Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

THE ONLY OTHER ONE with a clear head was Eurion, and Chalice stuck at her side as the others clung to each other behind them. They left their site and continued on their journey after the banshee let out its scream, because no one could sleep after they heard it.
They were on their horses again, riding directly north. It would take them a long time to get there, but they kept a steady pace to avoiding having to take too many stops. They hardly even took a break to eat, more eager to make use of the daylight they had.
Everyone was tired and hungry by the time they finally stumbled across a village. It was much colder now, and Chalice could only hope they were far enough north by now that no one would recognize them.
They searched the quiet village for a stable, and when they found one, the worker seemed a bit too excited about how much they paid him.
"You don't get a lot of visitors here, do you?" Chalice asked the man, who was still focused on the money in his hand.
"Not often, no," he said. "This is the most I've gotten all week. Thank you, my friend."
The druid nodded at him. They wanted to act surprised, but they knew just how the man felt. No one ever came to do business with Fells, so they'd never be able to afford nice things for the village. They had to work with each other to get what they needed, and they shared because there was no point in money.
At the very least, this town was not exiled by the King. Chalice was glad to help them, even if the money wasn't their own. It used belonged to Kit and Selene, but quickly became communal funds by now, considering the two had no real reason to keep it to themselves anymore.
Their next stop was a shop. Even with their fancy cloaks and capes from the ball, everyone was freezing already, and sought for more warmth.
The woman there was just as amazed with the money she was given. She certainly didn't get this much business on a regular basis. She almost didn't have enough cloaks to give them all, but she pulled a few from a chest behind her desk, old ones she thought weren't good enough to sell.
By the time they'd filled their bellies at a tavern and rented a room at the only inn in the village, they'd given more money to the village than the people there were used to. It was a town people had to go through to go north, but rarely was it this many travelers, and it wasn't often. There was seldom a reason to visit the North.
The druid was exhausted when they set their head on the pillow. They were lying between Eurion and Kit, who kept an arm around Lionel as he fell asleep almost immediately.
Chalice had gotten used to his buzz by now. Though it wasn't nearly so dizzying after he received his vision, it was still there, an ever-present hum that stuck up the fine orange hairs of their arms when he was close enough. The buzz was familiar, but Chalice couldn't identify how no matter what they tried.
They could feel it change when he did. When he was feeling brave, Chalice could sense it. They could sense his lust, too, an unpleasant bonus they got to enjoy when they were visiting the brothel. And now, they felt his anguish. His guilt and his fear and his anger as he fussed and whimpered in his sleep.
It wasn't his fault Morgana got left behind, and at some point he started to grasp that, but he was still terrified for the faerie and that would never change. Chalice was afraid for him, too, but they were trying to keep their mind on their goal. There would be no point worrying about Morgana if Avalon is destroyed.
They were last to fall asleep, but they often were. They woke up first, too, fully rested despite only getting a few hours. It was always like that, easy to refresh, and they didn't know why. They just assumed it came with their blessing, but several druids they knew struggled with sleep.
They took the few hours of silence to meditate. They'd tried to reach out to the Morrigan several times since Kit saw her in his vision, but there was nothing every time. Still, they opened their mind to her, let her know they were ready for her if she came.
This time, though, they reached for Cailleach. Protect him, they prayed. Watch over him, for the sake of Avalon.
As much as the man refused to believe it, Morgana wasn't as expendable as he thought. No one among them was expendable. Everyone had a purpose in their mission, and the druid worried how they would fare this time without him. Last time they tried to get the shard without their seventh companion, they all nearly drowned, then got stranded on an island when they didn't.
The next to wake up was Lionel. Chalice looked to him with a smile as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"G'morning," he said to the druid, a yawn stretching across his tiny face.
"Morning," they replied. "Sleep well?"
He nodded.
"That's good."
He looked at their relaxed position and the particular curl of their fingers. "What are you doing?"
"I'm meditating," they explained. "It's how I connect to the Gods and keep my spirit strong."
"Can I try?" he asked.
The druid smiled and patted the floor beside them. When he sat, they taught him how to hold his hands, and told him to close his eyes.
"Alright," they said. "Now try to think of nothing. And if you can't, think of one thing that brings you peace."
"Mmm. Honey."
They chuckled. "That's a good one. Just think of honey, of how it tastes on your tongue, how it feels, what it makes you feel. Let that bring you peace."
It was quiet for a long moment, until Lionel spoke again, voice serious and purposeful. "I feel very peace now."
"Excellent," Chalice said. "Now, sit in that peace, don't move from it, and think of the things you are grateful for. Give your thanks to the Gods, for everything you can think of. The earth you live on, the eyes you can see with, another day to live. Tell them you appreciate what they've given. Just think about it, and truly feel it."
