Chapter 29

29

RHAN

" T raveled back in time?" I repeated, not entirely sure I'd heard him correctly.

"Yes! I went back to moments before I cast the spell to disguise Uther intent on stopping him or figuring out another way. It didn't really matter, I just had to stop that one spell, but before I could I was interrupted."

"Interrupted? By who?" I asked, completely bewildered by the turn of events.

"By a goddess," he said theatrically after a moment's pause. "A Fae deity," he added like he thought I should be impressed.

"What goddess would interrupt…" I began but cut myself off as my left hand went to my side where the Morrigan's feather had pierced me.

"Yes, the battle crow herself stopped me from correcting my mistake."

"But…Why? Why would she do that?" I was stunned.

I'd heard stories about the Morrigan from Flora growing up. She was a shape-shifter, though her favorite form was that of a crow. She'd appear to the Fae and men to incite unrest, calling warriors to the battlefield. While those are admirable qualities for a goddess to be known for it was her other abilities that most overlooked. She had a hand in fate, able to see into the future and see whether they would be victorious. It made sense why she was there that day. She was eager for battle and if Merlin fixed his mistakes war would rage.

"She stopped you," I stated, my mind reeling with everything I could remember about the crow goddess and the story that Merlin had spun. "Why would she stop you? A battle is what she wants. It's always what she wants but your spell stopped a battle from ever happening. She must have been angry."

"Oh, she was angry. She'd been stirring the hearts of these warriors for months, if not years. My spell robbed her of many deaths and she was not pleased about it. Not at all." He was rambling again, making my irritation rise.

"So she was angry, I understand, I probably would have been angry too, but that doesn't explain why she stopped you?"

"The goddess is many things but one thing she is not is hasty. When I intervened the goddess saw a future battle. One that would shape the future."

"Alright, and?" This guy had a bad habit of stopping right when it was starting to make sense.

"Because of my carelessness I upset the balance of all things which started a chain reaction, one I couldn't fix alone." He paused and looked down at the floor. He seemed truly remorseful and it made him so…human. "If I ignored her and fixed my mistake I'm not sure what would have happened. Maybe it would have been better or maybe the future that she saw was something we couldn't avoid."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the spell I cast, hastily and with good humor, actually contained something sinister," Merlin explained ominously. "The Morrigan saw this future and the one I didn't mess up and she found that this future was the one with the very best chance."

"I'm still not sure I understand what you are saying. Your original spell contained something sinister? What does that mean?" I asked, though I had a sinking suspicion I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"There was a darkness in my spell that I didn't realize was there. By casting that spell I…created an opportunity."

"You unleashed the rot," I whispered, my eyes wide as I stared at him. "You created the opening he needed to come into the human realm and through that realm… Alleryia."

"Yes, I did." Merlin looked a little pale and I realized that he hadn't confessed this to anyone. No one knew where the black rot came from. "When I went back in time I opened a hole of sorts, one that darkness could travel through. It's infected the past and it will consume the future if we can't stop it."

"How the hell are we supposed to stop it? It's been inside my mind. I've felt it's madness and watched how it can corrupt and consume a person. There's no stopping this; it must be destroyed, annihilated even."

"The reason the Morrigan stopped me from fixing my mistake is because she saw you in that future but not in the other one. The only difference between the two was that you were in this one."

"What do I have to do with any of this?" I asked, near hysterics. He hadn't felt that thing. It reduced me to something that I hadn't recognized. I was terrified of the darkness but since I only existed in this future maybe that's why I was sought after. Why the darkness was infatuated by me.

"This future is the only one where the darkness is conquered and turned into a weapon that will help bring peace across the realms."

"What exactly did the Morrigan see?" I asked, choosing to ignore his previous statement and bury it deep down, determined to forget about it.

"She saw you and your Phantom Prince. Together you both eradicate the darkness."

"What? Toren and I?"

"You two are connected in a way that even the goddess doesn't understand. This goes deeper than fate or destiny. You two were created for each other. Together you will usher in a millennia of peace."

