Merlin's Kiss

by Stephanie Burke

  "Tool? Shed? What does that have to do with Arthur?"

  "Do I have to spell it out for you? The man was a buffoon! He was a fool in king's clothing! He was an idiot, a nincompoop, and an addelpated lack-wit! Understand that, Woman of Legend?"

  These words caught Brieana by surprise and cause Kerian to break into one of his uncharacteristic smiles. Glancing at him, she saw a pleased expression cross his face. Why would he smile at the denouncement of Arthur? He really was looking mighty pleased with himself.

  "But I thought Merlin was guiding him?" she added, not really wanting to defend Arthur but feeling a little loyalty to him.

  "A stupid oaf leading another stupid oaf!" she growled with disgust. "They were two of a kind! Arthur screwed his sister and had a son while Merlin was too busy playing mystic to keep his pet on a short leash!"

  "What?" Brieana blanched at the thought. "Arthur did not have a sister, I think."

  "He did and boy did he! Can't blame the fool though. She was pretending to be someone else. But if he thought with his head instead of his…other head, a lot of trouble could have been avoided!"

  "But what does that have to do with me?" Brieana asked. This Lady spoke in circles and riddles she could not string together into one cohesive thought.

  "Learn something, Brieana of Belfore. Take a lesson from Kerian here. Heed his counsel but pay more attention to his actions; then you might be able to control the sword's power."

  "But Lady…" Brieana began, but the Lady cut her off.

  "Take this ring, Brieana of Belfore. I spared your mate and your winged guardian. You owe me one!"

  "But it was you who endangered them in the first place! And I owe you one what?"

  "Technicalities!" The Lady brushed off her complaint and waved a hand at Brieana. "Trifles, Woman of Legend. You owe me a favor for sparing the Warlord and the Flying Rat. I sense you will need me in the future and this is a handy way to keep in touch with you!"

  A gold ring, encrusted with sapphires, flew from the waters of the lake. In slow motion, it floated over to Brieana and hovered above her head. The large jewel in the center winked as it caught the morning sun. This was a ring like no other! Its braided gold strands glinted brightly as it waited.

  Brieana slowly reached out her hand and the ring floated down to rest against her palm.

  "Wear it in good health!" the Lady cried as she turned and began to walk back towards the solitary waters of her enchanted lake.

  "But what about the sword?" Brieana called out as she watched the Lady enter the water and began to slowly disappear.

  "Do I have to tell you how to do everything? Pick it up! And remember to observe your mate. He is wise beyond his imaginings and you can learn a lot from one such as he for your mentor."

  Together, Brieana and Kerian watched as the blue Lady slowly sank from view.

  "The Lady has style," Kerian said at last when the lake was free from every bubble of her passing.

  "She has something," Brieana muttered as she slipped the ring on her right index finger.

  "So pick up your sword and let us be on our way, Woman of Legend. We have a quest to complete."

  "But we completed it!" Brieana cried in some delight.

  "We have Excalibur! But the quest is not complete until we return to the point of origin. In this instance, until we return to Mirage."

  Brieana nodded and reached towards the sword then pulled her hand back.

  "I'm almost afraid to touch it," she laughed as she tried to work up the nerve to grasp her future.

  "Courage, My Lady!" Kerian urged, his face showing understanding. "You must retrieve your destiny now."

  Nodding, Brieana again reached for the sword. Again she stopped and nervously wiped her hands against the material of her green leggings. Then, again smiling to Kerian, she reached out and her fingers gently caressed the hilt.

  Undeniable power dwelled there! With cautious fingers, she reached and carefully explored the bronze handle. It felt warm and strong to the touch.

  "It feels like you, Kerian!" she exclaimed before a gentle blush filled her face.

  "I thank you for the compliment, Lady. Now take your gift and let us go!"

  Smiling at Kerian and still holding his gaze, she grasped the sword hilt in her strong hands and tugged it free of the earth.

  It sang to her! Joy filled her being as she held the sword. This mystical magical sword. It felt as light as a feather in her hand, perfectly balanced and weighted. It felt like an extension of her arm, yet she felt it was holding something back.

