by J. M. Briggs
“Okay.” Lance swung his backpack off his shoulder. “Just to be on the safe side I grabbed some flashlights, batteries, granola bars and a couple of whistles.” He opened the backpack and began pulling out the items in question and passing them around. “If we’re lucky the sky will clear a little so we can get some moonlight.”
“Where did you get this stuff?” Alex asked in surprise as she slung the whistle around her neck.
“There’s a sporting store down by the hotel: I went there while Jenny and Nicki got us checked in,” Lance explained with a shrug. “I was a bit surprised there was one here.” He tossed a bottle of water to Bran, who slipped it into his shoulder bag with a smile. “I’ve also got a couple of emergency ponchos and blankets just in case.”
“How long do you think we’ll be out here?” Jenny asked. Her expression was uneasy. “It’s a two-mile hike.”
“Distance changes when you’re talking about a steep climb,” Lance explained. “But look, we stay together and try to stay on the path. If we’re lucky, we’ll find what we came here for quickly. We only have a couple hours of daylight left, but it’s this or waiting until morning.”
Nicki snatched the offered flashlight from his hand but took a bit more care in putting the whistle around her neck. Lance looked a bit uneasy as he shouldered his backpack and looked at the trail head. Alex couldn’t blame him; nothing about this was particularly smart, but it was still early afternoon and they had to try. Glancing towards her one more time, Lance nodded and stepped out onto the trail head to lead the way. He stopped only once more to grab a tall heavy stick off to the side and toss it back to Bran to use instead of his cane.
The trail was still in pretty good shape despite the weather. It was wide and well-trod, following the natural slope of the hills. Trees lined the area to the west of the trail while the open fields with the small stone walls were to their east and Dinas Emrys across the way. Had it not been for the river that cut through the lower area she would have been tempted to run across it, but the steep slopes of the distant hillside also served as a reminder of why that was a bad idea. It was a pity really that they were in such a rush and everyone was moving as fast as they could to get as much out of the daylight at possible. They crossed a small babbling stream, and despite the chill of winter and the lack of green on the hillside, their surroundings really were beautiful, patches of dark rock contrasting with the vegetation.
Twilight fell and the flashlights came out as they were passing over another stream with the sounds of a waterfall thundering down into the valley. The little remaining light cast strange shadows across the trail and the hills that their small flashlights did little to dispel. Time dragged on as they were forced to slow and take more breaks as the danger of accidents became all too real. No one was talking except in low whispers, and Alex kept reminding herself that wild predators like wolves and bears were extinct in Wales. Alex couldn’t ignore the way that shadows seemed to jump around them as the last rays of the sun vanished and left them alone in the dark.
“God I hope there aren’t any more Sídhe around here,” Nicki muttered behind her. Alex nodded in agreement.
“Easy guys,” Lance called from the front, “We’re doing okay.”
“Bran,” Jenny asked in a soft voice. “How are you doing?”
“I’m still here,” Bran answered in a tight voice. “But I’m considering using magic to help me,” he admitted with an exhausted sigh.
“You have telekinesis right?” Jenny questioned, a note of disbelief still ringing in her voice. “Then you should.”
“We have limited magic,” Bran said, sounding pained. “When we get to the main part of Dinas Emrys… maybe.”
“Then start.” Lance shined his light on a small trail sign. “Cause we’re officially on the hillside now.” He turned and shifted his light so his features were illuminated. “Now I know you mages really want to find this thing, but if you need to stop then stop. We’ve got blankets and water: it won’t be pretty but we could take shelter in the ruins up here if need be.”
“We’ll tell you if we need to stop,” Nicki promised, her flashlight beam already shining on the path ahead. “But please, let’s keep moving.”
Lance shook his head, a weary and worried sigh escaping him, but he turned and began to lead the way up the slope of the hill. A soft sound of pain escaped Bran and Alex began to turn around. Then there was a flash of yellow magic that spun off of Bran’s hand and shimmered around his leg.
“Are you trying to levitate?” Nicki asked eagerly.
“No.” Bran laughed a little. “Nice idea, but there’s a lot of hill to go for that. I’m just trying to ease the strain on my brace a bit.” He sighed and started walking again, a faint glow of yellow magic around his leg. “That’s a bit better; I’ll be alright.”
Turning back towards the path with a nod, Alex nibbled at her lip. She wondered if they should have told Bran to stay in town; he could have kept doing research, but if this wasn’t the place then they’d need his visions. The knot of frustration was back in Alex’s shoulder, even stronger than before, making every step ache. Exhaustion was beginning to make her body feel heavy and awkward. It was getting hard to feel her feet between the cold, the slush and the layers of mud caking over them.
Parts of the hillside were solid rock, while the rest was forested all the way up the summit. The soft dusting of snow did nothing for traction and the group had to give each other plenty of room for flailing about. Lance led them up the hill slowly, finding them good footholds or sturdy branches to hold for balance and illuminating them with his light. It was a constant process of finding a path, stopping and illuminating it for the next person. Alex was behind Lance with Bran and Jenny next and Nicki bringing up the rear. Yet they kept moving, and Alex kept focusing on how Lance was climbing to keep her mind from wandering to uncomfortable places. Over their heads, the clouds cleared away and the moon, which was a little over half visible, appeared. Silvery light illuminated the hillside a little more and Alex could see Lance’s shoulders relax a little.
