THE MORRIGAN CHRONICLES

KING CONALL LOOKED at Emrys. Being King he was naturally imposing, even to a great Druid such as Emrys. The King’s patience— though Emrys said there would be an explanation—was dwindling, seeing the man with one of our treasures and the bull’s horn.

Emrys couldn’t let go of his grin but seeing the seriousness of the King’s expression he raised his hands. “Please, we are but a short walk to one of the Great Oaks, and it will lead us to a place of safety. We will have quite a walk once we pass through. I’ll explain everything on the way.”

The man holding the horn stared at me. He was human, that much I could tell. His fears were not masked as ours surely were.

Emrys picked up the Stone of Fal, took the horn from the man’s hands, and led the way. The air was cool and pure, if not a little damp from the fog. The emerald green of the grass on the rolling hills held the dew. At least the familiar landscape was comforting to me.

Emrys strode next to the human. “Come, boy, I’ll explain to you, too. Bet you didn’t think you were going to see three hundred Tuatha de Danann come walking out of a mound of dirt when you woke up this morning, did you?”

The man, obviously stunned, stuttered and sounded out as best he could, “Thoo-a-day Du-non?”

Emrys let out his hearty laugh, “Yes, I suppose you need some catching up as well. Seems like I’m the only one around here who knows what is going on. Patience, boy.”

“Quit calling me boy!” he shouted and planted his feet.

Anger replaced the fear on his face. Or more likely the anger was a result of the fear. That I could relate to. “I am twenty-eight years old. I’m a grown man, and my name is Neil. You and everyone here look to be a few years younger than me, so stop with calling me boy.”

A soft chuckle erupted from us, which only seemed to anger him more. Emrys’ face was soft and friendly even after the outburst. “Relax, young thundercat.”

Before Neil could protest any more, Emrys stopped in front of the Great Oak. The only tree in the sea of hills.

“Neil,” he said, dripping in a most patronizing tone. “This is a Great Oak. One that is very old, containing great magic, and is friendly to us. These people and myself are supernaturals. We can use Great Oaks as a sort of portal. We can enter into one and come out through another Great Oak at another location. Anywhere in the world. Humans cannot. At least not without the help of a supernatural.”

Neil stood looking at Emrys as if he’d sprouted a second head.

Emrys saw the man was slow to catch on. “Frak it, follow me.” And with that he grabbed the man and stepped through the tree.

We followed Emrys. I was first, followed by the King. Before stepping through I looked back. Emrys was right, there were about three hundred of us. Three hundred. We were more like three thousand strong when we began the battle this morning. Did we really have so many casualties? I was at the center of the battle and couldn’t see beyond what was in front of me. Slashing and taking heads, that was all that I focused on.

Emrys and Neil stood back a few feet as I exited. Taking in the landscape, I could see we were in a thick forest of trees. I did as Emrys had, stepping aside so that others could follow through, the King stepping with me.

“Have you seen Treasach, Alastar and Aine?” I asked, no formality in my voice for the King. Perhaps a hint of the panic I felt welling inside me. His blue eyes took me in.

“Ease yourself, Morrigan. You were so preoccupied that you didn’t notice my children were beside me. They are safe.” Then he couldn’t help himself and winked. “As is my mate.” King Conall smiled and the next to walk through the Great Oak was Treasach.

Like his father, Treasach was tall and handsome. Not as tall as Emrys but only a few inches shorter. Tuatha hair was either golden, red or somewhere in between, but his was as gold as sunshine. That is exactly what I thought of when I looked at either of them—sunshine. His skin was bronzed and his turquoise eyes stood out in contrast. The dark brown leather pants and vests that we wore in battle complimented his coloring. As he stood next to the King I couldn’t help thinking how alike they looked. All but the eyes. The King had the same hair and skin but his eyes were a deep blue. The color of the ocean I once saw from a beach covered with sand.

Alastar and Aine were next to come through. The twins. Alastar, like his father and older brother, wore the brown battle gear, but his stockier stature made it look like his muscles would burst through the leather. Treasach was tall and powerful but moved with finesse and sleekness. Alastar was straight brute force and looked it. He was the deadliest of the three in battle. His eyes matched his father’s but he had an added twinkle in them that revealed a great heart and usually a little mischief.

Aine, like her twin brother Alastar, had bright red hair. While his was shoulder length and pulled back, hers flowed down to her lower back even when braided. In my opinion, she was the most beautiful of all the Tuatha. She was tall and agile. Strong yet fragile. Fiery hair and cool turquoise eyes. Everything about her contradictory, at times even her mood.

