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‘Heis doing just fine,’ Emrick said brusquely. ‘Andhecan speak for himself.’ He gazed at the confection before him. ‘What is this?’
‘Try it,’ I said. ‘It’s delicious.’
He put it on the table in front of him and stared at it suspiciously as if it were laced with poison.
‘I’ve never seen the like. What a strange world I find myself in.’
‘We’ll tell you everything,’ I promised. ‘But it’s an awfully long story and it’s going to take us a heck of a long time to tell it. I will say right now, though, that you don’t have to fear us. We’re your friends. I swear to you, you’re safe with us.’
‘I know,’ he said with a sigh. ‘You carry the Sword of Feidhlim. I know what that makes you. It’s all starting again, isn’t it? I take it you’re Arthur’s replacement?’
As he said it tears welled in his eyes. ‘I wonder if you know the task before you? You walk in the shadow of the greatest man I ever knew.’
‘I know that,’ I said, feeling the burden once more. ‘Believe me, I do. But I must believe I’m up to the job. You see, I know a great man, too, and he told me I can do this. In fact, he’s told me many times.’
‘I hope he’s as great as you say he is then,’ Emrick said, somewhat grumpily.
I smiled. ‘Oh, don’t worry about that. He is.’
‘Emrick,’ Wren said, clearly oblivious to the line of whipped cream that now coated her top lip, ‘who put you in that tomb? Who would do that to you? I mean, I’ve heard the myth about what happened but… And have you really been in there since the death of Arthur?’
Emrick watched, fascinated, as Phoenix scooped up some marshmallows and cream. He eyed his mug warily then reached for it and took a cautious sip. Evidently he liked what he tasted because it was several minutes before he put the mug down again and began to talk.
‘Nimue imprisoned me in the tomb,’ he said flatly.
‘Nimue?’ Wren gasped. ‘So the stories are true! I read she was a witch who tricked Merlin into teaching her magic then betrayed him and imprisoned him for a thousand years. I’m so sorry. What a horrible woman!’
‘No!’ Emrick shook his head vehemently. ‘She’s not a horrible woman, and she didn’t trick me. I happily taught her. We loved each other.’
‘That’s not what the legends say,’ Phoenix said cautiously.
‘I don’t care what the legends say! Legends can be wrong.’
‘Oh,’ Phoenix said, nodding his head wisely, ‘believe me, I know all about that.’
‘But why are you defending her?’ I asked. ‘You may have loved each other once, Emrick, but she imprisoned you all that time.’
‘She did it to save me. When Arthur died—’ He paused and looked round at us all. ‘I presume you know how Arthur died?’
‘Mordred,’ I said heavily. ‘There was a battle on Lyonesse and both men ended up killing each other. Mordred was buried somewhere on Lyonesse by Morgan le Fae, and Arthur was taken to Avalon where he was buried by the Nine Sisters.’
Emrick nodded, and his eyes welled with tears again. ‘I was distraught and so angry. I wanted to take revenge on the Pendragons, which would only have ignited more fighting. I was out of control with grief and Nimue tried everything to calm me down. I couldn’t see a future without Arthur, but she reminded me that one day, another Great Guardian would come to take his place and I had to be ready. I refused to listen.’
He swallowed nervously. ‘I—I’d had episodes of madness before, in the past. It wasn’t easy growing up so different in a world that didn’t understand magic. I was alone a lot of the time. I saw things. Had visions. I thought I was possessed by a demon at one point. Nimue was afraid I was going through a similar experience so she did what we’d once agreed she must do if I ever displayed those signs again. She imprisoned me in my tomb and sealed the spell with the Sword of Feidhlim, knowing that only the next Great Guardian would be able to free me. When there was need of me again, I would be released. Nimue,’ he finished, his voice thick with emotion, ‘saved me.’
I leaned back in the sofa thinking. Nimue. The image of the dark-haired woman begging me to free her love came into my mind. So she was the one who had shown me the whereabouts of the sword. It wasn’t only Emrick who had cause to be grateful to her.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I said. ‘First Arthur died and now you’ve lost Nimue. It must be an awful shock to you.’
‘Nimue isn’t dead, if that’s what you’re thinking.’ He considered me a moment. ‘You wield the Sword of Feidhlim. What about Excalibur?’
‘I have Excalibur,’ I told him. ‘It’s safe.’
‘And did the Lady of the Lake present it to you?’ he asked.
‘Not exactly. A hand reached out of the sea and passed it to me,’ I said.
‘And that was Nimue,’ he said tearfully. ‘She’s the keeper of Excalibur as I am the keeper of the sword.’
