Heirs of Avalon: The passage

by Béatrice Mary

  I came back to the present abruptly when Melora said, in a perfectly neutral tone, “Why did you leave me like that, without any news? Not even a good-bye when you left.”

  She turned around and fixed me with her big gray eyes. I could read a reproach there, as well as pain and distress, but also desire.

  I hesitated for a second, and my eyes traveled from her eyes to her lips. I felt an intense desire to kiss her, and knew I was about to lose my head.

  When Melora felt Gabriel’s lips on here, she was surprised at first by the conflicting emotions that rose up. But those were quickly buried by one much stronger emotion. She felt like she was floating, and incapable of reasoning. She opened her lips slightly to welcome his kiss. Slowly, he traced the contour of her lips with his tongue before introducing it gently into her mouth. Vivid heat suddenly filled her lower body and then a tidal wave of warmth filled her from head to toe as she passionately responded to his kiss, running her fingers through his silky hair and encouraging him to go further. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, she arched her back instinctively, wanting to melt into him. He kissed her harder and more fervently until they had to separate, out of breath.

  For a moment, they stood gazing at each other, just time enough for her to gather her wits and declare, in a trembling voice, “I should go home.”

  Gabriel seemed as overwhelmed and troubled as she was, and only with difficulty could he summon sense enough to nod. In silence they went down to the car, and in silence they made the trip to her apartment, too busy considering the consequences of what had happened and not knowing how to break down the wall they had each of them suddenly erected.

  When he pulled up before the gate to the high school, he tried one approach: “Melora, I’m sorry –”

  “No,” she interrupted. “I don’t need any excuses.”

  She tried to remain dignified in order not to seem desperate, and declared in a tone she tried to make light joking, “The wine certainly had a lot to do with it – I’m not used to drinking that much. So let’s not talk about it.”

  She gave him a peck on the cheek, her heart thumping, then got out of the car. She walked with a confident step into the cloister, but when she heard the rumble of his car taking off, she fell against the wall of the arcade and started crying. So many emotions blended with her suffering! One of them was terrible shame, because she had never felt anything like that for Evan, and he’d given her everything, his heart, his patience, his trust, and she had simply trod over his feelings without a thought for him.

  All that for a man who didn’t love her. She knew that Gabriel felt a sincere friendship for her, but when she had seen his awkwardness after kissing her, she’d taken that to mean that he regretted it.

  Hah, and me – that’s what I’ve been waiting for forever, she thought bitterly.

  She was crazy about him and had only that evening become aware of it. She had loved him since their earliest childhood, and now she felt desolate. Her heart was breaking… The pain was so intense she could hardly breathe, but she would have to find the force to continue and to believe in the future; otherwise she was lost. Her wound felt so deep that it scared her, and she thought she would never manage to get over it. She regretted her naiveté. And suddenly she was filled with anger.

  I don’t want this… I don’t want to love him anymore, she decided, furious, crushed.

  She rubbed her face hard to wipe off the tears, telling herself to control her emotions.

  At first she couldn’t even move, and had to wait for some energy to return so she could stand up straight. Then, eventually she was able to walk up to her room, determined that from now on, she would invest all her emotions into her relationship with Evan, and be honest with him. It was out of the question to see Gabriel again.

  She slipped into the dorm room without a noise, as she didn’t want to wake up Caroline. She wouldn’t have been able to put up with her curiosity about Gabriel and answer all her questions without crying. She lay down, letting the tears run silently down into her pillow, and finally she fell asleep.

  The captain announced that we were about to land, and gave us some information about local conditions, but I was too distracted to pay attention to him.

  For God’s sake, what have I done?

  I tried to find a rational response to that question, but failed. I thought about our first encounter. Even though I refused to talk to her, I had seen in her expression that she wasn’t going to let me decide about things. Our friendship was very important to me and I was afraid I’d ruined everything.

  Despite my worries, I couldn’t forget her face, especially her eyes. It wasn’t the first time I’d kissed a girl, of course, but what I had felt when we kissed was quite new to me, a mix of emotions impossible to define.

  Lost in these thoughts, I didn’t hear Professor Deen until the third time he told me that we were about to reach London. To escape from my preoccupations, I focused on the landing.

  The professor was excited about the idea of deciphering the manuscript I’d found. Unaware of the value of the work, he simply considered himself lucky to read a rare document. But I knew we had to be cautious, as many enemies wanted that book.

  Galahad was waiting for us at the airport, and he hadn’t come alone. Percival and Bors were with him. Given the importance of what we were carrying, he wanted to make sure I would be safe, especially after what had happened in Paris.

  The ever-impeccable Charles waited for us outside, respectfully holding open the door of the Rolls Royce. I got in, followed by Galahad and the professor. Percival and Bors were driving faster, sportier cars: Percival’s Aston Martin Vantage passed us to station itself in the lead, and the Jaguar F-series that Bors drove took up position behind us. Both were dark-colored, but that didn’t make them any less conspicuous. From behind the tinted windows, I noticed people’s reactions as our convoy passed by.

