In the Land of Stories Old

Chapter 53

Their trip back over the former mountains—Gothi and Ari had both confirmed it—went quicker than it had the first time, or at least it seemed to, and soon they were back to following the rocky wall that surrounded the lost kingdom of Valeureux. Jack’s kingdom, now, although whether the plan they’d come up with for clearing the valley of its evil taint would work so he could actually take possession of said kingdom remained to be seen.

Nobody was going to underestimate how evil some of the intricate plots of the grand high fairies had been, not after all of the dark tales Ari and Gothi had related to them. Even the seemingly benevolent ones had been wicked to the core. According to Gothi, in fact, Elana’s far-distant fairy ancestress had most likely been the fairy once known as Lady Fortuna, who had fallen afoul of one of the Swamp Lords after her meddling in a nearby kingdom had impinged on his domain. “She was one who granted double-ended wishes for gold or favors,” the Rock Troll had recounted. “And her favors oft involved the claiming of children. If I’m recalling it correctly, she’d arranged to marry one such favor off to another in a kingdom called Fariway, but hadn’t anticipated that the girl-child she’d cursed to keep her free of other entanglements might be rescued by someone else—and that someone else turned out to be one of the ogres who lived in a nearby swamp under the aegis of King Fen. Who wasn’t amused by her interference, of course, as the ogres were his favored children and the guardians of his lands. The story goes that Lady Fortuna was unmade by her own magic in the end, but it’s much more likely that Fen grew angry enough to interfere and simply made it look like that’s what had happened.”

The Kingdom of Fariway had vanished into history and from there into sparse wisps of legend long before the Cataclysm, of course, and even Gothi had no idea where it had once been located. Which was just as well, because the land there had no doubt been tainted by dark fairy magic just as the remains of much more recently lost Valeureux had been. The Blood Wood on the Isle of Deer, however, Gothi suspected to have been caused by a pocket of old magic which had later been further corrupted by some other magic left behind by the grand high fairies. This idea had contributed to more than one dark discussion, as it meant that solving the problem of the Blood Wood’s spreading taint was only the beginning of what the Fearless Seven needed to accomplish. But everyone was trying very hard not to think too much about that. “We need to stop borrowing trouble,” Snow had finally snapped. “First the curse-magic in Jack’s kingdom, then the taint flowing off the Isle of Deer. And then seeing to the kingdoms that have been destabilized by the sickness, because places like Odinson are going to need all the help they can get. And you also have a master vampire to find and kill, right?”

“If the sickness does not get him first,” Noki had snorted in reply, which had led to a completely different discussion about whether or not a vampire could be infected and what would happen to them if they were. And after that, the Seven had done their best to focus on one quest at a time, beginning with finding the narrow passage in the rocks that would let them re-enter the cursed valley. Which took longer than they’d expected it would, but finally the crack was located and Merlin set about marking it with magic so they couldn’t lose it again.

Or at least that’s what he’d been planning to do, but the moment his hand touched the rocks, everything stopped.

For him, anyway. The vision he’d been gifted a week of days ago by the rocky shores of the Hole rolled over him like a gigantic dark wave, pounding at him until he could hardly breathe from the sheer weight of it. So when it finally let go it was no wonder that he staggered back from the rock gasping as though he’d been underwater. Worried voices were pushing at him, demanding answers, and he shook his head just short of violently. “No! Just…just give me a second, please.”

He felt more than saw Snow pushing the rest of them away, and he caught her hand when she returned to his side and pressed a kiss to the back of it. His eyes opened on roiling, horrific visions of a darkness that sought to smother everything, and he pushed them back with an effort until he could see his wife, and the rocks, and the afternoon sun overhead. The sun… “We can’t go in yet,” he said. “We need to make camp well away from the passage…and at dawn Arthur and I will go in. Alone.” That produced a return of the yelling, and he snapped. “Listen to me! I’ve seen…” he swallowed the bile that wanted to rise in his throat, “…terrible things will come of it if we just go prancing in there like we’re out paying a visit to a friend. The taint…it’s spreading.”

“Why just you and Arthur?” Noki wanted to know. “Why can we not help? And what about J…”

“No!” Merlin focused on him, forcing back the vision of that other future where the taint had been carried home by them to their precious fairy princess and…oh Elana, I won’t let it happen, I swear it. “Because I can keep them off of me, at least for a time, and Arthur has a magic sword that won’t tolerate that sort of corruption. They won’t be able to touch him so long as he’s holding Excalibur.”

