Emrys winked at him with a half-smile, sending a strange warmth down Trystan’s spine.
“Morgaine was also a half-guardian and Arthur’s half-sister. Her special ability is magic.”
“Like you,” Trystan added.
“Yes, like me. When she was a young child, she showed great potential, and so I offered to train her. She wanted terribly to be a guardian. It was all she dreamed of and aspired to, but when it came time for her first test of trials to prove her worth, she failed and flew into a rage like that which I had never seen in her. She vowed, that day, to destroy the guardians. As a result, she was banished to Earth forever, forbidden to take the trials again, and therefore, forbidden from Artiryn.
“I was ashamed, not because she had failed and been banished, but because I had also entrusted with her some of the ancient magic and, because of my imprudence, we had a powerful and potentially dangerous fallen guardian roaming the earth.”
“So, is she human?” Trystan asked.
“Yes, but with knowledge of the ancient magic, it’s possible for her to become immortal. She is obviously still alive today. I can only hope her powers have not advanced over time.”
“So if a half-guardian becomes human, they can still keep their powers?” Marc asked.
“In most cases, no. However, it is possible for those that are very powerful to begin with.” Emrys stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “And now we come to you, Trystan.
“Long before you were born, I had a vision. In the midst of a war your parents had been fighting for months, Guinevere gave birth to a child—you. Within weeks of your birth, Arthur was mortally wounded and died. Camelot fell to the invading army. You and your mother were captured and brought to their leader. It was Morgaine. She wanted the throne of Camelot and Loegria for herself. You were the only one left that stood in her way. The only heir. She murdered you in front of your mother. With you and your father dead, she became the rightful heir.
“Demonstrating her power, she had her army go from town to town and burn every structure and field in the kingdom to the ground, killing many of the men, women, and children that had been loyal to Arthur, and plunged Loegria into centuries of darkness…”
Emrys’ somber eyes stared into the fire. Human figures took shape within the flames. A battle scene flared, and the ghostly sounds of metal clashing and men and women screaming echoed in the fire. The form of a man on horseback took shape. He wore a crown and carried a long sword. The king leapt from his horse to save another and a moment later, a blade speared his body from behind, entering through his back and exiting his chest. The image morphed to that of a woman strangling an infant until the child’s form went limp. The fire screamed and raged then faded, and the flames returned to normal.
Emrys’ eyes had darkened, his gaze fixated on the fire. Though he’d changed that fate many years ago, it still tore through his heart as if real. The one thing his heart could never survive would be failing to protect Trystan and losing him forever, for if his spirit was ever destroyed, then he would never be reborn in the future in which he and Trystan were meant to be. And Excalibur in the wrong hands could do just that.
Trystan felt the weight of dark emotions on his soul. He’d always felt close to the man who’d been his dearest friend from whence he was a child, and now, the terror Emrys felt gave him a deeper sense of understanding. Emrys was unequivocally and utterly afraid of losing him, but why, unless…
“Emrys?”
Marc’s voice disrupted Trystan’s thoughts, but when Emrys lifted his gaze and met Trystan’s, his breath hitched.I do love you, Trystan. Perchance, someday…
Whispered words taunted his memory. Emrys’ words. As if from a dream.
Emrys’ eyes flickered in Marc’s direction and he continued. “After having seen this, I consulted the Oracle of Avalon about this ominous vision of the future and sought her counsel on whether it could be changed. I had to know. I felt responsible. Had I not trained Morgaine, the future I saw wouldn’t even be possible. I offered the Oracle anything just to know if it could be changed. I needed you to live. She accepted my offer. It was then she shared the prophecy.”
Emrys pulled out the small leather journal Trystan always remembered him having and flipped through the pages, stopping at one with a fold on its corner.
If you seek to change the kingdom’s fate
A thousand years all must wait
A secret shall the child be
Until he finds his destiny
If Arthur’s blood should at last unite
The kingdom shall be restored to light
A word of caution to this tale
The fallen one may still prevail
A shroud of darkness there will come
If hope should ever come undone
Love that’s true remains the key
