Chapter 3
Some time later, a Messenger arrived to announce that the Sorceress was on her way to visit the Fairy Realm. Gwyneth ordered her household staff to prepare a suite of rooms for her friend, appointed with every luxury available to Fairies. She assigned an entire team to serve as the Sorceress' personal staff. The Fairies were a-twitter at the impending arrival of a personage who was so revered by their beloved Queen.
The Sorceress arrived the next day. She was evidently ancient and her Human aspect seemed old beyond imagining. Her Witch aspect radiated power and love. Gwyneth had never spent a lot of time around Witches. They were feared in the Human world for reasons Gwyneth did not understand, but in the Nether World Witches were universally revered as healers, midwives, magicians and intermediaries with the spirit world. Gwyneth had always benefited from superb health so she had never needed a Healer. She had incredible magical powers of her own so she had never needed to resort to their spells or potions. She had no interest in interacting with any spirit world that might exist, so she had never had reason to call upon Witches for any of her personal needs. After studying the Sorceress' witchy aspect for a while, Gwyneth decided it might not be a bad idea to recruit some Witches to take up residence in the Fairy Realm before the Trouble started.
The Sorceress cleared her throat and said, “I'm sorry to interrupt your contemplation, my dear, but I am going to employ your method of moving things along. I need to be on my way, but wanted to talk to you before I disappear to guard Excalibur.”
The queen could sense the Sorceress' efforts to keep her fear at bay, and Gwyneth tried to minimize her own alarm, saying, “Please, do tell me your story.”
The Sorceress told her that she had visited Excalibur in Londanum. It was angry and noisy. She begged it to be patient, promising that she would return to take it to safety. She extracted a promise that Excalibur would stop calling for help in return for her promise to come back in a few days and free it. Immediately thereafter, the Sorceress appeared at an Elf forge and ordered a replica of the Pendragon sword. The replica was to be ready the following day and the Sorceress planned to substitute the copy for Excalibur and then take Excalibur into hiding.
Gwyneth asked, “Do you intend to bring it back to its Temple in the Fairy Realm?”
The Sorceress said, “I don't think it would be safe here, although I know how desperately the Fairies want it back and how heroically you would guard it. Instead, I have located a hiding place in the Human Realm where I can guard it myself.”
Gwyneth nodded so sadly the Sorceress reached out and touched her hand for a moment. Gwyneth was jolted by the power in that touch. Gwyneth somehow knew that the Sorceress had a power that far exceeded the reputation of any Witch she had ever heard of, much less a Witch/Human mix. Human genes generally diluted magical power. The Sorceress' power approached or exceeded Merlin's. Gwyneth felt it like an electrical shock.
The Sorceress laughed, “I apologize. I rarely touch others for that reason. I was reacting to your sorrow.”
“It's alright. Fortunately, I have some pretty strong magic myself and I can take it.” She looked at the Sorceress, pursing her lips and said, “Human and Witch? I don't think so.”
“Actually, I have no idea what species I am. I am ancient and perhaps unique. I happen to like the way Humans look and I love the kindness and gentleness of Witches, so centuries ago, I took on a Human appearance and assumed the role of a healer and sorceress. I sometimes forget how much power I actually have.”
Gwyneth knew they did not have time to explore that subject in detail at the time (although she tucked it in the back of her mind to revisit later on), so she changed the subject, asking, “Will you tell me where you plan to take Excalibur?”
“Yes. I'll send you a message when Excalibur and I have arrived safely at the hiding place. I don't want anyone else to know other than you, the messenger and me.”
“I understand.”
The Sorceress paused for a long time as if considering whether or not to tell Gwyneth something. Eventually making up her mind, she simply blurted out, “The Black Fairy is in Londanum.”
“How do you know? Did you see her?”
“No. But I could feel her. She is lurking about in the vicinity of Excalibur.”
“Do you think she knows you were there?”
“I'm certain of it. I have to move Excalibur before she moves it.”
“Was it safe for you to leave it?”
“I put a very strong spell on it. I can't know for sure that it will be safe, but it should take her some time to break the enchantment. By which time, Excalibur and I will be gone. I wanted to deliver the message to you personally while I am waiting for the Elf to finish the replica of the Pendragon sword. Your sister is up to some serious mischief. I think you should prepare for the worst. I also think you should alert the other monarchs in the Nether World, as well as,” she made a face, “The Druids on Avalon.”
Gwyneth sighed and nodded. She stood and said, “Will you rest and take some refreshment?”
“I'd love a bath and a place to sleep for a little while.”
