Savior of Avalon

Chapter Seven

When my eyes opened, it was dark. A gasp escaped my lips at the chill that ran through my body. Despite the fact it was April and the weather was beautiful, I suddenly felt as if I was walking through the coldest depths of Siberia naked.

"Sibyl?" Came Merlin's voice.

When I looked over at him, he was sitting exactly where he had been sitting before I dozed off. He had turned in my direction, though, and the lights from shops surrounding us gave me a perfect view of his expression: quizzical.

"I just...felt this...chill," I tried to explain, shivering as I spoke. I was so cold, I had to wrap my arms around myself, trying to make myself warm again.

Merlin's eyes lit up with knowledge and within seconds he was up, shaking Thom awake and closing the curtains abruptly.

"Jeez, what time is it?" Thom asked, yawning. In this moment, he looked more like a five-year-old kid than the forty-something-year-old man I'd known since I was a child.

"Morgana's using her magic to track us," came Merlin's short reply.

Thom was wide awake now, grabbing his sword immediately.

"How do you know?"

"When sorcerers try to use their magic to find another sorcerer—especially when they're in another dimension—the sorcerer feels the imprints of their magic. If I were tracking someone, they'd feel lightening because it's what I'm good at. Morgana's specialty is—"

"Ice," Thom finished, taking one look at my shivering form and putting two and two together. "Does she know where we are already?"

"Probably. I'm sure—" Merlin broke off his sentence, his jaw clenching. "No, I'm positive they'll be on us within minutes."

"H-how d-did they g-get to us so fast?" I wondered, teeth chattering from the cold only I could feel.

"Morgana set up men everywhere when she found out you were sent here. There are men in every continent, in every state, in every city. Morgana wanted to be sure you were dead." Merlin said these things briskly, his attention focused solely on Morgana's approaching men. "It's difficult for me to use my magic here, but I can use a little."

"We won't need magic," Thom told him, digging around in the duffle bag he carried and pulling out a second sword. It was simple and less showy than the one Thom had and he threw it to Merlin, who caught it mid-air. "Are you still good with a sword?"

"Did you forget who taught you?" Merlin asked, giving Thom a deadpan look.

A small chuckle escaped Thom's lips and he turned to me, wrapping his jacket around my shoulders and helping me stand.

"Up and at 'em, kiddo," he murmured as we headed out the door.

On our way to our car, we paused when we noticed cops surrounding it. Of course, our little scene must have raised a lot of attention. We had broken traffic laws, been shot at, put a lot of other people in danger. Not to mention, our car did draw a lot of attention. The smashed windows and the exterior covered with bullets.

Thom swore under his breath and we retreated.

"W-what now?" I inquired, the cold was slowly fading away and was now becoming a slight chill.

"We're going to have to steal a car," Thom said, his eyes darting around the parking lot as he made a beeline for a Kia jeep.

I didn't approve of stealing cars—or anything else, for that matter—one bit, but our lives were on the line here. With my magic, I could sense Morgana's men getting closer.

A car suddenly swerved recklessly in front of us, stopping with its bright headlights facing us. I squinted and covered my eyes with my hands. Thom and Merlin both stood shoulder to shoulder in front of me, with one hand Thom cautioned me to back up a little further, I slowly did as he said, never taking my eyes off of the scene in front of us.

Like the ones who took my mother, these ten men were enormous. Thick bands of muscle coating their arms. One of the men—the one who was bigger than all the others—reminded me a lot of a viking. Dark red hair and a long, bushy red beard. He had a thick scar from his thick forehead to the right side of his eyes.

The other men all piled up behind him, not nearly as scary as him and all of them seemingly falling in line.

"Give us the girl," he demanded in an Irish accent, his face serious.

Thom and Merlin said nothing, just braced themselves for a fight.

"Lucinda," Thom said. I knew he was serious in this moment because he rarely ever called me by my full name. "While we hold them off, use your magic to break into the car. If they get us, you get in and drive away, do you understand?"

"Thom—"

"For the love of all things Holy, Sibyl," Merlin snapped. "We all know that out of the three of us, you're the one who needs to survive. Besides, once Morgana's men kill you, your mother will be done for, as well."

I flinched at the visual and sighed.

"Okay," I said. "But don't make me have to go to option B. Just...kick their asses, okay."

"Will do." Thom's back was turned to me as he spoke, but I could hear a bit of laughter in his voice.

As the nine men charged toward us, the viking stood still, his eyes meeting mine. It was strange, but somehow, it was like I could see him up close. Suddenly, I knew his eyes were dark green and that he had a soft spot for cats and he drank ale from the darkest of nights to the earliest of mornings. Some part of me was saying that I could...trust him.

Thom dove skillfully at the charging men, taking them on with strength and speed that I didn't even know he possessed. He charged through the first two men and was moving on to his third. Merlin was fighting his way through calmly, his expression never changing even as he took on one man and then the next with lightening quickness.

They were good, I had to admit that. Better than good, they were amazing. I never in my life thought I'd live to see the day where I witnessed an actual sword fight. Things like this only existed in movies and books and television shows. Not in real life.

