Morgana Trilogy Complete Series

by Alessa Ellefson

  “Leave me alone!” I yell, coming to a sudden stop over Avalon’s endless forest. “I’m not going back there, and I have no time to play with you!”

  “What are you doing?” Nibs yells at me, his wide swinging making him heavier to carry. “You want me to die of a heart attack?”

  “I’m just trying to get these things off me,” I say through gritted teeth.

  “Well don’t look to me for help,” Nibs says weakly. “I can’t stand pixies to begin with.”

  Then he strains up on the chain, making me drop another foot in the air.

  “Stop pulling so hard,” I yell at Nibs, looking down at the clurichaun’s panicked face. I frown, sensing something’s wrong. “What’s the matter now?”

  “Get us out of here. NOW!” he yells.

  The two pixies’ fluttering redoubles until they become blurry trails of light around my head, making me dizzy.

  And then I feel it, like a hole in the fabric of the world, growing bigger and bigger.

  My gasp turns into a choke as something cold wraps around my throat and squeezes. I just have the time to see the outline of a skeletal face inside a dark cowl before I’m propelled backward through the sky.

  “Get…off…me…,” I croak.

  But Dub only accelerates, squeezing harder. My vision grows blurry from lack of oxygen and I barely get the chance to register the sound of excited cheers before I’m rammed into solid ground.

  My head snaps back with a thunderous crack, my dimming vision bursting with stars at the impact. Or are those lights coming from Arthur’s pixies?

  I pass out for a second, and when I come to, Dub’s holding me up by the neck again. I swing feebly at the end of his vicelike grip, feeling the ground just within reach of my feet but still too far for me to get a firm hold.

  I clasp my manacled hands about the Shade’s wrist in a fruitless attempt to unclench his fingers from around my trachea.

  “Un…hand…me…mons…ter…” I wheeze out.

  “You should probably do as she says,” Nibs squeaks out, though he remains far out of the Shade’s reach.

  “Mordred did say it was fine as long as she’s not dead,” Gwyllion says calmly. I hear her sharp intake of breath as a glacial cold spreads from Dub’s hand down my spine. “Carman wants her alive, Dub!” Gwyllion snaps, though she too keeps her distance.

  Seems nobody wants to play with the prince of darkness. Nobody but me. And I’m obviously losing. Yet a small part of me knows that this is the perfect opportunity to exact my revenge upon the foul creature who murdered my father.

  Despite my woozy head, I manage to summon the little energy I have left and channel it through my hands. Flames explode through them, momentarily blinding me before they get sucked up into Dub’s shadows like light into a black hole. Again and again, I blast him with my powers but nothing seems to affect him.

  Out of desperation, I pull on the chain, now free of Nibs, and whip it up. The iron slaps into the cowl and Dub’s head jolts to the side, his strong fingers finally letting go. I drop to the ground, coughing in air, then painfully push myself back up.

  Black smoke rises from Dub where I hit him, spreading to the rest of his body. I hold the chain before me like Gwyllion would her whip, ignoring the dark veins that are reaching down my arms, halfway to meeting my blackened hands.

  “Your time has come to an end,” I say, my voice raspy.

  The tendrils of poisonous fumes that always float around Dub whirl about chaotically, and it takes a while for me to realize that he’s laughing.

  Then the shadows about Dub explode outward, enveloping me in total darkness. I blink, but Nibs, Gwyllion and all the other Fey are gone. Something brushes against my back and I whip around, my hands tense around the iron links of my chain.

  “Why don’t you fight me like a man?” I ask.

  Again I get the strange sensation that Dub’s laughing, mocking me.

  Then a long arm folds around my midsection, trapping my one and only weapon against me, while Dub’s other hand winds itself in my hair then jerks my head back.

  A flash bursts behind my eyelids as I gasp with pain. If only I had a knife on me I could use. The thought fleets through my head before my vision turns red.

  ◆◆◆

  I’m back inside the tent. The red light that always casts such an eerie pall over the metallic furniture and strange instruments around me is now blinking angrily. The flap opens up to let in three people, all still dressed in hazmat suits. One of them holds back as the other two rush toward me, pointing strange metallic sticks in my direction.

