The Inheritance

by D Michele Robbearts

  To tap into the powers of your talisman, you just need to concentrate and release the magic through you. Your talisman is bound only to you. Your magic will blend with it and become second nature. Melusine, use your power over water to put out as many fires as you can please.” Melusine nodded her head in understanding. “We must work as a team. Look to Teharessa or me for help if you need it. Ok, let us move forward and be ready. We do not leave until we secure the village and defeat any dark forces within the village.

  Remember that Ahmar can shift into mist and smoke.” Nimue took the lead with Teharessa right behind then the other women. Merlin took up the rear to better protect their backs. The first thing they saw once they came through the trees was half the village on fire. Melusine ran to the nearest burning house and called forth water. Water came to her in waves from the lake, she focused her power over the water sending it towards the fire. The water rained down hard drowning out the fire. The house was left smoking, Nimue nodded her approval.

  CHAPTER 12

  As they made their way through the village, they saw the dead laying on the ground. They could not see any visible survivors. At the end of a street, they saw what look to be a Gwyllgi. They were demon dogs that did the bidding of a dark master. They blew fire out of their mouth and devoured the flesh of man. It saw the guardians and stopped sniffing the air. It’s hackles raised up and it lowered its head.

  It starts to run towards them and picking up speed. Fiona stepped in the front to meet the dog head on. She put one hand on her stone the other hand she held out and spread her fingers. She shouted, “I call forth fire, Burn this creature with the intensity of the sun.” Fire shot out in a straight stream from her palm. Hitting the demon dog head on…. burning with an intensity so hot even it burned.

  It tried to spit fire at them and Fiona being fireproof from the power of the stone redirected the blast back to the dog. It melted down to a puddle. Teharessa was standing next to Fiona and said, “Good job Fiona, You wielded your power with confidence.” Fiona smiled she was proud of herself. They continued to walk towards the end of the village. Every house that was on fire that was in their path was out by Melusine.

  When they got to the last house, they heard a loud guttural bellow. Turning they looked and saw a Dark Dwarf run at Melusine with its hammer raised. Melusine touched her bracelet and called the water. It came in a huge wave that hit the dwarf and flung him far from Melusine. Then she made the water rain down on him so hard and fast he could not breathe. He drowned from the water and fell to the ground with a Thud! Melusine stepped away from the dwarf and went to join the rest of the guardians.

  Nimue called to everyone, “As you can see there are dark creatures in this village. I see no survivors left in the village. They must have fled to the crop fields or the outer houses near the mountains. Aine stepped forward “I can shift and fly to search for anyone that might be alive. I can also see if I can spot Morgaine.” Nimue thought an excellent idea. “Aine go and be quick do not go too far. Just the surrounding area. We will wait here for you. Be careful.” Aine stepped out so she could shift. Being half Sylph, she could shift into a wind and ride the currents of air. Her talisman gave her the added ability to fly for more extended periods of time and on her own. Otherwise, she would need a breeze to fly and carry her.

  She closed her eyes and embraced the change. It happened so fast the others did not see her shift. One minute she was there the next she was the wind and on the move. Aine circled the village and saw the houses smoking and the fires burning out. She saw no one alive. She headed towards the crop fields. Sure, enough she saw some survivors hiding in the fields. The rest of the village was on the move towards the next village.

  She made another pass a circled towards the mountains. Then she saw Morgaine and Ahmar on horses heading towards the coast. They had a small army with them made up of dark beings. Aine flew back towards the village. She needed to tell the others what she saw. Riding the breeze, she flew until she saw the others. She floated down towards the ground and shifted as she hit the ground feet first. They all turned to look at her, Aine quickly told them what she had seen.

  Merlin listened to the report and then had thought. “I think I know where they are going.” They waited for him to finish. “I think they go towards the cliff off the coast of Cornwall. Morgaine told me once of a cave there. She would practice her magic there as a child. That is where she is, that is a good place for dark magic to dwell.”

  Nimue thought for a minute and asked Teharessa what she thought. Teharessa agreed with Merlin. It was the only sensible place for them to go. Otherwise, they would have heard where she was located earlier. Teharessa’s Forest was in Cornwall and she would have heard it before. It made sense that Morgaine was there. Ahmar met her there more than likely. And why many dark deeds were happening in or near Cornwall.

  “I agree with Merlin and Nimue, It would explain a lot. Cornwall has been the center of many problems lately.” Teharessa was fuming mad at Ahmar. Aine had seen them together. No way could Ahmar lie about it. No way could Morgaine lie about it. Ahmar had betrayed her for the last time he would pay for his treachery!

  Nimue decided that they would follow them to Cornwall. They would end this now. Morgaine was heading to her cave and they needed to get there and finish both her and Ahmar. The dark army had to be defeated as well. From what Aine saw the army was not too big. The Guardians should be able to take care of them. Nimue took a deep breath and said, “Ok we will follow them to Cornwall. We will finish this so that evil does not have a chance to spread pass our borders. Morgaine and Ahmar must die. If they are gone, then their army and plans fall apart. No others will try to start where they failed. Because they will know that an army of light defeated the army of darkness. You have seen what they are capable of. You know why those two have to die.” Nimue looked over at Merlin to see how he was taken the fact that his former love had to die. He looked sad and she felt pity for him. This would be hard for him, but this needed to end.

