CHAPTER SIXTY
THE FIRES OF IDIRSHOLAS ( i. )

There is a serene stillness of dawning sun that Calliope has grown to appreciate. The delicate streams of orange fanning over a sleeping city, peaking into windows through the cracks of soft curtains. It glides over the castle with a hazy mist and bleeds into Prince Arthur's chamber, where she lies tucked away in his steady embrace, beneath his familiar silken sheets. It's in this moment when she first awakens that she feels his arms tighten around her and pull her closer. He places a gentle kiss on her head, and then, they usually fall back asleep together for a while longer until the castle begins to stir.

Sometimes, it all feels like a dream. A really, really good dream that just can't be true for her. Like it could vanish and fade away in mere seconds.

Calliope turns in Arthur's embrace. His breath is still even as he sleeps. Her fingers ghost his cheek, and then drift down to rest against his strong chest, right above his heart. Her own chest is brimming with warmth as she moves closer and closes her eyes. Home, she thinks. This is what home feels like.

The assassin drifts off again until she feels Arthur awaken. He strokes her hair, and her blue eyes open slowly to meet his own.

Neither one of them speak at first. He continues playing with her hair, and it feels so nice she could fall into another deep slumber, but they need to get their day started, so her hand glides up to intertwine with his.

"What are you thinking about?" she says when she notices his contemplative gaze.

He shrugs, "Just that I could wake up like this forever."

Calliope smiles and brings his face to hers. Their lips meet for a slow, sensual kiss that sends sparks twirling down her spine.

But, the Prince pulls away, resting his forehead against hers, "And that I love you."

"I love you too," she answers, and he pulls her in for another kiss.

It feels so nice to be able to voice those words. They've come so far since their first meeting in Camelot, and Calliope never could have imagined that she'd be here, waking in his arms, and looking forward to what the future could hold for them.

As Calliope sits up in Arthur's bed and stretchers her arms, she gazes out the window to the expanse of the city. Somewhere, beyond the forests and rolling hills, Sepharin still lurks. Her one, last obstacle to overcome, and she knows it's all connected. Her dreams, the images from the crystal, and the last remnants of the guild that still follow her old mentor. She can feel it shifting towards a coming end, and this time, she's going to ensure Sepharin is gone for good.

Through the chaos of the past few days, Calliope has not had time to interrogate their most recent prisoner, but with the crystal safely returned to Camelot, the tension from Uther has lessened, and his focus is returning to the threat of the rogue band of mercenaries inching closer to his kingdom. So, Calliope kisses Arthur goodbye in the hallway as they go their separate ways. She won't be joining him for training this morning. Instead, her path lies in the dungeons. her boots click against the stone stairs as she descends to the lower region of the castle, and several guards await her at the entrance.

They nod to her, stepping out of her path as she spots the cell holding Tenwick. He looks pretty awful, like he hasn't eaten properly in days. Definitely dehydrated, with bruises and cuts on his body. His clothes are torn and matted with dirt and blood. At the sight of Calliope, he stands and walks away from the metal bars.

Calliope glances over her shoulder. The guards are peeking around the corner, but try to act as if they aren't listening, "I can take it from here." The guards straighten their backs, and she listens to the sounds of their footsteps fading into another hallway. Now, she has Tenwick all to herself with no prying eyes or ears. Just as she wants.

Sighing, the assassin looks to her left where a wooden chair sits in the corner. The legs of the chair scrape against the ground and send mice scurrying. Tenwick watches with raised eyebrows as she plops down on the chair and crosses her legs.

"I was sent here to torture you, Tenwick, but really, I just want to talk."

He chuckles to himself, walking forward to lean down and wrap his hands around the bars. "I don't make dealings with little girls."

"This 'little girl' is the one who captured you, remember?" Calliope tilts her head to the side. "Besides, I know you can never resist a good little deal. It's how you got rich isn't it? Selling people's secrets for any flash of gold."

"Who are you?" He peers through the bars.

"Someone with a secret to exchange."

Tenwick laughs, "What fucking good are secrets to a dead man? Uther is already planning my execution. I've got nothing to say to you."

"I don't think you fully understand what I'm offering," Calliope unclicks her dagger from her belt. "It's simple really. A secret for a secret, no blood spilled, no senseless violence. And who knows? if your information helps Camelot, Uther might find it in himself to reconsider your execution. After all, the information you have is something he's desperate for. Why do you think you're still alive?"

"Yeah, and as soon as I squeal, I'm fucking dead."

