Sword of Light (4 page)

Rhianna had never seen so many people in Lord Avallach’s banqueting hall. Merlin had promised to sing them the tale of King Arthur and Prince Mordred, and all Avalon had come to hear how he thought they might defeat the dark knight. Yet the hall wasn’t crowded. The magic of this place meant there was always room for everyone.

Stars glittered through the crystal dome high above their heads, and torches sent rainbows flickering across the floor, so that people danced in a blur of rippling colour. Trees brushed the transparent walls with their leaves so it seemed they were in a woodland glade. Sometimes curious deer and unicorns trotted up to the walls to watch the dancers. Not tonight, though. The wild creatures of Avalon grew
nervous when men came through the mists.

Rhianna fidgeted impatiently as the harpists played. Merlin reclined on a couch next to Lord Avallach. The old druid’s eyes were closed, and a look of bliss eased the lines on his face. He’d bathed and eaten and rested, so why didn’t he just get on with it? While they danced here in Avalon, Mordred might be murdering the rest of her family!

She became aware of people looking sideways at her and raised her chin to stare back at them. She’d made a special effort tonight to honour her dead father. She’d even let the Avalonian girls plait moonflowers into her hair, which made her sneeze, but she left them alone. If she pulled them out, the whole delicate style would only turn into its usual wild mess. She would play the princess on her last night
in Avalon. Her last night… The thought made her shiver. But she would be back soon enough with her father’s sword, wouldn’t she? Then surely they would let her into the crystal caverns to see him.

“I nearly didn’t recognise you!” Elphin said, breaking into her thoughts. He crossed his legs and settled his harp in his lap. “Have you still got a headache? I’ll play it away now, if you like.”

“I’m fine. Stop making such a fuss,” Rhianna said. But in truth the girls fiddling with her hair earlier had brought her headache back.

“I’ll play anyway, shall I?” Elphin said, and began to strum gently. He flashed her a quick look from under his dark curls. “You don’t mind me coming with you, do you?”

“No, of course not.”

She’d felt quite relieved when she realised
Lord Avallach meant to send Elphin with her. The idea of being in a strange world with only the grumpy old druid for company had worried her even more than the danger of meeting her cousin Mordred, though she couldn’t exactly imagine either Merlin or Elphin fighting at her side if it came to a battle.

“Will your magic work in the world of men?” she asked, suddenly wondering.

Elphin’s fingers paused. “I think so. Some of it should, anyway. I’ll bring my harp.”

Great
, Rhianna thought.
That’ll be
really
useful in a fight
. But she smiled at him. Her headache had gone. She forgave him for leaving her alone earlier. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Are you?”

“Not really.”

“Then I’m not, either.” Elphin smiled back
at her. “Father wouldn’t send me if he thought it was dangerous, would he?”

“I suppose not,” Rhianna said. But she eyed Lord Avallach uncertainly, remembering what he’d said about Mordred coming after her like the Wild Hunt.

Elphin gave her a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry,” he said, mistaking her concern. “Merlin will look after us, won’t he? Shh. I think he’s going to sing at last.”

Rhianna sat up straighter as the druid collected a harp from one of the Avalonians and eased himself down on a stool. He placed his staff carefully between his feet. Flames danced in his pale eyes as he looked her way. He’d changed out of his dirty robe, but his clothes had obviously been borrowed. The leggings were too short, and the tunic sleeves ended just
below his elbows. Rhianna frowned. Couldn’t her father’s druid even bring proper court dress with him to Avalon? Then she remembered he had brought the king’s body straight from a battle and felt uneasy again.

Everyone went quiet as Merlin plucked the first note. His voice sounded rough after the sweet Avalonian voices and it wavered with age. But his song had the required magic. It made pictures in the enchanted walls of Avallach’s palace so they could all see what he had seen in the world of men.

He sang of a great battle between light and dark. Of King Arthur wielding Excalibur against the gathering storm. Of his knights fighting bravely on their big, strong horses, outnumbered ten to one. Of Mordred’s death blow that split the king’s helmet from his head.
Of Arthur’s final strike that severed Mordred’s hand from his arm. Of the dragon that blotted out the sun as it swooped down to steal Arthur’s crown from the mud where it had fallen off his broken helmet. Of the rain that came in dark sheets to cover Mordred’s retreat. Of brave Sir Bors, who tried to rally the knights as the grey light returned. But the heart had gone out of them all when Arthur died, and they’d barely managed to get the king’s body off the battlefield before the Saxon barbarians got hold of it.