  "It feels odd," she finally said after puzzling over this for a few moments. "Kerian, it feels like something is missing!"

  "Well, the Lady said you're not yet quite ready," he said, trying to comfort her. "Perhaps the answer will come to you on the way home. As I have said, a quest is not complete until you journey back to your place of origin."

  She nodded her understanding as she brought the sword low to her side.

  "Then let us be off, Mighty Warlord, lest I will be tempted to have my way with you on the bedrolls!"

  Kerian laughed at her and he took her free hand and guided her to their small camp. "Any more ‘way having,’ and you'll be walking back to Mirage! You'll be too sore to ride back."

  They both snickered over his jest as they packed up their meager possessions in anticipation of the journey home.

  The unicorns were unusually docile as Kerian loaded their saddles and belongings. Blaze merely snorted at the man who climbed upon her back and Magic did nothing at all.

  "Strange unpredictable beasts," Kerian muttered as he guided Blaze back into the Forbidden Forest.

  "Speaking of unpredictable beasts," Brieana said as she followed closely on Magic. "Where is Zorn?"

  "I have no idea, but you can be sure the youthling will find us when it is mealtime!"

  * * * * *

  "Chicken, hunt, must I!" Zorn growled as he stalked the elusive talkative birds. "Hungry, am I and privacy, the human's must have!"

  He had been tracking a gaggle of the tasty feathered delights since last night and now his stomach was growling loudly, protesting its empty state.

  Paying no attention to his surroundings—he could always track Kerian and Brieana by thought later—he continued on his quest. A quest for food.

  Laying close to the moist ground, Zorn crawled across the forest floor. With his wings furled tightly across his back, he slithered as quietly as he could along the trail of Y-shaped footprints and the pungent smell of feathers.

  The Sage Chickens were smart birds, so catching one required stealth and skill. All of which he possessed in abundance, or so he believed whenever he reflected on his job as protector of the Woman of Legend.

  Spotting a chicken preoccupied with scratching several feet in front of him, Zorn called on the legendary skills of the drackoon and eased his way towards his easy meal. Closer he came to it, his heart pounding faster as he struggled to control his excited breathing. Two yards, one yard, one foot, then…

  "Well, what have we got here?"

  The voice was loud and unfamiliar! So was the scent!

  Zorn jerked his head up and saw several armed men slowly entering the area, clinging to trees and crouching low to the ground.

  With a squawk, the chicken disappeared through the underbrush, leaving Zorn to stare in wonder as these fighters approached.

  "It's a purple chicken!" one exclaimed, as he emerged from the shadows to Zorn's right. "A big purple chicken!"

  "No," cried another voice, as it seemed to float up from the very earth. "It's a bird! A purple bird already plucked and ready for the spit! You can see it is gutless!"

  Gutless! That angered Zorn, causing him to rise to his full height, thrusting out his chest and growling low in his throat.

  "It's not gutless," another voice to his right laughed. "It's dinner! I wonder what it tastes like?"

  Zorn crouched low, ready to attack and defend himself, when a new voice interve
ned.

  "That is enough!" The voice echoed from above, filling the small area with its chilling tones. "We have work to do, and playing the bully is not what we are here for!"

  Gently as a cloud moving through the air, a tall figure floated to the ground, iridescent wings fully extended, dark hair wafting in the breeze.

  The others backed off as this new arrival gently landed on his feet, knees bent, and turned his piercing, pale green eyes to Zorn.

  "This is what holds your attention? This little youthling?"

  Slowly he rose to his full height, a gentle wind rustling through the leaves and pressing his dark pants and shirt to his chest, exposing a strong agile frame.

  Zorn hissed at the man! Show off! He could fly and land just as gently, yet he did it with style! This creature had a ways to go before he could match the grace of a drack in flight!

  "What are your orders?" he rapped out in an authoritative voice.

  "Ambush the Warlord," one soldier muttered, casting a chilling glance in the newcomer's direction. "Take his sword and look for the sword from the supposed Woman of Legend."

