I remembered coming home from school; Ryker and I had gone to a Mythos high school near our houses then. As I entered the house, I remembered feeling like something was off, like something dark was there. My mother stood in the middle of the kitchen, holding a large chef knife between her and my father. My father, not seeing me, grabbed her wrist, popping the knife out of her hand and then turning her to clasp a set of handcuffs on her wrists behind her back. I lunged to stop him, but he used magic against me, holding me back with a barrier. I fought against it as hard as I could, but I wasn’t that powerful yet.
I had to watch as he basically arrested my mother, leading her out of the house. I followed and saw him put her in the car. Ryker and his father were outside as well. Whitney held back his son as Ryker tried to save my mother as well. There was nothing either of us could have done, and neither one of us understood what had happened. All I knew was that my mother was defending herself against my father and then he got the upper hand and sent her to that place.
“When your father came home,” She started again, “I don’t remember much, as it gets mixed up.” She tapped her head, “But I thought. . . I thought he was a demon or something and tried to attack him. He fought me off. Grabbing me, he asked me what the hell I was doing and then I had a bit of clarity and was able to tell him what I had done. I had given the last of my sanity to save my sons. I had asked him to bring me to the facility before I lost control again. Apparently, I did, but I don’t remember that.” I couldn’t even stream words together. My father had never told me any of this. Instead, he just let me blame him.
“Has he visited you?” She then asked.
“You already asked that.” I shrugged.
“No, the other one.” She gave me a long look. “The one that I saw that day.” I didn’t understand what she meant.
“Mom, I encountered the old man with the white beard and hair,” I explained.
“That wasn’t the right one.” She then replied. “He should come to you soon, it’s almost time.” I figured this was part of her crazy ramblings, so I just nodded and pet her hand.
“Ryker, I want to see her before I go.” Constance then said. Ryker gave her a long look, as we both knew what she meant. He stared at me for a moment and then went to the window. Though it was sealed, Ryker was able to shove it open with his knight strength and then held his hand out into the night sky.
“She might not come to this call,” Ryker warned her.
“She will,” Constance replied.
I felt her before I saw her. The magic streaked across the area. Excalibur landed in Ryker’s outstretched hand, glowing bright with red and gold magic as if she was showing off for my mother. Ryker brought the sword in and held it out for my mother to see.
“Oh, she is the most beautiful girl in the world.” She sighed, looking over at the sword. The sword glimmered.
“She knows it too.” Ryker let out a weak laugh.
“So my king, tell me about your quest.” Constance then said. Ryker lowered the sword and gave her a look of confusion.
“What quest?” He asked.
“Your quest to heal time,” Constance replied, turning her head to look at Ivy again. She was standing behind me, keeping mostly to herself. I appreciated her silent support.
“I don’t understand.” Ryker shook his head.
“You will,” Constance said, keeping her eyes on Ivy.
“You know she is the key to the Codex.” Constance then said to me.
“Who?” I asked. I had no idea she even knew about the Codex.
“You need to summon the Codex, Owen, promise me.” She gripped my hand with more strength than I thought her capable of.
“I promise.” I nodded. “I have the cookies I just don’t have the magic or whatever,” I explained.
“Yes you do, you just have to be open to the knowledge,” Constance replied. That was the second time someone had said that to me.
Ryker went back to the window and told Excalibur to go home. The sword flew from his hand, back to the greenhouse in Virginia. We sat for about half an hour, talking to my mother about our lives and how Ryker became king. She listened to the entire story of how Excalibur went to Ryker to save Ivy and how he killed Colonel Charlemagne.
“The world is about to change, boys.” She said in a low, sad voice. Then she gasped, launching into another coughing fit. The monitors started beeping as her vitals dropped.
“Mom!” I shouted. She grabbed my arm with a firm grip and pulled me down to her.
“Accept the knowledge, promise me.” She said in a weak, raspy voice.
“I promise.” I nodded. Then with that, she gasp one last breath of air.
The nurses and doctors came rushing in. Someone pulled me out, but I was too numb to notice. She was gone. I could see it. The energy had left her body with a blue flash. Someone was shouting.
“Owen.” Ivy had me against the wall in the hallway, her green eyes shimmering with magic. She was using magic to still me. Was I the one that had been shouting.
“My mom.” I felt my voice crack, and she nodded.
I collapsed against her, and she hugged me tightly, rubbing my back and whispering soothing words. My cries were ugly and deep as I held on to my friend for support. By the time I got myself under control, about half an hour had passed, and the doctors and nurses walked out of the room with dark faces. One of the doctors went to us.
“I’m sorry. We did everything in our power, but she was gone before we got there.” He explained. I shook my head, not wanting to believe it. For some stupid reason, I always thought she would get better. Sure she was a little loopy now, but I knew I had the magic to save her.
Ryker, upon hearing the words of the doctor, stormed out of the ICU. He needed a minute, which was just his way. Ivy stayed with me, holding my arm close to her as if she was trying to cradle me. The hospital staff ushered us into a conference room until my father could arrive and we could start the processing and funeral arrangements. I wanted nothing to do with this. I just wanted to get out, to leave.
