Air: Merlin's Chalice (The Children of Avalon Book 1) (17 page)

Cold water was applied to Bridget’s head while she concentrated her energies on healing herself. Oddly enough, she wasn’t burnt at all. It was just the bump on her head that was bad. I simply needed rest.

“Thank goodness she’s got the power of healing,” Matthias said, standing at the foot of the bed and grinning down at his sister.

Peter laughed, but Joan shooed them out of the room. “You leave these girls to rest,” she said, closing the door on their protests.

Thomas stayed, sitting by my side of the bed while his wife continued to place cold compresses on Bridget’s head. Bridget just lay there with her eyes closed, so I didn’t know if she was awake or not.

It was a little disturbing seeing Bridget so still. I didn’t think I had ever seen her not moving or animated. I turned to Thomas and whispered, “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?”

My brother gave me a reassuring smile. “I think so. I’ve never seen Bridget down for long. I’m sure she’ll be up and making us crazy sooner than we’d like.”

“I heard that,” Bridget mumbled.

I laughed as a whoosh of relief flowed through me.

Looking from Bridget back to Thomas again, I still could hardly believe where I was and who I was with—they were my brother and sister! I closed my eyes a moment in prayer to thank God for this wonderful, no,
incredible
gift He had given me.

Blinking hard once or twice to clear the tears from my eyes when I opened them again, I reached out and took Thomas’s hand. His eyes immediately turned from Bridget back to me. They softened, and yet looked inquiringly. “I just wanted to truly thank you,” I said quietly, so as not to disturb Bridget again.

“Thank me? For what?”

I gave a little shrug. “I don’t know. For accepting me. For being my brother. For everything, really.”

His eyes became a little shinier as he squeezed my hand. “I told you before, you have no need to thank me, Scai. You
are
my sister; there is no doubt about it. Even if you didn’t look like us, I’d be able to feel it.” He gave a little shrug. “I’m not a very powerful Vallen like you and Bridget, but I know my own sister when I meet her.”

Such a feeling of love washed over me. A feeling—no, a knowledge—that no matter what, I would always be able to count on Thomas, or any one of my brothers. They would always be there for me. I swallowed hard at the lump that had suddenly tightened in my throat.

“I’m just sorry our parents didn’t live to see you return to us,” he said quietly, turning his eyes back to Bridget.

“What happened to them?” I asked.

“Mother died in childbirth with Bridget, and Papa, well, he just wasted away after that. He worked so hard to feed us all and take care of us, but without Mother’s support…” Thomas shrugged.

“I’m so sorry,” I said and, indeed, I felt a hollowness in my stomach at the loss of someone I had never known.

“If it hadn’t been for Bridget, I’m sure we would have all starved or lived like pigs. She has taken care of us ever since she could walk, practically.” He laughed while looking down at his frowning sister who still hadn’t opened her eyes.

Thomas gave a little smile, squeezing my hand again before standing up. “You need to get some rest and we need to stop disturbing Bridget.”

<><><>

I awoke to the sound of men’s voices. For a moment I lay there not remembering where I was, but a movement drew my attention. Bridget was stirring next to me.

I propped myself up on my elbow so I could look out the window and try to gauge how long I’d been asleep. It must be near evening, I realized, not because of the shadows that I could hardly make out, but because of the rumbling in my stomach. I was absolutely famished, as if I hadn’t eaten in a week.

The men’s voices grew louder, as if they were arguing. Bridget sat up with a grumble and then held her hand to her head for a moment.

“Are you all right? Can I get you…”

“No, I’m fine. I just sat up too fast, that’s all,” she said, not even turning around. She stood and wobbled to the door, calling, “All right, all right. Stop arguing and just tell me what it is already.”

There was immediate silence as she took a step out the door and into the common room to which all of the other rooms in the house were connected.

I scrambled up and followed Bridget out.

Our brothers and Sir Dagonet were all there, some seated, some standing. It looked like a still–life painting—Peter had even stopped somewhere in between sitting and standing. I burst out laughing at the sight.

Bridget turned to me with a smile. “Yes, they are rather ridiculous, aren’t they?”

