Chapter 34: Hell in the Hierarchy

"Things are starting to get more and more ridiculous!" Lucy commented after Shona had left, that night and it was just her and Snape, still debating about the situation with the sword.

"Things started getting ridiculous when you saw that monster in the great hall," Snape sighed as he sat back down and summoned a glass of wine with a quick flick of his wand. "You know, Lucy, before I knew you things were quite normal at Hogwarts."

"Thanks, dad," Lucy smiled sarcastically as she stopped frantically pacing. "That really does help me right now."

"Calm down, we've only found out today that the sword does not rightfully belong to you! No harm done there! So, please, sit down and hear me out."

"Fine..." Lucy held her hands up in defeat before sitting down on the old stool directly in front of Snape.

"Look," Snape began. "Things are going to seem bad. Things are probably even going to get worse — "

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Lucy."

"Sorry..."

"But these complicated situations are all part of being the descendant of Merlin, you didn't think this was going to be a walk in the park did you?"

"I didn't even know who I was until I was ten years old, perhaps when I was fourteen and I found out I was related to you! Perhaps I don't even know now..."

"For ten years of your life you were lied to and that is why you didn't know the truth, since the day you were born you had been lied to. At least, in these mere five years I've known you I've tried to change that."

"Five years," Lucy looked down at her feet. "Is that all you've known me for?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"It's felt like longer, more like a lifetime."

"I wish I had known you for all your life."

Lucy looked up miserably. "What's done is done."

The two fell silent for a minute, both wrapped up in their own thoughts. But one thing was for sure, they were both filled with some kind of sadness. Different, but equally as painful.

Snape cleared his throat. "We're going off topic."

"We are, you were saying about complicated situations and how being the descendant of Merlin wouldn't be a walk in the park."

"And also how it would be a long and hard journey that would involve a lot of determination and courage. Even if you don't believe you're right for this, it's something you have to do." Snape sighed as he took out hsi wand and lit a few candles that Lucy was fascinated by for a few moments.

"I don't think I'm doing well at this, in fact I think I'm doing terribly." Lucy bowed her head once again in shame.

"No you're not," Snape whispered and he put a hand on her shoulder. "In fact you're doing very well for a girl of your age."

"Thanks," she laughed quietly. "I still need a lot more training though."

"It can be arranged," Snape replied. "Now off to bed, it's already ten o'clock."

"Fine...see you tomorrow." She gave Him a quick hug before getting up and walking to her room. Unfortunately for her, Zuc had heard every word of her and Snape's conversation. Just before something very important was going to happen...

*      *      *

But as Lucy fell asleep, she didn’t feel as if she truly was dreaming. It was as if she was suspended in mid thought, watching something unfold but not having a clue as to why. It started like nothing, as usual, a simple dream about Snape and Jessica arguing. She wanted it to stop, but the daze she was in she couldn’t make it stop. It filled her with pain, and then, as Jessica went to show her fangs, the dream blacked out

That was a usual nightmare for Lucy, something paralysing her to her bed covers. But as her body prepared to jolt furiously awake and calm itself, the blackness continued. Then, very slowly, it showed the sight of a dreary sky. The rain was plummeting down to the mud below, the marks of open soled feet cleary visible in the mud. A large town made of old woods and stalls came into view, a flea market shouting away. But above all, deep into the distance, was a palace.

'I’m in the Medieval Islands,' Lucy panicked.

But yet somehow she wasn’t. She couldn’t actually see herself, only watch as life carried on around like any normal dream. But it felt so real.

Then as she was about to question the dream even more, three black hooded figures walked across in front of her, and she moved with them. Lucy was absolutely horrified. She could hear them as clearly as day.

"That was the signal of his Mighty, we need to enter now!" One uttered as a woman pulling a horse cart staggerd by. One of the men watched her go before turning back.

"Nonsense, his Mighty said to only enter when the bells of the tower rang!" The one in the middle hissed. His moustache was clearly visible because of its peculiar beard like mix. It was dark and dangerous.

"But I heard it chime!" The other said in a strange accent, one Lucy found most intriguing. The one with the beard/moustache looked at him shocked.

"That was the bell tower, Recvo!" He spat and the man named Recvo pouted.

"Sorry, Beccus," he sighed and all of them vanished down an alley way. Lucy stopped following them.

'I wish they would have easier names...' she pondered for only a second as she noticed more people with black hoods lurk in the shadows. She knew Zuc was trying to tell her something. She faded to black passed them and arrived somewhere else. Somewhere cold.

'Use the occulmency!' Lucy thought desperately but no matter how hard she tried, she was stuck to this dream like super glue. 