"Oh, Tenwick, how do you not see the big picture?" Calliope asks. "You know so much about the Underground. Don't you think that those secrets might help you get out of here? There are much bigger fish in the Five Kingdoms that Uther would want, especially those you know have magic. So, I think you're the fool if you decide to sit here in silence and walk to the chopping block with all those names going with you," she laughs to herself. "Honestly, do you have no survival instincts at all? I'd expect more from someone like you."

Silence falls over the prison cell. Tenwick stares at the floor, lines drawn on his forehead as he thinks, "A secret for a secret you say?" Calliope nods. "And which secret are you after?"

"The whereabouts of Sepharin and his little gang of blind followers."

"Well, then the one you offer must be of equal value," Tenwick smiles wickedly, "And don't even think about lying," he pulls up the sleeve of his tattered tunic to reveal a few runic symbols tattooed on his wrist. "A favor from a sorcerer. When someone tells me their secret, I always know if they're telling the truth." A truth spell? That throws Calliope off her game. She swallows, and he catches her moment of surprise. "Oh, it appears I complicated things. Planning on lying, were you?"

She was planning on lying. Deceit is something she never has to think through. It comes naturally, just as easy as the truth. But this man, he deals in truth and lies and dirty gold. The truth spell is how he always gets the damning information that gives him power over people. Calliope wonders what secret she could reveal. She has to do something to find out Sepharin's whereabouts. This isn't some target to track down or some revenge kill. Sepharin is the one who taught her how to disappear without a trace. All the information floating around about him are things he wants people to know because it creates fear, and that's what he feeds off of the most. Just the like fucking blood wraiths.

Tenwick knows he's clawing for the upper hand, so he smiles, "Do you think I have nothing? No back up plan? If that's the case, maybe you aren't as clever as you think you are."

"You're in a cell with an execution crawling down your neck."

"I know how to find Sepharin," Tenwick grins. "He made a deal with me once, and it cost him. Another exchange of secrets. What was he looking for again...some kind of...dagger." Calliope inhales a sharp breath. "Anyway, in exchange, he told me his weakness. Something I think you could make great use of, and I'll tell you, but it's not a secret I want from you. Not yet at least."

"What do you want then?"

Tenwick lets go of the bars, "For you to fulfill the deal you ran away from three years ago...Red Dragon." Calliope stands, eyes wide. He's known who she is all along? "I know every secret in these Five Kingdoms. Do you honestly think your identity wouldn't be one of them? Please, I'm better than that. It has been fun playing dumb though. I haven't had much amusement these past few days."

"Why haven't you told anyone?" She asks, gripping her dagger.

"Because you're the one of most use to me in this entire city," Tenwick answers. "Go and kill the man I asked you to dispose of three years ago, and when you come back, I will tell you Sepharin's weakness and how to find him."

"And if I don't?"

Tenwick shrugs, "Then everything dies with me. You're the one who's missing the big picture. I'd rather be tortured and executed than help Uther Pendragon," she meets his eyes, those snake-like, shady eyes that hold a vault of terrible secrets. "You, however, I'd be glad to help. After all, I do believe the world is a better place when you're killing in it." Calliope can only stare while her mind races, and Tenwick just continues to laugh. "I always knew I'd meet my end sooner or later. It'll be fun to go out knowing I'm the one who recreated you."

"How do I even know you'll really tell me the truth about Sepharin?"

"Because all magic has a price, Red Dragon, and the price of mine is to honor the deals I make," he motions to his wrist. "All you have to do is shake my hand, and our deal will be sealed in magic."

He extends his right hand through the bars, and Calliope bites on the inside of her cheek as she stares at it.

But she can't do it, not yet at least. Not until she's sure it's the last resort.

Calliope shoves his hand away from her. "I don't make deals with snakes."

"Funny, because you made one with three for revenge." She turns around, refusing to entertain him any longer. "You'll be back! I'm you're only way to him, and you know it!"

♛ ♛ ♛

Her mind is anywhere but the council chambers. Calliope thinks about Tenwick and how she's been a fool all along for underestimating someone like him. Power is something people claw at it—they'll trade their money, their secrets, and even for their souls for it, and Tenwick preys on that desperation. It's how he came from nothing and can get information even from someone like Sepharin.

It's even more disturbing that Sepharin could have the dagger again. That means all he'll need is a sacrifice and a full moon and he could bring the blood wraiths back into the world. Calliope feels overwhelmed, like she's being pulled in too may different directions, and she isn't sure where to go first, or how to solve any of it. Her mind is frayed, strings tying together to form a deep headache. No matter how much she moves forward, there's always some recollection of her past that still grips her. Like she's been held down by tight vines and every time she cuts one away, another is there to take its place.