Gwyneth led the Sorceress to her apartments, “Consider this yours. It will always be ready for you whenever you need a place of refuge and have the opportunity to get away.”
The Sorceress looked at Gwyneth with tears in her eyes and said, “Thank you, my dear, for your consideration. I doubt I will have many opportunities to take advantage of your offer, but it is kind of you and I will cherish the knowledge that I have place of my own if the occasion to retreat presents itself.”
“I'll leave you to your rest.”
“I shall probably leave during the night in order to travel without detection. I'll send you a message when I have hidden Excalibur.”
Gwyneth would have embraced the woman, but stopped herself when she remembered the shock she had received from the casual brushing of hands. She didn't think she could tolerate a full-body embrace.
She started to go and then turned, “Milady, may I ask your name?”
The Sorceress laughed softly, the laughter rumbling up from deep with in the Earth, “Didn't Merlin tell you my name is Nimue?”
“He mentioned that name and said he thought you were she. How do you know Merlin?”
“I have never not known Merlin. We are both such ancient beings neither of us is sure what we are or where we came from. At various times we have been allies and at others we have been enemies.”
“Merlin says you have a relationship that spans both love and hate.”
Nimue laughed again, “At one time or another, Merlin and I have shared the ultimate extremes of both of those things, and everything in between, I assure you. Good-night, my dear.” She turned and closed the door of her chamber.
Gwyneth could not ever remember anyone dismissing her. As Queen, it was her prerogative to decide when conversations were over. She was a little shocked, but it surprised her even more to discover that she was not annoyed. In fact, she realized that she always had intuitively deferred to the innate authority of the Sorceress of Avalon who was a being of fantastic power, named Nimue.
Gwyneth realized that the Sorceress was every bit as powerful as Merlin. It occurred to her that if the two of them were to oppose one another, it would be a very bad thing for others in the vicinity. On the other hand, she was comforted by the thought that if those two matchless mages teamed up on the same side, hardly a force in any of Earth's realms could stop them. She hoped that Nimue's devotion to Excalibur and Merlin's devotion to Arthur would be close enough to avert disaster.
Nimue was gone when Gwyneth awoke. She called Gretel and told her that she would be visiting other Realms to alert them to the potential of danger. She instructed Gretel to begin making plans to store food and supplies and she added that she intended to invite some Witches to take up residence in the Fairy Realm.
Gretel shuddered, “You think it will be so bad we'll need Witches to heal injuries?”
“I hope not, but I'd rather have them here and not need them than the other way around.”
Gretel agreed and promised to begin preparing for the worst.
Gwyneth sent out a silent mental invitation to the monarchs of the Nether Realms to meet her at their special meeting place. Having had a head start, Gwyneth arrived first.
The monarchs of the Nether Realms had a neutral meeting place on an island in a lake that touched the borders of all the Realms, similar to the way that the waters surrounding the Isle of Avalon provided a neutral zone between the Human Realm and the Nether World. In fact it occurred to Gwyneth that it was so much like Avalon the Priestesses of the Grail might like it, but she decided not to mention it to them. The Elves hated Humans and the Dwarfs turned into lecherous animals around Human women. The Priestesses would be safe in the Fairy Realm, especially if they were hidden away and no one knew they were there.
The Witch Queen arrived shortly after Gwyneth. Gwyneth took the opportunity to request some of the best Witch healers be stationed throughout the Nether World, and she specifically invited the Witch Queen to send several of her most experienced healers to the Fairy Realm. The Witch Queen looked alarmed but promised to send volunteers to those places.
The rest of the monarchs arrived soon after that. The Elf King was the last to arrive, making it very clear he resented being summoned to the gathering by a mere Fairy. As different as they were, the species (other than Humans) generally got along well enough to cooperate when they had to. The monarchs usually bent over backwards to accommodate one another, and they always tried to mediate disputes between their subjects. There had been peace in the Nether World for centuries. The last war had been so devastating they were all resolved to do whatever it took to avoid war in the future.
That didn't mean they liked each other. Gwyneth was good friends with the Troll King and the Sprite Queen, for very different reasons. The Troll King was the wisest and most well-educated of all the monarchs; Gwyneth relied on him for information and for historical context when important decisions had to be made. She liked the Sprite because she was funny and entertaining. The Dwarf King and Queen kept to themselves, although they always cooperated when the Realms of the Nether World needed to work as one. The Warlocks were an unpredictable lot whom nobody trusted; fortunately, they had been so beaten down at the end of the last war, they generally kept within their borders out of self-preservation.