The castle walls were as brightly lit as the great hall. The guards at the front of a chamber door had fully plaited armour on, but they didn’t look like Zuc's men. They were too prim and proper for Lucy's liking either. Just as she was about to try and wake up, she heard footsteps. Both of the guards lowered their lances at once.

"Good evening, Lord Zuc," one smiled. Lucy froze. So Zuc had guards in here! It was his palace? What was going on? But Lucy couldn’t possibly think of this as being owned by a dark knight, because it was too bright, To cheerful. The guards didn’t look twice at him.

"Goodnight, Briars," the booming voice of Zuc cut the air. Lucy watched the smile of Briars disappear as a sword was put through his armour and chest. The other looked too stunned to move as Zuc shoved the body of Briars off his sword. The other guard lunged at him, but Zuc dodged him and easily cut off his head in one swipe. He smiled. "Sebastian's sword, the ability to pierce armour, thank you Sebastion, thank you ever so much."

The sword was in Zuc's hands!? That wasn’t possible! Snape had taken it away! Away to somewhere safe! Lucy's blood heated up. Did Martyn really take it? Or did he swap it for a fake one? Was Zuc lying for Lucy's sake? But as she was about to panic, Zuc unlocked the door with a key and entered.

Now Lucy was sure she had seen this place before. And as the white marbled floor and heavy fireplace in the corner crackled, she knew Zuc had broken into the castle once before. She had teleported here in the Tri-wizard tournament.

When Lucy had teleported here, zuc had been going on about ‘I really do love this palace, it does of course rightly belong to me’ which sounded strange. But as questions arose inside her Zuc had stopped walking. A man in his late twenties was sitting at his desk, looking proudly out of the window. Zuc bowed.

"Your highness," he said calmly. The King seemed to wave it off.

"Come, come, Zuc, there's no need to do that when we're not in public! Now, what is the honour of having you in my presence?” He seemed too kind to be a king of the islands. Lucy had always pictured of Zuc being the King, but then again, he couldn’t be if he was a Lord. The two seemed to be, quite strangely, friends.

But Zuc did not take a chair. He stood boldly and took off his gleaming red robe like the king had on, to reveal the more familiar black one his followers would wear. The King furrowed his eyebrows but didn’t question him. He showed his sword, gleaming with blood. The King froze.

"Is that..." he muttered, his lips were tinged blue. Zuc nodded. Instead of the King flipping out and screaming, he looked slightly concerned for his friend. "How...where did you find it Zuc? You know the power it has...the evil or the goodness that can be dealt with its handle..."

"I do," Zuc said in a stone cold voice. He started to pace around the room, the sword looking sharper than ever. "Do you remember, Felix, when we used to play together as young boys?"

The king seemed dumbstruck. "Why yes, of course!" He smiled at the memory. "At the back of the woods here whenever our families met to discuss our heritage line. You were nine, ten even? You always played the Knight and I was the King."

Zuc didn’t smile. "Always the King, always the King..." he muttered to himself.

"You do know that is the rightful owner of the King? It's written in law. By Arther himself." Zuc went pale. "Is there something bothering you?"

"You surely remember the attack," he said bluntly. The King nodded sadly.

"You were on a rescue mission to the south side of the island, some of my men had become trapped in the forest mountains over there. I had only just become king and you were my right hand man. So young we were, and I thought it would be a good time to show that we could handle such a hard job."

"And that magic," Zuc seemed to be on the verge of losing his cool.

"You’ve never been the same since that attack in the woods."

"That attack showed me who I was, Felix," he warned, pointing the sword at him. "It kindled the heir of blood inside me that I didn’t know I had. It lead me to greatness."

"It lead you to nothing. I ordered every man and woman who used any type of sorcery to be executed. All it did was show us how to control these monsters. It was long overdue." He smirked. Lucy's heart began to beat faster.

"I have always been like this, but the attack enraged it, destroyed my family! My hopes!" Lucy was shocked. Somehow the magic must have killed Zuc's family.

"You're wrong, Zuc! You were a kind and generous man, do not deny it! And when I sentenced those people to hang and drown, when you saved a little girl out of her innocence, I knew you were still the young boy that was by sidekick back in the woods. Then you threw it all away!" The King battered his eyelids in shock.

"I only saved that girl because she was too young. Then you started to judge me! Thought I was ill in the head! Then you sent me on that ghastly trek to try and prove myself. Then I met a young small wizard, who showed me that I was the descendant of the great Vasil. So, the puzzle fell into place." The two friends suddenly became sharp daggers. Their friendship was tumbling to a finish. "My family knew that magic existed beyond the shield. My parents wanted to find it and open the world. We would rally up and destroy them before they destroyed us. Like the great Lord Vasil did nearly."

