Crown of Dreams (19 page)

Rhianna’s heart lifted in equal joy to see her mother recovered. She laughed. “I still had
my armour, Mother. It’s magic, remember?”

“I know, but I’ve been so worried.” Guinevere held back her hug at the sight of the bloodstained sword in Rhianna’s hand. “I see you’ve been fighting again… I hope that’s Mordred’s blood?”

The knights glanced at each other. Nobody corrected her.

“We’ve got King Arthur’s crown back, my lady.” Sir Lancelot picked up the Crown of Dreams and handed it to her. “It was in Dragonland with Mordred, just like Princess Rhianna said. I think there’s a few jewels missing, but it still seems to work. It rejected Mordred when he tried to use it to claim the throne.”

The queen gave a funny little smile as she took the crown. She touched the green jewel
of Annwn, drew a deep breath and looked around the courtyard. “Where is the traitor?” she said in an icy voice. “Bring him to me.”

Sir Lancelot rested a hand on her arm. “Prince Mordred is dead, my lady,” he said.

The queen frowned. Then she spotted Mordred’s body lying in the shadows and pushed the knights aside.

“Stay back, Your Majesty!” Sir Bors warned. “It might be a trick.”

The queen stared down at the twisted body of the dark knight. “I think my champion has fought enough battles to know whether a man is dead or not,” she said, making some of the knights chuckle. “Get the Saxons to build a pyre for him. We need to call a meeting of the Round Table to discuss what to do about the mess Mordred’s floods have left behind.
Cai, go inside and fetch out that merlin before it soils the floor. Rhianna darling, you’re excused. Go and have a bath and get changed. We’ll talk about this later.” She frowned at Excalibur’s soiled blade. “You’d better get your squire to clean your sword as well. Your father would never leave it in that state after a battle.”

Cai opened his mouth to protest. “I’m a knight now, not a squi—”

“Do you want to sit in another boring meeting?” Rhianna hissed, and he shut up again.

While Cai rescued the panting merlin from under the Round Table, Rhianna kept her hand on Excalibur’s hilt in case the druid wanted to say something to her. But the poor
bird didn’t even look capable of flying, let alone explaining how she was supposed to complete her quest now that Mordred had destroyed her father’s jewel and blooded Excalibur.

“Where’s Elphin?” she asked as the big doors boomed shut behind the knights and the guards took up their position outside, spears crossed.

“I think he’s with Arianrhod,” Cai mumbled, avoiding her eye.

Rhianna frowned. “We could have done with his help earlier. Mordred almost cut my throat out there.” She touched the wound and shuddered, only now realising how close she’d come to death.

“I’m sure Elphin will play his harp for you when he’s finished helping Arianrhod,” Cai said more brightly. “Shall we go down to
the dungeon and see if they’re still there?”

They settled the injured merlin in the hawk mews on the way, and for once the druid made no protest about belonging in Rhianna’s room instead. Her stomach tightened as they turned down the steps to the dungeon. The guards had gone, and all was silent below. She remembered how she’d left her friend a prisoner down here when they set out on their quest. If Mordred had hurt Arianrhod, she would never forgive herself.

The door to the cell stood open. Torches burned brightly inside, showing them the maid fast asleep on the bed. A new bruise showed on her cheek, but she was smiling as she dreamed. Elphin slumped on a stool at her bedside, his head bowed over his harp and his curls shadowing his face. He was sound asleep, too.
The sweet scent of Avalonian magic lingered in the air.

Rhianna saw blood on Elphin’s fingers, and the angry words she’d been saving for him fled. She took the harp from his lap and gently set it on the floor.

Cai opened his mouth, “Huh! The lazy—”

“Shh!” she said. “He’s exhausted. Don’t wake him.”

“Do you think there’s anything left of King Arthur’s jewel?” Cai said. “Elphin might be able to mend it, like he mended the Lance of Truth in the summer.”

The same thought had occurred to Rhianna. She checked under the pillow, unsurprised to find no sign of the pendant. She cast a quick look around the cell and sighed. “We can ask Arianrhod what happened to it
when she wakes up. The important thing is, Mordred didn’t get hold of my father’s secrets. My mother’s got the Crown now – that’ll keep Camelot safe until we get back. I’ve got something else to take care of first.”

Cai brightened. “Lunch?” he said hopefully. “We missed it earlier.”

In spite of her worries, she smiled. “No, I want to go up to the lake. I need to talk to Lady Nimue.”

“But Damsel Rhianna, all the knights are in the meeting, and what about the floods? You can’t go out riding so soon! What if there’s trouble?”

“Mordred’s dead. His ghost-warriors have gone back to Annwn, and the Saxons have taken care of his bloodbeards. The floods must have gone down if the knights got through.
And if you’re worried about that promise I made my mother, not to go out riding without my armour, my sword, and at least one knight… well, I’ve got Excalibur and my armour, and I believe you told the queen you’re not a squire any more.”

Cai drew himself up and retrieved the Lance of Truth from the passage. “I’ll ride Sandy,” he said with a grin. “I want to make sure Elphin hasn’t taught him any fairy tricks while he was off in those mists.”

