Morrigan (30 page)

Morrigan was no closer to finding a solution
to her problem when her thoughts were interrupted by a light
pounding on her door. She jumped up from the bed quickly before
Ceridwyn got nervous and sent another battering ram. Though it was
well after midnight, she flung the door open to find a young maid
carrying a large tray filled with meat, breads, and fruits. There
were also two guards standing silently on either side of the door.
It made Morrigan furious to think that she was being treated like a
prisoner, just like Arianrhod.

Just the thought of Arianrhod made her
realize the answer to her problem was staring her right in the
face. She had to find her aunt. Maybe together, the two of them
could somehow overpower Ceridwyn and Hecate. However, convincing
Arianrhod that she was on her side was going to be a challenge all
in itself, especially after what had happened in the grand
hall.

Morrigan took the tray, thanked the maid, and
nodded cordially to the two guards. Then she kicked the door shut
with her foot and brought the tray over to the bed where she could
think while she ate. There was more food than she could possibly
eat on her own. She figured the cats had to be hungry, so she
emptied a bowl of berries, tore a few pieces of what looked like
lamb meat from the bone, and set it down on the floor. She expected
them to run up and scarf it down the same way they did every time
she cracked open a can of cat food. Both cats sniffed the bowl once
and then turned their noses up in the air.

Morrigan was perplexed. Her pets hadn’t eaten
anything since their last hunt in the woods. She couldn’t imagine
why they would turn down anything, let alone a delicacy like fresh
meat. They licked their paws nonchalantly and completely ignored
the bounty beside them. Morrigan shrugged her shoulders and was
about to tear into the food herself, when at least one of the cats
finally showed some emotion and sprang into action. With one clean
swipe of her paw, Danu knocked the rib she was holding right out of
hand. At first she thought they had changed their minds and wanted
to get their share of the food after all. But as soon as Morrigan
picked up another piece, Danu whacked her hand and sent it flying
before it could even touch her lips. She hissed in indignation as
though she were annoyed at having to do it twice.

Finally, the reason for Danu’s strange
behavior dawned on her. She felt foolish for not considering it
before. The cats weren’t just being finicky. They sensed or maybe
smelled something she didn’t. There was something about the food
that wasn’t right. Whether it was enchanted or drugged, Morrigan
was sure that if she had indulged, she would have been unconscious
in seconds. She wouldn’t have doubted something more lethal if not
for the fact that her family needed her alive to complete their
precious ritual.

Infuriated all over again, Morrigan was just
about to toss the whole tray out the nearest window and into the
moat, when she heard one of the guards cough. It gave her an idea.
She smoothed out her hair and dress and checked her reflection in
the mirror to make sure she looked presentable. Satisfied, she
grabbed the tray, threw open the door, and greeted the guards like
they were old schoolmates.

“Hello, boys!” Morrigan gave them her warmest
smile and batted her eyes flirtatiously.

“The queen said you were to stay in your
room, Your Majesty,” one of the guards told her.

He eyed her warily. He was trying his best to
sound authoritative, but he flinched as though he were afraid she
might strike him or possibly turn him into a toad. While the idea
was tempting, Morrigan had a much simpler plan in mind.

“I know that, silly.” She waved her hand in
dismissal, as though it didn’t bother her at all to be trapped in
her room under lock and key. “I just thought the two of you might
get hungry since you’re going to be stuck out here all night. My
mother sent so much food. There’s no way that I can eat it all by
myself.”

She gestured to the full tray, and she could
almost see the men salivating as they eyed the plate of gourmet
cakes and thick juicy cuts of meat. She doubted the common folk got
to eat like that very often.

“We are not supposed to eat while we are on
duty.” The second guard spoke in a surprisingly deep voice
considering his young age. Like the maids, he refused to look her
in the eye.

Morrigan waved nonchalantly. “I am giving you
permission to take a break. I am the princess, after all.”