Soon everyone in the hall was weeping, except for Rhianna. She kept her back very straight, still seeing Mordred’s axe come down on the king’s head. Any tears were frozen inside her. She felt only hatred for the dark knight who had killed her father.

Then Merlin’s song changed. The violence of the battle faded from the walls, and people smiled in relief as silver bathed the crystal once more.

“Four Lights stand against the dark,” the druid sang, and a strange unearthly music filled the hall. “The Sword Excalibur, that was forged in Avalon…”

A gleaming sword shimmered in the walls, the white jewel on its hilt shining moon-bright.

“The Lance of Truth made by the hands of men…”

A knight’s long jousting lance replaced the sword. A green ribbon fluttered from its shaft.

“The Crown of Dreams, which hides the jewel of Annwn…”

The lance gave way to a glittering crown set with fiery gemstones.

“And the Grail said to hold all the stars in heaven.”

As the crown faded, Rhianna held her breath, remembering her strange dream in the wood. But no image of the Grail appeared in the crystal walls. Only the stars shone through from the wood, a little brighter than before.

A great sigh rippled round the hall as Merlin put his gnarled hand across the harp strings to silence them.

“I’d no idea that fool Bors meant to throw the sword into the lake,” he said, “or I’d have taken it off him. But what’s done is done. Now it has been returned to the Lady of the Lake, she will keep it until one of the Pendragon blood comes to claim it. If Rhianna can recover Excalibur and bring it back to Avalon, that should keep the Sword out of Mordred’s hands, at least, and give
Arthur the strength to finish him once he wakes. The dark knight may yet find a way to get the Crown from the dragon, but the Lance was broken years ago, and it’s anyone’s guess where the Grail is now, so we should have a fair chance of defeating him if it comes to a battle. I still say it’s no task for a girl, but the alternative is unthinkable… If Mordred ever gets his hands on all four Lights, both our worlds will fall into the dark, and the heroes in our caverns will sleep for ever, their souls lost to Annwn for all time. Do you accept this quest, Rhianna Pendragon?”

A cloud drifted across the stars. A few people sniffed and wiped their eyes. Everyone stared at Rhianna as she stood. She felt glad of the long skirt that hid her shaking knees.

“Of course I do!” she said, her voice ringing across the hall. “If the sword will help my father
defeat Mordred, then I have to find it as soon as possible.” She felt a bit relieved she wouldn’t actually be expected to fight the dark knight herself. “When do we start?”

Another sigh passed around the room. One by one, the Avalonians touched their hands to their foreheads in respect and murmured “
Faha’ruh
”, the way they did to their own Lord Avallach. Even the boys who had teased her earlier smiled at her and wished her luck. More used to being made fun of, Rhianna flushed.

Merlin set down the harp, suddenly looking very tired. “Naturally I will help the girl as much as I can, and Prince Elphin will accompany her to represent Avalon. Arthur’s knights are waiting, so we’d best get going as soon as it’s light. Any questions?”

Nobody spoke. Elphin’s mother held out her
arms to her son. Rhianna felt a bit left out when the Lady of Avalon hugged him. Then she remembered she had a mother of her own in the human world. Very soon now, if all went well, she would be meeting her.

“I have a question!” Rhianna said. “What if Mordred finds Excalibur first? Do I have to look for these other Light things as well? The, er, crown and such?” She thought uneasily of the dragon in Merlin’s song-pictures.

The gathering whispered in concern. Someone mentioned the Wild Hunt, and was hastily shushed.

Merlin frowned at her. “No point worrying our heads about that unless we have to. By all accounts Mordred’s in no fit state to go swimming at the moment. We’ll have the advantage.”

Rhianna smiled, looking forward to swimming in the waters of another world. “How long have I got before my father wakes up and needs his sword?” she asked, anxious to be back before then.

“Long enough. Arthur will be reborn when the time is right,” Merlin said in his annoyingly cryptic way. “The important thing is to stop Mordred getting hold of the Lights and using them for his own ends in the meantime.”