I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them. I was no longer in the hospital. In fact, I was far away deep in the forest somewhere. It was dark, but I couldn’t hear any cars or any sign of civilization. I used my magic to adjust my eyes, seeing the forest clearly around me. A figure stood in the shadows. My heart thudded in my chest. I had no idea where I was, and I had just lost my mother.
Morgana stepped around from the tree. I don’t know why, but seeing her made my emotions release. She caught me as I collapsed against her, sobbing into her small shoulder. She smelled like patchouli, which had become a soothing scent for me. Hushing me, she rocked her body, cradling my head against her.
“My poor sweet Emrys.” She muttered against my ear.
After a moment, I was able to pull myself together and take a step back.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Not far from them.” She replied. “I felt her energy leave.” I nodded, the tears pressuring behind my eyes again.
“Why did you summon me here?” I demanded after a moment. I needed to be there with my mother.
“To protect you, my sweetling.” She gestured to me. Looking down my magic had manifested with the loss of control. Thick blue tendrils wafted around me. I released a deep breath. Had I started to show it at the hospital?
“I’m also here on a mission,” Morgana said after a moment. “Constance made me promise that when her time was up, I would give this to you.” She handed me a plain white envelope. It was thick with paper inside.
“I’m going to send you back now, keep a hold of yourself.” She said.
“Wait, when are you coming back?” I demanded. I had felt so lost since she left.
“When it is my time.” She replied and then raised her hand to me, palm out.
I found myself in a deserted men’s bathroom. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a long moment and then tore open the envelope. Inside were sev
eral sheets of stationery paper. The top sheet was a letter written in my mother’s loopy handwriting.
My dearest Owen,
If you are reading this then I am gone, the universe has welcomed me back home with open arms. I do not want you to be sad, though I’m sure you will be. Just don’t be sad for too long. You are my brightest star, my best accomplishment, and I will give everything to you that I can. As I write this, you are asleep in the crib, but I am sure by now you are nearly a grown man. I can’t wait to see the type of man and warlock you will be. A great one, I’m sure. As you probably know by now, you are the only Emrys since Merlin to have both of his powers. There is a reason for that, one that I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. I want you to know that you and Ryker and Ivy will have terrible and impossible tasks ahead of you. Ryker must stay open to the universe, as you must remain open to knowledge. Ivy has the most impossible task, as she is time and space itself, a true priestess of the universe.
I love you, more than you can imagine. We will do everything in our power to get the three of you ready, and I just hope it is enough.
Don’t be sad my sweet boy, as I will be watching out for you.
Mom.
I read the letter over and over again, trying to find the answer she was giving me. Open to knowledge? What did that mean? The old man had said the same thing, but I didn’t know what it meant. I was open to knowledge, I loved learning and experimenting with magic, how could I get any more open than that?
“Dude, you can’t just fucking disappear.” Ryker stormed into the bathroom. I looked up, and Ivy was staring at me through the bathroom mirror. With a small smile, she disappeared, the mirror turning back into a reflection.
I handed him the letter. As he read it, I looked over the other papers. They were magical diagrams for a spell. She had detailed instructions on the drawing of the circle, the items around it, and the words used, but she didn’t say what it was for.
“How did she know about Ivy?” Ryker asked, lowering the paper and looking at me.
“What?” I asked.
“She says here that you’re in your crib as she writes this, but then she mentions Ivy, by name. How did she know about her?” Ryker demanded. I shrugged, unable to answer the question. My mother was a priestess of the universe, and the energies let her see things that had not happened yet or that were happening in a different place and time. That was part of what drove her insane, she saw too much for a mere mortal to handle.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked after a moment.
I didn’t want to talk about funeral arrangements and delivering her body. I knew my father would hold her funeral in Virginia and so my presence was no longer needed there. I just wanted to leave.
“Alright, I’ll get Ivy and meet you at the car.” Ryker nodded and then stormed out to fulfill his new mission.
I stood there for a moment, collecting my thoughts. I was devastated that I had lost my mother that night, but I also didn’t feel the gaping emptiness that I thought I would once she was gone. In truth, she had been gone for over two years now. I would miss her, and the pain would last for a while, but she had gone in peace and wished me to do the same. Inhaling a deep breath, I left the bathroom and met Ryker and Ivy at the car. Ryker was crouched down between the vehicles, peering around the bumper of a pickup parked next to us. Ivy was already in the car, keeping her head down.
“What’s happening?” I asked, crouching down next to him.
“Our fathers.” Ryker whispered. Sure enough, both of our fathers emerged on the path leading from the parking lot to the hospital. They both looked sad and a little worn. Seeing my father again, in this new light, brought on so many emotions I couldn’t decipher them. Tugging on Ryker’s arm, I opened the car door and took my seat.
Ryker got in the car, and we just started driving. No one said anything as Ryker entered the interstate, going south through New Jersey. I supposed he was taking us home, but I didn’t really care enough to ask. As we drove through the night and into the early morning hours, we were all lost in thought. Eventually, Ivy lost the battle and passed out on the back seat. Ryker reached back and covered her with his jacket.
