“You didn’t think I’d given up, did you?” she purred as she straddled him, forcing her hips upon his uncontrollable body. “That’s right, just like before. Obey.”
He inwardly screamed as his body began to move with her. He was not going to let this happen, not again! He fought with every core of his being, using his mind to wrestle her thoughts and win control of his alien limbs.
“Oh, I do love that you are stronger now, better formed. You are a more enticing specimen and donor than you were the last time we touched,” she cooed as she leaned forward and forced her tongue into his mouth.
He willed images of Willow to the surface, letting his newfound strength in their love come to bear and focused solely on the last time they had been together. Allowing himself to let everything else go, he pursued those images with renewed strength. Only their love existed in the world and nothing else would intrude to destroy that.
He bit down hard and felt his teeth slice through her extended tongue.
In anger, Selene whipped backward, one hand over her mouth, the other clawing him across the face. “How dare you!”
She was still working her hips, but he had managed to stop his own motion as well. Laying there completely still, he focused once more on the elven woman that would be his wife, and thinking of nothing else, he willed his hand forward and grabbed the witch by her right arm. Squeezing tightly, he used all of his regained strength to fling her sideways and off the bed.
His mind was free from her control and for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel vulnerable; his inner sanctum had been returned to him. He slowed his breathing and kept focused, not letting the struggling tendrils rip him away from what had finally won him his freedom; his love for Willow.
Naked, he got to his feet and approached the witch struggling to get into a sitting position.
“How did you? You couldn’t—?” she stuttered.
He simply sneered in answer and picked up her clothes; flinging them at her. Taking her by the other arm, he drove her to her feet, tossed her through the cell door, and back into the corridor beyond.
Token was snoring and he could see the surprised looks on the three women’s face across from him. Though he knew that he was stark naked, he felt no embarrassment as he grabbed the cell door and slammed it shut. Walking back over to his bed, he began to throw his clothes back on as the witch got to her feet and charged the bars, claws reaching for him. He knocked them away as if they were flies and calmly sat down on the bed. He knew how this would end; why rush a good thing?
“You think this is over? I’ll have the guards come in here and physically restrain you while I take what I want! You aren’t strong enough to deny me forever!”
He suddenly laughed. “I don’t have to deny you forever, only for a couple more hours. Then we’ll see which of us is the stronger.”
She roared in rage and tried to claw him one last time, but he slowly turned his head and looked straight into her eyes. The newfound confidence that filled him drew her short and he saw a brief look of terror cross her face. “I—,” she began.
“Am going to turn around and go to your King. We’ll see each other again, real soon,” he stated flatly, then turned and looked away; ignoring her completely.
He felt another tug on his mind, but he refused to let her in. Now that he knew what it took to block her, he found it easy to shield his thoughts from her probes and remain free of her attempts to control him once more.
With a scream of frustration, she fled down the corridor and he laughed harder. The slam of the door really did it for him and he just couldn’t stop himself from bellowing fresh cackles of joy; the sound echoing off the cell walls. Kylee was shaking her head in confusion and Melissa was eyeing him thoughtfully, but he ignored both of them and turned to look at his fiancé, who was staring at him with worried eyes.
“I love you,” he mouthed. and he saw her face relax and the fear replaced with reciprocation. “We’ll be free soon and this will all be behind us, I promise.”
He had won, he was finally free.
IV
He knew what to expect when he stepped free of the door and he paused to let his mind catch up to his body. He could feel an inner strength and confidence that he had been lacking since this entire thing began surge forth and envelop him to the core. From Merlin’s first intrusion to Selene’s in the castle, he had never been able to protect himself from their prying probes and rapes.
He could now.
His love for Willow had not truly been the reason he had been able to block her out, it was the focusing on it and nothing else. His willpower and mind holding onto one train of thought at the exclusion of all others, making it impossible for anyone to get a handhold on his thoughts and rip him apart for their pleasure.
Walls were built and he felt peace slide its way through his soul. He had the privacy to think what he wanted without fear of anyone hearing anything he didn’t allow them to. He didn’t have to wince whenever he made an observation that might offend someone or try to align his thoughts to someone else’s thinking just for their approval. He was his own man once more and felt stronger because of it.
Stepping from the door he walked to the platform that held the three stones and watched as a light blue gem shimmered into place. The ground beneath him began to shake and he thrust his arm out to try and steady himself. Gripping the dais, he spun his head around and watched as the four doors began to shimmer. The door holding Dragonslayer burst into an intense fire while Justice’s disintegrated in a large gust of wind. Water was rushing out of the doorway Madera had been guarding, and the mud being slung at his feet had fallen forth from Richter’s doorway. All four swords were gone and as the water began to rise, his heart began to ache with fear. Was he going to drown here?
He moved to step away from the dais, but it had begun to shake as well and before he could take a step, the platform he was on violently thrusted itself upward, then slowly began to lower. Water slipped through the newfound cracks as the circular platform descended slowly into the floor.
