My Merlin Awakening (38 page)

Matt knelt by the Minotaur’s golden head. He looked up at me. “It has to be a lock and to unlock it—”

“You need the blood of the sword-bearer,” a voice came from the shadows. “And the trident.”

Gia and I jumped. Faster than I could blink, Vane moved out of the shadows near the door and grabbed Gia.

“Gia,” Blake cried. He scaled the columns up out of the pit.

Vane held a sword to Gia’s throat. “Drop it.”

Gia’s eyes flashed.

“Do as he says,” I told her.

Gia met my eyes and dropped her sword.

“Good girl.” Vane kicked the sword out of the way.

Matt, Grey, and Colin scrambled out of the pit. Matt said, “Let her go. You’re outnumbered.”

“Gargoyles,” Colin yelled at the door.

“Oh, they’re quite incapacitated,” said Vane.

Colin’s face turned red. “Bastard. Those gargoyles fought at your side.”

Vane shrugged. “Unfortunately no longer true.”

“And the two wizards?” Matt asked.

Vane gave another shrug. “Not very good with swords, I’m afraid.”

“Vane, you don’t have to do this,” I said.

His eyes locked on mine. “I did give you a choice.”

“You won’t win, Vane, we still outnumber you,” Matt said.

“No,” another voice said from the doorway. “Actually, we outnumber you.”

Leonidas stalked inside. Theras followed close behind him. Soldiers pushed the two gargoyles and two wizards ahead of them.

Theras observed Vane holding Gia hostage. He remarked, “Interesting.”

“I thought I lost you lot in the maze.” Vane sighed and lowered his sword, releasing Gia. “So much for that plan.”

“Y-you,” Gia sputtered and elbowed Vane hard in the stomach.

“The crown showed us the way,” Theras said.

My eyes fixed on the two gargoyles and two wizards, still very much alive. I turned back to Vane. “You didn’t kill them.”

Vane’s lips formed a bittersweet smile. “Yet, you so easily believed I had.”

“I don’t have a problem killing any of you,” Leonidas commented.

Vane faced him. “I suppose you don’t want Aegae to survive the day of reckoning?”

Theras stilled. “What?”

Vane held up the trident. “I came to Aegae for a reason. I was meant to come here. And the answer to your future and mine lies right here.” He pointed the trident to the pit. “Poseidon rests here.”

“Your tongue is smooth. Your words like honey, but you are a snake. You cannot be trusted,” Leonidas interjected.

“No? Then, trust yourself.” Vane pointed to the pit again. “Put your crown to the test. Try to open that lock with it.”

Leonidas scoffed. “There is nothing there.”

“Afraid?” I said.

Leonidas strode over to the pit. He held up the crown. The emerald on the crown glowed green. The emeralds on the golden bull’s head also lit in response.

“What is this?” he said.

“The source of your magic,” Matt replied. “Your father has been coming here to recharge the crown with magic whenever you needed. That much I glimpsed in his mind. The magic is charged with whatever lies here. He couldn’t have known its effects. I believe exposure to it has turned the mermaids into something… harsh.”

Leonidas stared at him. “You speak nonsense.”

Theras turned to Vane. “How will this save us from the reckoning?”

A cold smile echoed a chill of green that flashed in Vane’s eyes. He turned to look at me. “To answer that, I will need a maiden.”

CHAPTER 19 - SACRIFICE

CHAPTER 19
SACRIFICE

“The Minotaur is a warning,” Matt said. “If there is something resting here, it may not be a good idea to wake it.”

“Losing your courage already, Merlin?” Vane sneered.

“I hope you’re coming up with a plan to get us out of this,” I told them.

Matt, Vane, and I stood inside the pit. Leonidas and everyone else peered at us from overhead. The Aegae soldiers held the others at sword point. Grey didn’t look at all happy to be a prisoner again. Neither was I. I knelt on the floor, took Excalibur and sliced my forearm. Drops of blood dripped over the bull’s head. It pooled into the emerald-laden sockets.

Vane handed me the trident. I fired a shot at the bull’s head. The bull glowed. Between the ring of columns, a green ring of light outlined a circle of stone. The stone slid up and a hole opened. Water poured out from the spout.

Vane reached for my hand, but Matt grabbed it away from him and healed the wound. We climbed out of the pit. Leonidas took the trident from me. Everyone watched the water fill up and the pit quickly became a small pond. Then, the light died. The pond sat still.

“Now what?” Grey said.

Matt knelt by the pit. He touched the water. “This is Lake water.”

Vane knelt too. “Is she here?”

“Who?” Leonidas asked.

“Where is the cup?” Colin asked.

Matt put his palm on the water. “The pit must be the cup.”

Grey went to edge and touched a finger to the water. “It feels like gel.”

“Is she here?” Vane repeated.

Matt looked back at him. “No.”

“You’re missing something,” I said.

Vane’s hand slammed down on the floor. “She has to be here, Merlin.”

I saw a small disturbance in the water. A slight trembling, almost imperceptible. I turned to Matt. “Say your name.”

“Merlin,” he said. A ripple shot through the water.

I looked at Vane.

“Vivane,” he said. The ripple became bigger. Under the water, the Minotaur glowed red. Light pierced through the Lake and projected onto the ring of stones that made up the walls of the pit. The rings started to glow. The pit shook. Tentacles of light traveled up to the statues.

