Microsoft Word - LadyPendragon (22 page)

“Yes, well you did a bang up job, didn’t you?” she demanded. Morgause wrinkled her brow. She doubted that her aunt had understood her, but she bet that she’d gotten the gist of what she had been trying to express.

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 91

“I have pledged my loyalty to Arthur. I broke away from my husband and my son, Mordred. They are riding back to our kingdom in Lothian as I speak. You cannot turn me away, not when I have given up all that was near and dear to me. “

“I simply do not understand why you would take such drastic measures. “ Morgause never thought of anyone but herself. Why put herself at risk by remaining behind in Camelot? It made no bloody sense.

“My daughter, Thaney, remains with me, but I could not persuade my husband or son to break ties with Lord Cardan. They believe that he will bring prosperity to our kingdoms. The fools. I have no tolerance for their stupidity,” Morgause spat out, as her eyes filled with malice.

“When Lord Cardan and I next meet I shall have my revenge. “ Revenge? What was Morgause playing at?

Molly watched her aunt warily while she tried to discern her body language. Morgause was too skilled of a witch to try and probe her thoughts. Even Molly couldn’t enter Morgause’s mind without being forever burned. Long ago, she had been Merlin’s pupil, and lover.

Eventually, Morgause had turned on Merlin, when she had tried to trap him in his cave.

Lady Vivienne had saved Merlin from Morgause’s wrath, and Morgause had been banished from Camelot. She had met and found an ally in King Lot. They thought alike, and so they had married. Morgause had nine children with King Lot. Her five boys were Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris, Gareth and Mordred, and her four girls were Avon, Milynda, Bryn, and Thaney. Milynda and Bryn were married to two of Arthur’s knights, and Thaney was still far too young to be contemplating such a thing as love. Avon had been lost long ago, though her mother still believed that she was alive.

“I do not expect you to accept me right away, Molly. “ Morgause’s voice was soft, and her eyes were thoughtful. “But I have begged for Arthur’s forgiveness, and being the generous man that he is, he granted it to me. I have nowhere else to turn. However, I shall tell you this.

My loyalty shall remain with Arthur until my dying breath. My world was nearly torn asunder when Gawain came back from battle so pitifully wounded. I dare not tell you how heart broken I was to see him in such a state. No matter how much I wanted to, my healing knowledge was not enough to bring my son back from the brink of death. Beatrice helped me, and I shall be forever indebted to her. Lord Cardan attacked one of my own, and I shall never forgive that. My vision and judgment was clouded, but now I see the light. Pray, Molly, let us start anew,” Morgause pleaded, resting her hand on Molly’s arm. A rush of something inexplicable tingled through Molly. Morguase was arguing her case with an unparalleled passion. The glint in her eye didn’t seem insincere. Perhaps, the love Morgause had for her children had brought her back from the brink of turning evil. Perhaps. But she was always taught to take everything with a grain of salt…if Morgause proved herself to Molly, than maybe Molly would reconsider. Until then, she’d reserve her judgment. Her father had already given Morgause his forgiveness. But Morgause would find that forgiveness was much harder to receive from Molly. No matter what, Molly would never forget the things that Morgause had done to her and the ones she loved.

Molly’s throat constricted, and she felt as if she were about to choke. She was hesitant to offer her forgiveness as readily as her father had been willing, but she would consider what Morgause had offered. That in itself, was more than Morgause deserved considering all of the heartache she’d inflicted on Molly’s family.

“Time will tell if what you speak is from the heart,” she whispered. She looked away from her aunt, when she heard Gwen’s pathetic moan.

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 92

“What are you doing?” she demanded. She stepped closer to Gwen. Father Cadfael looked as if he was trying to drown Gwen with liberal splashes of Holy Water. Gwen had begun to shiver and Molly knew that at this rate, Gwen would have pneumonia by nightfall.

“I am exercising the demons from Her Grace,” he answered, turning his solemn eyes toward Molly. Elyzabel was standing by with her hands draped listlessly at her side. Molly stared into the silent woman’s eyes and was surprised to find the look of indecision glowing in their crystal blue depths.