"What is the matter with you, man?” He seemed outraged by Zuc's sudden change of mood. The name sent fear through him. "You said you were fine! I let you back in!”

"You are not meant to be King! I am! You are the stone door that stands in my way into greatness!" He shouted and pushed the man off him. "You are truly my last hurdle."

"To kill a friend!” The King cried. Zuc smiled.

"To show I have no mercy to the likes of the magic in this world. They are no threat now I have Sebastion's descendant on my side, he found me this sword, and little do you know I have been fighting for five long years to break in and cut the throats of every single one! Boy or girl! Young or old!" Zuc's eyes bulged madly. "To kill you will be harder than wiping them out altogether, Felix, but if you are not to die, how can I raise my islands into the war?"

"Now, now Zuc..." Felix raised his hands up in defence.

"Vampires, thieves, trolls. All of them wanting a better life. So they signed up. They have been cursed as evil creatures, but they will be remembered as good men after this battle. You shouldn’t be wearing that crown on your head, it should be me. Vasil was long King before you. I am his descendant. You are an impostor."

"Zuc, I order you to stop!" The King roared before Zuc ran forward and sat him down. The King looked up at him.

"You are going to stab me are you?" He laughed. Zuc shook his head.

"The guards outside were more worthy of it’s death than yours. No, I snuck in earlier and added a little something to your drink," he smiled. The King held his stomach. "Old family recipe. Young Kingston stole an item called the marauders map some years ago, and while you let me house sit here one year on, I let my men craft a similar map to allow them to get in. Who thought a map could be so handy?"

He watched King Felix crumple to the ground. His gasping grew deeper and deeper. Zuc stood over him.

"When they look to find the murderer they will find the guards will have taken their own lives. I will tell them how they went mad before me and stabbed themselves. They will not think twice of it, they trust me," he smirked as the King died slowly.

"But what is the point of stirring this up again?" He wheezed.

"Vengeance," he said sourly. The King's head crumbled to the ground. He was dead.

Zuc stood by the window and looked through it. He would now be crowned King as the King had no descendants of his own. He saw one of his followers up in the bell tower and he nodded at him. It rung furiously. In that instant, Lucy could hear it, was the sound of Zuc's men slaughtering friends of his majesty. There was no-one left to uprise against him now. Except Lucy.

"Vengeance," he licked his lips.

Lucy was then released from her dream like state. Panting, she noticed Snape staring from her door, paralysed with fear. 

"You saw this before, didn't you?" Lucy just about managed to say and Snape nodded grimly. She got out of bed and the two walked into the living room. "Where did you hide the sword?"

"I hid it in a trunk under my bed, I locked it with an uncountable amount of spells, hexes and jinxes alike that would activate if someone tried to steal anything. I checked as soon as I woke up a minute ago and it was gone. McGuire's brother obviously came in here again and got hold of the sword. Goodness knows how, though."

"Did he get the orb?"

"No, I hid that somewhere else with more spells, luckily it's still there."

"What are we going to do about the sword?"

"We will get hold of it again, do not worry. In the mean time we'll have to inform McGuire about this and that it is now clear that her brother is definitely working for Lord Zuc."

"King Zuc," Lucy corrected miserably. She looked at the clock on the mantlepiece and saw it was one o'clock in the morning, she yawned unintentionally. "He killed of the King to become King himself and now has the sword and the marauders map, next he'll open the portal and steal the orb. He'll also probably kidnap me in the process."

"I wouldn't let that happen."

"Do you realy think you stand a chance against Zuc?"

"If anyone dare touches my daughter, I do very much stand a chance against them."

Lucy smiled, but only for a moment, she got a brief glimpse of what was happening in the medieval islands right now and could feel herself going faint.

"Sit down," Snape said to her. She shook herself mentally and realised that she had almost fallen over, unless Snape had been there she would have. Snape helped her over to the chair and she sat down and grasped onto the little bit of reality that she could. "Don't think about it, if it helps use the occulmency I taught you."

"I tried that during the vision but it didn't work."

"It appears there is some kind of force there then..." Snape mutterd to himself, he frowned at her. "And I know you can block out things by using occulmency."

"I did try!" Lucy protested. "I really did! I didn't want it to happen! I wanted to — "

"Shh," Snape commanded softly and shifted a lose lock of hair away from her face. "Did I say you didn't try?"

"No," Lucy shook her head.

"I'm just merely stating that there is no way to block out the visions Zuc gives you because there is some kind of force there. You have to remember, however, that although these visions are very painful to you they do help us in receiving information. If I do not foresee it, you see it in a dream."

"I know...I just hope one day things will be normal again."

"Don't be silly, Lucy," Snape laughed. "Things have never been normal."