The lone maiden moved.

Behind me, the mermaids retreated to the door with fearful expressions. Only Leonidas remained in place.

The statue’s bowed head lifted. Blank, stone eyes opened. “My sons, long have I awaited your coming.”

***

“Lady?” Vane said in shock.

The statue laughed. “Not quite, Vivane. We left your shores long ago, however I left this memory for when the time was right—during the final days, when you would find me again. It will answer your questions, if it can.”

“Who are you?” Matt asked.

“The woman who raised you, Merlin, the one who set you upon this path. I took a risk hoping you would make it here. Yet, you have always been so clever. I knew you would not disappoint me.”

“Where is here?” Matt asked.

The stone face smiled. “This is one of my earlier homes. I have lived here before you knew me.”

“You didn’t answer his first question,” Vane said.

“Ah, Vivane, my daring one. You are correct. I am a Guide, a guardian sent to protect the flock. You have called us many names throughout your time, but we have always been the same. I am one of a handful sent to this world. In this place, I was called Rhea.”

“Poseidon’s mother?” Vane said. “The mother of Zeus and Hades?”

“We are all Guides,” she said. “We fostered life on this world. We helped it grow. We shaped it for a while. Then, our time passed. You did not need us anymore. But we did not leave you alone. We knew a day would come when everything we’d built would be tested. On that day, your world would be tested. Thus, we picked our champions.”

“Champions?” Vane said.

“To save your kind, of course. The time is very close now.” The Lady reached out her hand and pointed to me. To Excalibur. “You have earned the first key. You have chosen your first champion. The second lies here.”

“Lelex told me the Earth-Shaker lies here,” I said.

The Lady nodded. “Earth-Shaker. Destroyer. Poseidon. Neptune. He has been called all these things. We left a piece of us, of him, tied to this world. Now, one of you must host his great power. One of you must wield it. Take on the mantle of the Earth-Shaker. Become the next champion during the final days. Become the Fisher King.”

“What does he offer?” asked Vane.

“The Earth-Shaker’s power will make its wielder invincible. We gave a bit of his essence to Bran of Pellam, however, he was unable to control it. It sapped his strength and nearly drove him mad. It was then I realized that only a champion would do. With the Fisher King to lead them, the people of this world may yet survive the day of reckoning.”

“What is the day of reckoning?” Matt asked. “I have tried, but cannot foresee any details. It is as if I cannot focus on it.”

The statue frowned. “There were too many possibilities to foresee this during our time. We only know it is the end of this world and all its peoples. We have seen this much. Only with the power of the Earth-Shaker shall the champion glimpse the rest. You have been given the gift of vision for a reason, Merlin—”

“Vision?” Vane looked at Matt. “So that is it. I never understood before. You chose him for this. He is the champion.”

The statue blinked. “Is that a question?”

“What is the price for waking the Earth-Shaker?” Matt asked.

“The Earth-Shaker is part of this world’s core. He has become part of its life force. Separate him and the world will tremble.”

“The volcanoes,” Matt concluded grimly.

Tsunamis
, I thought.

Matt murmured, “My vision. It will cause massive devastation. How can you demand such an unacceptable price?”

The stone Lady looked at us sadly. “It was not our intention to be spiteful. We only sought to save the world. It was the only way to keep the Earth-Shaker’s power intact for you through the ages. You must step back and see the whole. Those you lose will be but a small percentage. On the longest day of the sun, on the day of reckoning, the trial of humanity will test all. If you do not use the power of the Earth-Shaker, you will save no one. Every man. Every woman. Every child. Your world will be no more than a memory, a figment floating in space without any substance.” The stone Lady sighed. “This world faces annihilation. The choice is yours. We have left you our gifts. The three are your best hope. We are only Guides—”

A blast came from behind us. A firebolt shot past me and slammed into the statue.

“Lady!” Matt and Vane both cried at once.

But it was too late. The statue cracked. Light retreated from the broken stone. Water in the pit dimmed.

We turned to the perpetrator.

“Gia?” Blake said in disbelief.

Gia held the trident in her hand with a strained expression. “It’s a lie. It’s all lies. Can’t you see? We’ve been in this hole forever… with these barbaric mermaids.” She spat at them. “They’re making us crazy. ‘The final days.’ ‘The day of reckoning.’ What kind of joke is that?” She pointed the trident at us. “No one is waking anything.”

“Gia.” I took a step toward her.

“Don’t, Ryan. I will shoot you. Remember I was a Candidate. I’ve been trained well.” Tears leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks. “I know you want to do what’s right, but this isn’t it. This place is twisted. Evil. Merlin's vision warned us. I’m not going to stand by and let you unleash this.”

“No one is waking anything,” Matt repeated. He took a step toward her. “We are not going to unleash anything.”

Gia shot him with the trident and coupled it with a spell. Matt threw up a faint blue shield, but it penetrated through. He crumpled.

“Matt!” I said with a cry.

Grey caught him and lowered him to the ground. Vane threw a spell at her. Blake and the remaining two wizards hit her with magic also. Gia’s magic surrounded her, making a shield. However, without a charm, she couldn’t endure the bombardment as the wizards blasted her again. She dropped the trident. Blake ran to catch her.

“She’s passed out,” he declared, laying her down gently.