Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

THE BANSHEE'S CRY WAS familiar to Morgana, he heard it before his mother died. But it didn't make it any more comforting. Even after the sound was gone, it rang through his head.
Even with the dread the banshee screamed into their hearts, they had to continue on. Their screams, as horrifying as they were, were merciful. They were rarely a warning of immediate death, so they could only hope it wouldn't come quite so soon.
It hurt Morgana to know it would come eventually, though. Banshees were never wrong.
As much as he claimed to dislike his new companions, he couldn't lie to himself. He cared for them, and the thought of losing even one was too much to think about. He pressed onward, leading them along.
Chalice had the map out again, but they held it with shaking hands. Without thinking, Morgana placed a steadying arm on the druid's shoulder, looking up at them with eyes as reassuring as he could muster.
They smiled, but it didn't reach their eyes. They tried to put up a tough front, but it was cracking. It was something Morgana knew all too well.
It took them a long time to finally reach their destination. It was now the deep of the night, and he could only hope that adrenaline would keep the humans awake. They couldn't afford to take breaks in these woods, and sleep would leave their minds just as vulnerable as the rest of them.
They broke through into a meadow full of bright flowers and glowing butterflies which fluttered around the ground, lighting up the grass and dirt at their feet, illuminating the fog. Somehow, he felt safer here, like he was shielded by something. But the shield was weak, as though it had been forgotten for centuries.
"The lake should be here," Chalice said softly, breaking the silence no one dared to cut through since they entered the forest.
Despite their words, not a drop of water was to be seen.
"It was guarded by a 'stone protectress,'" Giselle whispered. "Maybe we should look for that."
Perhaps the Unseelies who found the "jewel" long ago were not so wrong about the goddess. Though the jewel likely had nothing to do with her, he wondered whether the lake did. Maybe that's why Morgana felt a sense of protection. He was Unseelie and in the territory of his ruling deity.
He could feel it getting stronger, then weaker, then stronger again as they carried on. It was like a game of hot and cold, he realized. "Follow me," he whispered, and led them where the feeling took him.
By the time it was at its strongest, they reached another clearing, where the moon shone down through a break in the trees, lighting up the ground. There was a cliff before them, one that stood out above all the rest.
"That's her, that's the protectress," Giselle breathed. As Morgana looked closer, he could see it, too. The stone took the vague shape of a woman, vines curling down like hair, a distinctly stone-shaped sword pointing to the ground, resting beneath what must've been her hands. There was a face, too, and her eyes were wide open, like she was watching.
The only problem, though, was the distinct absence of a lake. Only cliff, crawling with vines and trees thick enough to cover any surface of stone apart from the woman.
He stepped towards the cliff, and the feeling he had grew stronger, but so did the feeling of dread. He placed his hand up, touching the hard surface of rock, but instead of rock, his hand slipped through the flora.
"Wait a minute." He took his cane, pushing it through the vines, but it just went further through, never touching rock. He yanked it down, tearing an entrance through the thick greenery, pulling at it with his hands.
Finally, he successfully tore through until he was stepping into a cave. His heart caught in his chest at the sight.
It was breathtaking. A large lake spread out before him. The water was bright and blue, lighting up the walls and low ceiling of the cave. Rocks jutted up in a circle around it, taking the shape of a temple. Knots were carved in the ground, now covered in moss and dust, and he could feel something ancient and magical about the place, even for the Fae.
"Morgana!" Selene called from outside the cave.
He turned around, pulling open the curtain he created. "Through here," he told them, motioning for them to follow.
It was silent as they all stepped through into the cave, like the sight left them speechless as it had left Morgana.
"Do you think it's still here?" Kit said.
Morgana could still feel the pull. "I know it is. I can feel it." He stepped closer to the water, eyes scanning the cave for any trace of the shard. "Whatever they thought the jewel was, they were right about one thing. Cailleach is here."
He took another step, until his feet touched the sand encircling the glowing water. He looked at the ceiling as if it would give him a sign, but this left him unaware of the creature in the water swimming towards him. He heard Kit's warning too late.
A clawed hand wrapped around his ankle, yanking him down into the water and immersing him before he could take a breath.
It was a water witch, a freshwater sea witch, and in his panic, he inhaled a lungful of the lake. He tried to kick against the witch, but she dug her other hand into his thigh, drawing blood that flowed through the water like crimson smoke.
His vision was blackening, but his eye caught on something resting at the bottom of the lake right before it faded.
He wasn't out for long, but he was on the shore again when he woke up again, coughing up water until his throat was sore. He was just glad it wasn't saltwater.
The moment he was able to speak, he did. "The shard," he croaked. "It's at the bottom. But there's water witches, they're trying to protect it."
"I can go," Chalice offered. "I might be able to breathe again, but someone has to keep the witches at bay."
"I can make a spear," Selene said.
"No." Morgana gave her a look. "Water witches aren't evil, they don't need to die. They think we're intruders, and we just need to make them think otherwise."
"So we need to talk nice to them?" the Lady was already getting anxious, letting her hair down and tying it tighter, as she always did.