Their mouth was already dry with all the talking, but they didn't mind. They were glad to teach the boy about the one thing that brought them true solitude. Besides, the boy was clearly Gifted, and his mother came from Fells. Maybe it would be useful to him.
They let silence fall between the two of them for several minutes before speaking again. "Now, you ask them for what you need. Even if it's as simple as the strength to live through the day. Ask only for what you need."
The boy seemed to be serious about it now, because they heard nothing from him anymore. They cracked open an eye to check on him, and sure enough, he looked very concentrated. His back was as straight as he could make it, hands faithfully holding their position.
It occurred to them then that it almost looked like he was getting somewhere. Like the meditating was working, and he was successfully connected to the Gods. How he managed to get this far his first time was fascinating. Granted, Chalice was much younger their first time, but he was still small and easily distracted at six years old.
His eyes opened after several minutes of staying still, a serious look on his face as he glanced up at Chalice.
"How did it go?"
"I never knowed I could do that," he said with a growing smile.
Their chest swelled. "Who did you talk to?"
"Epona," he said, taking Chalice by surprise. He already knew her name. "I asked the Gods to give our horses strength and speed and she came to me."
A proud grin split across their face. "Good job, Lionel. Welcome to the druid club."
They turned their head when they heard a rustle to find Kit sitting up, a soft smile across his stubbled cheeks. "A druid, huh?" he asked.
Lionel was grinning. "I talked to Epona."
"So I heard," he mused.
The druid rose up then, shuffling Lionel's hair on their way back to their makeshift bed, where they got to work packing up again. They put away Kit and Lionel's bedding, but they couldn't take care of their own until Eurion woke up.
Chalice took a moment to check up on Giselle and Selene, who'd taken up the bed due to the Lady's lingering wound, still tender though it'd been mostly healed. If Kit was distressed about Morgana, Giselle was in agony. She hid it better than him, but even as she slept she looked small, afraid, vulnerable.
Selene was good for her. A strong foundation, holding her pieces together with muscled arms around her shoulders. They overheard their argument the night before, where Selene successfully pulled the princess from a shut down state. It was rare to find someone who understood another that well anymore.
The next to wake up was Eurion. She took a long, dramatic stretch, then groaned out in exhaustion. "Chalice, do you have a spell to get my legs to move? They don't wanna."
"That's witches, Eurion," they told her with a smile.
"Yeah, whatever. You're all mages."
"Well, we still can't do spells."
Eurion was sitting up now, slowly of course, but she was doing it. "Yeah, because you're all 'vessels for the Gods,' I'm painfully aware. And so are my legs. Are you sure you're not a witch?"
Chalice grabbed the thief's ankles, pushing her legs up into a position that would help Eurion get up better. "I'm not a witch, but I am a human person that has hands."
"That works too, I guess," the thief pouted, finally getting to her feet. Now that she was up, Chalice took care of their bedding, ever eager to get on their way as soon as they could.
"Should we wake them up?" Kit asked in a softer tone, gesturing to Selene and Giselle, as sound asleep as two women could be.
Chalice frowned. "I would hate to disrupt them, I think they need the rest." They looked over the two again. "You three go get food, I'll stay with them and meet you all after."
That seemed to satisfy Kit, and he took Lionel and Eurion with him out of the room and towards wherever they could find a place to eat.
Now in silence again, Chalice meditated until Selene woke up, followed by a heavily delirious Giselle. The princess fussed, but the Lady hushed and reassured her.
Chalice only opened their eyes when the princess started asking above everyone else. "They went to eat, they didn't wanna wake you two up."
Giselle only then seemed to notice the druid there. "Oh, good morning," she hummed. "Where are they getting food?"
"Same place as yesterday, I presume."
"That place was delightful. Selene, can we go? I'm starved."
Selene looked to Chalice.
"Take her, I'll tidy up and check us out." The druid gave her a reassuring nod and watched as they left the room, Selene holding Giselle's shoulder with a grounding palm.
Once they straightened up the sheets and returned their key to the owner of the inn, Chalice went out to search for the others. Kit, Eurion and Lionel were nearly done with their meals, but the girls were only then receiving theirs. Chalice ordered something small, then paid the worker in full, once more delighting in the look on her face.
Next they returned to the stables to retrieve their horses. Now warmed up, rested and fed, they made haste towards the North in search of the tomb.
As they left the village, riding into rolling green fields, cool wind cutting into their pale cheeks, the druid noticed a bird swirling around their heads. It was too far to see what it was at first, but as it got closer, Chalice could see it better.
With wings as dark as night and eyes as red as blood, the crow was out of place in such a climate. But Chalice knew what it was. Or rather, who.
The Morrigan.