Wide-eyed, he watched as the cavern he’d been in slowly receded out of sight and water splashed down upon his shaking frame. The statue near his hand had begun to glow white and the sword held within the hand shimmered with life.
The walls lifted upward as he was lowered into a much larger cavern. He could see no barriers that denoted the size of the room except the one to his rear; the rest were cloaked in darkness and unable to be made out. The statue’s light flared brighter and he saw the calm blue lake lying across the cavern’s shifting floor. Fifteen feet from where the platform finally came to rest was a beach and a boat, a pair of oars awaiting inside.
He stepped off the platform and was surprised when it didn’t start to rise and leave him stranded by this underground lake. He looked at the statue one last time, the light searing his eyes, then smiled as he turned and climbed into the awaiting boat. He had passed all the tests and now there was only one thing left to do; retrieve Excalibur.
Part II
Chapter 12
The Lady of the Lake
I
Tristan grabbed both oars and began rowing from the embankment into the shrouded lake beyond. His body felt both restored yet exhausted at the same time. Almost like he was full of energy but was too tired to use any of it. The contradiction didn’t sit well. He thought he knew how his body should respond but it was alien to him now; another sign of the physical and mental changes he had gone through by completing the trials. He paused in his rowing to brush the longer brown hair out of his face, letting the boat float slowly forward. His fingers were thicker, his voice deeper, and his limbs were more muscular and tanned. He could feel it react to his wishes, but it felt like he was at the controls of someone else’s body, watching it go through the motions as if looking through another’s eyes.
Now, if only he was found worthy enough to receive the sword, then he could get back to the others and begin their journey to Forlo
rn. Maybe then they could go home.
You have done well, a soft voice spoke within the caverns of his mind.
He had instantly tried to block the intrusion, but the intent was so honest and pure that he had let go of his new defenses; sure that no malice was intended by the speaker. “Thank you,” he whispered aloud, heart hammering in his chest. Had he actually done it? Was he going to get Excalibur?
Though I have spent the last two thousand years hidden from the world, not much goes on that I still don’t know about. Even though my magic may not be as strong as it once was, I still have enough to view events from time to time, and Tristan of Lancaster, you are most welcome here.
She knew who he was?
That I do. The tests you just experienced wouldn’t have altered you so drastically as they were originally designed had I not interfered and enhanced the magical after effects of the tests. I know that you were shocked by the physical changes, forgive me, but I wanted to give you as much strength as I could to ensure your survival in what is to come. I hope that you can forgive me if you find it to be too much.
I’ve listened and watched you for quite some time. From the moment you left your home, you never felt that you belonged. That you were—how did you put it? A third wheel? You should know that, only you would have been found worthy enough to pass those tests and convince the statue on the dais to bring you to me. It’s not about physical strength, it’s about what’s in your heart and how you handle yourself when times get tough that defines you. You have been surrounded by death, yet you pushed on; more determined to do what you knew in your heart was right. You think of others before yourself and only seek the sword to protect innocents from harm; not to use it for your own ends.
The Phoenix is evil, but the book she hoards is far worse, and it’s time on this Earth must come to an end.
He stopped rowing, so intent on listening to the musical voice that he almost missed the fact that the water was starting to lighten around him. “I don’t want power. I’ve never wanted it,” he grunted. “I only want to stop the Phoenix before more people get hurt and protect those I love. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”
You are pure of heart and I give you Excalibur willingly to deliver to Arthur-that-was/Erik-that-is. Heal him, make the two into one, just as you were forced to do with your own reflected soul. Only he has the power to heal the land and drive the evil back to hell from whence it came.
Bursting through the water was a long, gemmed scabbard. A golden guard was at the end and a pale feminine hand gripped it gently, just above the surface of the lake, extending the sword in his direction. Hesitantly, he reached out and took hold of the scabbard, the hand slowly letting go and allowing him to pull it into the boat. He looked at the runes across the guard and with his right hand, gripped the hilt and pulled the sword free; the silver polished surface twinkling in the almost non-existent light.
In complete awe, he beheld the blade that they’d sacrificed so much to get and felt the power of the sword thrumming through his tightened palm. “Thank you, my Lady,” he managed, bowing his head at the surface of the lake. He sheathed it once more and set it quietly by his side; his heart full of joy that he had accomplished what he came here to do.
My time is soon coming to an end. Excalibur and the Book of the Dead are bound to one another, counterpoints on nature’s need for balance. If Erik stays true and fulfills his destiny by finally putting an end to that infernal book, Excalibur will be destroyed as well. I swore an oath to protect the sword and have done all that I can to see it fulfill its true purpose; I have nothing else to give. Finally, I may rest. My duty is done.
He was shaking his head at the thought of such an ancient being passing from the world when he heard a soft chuckle within his mind. It’s my time. Nothing lasts forever and I have grown tired, I’m ready to move on. I have done what I can to give you the strength you need to honor your heart’s request, to better serve your people and protect your family from harm. What you do with it is up to you.