“Utter nonsense. Lady Gwen is not filled with demons,” Molly scoffed, moving to intervene. “Release her at once, or I will do something that you will later regret. “

“Dearest Molly, let the good fellow have his way,” Branden urged, winking at her. “The water can do Gwen no harm. I know for a fact that it was drawn from Lady Vivienne’s waters. “

“’Tis Holy Water,” Father Cadfael insisted, his eyes glowing with indignation.

“Of course it is, Father,” Branden said, giving the holy man a knowing smile. This only seemed to infuriate Father Cadfael, for his eyes were glinting dangerously.

“When you are done with Lady Gwen, mayhap you could allow Prince Branden to take her to her chambers. As night approaches it is becoming quite chilly. You could always take yourself off to Egloshayle and pray to God that all devilry leaves Gwen’s body. “ Morgause’s voice was steady and calm.

Elyzabel’s eyes flickered toward Morgause with hope sparkling within them. If Molly didn’t know better she could have sworn that Morgause was trying to assist Gwen. She shivered.

She didn’t know if she liked this part of Morgause…it almost made her seem even more dangerous. But seeing the humanized side of Morgause did come as a refreshing change.

“Aye, I shall. “ Father Cadfael said, as his eyes rested briefly on the gold Celtic cross that Morgause wore around her neck. Something that resembled rage flickered in Cadfael’s eyes and then quickly vanished.

When Molly turned to say something to Collin she found to her despair that he had disappeared again, and what was even more galling was that Avalbane had accompanied him.

He’d been developing a nasty habit of abandoning her in the middle of a situation. She scanned the castle courtyard and found no trace of him. Stupid rascal! She shouldn’t be relying so heavily upon him. She had to be able to think and do for herself. She had to fight the tendency to always be looking for him whenever a serious decision needed to be made. But she still wanted to consult with him, and ask him if he thought Morgause was trustworthy.

“He shall return,” Branden murmured. Molly gave Branden a grateful look. Even though Branden seemed calm and collected, Molly still worried about Collin. Avalbane would look out for him…and since Merlin had been training him for nearly three years, Molly felt quite certain that when push came to shove, the new Collin would be able to handle himself quite nicely in hand to hand combat.

Father Cadfael finished his fervent mutterings, and then traipsed off without a by your leave. Molly watched him rush toward Egloshayle, and couldn’t help but feel relieved at the sight of his stooped back.

“Come, we must take Lady Gwen to her bedchamber. In a way, Father Cadfael was right. Lady Gwen does indeed reek of black sorcery, but she was not possessed. I’m afraid there is other dark magic afoot here,” Morgause’s voice was firm with conviction, as Branden tilted his head thoughtfully.

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 93

“Well, the thing that troubles me is that for the life of me, I cannot find her memories,”

Molly murmured, trying to keep up with their quick pace. Lady Elyzabel was also having a difficult time keeping pace, as she kept almost tripping on her long skirts.

“Precisely. That is why I said that dark sorcery was at work. I’m afraid that Gwen may never reclaim her memories. They are no doubt in a vial on one of Lord Cardan’s shelves. Lord Cardan has had to wipe many peoples’ memories so that he may command them. Gwen was fortunate. Gwynne must not have had the heart to take the brain wiping to the next level. This is good for us. It shall work in our favor. There may be hope for Gwen yet. But we must treat her, before she loses all sense of self completely. If that happens, she will be a lifeless shell, devoid of thought or feelings. A gruesome fate indeed…one that I would not wish on my worst enemy,”

Morgause shuddered.

Molly looked ahead as they climbed the stone steps to the bedchambers above. She was beginning to feel a bit more like herself…her magic continued to grow inside of her. Soon, she’d be truly back to her old self.

As soon as they had reached the hall to the bedchambers Molly finally noticed the sleeping forms of servants and noblewomen that flanked the castle. Her heart skipped a beat.

She could sense strange magic in the air.

“Morgause, what sort of enchantment is this?” she said, gesticulating, to the slumped forms.

“Lady Gwynne did not come ill prepared. She brought a lowland goblin with her. He played his melancholy tune for all to hear, and it put everyone in the hall to sleep. “

Molly’s heart began thumping at the mention of a goblin. Now that she thought about it, she could recall hearing a mournful tune but she had supposed that someone had been playing a lament, for it had been beautiful. She knew that goblin’s were cunning creatures, with an uncanny ability to make haunting, yet foreboding music. She swallowed thickly, and knew that from now on, whenever she heard such a strange tune, she would be put on alert.

