by Tom Larcombe
Merlin's Awakening
An Untimely Error #1
Tom Larcombe
Copyright © 2013, Tom Larcombe
All Rights Reserved
This book is dedicated to my mother, Glenda Larcombe, who passed away while I was writing it. While she might not have approved of some of the contents, she would have been proud just the same.
* * *
Chapter 1
Merlin looked up and smiled as the door to his cottage opened to admit his apprentice. Nimue was a beautiful girl and the sun silhouetted her with a golden aura as she entered. In her third year of study, she was an exceptional student; quick to learn new concepts and able to rapidly comprehend the principles of magic he relayed to her. He could teach her the underlying theories of magic better than any of his previous students.
“Merlin, do you know what day today is?” she asked.
Merlin knew it was her coming of age day. She'd mentioned it at least three times daily over the past month. He played along with her though.
“No, tell me. What's special about today?”
“It's my coming of age day! Now even if my parents tell me I have to stop studying with you, I can ignore them and do as I will.”
“Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. It's good to have family. Trust me when I say that having no living family is an unhappy predicament.”
“But they're so slow. I sometimes wonder how they could be my parents. Didn't you teach me that most things are passed down from mother and father to child? How they could be my parents, I just don't know.”
“But they are. I showed you the incantation that determines familial relationship and you told me that you used it on them.”
“I know, but still.”
“Some people are just... more... than others. Regardless of their family. You're one of them.”
“Thank you Merlin. Do you know what else is special about today?”
This time he didn't know the answer.
“No, what?”
“You told me two years ago, when I offered myself to you, that I had to wait until I was of an age. Well, now I am. I know you want me, I see how you look at me sometimes. Could today's lessons be of a more physical nature?”
Nimue crossed the cottage and stood directly in front of Merlin. She leaned up in an attempt to press her lips to his.
Demon Shit! This girl... no, she's a woman. This woman knows that I find her attractive. If only I knew that she wanted me for myself and not for my power. I think she does but I refuse to invade her mind to find out. Even if she wants me just for my power, she's still giving herself to me, he thought.
Merlin leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. A few minutes later he led her back to his bedchambers where they spent the rest of the day, and most of the evening.
* * *
Nimue burst through the door to Merlin's cottage, interrupting his lazy morning.
“Merlin, my father and brothers are coming for you. They found out what we were doing yesterday and my father is enraged. He called you a fraud and a charlatan. He said he's going to kill you.”
Merlin tugged his beard gently.
“Well, I guess I'll just have to show him what this fraud and charlatan can do then, won't I?”
“Oh please Merlin. Don't kill them. They're my family. You're the one that told me how good it is to have a family. Isn't there something else we can do?”
Merlin's mind raced.
I've been bored for some time. The only reason I'm still here is Nimue. She's still far too young for me though. I like young women, but my definition of young has shifted as I've aged. Most people would consider my idea of young to be a woman about to enter middle age. When your life is measured in centuries the concept of youth becomes fluid.
“Nimue, you're of an age now. Would you like to leave your family home? Tend my cottage for me? I'll leave for a while, several years at least. When I return we can handfast if you like, our apparent ages will match better then.”
“But you can't leave me.”
“Well, it's either that or some of your family gets injured or possibly killed. If I simply disappear for a few days they'll return for me, won't they?”
“Yes, probably.”
“So, if I leave for years the problem should be resolved. Your lifespan is that of a wizard, not that of a normal person, so we'll have a long time together after I return. Will you tend my cottage for me until then? You've enough magic of your own to provide those who come to me for help with what they need.”
“Yes, I will,” Nimue said, “But where will you go?”
“Come with me, I'll show you. There's a cave entrance out back of my cottage. It's normally concealed but I'll show you how to find it. I'll simply sleep there for a few years.”
Nimue followed Merlin as he exited the cottage and headed for a hill that stood well back from his home. When they reached the base of it, a pass of his hand revealed the entrance to a cave.
“I'll be in here. You can come back here and even enter the cave. You won't be able to touch me though, the spell will prevent that.”
Merlin entered the cave with Nimue following. He began to lecture, using the tone he normally did when teaching.
“You know that the triangle is the strongest two-dimensional shape and the pyramid the strongest three-dimensional shape. In this case I shall use two of each. The first of each shape to protect myself physically and temporally. The second of each will maintain the spell itself. Breaking the spell would require either the energy to drain from each of the crystals or the breaking of a pyramid or triangle. The second set of each shape should protect all four spells from breaking, barring total destruction of a large portion of a protective shape.”
