by Hiatt, Bill
Khalid stepped forward shakily, obviously taken by surprise, but I noticed Shar encouraging him to go forward. As Khalid approached him, Gwynn held up a small silver dagger and a scabbard. “Khalid, it is clear that you have the heart of a warrior. You should also begin to learn the weapons of a warrior. This dagger will be the first of many weapons you will use in your life. Our faerie smith Govannon forged it for you last night as you slept. Like a faerie sword, it will penetrate material an ordinary blade would not, it will not break, and it has one other special property. Khalid, listen carefully to me.”
“Yes, Majesty,” Khalid whispered, clearly overcome.
“You are the son of a djinn.” Khalid lowered his head as if ashamed, but Gwynn continued as if he did not notice. “The djinn have a reputation for granting wishes, but since your parents are not with you right now, the dagger will grant you one. Mind you, its power is not infinite, but it is not insignificant either. At a moment of great need, the dagger can grant you your heart’s desire, if that desire is within reason. Be careful, though, for the dagger can only grant one wish in this way. Choose wisely, or you will live forever with regret.” Gwynn helped Khalid attach the scabbard to his belt and then handed him the dagger, which flashed brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Thank you, Majesty!” exclaimed Khalid, who then quickly wiped a tear away, embarrassed. Who could blame him for being overcome with emotion? In a couple of days he had gone from living on the streets to being surrounded by people he cared about and conspicuously favored by royalty. Hell, I couldn’t adjust to changes that fast. I could hardly expect an eleven-year-old to handle them.
Shar gave Khalid a hug and then made eye contact with Gwynn, who nodded to him. In that moment I realized that Shar must somehow have arranged this gift, which would explain why Gwynn did not first test Khalid; Gwynn had high regard for Shar as a warrior and would probably grant him a reasonable request, though the wish part was surprising…and, as I thought about it, troubling as well. What did an eleven-year-old know about making that kind of life decision? Particularly since Khalid had a very distorted view of his relationship with his father, I could see him using up his wish almost immediately to be reunited with him. But unless the wish also included an attitude adjustment for Dad, it would certainly be wasted. How would I tell Khalid that, though? Would he believe me even if I did?
“Taliesin, explain to us the spell, so that we may begin,” requested Gwynn quietly, perhaps aware that I was lost in thought.
I put my thoughts about Khalid aside and gave all my attention to making sure Gwynn, Mab, and Nurse Florence understood what to do. I did more than just tell them, though; I projected the spell into them, so they understood how it felt to cast it as well as I did. Gwynn and Mab both gasped at my ability to do this. I didn’t know Mab well enough to be sure how she felt, but I could tell Gwynn was impressed.
“Now that we know what we are doing, we should begin at once,” said Gwynn. “This is not quite as easy a working as I at first thought, and it may take time. I will take the north point; Mab, please take the south; Viviane, take the east; Taliesin, take the west.” Once we were positioned and ready, Gwynn said, “Taliesin, we will follow your lead.”
I sang a little first to make sure my power was at its maximum, then sent the spell flowing greenly over Carla, grabbing a red tendril of the awakening spell and pulling. I could feel Nurse Florence, Gwynn, and Mab joining me, letting their strength flow through me, and it seemed as if I could now do anything. Yet, though I could see the outer layer of redness clutching Carla much more clearly, it was still holding on.
I sang more forcefully, making the spell pull harder. I saw the golden design on the ground intensify to almost blinding brightness, and at last I felt the redness shift, begin to pull loose. Harder, harder I pulled. My head began to ache, my muscles began to tighten, but I kept on. The redness writhed around her, resisting our efforts to remove it, but its grip continued to weaken. The question was, would we give out before it did?
I lost track of how long we had been working. Afterward, Stan told me the struggle went on for at least two hours, with us four casters looking more and more spent as time passed. Finally, though, the redness ripped loose with a silent scream and, deprived of purpose, quickly dissipated. I staggered a little bit and almost lost my balance, but the work was done.