  The guardians knew that this was the right course of action. Stop it now so they could go back to their lives. They would always come together to fight evil, but they had lives to live as well. The sooner they faced and defeated Morgaine. The sooner they could go back home. Hopefully, they would all make it out alive.

  Nimue took a deep breath and said, “We will go back to Avalon to rest tonight. None of us slept much last night and with the events of today, we are tired. We will eat and rest and set out tomorrow to Cornwall. They are on the run and will not come back here. There is no village left and the people are dead or gone. I will ask the Goddess for guidance on how to finish this. I ask that each of you use your magic and add your own protection spell to fortify the keep. That should keep anyone that means us harm, out.” Nimue once again took the lead and headed back to the boats.

  Once they reached the shores of Avalon, they could relax. They made their way up to the keep. As they entered the great hall, the servants looked up from working. The guardians went to their chambers to clean up themselves for dinner. By the time they went back to the great hall dinner was on the table. They ate and left to get some rest. Everyone was exhausted with a full stomach and in warm beds, it was enough to make anyone fall asleep. Before they went to sleep, they, each added a spell of protection to the isle of Avalon.

  Nimue cast the strongest protection spell she knew and as she laid her head down to sleep, she asked The Goddess to guide her and send her a vision. She implored her to show her how to defeat Morgaine. And the answer to if Morgaine should die or be banished for eternity. She would seek a vision to see which was the best choice.

  CHAPTER 13

  The Mother Goddess did indeed send her a vision that was filled with answers. She knew what was to be done with Morgaine and her Army. While the guardians found sleep at last Morgaine did not, she was thrilled that the last village was now in ruins. Nimue would know by now what had happened. Ahmar had almost killed her, but he had hesitate
d and gave her the opening to cast a spell.

  The light magic was too much for him. Nimue's magic was strong and he was lucky to have made it out alive. They had lost the element of surprise. Morgaine knew that Nimue would be on alert for another attempt. They would all be prepared the next time they met.

  While Ahmar served a purpose, he was sloppy in his approach. No matter… she would use him until he wasn’t needed. Then she would kill him and rule alone. There could be only one ruler in the end. Morgaine would not ever share a throne. Ahmar went to sleep and Morgaine went to plot her next move. She went to the center of the cave. It had a natural basin in the middle of the cave.

  The basin was about three feet across and about one foot deep, Morgaine used it for scrying as well as for other magic. It was currently filled with water. She looked at her reflection in the water. She would make a beautiful queen. The world would bow down to her or they would die. Her vision would come to pass, no way would the light defeat her. Morgaine smiled as she felt that dark feeling creep into her soul, she felt the dark embrace her.

  The morning came and with it came the knowledge that today they would set out for Cornwall. The guardians were sent a message for them to make ready to travel. They would set out once everyone had eaten and gotten ready.

  Nimue decided that his Magical training was complete. She had made the decision once they were back from the battle that Merlin was done with his training, Melusine as well. But she would summon Merlin to give him a gift, she wanted him to have it because he would need it one day.

  Merlin felt a deep sense of pride. He had finished and he was strong in his magic. Nimue had called him to her potion room. She wanted a word with him before they set out for Cornwall. He wondered what was on her mind. He went up the steps that led up to the potion room. The door was closed, and he knocked on the door. The door opened by itself he also knew Nimue’s magic had opened it. He heard her say, “Come in Merlin, I’ve been waiting on you.” Power radiated from Nimue, He felt it as soon as he walked into the potion room. Merlin said, “Sorry my lady, I just got word that you called for me.” Nimue smiled that all-knowing smile, she knew he was nervous. “Merlin, I called you here to give you a gift. You will be its keeper and it will remain with you for the remainder of your life. Out of all my students, you are by far the strongest. This gift needs a person with honor and strong magic to be its keeper. It will be handed down through your bloodline. Only those of your bloodline will be able to wield it and or be its keeper.”

  Merlin was in shock, He already had The Staff of Nuada. Why would she bestow such a gift to him? He wasn’t even sure he was worthy of such a gift. Merlin asked, “Why me? Are you giving gifts to all your students?” Nimue looked at Merlin and saw the shock on his face. She knew a war was now going on and that to fight it, she had to do something. She had again sought a vision and the Goddess showed her that More than Morgaine would be in the fight.

  Morgaine had allies, they would be evil and even though the vision was cloudy, she saw that they would need to protect the Talismans as well as each other. Nimue could not protect them all alone. She had seen that Morgaine would indeed one day be stronger than even her. Her only hope was to put the other talismans in the hands of beings that could wield them and protect them from evil. She had done that and she hoped they would be able to protect them.

  She saw that Merlin would be strong enough to wield and take care of The Wand of Danu. She would cast a spell to bind it to his bloodline. Like she did with the staff. She did not give it to him before because it was a gift from her personally. Merlin or someone of his blood could wield it. He would protect it from Morgaine and anyone else wanting to use it for evil.

