Merlin’s eyebrows twitched, and his eyes narrowed for a brief second. It looked like he was going to say something, but instead took a quick swig of alcohol from a flask and continued on. “At the peak of the Information Age, the entire world found itself on the brink of destruction. They had made powerful weapons of war that could wipe out entire cities in seconds and plunge the world into a deadly winter that no season could change. At the same time, people seemed to be at their happiest. There was less need in the world, unless you count their endless fascination with a box of moving pictures and paper currency. Food was in abundance, obesity was on the rise, and starvation was fast seeing its end. The entire globe was connected like never before. You could use devices to talk to someone on the opposite side of the world with a click of a button. There was a global exchange of thoughts and ideas. Powerful machines could span great distances and reunite families long thought lost. Man had spread across the globe but were closer to one another than ever before. That is when Man was at his strongest; yet at his weakest at the same time.”
“A woman named Rachel Emerick journeyed into the Pennines, a forest region that used to occupy a swath of land north of here. It had changed many times in the previous millennium, but the magic still resided there lay dormant; waiting for a time when it was needed again. She went there in search of a book which had lain quietly in its prison for a thousand years. It was a spellbook of pure evil, created when the world was young, and is responsible for millions of atrocities throughout its existence.”
“It was almost destroyed when the great library of Alexandria was burned, but somehow it survived, spirited out of there before the flames could catch it. How or where it went is lost to me, but it eventually found its way to England and was kept in a crypt with other stolen treasures from the East. My guess, the Templars brought it there after they sacked Jerusalem, where it was kept in some monastery basement, waiting for its time to come once more. A young witch named Morgana le Fey retrieved it centuries later and I was forced to intervene before its darkness could consume the world.”
“I swiped the book from her study while she was in the field with her son; gone before she even knew I was there. I helped a band of druids imprison it within the confines of a castle and every magical defense available was employed to keep it there. I thought it forever beyond the reach of Man—I was wrong. Rachel broke through those defenses and seized the book, bringing its evil back into the world once more.”
“It consumed her, and from her ashes rose a monster the likes of which the world had never seen. The castle was turned into a beacon of evil, attracting thousands of followers to its walls to receive her blessing. Mass religious hysteria gripped the land, millions fled to churches, praying to their Gods; sure that Armageddon was finally upon them. Many called her the Antichrist, and for all intent and purposes, that is exactly what she was.”
“Through her followers, she was able to plant seeds of distrust amongst the nations of the world. She used social networking sites and parts of the deep web to spread her tendrils and create chaos across the globe,” Merlin spoke, then paused, “I know you don’t understand everything I’m saying, that is not important. What is, is that you understand the nature of evil that we are facing. And he will lead them, brother against brother—and so it was. Though the gender might have been mistaken, the truth behind Revelations was not. Antichrist, the Beast, it doesn’t matter what they called her, you know her as the Phoenix.”
Goosebumps broke out across his flesh, causing him to involuntarily shiver. Merlin was right, he didn’t understand everything the older man was saying, but the meaning behind his words had not been lost in translation. Willow’s hand tightened on his and he squeezed it to offer what comfort she could.”
“She created false images of people making weapons, WMDs, instigating conflicts against innocent nations. Then she ordered her agents to release viruses upon the world’s population. They polluted the world’s food supply, causing a famine that resulted in the deaths of millions. The nations of the world argued over the validity of the videos but could not come to a consensus in time. Her influence had spread past a breaking point and World War III had already begun. Biological weapons were used, and the world’s leaders sent their nukes in response. Ninety-five percent of the world’s population died from the fires of hell that rained down upon them or the fallout that followed.”
“However, this island was not touched. She wasn’t powerful enough to protect a continent like North America, but the United Kingdom was easily within her grasp. That is what these lands used to be called in an age long lost to history. She prevented the nuclear weapons from destroying this land, to the amazement of the panicked populace; their relief was short lived. Her followers were well placed in high levels of government and the military decimated itself in civil war. Then she created a rift in this dimension and opened a portal to another world. She had been there frequently, supplying and training an army, preparing for an invasion once enough had died to insure her victory.”
“When the rift opened, she sent forth her hordes to enslave what was left of Mankind. Goblins, orcs, jackyls, harpies, and other demons of lore, descended upon London and tore it apart. Man’s weaponry might have been superior, but it was no match against magic, and it shattered the last remnants of the human resistance. Overnight, the government fell. She pronounced herself Queen, taking the throne as the ruler of the world; or what was left of it.”
Kore grunted, red eyes boring into the mage.
“Ah yes, my friend is not particularly fond of this part of history. Yet, what was cannot be rewritten. To do him justice though, the orcs didn’t do any of this of their own free will. They were, and remain to this day, the unwilling slaves to the Phoenix. Driven by demonic forces, whips upon their backs, they have no choice but to continue their existence as the Phoenix’s first slaves. Like Man, Kore hopes to one day achieve freedom for his race.”