Too much is happening at once. Tenwick's deal, Sepharin's threat, the unknowns of what she saw in the crystal, and now even more trouble comes Camelot's way. As if they weren't already dealing with enough. Calliope isn't sure how much more can be piled on before she has a mental break and goes completely mad.

The scene in front of her isn't anything out of the ordinary. A concerned citizen before the King, bringing foreboding news with his eyes wide in fear, his hands still trembling as if whatever he has faced in the world could burst through the room and catch him right here in this ornate hall.

"I'm a herder from the Northern plains, Sire. Three nights back, we were camped beneath the walls of Idirsholas."

"I'm not sure I would have chosen such a place," says the King under his breath, quiet enough that the man does not hear, but Calliope furrows her eyebrows.

The man, she's pretty sure he had stated his name was Joseph, tenses up, "Good pasture is scarce this time of year, Sire."

For once, Calliope falls in agreement with the King and his bored expression. She too wants this man to get to the point, so she can get back to more urgent matters. Like the man in the dungeon who could hold all their fates in his hands should he take his vital information with him to the execution stand.

"And what is it you have to tell me?"

The man gulps, "While we were there we saw—we saw smoke rising from the Citadel."

Something shifts in Uther's eyes and in his posture. He sits up straighter in his Throne, glancing once to Gaius, and then back to the man. Calliope only stands confused. Smoke? That's what his Joseph all worked up? She wants to roll her eyes and laugh.

"And did you see anything else?" Gaius asks, and Calliope notes a familiar expression she dreads seeing. That face—the one that forms when some magical force is involved—makes Calliope look to the ceiling in annoyance. Great, another life or death matter.

"No," Joseph answers.

"Did you go inside?" The King inquires.

"No. No one has stepped over that threshold in three hundred years!" His voice is panicked, but also coated in regality, as if this place, Idirsholas, holds some kind of sacred aura. "You must know the legend, Sire."

Gaius nods, stepping in with his quick explanation as always, "When the fires of Idirsholas burn, the Knights of Medhir will ride again."

To Calliope, it all sounds like magical rubbish. She isn't sure what any of it means, just that it isn't good for anyone, especially her, since she's already dealing with another crisis.

Her headache grows.

And Uther, he just stares at the man for a moment, but then he turns to the guards, "See to it this man is fed and has a bed for the night," The King stands, and his gaze turns to his son as he awaits his father's orders. "Take a ride out there."

Arthur's eyebrows raise in surprise, "Why?"

"So we can put people's minds at rest."

"Surely this is superstitious nonsense," says the Prince, disbelief stuck in his gaze as he looks between Gaius and his father.

But, the King does not change his mind. He only gives his son a pointed look, "Gather the guard, and do as I say."

Calliope knows she is to be included on this ridiculous waste of time. Wonderful. The assassin moves out of the council chamber with everyone else. While several guards head for the armory with Arthur, Calliope walks down the hall briskly to catch up with Merlin and Gaius so she can get a better understanding of what's happening.

In her mind, a bit of smoke is no cause for worry, but from the way Gaius described the legend and from the way people began to murmur at the mention of Idirsholas, Calliope has an inkling that she's missing a vital piece to the puzzle. If they are going to be walking into a fight, she wants to be as prepared as possible. Then, once they deal with yet another magical threat, she can get back to the real task at hand. Trying to figure out how to track down Sepharin without Tenwick's help, and what she will do if she has to resort to making the deal with him. There's a reason she walked away from it three years ago. Far beyond him being a tricky snake and her distrust of him.

Despite her thoughts running wild, Calliope compartmentalizes her problems. First help Arthur and the guard with the ride to Idirsholas, then solve everything else. One issue at a time.

She lets out a breath and walks through the door that leads to Gaius's chambers. The assassin arrives just in time to catch Merlin's question to the physician, "Why is it they're so worried?"

"Yes, I'd like to know why a bit of smoke has someone so fearful," Calliope adds as she strolls into the room.

Gaius turns to them both, "Because the Knights of Medhir are a force to be reckoned with."

"Do you believe the story as well?" asks Merlin as he gathers his bag and packs for the ride.

"It's more than a story, Merlin. Some three hundred years ago, seven of Camelot's knights were seduced by a sorceress's call. One by one, they succumbed to her power. At her command, they became a terrifying and brutal force that rode through the lands, leaving death and destruction in their wake."

Merlin looks over his shoulder, "What happened?"

"It was only after the sorceress herself was killed that the Knights of Medhir finally grew still, but if what Joseph says is true, then something has awoken them, and I fear for each and every one of us."

"Oh," Calliope scoffs. "Well, that's just fan-fucking-tastic for us then."