He wouldn’t say anything more about it, but late that night when everyone else was asleep Arthur saw Merlin get up, wake Jack, and speak to him very intensely for several minutes before taking a knee and near as Arthur could tell pledging fealty to him. Which was accepted, apparently, if the golden glow which passed between them was any indication. He nodded to himself, keeping his eyes on the shadows where the pass began. They’d get things all sorted out tomorrow.

Getting into the Valley was no different than it had been the last time, although getting down from the ledge was somewhat trickier. At least some of the trees on the valley floor were dangling promising orbs of shining green fruit now, and even in its unripe state it smelled heavenly, but when Arthur made to touch one Merlin stayed his hand. “Don’t,” he said, and nudged the apple with a touch of magic which revealed the shape of a distorted skull shimmering in the depths of its glossy skin. “There’s no telling how poisonous they are. You might not have to eat one to suffer the effects.”

“Good thing we don’t have Hans with us, he’d be cryin’ over that.” They kept walking, trying to stay out from under the fruit-heavy branches as much as possible, and Arthur mulled over the plan Merlin and Jack had laid out for them all earlier that morning. Because the ghosts might be listening, or something else might, their conversation needed to touch on certain subjects and avoid others at all costs. “Do you think the valley can be saved, Merlin?”

“I’d like to think it could be, but I don’t know how.” Merlin sighed, and Arthur could just barely tell he was faking it. “Perhaps in time? I want to go up behind the ruins while we’re here to make sure the cliff wall is stable, and I’ll reinforce it with magic if it isn’t. We don’t want it to come tumbling down during a storm and flood the whole valley.”

Arthur stopped walking, feigning shock. “What?!”

Merlin just rolled his eyes. “The sea, we can hear it? Meaning it’s right back there,” he indicated the broken-looking cliffs, “and this entire valley is like an empty cup sitting in a basin full of water. If that wall is breached, or the sea rises, the valley will quickly fill with water and eventually become part of the sea.”

Arthur couldn’t hold back his shudder. “Maybe you should have a look at that first, then?”

“That might be a good idea, yes. Another hour or so won’t hurt the ghosts, but I don’t know what would happen to them if everything went underwater so better safe than sorry.”

They reached the ruins and in the entryway three of the ghosts were waiting for them. Cogsworth bowed. “Your Highnesses, welcome back to Valeureux. How did you fare on your journey to the North?”

Arthur didn’t correct him. “Not badly, but not over-well either,” he said. “Merlin, go check the rocks. Every time I hear the slap of the waves now I expect to see the sea comin’ at me.”

“Zhe rocks?” Lumiere asked.

Merlin quickly explained what he was afraid might happen, and once all three ghosts were as horrified as Arthur by the possibility of the sea making its way in he hurried off to climb up to the top of the cliff wall—it was a long way from being straight or steep, thanks to all the broken rock piled up, so getting up nearly to the top wasn’t going to be as difficult as it might have been were he climbing a natural cliff face. Arthur found himself a place to sit on a half-ruined wall and started making conversation. “So is Adam in the library with his queen?”

Cogsworth shrugged. “He was earlier, but not right now. He’s got more range, you might say, than the rest of us do, and he often goes out to watch the horses or wanders what’s left of the valley.”

“My father does that in our kingdom as well,” Arthur said. “We’ll have to ask Merlin if there’s a way he can achieve that for the rest of you. A few walls and a bit of broken floor are bound to get borin’ after a while.” He cocked his head. “Or has he made enough progress that you can all go in the library now?”

“Oh no, we still can’t do that,” Agatha told him. “She’s calmed down a bit, but it’s going to take time.”

“Of course—it took her time to get that way, it only makes sense that it would be the same in reverse. Have all of you been feeling all right? No problems from all the curse magic still hanging around?”

“No, not that we’ve noticed.” Adam came drifting up. “Arthur. Where are the rest of them? And your magician?”

“He’s checkin’ your cliff wall to make sure we don’t all get up close and personal with the sea,” Arthur said. “He’ll be back down once he’s made sure the rock is strong enough to keep holdin’ it back. I hear you’ve been able to walk about and check the state of things.” He saw a little flicker of nothing move through the air on the other side of the ruins but didn’t acknowledge it, although he made sure his arm was touching the pommel of his sword. “Find anything interestin’?”

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