Rhianna wondered if she dared demand they allow her into the crystal caverns to see the king’s body before she went. But such a visit would only delay them… After hearing Merlin’s song of dragons and battles, she wanted to get going as soon as possible.

“Is my mother still alive?” she blurted out. “Does she know about me?”

She had a hundred other questions. But the druid rose stiffly from his stool and took her elbow. He steered her firmly across to the royal couches. “Later, Rhianna,” he said. “Yes, the queen lives, and she knows you were taken to Avalon to keep you safe. If I start to explain everything now, we’ll be here all winter. There’ll be plenty of time to answer your questions when we reach the world of men.”

“That’s another thing,” Rhianna said. “How do we get to my father’s world? Do we have to go through the mists in your little boat? Because it looks too small for all of us and the horses as well, and Elphin’s scared of wa—” She caught the look on her friend’s face and changed what she was going to say. “Elphin can’t swim,” she finished.

Merlin chuckled. She glared at him.
Would the druid laugh if
his
father’s body lay in the crystal caverns awaiting rebirth?

“Put the poor girl out of her misery, Avallach!” Elphin’s mother said. “She thinks you’re going to make her leave her beloved Alba behind. Our Elphin looks a bit green round the ears, too.”

Lord Avallach smiled at them. “Don’t worry, my children. Do you think the Wild Hunt uses little boats? We’ll shoe your horses with silver tonight, and tomorrow they will carry you so swiftly over the water you’ll hardly realise it’s there. Merlin will follow you in his boat, since I can never tempt him on to one of our mist horses. Now, I suggest you both get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

3

Through the Mist

A
t dawn, Rhianna and Elphin held their horses at the water’s edge while Lord Avallach gave them last-moment instructions. Her friend listened carefully, but Rhianna
barely heard a word. She’d dreamed of this day for so long, she could hardly believe it was happening. Before the sun set, they’d be on the other side of the mists in the land of men! Little shivers of excitement kept running through her. Merlin had promised that Arthur’s knights would be waiting for them, and she could already imagine the ranks of warriors on their great horses with their colourful banners snapping in the wind of another world. Maybe her mother would even be waiting with them?

Over on the jetty, Merlin shipped his oars and checked his cargo. As well as several sacks of sweet apples, he had jars of healing herbs that grew only in Avalon, so he was taking a good supply. Elphin’s mother had put together a picnic for their journey, which had to go in the boat, too. Merlin also had their
packs of spare clothes, though Rhianna had insisted on carrying her father’s shield and wearing her new armour. Elphin had his precious harp in a deerskin bag.

Finally, Lord Avallach hugged them both, and they trotted their horses into the shallows. But their legs did not dissolve into mist on touching the water, as usually happened. Instead, Alba’s silver-shod hooves pranced lightly over the surface, sending up a glittering spray.
This is
fun
, said the mare. Elphin clutched his harp close to his chest, eyeing the water warily.

Rhianna laughed at his expression. “Just don’t drop it,” she said.

Soon the enchanted mist curled around them, and the shore faded from sight until it seemed they rode in the middle of a cloud. She longed to let Alba gallop. But Merlin rowed
steadily, his oars plopping like little fish. They did not head straight across as Rhianna had imagined. Instead, they set off in a loop around the island with Merlin leading the way, the silver spiral on his staff shining like a star in the bows. The mist grew thicker and began to sparkle, and she smelled magic. She glanced back to check on Elphin. He gave her a small, worried smile. When she turned round again, Merlin and his boat had disappeared.

Unease crept over her as she realised she’d lost all sense of direction. What if they got lost out here and never found the shore again? Then she saw a shadow off to her left, blurred by enchantments. “There he is!” Not waiting for Elphin, she urged Alba into a canter to catch up.

“Rhia!” Elphin called from a long way off. “Wait…”

It wasn’t Merlin’s boat. Rhianna pulled Alba to a snorting stop. Squinting at the shadow, she thought she saw the druid standing on a rock with his staff raised to make purple lightning. A sudden chill seized her. Her skin prickled as something large and dark flapped past. The light dimmed still further, and for a horrible moment she was alone in the mists between worlds with unseen wings beating overhead. Dizzy, she gripped Alba’s mane and peered nervously at the sky. What if the mare misted, and she fell off out here? Then she heard Evenstar’s hooves splashing behind her and the light returned, showing them the shoreline through the thinning haze.