The process had been even harder than Morgan had suggested, but the second casting of the awakening spell had been removed. I still had the considerable task of making sure Alcina did not take over, but at least now there was hope. For the first time since Halloween, I felt my guilt lighten a little. I would make this situation right after all!
Nurse Florence nearly fainted, but Carlos caught her. Mab and Gwynn were still on their feet, but I had never seen faeries look so drained.
“A great working indeed, but we have done it!” Gwynn pronounced, satisfied.
I heard someone moan nearby. Carla! She was coming out of her coma already. I wanted to run to her, but I was too unsteady on my feet and could barely stagger forward. Stan and Shar helped me to reach her bed. Her eyes opened, she looked at me, and she smiled. It was the sweetest smile I had ever seen.
When I finally reached her, I bent over and gave her the most passionate kiss I could in my current state of exhaustion. Then I looked again into her eyes.
Carla was already gone. Alcina was there, much more quickly and strongly than I had anticipated—and here I was, exhausted.
I tried to reach into her with my mind to bring Carla back to the surface, but with a flick of her mind, she broke the connection.
I was so stupid! Of course Alcina would be in control at first, just as David had been with Stan. I should have taken precautions. Now it was too late…
Alcina gazed into my eyes, and I felt a magic like what Carla had unconsciously projected on Halloween, only many, many times stronger. No, not like Carla’s, which had simply made an invitation. Alcina’s power did not invite; it compelled. I could feel my grip on reality fading. Everything else was receding from me. Only Alcina was real.
“I recognize you,” whispered Alcina in Italian, which I now understood. “You were with me before, when I first came back. This other one, Carla, loves you, and I can see why, handsome one. You will be mine. Distract the others long enough for me to get us out of here.”
“Tal?” said someone right next to me. I turned and saw a slender teenager with black curly hair. I should know that face, but somehow I did not. He looked as if he might get in the way, though, so I sucker-punched him in the gut as hard as I could.
“Shar!” he shouted as he went down. Someone struck me from behind, knocking me down. I rolled and managed to get back on my feet, facing my attacker. Again, I felt I should recognize the face, but again I did not. I did notice the muscles ripple in his bronzed arms as he brandished a sword with an emerald glow.
I could hear running footsteps all around me, coming closer. I could feel enormous fatigue, though somehow Alcina was inspiring me to overcome it. I could feel power building nearby and knew that if I could just hold out for a few seconds, we could escape from these people, whoever they were.
I drew my sword, which burst into flames, and I struck it with all my might against the emerald sword, but my adversary did not lose his grip, and the flames of my sword died at the point at which they had struck the emerald sword.
“Tal, snap out of this!” yelled my attacker, bringing his sword down on mine with an enormous clang. My weary arms gave out, and I dropped the sword, its flames expired as it left my hand. However, I could feel the portal opening. I managed to throw myself backward in its general direction. I would abandon the sword if I had to, but I must not fail Alcina!
By now we were surrounded by warriors, both faerie and human. I felt Alcina silently calling out to me, and I moved back toward the bed on which she had been lying. I noticed a number of archers had a clear shot at me but were not taking it. Whoever these people were, they must have
intended to take me alive—us alive, since they weren’t shooting at Alcina either.
“Let me go, or he dies,” said Alcina from behind me. “In his present state I can kill him where he stands, so strong is my hold on him.”
“Think carefully what you do,” yelled a dark-faced warrior nearby. “Taliesin is under my protection. If you harm him, I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth—and beyond.”
“Do not think to threaten me,” Alcina yelled back. “I knew you long ago, Gwynn. Your power has its limits. Once I am reestablished, you will not touch me.”
“Is she bluffing?” I heard the emerald sword wielder ask. A golden-haired woman nearby answered, too low for Alcina to hear, but I heard. “We can’t take the chance.”
