The Last Pendragon

Chapter 9

Lyza had never seen so many magical races in her entire life. She knew about them, but had rarely ever seen one or two of them, much less an entire group of them gathered together in one place.

Lyza, Matt, Kenji, and Kharro stood in a group in the center of a square. The wooden houses that made up the village around them were humble places, yet they seemed cozy. Ahead of them, two elves—a man and woman—strode toward the group hand-in-hand.

To their right stood a bearded older man, holding a staff in his hands. Black robes donned his body and a shield was strapped to his back. Lyza guessed he was Merlin, even though he wasn’t quite what she expected.

“Kharro, ni. My old friend, how I have missed you,” the elf woman said. She was tall and slender with sleek white hair and pointed ears. Her eyes were almond-shaped and diagonally positioned, opposed to humans which were directly parallel. The male looked similarly, except that he was slightly bulkier, with a bow across his back.

“Thraesirria, I have missed you as well,” Kharro greeted, inclining his head.

“Kharro, ni, why have you come? You have brought three Mages with you,” the male elf pointed out.

The bearded man stepped forward before Kharro could answer. “Fear not, Rythirrin,” he said, stopping in front of the four companions. “They have come for me. You have questions, I presume?”

Lyza nodded when Kharro stepped back. “This is your business, not mine,” he murmured.

Lyza shot him a glare, swallowed deeply, and then turned back to the presumed Merlin. “I am Arthur Pendragon’s distant granddaughter. The two behind me are related to all seven of the Mage Families.”

Gasps and murmurs rang out through the crowd gathered around them. Even the two elves looked at each other in surprise.

“Come, come. We have much to discuss,” Merlin said, urging them inside one of the huts to their left.

*****

Kenji’s mind reeled from all the events happening lately. From his worry about Matt and his extensive injuries, learning of Matt’s past and all Kenji never knew, to the thought that they were really descended from seven Mage families, wondering why he was able to throw the fireball back at the Mage, and the awe that they really were in the lost mythical city of Shangri-la… Kenji could hardly keep up with everything.

For once, Matt looked surprised; his eyes were wide and he kept looking around. It lasted for a few brief minutes, until Merlin took them inside a humble wooden shack with a single room. It had a bed in the corner and chairs around a fireplace in the center of the room. Matt’s expression became impassive as they each took a seat and looked at Merlin expectantly.

“You know who we are,” Lyza stated plainly.

Merlin nodded, stroking his beard as he leaned back in his leather chair. “Mm, yes. I do.”

“Then you know that those Mages are after us.” Kenji sucked in a deep breath, trying not to glance at Matt.

“The Bloods,” Merlin murmured.

Lyza shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

“My magic preserves me… For a time. But that time is drawing to an end and with my life, the last protection against the Zathran.”

“Wait, isn’t that old runic for The World Eater? Isn’t that just a myth?” Lyza’s eyes widened and something about the term made Kenji shiver. Lyza’s voice was a soft murmur, just as soft as the flames flickering in the fireplace against the back wall. Their chairs in the room’s center were underneath a wooden chandelier, alight with candles dimly lighting the room.

“All myths started somewhere, young Lyza.”

Merlin leaned forward and cleared his throat. “Long ago, when dragons still roamed the earth and Knights sat upon the Round Table, King Arthur and I learned of a dark evil—a terrible creature that wrought havoc upon the earth, called the Zathran, the World Eater. Spread throughout the earth in four special locations, are magical sigils writ upon the ground. They aren’t visible to the n***d eye, but when Mages use their magic there, it bleeds into these sigils. When they are filled, it attracts the Zathran, like blood attracts a dragon. If the creature consumes the magic from these sigils, it will become strong enough to devour the world and destroy it. I knew that there was only one way to kill this creature. Legends told of two Mages who would be descended from all Seven Mage Families. One could redirect attacks and absorb magic and the other could wield Excalibur.

Kenji’s chest clenched and his stomach twisted. That was exactly what he did. He glanced at Matt, whose eyes widened.

“The last… was Arthur Pendragon and his brother. Arthur wielded Excalibur long before we learned of the World Eater. His brother died in the war for peace. Yet, after the sigils were filled and the Zathran arose, I knew, it had been Arthur’s destiny. For centuries, each time that the sigils were filled, the World Eater and his minions would arise.”

Merlin pressed on. “The only way to kill the Zathran is for one of the Chosen Mages to draw the magic from the sigils and give it to the other. The second would cast the magic energy into Excalibur to drain the magic from the sigils, destroying them forever. When that happens, Excalibur will be filled with a great magical power unlike anything we have ever seen before. The Zathran can be killed and the world saved.”

Lyza frowned. “How come Arthur couldn’t do this? Why did he betray us?”

Merlin’s eyes were downcast as he peered into the flames with a pained expression. “His brother had already died, so there was none who could draw the energy from the sigils into Excalibur. Arthur and I found a way to temporarily hold the Zathran off. Arthur cast the curse on Mages to prevent them from using magic in the open, thus leaving the Zathran unawakened. It would hold it off for more than a few decades this time, since the sigils would not be filled. The magic energy it took him to cast it took his life and turned him to stone.”

Lyza gasped and Kenji looked at her. “Vergis’ town square! Excalibur is stuck inside the stone and beside it is a statue of King Arthur!”