  “The wave frequency is off the charts!” one of them exclaims.

  “And it keeps increasing!” the other man shouts. “It’s gone ultra—”

  “X!” the first man says, looking at the strange computer displays.

  “Contain it before it hits another frequency,” the woman near the entrance says.

  The first man crosses over to the shelves on top of which are long, shimmery grey boxes that reflect the flashing red lights. He picks one up in his arms and hurries over, struggling with the weight of it.

  “It’s just gone gamma!” the other man shouts.

  “If you don’t hurry it’ll burst!” the woman snaps, making the man drop the box in fright.

  The table shakes from the impact and the man lets out a long string of curses as he struggles to pick the box back up.

  “Move it, you idiot!” the woman shouts.

  She strides over to assist him while the other scientist still points his metal stick at me.

  “Get out of the way,” the woman says, forcing the closest man to step to the side to let her and the other scientist draw closer to me, the metal box held between them.

  I want to yell at them that they can’t imprison me like that, that I’ve got my rights, but I know it’s pointless. A sudden glow surges around me, and I see the two scientists hesitate, the box now just a foot away.

  “What’s the matter?” the second man asks, his voice muffled by the hazmat suit.

  “Just shut up and hurry to contain this thing,” the woman snaps.

  Then the silver light around me blooms into a bright series of flashes.

  And in those flashes, I finally see through the three scientists’ reflective face masks and into their terrified eyes, before they disappear into a blazing explosion.

  Chapter 33

  A howl breaks out nearby, the barest of warnings before something heavy crashes into me. There’s a strange hiss then I feel the pressure around my throat release before I sink to the ground, numb and unable to move.

  The smell of dirt and dry grass penetrates my foggy mind—guess I must’ve landed on my face.

  The howl erupts near me again, shrill and terrifying. And I know it’s the end for me, and I wasn’t able to do a thing to help after all.

  “Morgan?”

  I hear the sharp sound of swords being drawn among growls and shouts of warning.

  Then Gareth’s distinct voice rings out excitedly, loud and clear, “They’re in front of us, they’re back, left, right, above—”

  “That’s Lugh, idiot,” Gauvain says. “Way to give our positions out.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Gareth says, “we can attack in every direction!”

  I finally manage to roll over onto my back as the clash of fighting erupts all around.

  “Morgan?” Arthur asks again, sounding frantic.

  “Present,” I moan, panting heavily from the effort.

  What happened? I was back in that strange tent, and those scientists wanted to contain me…. Wait, no, I was trying to fight Dub. I must have passed out again and had another vision.

  Dub! Where did that murderous swine go?

  Arms lift me up into a sitting position, and I blink blearily at Lugh’s agitated features. My head reels back as a wave of nausea hits me.

  “Stay with me now,” he says, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes to get me to focus on him
.

  “That treacherous, base, vile, poisonous bastard,” I mutter feebly.

  “Well, I am glad to see you too,” Lugh says without batting an eye.

  “What did she say?” Arthur shouts over his shoulder before parrying a blow from one of the two stout, half-bear, half-lizard Fey he’s facing.

  The creatures hiss loudly, large, menacing thorns growing out of their arms and backs.

  “I believe she was cursing,” Lugh replies over his shoulder. “A good sign, methinks.”

  There’s a flash and a whistling sound as Gwyllion’s whip lashes at Lugh, cutting him across the back before wrapping itself around his neck, the metal bits digging into his flesh.

  “I’ve been waiting long enough for this opportunity to rid the world of your existence,” Gwyllion says.

  Lugh’s pupils dilate fully, swallowing up the gold of his irises. He grabs the whip in his bare hands, his muscles bulging as he strains against the metal blades. A wave of cold explodes out of him, flattening me back down onto the ground, and the whip shatters to pieces, dropping away from his neck.

  The hag pulls on the remains of her weapon as Lugh charges her. She tries to dodge him at the last second, but his foot catches her in the temple and she falls rolling to the ground.