The King’s mate, Deidra, came next. Not one of my favorites, but even I couldn’t deny she was poised, beautiful and usually very kind, though I could unnerve her at times. Her hair was a blonde so pale that it was platinum rather than the usual warmer colors of our people. Unlike most of us, her skin shimmered silver rather than gold. Her eyes were the palest of blue. Everything about her look was cool. She radiated femininity. She walked as though she floated, stopping next to the King, giving me a regal nod.

I lifted my chin to her. Not very polite, but at least I acknowledged her presence. That was the best I could offer. Treasach just winked at me.

Coming through the Great Oak single file took quite a while so I went to Emrys. He was speaking to Neil. Glancing at me, he wound his hand in mine and I pressed up against him. Wherever we were it was cooler than I was used to and his warmth comforted me.

His baritone voice was smooth like black velvet though I suspected he had magic laced into the words to keep Neil calm as he spoke. “I am a

Druid, and as such I am a great conductor of magic.”

Neil broke free of the calming magic. “Emrys—as in Merlin? Like King Arthur and Merlin?”

Emrys rolled his eyes. “For crying out loud, my name is Emrys. I’ve never gone by Merlin and whatever pile of demon crap you have read in the stories about King Arthur, forget all of it. You’ll soon learn the real story, and the first lesson is that my name is not Merlin. Nor am I an old wizard who wears a pointy hat. Never have and never will.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. And why would someone think his name is Merlin? It sounds like a girl’s name. And what does a pointy hat have to do with anything?

“As I was saying…” Emrys’ words thickened with magic, “I’m a Druid. Like the Tuatha, and all supernaturals, we cease aging once we reach our maximum growth. Approximately age twenty-five to twenty-seven. We do not die of old age.”

“You’re all immortal?” Neil blurted.

“No!” Emrys’ patience was now being tested. “Nothing is immortal. We die like anything that lives. We do not age. Now as I said, I’m a Druid. Magic is my strength, and all you need to know is that I’m damn good at it.”

He paused but Neil stayed quiet, waiting to hear more.

“These fine folks are the Tuatha de Danann. They are from the four great cities: Falias, Goirias, Findias and Muirias. They are warriors that the

Creator made to balance out great evil.”

“The Creator… you mean God?” Neil couldn’t help himself this time.

Emrys’ look was patient and I could see why he was the great Druid leader. “As I said, you need to unlearn most things that you know. The answer is yes and no. Yes, the Creator is the God that you worship. He is the God. He created everything. He created the Earth, the waters, the animals and humans. He then created his children, the lesser Gods, to help rule. To break it down for you kid, he’s the boss but he needed to delegate. So now you have the Creator’s offspring helping things along and as things go, there’s always some bad and some good. Just like any other creatures, jealousy and fighting erupted among the Gods. Resentment. They wanted the Earth for themselves. The bad Gods began wreaking havoc on the humans. Even taking some and twisting them into creatures to cause more destruction. The Gods are siblings and are bound not to harm one another. So, he created the Tuatha to fight the evil on land and the Fomoire to fight the evil of the seas.”

“We are all through,” shouted Brian, my second in command.

King Conall imposed himself on Emrys. “Where are we headed?”

“As you can see, we are in a thick forest,” Emrys began. “I have set us up in a place about five miles from here, so we have a bit of a walk.”

“Good.” the King kept a close eye on Emrys. “Now you can fill me in on what is going on.”

“Yes, of course,” Emrys agreed. I couldn’t help but smile that he didn’t call the King ‘Sire’ or ‘Your Highness’ as we would. Being a Druid, he wasn’t a subject and Emrys always made it clear that he worked with us and not for us. Another reason I adored him.

Neil was impatient to get on with the story Emrys had begun. “So if the Creator—”

Neil was cut off as King Conall picked him up by the collar of his shirt. The always calm look on his face contrasted with what I knew he felt. He kept his voice steady yet stern. “Emrys, I don’t know who this is, but you will tell us what is going on now.”

He threw Neil to the ground and his gaze hardened on Emrys. Typical Emrys looked unworried and fiddled with a fingernail.

He helped Neil to his feet then turned to lead the way and we began to follow. A full minute stretched by before he spoke. His voice was soft, knowing that our hearing was far more acute than humans and we would all be able to hang on every word. “We were to battle Arwan, God of terror and revenge. Your cousins the Fomoire may have been your family and allies at one time but for centuries you have battled them. They, wanting to be rid of humans or at the very least control them, the Tuatha wanting to protect. They made an arrangement with Arwan that they would fight with him to defeat the Tuatha and not turn on him as long as he would leave the Fomoire alone and enslave the humans. What is the last thing you remember?”