  "You have a problem, Cran?" he purred as he read hatred in the other's eyes.

  Ambush the Warlord? What was going on here? No one knew they were journeying into the forests for the sword! No one that is, except for Shala! Zorn thought to himself.

  Pivoting on his heel, Zorn made to dash back into the woods towards the enchanted lake, when a shout was heard.

  "It's getting away!" Cran shouted, breaking the visual battle with the newcomer to race after the retreating drack.

  "Leave it!" Tybo ordered as he started after the soldier.

  "He speaks to it!" the man cried out. "He heard us. He'll give away our plans!"

  "Get him!" Cran's two cronies urged as the man darted around trees chasing after Zorn.

  Must warn and protect! Zorn thought as he dodged around yet another tree. Focusing his energies, he sent out a mental cry to the one man who was sure to hear him.

  * * * * *

  Kerian jerked Blaze to a halt as blinding pain streaked through his head.

  "Schlack," he muttered as he raised his palms to his temples, as if to block out the noise.

  "Kerian, what is it?" Brieana's concerned voice broke through the discomfort in his head and gave him a point to focus on.

  "Zorn?" he whispered as he closed his eyes in pain. "It's Zorn, and I've never felt him this excited before!"

  Closing her eyes and reaching up to her torc, Brieana concentrated on the younger drack, trying to glean what was being said to Kerian.

  "He's in danger!" Brieana cried, eyes going wide and anger filling her heart. "Someone is endangering my Zorn!" Deep concern for her friend caused her to disregard everything she had been taught about going into battle. Her emotions ran too deep for personal concerns.

  She turned her unicorn in the direction of the silent scream and instantly kicked him into a gallop.

  "Brieana, wait! It's a trap!" Kerian yelled, but was unable to stop her.

  Cursing under his breath, Kerian turned his unicorn and gave chase.

  Around tall trees they raced, Brieana picking out a path through the dense forest, racing to save her friend.

  Seeing no way out of it, Kerian urged Blaze ahead of Magic and took the lead. There would be no stopping his warrior queen! The best he could do was try and guide her through this attack.

  Zorn had warned him they were riding into a trap and the attackers knew he was able to communicate with Kerian. His strange description of winged men forced a cold fist to squeeze around his heart! Were these the Dark Isles warriors? How could they defeat an enemy who took to the sky? No matter how well trained his men were, they could not stop warriors who simply flew over his battlements! And if they had sufficient numbers, Mirage would fall.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  "There he goes!" a loud male voice bellowed as Zorn darted around yet another tree. He was growing weary of this chase but he was desperate to fly away!

  But he couldn't fly. He couldn't find an opening large enough for him to fully expand his wings. His heart beat a rapid staccato rhythm in his chest as he lifted his eyes heavenward to once again scan for a break in the branch-shrouded sky. Seeing nothing, he ran on.

  He felt his muscles become heavy and then burn as he continued to twist and turn to evade the warriors seeking him. He prayed his message had warned the Warlord and kept him away. If he was to die to protect the Woman of Legend, so be it! He had no need of his life if the whole of the Isle suffered because the one person to make a difference got caught in a trap.

  Maybe his mother knew of this. Maybe Gren had seen in her mystical vision that he was the only one capable of discovering this trickery and to warn the Warlord to keep his Lady away. Had his mother weighed the scales between her youngest son and Brieana's life, and decided Brieana was more important? If she had, he faulted her not! He would make the same decision!

  He’d always been told there would be a time when he must stand and fight or run away. He was tired of running.

  With a snarl of rage, Zorn turned and bared his long razor-sharp teeth and dark purple gums. His eyes narrowed into dark slits and a feral light suffused his whole body. This drack was prepared to fight and die.

  "Schlack!" Cran cried out as the docile purple lizard tuned into a snarling beast of rage.

  In that moment, Zorn attacked.

  Knowing his death was charging him, Cran grabbed one of his two followers and tossed him in the path of the angry drack.

  "Help!" the man tried to shout, but only gurgles emerged. In the second it took him to catch his balance, Zorn dove for his neck.