Running his left hand over his right palm, he did his best to be content, to be happy with the gift he was being offered, but there was something tickling at the back of his mind that refused to go away.
I see that something else is bothering you. You have completed your tests and have earned the right to speak your mind.
“My Lady, forgive me for asking, but I noticed that when I completed the tests the swords had disappeared, I was wondering if—?” he began nervously, trying his best not to sound ungrateful for what he’s already been given.
Your father’s sword was created as part of the defenses used to protect me. When you finished the last test, the magic barrier was dissolved, taking the swords with them; the magic fulfilled. However, there is one final gift I can give to you, though it will consume most of my remaining strength to see it done.
He shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that. It was an emotional question centered on the memory of my father, and I would not be honoring his memory or my own heart if I were to accept your offer. Thank you, my Lady. You have done enough.”
That is what makes you worthy, Tristan of Lancaster, heir to the throne of Griedlok, Lancelot-that-was/Tristan-that-is. My time is short regardless and only hastens the inevitable by a few decades. If only you knew how long I have lived just to get to this one final moment. It’s a drop of water in the oceans of time and I am now ready for my last great adventure.
He snorted. “You never ask a woman her age.”
He heard a soft chuckle in response. I can see why she likes you. My final gift has three parts. First, she whispered, her hand once more rising from the water. He looked over the side of the boat and saw a very beautiful woman in a white billowing gown. Her ears were pointed like an elf and her long blond hair flowed gently behind her. He reached down and accepted the golden necklace grasped within her hand. It was long and had a tear drop fixed to it with a diamond shimmering in the center. Give my necklace to your daughter, Hope. As long as she wears it, she will be shielded from harm. If she grasps it and calls the name of someone she loves, she will know instantly where they are. And it will light her way through the darkest of nights.
He felt humbled by the gift and stowed it with great respect within a pouch around his waist. “No father could turn away such a gift for their child. Thank you.”
She smiled in response, then her hand rose once more. This is the spellbook handed down to me by my mother back when the world was young, she told him as an ancient leather-bound tome slipped from the water’s surface and into his awaiting hands. There were runes carved into the surface in a language he could not understand. He marveled at the fact that though it had been held underwater, the parchment seemed as dry as the musty books in the library back home. Give it to your future wife so that she may hand it down to her daughter when the time is right. By doing this, you do me a great honor, and I will rest easier knowing that my one keepsake of my family is safe within her hands.
He bowed his head and felt speechless. How could he ever thank her enough?
Now for my final gift. When the swords were destroyed, part of their magic remained and I reforged them into a single blade. Its strength comes from you, for it will not break as long as you stay true to yourself and remain pure of heart. All four elements combined into one single weapon, reflections of what was into what will be. In honor of your sacrifices and as a testament to your character, I give you Purity!
Once more a scabbard broke the surface of the water and he was astonished by the pale white dragonscales adorning the outside. The golden guard had a circular piece in the center depicting all four elements surrounding a Human heart. The hilt was fixed with blue leather and the pommel was golden as well.
His fingers trembled as he reached out, grasped the scabbard carefully, and pulled it back into the boat with him. “I don’t know what to say.”
You’ve said enough. For what it’s worth, I believe your father would be proud, as am
I. Trust in yourself, for you are destined to be a great leader and father to a very loving family. You have it within yourself to do what needs to be done. Now go, your wife-to-be and child await your return. I will not keep you from them any longer. I only ask that you give Merlin a message for me; I forgive him and I still love him. That never changed.
“I will,” he replied softly, smiling softly at the shimmering lady just beneath the calm surface below. She began to fade as he set his newly forged sword on the seat before him and took up the oars to row back to the distant shore.
He should have felt gratified. He had a cause for celebration, yet his heart filled with sorrow. As she drifted away into the darkness of the water, he knew she’d never be seen or heard from again. He had come for Excalibur but was returning with so much more. How could he prove himself worthy of her sacrifice? Rowing softly towards the embankment, he knew that it would be a constant struggle, and he would have to take her advice and just trust in himself. She wouldn’t have chosen him if she didn’t believe in him; it was time for him to do so as well.
His heart was overflowing with pride and contentment. As the boat struck the shore, he felt renewed determination fill his soul. She said he had what he needed to succeed; now he just had to prove it. Strapping a sword on either hip, he took the old spellbook in hand and began walking towards the nearby platform.
Resting his hand on the statue, he noticed that its light was slowly starting to fade. He grimaced and looked at the lake once more. “Goodbye and thank you,” he whispered to the oncoming darkness.
The platform jerked upward, and he thought he heard a soft voice say, “good luck”. Then the lake was out of sight and the cavern above was coming into view. When it came to rest, he stepped off, spared one last glance at the places the swords had been, then turned his back on the room and strode quickly towards the cavern’s exit. He’d been apart from the others long enough; it was time to return and begin their journey north.
The New Age Saga Box Set Page 64