King Conall smiled but knowing him as I did this was not a friendly gesture. This was a precursor to him losing his patience. His voice not betraying emotion he answered, “Our forces gathered as the sun rose over the hills at our backs. We faced the sea. Arthur and his Knights were behind us and the Druids behind them, ready to heal. The Fomoire appeared at the shore with Arwan cowardly standing behind them. We charged and met them in battle. We fought for hours, most of the day. The sun hung low in the sky looking to be swallowed by the sea when we began to make headway. Morrigan, yourself and Alastar fought in a fury, carving a path closer to Arwan. Myself, Arthur, and his Knight Gawain charged through. The three of us fought Arwan. The three of you held the Fomoire at bay. Arwan mostly battled with me, seeing Arthur and Gawain as weak. Arwan slashed Arthur’s sword, breaking it in half. Then he slid his sword deep into Gawain’s leg. Thinking them no threat he fought me with all his might. Arthur shouted for me to throw him my sword. Arwan was paying him no attention. I grabbed Gawain’s sword to keep fighting and threw Arthur mine, knowing that the sword of the Tuatha would be the only one to defeat a God. Before Arwan could react, Arthur drove it deep into his body. Arwan stood frozen before Arthur pulled it out and then took the head of the evil bastard.” The King paused, running his hand through his beard. “Then we awoke inside the Earth.”

Neil’s mouth hung open in amazement, but I had to give him credit, he said nothing this time. He stopped walking for a moment but continued on when I bumped into his shoulder. Yeah sure, I didn’t need to do that but I couldn’t help myself. It was colder than I was used to and though I was confused, I was in a hurry to get to shelter. Finding out what had happened next to a roaring fire and mug of ale sounded much better than hiking through this cold forest.

Emrys looked deep in thought. He kept his eyes ahead paying attention where he stepped, but the path was well beaten through the thick woods. The trees held no leaves and the wind had picked up. The whole forest and sky looked as if it had been washed in grey.

Clearing his throat he asked. “What do you know of Artaius?”

I was cold and my mood was darkening. I snapped, “Not a particularly powerful God. Mostly goes around causing trouble. He’s like the pesky little brother with a twisted sense of humor.”

Emrys nodded. “That’s right. Kind of a punk. Turns out he’s not just the little moron we thought him to be. Remember Arthur’s Queen, Guinevere?”

King Conall answered this time, his mood worse than mine. “We fought alongside Arthur and his Knights. We’ve never met her, but of course have heard her mentioned.”

Emrys shook his head. “We should have.”

Neil was now walking next to me. This close I noticed him to be about six foot tall. I hadn’t paid him much attention until now. His eyes were warm like caramel and his short hair a dark rich brown. His face was kind.

Sweet even. His eyes trusting. Though we looked to be the same age as he, our eyes didn’t hold that kind of innocence.

Emrys finally broke his silence and brought my focus back to him. “Guinevere was not Guinevere.”

“Artaius?” I asked but instantly knew. My gut wrenched. Something terrible had happened. Something bigger than any of us knew. I was piecing the puzzle together. It hit me before Emrys even told the story. He looked at me, slowly nodding. My suspicions were right. I fought to maintain a mask of confidence and calm. Glad that I had figured it out, having a head start to gather myself before Emrys spelled it out for everyone else.

“Yes,” he continued. “Artaius had taken the form of a beautiful woman and seduced Arthur. Constantly whispering in his ear. Arthur had become a puppet and didn’t know it. We didn’t know it. Artaius convinced Arthur the Tuatha needed his help in defeating Arwan and the Fomoire but once that was done, the Tuatha planned to enslave all of mankind to serve them.” “That is absurd!” Deidra shrieked.

Leave it to the always proper one to be offended rather than looking at the big picture.

Emrys shrugged. “I know that, but Arthur was convinced. Artaius told Arthur that the battle needed to last as long as possible, so that there would be maximum Fomoire and Tuatha casualties. That both races were a threat to all of humanity. He needed to get the sword of the Tuatha at all costs. With it he could reign and have power over anyone or anything that stood before him. That he would rule over humanity and that the supernatural beings needed to be banished. All supernaturals.”

He paused though no one asked any questions. I assume he was letting this information sink in. Convinced everyone had wrapped their minds around the tale, he pressed on. “Before the battle began, Artaius gave Arthur a single drop of his blood. It would bond them. The sword is the only weapon that can kill a God, and a God cannot wield it. King Conall willingly gave the sword to Arthur, technically making it his. The moment he struck Arwan down he summoned Artaius’ power and banished all on the battlefield to sleep deep in the Mother Earth. The Druids saw this happening and hesitated in their confusion. Arthur ordered the Knights to take their heads.”

Emrys’ eyes filled with tears of pain, though he held them back. “The

Knights whom the Druids healed, trained with, lived with, even loved, on orders of their King, struck every last one of them down… at least they thought they did. Gawain was stunned at the sudden turn of events and let Marisol and Deia escape.”