Alex lost track of the time as she focused on putting one foot safely in front of the other. Her feet and legs were aching from the incline and frequent stops to check on the others. She thought she could see the summit of the hill up ahead of them, and Lance stopped to shine his light on what looked like part of an old wall. A sudden breeze ripped through the thinning trees and her teeth chattered loudly. Then as the wind died down she heard the soft chime of a bell. It was low and soft but echoed in her ears with a sweet high note. Blinking her eyes, Alex looked around for any sign of a camp where another group might be, but the only lights she could see were their own. She followed Lance up a few more steps only for the chime to reach her ears again. This time she stopped and shined her flashlight around in the trees.
“What is it?” Bran asked, giving her a worried look even as he panted softly.
“It’s a bell, I think,” Alex said. The soft chime echoed around them once more. “Can you seriously not hear it?” Spinning around, Alex searched the hillside for any sign of a bell only to get blank looks from the others. “It’s there, I swear!”
“Calm down Alex,” Nicki ordered, reaching out and grabbing her arm. “Take a breath.”
“Nicki I swear-”
“We believe you,” Bran cut in quickly, reaching up to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “You’re hearing a bell?” he asked as he began to dig into his bag. Bran shoved the bottle of water at Alex who took a tentative sip. “I think that was in the book.” He pulled out the guide book and Nicki stepped up behind him, shining her flashlight down at the pages. “Okay, on the page for Dinas Emrys there is a reference to a local legend that Merlin hid a treasure in a hidden cave.” Bran moved his lips as he silently read something, and even in the low light, she could see his eyes widening. “And when the right person comes, someone with blonde hair and blue eyes, they will hear a bell and be lead to the hidden cave.”
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��Or maybe gray eyes,” Jenny offered. “Close enough.”
Alex heard the chime again and turned towards the left where it seemed to be coming from. Licking her lips, Alex took a careful step off the path and shined her light in the direction of the sound. She heard the others move behind her and a large hand caught her shoulder to keep her still.
“Let me go first,” Lance suggested next to her as he came around her side. “There’s no path here.” Snow slushed beneath his feet and mud squished as he took another step. His light swept the side of the hill, but there was no sign of a cave. “Nothing.”
Alex heard the chime again. “There it is again!” She looked hopefully out into the darkness. “I’m not sure how far.”
“Yeah, okay,” Lance conceded as he gestured to Alex to step forward. “But be careful: this slope hasn’t been cleared as a trail.”
The ringing got louder and louder as they moved along the hillside. Jenny slipped twice and Bran had to be helped down a particularly uneven and wet drop. Lance was making worried sounds about them getting back on the trail, but Alex was finding it hard to focus on anything but the chiming sound that seemed to be echoing in her head. Stumbling forward as another chime rang somewhere very close, Alex completely ignored Lance trying to grab her arm. Thankfully her feet didn’t slip in the mud as she rushed forward to the source of the ringing.
Except that it was a patch of dark, exposed stone with only a few plants scattered about a handful of trees on the slope below Alex. Thankfully, the small trail widened in front of the patch of stone, and a few large and jagged rocks provided the space with some protection from the night wind. Alex’s feet crunched the patches of snow into the ground as she studied the stone.
“Alex?”
“It’s… it’s through here.” Alex reached out a hand to touch the stone quickly. She pulled her hand back right away, but nothing happened. The others came down onto the small ledge, crowding around Alex with looks of confusion. Taking off her right glove, Alex tentatively touched the stone again, but nothing happened. “Right here,” she said.
“So what now?” Jenny asked as she touched her hand to the solid stone side of the hill. “Do you think you’re supposed to do something magical to unlock it?”
“Speak friend and enter,” Nicki said. She came up around Alex and tapped at the stone with a suspicious look. “I don’t know, maybe try to use magic to shift the rock.”
“I’m not so good at the elemental stuff,” Alex admitted with a grimace, looking at the stone wall doubtfully even as the chime once again seemed to echo out of it.
“Maybe any kind of magic will do,” Bran suggested. Alex glanced over at him where he was all but collapsed against the rocky wall. “You know if done by the Iron Soul. Just try something.”
They were all looking at her expectantly with flashlights both on her and the wall. Her own hand tightened around her flashlight to keep from shaking until Nicki reached over and tugged on it. Alex forced her fingers open and allowed Nicki to take the light, catching a glimpse of Nicki’s expectant expression. Looking back at the stone, Alex considered it carefully. She had to admit that it did sort of seem like a wall, even if it blended in with the surroundings. Touching it again, Alex leaned against it, but it seemed solid enough.
“Just give it a try,” Jenny whispered. “Something small to see if it recognizes your power.”
“I’m still wondering who set all this up,” Alex said. “I mean, Morgana said that Galath hid the Chalice, but he was Gofiben’s brother and not a mage, so how?” She looked back at the wall now, feeling confused. “How could a magical lock have been created? Bran was dead and so was Gofiben.”
