Between the Storms

Chapter Twenty-Seven

27. Beware Ye Who Enters Here

Magdelena put aside all caution once her and Gildthunder were far away enough from Gwaine his glamour slipped off and he took to the sky. Flying straight to the Forbidden Lands, they arrived in less time then it would have taken them to run there, plus they didn't have to worry about running into bandits or whatever on the way.

Magdelena arrived at a cave in the center of the sandy lands which now surrounded them, she and Gilthunder walked around checking for traps, or guards or anything along those lines before Magdelena was allowed or willing to take a step into the mouth of the cave, "Gilthunder stay hidden up there, I will call out for you once I get back to the mouth," she says not really wanting to leave him but there was no way a horse his size was fitting into the cave that she barely fit into.

Gilthunder just huffed but did as she asked and went into hiding while she made her way further down into the cave.  It was dark but there was an unearthly glow far in the back of the cave, Magdelena could only assume the crystal was where the glow was coming from. She slowly made her way back keeping an eye and ear out for anything coming at her and used her magic to sense things far out of her human range.

She was slightly shocked to find on a small stone shelve in a room filled with treasures in gold and silver with gems in so many different colors. But the black crystal which sat perfectly carved from the earth was sitting there, a dark aura around it, giving Magdelena an uneasy feeling. 

She carefully walked forward careful not to knock down the treatures around her, she grabbed the crystal quickly and ran through the tunnels and to the mouth of the cave waiting a moment to see if anything happened. When nothing did she called out to Gilthunder who arrived from his hiding spot in the brush, 'I am glad you are unharmed,' he says she waited knowing he had more to say, 'I am not a fan of that gem. It is not a good thing.'

"I know Gilthunder," she says climbing on his back holding the crystal on her lap covering it with part of the red fabric which fell down her left side, "The sooner we get to the Castle Feyrein the sooner we can be rid of it and go home to Camelot."

'Does this mean I am to fly?' he asks as he trots away from the cave and into the forest she thinks about it.

"I may regret it later but perhaps we should run out of the Forbidden Lands and then fly to the castle," she says he agrees and takes off in a full run carefully jumping over roots which were hanging above the group.

They were able to get to the border but as soon as they crossed it seemed that hell broke loose and the guy who she had threatened, who was selling her horse stood at the border with thirty men all on horses and all armed, "I do not have time for you games," she says bored, "Let me pass and you will all live." 

The men behind the guy laugh, "I think you have miss counted," he says motioning to the men behind him, "There are thirty of us and only one of you."

"You will let me pass," she says her tone now growing a bit annoyed, "I am not in the mood for games I want to return to my home."

"I don't think you will be going anywhere, sweetheart?" the guy to his right says, looking as if he was going to eat her for dinner, "Where is your brave male to fight for you?"

"I sent him away. Not that I need him to take care of you all," she says an evil grin on her face as she looks at them before it falls and she looks at them almost pleading, "I am giving you one last chance leave me alone! I don't want to hurt or kill any of you." 

The men laugh once more before the leader man makes a gesture and an arrow flies straight at her knocking her and the crystal to the floor a small crack showing in the dark surface. She covers herself with it not wanting any of the men who had bloodlust enough, not thinking about it seeming into herself.

She took a deep breath as if inhaling the evil of the crystal before she turned to the men her eyes flashed with something as she stood dusting herself off, "Any last words mortals?" her voice was malicious as the men were confused. Her hand raised as she slowly formed a fist, each finger then went down sent men screaming to the floor in pain before their screams just stopped as they died.

"Wh-what are you?" the leader asked as he fell off his horse grasping in pain.

"Death." his eyes widened in fear before he screamed louder than the rest and then died. She laughed as she jumped on Gilthunder the crystal on her lap once more, but Gilthunder seemed a little off as well.

 'Foolish mortals for messing with you.'

"Indeed Gilthunde. Indeed," she said laughing as they stepped through the bodies as their horses ran off from the feeling coming from the girl and horse. They flew straight to the Castle of Feyrein where she knew Morgause would be waiting, not bothering to knock or even get off Gilthunder as they knocked down the wooden doors scary everyone in the room, and making the knights go on guard.

On the throne sat Cenred who smirked at her arrival, "Morgause has been waiting for you. She feared the worse," he says motioning a knight away to go fetch the sorceress no doubt.

"Whatever you say, mortal," she spat the last word at him glaring as she jumped off Gilthunder, not long after there was the sound of someone running and the doors opened showing Morgause in her usual red dress, "I have the crystal." Magdelena holds up the crystal and Morgause freezes at the sight of the crack.

"It is cracked?" she asks her voice gentle but scared for the truth.

"Yes some damned fools knocked me off my horse," she says before smirking, "It was the last thing they ever did." 

"Oh, my dear Maggie," she says walking closer cupping the younger woman's cheek, "I fear this would happen but prayed for it to not every night."

"What are you talking about Morgause?" Magdelena asks staring at the guards wondering how long they would last against what she had done to the men in the woods.

"You have absorbed some of the evil in the crystal. Slowly it will invade you entirely," Morgause says put runs to a small chest off to the side of the room pulling from it an eye necklace which held no large gems. Pointing the eye at the Eye, Morgause spoke words in an ancient tongue and the crystal left Magdelana's hand and formed a black iris for the necklace and a black teardrop, "This should help slow down the process even more until I can find a way to get it out of you."

"I can't stop thinking of ways to make people die," Magdelena says realizing that she had been eyeing the guards who were now even further away from her, "I am not evil! What have you done to me!"

"I have done nothing," Morgause says cupping Magdelena's cheeks, "But I promise to do everything I can do make you right again." Morgause kisses Magdelena's cheek, nose and then her forehead. 

"I need to get back to Camelot," Magdelena says slipping the eye over her head so it hung down her neck going lower than the unicorn horn key she had also around her neck. Magdelena jumped on Gilthunder's back who had gone very quiet as he flew them back to the border of Camelot. Walking the rest of the way to the capitol, 'Whatever happens Magdelena try not to forget who you are.'

"I will try Gilthunder but if this small amount of darkness in me is already so powerful what will I get like as it grows more and darker inside?" Gilthunder had no answer and she expected no answer, as they rode the rest of the way to the white stone city in silence.