her hair was a lovely shade of red. It shone when the light hit it and her eyes were a pretty shade of green. Her eyes gave away her Fae heritage.

  The servants arrived bringing food and tea. Once served and the two women were once again alone, she began her tale, “Nimue… I know you have heard the tales of Morgaine and the dark warlock. She does have him as her ally. I came to tell you that those tales are true. I have also learned that she has made a pact with all manner of dark creatures. She is building an army to overthrow the rulers of this world. She means to rule over all the lands. The dark warlock is none other than my son’s father, Ahmar. He has betrayed me to join her. He seeks to rule the world as well. I’m ashamed to admit that I trusted him. I have no excuses other than, even I need love. I fell in love with Ahmar. I believed he loved me, I now know he wanted to rule my kingdom through marriage to me," Her voice angry as she pointed to herself. "Funny how things work out though. He thought I would marry him. In a perfect world, I might have. I truly loved him. But I could not marry him, he was not a pure Fae even though he is from a royal family through his mother. I did find out his father was a dark being. His mother had hidden it from all." The shock on Nimue's face told the Queen all she needed to know, she would have an ally in her. She continued, "I only found out when my son was born. He was born with a mark, one that I had seen in a book. It was the mark of a Dark Djinn. When I questioned Ahmar, he seemed stunned by the accusation. Together we went and asked his mother, then the whole story was revealed. He knew that he wasn’t a pureblood, at least I think he knew. His mother had told him the story of his birth. He knew because he bore a mark too. He had burned the mark off. He was left with a scar, but he told me it was a battle wound. He knew then that I couldn’t marry him. He lied to me from the beginning."

  While Nimue was stunned by this revelation, she was a compassionate being. Leaning over, she touched the queen’s hand showing kindness while speaking barely above a whisper, "My friend, I am sorry that you had to discover such a betrayal."

  "My family bloodline was pure, now because of him, my son was not of pureblood. I ask that you pledge to keep my secret. I don't want my son to suffer because his father lied to me," the queen nearly pleaded.

  Nimue saw her take a deep breath, “I pledge to keep your secret now and always.” She knew it was hard for Teharessa to confide in her. Fae were prideful creatures, as well as, private. Nimue knew that she was embarrassed to have been deceived.

  Fae could not have children unless they truly loved their partner. Teharessa had to have really been in love with her son’s father. “Please continue your story,” Nimue urged the woman across from her.

  The queen looked up with tears in her eyes and exhaled then said, “Ahmar was half Fae and half Djinn. Part of his allure was his dark side. I did not see the dark. I just thought him to be different from all the Fae males in my kingdom. His mother Ailsa had moved to her kingdom a short time ago. She brought Ahmar with her. Teharessa couldn’t remember why his mother had moved to their kingdom. Just that she was a minor princess from a distant kingdom. Her father’s lands were on a remote island. She asked permission from Teharessa to stay in Emerald Oaks Forest. Ailsa had claimed to have known Teharessa’s mother.

  Since her mother was no longer alive, she felt obligated to grant permission for Ailsa to live in her forest. The queen fell hard for Ahmar. “I was so intent on loving him I did not see the warning signs. By the time I learned of his true intent I already had my son. I assume Ahmar had moved to her kingdom to woo me. Since he was not a pureblood, he could not rule his grandfather’
s kingdom. It mattered not anyways, his uncle would rule. Ahmar’s uncle had enough heirs to take his place. His mother put him up to courting her to get a throne that way. She figured no one would know her secret. He tried to take my child, I managed to protect my child from him. I banished Ahmar’s mother from my kingdom and I cast a protection spell to lock both Morgaine and Ahmar out of my forest. They cannot get into my realm for now. I think it is just a matter of time before they can break my spell. Morgaine is getting stronger by the day. Ahmar has his powers as well. They are a formidable enemy.” The queen stood up and paced the room as she recalled all that had transpired. She was agitated and angry. Nimue could feel the waves for anger coming from her.

  CHAPTER 6

  Teharessa wasn’t bitter. However, she was just angry over the plot to steal her child. Nimue could not find fault in that. The queen stopped pacing and once again sat down. “Ahmar has the power of both sides of his lineage. He has embraced that dark half of himself. Morgaine and Ahmar are now together in their quest for power. They are recruiting beings that practice the dark arts to their cause. He tried to steal The Club of Dagda from me. I’m its guardian and you know well the power of the club. Should it fall in the wrong hands, our world could topple.

  The club had the power to kill nine men with one blow, it also had the power to give back life. Seeing as how Morgaine was your student and Ahmar was one of my people we are kind of obligated to clean up this mess. We have a major problem with these two on the loose. They seek to destroy the world and us in particular. I cannot defeat them alone that is why I have come to seek an alliance with you.”