“We won’t find that out without getting inside,” Bran pointed out, leaning heavily on his cane.
Nodding, Alex closed her eyes. She could feel the spark of magic growing stronger as she pulled on her it, but the nervous flutter in her stomach was hard to ignore. The ringing sound still echoing in her head wasn’t helping either. Alex licked her lips and swallowed. This shouldn’t be harder than fighting a Sídhe in battle or destroying an insane Old One, and yet it felt like it was.
She pulled harder on the magic and sighed in relief as the warm tingling rush began to spread through her chest and down her arms. Her legs felt a bit stronger and the aches eased as the magic made its way to her fingertips. Opening her eyes, Alex looked down at her hands and watched as the dark silver sparks began to manifest. They glittered in the light of the moon and the flashlights, swirling around her fingers and waiting for instruction. Reaching out, Alex set her palm flat against the rock letting the magic brush across the cold stone. A hiss escaped her and she shivered at the sudden icy feeling spreading up her arm. It was a little too familiar, reminding her of her brush with death. Alex bit her lip and commanded the magic into the rock, forcing it to sink deeper into the stone.
It seemed to warm up beneath her fingers and take on a soft gray glow, though Alex wasn’t certain if that was her or the moonlight. Still, nothing happened. Alex could feel the eyes of the others on her and hear the chiming of the bell in her head. It was becoming infuriating: the constant sound was almost taunting her. Holding back a groan, Alex pulled at her magic and shoved it into the stone. Beneath her hand, the wall vibrated, and Alex almost jumped as she felt feedback from her own magic.
She reached out and tugged at the magic a little uncertainly only to see the stone in front of her tremble and shift, creating a small hole. It didn’t go all the way through, but focusing on it Alex told herself to ignore the bell and willed the hole to go deeper. The rock shifted again, almost looking like ice melting under hot water as it rippled away from the point. Alex couldn’t see anything through the wall, but carefully slid her hand up to it and slipped in a finger. There was stone around her finger, but then she felt air at the tip of her finger. A soft gasped escaped Alex and she pulled out her finger, reaching out to trace the faint streams of her magic that she could feel in the rock. Closing her eyes she could almost see them as glistening strands running through the rock, just waiting for her.
Alex grasped at the magic and imagined the stone shifting all the way so there was a hole big enough to step through. She envisioned it melting away to leave them a path into the hollow space beyond it. A strange rumbling noise made Alex open her eyes right before the stone wall slipped away under her hand sending her tumbling forward into the new opening. She hit the ground with a soft huff, her wrists protesting the fall and her knees aching. Groaning, she started to get up only to stop as the rumbling ceased, and she realized that she was inside the hillside with moonlight spilling in behind her.
“Well,” Nicki chuckled as she helped Alex to her feet. “Merlin didn’t exactly open the door, but close enough.”
There was a long path of dark rock stretching out in front of them, rough and shimmering in the glow of their flashlights. Up ahead it opened up with a strange mound of rock blocking their view. Alex was unsure about how far down the hill they’d ended up but took a cautious step forward. The tunnel didn’t provide much space above their heads, but it was wide enough that they could almost go two by two. Inhaling carefully, Alex tested the air only to discover that it smelled a bit sweet rather than stale. This place wasn’t natural at all.
Everyone was quiet with a charged sense of excitement hanging around them. Her heart was pounding with the growing certainty that they were finally in the right place. Alex forced back the sense of relief trying to flood her system, reminding herself that they didn’t have the Iron Chalice yet. As they walked forward, with Alex leading the way, the beam of her flashlight caught on something metal, and Alex gasped softly and picked up the pace only to freeze as she reached the end of the tunnel.
The rock floor continued in a rough half-circle shape into an empty space where Alex could see nothing, like a balcony off a cliff with no railings. Alex raised her flashlight off the floor and back to the mound of rock she’d noticed earlier. It was a rough, raised area like a ped
estal carved out of the cavern. Alex’s heart raced as she looked at the two items on it: an old skull stripped bare by time with its teeth still firmly in place and a rusting chalice. As Alex stepped forward, her eyes lingered on the chalice and she swallowed thickly.
It was, in truth, more of a small, deep cauldron on a thick stand. The bowl was a little larger than her hands cupped together would have been and almost as deep as her fist. The chalice was very plain, save for a small band of iron wrapped tightly around the joining between the bowl and stand. Leaning forward, Alex gasped softly as she made out the shape of the triskelion engraved in the metal. This was the Iron Chalice, but it was rusting with flecks of red showing along the rim rather than the magical item untouched by time that Alex was expecting.
“Thank god it’s been sealed underground.” Bran carefully came up beside her. “But Cathanáil wasn’t rusted, right?”
“No, it wasn’t,” Alex agreed uneasily. “But Cathanáil was with Cyrridven, so her magic might have kept the magical protection against rusting active longer.”
“Okay, we’ve got the Chalice!” Jenny was clutching at the rocky wall with an almost panicked expression as she eyed the empty space below them. “Let’s go then,” she hissed.