They still looked unsure, but when Morrigan
waved a piece of the lamb under their noses, their willpower
crumbled. They hardly waited for her to let go of the tray before
they were tearing into the food. They didn’t even notice when
Morrigan slipped quietly back into her room and shut the door. Only
minutes later, the brew had done its job. She heard them snoring
even before she cracked open the door to check. They didn’t stir at
all, and no one else noticed as she stepped over the sleeping
guards and slipped quietly through the castle corridors to find
Arianrhod.

Morrigan slunk silently down the corridor,
led by the torch lights that lined the walls. There wasn’t a lot of
foot traffic this time. It was the wee hours of the morning and
most of the castle occupants, including staff and nobility, were
probably sleeping. It made her task that much easier. Morrigan
almost made it to the dungeon entrance before finally setting eyes
on another human being. Just before descending, she passed a few
guards, who eyed her warily, but must have been unaware of her
confinement. She adopted her mother’s regal stance and walked past
them as though they meant nothing, and she had every right to go
wherever she pleased. It must have worked because none of them
dared to question her, at least not until she reached the soldier
who guarded the entrance to the prison.

“Princess Morrigan.” He acknowledged her
station with a curt bow, but didn’t move aside. “I’m sorry, but I
have strict orders that no one is to pass beyond this point.”

Morrigan looked him over and tried to gauge
his intelligence level. He was a little older than the men who had
guarded her bedroom door, so he might not be as easy to trick. His
voice still held that strange, nervous quiver when he addressed
her. She decided she had to use that fear to her advantage. She
curled her lip and tried one of her mother’s outraged, indignant
expressions.

“You dare to question my presence? Who gives
the orders here? Did you forget that I am also a member of the
royal family?”

“But the Queen said that no one—”

The guard made a valiant attempt to argue,
but Morrigan interrupted him with a dismissive wave her hand. “My
mother obviously didn’t mean me! In fact, I’m sure she’d agree that
no one has more right to spit in that traitor’s face. After all, it
was because of Arianrhod that I was denied my birthright all these
years.”

The man still seemed unsure, and Morrigan
hoped he couldn’t see how hard her hands were trembling. She wasn’t
even sure she could manage to call up her powers after the
emotional upheaval of the day. Even if she could muster up the
strength, some deeper instinct told her she should avoid magic and
stick to using her wits. A supernatural power flare would surely
alert her mother to what she was doing.

“Stand aside and let me pass, peasant!” she
demanded. “Trust me; you don’t want to make me angry. My mother’s
temper will seem no worse than a child’s tantrum if you force me to
make an example of you.”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Please forgive
my ignorance. You have every right to pass if you wish it.”

With a shaky bow, the guard finally stepped
aside. Morrigan walked past him without thanks or acknowledgement,
but with the careless disregard of a royal. She couldn’t believe
she had pulled it off. She was so nervous that she had to hold onto
the mortar walls for support as she walked down the steep
stairwell. There were more than a dozen additional guards stationed
below, but they must have overheard her argument with their
comrade, because they stepped aside without a word. The prisoners
were silent but watchful inside their cells. They had already
witnessed a display of her powers.

It didn’t take long for Morrigan to locate
Arianrhod. She had been shown none of the respect her station
decreed. Instead of a fancy cell with a soft bed, her aunt had been
tossed in among beggars and thieves in a filthy sty. The area
smelled so strongly of human excrement that Morrigan had to cover
her nose to keep from gagging. Inside the cell, Arianrhod had
curled up into a ball in the corner. She was attempting, without
much success, to get some sleep, while her roommates, two
lice-infested women with less than half their wits between them,
sat in the opposite corner, alternately drooling and babbling.
Morrigan knew she had to be cautious since Arianrhod would
undoubtedly see her as the enemy. As she got closer, she could
sense the magic that provided a much more powerful barricade than
prison bars. She knew there was no way she would be able to break
the spell alone; she was already weak from using her magic to free
her mother.