  Hah…we’re already easy to spot in the Rolls, but now we can’t possibly be missed! I thought, annoyed, but then I shrugged and smiled wryly. The centuries may pass but knights will always love owning beautiful mounts.

  Knowing we had a two-hour drive before us, I surrendered to my curiosity and opened the spell book. Under the professor’s mesmerized gaze, I turned the pages, reading the names of the spells. Some of them made chills run up and down my spine.

  “I imagine that this text must seem strange to you, but…”

  I left my phrase suspended when I saw his expression of total incomprehension.

  “What is it?”

  After a second’s hesitation, he replied, “There’s nothing written there. Only blank pages.”

  “Of course there is, Professor! I can assure you, it’s a well-filled manuscript. Look at it yourself!”

  The way he was looking at me – like I’d gone mad – made me uneasy.

  “Are you telling me you can’t see anything?”

  Galahad leaned over the book. “I can’t see anything either.”

  “My God!” Deen murmured. “That means Merlin locked it with a spell so that only his heir could read it.”

  My blood turned to ice.

  “What did you say?” I demanded, suddenly suspicious of him. “How did you know this was Merlin’s spell book?”

  Galahad sat up straight, tense, and Deen looked uncomfortable. Caught in a trap, he hung his head, then admitted with a guilty air, “I know who you are. I’ve known it since the first day we met. I was supposed to help you with the research in order to find this book of spells.”

  Trying to contain my anger, I demanded, “Who asked you to help me? And who told you I was the only one who could read it?”

  “Merlin really must have thought it all out,” Deen replied. “He was able to see far into the future, unlike other Druids or priestesses with the gift of divination. And that’s both good and bad news.”

  “Start with the good news, Professor,” Galahad growled.

  “Well, none of your enemies will be
able to decrypt what’s in that book, let alone find the spell to open the passage.”

  “And the bad news?” I asked.

  “When they realize that only you can read it, they’ll either kill you or capture you.”

  “What a nice lookout for my future!” I drawled.

  “I’m sorry, but they threatened to hurt my daughter! You’re an exceptional young man, Gabriel – I didn’t mean to do you wrong.”

  After a moment of reflection, I reassured him, saying that I understood he hadn’t had a choice in the matter.

  Shaking his head, he repeated, “I’m sorry… I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  Suddenly I understood that he was sorry not for what he’d already done, but for something else. My inner alarm started ringing, and the revving of engines confirmed my suspicions.

  Galahad threw himself at the professor, grabbed him by the collar and shook him in rage, shouting,

  “What have you done?”

  “Alwena… She… came into my hotel room after she fought with Gabriel,” he stammered. “I tried to fight it, but I can’t do anything against the obedience spell. I’m not an Avalonian!”

  Desperate, he turned to me, begging me with a shaky voice, “She tortured me. I didn’t have a choice! I’m truly sorry.”

  As he spoke, I noticed his gaze continuously switching back and forth from my face to the pocket of his raincoat.

  “Dod o hyd!” I pronounced, passing my hand in front of him.

  That was a formula I knew well, because when I was younger I often lost things, and it helped me find them. Sure enough, a microphone wriggled out of his pocket. I caught it and handed it to Galahad, who threw it out of the window, swearing. He couldn’t resist giving the professor an angry smack in the jaw. Deen slumped down on the back seat, unconscious.

  We were now on a road in the middle of the English countryside, pursued by two hulking, black Range Rovers, and no possibility for the moment of escaping. I had to face the probability that Alwena was in one of those cars.

  All of a sudden, Percival pulled hard on the handbrake of his Aston Martin and swerved to the left to take position next to Bors, who was just behind us, creating a barrier to slow the two Range Rovers and prevent them from catching up to us. At the same time, Charles accelerated brutally, and the Rolls surged forward at well over a hundred miles an hour. The car chase began!

  One of the Rovers managed to overtake Percival and Bors on a curve, but Bors immediately accelerated his Jag to get directly behind it, and stayed on its bumper to harass it. Everyone was tense, concentrated. Charles swung the car from left to right so they couldn’t pass us. I was desperately trying to think of a solution. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a spell in the book lying open at my side. I wanted to invoke it, but I knew I’d need a great deal of force to carry it out. Without the energy of Nature, it was impossible. Then an idea flashed on me.

  “Galahad, I need trees! Get me close to some trees!”

  The Jaguar had gotten ahead of the Rover, and was once again directly behind us. As Charles accelerated, our two knights slowed down to help us outrun them. The road, however, ran through immense fields. No trees in sight.

  Right then, we went around a curve and I noticed a forest on our left, with a road leading to it.

  “Turn left here, Charles!”

  The chauffeur slammed on the brakes. The sharp turn forced us to grab the door handles and hang on as the car veered, but the Rolls hugged the road and we raced toward the copse. We were approaching it at high speed, but then our pursuers decided to leave the road and cut across the fields to catch up with us. This move took Percival and Bors by surprise.

