The sun shone down in blinding splendor across the valley. Morgana could see it reflected off the lake in the far distance, sparkling and beautiful. Everything appeared perfect, serene, despite the trouble she felt inside her heart. Birds flitted in and out among the trees, alighting on one branch before darting through the leaves to another, all the while chattering at each other without a care in the world except to eat and fly as they were wont to do. From their vantage point not a thing seemed out of place. On a high knoll, situated near the center of the valley stood Camelot. Below it, the city spread out in a circular fashion. Tiny clusters of people moved about their daily business, unknowing, uncaring, or perhaps just because it was the only thing they could possibly do to keep their fears at bay.

Cai had explained to her everything that had transpired while they were away, and Morgana in turn had described the situation Arthur and the others had found themselves in when the Cauldron was put into place. While he, Percival, and Loholt had been tasked with going into the Perilous Lands, there now seemed no point for them to continue their journey. It was decided that they all should return to Camelot in haste and figure out what they were to do from there.

What could they do? She wondered as the horse sped along. Cai sat in front of her, guiding the beast skillfully through the once well traveled roads that now appeared to be no more than game trails through the forests. Bran was on Loholt's horse and the boy had been relegated to the pack horse to accommodate the two extra riders.

She was amazed at how the boy had grown since she saw him last. Every time she saw him, he looked more and more like his father, but thankfully he didn't seem to share Arthur's attitude at that age. The King of Camelot had been known to be a bully in his youth. Looking back, it was no wonder, with Uther as his father; pushing him and molding him into the former king's own image, just as Uther had tried to make Morgana his dutiful daughter, even before she knew of her true lineage.

They kept pushing forward, dropping down into the area that had, only last season, been farmland surrounding the city and feeding its population. It was the complete opposite from when Arthur had killed the unicorn and cursed the fields. If the farmers could get out into their lands, they would have the most bountiful harvest ever known to the region. But, therein laid the problem as far as Morgana could see it. Everything was so vastly overgrown that it gave hiding places to the Fey creatures that served Cernunnos. No one was willing to risk their lives for the bounty at hand.

Even as they stuck to the roads, Cai proceeded cautiously. The muscles of the horses quivered in anticipation, ears twitching in circles at every sound, waiting for some manner of beast to appear from the shadows created by the enlarged flora. Getting to Camelot through the wildlands was only the first obstacle. Morgana still had no idea how she was going to reach Merlin and help him and the others return home.

"What is bothering you?" Cai asked quietly, sensing her internal distress.

Morgana resisted the urge to bury her head in the back of Cai's cloak. She didn't want to talk about, or even think about what would come next after they reached Camelot. Her thoughts darted from information Cai and Percival had told her to questioning if she would ever see her husband again.

Cernunnos was still out there, gathering his army and causing havoc. It was possible that Sir Vortimer was still at his side, giving the Lord of Beasts inside information about Camelot. At least Duran had made it back to his mother's arms. Of course, Merlin had told them about the young heir, but at the time he hadn't known that Loholt had also been found.

The dream she'd had with Aithusa stood out in her mind. Morgana still had no idea who Aithusa had been talking about with the link and the favor to the Red Dragon. It distressed her more than she cared to admit.

Although they had seen Camelot from the hilltop, it was still at least an hour's ride to reach the outer edges and nearly another beyond that before they would be at the gates. There was no sense in remaining silent the entire way when all it achieved was to heighten her anxiety.

"Did you ever meet the Red Dragon?"

The man in front of her stiffened. "I did."

His reaction spoke volumes. He more than just met her, if Morgana's guess wasn't far off its mark. Perhaps that was the reason he wasn't attached. She'd seen the dragon in her human form, and certainly could see the draw she'd had on mortal men.

"Tell me. What did you think of her?"

"Wise. Beautiful. Intimidating. Why do you ask?"

"I can hardly see you being intimidated by anyone. I don't suppose you owe her a favor?"

His went rigid, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the road. "Perhaps, I do. What of it?"

Morgana exhaled loudly. It might not hurt to confide in someone about her dream. She had been over every aspect of it and still the last bit of information Aithusa had imparted to her made absolutely no sense. However, if she was lucky enough to find the link she needed to figuring this all out, it would be worth it.

Cai listened thoughtfully, never speaking a word. Even after Morgana had finished, he remained pensive. After a while, the tension released and he began to chuckle. "She told me it was a mortal concept."

"You know what she was talking about, then." Morgana assumed. "Care to fill me in?"

"Have you ever heard of Ley Lines?"

"My sister, Morgause, knew of them. She used them as anchor points when she was in trouble. If there was a situation she couldn't get out of, she had a way to travel between them. I asked my mother about them, but she told me that the power to use it was dark and corrupting for the untrained. It is similar to the magic she uses to teleport, but different. Although, she has yet to tell me how and the only time I've been able to use it myself is with her actually casting the spell." Thinking of her sister brought on a wave of nausea, as it always did. No matter how far removed Morgause's spirit and that time of Morgana's life was, it still affected her.

"Yet, you do not seem to know what they are."