  How soft, on humans, the throat is, Zorn thought as he felt his teeth tear through bone and cartilage. He almost gagged on the foul taste of human blood filling his mouth.

  He fought against the urge to vomit as he gave one small jerk and the man's head neatly separated from his body, hanging on only by the fragile column of bone that made up his backbone.

  Pushing down his revulsion, he quickly turned to the next warrior bearing down on him. With one flick of his long tail, the soldier fell, kneecaps shattered, screaming onto the soft leaf-covered ground.

  "Enough!" Tybo roared as he rushed onto the scene.

  His thunderous bellow made everyone in the small area halt as all eyes turned towards him.

  "Cran!" he bellowed. "Did I not tell you to let this beast go on his way?"

  "He killed my men!" Cran yelled back, eyes narrowed because he knew the remaining war party had seen his cowardice.

  "He killed my men!" Tybo said in a deadly cool voice.

  For a moment, Cran forgot about the crouched and growling drack and remembered whom he had disobeyed.

  Tybo was Dagon's apprentice. There was no other man as powerful in the Dark Isles besides Dagon, and he knew it. As he watched the dark-haired man stalk towards him, for a moment all of his fear and hatred coalesced into one serious mixture in his blood.

  What did this bastard have that he didn't? Why did the people favor him? Who was he to tell him anything, anyway! He worked for Dagon and Dagon approved of unnecessary bloodshed! It was fun!

  "And he won't live to see another day!"

  Before anyone could move to stop him, Cran hefted his heavy war blade and hurled it at Zorn.

  Before the surprised drack could sidestep, he felt something slam into his back and suddenly his body went numb.

  Zorn had been wondering who the dark-haired man was and had let his guard down a little. Now, as he felt a strange lassitude overtake his body, he knew he would pay for his mistake.

  "You idiot!" a voice growled and the very earth trembled in fear.

  Zorn felt his body list to the side, before ground that seemed so soft before, slammed hard against his head. Fallen, have I, he thought in amazement, and felt anguish like he had never experienced before.

  He had inadvertently sent his thought to the Warlord. He prayed the Woman of
Legend, Lady Brieana was not listening.

  "It was my right!" Cran yelled, drawing Zorn's attention back to the cowardly fighter and the dark-haired warrior.

  "As this is mine!" Tybo said calmly. Too calmly.

  Hell, Cran thought, as the volatile mixture in his blood faded and he realized he had once again gone against Tybo's orders.

  Tybo's ever-changing eyes suddenly shone bright red and a hazy sheen colored the gossamer skin on his wings. With a snap, he unfurled those glowing glittering extensions of his power to their full span. A cold smile stretched his full lips and he slowly raised his right arm.

  "Please, Tybo!" Cran began to babble as the air around the Dark Isle Warrior began to hum in fiendish delight.

  "You severed his wings, Cran," Tybo purred, in that moment sounding like his dark master. "No creature of the sky deserves such a fate. That is the punishment of cowards, Cran, more suited to you."

  "No! Have mercy!" Cran screamed as he backed away from the glowing harbinger of death. But he had no one else to hide behind. His followers had fallen at the hands of the drack and the rest of the men, seeing his cowardice, refused to even look him in the face.

  "No mercy for you, Cran. You haven't earned it." Tybo's pronouncement rang clear and true.

  Tybo raised his left hand to clasp the right one gently. With a smile, he slowly began to separate them.

  "Nooo!" Cran screamed as he felt his wings being lifted and spread.

  "Yes," Tybo said softly and he continued to spread his arms.

  First there was a loud ripping sound that could be heard over Cran's screams, then the fighters saw the membranes that attached his wings to his body tear and rip. Then as Tybo spread his arms to their full expansion, Cran's wings were ripped from his body.

  Several soldiers turned their heads away in disgust while several others turned and lost their breakfasts into the grass.

  As Cran fell to the ground on top of his severed wings, screaming, Tybo's voice rang out clear and true.

  "That was for disobeying my orders." But Tybo was not done yet.