  If evil got a hold of The Mystic Talismans, the world would be lost. The talisman had always been kept on Avalon. The only exception was The Club of Dagda, it was a Fae object and had always been kept by the Fae. The Fae had their own rules for its keeper. Teharessa had it in her possession already. Nimue did not think it wise to keep the talismans in one place by herself any longer. The Goddess had shown her the way. She had found keepers to protect them. In doing so, they would not be all together. Except when they came together to fight dark forces. Nimue would keep only Excalibur, the rest she would entrust to their new guardians. They had proved to be worthy.

  Merlin waited to see what the lady would give him. He had a knot the size of a fist in his stomach. He was both proud and scared to be given such an honor. No matter what it was, he would do his best to prove he was worthy of the gift she gave him.

  Nimue went to the back of the room. She pulled open the cabinet that held the various jars of dried herbs used for making potions. The cabinet pulled open away from the wall. Merlin watched as a secret opening was revealed. Nimue reached into the dark void and pulled out a cloth covered object. She closed the secret cabinet door and placed the cloth bundle on the work table. Nimue said, “Come closer Merlin, I want to show you something.”

  She unrolled the cloth to reveal a wand. It was made of wood. It still had the look and feel of the woods natural texture. What made it different was at the tip of the wand was a jewel. Merlin looked closer and saw that it was a garnet, it was set into the tip of the wand. It glowed with a shimmering light that was mesmerizing. He held his breath as she finished unrolling it and placed it on the table. Then she said, “This is the wand of Danu, I have chosen you to be its keeper. The fire within will call to the dragon in you. It is a powerful wand. It is yours to help guide you in your magical life. Just like my mentor gave it to me, I know pass it to you.

  I will link it to your bloodline. The light magic is strong within you and this will keep the magic of the wand loyal to you. The wand is an ancient one…. belonging once to the Goddess Danu. Danu was the mother of the Tuatha De’Danann. They were a race of Fae, wise and powerful in light magic.”

  Merlin could not believe he was being given this honor. He looked up at Nimue and saw the honesty in her eyes. Merlin looked at Nimue took a breath and said, “I pledge to do my best to be worthy of such an honor. I promise to protect it with my life, and I thank you for your belief in me.”

  Nimue knew Merlin would keep his promise. Every wizard or witch needed a wand for magic, it focused their magic. Wands helped in aiming magical power. It guided the magic and helped center the owner of the wand. She performed the ritual with Merlin and the wand was now linked to him and his bloodline. Nimue looked at Merlin and knew she had made a good choice saying, “Now we must make ready to leave Merlin, Go get ready and meet me in the great hall. We will leave as soon as we are all ready.” Merlin had done it, he had finished his training. He went to gather his things and headed for the great hall. This would be the day of reckoning and he hoped they would be successful in their mission.

  CHAPTER 14

  The guardians were all in the great hall, they looked well fed and rested. Nimue could feel the confidence coming from them, they would need all that confidence. The task ahead of them would be difficult and full of danger. Nimue paused and said, “The Goddess granted me a vision as I slept last night. She showed me the cave where Morgaine and her allies are hidden. They are indeed in Cornwall in a cave on the cliffs. The cliffs overlook the sea. We will find them there. I saw Morgaine, she has made a pact with a dark demon. It has granted her strong dark powers. She will not be able to be killed by any of us. The demon gave her powers and her own powers were enhanced. She has the power over all of the elements and the level of destruction she is capable of causing is mind-blowing.”

  The guardians were quiet. Not knowing what to say. Teharessa responded, “What do we do then? We cannot kill her individually, could we do it with combined powers?” Nimue shook her head and said, “The Goddess showed me the way. We must imprison her, she has grown too strong. I saw that she will remain there safely locked away. We are to cast a spell together using all of the talismans to imprison her. We will use her cave to hold her and set a spell to lock her in. She has the power of all elements�
�� But so do we. We will need to use all of our combined magic to power this spell. Then and only then can we lock her away. The rest of her army can be killed.”

  Nimue shared the spell with them, so they knew what needed to be said as they cast the spell. The goddess had revealed the spell to her. It was old magic and when they all chanted the spell in unison, it would set the prison. Nimue did not tell them the rest of the vision. She would record it and leave instructions in case what she saw came to pass. Visions of the future could change, depending on the people involved and the choices made.

  They set off for Cornwall, they had to get there as soon as possible. Morgaine and her army were destroying lives. Winter would be coming soon and the people affected needed to rebuild their homes and lives. They walked to the next village and got horses to take them to the coast. They stopped for the night in a village that was about five miles from the coast. They stayed at the local inn needing the rest. The guardians looked and gave off a powerful aura. The locals at the inn stayed well away from them. The guardians ate in silence for the most part. Choosing to not give away in information the inn was packed with nosy patrons.

  Merlin paid the innkeeper and they went to their rooms. The women shared all shared a room. That left Merlin to stay alone. They set protection spells for the rooms and quickly fell asleep. The dawn came early for the guardians, they got dressed and ate quickly. As they traveled, they saw the villages hit by Morgaine. They needed to get to Cornwall soon, the devastation left by Morgaine and her army was shocking.