Is it another race?
Alba asked flattening her ears at the other horse. Spooked by what she’d seen in the mist, Rhianna gladly loosened the
reins to let the mare have her head. Merlin could look after himself, she decided, laughing in relief as the spray soaked her cheeks. It was like galloping through diamonds. Her heavy braid bounced on the shield strapped to her back. Alba’s silver-shod hooves flew over the water, carrying her towards her father’s land. Thinking of the dark wings, she let the mare gallop faster and further than she should have. Only when the horse’s hooves struck gravel did she reluctantly rein Alba back to a trot and look round for her friend.

Elphin pulled up on her tail, breathing hard. “Are you all right?” he said. “That was a strong enchantment – I thought I’d lost you back there! Are those King Arthur’s knights, do you think?”

Rhianna gave the beach a second look. She’d thought it deserted. But now she saw a small
band of men wearing dirty red cloaks, huddled under some willows that had already lost half their leaves. This beach had stones rather than sand, and the mist curling over the water was grey with rain rather than silver and luminous. An island with a single black hill rose out of the marshes nearby, and she could just make out a cluster of huts on its shore. There was no sign of the colourful army of knights she’d been expecting. And it was
cold
.

She pulled her cloak closer in
disappointment
. “Must be, I suppose.”

“Where’s Merlin?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see where he went.” That shadow she’d seen in the mist… if it hadn’t been Merlin, what else had it been?

“Maybe we should wait for him before we show ourselves?” Elphin said.

But then one of the horses on the beach whinnied, and both Avalonian horses pricked their ears and whinnied back. “Too late,” Rhianna said as the men shouted and pointed at them. “Come on, let’s get out of this mist. We didn’t pass the boat, so maybe he’s already landed.”

“Be careful, Rhia. Remember they’re at war here—”

His warning fell on deaf ears. Even though this wasn’t quite the welcome she’d imagined, excitement filled her as Alba splashed out of the shallows. As they trotted up the beach towards the waiting men, she slipped the dragon shield over her arm, doing up the straps with her teeth. She tossed her cloak back over her shoulder so her Avalonian armour glimmered silver in the rain. “Look graceful, Alba,” she muttered.

I am always graceful,
the mare replied, arching her neck.
That is a fine stallion!

The knights stiffened, and the biggest one stepped forward and drew his sword. Behind him, a round-faced boy with a mop of
straw-coloured
hair struggled to hold a large bay horse that danced at the ends of its reins, whinnying to Alba. There were only four of them, Rhianna saw now – the big knight, the boy, and two other knights who held their own horses. But they were all armed. One man had a lance as well as a sword. Even the boy had a little dagger stuck through his tight belt. She could see no sign of Merlin. Suddenly, Elphin’s warning made sense. Not that she could do much about it now.

“Are you King Arthur’s men?” she asked, bringing Alba to a prancing halt.

The big knight stared at her. He had a curly brown beard and smelled as if he hadn’t washed lately. Warily, he lowered his sword and peered closer at the shield she carried. He blinked in surprise. “That’s the king’s shield!” After the Avalonian songs, his voice sounded gruff to her ears. “Where did you find it, damsel?”

“Merlin gave it to me, of course,” Rhianna said. “He’ll be here soon, I expect. I’m Rhianna. We got separated in the mist. He’s a bit slow, I’m afraid. He’s bringing the boat with our luggage.” She turned in her saddle to see where Elphin had got to.

The knight raised his sword again as Elphin joined them. “What you got in the bag, son?” he demanded, his tone suddenly hard.

“Only my harp,” Elphin answered. Lifting it out, he began to strum gently. The Avalonian
music tinkled in the rain, making the other knights smile.

The plump boy’s eyes widened as he noticed Elphin’s extra fingers. “He’s one of
them
, sir!”

“I can see that.” The curly-haired knight narrowed his eyes at her friend and peered at the water. “I see two fairy horses of the enchanted isle. But I don’t see no boat. How do I know you didn’t just steal the king’s shield? What did you say your name was, damsel?”