“Orcs free or Kore die,” the large warrior responded to the mage’s words.
Merlin nodded as if he had heard it many times before. “Where was I? Oh yes. The darkest part of Man’s history was born on that day. For a thousand years, they served as slaves to her Dark Majesty’s every whim. For the first time in their history, they faced extinction. It was a prospect both new and terrifying to the once proud dominant rulers of the Earth.”
“Then in the year thirty-seventeen, a group of rebels stumbled into the Drago Mountains, two weeks south of here. They fled an army that had been dispatched to quell their little uprising. Miners and workers, their weapons were crude and their hands untrained in their use. Retreating before the massive horde, most died making the treacherous climb to the mountain’s heights.”
“Wyrddlin, the dragon that inhabits those passes, descended upon the approaching enemy hordes. They died by the thousands, the whips of their masters no longer able to push them forward. It didn’t take long for the army to fall into disarray; dragonfire has that effect on people. Those that fled were put to death when discovered, following all those that stayed into the afterlife.”
“In the end, only twelve rebels remained. Hunting for food, they came across a cave that had ancient carvings upon its walls. Unable to make anything of them, they continued their journey into the depths of the caverns, daring to go where no other had for two thousand years. Deep within were several formations of ice, and one amongst them held a human shape; barely discernible through the frosted surface.”
“One of the twelve was a magic user; a druid that had studied the teachings of old, handed down through the ages. Druids had only taken one apprentice at a time to lessen their chances at discovery, as the Phoenix did not suffer any to gain power that could one day threaten her own. The man had sensed magic in use and ordered the others to help search for the ingredients needed to release the person from their icy prison. He worked through the night and when he cast his spell, he finally freed the incarcerated being and returned him to the world of the l
iving. Warmed by the fire, I awoke to a new time; a new age.” He paused, as if reflecting on that moment.
They let him do so in peace; processing all that they’d been told. If he recalled half, it would be an accomplishment. He ate the cooling chili and felt a burn upon his lips. Hastily taking a swig from his canteen, he heard the dwarf laughing at his reaction.
Merlin ignored them as he went on, “freed of my mortal binding, I was no longer confined to the spirit world. I schooled them in Latin, teaching them the writings engraved upon my tomb. I also taught them how to use their weapons and strengthened the young druid’s use of magic. With me by their side, we left the passes in search of others that would take up our cause. Fear of reprisal kept the slaves from quickly joining the rebellion, until they learned that they now had magic on their side was well.”
“We began to engage the enemy whenever it was safe to do so. We were still no match for the larger forces, but we antagonized the lesser ones. We disrupted trade routes, attacked caravans, and decimated smaller regiments as we came upon them. We left no survivors. The Phoenix grew enraged. She knew that they were being given help, but not by whom. Sensing the danger in their successes, she sent the bulk of her forces after the rebels in an effort to stamp out our resistance movement.”
“Our numbers had grown by then and these were no longer frightened slaves with shovels that met the horde on the battlefield. It was a battle tested army with magic users making up for the lack of numbers. The hordes were beaten back by an inspired group of men, fighting fiercely in hand-to-hand combat. The hundreds beat back thousands and their victory gave hope to the other remaining pockets of Man; swelling their ranks.”
“I sensed that others were out there with the gift of magic. Like the druid that had freed me, they had practiced in secret, handing down their knowledge from father to son. While most of the magic in the world had perished after the Arthurian Age, it had been given a rebirth when she opened that rift and unleashed her otherworldly wrath.”
“Undisciplined in its use, I quickly took them under my wing and trained them in the old ways of magic. When I was satisfied in their competency, I dispatched them to the corners of England, to search out other rebellions and help organize them. In three years’ time, the once dispirited broken forms that had slaved in silence for a thousand years fought back against a foe that had no sense of honor, no inspiration, and was pure evil. They won some major victories and drove the hordes north towards the Phoenix’s stronghold.”
“For the first time in a millennium, she tasted fear. She called upon the book’s magic to sweep this rebellion into the ocean but her magic failed. The humans had been joined by the fae, elves, and dwarves, and their magic proved to be a match for hers. She was in unfamiliar territory. She had believed Man broken and brought to heel; her decreased vigilance allowing them to grow in strength beyond her ability to control. It was the most dangerous threat she had ever faced.”
“You admire her,” Willow spoke up, interrupting the tale. She had kept to herself most of the night and he’d thought she’d fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. Now she straightened up and met Merlin’s gaze.
“It’s not admiration. But it is hard not to respect the magic she had to command. The power she controlled was wielded with skill and precision; had there been another like her, you all would have been born into bondage. It is impossible to stand in the face of such magic, whether used for good or evil, and not respect the person controlling it,” he answered. “But,” he said, holding up a finger, “you can be sure of one thing; I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan. I’d never ask her for an autograph.” He broke into fresh laughter and threw another log on the fire.
No one joined him; it had to be an inside joke. The mage’s laughter died off and he took a bite of his chili. His face reddened, and he looked like he was about to spit it back out as he forced it down with a gulp from his flask. “Token, red chilies, really?”