Shivering, she rubbed her arms to encourage some warmth into them. She hadn’t realized until now how much she had been depending on Collin’s nearness to keep the chill away. For a late April day it was unusually cold.

“Why didn’t the goblin lay waste to Tintagel? Surely, he would have been inclined to blow fire out of his mouth, and incinerate the structure. “ Their feet padded across the stone slab flooring and Morgause flung the door open to the bedchamber Gwen shared with Arthur.

“I do not know. It would seem that Lord Cardan had convinced the goblin to hold back for some unknown reason. I have the preconceived notion that all shall be revealed to us soon. “

Branden laid Gwen on the fur-covered bed, and then stepped away. “I need to attend to a few concerns,” he murmured.

“Branden, wait, I’ll come with you…” But he had already disappeared in a bright flash of light. Molly snorted in frustration. She twirled around in an impatient circle and made a punching gesture into the air.

Distracted by his flamboyant exit, Molly at first did not notice the strangely silent girl sitting in the corner of the bedchamber. She seemed to be sleeping, and yet her eyes were wide open.

“Why is Thaney sitting over there?” It seemed as if she was only asking questions and it was beginning to annoy her. She should know more than what she did. Problem was, everything in this timeline was ever changing, and she had no way of predicting what would happen next.

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 94

“Thaney is meditating. She is trying to keep watch over the Light Bearers. I asked her to do this for me. This morning when I was scrying, I had a most unpleasant vision. “ Molly rubbed her arms again. She still felt frozen from all of the excitement in her life that day.

“How is Gawain?” she asked suddenly. “And who is attending to Lancelot? I trust that Morganna went out with the rest of the Light Bearers?” She paced back and forth, and then stopped as a thought occurred to her. She knew where Collin had gone off to…and she should have already followed him.

“Aye, she did at that. She asked that Bryn attend to Lancelot. But I fear that they are both in an enchanted sleep, which by the way, we must attend to once we have saved Gwen. “

Morgause’s brow was furrowed, and anxiety glimmered in her eyes. She seemed older than usual, and her hands were shaking slightly.

Molly pressed her hand to Gwen’s forehead and frowned at how hot it was. Her temperature was continuing to rise…it had to be lowered, or she would die.

“Gawain is frustrated because he is still unable to rise from his bed. I have offered to use my magic to enchant his legs, so that he might be able to walk, but he will have none of it. And he is nearly at his wits end, for fear of what might be happening to the Faeries of Broceliande and the other knights. He feels useless. “ Morgause’s voice level had dropped and Molly could tell that her aunt was genuinely concerned about Gawain. She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and bit into it. She was feeling antsy herself. She knew that her Light Bearers needed her, but here she was cooped up in the castle with her two least favorite people. At least knowing that Thaney was keeping a telepathic eye on everyone could ease her heart. Her father was out there in the midst of battle, facing who knew what kind of a threat. She didn’t like feeling so trapped, so helpless. Her place was at the center of all the action…not cooped up in her father’s castle waiting on Gwen and the other wounded. What if one of her knights fell because she wasn’t there to help? The thought unsettled her.

Suddenly, suspicion began gnawing at her. She eyed Morgause warily, and stared around the room. She clenched her hands at her side, and began summoning her magic, feeling it course through her, bringing warmth into her body.

“Why is it that you are unaffected by the goblin’s sleeping spell?” her voice was uncertain and her heart thundered against her ribcage. Beads of sweat popped out on her forehead, and the gold jewelry that she had draped on her body felt increasingly heavy. Closing her eyes she conjured a hand mirror. Bringing it up close to her face she wasn’t surprised when her own reflection didn’t stare back at her. Pursing her lips, she tried to glamour back to the way she was meant to look. It happened in a heartbeat. Satisfied to see her coppery red hair and brown eyes again, she fingered her long curly hair…and looked at Morguase out of the corner of her eye. No matter how hard she tried, she could never feel at ease around Morgause. Maybe with time she’d be able, but not yet.