"We… we will?" Why did I sound breathless?

Ever since I landed in this cave Toren was on my mind constantly. It was difficult listening to Merlin when all I wanted, all I craved, was to be back with him. I wanted to be wrapped up in him, I wanted him so deep that I didn't know where I ended and he began. I guess I never really thought of the future or rather a future with Toren. Now that I was faced with it…I actually liked it.

The cave shook and my heart sank. I knew what the shaking meant. It meant that our time was up.

"Our time is ending. I bargained with the Morrigan in order to have the chance to explain this all to you, and I'm glad she agreed."

"What happens now? What should I do?" I asked frantically, there were still things I didn't know, questions that hadn't been answered.

"Trust yourself. You are here for a reason and so is the Phantom Prince. It's you both against this and you will be victorious. I know you will." The long strands of his mustache twitched as he smiled kindly while I teetered on the edge of forgiving him. "Before you go I know your mother gave you her knowledge and it's served you well. I want to give you some of mine so that you won't make the same mistakes I have.

I nodded in agreement, feeling tears fill my eyes. This wizard wasn't what I had expected and while I still hadn't forgiven him, I'd taken a step in that direction.

The cave shook as Merlin spread his arms open invitingly. Without hesitation I walked to him and let him draw me against him in an embrace. I thought it would feel weird but it didn't. It felt nice actually and I imagined this was what embracing a father must feel like. It was warm and comforting like a heated blanket on a cold morning.

A tingle began in the back of my skull then spread to the rest of my head and I knew that Merlin was gifting me with his knowledge. The cave gave a mighty shake and Merlin let go of me. I fell through the darkness but I wasn't scared. Instead I analyzed the knowledge and the old wizard had gifted me. I smiled when I learned that magic, once cast, was like a ball of tangled string. A tug on the right part would cause the whole thing to unravel. I had a feeling that this information would come in handy.

I slammed back into my body like I literally fell into it. My back arched as I sucked in air like I'd been under water too long. My chest hurt with the influx of oxygen to my lungs while my head spun as I tried to compartmentalize all of the knowledge I'd gotten from Merlin.

"Rhan?" A frantic male voice exclaimed and I recognized it immediately.

"Toren?" I whipped my head toward the voice but instead of black irises my eyes clashed with red ones. The face surrounding those eyes was beautiful but also terrible.

Time seemed to slow as we stared at each other, seeming to have a completely silent conversation. She tilted her head in a very crow-like way then she winked so quickly that for a moment I thought I had imagined it.

"Rhan?" Masculine hands grabbed my biceps, jerking my attention away from the Morrigan, who sat in the middle of the courtyard completely naked. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I assured him as I stared into his dark eyes and saw that gleam of red that I realized then had always been there.

Merlin said we were connected, him and I, but I also knew that together we were connected to the death crow and that she was on our side. With her help I had no doubts that Toren and I could bring about the future that she saw.

Toren pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. He was shaking and at first I thought it was anger until I leaned against his chest, listening to his heart. The rhythm matched my own, which was all the confirmation that I needed. He was mine, if I wanted him. All I had to do was reach out and tug at a loose strand.

I cupped his cheek in my hand; the skin was smooth and soft before I tucked some longer strands behind his ear with a smile.

"I chose you, Toren. I chose this. I chose us."

My words, though spoken softly, did something to him that I couldn't quite put my finger on. His shoulders relaxed while the red in his eyes dimmed minutely. I'd released something inside of him, something that he'd been carrying around for a very long time.

Toren kissed me briefly before gathering me up in his arms and rising to his feet in one swift motion that was so graceful I was jealous. His eyes remained on mine and it took my breath away. He could see me and for whatever reason he liked what he saw. I could see how much he craved me in his eyes which sent a thrill down my spine.

I wanted him too.

The realms were under attack thanks to a meddling wizard, but none of that mattered right now. I was back with the prince who entered my life disguised as something he was not. For the first time since I met him my heart, head, and guts were all in agreement.

This alternate future gave me Toren and I was never going to give him up.