Her tone must've been more harsh than she intended because both Merlin and Gaius shift their eyes to the assassin as she leans against the doorpost to her old room, looking at the floor. Concern washes over their expressions, and she regrets letting her emotions slip through.

"What's wrong, Cal?"

"That man I brought in—the one in the dungeons, I've ran into him before, when I was the Red Dragon, I mean," Gaius nods, motioning for her to continue. "I was seeking out information about my next target, and he said he could help, but in exchange, I had to kill someone for him," There's something about hearing of death that always makes people flinch, and Calliope catches how Gaius and Merlin's eyes change at the mention of her old life. "I didn't do it, and I was concealed by my cloak and mask the whole time, so I didn't think he'd even be able to remember me, but he does, and now he says the only way he'll tell me how to find Sepharin is if I honor the deal we made three years ago, and—and I really don't have many options especially because he also told me Sepharin knows how to find Deathbane, which means—"

"He'll try and bring the blood wraiths back," Merlin finishes with a look of horror.

Calliope nods, "Exactly, and I just don't know what to do. Sepharin is the one who taught me how to disappear. Everything people hear about him is only because he wants them to hear those things. It's impossible because he has connections with sorcerers, and they help cover his tracks."

A long breath escapes her lips after she finishes explaining the situation, but her chest does feel a whole lot lighter.

Gaius contemplates it all for a moment before speaking, "This man Tenwick wants you to kill...who is he? What held you back from doing it three years ago?"

The assassin chews on her bottom lip. She shakes her head, extending her arms in defeat, "Because the man Tenwick wants dead is Uther Pendragon."

♛ ♛ ♛

The countryside is different when winter is dawning, speckles of frost still tinging the grass and puddles of half-frozen water from the icy rains scattered about the path to Idirsholas. The chill in the air pushes through Calliope's thick tunic, and she suddenly wishes for a heavy fur coat. Like the collection Ezlyn had in her closet, some stolen, but others from passing travelers who were simply too drunk to remember to grab it on their way out of the inn. Those fur coats took up too much space for Calliope to ever own one. She spent her life on the run, after all. There was no room for such possessions in her organized list of necessary things.

As she shivers, rubbing her arms for some friction and warmth, she wishes she made an exception. Perhaps now that she has somewhere to stay that feels more permanent, she'll add one to her closet.

Beside her, Merlin appears to be in the same predicament. She can still see lines of worry on his face too, as if their last conversation is stuck within his strings of thought. Her broken deal with Tenwick stands as a door left ajar, and she can tell that Merlin worries Calliope will open it instead of shutting the door for good. If it wasn't for what she had seen in the crystal—the image of herself running the King through with a blade—she'd tell Merlin he was being idiotic. She'd never pick up such a task, especially because of how it would affect Arthur. She could never kill his father.

But, she can't deny what she saw, and she can't ignore that voice in her head telling her to consider it.

If the choice is between killing the King and letting Sepharin bring the blood wraiths back, well, that isn't much of a choice for Calliope really. The answer is clean cut, black and white. Merlin, however, will say there's always another way.

Calliope fears that this time, he'll be wrong.

Gaius and Merlin had been confused at first as to why she even brought someone who wants Uther dead so badly to Camelot, and Calliope had to explain that she thought the best way to get Tenwick to talk would be if he was stuck in a cell, faced with an execution and no where to run. His dangers lie within his mind. He's no fighter or someone to fear attacks from. It's what he gets people to do for him that makes others afraid. However, if Calliope had known of his truth spell, and that his hatred for the King surpassed his self-preservation, she would've sought him out herself, without any eyes from Camelot.

She miscalculated, and it could cost them all dearly if she doesn't fix it.

Calliope is brought out of her thoughts when they break through the heavy line of trees onto a plain of dead grass. There are tall rock formations that brace the abandoned citadel of Idirsholas. It's an imposing sight—half made of ruins that are caving in on themselves, creating dark pits that go deep within the earth. The citadel is composed of gray stone, the shade Calliope imagines ghosts would be if they appeared in this realm. Even from afar, she can feel the eerie nature—the darkness. As if horrible acts of violence took place on these grounds. Dark magic has a way of lingering, even through centuries of wear and alteration. It's in places like this Calliope can feel the stain of the blood wraiths on her, like parts of them are still weaving through her blood. Even though they're gone, the dark magic still tugs. No matter what a person does to cleanse themselves of it, something that evil can never truly fade. It can be overcome by the light. But it will always linger below.

The inside of the citadel is even worse. Dead trees have began to grow between splits in the rocks. Their bare branches reaching out like sharp claws. Calliope is uneasy, and she grips her sword with extra caution. She looks around every alcove and crevice in the haunting courtyard, shadows whispering throughout the wind.