Remembering my promise to Thom, I turned to the car, closing my eyes and placing my hand on the car door, I called out one word, "Apertus."

I heard the sound of the car door unlock and turned to see the fight still going on. They were still fighting an unfair fight. Just the two of them against four more men.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, the police rounded the corner. Apparently, the sound of swords clashing and the grunts of men fighting each other had caught the attention of the officers who had been looking at Thom's wrecked vehicle. And judging by the number of squad cars surrounding us, they had called for backup.

While I was distracted, a one of Morgana's men pulled away from his fight with Merlin and charged at me, sword held high. By the time I realized he was charging at me it was too late, his sword was already coming down and my eyes closed, hoping that if I couldn't see my death, I wouldn't feel it either.

"Lucinda!!" Thom shouted.

At that moment, I heard the clanging of swords. It was different from all the other clanging because this time it was very close. The second thing I noticed was that, Morgana's soldier's sword should have descended on me now.

Opening my eyes, I saw why I hadn't been cut down. Standing in front of me, using his sword to block the attack, was the viking like man. He was even bigger up close than he had been from a distance. I noticed that I didn't even come up to his shoulders. Now that he was in front of me, I saw he was dressed in armor, the kind of armor that could only come from Camelot. It was shiny, made of pure steel.

"Aengus," the man said, eyes wide as he struggled to hold his own against the large bear of a man in front of me. "What are you doing?"

"I told Morgana I'd only work for her until I found my true master," he said, shrugging. "And now I have."

He struck the man down and stood up straight and rigid in front of me. The last two men—seeming to realize they were going to lose now that the viking was on our side—hopped into their car and fled. Two police cars went after them, but they were probably already gone.

Thom and Merlin were looking at the giant man in surprise, when the police called out on a megaphone, "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air. I repeat, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air."

A light shone down from above us and it was suddenly very windy. When I looked up, there was a police helicopter hovering above us. Okay, so those cops called in a lot more backup than I originally thought.

"We've really stepped in it, haven't we?" The viking murmured to himself, looking up at the helicopter with wonder. "What kind of dragon is that anyway?"

"Sibyl," Merlin called out. "Shield. Now."

Closing my eyes, I held my hands out with the palms facing the police's direction and called out, "Arma."

A golden shield placed itself between us and the police officers. The officers looked at it in wonder, I saw one man take of his hat and drawing the sign of the cross over his body, his mouth moving in what looked like a prayer.

Once my shield was in place, Thom and Merlin rushed to the car. When the police realized they were moving, they fired their guns, but the bullets merely bounced off of my shield harmlessly. The viking got into the backseat, looking around in wonder and I got into passengers seat.

Thom pressed hard on the gas and we fled the scene, leaving a trail of very confused cops in our wake.

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We finally stopped in the abandoned parking lot of some shop selling candies. Because it was only two-thirty in the morning, the shop was closed and the parking lot was vacant.

Building the shield left me a little breathless, but it wasn't as bad as the last time we faced Morgana's men. I was only slightly lightheaded, so Thom stopped the car so I could get a breath of fresh air.

The viking came to my side immediately, helping me out of the car. I didn't know why he helped us exactly, but I figured it was about time I found out.

"Why did you help us?" I asked once I was outside in the dark parking lot, straining my neck to look into his face so I could read his expression.

Thom and Merlin had also gotten out of the car and were standing around cautiously. They were wary of this enormous, fiery haired man.

"I suppose I didn't introduce myself, did I?" He murmured, stroking his beard and looking thoughtful. In the next moment, he was fisting his hand over his heart and getting down on one knee, bowing his head respectfully. "They call me Aengus, m'lady."

"Aengus." I struggled to find out why the name was so familiar and snapped my fingers triumphantly when I figured out why. "Wasn't he the god of love and youth. The one described with singing birds flying around his head."

Aengus looked at me with fiery eyes.

"That's a bold faced lie if I ever heard one, m'lady. That witch is the one who placed those birds around my head because things did work out between us. And love?" He scoffed. "I've never been in it. I'm a warrior. My only love in life is a good fight."

"Well, that's all well and good," Merlin spoke up impatiently. "But why did you save the girl? Are you some kind of spy?"

Aengus didn't even look at Merlin, just looked at me and continued.

"Ever since I was born, my mother told me that I was destined to protect the pure blooded child, Sibyl. She said that I, along with another warrior, would be chosen to guard Sibyl with our lives until the end of days."

"Who told your mother that?" Thom wondered, tilting his head to the side in interest.

"The river spirit, of course," the viking said. "She only talks to my mother."

"Your mother is Boann, isn't she?" Merlin asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Aye," Aengus answered unwillingly. He didn't seem to like Merlin very much.

"Does that mean something?" I wondered, curious because Merlin's expression was different than his normal emotionless mask.

"It does," he answered slowly. "Boann is the one who prophesized you, Sibyl." He redirected his attention to Aengus. "But, she never said anything about Sibyl being protected by two warriors."