Peter finished standing up and moved away from the chair he had been sitting in. “Sit down, Bridget, before you fall down.”

“I’m not going to fall down, idiot. I’m perfectly all right.” But she took his seat anyway.

Thomas glared at Matthias, who reluctantly stood up and offered his chair to me. I was happy to take it since I was feeling a little light–headed.

“Now, what are you all arguing about?” Bridget asked, taking command of the situation.

“Nothing,” Thomas said.

“Nothing at all,” the rest of the men concurred.

Bridget just looked at me as if to say “Can you believe this?”

I laughed again, but this time I tried to hide it.

“Not very convincing, are we, wot?” Sir Dagonet said, laughing as well.

“Not at all,” Bridget agreed, beginning to giggle, too.

“Well, it’s just that…” Peter started, but Piers smacked the side of his head and he shut up.

“We might as well tell them,” Matthias argued. “They’re going to find out anyway, and as Sir Dagonet said, it concerns them so they have a right to know.”

“You’re damn right we have a right to know!” Bridget said vehemently.

“Bridget! Your language,” Joan admonished.

“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all.

“What is it?” I asked.

The men all looked at each other, figuring out who was going to be the one to talk. James finally stood up.

“I went to see Old Maud about this chalice of Merlin’s to see if I could learn any more about it,” he began.

I took a quick look around. Dylan wasn’t there. He must not have followed us home after the fire.

Bridget leaned forward. “What did you learn?”

James glanced at Thomas, who gave a small nod of his head. “Well, she couldn’t tell me much more about the chalice specifically, but she did tell me more of the prophecy, which was apparently made a very long time ago.” He sat down again on the arm of the chair Thomas was sitting in. “Apparently, our mother was extremely worried about this so she went to discuss it with Old Maud to try to decide what to do.”

“What was the prophecy, James? Just spit it out,” Bridget said, losing patience with his long–winded tale.

He looked at her and frowned. “There were a few parts to it. One was the bit about Scai,” he said, looking back at me. “That we already knew about.”

“That I would die to save others,” I said, aware that no one else would.

“Er, yes, to save mankind, actually,” he admitted a little sheepishly.

“Wouldn’t completely trust that one, don’t you know?” Sir Dagonet interjected.

James turned to look at the old knight. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Oh, it’s just that, well, Merlin, not infallible, don’t you know?”

“I’d heard that everything he’d said had come true,” Thomas argued.

Sir Dagonet nodded. “Nearly everything.”

They all waited in silence for him to continue.

“Er, yes, well,” Sir Dagonet said after a moment. “Said that he and Lady Nimuë would be together for eternity, didn’t he? And, well, we all know how that turned out, wot, wot?”

“I’d never heard that,” James said.

“Oh yes, common knowledge. Anyway, don’t think we should start digging Scai’s grave just yet, all I meant to say, don’t you know?”

We all laughed a little uncomfortably, but inside of me everything seemed to sigh with relief.

James looked over at Bridget and continued with his reporting. “The prophecy said that the seventh child’s heirs would heal the world of the Vallen.”

Bridget paled a little. “That would be me? I’m the seventh child in our family.”

He nodded and then went on. “There was more, but Old Maud really couldn’t remember—she hasn’t heard the prophecy since just before Scai was born twenty years ago. The only other thing she could remember with certainty was that the prophecy did mention Merlin’s chalice.”

“It did?” both Bridget and I said in unison.

He gave a little laugh, “Yes, sisters, it did. Unfortunately, Old Maud couldn’t remember what it said,” he finished on a more somber note.

“Well, but if it mentioned me and Scai along with the chalice, then surely we should be destined to find it,” Bridget said, standing up and beginning to pace around the room.

“Can’t tell you how many people have tried to find it over the years,” Sir Dagonet said. “No one has, naturally.”

“And clearly, Dylan is another one of those treasure seekers,” Bridget said in exasperation, as if the chalice were already hers and Dylan was preparing to steal it.

“But because it’s been impossible to find, most people think it’s a myth—that it doesn’t really exist,” Thomas said. And, more softly, he concluded, “And it may not, for all we know.”

“Well, don’t know about that…” Sir Dagonet protested feebly.