Arianrhod noticed her almost immediately. She
sat up in her cell and gave Morrigan a sad half smile. Even in the
dungeon in a torn gown and with dirt streaked cheeks, Arianrhod was
beautiful. Her wavy hair was perched atop her head like a golden
halo, and her crystal blue eyes, though strong and firm, seemed
filled with endless patience. She radiated strength, peace, and
goodness. Morrigan was furious with herself for not seeing it
before it was too late. She had let her desire for her mother’s
affection blind her to everything else, and now the rightful queen
was imprisoned.

“Hello, Morrigan,” she whispered. “I had not
expected to greet my sister’s daughter again so soon. To what do I
owe this unexpected honor?”

Morrigan turned to see how close they were to
prying ears. While the guards kept their eyes averted, there was no
doubt they were listening to the exchange. She had to very careful
what she said. “I came to tell you that I know the truth. I know
everything.”

Morrigan tried her best to make her voice
sound harsh, but she knew her eyes conveyed the underlying message.
Arianrhod seemed to understand. She stood, brushed the dirty straw
from her dress, and came as close to the magically charged bars as
she dared.

“You are more than you appear to be, Princess
Morrigan. I saw a glimmer of that strength in the grand hall and
wondered if it would come to fruition before it was too late.”

“Don’t try to butter me up with compliments!”
Morrigan shouted, a little more loudly than was really necessary.
“We all know who really deserves to wear the crown, and I will be
standing beside her tomorrow at the ritual. I will do anything to
make sure she stays on the throne!”

Arianrhod cocked her head, still unsure. “I’m
sure you will do what you feel you must.”

They stared at each other a long time through
the bars. Morrigan completely surrendered, allowing her aunt to
undress her soul. Finally, Arianrhod nodded, and Morrigan knew she
understood. Nevertheless, her words were confusing.

“Despite our differences, I must tell you,
Morrigan, I admire the courage you have shown. You travelled here
from another land, with only a werewolf as your guide, a half-man
placed under a spell of obedience by Hecate.” She gave Morrigan a
hard stare. “It must have been such a trying journey.”

At first, Morrigan didn’t realize why
Arianrhod mentioned Tiarn. When the truth finally hit her, the
weight of what Arianrhod revealed almost brought Morrigan to her
knees. It was a great peace offering, one that would lend Morrigan
the strength to see her through the next twenty-four hours.

“Gods.” Morrigan almost stumbled backward as
emotion overcame her. “Tiarn was telling me the truth when he said
he couldn’t tell me. I thought he was just making excuses.”

“Some things you must learn on your own,
Morrigan. Though, had his tongue been his own, I am sure your lycan
would have shared with you all that he knew.”

Morrigan felt her eyes fill with tears.
Tiarn, her poor dark knight—he hadn’t betrayed her. Hecate had used
her magical hold over him to bind him from speaking any truths that
might damage her plans. She had made him bargain with his soul to
save his life, before he ever knew what he was agreeing to. There
was no way for him to break a blood oath until the debt was
fulfilled. Even a novice witch like Morrigan could figure out that
much. He had tried to explain it to her, but she had sent him away.
And worse, she had threatened him and used his greatest pain
against him. Now Tiarn was long gone. He had probably disappeared
into the woods somewhere, and she had no idea how she would ever be
able to find him again. If she survived whatever her mother had
planned, she knew that she would spend the rest of her life trying
to track him down.

“What is going on here?” Ceridwyn’s voice
suddenly boomed through the dungeon passageways, jerking Morrigan
from her reverie. She heard a loud smack and the guard stationed at
the top of the stairs suddenly tumbled down the steps. “Did I not
make myself clear when I said that no one was to speak to the
prisoner? You shall soon find yourself in the cell beside the very
scum you should be guarding after such careless disregard of my
orders!”

Ceridwyn thundered down the stairs, her
pretty face a mask of fury. She stepped over the moaning guard
without remorse. She did nothing to hide her true self this time,
and Morrigan was so overwhelmed by her rage that she fell to her
knees when her mother leered over her.

“Mother, it wasn’t his fault. Please let me
explain!”

“You!” she spat. “How dare you disobey me?
Why would you leave your room to see her? And what are you crying
about?”