"I have an idea, but you'll have to be fast, Chalice. I don't know how long I can hold it." Morgana hadn't used his mind magic since he messed with Selene, but he was strong enough now to use it again.
"How much do you know about water witches?" he asked.
"I've studied their behavior, but I'm not terribly well-versed."
"That's all you need to know. Just act like them and they won't bat an eye."
Chalice slipped their cloak from their back and pulled their feet from their boots, but didn't get in the water yet. "Tell me when."
Morgana moved to place his hand on the wet ground, letting his eyes fall shut. He thought only of the water witch who grabbed him, of the others below the surface, and reached out. He projected onto Chalice their own image, told them not to think about the druid, because they were just another sea witch.
"Now," he whispered.
He heard the splash of water as Chalice jumped in, and he kept his mind focused. Chalice is just another witch. A friend, an ally, a fellow protector. There was nothing there to hurt them.
His head was starting to hurt, but he had to keep it up. He forced his mind to stay there, even as he let out grunts of pain, which morphed into groans, then whimpers. His head was searing now, burning, throbbing like something was pressing down on his skull.
A hand settled on his back, but he kept his mind on the witches. It wasn't until he heard Kit's voice that he realized what the prince was doing.
The pain eased as he took his strength, letting it channel straight into his mind, where he projected the image further. Water witches were harder to convince than humans, just like any Fae.
Even Kit was breathing heavy now, hand slipping down his back. He stopped taking, but Kit didn't move his hand. Morgana was trembling now.
"Are they close?" he growled.
"Just a little longer, Morgana." Kit's voice was a whisper in his ear, and he tried not to let the hot breath on his skin pull his mind from its task.
He could feel the image slipping, and his arms were getting weak. He was getting dizzy, even with his eyes closed. Just as the image fell from his mind, something splashed up onto the shore.
"I got it," Chalice said, and Morgana collapsed into Kit's open arms.
He opened his eyes. Chalice held the shard, but their hands were cut and bleeding. They didn't seem to mind, though.
"Take it, Morgana," Chalice told him, handing him the piece of the sword. He could feel the power coming from it, and he pushed it beneath his arm band.
"You did great," Selene told him and the druid.
Chalice slipped on their cloak and their boots, and Kit and Selene helped Morgana to his feet.
They turned to leave the cave, but then came a heavy rumbling, steady like giant footsteps, which shook the floor and caused stone and dirt to rain down above their heads.
When they emerged from the cave, they froze to find the stone protectress. But she was no longer still, now a supersized warrior.
"Run! Up there!" someone cried, but Morgana couldn't tell who. Kit was still holding his arm, keeping him on his feet as they all scrambled towards the hill which led up to the top of the cliff.
The protectress was slow as she walked, slashing her sword at the trees opposite of where they were. Morgana could hardly keep up with the rest, and Kit had given all his strength, so the two were far behind by the time the others reached the top of the hill.
It didn't take long for the protectress to find them, right in the middle of the hill, and perhaps more vulnerable than they would be anywhere else. Kit stood in front of Morgana, sword drawn like it would do anything.
"She wants the shard, Kit, you need to leave!"
"Absolutely not!" he insisted.
Morgana knew he would only hurt himself trying to protect him and rid the group of one more than there needed to be. He used his cane to knock the sword from his hand, kicking him to the ground. He picked up the sword and stabbed it into the fabric of Kit's shirt, pinning him to the ground.
"Morgana, no, what are you doing?"
The faery ignored him, stumbling towards the stone woman. Maybe this was what the banshee warned of.
He didn't know what he was doing, he had no plan. Perhaps he could convince her he was on her side, that he was an Unseelie there to worship.
The protectress lifted her hand as if to strike. And then it did, but not at Morgana. He ducked beneath it, knocked to the ground by the wind.
A whimper sounded from behind him, and he turned back to see a large, wolflike beast sprawled on the ground away from him.
He realized then that the feeling of protection never left. In fact, it was stronger now.
"We're not her enemy," he concluded aloud. Her stone eyes settled on him as he said this, and though his mind filled with fear, his heart could feel the shield.
She rested her hand before him. He looked to his companions, who all watched with wide eyes. Kit was free again, but he made no move to attack the protectress.
"She's going to take us home," Morgana said.
The protectress didn't move her hand until everyone was on. She held them close to her chest and walked slowly, stomping through the trees and cutting through the forest. When they reached the edge of The Foraoise Dorcha, she lowered them to the ground.
Morgana watched in awe as she walked back, the ground rumbling beneath her steps until she was gone.
The sun was coming up again when they returned to Morgana's cottage, the seven of them silent until they were through the door.
"The Gods are on our side," Chalice said, once again breaking the silence. "They have been the whole time. The Morrigan, Cailleach. Whatever darkness this is, whatever is threatening Avalon, it's going against the Gods. This isn't just an Earthly threat."
No one spoke, watching Chalice as they all thought the same thing.
"This is a war far greater than any of us can imagine."