Merlin nodded with a sigh. “That is him. I was able to cast a spell that put the World Eater to sleep, but… My spell has run out of energy. The Zathran will awake.” His old, brown eyes shifted to Kenji and Matt. “Which of you can redirect spells?”

Kenji swallowed deeply, afraid to speak out, but he did anyway. “I can. But Matt—he’s my brother. Can he…?” Kenji’s voice trailed off.

Matt looked at Merlin closely.

“If you can redirect spells, Kenji, then it means that you must drain the magic from the sigils. First, Matthew, you must pull Excalibur from the stone.” Merlin leaned forward and reached out to grab Kenji’s head with one hand and Matt’s with his other.

Despite how strange the movement was, and how much fear pounded in Kenji’s chest, he stayed perfectly still. Energy buzzed loud enough to make his ears lightly ring.

Images came to his mind: New York City, London, Tokyo, and a last one that he didn’t recognize. It showed a sword piercing a stone and beside it a statue of a king. Kenji guessed it must have been the Vergis city square. Gasping, Kenji shook his head as Merlin pulled his hands away from him.

“What do I do when I have Excalibur?” Matt asked.

“Kenji, you will use your ability to drain the magic from the spells and redirect it toward Matthew. When that happens, Matthew, you will feel a surge of energy in your body. It’s too much for one person to handle, so it’s imperative that you immediately cast it into Excalibur. None of you will be able to see the sigils, but they are there, magically, at each of the locations I showed you. Lyza, you can use a spell to show Kenji where the magical energy within them lies. Matthew, when it is filled, Excalibur will glow and there will be a loud burst when the sigil is destroyed. The Zathran will awaken soon so there is no time to lose. When you have destroyed the sigils at the locations I showed you, return to Vergis. Use Excalibur to destroy Arthur once and for all. As you do, the curse upon Mages will be lifted and Excalibur’s magic will destroy the last sigil. When the last sigil falls, the two of you must fight the creature and kill it with Excalibur and the energy within it from the sigils.” Merlin looked at him and Matt with such hope, it made Kenji’s skin crawl.

Him? He worked at Gamestop and ran a Taekwondo place. Kenji enjoyed gaming, and playing in fantasy worlds, not actually being the man chosen to save the world. Matt was a soldier, a hero who had served his country. He should do this, but Kenji?

“Wait,” Lyza started, “if there's a sigil in Vergis, then how come our magic never woke the creature since we use it there all the time?”

Merlin gazed at her. “Vergis was the only place Arthur was able to place a protection spell to keep the sigil from attracting the Zathran because the protection spell was cast there by Arthur just before he died. Lyza Pendragon, you will have your part to play. They will both need your support and your energy to do this and...The leader of the Bloods must be killed.” The old wizard looked at Matt, who furrowed his eyebrows.

“Is he…?”

“The one who hurt you, yes.”

Matt’s jaw ticked and Kenji didn’t miss the killer look in his narrowed, brown eyes.

Merlin looked at Lyza and grabbed her hands. “The man who betrayed you… He will not stop until you are destroyed. You must fight him and stop him once and for all The Bloods have turned into vicious killers that are nothing like the Kingdom Arthur wanted the Mages to be—they are the opposite of the peace he strove and died for.”

Lyza nodded mutely, swallowing.

Merlin stood up and gestured for them to follow him back outside the hut. Out in the light, Kenji winced, his thoughts in a whirl. Merlin led them to a wide open field where he clutched his staff and glowing sky blue energy danced around him. Kenji watched in fascination and awe as the energy shot from Merlin’s body onto the ground.

It opened up, like a monster yawning after years of being asleep. Merlin bent down and gestured inside the hole in the ground. Lyza, Kenji, and Matt all gathered at the edge and it was Lyza who gasped.

Down below them, a sword pierced a stone deeply, just like all the movies and games Kenji had watched and played. He could hardly believe it.

“Excalibur,” Lyza whispered in awe. “But I thought it was in Vergis with Arthur!”

Merlin shook his head. “Arthur created a duplicate, to protect the real Excalibur that I hid here. With my energy, if I never strayed from Shangri-la, I would constantly be able to watch over Excalibur and wait for the next worthy Mage to come and wield it once again.”

Kenji slid his eyes over to Matt. “I’m the one that can redirect spells, so you…”

Matt’s eyes widened and for once, shock rippled across his expression and stayed there. “Me? None of this… this can’t be real.” Despite his words, he leapt down into the hole with a wince and part of Kenji wanted to follow his brother to make sure he would be alright.

By that time, a large crowd had gathered around them, watching in awe. Most of them whispered and spoke in hushed tones, but Kenji couldn’t hear their specific words.

Matt reached down and his fingers grasped the hilt of the legendary sword.

Then he pulled it from the stone. Even Kenji felt the energy that pulsed from Excalibur through Matt and across the entire vast open field.

“You must take Excalibur to the locations I showed you. Kenji, without you, Matt will not be able to fill Excalibur with the energy it needs to defeat the Zathran. The world is counting on you three,” Merlin said.

Kenji had no idea what to think, say, or feel. A million thoughts and questions flashed through his mind too quickly to decipher them. It was up to him to save the world. Fear and terror spread through his body like frostbite. He shivered and exhaled sharply, trying to calm his heart drumming in his chest. What if they failed? And what was worse…

What if he failed his brother?