Arthur is on her left, and Merlin on her right. She wants to tell them that they need to get out of here—this is enough to report, just this...this horrible aura surrounding Idirsholas.

Merlin can feel it too. It's evident on his face and through his tense body, "What's that noise?" he asks.

"What noise?"

"That sort of trembling sound."

Arthur snorts, "It's your knees knocking together."

Calliope is too alert and focused on her surroundings to join in on the conversation, but there definitely was a noise, and it wasn't the wind or Merlin's knees.

They exchange a worried look. Calliope shakes her head.

The group from Camelot enters the citadel. It's a mess of rubble, dust, and cobwebs that only gets worse the deeper they go. Calliope is constantly shaking the sticky webs off her, jumping when an eight-legged creature skirts across her hand. God, she hates spiders. They're so unnecessarily creepy.

The air grows colder and mustier when they descend into the lower area of the citadel. Calliope walks behind Arthur through a narrow hallway with a rusty gate at the end of it. He makes everyone else stand back as he pushes it open on its creaky hinges, and then they enter into the wide, empty room. All that remains is an unlit brazier with coal in the middle of it. The rest of the room is covered in spiders and chains that hang dangle and crack against the draft.

Arthur leans down to pick up some of the coal while the guards investigate the other corners of the room, "It seems part of Joseph's story was true. Probably just travelers passing through."

A beat of silence passes, and Calliope lets out a small sigh of relief. Right, just travelers. That makes sense.

Then, Merlin goes pale as he turns around, "Or...maybe not."

Calliope turns around so quickly she almost drops her sword. There, standing in their path out of the room, are a group of tall, masked soldiers with black hoods and armor. In the dark, Calliope can't make out their faces, but it appears they might be made of...stone?

They all draw their weapons at the same time, and the sound echoes around Calliope.

She is immediately thrown into defending herself as the stone men attack the entire group. Calliope's blade is swinging to stop deadly blows from puncturing her skin. The attacks are strong and inhuman. She struggles to push forward and get on offense—she can't. It's like fighting five different men all at once with a ton of force being thrown against her sword.

Finally, she is able to stab one of them in the side. He—it simply turns it's head and is unaffected.

Calliope sighs, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Behind her, all the guards have been cut down, and Arthur is facing the same predicament.

"Cal, Merlin, run!" Three stone knights are attacking him all at once. Calliope tries to get to him, but one of the other ones almost stabs her in the back, and she stumbles forward. "Do as I say!"

"We're not leaving you!" Calliope yells.

Arthur ducks under one of their swords and grabs Calliope's arm to drag her alongside him to the gate where Merlin stands. All of the stone knights face them, ready to attack again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Merlin mumbling a spell. Then, he grabs both of them and tugs them out of the way, just as a giant pile of rocks falls into the doorway and barricades the stone men inside.

None of them look back. Calliope runs with Arthur and Merlin until they reach their horses.

"Did anyone else escape?" Arthur asks.

"No," Calliope answers through labored breaths as her chest heaves.

The Prince shifts his eyes to her, "You could've been killed in there, Cal. Why didn't you run when I told you to?"

"Do you honestly think I'd just leave you?" She fires back. "Do you know me at all, Arthur?"

"When I tell you to run and save yourself, that's what you do," says Arthur, clenching his jaw.

"And would you ever run when I was in danger? No, of course you wouldn't. So get off your stupid, self-sacrificing high horse, Arthur Pendragon, and don't ever tell me to leave you behind again!"

Merlin raises a hand, clearing his throat amongst the tension, "Can you two save the bickering for another time? We have to get back to Camelot and warn everyone about this."

Calliope and Arthur maintain eye contact for a few more seconds before the assassin sighs and mumbles something else about how much of an ass Arthur can be in these situations before they mount their horses.

And then, they begin the journey back to Camelot for yet another magical crisis that endangers the entire kingdom.

Calliope really needs a day off.

♛ ♛ ♛

hello my lovely readers! i'm back with another chapter, and this is where we're really pressing the gas! it's so hard to believe that we're wrapping up season two in the next few chapters. it's been a long journey, for both me and calliope. i hope everyone has enjoyed this ride and really loves the last installment of chapters.

also, i want to remind everyone that there will be a sequel that covers seasons 3-5 and a possible short prequel about calliope, so even tho this book is ending, there is still much more cal content on the way for the future! with that, the ending of this book is not an end to her story. i don't want to spoil anything, but all i will say is make sure to have some tissues on hand because it's not exactly going to be a light and fluffy ending...

anyways! remember to vote and leave your thoughts in the comments! i love your feedback more than you know <3