Gwyneth knew that most Fairies were attracted to Elves. The Elves took advantage of that which often caused disputes between individual Fairy and Elf families. Gwyneth and Edgar, the Elf King, often had to address those disputes. She had developed a rather unhealthy distaste for his superior and condescending manner vis a vis her Fairies in general and Gwyneth in particular. She tried with all her prodigious might not to let it show.
Once they were all assembled Edgar said, “Okay, Gwyneth, tell us why you have summoned us so urgently? What is it that the Fairies are excited about these days?”
Gwyneth let the remark go. She didn't acknowledge him at all. Instead she addressed the entire group, “I apologize for calling you so urgently. I would not have done so but I think this is such important news, I think we should address it among ourselves first. Hopefully, we can come up with a plan, preferably one that does not involve warfare.”
She explained that Excalibur had gone missing and that the Black Fairy was the most likely suspect. She told them that the Sorceress of Avalon had volunteered to hide Excalibur. She paused and then hurried on with her most alarming bit of information, “Merlin is going to serve as Mentor to Arthur in an effort to keep him safely away from Excalibur and from the Black Fairy.”
The entire group erupted in howls of protest. The Elf King shouted, “You let Merlin loose? How could you do that without consulting with us first?”
Gwyneth stood her ground, explaining she believed there had not been time for her to consult with them. They all knew that was a lie; she did it without telling them in the full knowledge they would have opposed the decision. They talked it over for a while. Eventually all the monarchs agreed that, as distasteful as it was, Merlin was the logical choice to serve as Arthur's mentor. The Troll King muttered, “After this is over, I wonder how we'll get him back under control.”
Gwyneth asked, “How did you do it the last time? You never shared that information.”
The Troll King said, “I used the only weapon I knew would work. The problem is, she subsequently disappeared and is no longer available.”
Gwyneth smiled and raised her eyebrows ever so slightly, “Perhaps that weapon is more available than you may think.”
The Troll King understood and smiled, a hideous sight that caused everyone to look away.
The conversation switched to what kinds of Trouble they might expect and how to prepare for it. The Witch Queen said, “If the Black Fairy is behind this, there is likely to be a terrible magical assault on the Nether World.”
The Dwarf King commented, “If she moves in on Excalibur, it will defend itself in whatever way it can.”
The Sprite Queen asked Gwyneth, “Do you think Merlin will be able to keep Arthur away from Excalibur, especially if it is true that Excalibur is calling for Arthur?”
Gwyneth responded, “No. I don't. I am counting on the Sorceress of Avalon to keep Excalibur away from Arthur at least until he grows up and Merlin can teach him how to wield the power of Excalibur without endangering us all, at least more than is necessary. The Sorceress tells me that Excalibur has been calling for Arthur. If Excalibur has chosen Arthur as its Companion, there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to make sure Arthur understands what to do with the Excalibur before it is put into his hands.”
The Troll King added, “And we'd better all hope that the Black Fairy doesn't get her hooks into Arthur in a way that would cause him to enlist Excalibur in fighting on the wrong side.”
Gwyneth gasped, “Do you think that could happen?!!”
The Elf King interjected, “She's your sister. What do you think? Exactly how powerful is she?”
That hung in the air. Everyone knew that the Fairy Queen had the most powerful magic of all of them. Her sister had spent hundreds of years apprenticing herself with practitioners of black magic. No one knew exactly what she had learned, but they knew her threat was potent.
Gwyneth again ignored his tone and replied to the substance of the question, “I haven't seen her in hundreds of years. I don't know what she is capable of doing. I do know that she is power mad and I believe she plans to either seize power in the Human Realm or at least to use it as a safe place from which to launch attacks on the Nether World, and the Fairy Realm in particular.”
The Witch Queen said, “I think she plans to do both. I have heard rumors that she plans to foment wars in the Human Realm for the purpose of creating enough of a distraction among us to give her an opening to move directly against us. The fact that she stole Excalibur and took it to the Human realm makes me think those rumors are true.”
The assembled monarchs nodded with a mixture of dread and resignation.
The Troll King asked the question that lay heavy on everyone's mind, “On which side will Merlin be?”
The monarchs all looked at Gwyneth for the answer. She shook her head and said, “I believe Merlin will be on the same side as always.”
That comment was met with puzzled stares. The Sprite Queen asked, “Which side is that, Milady?”
Gwyneth laughed with a tinge of bitterness, “Merlin's.” She paused and continued, “Our only hope is that Merlin's desire to become known as 'the Wizard who put Arthur on the High King's throne' will cause him to take the side of right this time.”
That gave only the faintest hint of consolation to the assembly.