Cai paused so long that Morgana had almost given up on waiting for him to explain more. It seemed that no matter which way she turned for answers they would always be just out of reach.

He sighed heavily, his broad shoulders slumping ever so slightly before he finally continued. "Crossing through all the lands, known and unknown, are lines of power that connect everything to each other, whether it be time or distance. A few followers of the Old Religion learned how to harness them. Centuries ago, they were called Fey Lines here by some who witnessed the Fey folk using them to cross the land. That was before the Romans - namely Bruta - came to these shores. There are landmarks that have been built on top of many of the points where these lines cross. My family's temple is one; the Isle of the Blessed is another. It is thought that they might all originate from a single source, then spread out from there. As far as I'm aware no one knows where that source is. Many people don't even believe in their existence these days.

"It always made me wonder how they could be 'Fey Lines' when the Fey are seemingly immortal."

"Well, the Fey aren't immortal. It was explained to us when we stopped to rest at the bridge from the Perilous Lands by Grettir. They come and go from their realm on a specific cycle of stars, he said."

Cai pondered quietly. "That would make sense as to why the Red Dragon said what she did. I suppose mortality is a different type of concept to dragons than it is to anyone else. Even though she was killed, it seems she is still alive in many ways."

"In my dream, Aithusa said I needed to follow the lines. But, if no one knows where they come from..." Her eyes stung as she tried to hold back the emotion.

"Once we reach Camelot we can look through some maps I have and try to find it together. I want to get them home just as much as you do."

She was thankful that he couldn't see the eye roll she gave him. It wasn't as if the love of his life was lost in a different time. Of course he wanted the king and his brother-in-law back, but for her it felt much more personal.

He shifted his weight back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels. He couldn't help himself. It was just something he did. Gilli had never been able to stand still for more than a few moments at a time during the course of his life. He gulped and tried to freeze when he noticed the queen's face turn to where he stood behind her. Her amber eyes caught him in a sideways glance, warning him to behave like a proper servant.

It wasn't as if he could help it! George stood on the same step, a level behind the queen, and seemed like a statue compared to his restless energy. It wasn't like he could stop being who he was. If he had been raised to be a servant that would have been one thing, but he'd been on his own for so long before Merlin set him up to be the king's manservant. That was a fine job. He actually didn't mind it once he started to get the hang of it, but then the damn king had to go missing, leaving poor Gilli behind. Sure, Queen Guinevere was nice, but she'd been a proper maid and with everything going on didn't have the patience for the likes of him. He knew she only tolerated his presence because of his relationship with Merlin and King Arthur.

Yet now, it seemed as if his hopes of them coming back anytime soon were to be dashed; lit up and burned to nothing like a solstice bonfire. Word had come that Lord Cai was returning. The runner said that there were others with him aside from Sir Percival and Loholt, but it had only been a few days since they left, and no one said anything about seeing the King with them.

He considered Loholt a sort of friend after getting to know him when Gilli and George had found him in the caverns beneath the city. So, he was glad that the boy was returning. Cai still scared him and would probably be even scarier upon his return if the King wasn't with him. The runner who had come in with the news wasn't sure who was in fact with Cai. For the sake of everyone in the kingdom, Gilli hoped that whatever had happened to cut Cai's trip short was good. However, deep in his gut, he doubted if that was the case.

"I knew it wasn't going to be good. What did I tell you?"

George stifled the indignant sigh, but lacked the fortitude to keep his eyes from rolling at his cohort. He wasn't even exactly sure what he had agreed to, nor why it involved sitting outside the service door to Lord Cai's quarters apparently spying on the man. "I don't understand why, if you are so certain that his return is a bad thing, that you don't just ask him about it."

Gilli's eyes were as wide as saucers as he began to stammer, "Ask him? Why don't you ask him?"

"Because that would not be proper." George said stiffly.

"Bullocks! You're just as scared of him as I am. That's the only reason you won't ask. Look, he comes back with just Prince Bran and Lady Morgana. They have a private meeting with the queen; not one mention of the king or any of the others to anybody. Something still isn't right. Do you think the king's dead?"

"If he was dead, then why did he ask for a bunch of maps from Geoffrey earlier? Hmm? I think that King Arthur is probably out there preparing to strike against this Lord of Beasts character. They are most likely working in tandem to muster the forces to meet with them."

"Well, yeah. I mean if you wanted to think that way, sure. But, you'd be wrong."

The door swung open forcefully and Lord Cai stood, silhouetted in the light from the room. Gilli nearly jumped out of his own skin, stumbling backwards and causing both he and George to topple over. "If the two of you are done conspiring in the shadows, perhaps you can come in and help us."

AN: Happy New Year! I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, especially to this story. Life has been full of changes, most of which have not allowed for the time and energy to write as I used to. Most have been good changes, including adding a foster child to the family, but my focus did have to change for a time to help with the transitions. I participated in NaNo this last go-round, and while I didn't reach the 50k mark, I did manage to get a bit of a dent in this story.

Big thanks to Nance for sticking with me and being able to give me some wonderful edit suggestions as always. And a huge debt of gratitude to all the readers who have stuck with this story and continue to encourage me in my writing journeys.