As the sun came over the horizon, we had crossed the Virginia state line. I had no idea how Ryker was still awake, but he was, his face masked with determination as he drove us home.
“Did you understand any of that?” Ryker asked in a low, quiet voice. I knew what he was speaking of.
“A little.” I shook my head. My mother’s final ramblings had swirled around in my mind all night.
“What do you think she was talking about?” Ryker asked. I couldn’t believe he needed it spelled out for him. Ryker was always dumb like that though. When the answer wasn’t clear, he would often flounder.
“I don’t know how this escaped your attention, but don’t you think it’s a little weird that you are the first Pendragon to find Excalibur since Arthur, and I’m the first Emrys to have all of Merlin’s powers, and not to mention just Ivy’s existence.” I pointed out. “All twelve Knights of the Round Table are in our generation. Among them, we have the first female knight, one that has broken world records for strength, and many other specials. We have the fairies of old legacy, including Nimueh, and a two-thousand-year-old-warlock is stalking us. Put that all together and that only means one thing.” I explained.
“The universe is preparing for something,” Ryker muttered.
“What do you mean about Ivy’s existence?” He then asked. I suppose I had never told him the story that I had read in Morgana’s book earlier that semester. I leaned back in my seat, peering over my shoulder to make sure Ivy was still asleep.
“Once upon a time Morgana, Merlin, and Arthur were all the best of friends.” I started. Ryker rolled his eyes, as he had heard that part. “Over the years, Morgana got into a bad crowd with her sister and dark evil magic consumed her.” Again this was nothing new. “After Arthur and Merlin had defeated her and Morgose, Morgana begged Merlin for forgiveness.” I paused to emphasise the new part, “Merlin offered her a chance for atonement. He would grant her immortality if she served in the best interest of humans and Mythos alike. He told her, she would never have a legacy and would never have children because of how the universe balances immortals, but she could live on and help the future Pendragon and Emrys generations in atonement.”
“Alright, then what happened?” Ryker asked.
“Then, about forty-five years ago, she had a romance with an unnamed human man and out popped Helena. Morgana was shocked but loved her human daughter and was thankful that the universe had given her such a gift, after all of these years. Then Helena grew up and got herself pregnant.”
“Ivy.” Ryker nodded.
“Ivy’s not supposed to exist,” I said to Ryker. I had to lay this stuff out for him because of his newness with communing with the universe. He didn’t feel it like I did when she was around.
“What?” Ryker demanded.
“Morgana admitted it, herself, in her book.” I further explained. “Morgana was never meant to have children, and the fact that she had a human child was a miracle. Then Helena married a human man and had a baby. Morgana expected their child would also be human and the Le Fay line would die there. The universe had given her a child and had started to let her age because it had finally forgiven her for what she had done. But then the night Ivy was born . . .” I trailed off, unable to grasp what I had read as well. “Morgana said it was like birthing a new star. Helena nearly died, and if Morgana had not been there to keep her infused with magic, she would have. Bringing Ivy into the world was not a work of the universe, but rather, of Morgana. Ivy wouldn’t have survived birth if it hadn’t been for her.”
Ryker stared out the windshield, his face looked like it was set in stone. I didn’t know how much more he could take this week, but he was still standing. He didn’t even look tired as the sun rose higher and higher over the horizon.
“So, from what I can infer from
the weird and rambling clues we have gotten. Ivy being born has set off a course of events that were never supposed to take place. We are in an entirely different timeline then we were supposed to be because of her. So all the seers and priestesses of the universe are grasping at straws for what will happen next. No one knows, and that has incited some real fear.” I explained further.
“So when Charlemagne called Ivy an abomination.” Ryker trailed off.
“He wasn’t exactly wrong.” I finished.
“Is that what you think the cult is about, trying to kill Ivy to fix this timeline problem?” Ryker asked.
“That, and something else. I’m not sure what it is though, but I know they serve someone.” I replied.
“We don’t tell Ivy this,” Ryker said after a moment. I glanced over at Ivy’s sleeping face.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Imagine someone telling you that you were never meant to be born and that you fucked the events of the universe around you. That’s not something that anyone needs to hear.” Ryker replied. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was right. Ivy would find out one day, but it wouldn’t be today.
“I can’t believe mom is gone,” I said after a moment. Ryker glanced over at me.
“It sounds odd, but I actually feel okay with it. She has suffered for so long.” He muttered. Sometimes my meathead knight friend could show a lot of depth.
I had to agree with him that she was better off now, wherever she was. When a member of Mythos dies, it is believed, that the soul is reborn, but there were so many dimensions and times that it was impossible to tell where a person ended up. I just hoped that in this next life she knew peace and happiness.
“If Ivy wasn’t meant to exist, then what does that mean about us?” Ryker asked after a moment. I knew it had taken him a ridiculous amount of effort and courage for him to ask, so I withheld the smartass comment I had on standby. Instead, I told him the truth, as I saw it.
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