"Well of course she didn't, ye i***t," he cried out, looking appalled. "When Morgana found out that a child would be born of pure blood, she killed every Unicorn in Avalon. When she found out the chosen one's mother's belly was already round, she killed every pregnant woman in Camelot. Not to mention numerous other kingdoms. If she knew that I, along with someone else was meant to guard the girl. Where'd'ya think I'd be now?"

It was quiet for a moment as Merlin thought to himself. Even he couldn't deny it all made sense.

"Besides," Aengus continued. "She'd be dead if she had just the two of you looking after her. It's a wonder she lasted this long." He shook his head.

Merlin sighed, clearly annoyed. Looking over at me, he asked, "Do you believe him, Sibyl?"

I studied the man who was still bent on one knee in front of me carefully. Up close, I could see he was around Thom and my Mom's age with crinkles around his eyes from all the times he'd laughed. He didn't strike me as a liar at all, and when I remembered the way I connected with him earlier, I found I did trust him.

I nodded. "I believe him. If he really wanted me dead," I said, studying the thick bands of muscle on his arms and remembering how the other men went running when he switched over to our side, "I get the feeling he would have done it already."

Thom met my eyes and nodded once, a non verbal conversation passing between us. "If you believe him," his eyes said, "then so do I."

Merlin's face returned back to its indifferent frown and he shrugged.

"We could use another set of hands I suppose," he grunted.

Smiling widely at me, Aengus said, "Until the day I die, I will be yer sword and yer strength, m'lady. None will lay a hand on ye."

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We knew it would be a terrible idea to get back on the roads. No doubt the police were blocking all the roads out of the country for the time being, so Thom suggested we take things easy and lay low for the rest of the day.

Instead of taking us to a hotel, he drove us to one of his safe houses. It was located right in the heart of Nebraska. Thom then drove the car a little further out and ditched it, knowing the police were looking for the vehicle we stole.

Aengus was just as awed by this world as Merlin was. Unlike Merlin's silent awe, Aengus was forthright, saying how strange it was to have carriages without horses and lights without lanterns. He, like Merlin, became enamored with the food. Thom returned from ditching the vehicle with Chinese food and Aengus's eyes had been wide ever since.

"Such an interesting world you've grown up in, m'lady," he said, staring at the egg roll with wonder.

"It's normal for me. I'm sure going to Camelot will be weirder. And you can call me Lucinda or Lucy. M'lady sounds very...formal."

"If m'lady commands it, I shall do it." He stroked his bushy beard, looking enraptured as he continued eating.

"What's Camelot like?" I wondered all of a sudden, leaning forward.

I had been too busy looking for my mother to ask Thom or Merlin what Camelot was like. In all honesty, I had been stressing over saving her and facing a destiny bigger than I was prepared for. But, with Aengus here, I felt a sense of comfort. It was literally like I'd known him all of my life. Like he had stood by me for years rather than a few hours. Not to mention, his merry personality was much appreciated.

"Well, it's a little more interesting than here, let me tell ye," he began, looking thoughtful. "I mean, yer world is a sight to behold, but in Camelot there's always someone lookin' for a fight. Especially since Morgana took the throne. When Arthur ruled, it was a lot more peaceful, though. The springs and summers were beautiful in Camelot and breathtaking in Avalon. It was so beautiful the Muses sang songs of it. But, of course, like every place, Camelot has its dangerous. Stray Dragons, Dark Fae, and don't get me started on those Sirens." He shuddered.

"How did you start working for Morgana? Why did you work for her?" I had to know. Morgana caused so much pain wherever she went. Why would someone who seemed as kind as Aengus work for someone as cold hearted as Morgana.

"I worked for her to find ye, of course!" He exclaimed, letting out a hearty laugh. "I knew ye were to be my master and I knew I had to find ye. Morgana was searching for ye, day in and day out. She wanted to find ye almost as much as I did if not more. She was my best chance."

I smiled at the chuckling viking. Right then, a thought occurred to me, dropping my fork, I asked, "Did you see my mother while you were there?"

"I wondered when ye'd ask," he murmured, smiling. "I was there when Morgana's men bought her in. Patched her up meself, I did. She's okay. She's being taken care of." He gave me a conspiratorial smile and said, "You'd be surprised how many of Morgana's so called lackeys are actually on yer side, Luce. They've been waiting seventeen years to bring peace and warmth back to Camelot and the neighboring kingdoms—not to mention Avalon's waiting for ye to take yer place as queen. Ye'll see just how far our loyalties go once yer in Camelot."

Hearing that my mom was okay relaxed me. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. So, many of Morgana's lackeys were loyal to me and not her and that was keeping my mother safe. From the corner of my eye, I saw Thom's shoulders sag with relief.

By this time tomorrow, we would be in Hollywood. All that would be left was finding the door to Camelot.

And then I would save my mother.

(A/N): Aengus's name is pronounced eng+iss for anyone having trouble with it. Keep doing what you've been doing: Vote, comment, let me know what you think of Savior of Avalon. Thanks, dolls.