Suddenly the power behind me just blinked out. I turned as quickly as I could, but I knew what I would see. Alcina was gone.
I felt aching sorrow at being separated from her, but at least I had made possible her escape. If I had to die now, at least I would have that satisfaction.
I made a dive for the sword, but I was too weak to move as fast as I should have. The emerald sword wielder kicked me in the side, knocking me away from the sword. I hit my head, and everything dissolved in blackness.
CHAPTER 11: THE LONG WAY BACK
I floated in and out of consciousness, but I did not know for how long. Sometimes the golden-haired woman loomed over me, beautiful, but nothing compared to my Alcina. Sometimes the dark-faced warrior did the same. Sometimes others, people about my age, looking oddly concerned, considering I didn’t know them. At least, I didn’t think I did, though at times I felt I should know them.
I heard bits of conversation about how strong her hold was. People must have been talking about Alcina. Sometime soon she would try to rescue me, and we would be together again. Of that I was certain.
At some point I noticed my arms and legs were tied to the bed with stout ropes. I tried to fight against them, but I was too weak. My captors must have been drugging me or using some kind of spell. Surely otherwise I would have recovered my strength by now.
I dimly remembered being able to cast spells myself, but I also seemed to be too weak for that. I tried to find my power, but it floated away from me, eluding my grasp every time. I would only need a little, if I tried to escape while no one was around, but I could not seem to get even the slightest flicker of force out of my numb brain.
As time went on, I heard more specific conversations, but still just bits, and I did not understand them. I can remember one voice asking about which of me was under the spell and suggesting trying to bring out the original Taliesin, whatever that meant. Someone else responded that no one except me knew how to do that. I guessed I must have some special skills, but trying to remember just gave me a headache.
Later I heard someone who sounded like a boy asking if he could use the wish in his dagger to free me. Whoever he was talking to answered that the magic would not be strong enough to do that. I was intrigued by that conversation, but I couldn’t keep myself awake for the rest of it.
One time I woke up and found the one with black curly hair holding my hand and talking to me.
“What?” I asked groggily, as my eyes came into focus.
“Tal?” he asked expectantly.
“Who are you?” I asked. I knew I should remember, but I just didn’t.
Whoever he was, he dropped my hand and crumpled back into his chair. Eventually, though, he did answer me. “Tal, it’s Stan. I’m your friend.” That was an odd thing to say, because I seemed to remember punching him.
“If you’re my friend, will you help me get out of here and get back to Alcina?”
Stan, if that was really his name, looked even more upset. “Tal, you need to stay here until you get well.”
“But I’m not getting well,” I mumbled. “I always seem to be the same. This is the longest I’ve stayed conscious in days…at least I think it is.”
“See,” said Stan, with false brightness, “you are getting better.”
I vaguely recalled something about being able to read minds, but I didn’t need to read his to tell that he was lying to me. I didn’t really care, though, because I could feel myself slipping back into unconsciousness.
Over time I realized I was being held prisoner. Yes, that must be it. I was being drugged or enchanted or something, which was why I had so much difficulty just staying awake. At times I struggled against this weakness, but I felt like someone trying to swim up from the very bottom of the ocean without enough air in his lungs. I hardly ever reached the surface before the air ran out, and I passed out again. I never drowned, though, just drifted back to the bottom of the sea again. How was I supposed to live this way?
One day I woke with a cold feeling on my chest. I raised my head enough to see that someone had placed that green glowing sword there. I squinted a little bit as my eyes focused. There were people in the room—lots of them. Immediately I noticed the golden-haired woman and the dark-faced man.
“It’s not going to work; I told you that already,” said the woman. “Zom can deflect pretty much any spell before the spell hits the wielder, but bringing someone into contact with the sword after a spell is cast only breaks the spell if it is weak or if it is not acting directly on the victim, like an illusion that isn’t hooked directly into the victim’s brain.”