T
hey paused just long enough to pick up Rhianna’s boots and Pendragon shield, which Mordred had tossed into the armoury once they’d served their purpose. Then they saddled their horses and trotted out of the
gates into a pink and gold sunset.

Around the castle, floods reflected the luminous sky as far as they could see. Only the Lonely Tor was visible above the drifting mist that lingered over the water. The ditches, which had been full of howling ghosts on their way up to the castle, swarmed with Saxons clearing up after the battle.

Chief Cynric passed them, cheerfully dragging a dead bloodbeard by his feet. “Funeral pyre tonight, Princess!” he called.

Rhianna’s stomach turned at the thought of watching her cousin’s body burn. But Cai grinned and called back, “Make sure you build it high for Prince Mordred!”

“High as Camelot’s towers!” the Saxons promised.

Sandy seemed none the worse for his
journey along the spiral path with Elphin. He seized the bit between his teeth and trotted boldly ahead towards the river.

Alba snorted.
The Saxon pony thinks he is a mist horse now. But he cannot gallop over water like me. Can we leave him behind again?

“No, my darling,” Rhianna said with a smile. “Not this time. I promised my mother.”

A yell from Cai distracted her. Sandy came splashing back out of the water, shaking his mane.

“The bridge is still underwater, Damsel Rhianna!” Cai called. “We’d better go back to the castle. It’ll be dark soon, anyway, and we don’t want to miss Mordred’s funeral. We can always go to the lake and look for the fish-lady tomorrow.”

She frowned at the swollen river. She hadn’t
considered they might not be able to get as far as the lake. Maybe she should have told Cai to ride Evenstar again.

“No,” she said. “I’ve got to ask her what to do about Excalibur before anyone tries to clean it—”

“So! You have finally blooded your blade, Rhianna Pendragon,” called a silvery voice from the water, making them both jump. “I thought it would only be a matter of time.”

A large tail splashed, and the fish-lady from the lake surfaced in a swirl of green hair. Sandy shied, and Cai almost dropped the Lance of Truth into the water.

“Careful, young champion,” Lady Nimue warned in an amused tone. “I might just decide to accept your offering this time.”

Cai recovered his balance and scowled
at her. “I haven’t finished with it yet,” he said. “I need it to protect Damsel Rhianna.”

“Protect her from what?” Nimue sat on the flooded bridge and splashed her tail in the river. The pink sunset glittered from her scales. “I see no enemies for you to fight out here. Prince Mordred’s bloodbeards fled back across the Summer Sea with those devils he called out of Annwn. I drowned a few, and the Wild Hunt will take care of the rest when it gets here at midwinter. Let me see that sword.” She held out a webbed hand.

“Stay back!” Cai said, pointing his lance at her. “What are you doing out of your lake, anyway? You can’t just sit on that bridge drowning people, you know. We’ll get a lot of visitors at Camelot now Prince Mordred’s dead.”

“Prince Mordred’s dead?” Nimue paused, her turquoise eyes going distant. “Are you sure?”

“Of course we’re sure!” Cai said. “Arthur’s magic crown killed him, because he tried to kill Damsel Rhianna and make himself king of Camelot. We’re burning his body tonight.”

The fish-lady frowned. “Then make sure you burn all of it.”

“We’re not stupid. And you still haven’t told us why you’re not in your lake.”

“Stop it Cai,” Rhianna said. “It’s obvious how she got here. She swam downriver with the flood.” She took a deep breath and blurted out, “Lady Nimue, can you clean Excalibur like you did last time – after King Arthur blooded it in battle and his knights returned the sword to your lake? My father’s ghost has vanished
again, so I still need to take it back to Avalon for him.”

The fish-lady’s turquoise eyes narrowed. “Bring the sword here.”

“Careful, Damsel Rhianna!” Cai warned.

But Rhianna was already trotting Alba across the swollen river to the flooded bridge. She held out Excalibur, keeping a firm grip on the hilt in case the fish-lady tried to take it to her underwater cavern again.

Nimue ran her webbed fingers along the blade and frowned. “This is your blood,” she said.

“Yes…” Rhianna swallowed in memory. “But you cleaned it last time, after my father chopped off Mordred’s hand in the battle – and that was Pendragon blood, too. Please try, Lady? Mordred’s spirit isn’t in the hilt
this time, so it’s only the blade that needs doing.”

“I could try,” Nimue agreed. “But you’ll have to offer the sword to me properly, like your father told his knights to do when he was dying, so I can pass it on to someone else after it has been cleansed.”

Rhianna frowned. “But I need Excalibur if I’m going to look for the Grail of Stars!” She tightened her fist possessively on the hilt. The thought of not finishing her quest, now she had come so far, made tears spring to her eyes.

“I can see you’re not ready to give up your sword,” Nimue said with a sigh. “There’s no need for me to do anything. Just polish it as normal. The blood won’t be a problem.”

“But I thought you said I mustn’t blood the blade if I wanted to take Excalibur to
Avalon?” Rhianna snatched back the sword in anger. “You mean all this time I’ve been trying to be careful, fighting dragons and bloodbeards and Mordred without getting blood on my sword, and now you’re saying it doesn’t matter?”