  We reached two immense oaks at the end of the dirt road, and Charles screeched to a halt. I leaped out of the car, followed by Galahad, who ran to open the trunk and grab his sword. I went to the nearest tree, praying I would succeed at invoking the spell I had just memorized. The two black cars pulled up, and behind them came Percival and Bors, who jumped out of their cars, their swords already in hand.

  The doors of the first Range Rover were thrust open and Alwena got out, accompanied by three of her acolytes, all armed. She stared at me, a sardonic smile plastered on her face.

  “So that’s how Merlin protected his spells, and you’re the only one who can read them…”

  “That seems to be the case,” I jeered.

  We glared at each other like two cats ready to leap at each other.

  “I don’t think Morgana would like Merlin’s powers to disappear with me,” I told her.

  Her malicious grin got wider. “Au contraire, I think she’d love it if they disappeared forever, and you with them.”

  Then she added, her eyes narrowing even more, “And there’s nothing in the world that would give me more pleasure.”

  She suddenly raised her arm, and I barely had time enough to protect myself from her men, who all attacked at the same time. Our knights instantly reacted; steel crossed steel, and while the terrible ringing and clashing went on, Alwena chanted a spell, tapping her foot and lifting her arms up and down, as if she were trying to make something rise up from the earth. I peered all around, and there was indeed something. One, two, then three, then more and more without end, creatures appeared from the fields, each more hideous than the next. I recognized them: carregs, beings made of stone and dirt, brought to life by a potent spell.

  A troop of Black Knights then came pouring out from the woods to join the carregs.

  I had to admit that Alwena was powerful…very powerful. And my three guardians were far outnumbered, even if they were fighting for me with all their energy, all their loyalty. I could not fail them. I had no choice but to try my powers against hers, or we were all dead.

  Determined to invoke Merlin’s spell, I placed my hand against a huge oak tree and concentrated all my forces into the words: “Yn enw y Brenin Arthur, amddiffyn ei weision!”

  I immediately felt the blue fluid coursing through me, and then its energy spreading out all around me. The sky became even darker and a wind rose up and started to howl. I could no longer control it! There was a rumbling sound, like thunder, then the oak tree began to shake. The magic fluid streamed from its roots, slithering out like snakes hidden under a carpet of moss and leaves. They quickly reached other trees and entered them too, until the spell reached its climax – soldiers in silver armor erupted from the trees, then ran to position themselves in battalions before proudly raising banners of the Knights of the Round Table. I marveled at the sight of King Arthur’s enormous army, an army that only Merlin had known how to call up. Until now, that is. For the first time, I felt proud of my heritage.

  The uncertainty in Alwena’s eyes gave me even more satisfaction as I savagely bellowed the order,

  “Attaacckkk!”

  But to my astonishment, the knights did not move. I repeated my order, again without success, and was mortified to see pure jubilation replace the doubt in my enemy’s face. She shouted the same word, and to my horror, her army immediately attacked. The carregs and her black knights rushed at us, roaring in fury. I had to get ahold of myself, quickly, before my friends were killed, but I didn’t know what to do!

  Tetanized by my failure, I placed my hand against the tree again and dully chanted a call for help. To whom or to what, I hardly knew; to Merlin, to the oak tree, to the whole forest, as long as help came.

  It worked! The tree lit up with a thousand fires. It gave out a deep grumble, then creaked and trembled as its branches started to whip through the air. Then a dragon stepped out of it – not just any dragon – Merlin’s dragon! I recognized it immediately from its shiny blue scales. It had often appeared in my visions, at the powerful magician’s side. Although smaller than the dragon I’d transformed into, it seemed equally aggressive, and our enemies stood transfixed, completely destabilized. The dragon placed itself in front of me, showing its intent to protect me. Bors and Percival, reassured, went back to the attack, while the furious Alwena go
aded her creatures to fight back.

  Galahad ran among the silver knights, who had still not moved an inch, and by intuition discovered his own banner – a red cross on a silvery background – floating above one of the battalions. He lifted his sword and shouted to them, “Soldiers, fight!” and his silvery knights awoke and rushed into battle, swords in hand.

  Bors and Percival saw what had happened, and immediately commanded their own battalions to fight, giving them an edge over the enemy. A large number of silver soldiers remained immobile, but I was no longer worried about the outcome of the battle. Seeing our enemies approach, the dragon growled fiercely and fell on the carregs and black knights, spitting flames to burn them, dismembering them with its razor-sharp claws and teeth, crushing them pitilessly underfoot.

  Alwena wavered for a second, then turned and ran at me, taking something from her pocket that changed into a sword. I pulled out my guddio, and our swords crossed. I wasn’t afraid, as I had fought her several times now and I knew I could beat her.

  The shouts and chaotic noise of battle around us started to fade away, telling me my protectors had taken the lead. She must have noticed it, for she pronounced a spell and an instant later, a winged chimera appeared, grabbed her by the shoulders with its claws and took off. She kept her narrowed eyes on me until she had disappeared in the distance.