  “You’re a few eons too early if you want to take me on in single combat,” Lugh says, towering over her.

  “I heard you spent the last few millennia cowering in your grove, old man,” Gwyllion says, wiping blood from her distended lips as she jumps back onto her feet.

  The hag circles Lugh one way, while her pet Barguest goes around the other way, his long forearms pawing the dirt in eager anticipation.

  There’s a shout and the air crackles with electricity. I push myself back into a sitting position and crane my neck around to find Percy facing off four demons, his small frame disappearing behind their sinuous, scaly bodies.

  “Not dagaz!” Blanchefleur yells further away.

  But it’s too late. I can smell the sharp tang of ozone. Blanchefleur shouts out in fear, her glowing sword flashing before her more rapidly, carving her way towards Percy.

  The Dark Sidhe around him shriek as the lightning strikes and, when I look back, three of them are down, their limbs twitching feebly on the scarred earth, Percy standing over them, unharmed.

  Blanchefleur lands next to Percy and smacks him on the head. “You think I want to revive your sorry ass again?” she snaps.

  Percy’s rage turns to momentary confusion then he gives her a sheepish smile. “I got it under control now,” he says. “Learned my lesson after the first time.”

  “Watch out!” I croak, as the last of the pack of four demons rears to shoot its long dorsal spikes at them.

  Blanchefleur raises her arm, sending the ground soaring up to form a shield around them, and the sharp spikes embed themselves in the wall with dull thuds, inches away from their faces.

  With a scream of fury, Percy drives forward, breaking through the barrier of mud, his sword raised to hack at the Dark Sidhe coming at them.

  “Morgan, are you OK?”

  I blink around at the sound of Arthur’s voice, then nod. “Yeah,” I wheeze.

  If Arthur and the others had gotten here any later, I’d probably be dead by now—superpower or not. My hands clench into fists on my lap, still manacled, still helpless.

  No, I tell myself. I’m done with the whole damsel in distress gig. It’s tiring, and boring, and not conducive to getting what I want. Which, at this moment, is Dub. Dead.

  I scan the Fey and knights fighting about the clearing, but find no trace of the Shade.

  The two red, twinkling pixies alight on my legs, light as feathers. I try not to notice the inky veins showing through the remains of my dress and concentrate instead on the tiny creatures as they swing their arms about frenetically, buzzing away like a couple of goliath beetles.

  “I know we’re in trouble, you don’t have to state the obvious,” I say, giving up on trying to figure out their sign language and going back to looking for the Shade. “Now if you could tell me where to find Dub I would be very appreciative.”

  I look back down as a thought hits me. The pixies! Weren’t they able to sense Dub’s presence before he attacked me? Come to think about it, I’ve managed to sense him twice before too.

  I look up into the early morning sky, still too dark to distinguish anything within its vast expanse apart from the scythe-like moon.

  I breathe in and close my eyes as I remember the strange turbulence I felt in the air seconds before Dub slammed into me, like an absence of…

  There! High above us, I can feel traces of a disturbance in the Aether, like the remnants of a vortex pointing towards the school.

  With a grunt, I start to drag myself after it.

  “Where are you going?” Arthur asks, ducking under a heavy blow before Gareth slams the Fey down with his warhammer arm.

  I see Arthur run for me out of the corner of my eye, and I try to hurry up. If he finds out my goal is Dub, he’s going to stop me, and in my current state I won’t be able to get away. I look back down at my legs, but the black veins have only receded up to my knees—not quick enough!

  The sound of Arthur’s combat boots hitting the packed earth draws closer and I force myself onto my feet.

  Swaying, I make a tentative hop and feel a gust of warm wind rise beneath me, pushing me off the ground, before it dies down. I fall, jarring my knees and scraping my hands raw. Gritting my teeth, I make another attempt at flight, pushing myself off the clearing using my fists.

  This time my body remains suspended five feet above the ground, my legs dangling uselessly beneath me like I’m some massively overweight bumble bee.