“Rhianna Pendragon! And this is my friend Prince Elphin from Avalon. We’ve come to find my father’s sword, Excalibur. Merlin says some idiot knight threw it into a lake, so I expect I’ve got to swim down and fetch it out again. I don’t suppose you know where it is, do you?”

The boy’s eyes widened even further as she spoke. The other two knights led their horses
closer, looking up at her face. One had fair hair and a fresh sword cut on his cheek and looked quite young. The other was tall and thin with black hair and a scowl.

“Could be her, Bors,” said the young one, smiling at Rhianna. “She has the queen’s colouring, same freckles on her nose even. And she must have met Merlin, if she knows about Excalibur.”

“Bit of a wild look about her, but that’s probably from growing up on the enchanted isle,” grunted the dark-haired knight. “Don’t expect they’ve got much in the way of courtly manners over there. She might scrub up once we get to Camelot, and the other girls teach her what a hairbrush is.”

The boy giggled, and Rhianna flushed.

“I can brush my hair later! Right now we’ve
got work to do, before Mordred realises I’m here. Also, where I come from it’s polite to introduce yourselves. So your name’s Bors…?” Her voice trailed off as she realised her big mouth had got her into trouble again.
That fool Sir Bors
.

To her surprise the big knight laughed, a deep laugh from the belly. “Yup, I’m Sir Bors. The idiot who threw Arthur’s sword into the lake, at your service, my lady!” He swept her a mocking bow. “Someone had to carry out the king’s dying wish. The grumpy one who doesn’t know how to smile is Sir Agravaine. Sir Bedivere’s the handsome one who couldn’t bring himself to throw Excalibur away when the king ordered him to. And the lad swallowing flies back there is my squire, Cai, named after King Arthur’s brother may
God rest his soul… Close your mouth, Cai, before some of young Elphin’s magic flies in and turns you into a frog.”

Cai gulped and stared warily at the shimmering harp. Elphin smiled and slipped it back into his bag so it wouldn’t get any wetter. He winked at Rhianna, and she knew his music had contained magic to lift the men’s mood.

“So now we’re all introduced, and I suppose we can assume you are who you claim to be,” continued Sir Bors. “No other damsel’s likely to be riding around these marshes on a fairy horse carrying Arthur’s shield, at any rate. Merlin told us he was going to fetch Arthur’s daughter when he took the king’s body across, though he didn’t say nothing about your companion… but that’s Merlin for you. ‘Wait here’ he says, as if we’ve got nothing better to do than hang about
the marshes all night! I’ll admit it was a bit of a surprise to learn you was hidden away in Avalon all this time, but Merlin does love his little secrets. And I always said that business with the queen’s kidnapping when she was pregnant with you was a bit convenient, like.”

The knight scratched his head and squinted out into the mist. “Well, no point us all standing about out here getting soaked! Merlin’s probably got some druid business over on the Tor that’s delayed him. Let’s rig a shelter in the trees and wait for him. Cai, stop swinging off them reins and go see if you can find us some dry wood.”

As Sir Bors took his horse from the relieved boy, Rhianna peered into the mist as well, thinking uneasily of the winged shadow she’d seen. She frowned and patted poor Alba.
The mare was shivering in the rain. A shelter and fire sounded a very good idea. In this weather, she wouldn’t need all those flimsy dresses Elphin’s mother had helped her pack, anyway.

Night fell quickly in the world of men. The rain eventually stopped, but the trees still dripped. Rhianna and Elphin huddled miserably under the shelter with Cai, while Sir Bors and the other knights tried to light a fire with the damp wood the boy had collected. They weren’t having much success. Their idea of supper proved to be stale bread and tough, salty strips of what looked like leather, but which Cai claimed was meat. Rhianna discovered she’d lost her appetite. She offered her bread to Alba, who chewed it half-heartedly.

Not as nice as apples,
the mare decided.

“Are you really from Avalon?” Cai asked, gulping down his share as if it might be his last meal ever. “I heard if humans eat there, they can’t come back again. But Merlin usually does when he goes there – though he’s only half human, of course, even if he can do magic and stuff. Wish he was here now. He’d have our fire going in no time… Are you going to eat that?” Having finished his own share, he eyed Rhianna’s meat.