The fish-lady smiled. “It does matter. But only if it’s someone else’s blood. When your father used Excalibur to wound men, he lost power over them. That’s how Mordred was able to kill him at Camlann, and I didn’t want you falling into the same trap. You’ve done amazingly well. You have three of the Lights now. If Arthur’s spirit is still not ready to return to his body, then you may indeed need to look for the fourth – but I must warn you, no one has ever managed to take the Grail of Stars into Avalon.”

“Then I’ll be the first!” Rhianna said, lifting her chin and meeting the fish-lady’s luminous gaze.

Nimue smiled again. “I can see your spirit remains strong. Perhaps you are ready for the final stage of your quest… You remember the riddle I asked you when you first visited me in my lake?
What is the secret of the Crown of Dreams
?”

Rhianna frowned. “I already answered that one… the Jewel of Annwn. It’s the big green one at the front that contains the secret of dragon riding and opens the gate of Annwn, so it’s hardly a secret.”

The fish-lady laughed. “You only answered part of it. Every jewel in that crown contains its own secrets, and every Pendragon adds new knowledge to it. If any of the stones are
missing, its wearer can’t see the whole picture. Your father’s jewel was missing when you wore the Crown of Dreams in the shadrake’s lair. If you are to find the Grail and complete your quest, you’ll need to wear the crown with your father’s jewel restored. But be warned, Rhianna Pendragon – you might not like what you see.”

“Then Elphin was right! My father’s jewel does contain the secret of the Grail of Stars! But Mordred told me he destroyed it… so how can I find the fourth Light now?”

“The jewel was not destroyed,” Nimue said.

The fish-lady’s eyes reflected the last of the light, and in their blue depths Rhianna saw a luminous swirl of a horse’s mane.

Evenstar comes
! Alba whinnied, pricking her ears.

Rhianna’s heart leaped in hope. Elphin
came trotting down the hill with Arianrhod clinging to his waist. His dark hair tangled with the maid’s, whose head rested on his shoulder.

A pang of jealousy made Rhianna’s fingers tighten on her sword. Then relief that Arianrhod was recovered took over, and she waved. “Elphin! Over here!”

He trotted straight across the river to join them, his mist horse’s enchanted shoes kicking up pink spray. “
Faha’ruh,
Nimue.
Faha’ruh
, Rhia,” he said, checking her over for injury. His violet gaze paused at the scab on her throat, and his eyes darkened. Then he smiled. “What are you doing out here talking to the Lady of the Lake? You’re supposed to be safe in Camelot.”

“Safe?” She blinked at him in disbelief. “Didn’t you hear how Mordred got hold of
Excalibur, made all the knights kneel to him, and nearly killed me? He got blood on the blade. I had to do something about it… where
were
you, Elphin?”

“Missed me, did you?” he said, teasing now.

“I missed your magic! I thought Lord Avallach sent you out from Avalon to look after me?”

“Mordred was wearing the Crown of Dreams and using the Jewel of Annwn. I couldn’t challenge him. My magic doesn’t work against Annwn’s dark powers. But I’m here now, and Arianrhod’s got something for you.”

He smiled as his passenger reached into her dress and pulled out a familiar pendant. Except the stone was not black any more. In the dusk it glowed pink and red, picking up the colours of
the sunset. It dangled from a new cord woven out of Evenstar’s mane.

Rhianna stared at it, her heart beating faster. “My father’s jewel!” she said.

She’d been so stupid. Why hadn’t she realised her cousin would lie to her?

“I promised to keep it safe for you my lady, didn’t I?” Arianrhod said with a little smile. “So now you can put it back into your crown and complete your quest. Then King Arthur will return to Camelot, and everything will be right again.”

“And I’ll be able to see my father’s secrets,” she said, turning to ask Nimue what other knowledge the crown contained.

But with a splash of her tail, the fish-lady was gone.

“But I don’t understand,” Rhianna said to Arianrhod, as they rode back up the hill to the castle. “However did you hide the jewel from Mordred?” She thought of their conversation in Dragonland. “Are you a witch?”

“Don’t be silly, Rhia,” Elphin said.

“But you’re keeping secrets from me again, aren’t you?” Rhianna continued, still annoyed that everyone seemed to think she needed protecting from the truth. “If you won’t tell me how you were able to hide my father’s jewel from the dark knight in a locked cell, I can always find myself another maid.”

Arianrhod blinked.

“It’s all right, she doesn’t mean it,” Elphin said, playing a quick ripple on his harp. “She’s just fought an army of ghosts, saved Camelot
from Mordred, and played another riddle game with Lady Nimue. She’s tired.”

Rhianna sighed as the music soothed her nerves. “Just tell me the truth,” she said. “If you turn out to be Elphin’s long lost sister, or you’re a druid like Merlin and want to live in the body of a bird, I won’t mind. I’ve already got one grumpy hawk. You can keep him company.”

Arianrhod giggled. “I never keep secrets from you, Lady Rhia. I didn’t know the truth myself, until I saw it in your father’s jewel.”

“You can see my father’s secrets?” Rhianna’s stomach fluttered.