  Frowning in concentration, I propel myself further up into the sky before Arthur or anyone else can stop me—

  —and find myself being yanked back down as Nibs catches hold of the chain.

  “Let go of me!” I yell as I pitch toward the ground.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the clurichaun asks instead, straining to keep a hold on the chain and only managing to make us swing side to side like a pendulum.

  “I’m going after Dub,” I say, sweating with the effort of keeping us from crashing. “So if you want to live, I suggest you let go.”

  “I will do no such thing, you dim-witted, pea-brained, blunderbuss!” Nibs screams.

  But even as the clurichaun throws his string of insults at me, I force myself to keep moving towards the school.

  “Morgan!” Arthur shouts, far below me now.

  He grunts then I hear the dull sound of a sword falling, and I glance down to find Arthur’s fallen over, a large spike protruding from his shoulder. I swerve around, dipping closer to the edge of the treetops, torn between going to help Arthur and my need to go after Dub before it’s too late.

  “Oh, look, your boyfriend’s hurt,” Nibs sniggers. “Guess we’re gonna have to land now after all.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I start, before pointing back down excitedly. “And look! Hadrian’s got him covered!”

  I watch Hadrian as he calls on fire, setting the Fey ablaze before cutting it down in a shower of blood, and I breathe a sigh of relief as the knight finally drops next to Arthur to take care of him.

  “Morg—” Arthur starts, his cry of pain cutting him off as Hadrian pulls the spike out of his shoulder.

  “Don’t die,” I whisper back.

  I give one final look at Hadrian as he rips a piece of his coat lining to pad Arthur’s bleeding shoulder, then zoom away, Nibs still weighing me down like a bloody anchor.

  I follow Dub’s trail like a hound, the jarring void in the air getting stronger and stronger as I make my way over Avalon’s dark forest towards Lake High. I almost miss it, but the path suddenly veers off to the west, away from the school, and up to the surface.

  A sour taste rises to my mouth as I realize where Dub’s headed—Island Park, theater of Carman’s escape an
d Dean’s death.

  Jaw set against a rising migraine, I breach the barrier separating Avalon from Lake Winnebago, bullet through its freezing waters and finally puncture the thick layer of ice at its surface.

  I shield my face as the chilly wind buffets me about, as if urging me back down into the lake and out of harm’s way. I squint, taking in the distant glow of the town, its lights reflecting off the snowy landscape in prisms of color. And, straight ahead, is Island Park’s somber outline.

  To my surprise, the two pixies’ red flickers zoom out of the lake after me, only to get blown away by a gust of wind. I catch them just as they whoosh past me, their wings beating uselessly against the gale.

  “Hold on tight,” I tell them, putting the two tiny creatures in my pocket, “’cause things are only gonna get worse.

  ◆◆◆

  My heart hammers in my chest as I near the island cloaked in darkness, expecting Dub to spring on me at any moment. Nibs finally lets go of the chain and disappears under four feet of snow as I touch ground. I yelp as my legs give way under me, still not fully recovered from Dub’s attack.

  “Well ain’t this a grand sight,” Nibs says, his sarcasm undermined by the fact that he must hop over the mounds of snow to reach me. “The little girl wants to show off, but she only manages to look like a drunken fool.”

  “Better than a silly rabbit,” I say, trying not to show how scared I am.

  For Nibs is right: What am I supposed to do once I’m face to face with Dub? I couldn’t defeat him just moments ago, what’s going to change that now?

  “Oh, how I miss my alcohol,” Nibs moans, his voice muffled by the wall of snow surrounding him. “My stouts on long, sunny days, my whisky on pensive nights, my Cognac when with the ladies….”

  “Why don’t you go back to your bar then?” I say, struggling to stand back up. “Nobody’s holding you back.”

  “That’s what you’d think,” Nibs says accusingly. “But the big C’s given me a clear order, and that’s to bring you back, and in one piece.” Then he adds, as an afterthought, “One useable piece.”

  “Big C?” I ask, grabbing onto the low branches of a leafless tree to stay up. “Oh, you mean Carman. What does she want me for anyway? She got out of jail already.”