“Touching me with Zom always takes away my artificial muscle, and that’s not a weak spell, is it?” asked the curly headed one from somewhere; I couldn’t raise my head enough to see him. “And on Halloween it caused shape-shifters to revert to their normal form.”
“Those spells are intended to be temporary, not permanent. In that kind of situation Zom can remove the temporary effect, sometimes even if it is a strong one. I think the problem here is that Tal was already compromised by what happened before. Well, that and the fact that Alcina’s spell is designed to be permanent, not temporary. You’ll remember that Zom can’t counter the effects of the awakening spell either, though it did prevent the spell from being cast on its wielder in the first place.”
Normally by this time I would be asleep again, but I felt myself becoming more alert, not less so. Perhaps the sword was removing whatever they were using to keep me under. I tried to sit up and didn’t quite succeed, but they noticed. I should have waited until they were gone.
“He’s awake,” said the dark-faced warrior. “Viviane, if you intend to try that new method, you had better do it soon.”
“What are you doing to me?” I said weakly. “Let me go!” I pulled a little on the ropes.
“Eva!” called the golden-haired woman. “Come in now, please!”
People near the doorway moved out of the way. I noticed all the guys my age who had come to see me at various times were all there now. Through the doorway came someone else who looked vaguely familiar. She was a very beautiful strawberry blond, with a nicely curved body, but, again, not as lovely as my Alcina. She looked at me very sadly. I jerked ineffectually at the ropes again.
“Are you ready?” asked the golden-haired woman; I guessed Viviane was her name. The one called Eva nodded. “Everyone else join hands. This is going to take all of us.” I could see them all joining hands as Eva advanced toward my bed. I tried to pull away, but being tied down, I really didn’t have any place to go.
The room began to fill with golden light. It was everywhere, but in particular, it formed an aura around Eva, making her look like an angel. I wasn’t fooled, though. This magic would be bad news for me. I could just feel it. I strained against the bonds, but it was no use.
“It’s all right,” said Eva, bending over me, the golden light now almost unbearably bright. She bent over quickly and kissed me on the lips. I hadn’t been expecting that, or I would have tried to twist my head away from her. As soon as her warm lips touched mine, I felt a jolt of powerful magic burning into me, reaching into my heart, into my very soul. I screamed then, screamed until I was out of breath. I could feel things melting, sh
ifting, transforming within me, and I was powerless to stop any of it.
The worst part, though, was the feeling that Alcina was fading, diminishing, vanishing from within me. I fought to hold on to her, I struggled with every ounce of will I had, but she slipped through my fingers as if I were trying to hold on to mist. She was still in my heart, but she was shrinking, she was shriveling…she was gone.
I looked around me as my memories flooded back, feeling colossally stupid. “What…what happened?”
Nurse Florence looked at Gwynn, who nodded, presumably to confirm that I was back in my right mind, and then turned back to me. “My best guess is that Morgan played us. She gave us enough truth that we believed her statement about the power required to lift the second casting of the awakening spell. In fact, it took far more power than we had anticipated, and that is what Morgan was counting on. I think she expected us to try to reverse the spell without her. She figured, correctly as it turned out, that we would so drain ourselves in the process that when Carla’s coma ended and Alcina emerged, she would be able to escape from us, which is exactly what happened.
“Assuming the stories about Alcina are true, bewitching men is one of her specialties. She can make them forget everything else if necessary, remembering only a total devotion to her—a fake devotion, but her victims have no way of detecting its falseness.”
“But that shouldn’t have worked so easily on someone like me,” I protested, feeling my cheeks redden. Perhaps I should have had her clear the room, but I knew my friends were staying to make sure I was all right, and I couldn’t really blame them for that.
“Normally, no,” replied Nurse Florence. “But remember how exhausted you were. Your natural defenses were much weaker than normal. Also, there were…other factors. We’ll discuss them later.”
Yeah, just what I needed right now—a little hint of mystery to obsess over.
“But what happened after that?” I asked. “I don’t remember very clearly.”