The dwarf held up his own flask with a giant smile and Merlin shook his head in disappointment. Setting down his bowl, he continued. “She was on unsure footing, but despite the odds, she threw herself into battle. For the first time since the Dark Ages began, she personally stepped onto the battlefield and brought her power to bear. Never had so much depended on the outcome of one battle, for this one decided the fate of Man. Extinction or freedom? Magic fought alongside steel and after the longest battle in the history of the world, they finally drove her hordes back.”
“The Phoenix had vanished. Her evil had been purged and Man was able to start anew. The hordes fled into the northern mountains, where any kind of war against them would be drawn out for years; if not decades. The will to fight was sated, the races had won their freedom and decided to let them go.”
“Man began to rebuild from memory the way they thought their world should be. It’s humorous that they returned to aristocracy instead of democracy, but no one could fault them, as they were in undiscovered territory; plunging blindly ahead. As I’ve said, there is a downfall to having so many people making choices for the masses and while I’m all for democracy, sometimes there’s a benefit to decisiveness and quick action instead of long-winded debates. There’s a king in another land discovering this as we speak. Also, I think that after so much time being under someone’s control, they were dependent on having someone telling them how to live. They had been institutionalized.”
“Over the years, I disappeared, withdrawing to my small home to the south. The druids slowly faded as well. Without a leader, most returned home to teach what they knew to the coming generations. I let them go, knowing that when the time came, the magic would still be there. Luckily, the druids have been reborn, the Elves of Forlorn have taken up that mantle and are well-skilled in the use of magic. They have waited for the day when the need would rise once again and have prepared for it well. That time—is now.”
“Another millennium has passed and once again the Phoenix has risen from her ashes. She believes the races have become complacent; that resistance will be light. She is counting on their ignorance blinding them from the truth until it’s too late. Her only hope is a pre-emptive strike; scatter the forces before they can unite. Would the dwarves send help to Forlorn if they came under attack? Why would they sacrifice their homes to save another’s? This is the kind of attitude that the Phoenix is counting on.”
Token grunted and gulped down another swig of his ale, “she’ll regrit toochin’ a fut in uir forest, laddie. Ah guarantee ‘at.”
“When the threat is known, I’m sure that they will act quickly and band together,” he responded, appalled at the idea proposed by the mage. Could self-preservation overrule logic that easily? He had seen the threat and acted, how could they not?
Merlin had been scowling at the drunken dwarf, but now his eyes turned on him. The flames danced around his pupils as he spoke, “a few can act swiftly. Large masses must be slapped in order to respond. They will debate, argue, and they will not come together fast enough to make a difference. They won’t believe they’re in danger until the army is standing at their front gates hammering at the door. That is the mindset of a species at rest. Only when they are bit by a rabid dog do they force themselves into action; even then it’s plagued with reluctance.”
They sat quietly around the fire, each considering the mage’s words from their own unique perspectives. Preik and Windel were no longer in the shadows and had come to sit beside Willow to hear the mage’s tale. They were a symbol of home and upon reflection, he questioned the logic in leaving his people. They might not respect him, but that didn’t change the responsibility he felt for their safety. Even if he was needed elsewhere, his place was by their side. He was leaving them at the mercy of who knows how many of the enemy descending upon them.
“What do we do?” he asked, hoping that it was worth their sacrifice.
“Anything and everything we can to stop the domino of events set in motion by the Phoenix, in hopes that dislodging a few
of the pieces might upset her entire board,” Merlin responded, then paused. He was studying the fire, seemingly fascinated with the flames licking their way over the wood. “We must seek out a talisman from distant past, an icon that will be a beacon to the races, calling for them to unite against their common enemy. An artifact from what was, to save what will be. Even now her minions search it out, knowing that it might rise again and the danger it poses to her plans. For now, time is on our side.” His eyes swept them all, pausing at each face to make sure they appreciated the gravity of the situation. Finally, his cold eyes fell on Tristan and he felt his body tremble, “you must come with me to retrieve Excalibur.”
III
Merlin had risen from the fire and wandered into the woods, refusing to say anything further. They all watched him go, almost afraid to speak.
Token was the first to break the silence as he farted loudly, the flames billowing higher in a flash. “Ah, that’s better.”
“Bloody Dwarves,” Reyna sneered. The black knight was packing her gear and laying out her bedroll. “Going to be a long day tomorrow, best get some sleep,” she told her twin brother, who looked like he was barely holding on. He nodded wearily, and his sister barely had time to throw a pillow under his head before the poor boy was snoring.
Kore had retreated a ways from the group and appeared to be laying down as well. He looked around for the white-haired elf, but Kylee was nowhere to be seen. A howl erupted in the distance and he guessed that she had gone to check on Tuskar. Windel and Preik had withdrawn from the others and were silent sentinels on the group’s perimeter. Token had finished washing his bowl and began stowing his dishes for the morning.
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