I noticed the fingers of his right hand playing with something at his wrist. It was a funny habit he had whenever he was nervous.

“Well, but if it does exist…” I began.

“Then
we
are destined to find it,” Bridget finished for me.

“What I was going to say,” I began again, ignoring Bridget who was quickly feeling more like a true sister to me, “is that if it does exist, then maybe Dylan knows where it is.”

Bridget frowned at me. I reached out and gave her shoulders a squeeze and she turned it into a smile instead.

“Excellent point, Scai,” Sir Dagonet said, sitting up.

“But since it was mentioned in a prophecy that spoke about us, then it’s ours, not his,” Bridget said with growing enthusiasm. “What does it matter what he knows or doesn’t know? We don’t want him to get it, do we? It’s ours.
We’re
going to find it and
we’re
going use it.”

All of the brothers glanced at each other nervously. Clearly, they knew the direction in which Bridget’s mind was going, and they weren’t at all happy about it.

“Now Bridget…” Thomas said, as the voice of reason.

“No! Don’t you even dare try to talk me out of this one. I’m not going to allow that sneaky, underhanded Dylan find something that rightfully belongs to me—and certainly not something as powerful as Merlin’s chalice! Can you imagine what would happen if he got his hands on it? I don’t even want to—”

“Bridget, calm down,” I said, trying to sooth her with my voice the way Dylan did.

“…contemplate such a thing. He is…”

But I didn’t have his magic. “Bridget!” I said again, but she still didn’t hear me.

“Usually physically grabbing her and forcing her to look at you will work,” Matthias said, laughing at my attempts to get our sister’s attention.

I looked at Matthias for a moment and then smiled as the answer came to me. “I don’t need to use physical force.” I stood up and caught my sister’s eye. Adding a touch of magic to my voice, I said, “Bridget, calm down and please listen to us.”

Bridget stopped her harangue and frowned at me.

“Fine. What?” She then paused for a moment, blinked, then cocked her head to one side. “What did you just do to me? Did you use magic on me?”

“Yes,” I admitted, wondering if perhaps I shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry, but you just weren’t listening.”

“Oh! Good work,” Matthias exclaimed. “I didn’t even think of doing that.”

Piers and Peter burst out laughing. “That’s because you can’t,” Piers said.

The other brothers all laughed while Matthias turned pink.

A warm breeze filtered into the room as I looked around at all of my brothers. I had never been so very happy as I was now in the heart of my family—
my
family! I almost pinched myself to see if I was dreaming.

“I believe it would behoove you to find out what Dylan knows, wot, wot?” Sir Dagonet said, smiling at me and Bridget and bringing the conversation back to where it should have been. “He was headed in this direction before we even met up with him. Seems to have already been on his quest to find the chalice, don’t you know?”

“But why would he help us?” Bridget asked.

Sir Dagonet shrugged. “Because you might have some information that could help him.”

“But we don’t know anything,” I argued.

“You may not think you do, but you might know more than you know you know, wot?”

“What?”

“Precisely!”

We all burst out laughing.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Sir Dagonet,” I said, “but I’m willing to try talking with Dylan if he is willing to speak to me.”

“Even after all he’s done to you?” Bridget asked, aghast.

I shrugged. “It’s easy for me to accept that he’s done bad things to me—people always have.” And then I added, trying not to sound as embarrassed as I felt, “It’s when people are being kind and accepting, as you all have been, that I find it harder to understand.”

“I thought you said you were treated well in Wales?” Thomas asked, a note of anger staining his voice.

“I was,” I said quickly. “Father Llewellyn was wonderful and kind and loving. It was the townspeople. Well, everyone except my closest friend, Aron. He was always kind and always defended me—and got into too many fights on my behalf.”

Yes, I could easily understand Dylan. He was going for what he wanted and wasn’t going to let anyone get in his way. This new family of mine, on the other hand, just confused me, making me feel awkward and wonderful at the same time. They were like Aron and Father, only even more so. They were kind, accepting and generous—and they didn’t even know me very well. “I know it sounds strange, but I like Dylan, and I don’t think he truly meant to harm anyone,” I added aloud.