But Sir Galahad's Dead

Besides, I was not here for a fight. I had come for help.

"Let’s forget the past for moment," I said. Her eyes told she that she was not going to, but she would still hear me out. "You are right. I do want help. Only Sir Galahad is able receive the Grail so I want you to use your powers to do whatever is required so that he can do so."

"Why me? Surely there are others you could ask for help."

"Because with Merlin gone, Morgan le Fey, you are the most skilful magic worker in Britain."

My tribute pleased her. "Thank you for the flattery, sir gallant. Now if I agree to aid you what would I receive in return?"

"Anything that is in my power to deliver." Her eyes stared straight at me. "Well, nearly, anything," I squirmed

"Ok, so I deliver to Sir Galahad to you. How will I know that you’ll then keep your end of the bargain."

"I will swear on any holy relic you name."

"I don’t think that we need to go that far. Your word is good enough for me."

I can tell you that I was startled at that. A Knight’s word is his bond and I am no less a one than any of the Round Table. Nonetheless, I had expected the infamous Morgan le Fey to have demanded more.

"You have my word," I replied. "Now how can I be sure that you really will help and I won’t become the victim of some devious plot?"

"Trust me!" she answered. I stared back in disbelief. With a reputation like hers, sister of my liege though she was? Dark, perfidious, deceitful. She had to be joking!

"You don’t have much choice," she pointed. "You know that you will never believe any oath I swear."

True enough, I thought. There are times when one must rely on faith alone. This was one of those. For better or worse, I had just made a pact with the Devil! I prayed to God that I would not regret it.

"I assume that you will do your part first?" I decided to try and gain that at least.

She did not reply, but sat there in silence, staring into the fire. The room became quiet, but outside I could hear the moaning of the wind and the occasional lupine howl in the distance.

Suddenly, she clapped her hands together and said, "Of course, sir gallant, of course. So, you want Sir Galahad? Well, we will just have to go back in time to fetch him."

"Aren’t we going to discuss your reward first?" I asked.

She waved the question away with a "A mere detail, sir gallant, a mere detail." I was not so sure about that, but for the moment, she was in charge.

It took me quite some time to reach the rendezvous point, a henge as old as these islands. Its stones showed the scars of time caused by eons of rain and snow. Each one spoke of a different, more sinister age- one before Christianity came to our shores. A time before the Romans when there was no King to unite the land and pagan priests sacrificed humans to their unspeakable gods. From the large obelisk in the centre to the smaller ones making up the ring around it, they embodied everything that I had sworn to oppose. Yet they were now the key to this most desperate of quests.

Morgan le Fey had arrived before me- no doubt, she had used her powers to fly there. She was dressed in a long fur coat with wide ruffs around the cuffs and a hood that had been thrown back.