All three hundred of us stopped in our tracks, not one of us able to move. It was as if a cold from deep inside iced over our veins, keeping us frozen in place. A sadness of this magnitude simply didn’t get absorbed instantly. A slaughter of our friends, Tuatha and Druid alike, whom we had intertwined our lives with for centuries was going to soak in slowly and painfully. The pain we felt now would be nothing compared to what would come. Tears didn’t fall. Not because we were stoic. We were just not able to believe it. I’ve had plenty of heartache and experienced many losses on the battlefield. This was unimaginable.

King Conall looked strong and regal. I knew him well and knew his heart ached but he held himself together for his people. He was acting. “Emrys, there are many more questions I have. That I’m sure we all have.

How long were we asleep, and where is my sword now?”

“I’m getting to that.” Emrys began walking again. “We’re almost to our shelter. Just over this ridge.” We slowly followed, our minds not wanting to hear more but knowing we must. “Once the, uh, battle was over and the humans made their way back to Camelot, Gawain was disenchanted with Arthur and went to speak with him. He knew something was not right. Arthur told him that the Tuatha planned to enslave them but Gawain didn’t believe him. He began to notice Guinevere spending more and more time with Arthur, never leaving his side. Arthur began planning a campaign to conquer all the surrounding kingdoms. Gawain tried reasoning with Arthur that this was not what Camelot stood for. That this was a time of peace. He knew Arthur would be unstoppable with the sword. He sought out Marisol and Deia whom he helped hide far to the north. They told him that he needed to steal the sword and get it to them. That they would send it to another realm where nobody would be able to reach it. He managed to get it one night as Arthur slept. He was to meet Marisol and Deia outside the castle walls. He miraculously made it out of the castle with over fifty arrows in his back. They grabbed him, the sword, and disappeared in the forest through a Great Oak. They still didn’t know that Artaius was involved at this point. They were in the middle of healing Gawain when Guinevere, or Artaius as it were, showed up. Their power was weak from healing and they weren’t able to fight Artaius off. Deia fell first and instead of using the last of her power to fight, Marisol sent the sword away, though nobody knows where. Artaius left Gawain to die. But he didn’t… otherwise we wouldn’t know this much.”

We crested the ridge. This was the edge of the forest. Beyond lay an enormous lawn, crisp with frost that led to a… castle? No, it didn’t look like a castle but it was as big as one. The structure was made out of red bricks and looked to be able to hold several hundred. There were so many windows—it seemed to have a window every few feet. Judging from the way they lined up the building had four levels. It was a marvel.

Next to it were the stables. It was made of brick as well, looking to be a smaller version of the lodging accommodations and opened up into a massive field with a beautiful white fence. I could see at least a dozen equines. We were going to need more in order to travel.

Our pace quickened, knowing that we could warm ourselves and get something to eat. The news that Emrys had brought had taken its toll on me and I’m sure everyone else. I grew wary not seeing any smoke coming from chimneys knowing it would be a while before the rooms would warm. Wait… where were the chimneys?

I’ve seen pyramid structures in a land of sand that stretched up to the sky. Great buildings of white with columns overlooking the sea, bluer than can be described. I’ve even seen large cats bigger than wolves in a forest of strange trees. This was something foreign.

“Emrys, I’ve never seen a building like this.” My mind was trying to put the pieces together but unable to. “Where are we? Are we still in the Earthly realm?”

Emrys’ uneasy look worried me but at least he answered. “We are far from Erin. If you were to look west and travel as far as the sea goes this is where you would be. You and I have been here before, Morrigan. Do you remember the people who wore leathers not unlike yours? They rode on small horses with no saddles and decorated their long black hair with feathers?”

“Yes, I remember. We tracked a pack of cannibal dwarves there. Nasty little things. They had eaten several of the people before we were able to take their heads,” I said, recalling the trip. I didn’t remember seeing anything like this while there, though.

Emrys nodded. “That’s right. Well the land is vast. More so than you

can imagine. We are in the middle of that land. A place called Missouri in the country known as The United States of America.”

In the distance I saw a shiny black metal carriage with no horses pulling it fly down the path towards the house at a speed that no horse could match. The others saw it too and we all slid our swords from their sheaths.

“Calm down! Calm down! Everything is fine,” Emrys boomed. “That is a mode of transportation, like a horse or a carriage. It’s what is used now to travel.”

We kept our swords drawn and King Conall asked what we were all thinking. “Used now? How long have we been sleeping, Emrys?”

Emrys didn’t look at the King but at me. He didn’t blink. I held my breath. All three hundred of us held our breaths. The seconds stretched. Finally he answered. “You were spelled and held under in sleep for… one thousand three hundred eighty-five years. It is now the year 2017.”