As Merlin spoke he moved about the chamber, laying crystals on the floor. He inserted several of them in the walls and ceiling to complete his pyramids. When he was done, he stood in the middle of the shapes.
“Now to key it. What would be a good trigger to break the spell? Aha, I have it. The dragons should be back in the area on their cyclical migration in several years. I'll key it to them.”
“Wait,” said Nimue, “you've yet to start the spells, right?”
“Correct.”
“Good.”
She rushed to Merlin and wrapped him in her arms. He drew in a sharp breath, inhaling her unique scent. A long, lingering kiss followed before she backed off.
Merlin stood in the center of his spell shapes, the taste of Nimue lingering on his lips. He made the connections for the crystals, feeling the matrix of magical energy waiting on his bidding.
“May this spell keep me sleeping; protected and withdrawn from time until the dragons fly here once more.” he said as he visualized the trigger for the spells to stop, the image of a dragon in the sky overhead.
Nimue stared at him as he activated the spells. He carried the sight of her eyes, the scent of her hair, and the taste of her lips into his long sleep.
* * *
centuries passed...
* * *
He crawled out from under a covering of rocks and dust. Many smaller stones tumbled off of him as he stood. Amidst them were some of the crystals used to form his spell of sleep. He gathered up the crystals, those that were intact, and noted that they were barely charged at all. They went into his pouch for safekeeping. Several of the crystals were no more than shards, shattered by something.
I wonder how long I've slept? I'm as drained and exhausted as my crystals, he thought.
The spell he used specified ‘until the dragons fly here once more’. When he planned his sleep he thought that it would be perhaps a decade, two
at most. Twenty years was an eye blink to a dragon, or a wizard, but it was long enough that Nimue's family members who sought him should have been dead and buried, or at least forgotten about one old wizard.
He knew, from his own research, that the life force of a dragon was one of the major reasons magic was available in the world. The very existence of a dragon created magic and they shed it constantly, leaving bits and pieces accumulated here and there. Their flights, lairs, and mating sent it flitting about the world for those like him to gather and use.
He glanced at his crystals, their glow dimmed nearly to non-existence. One flickered briefly before it lost its glow entirely.
The dragons haven't been around here in a very long time or else there would be more energy stored in these. Well, there's still the sun to collect energy from, even if it's slower. The simple joys of life should provide some power also. I'm sure there are still lives being lost all the time as well, although I'm loathe to use the power from those, he thought.
He brushed the dust from his tunic and breeches. Then he combed his beard out with his fingers, tugging it gently as he did in times of stress. He continued his efforts to make himself look presentable before seeking the exit from the cavern.
Noises from outside disrupted his preening. He looked up and wondered at the sharp, muffled reports he heard.
I must find out what's making that noise, he thought.
The opening he used to enter the cavern was no longer there. A rock slide, recently occurred, blocked the opening. He removed stones from the large pile blocking the entry. It took more than an hour of effort before he could finally see a small sliver of sky.
So much for trying to make myself look presentable. I'm covered in sweat and mud now, he thought.
His breathing was shallow, the stale air from the cavern causing him to take the minimum he could into his lungs with each breath. When the outside air rushed in he wished he were still breathing the air trapped in the cavern.
Smells of brimstone and sulfur, blood and human innards bore heavily into him as he breathed the new influx of air. The earlier noises were gone, stopped at some point while he dug. Risking a small use of magic he sent his Sight out through the opening.
Scattered about the landscape he was once familiar with were the remains of a slaughter. The lovely glade that contained the entrance to his cave was no more.
Splintered trees and bushes lay scattered about the landscape. Deep, ragged holes marred the ground and amidst them lay a human carnage. Pieces of bodies were scattered about the devastated glade. Several individuals were alive, their concentration focused out beyond the holes they lay in. They held long tubes of wood and metal in their hands, pointing them out beyond the holes.
Sharp reports filled the air again. This time, un-muted by a covering of dirt and rock. The sounds were offensively loud to his ears. He heard a distinct humming nearby and looked about for the flying creature causing it. When he saw spurts of dirt and rock flying into the air he understood that no living creature was responsible for the sound.
A quick incantation enhanced his perceptions. He looked again to see small pieces of metal, in non-natural shapes, flying through the air.
Those long tubes of metal I saw in the hands of the men are responsible for the reports. Each time they make a sound they spit out one of those pieces of metal. They're like the bows and crossbows of my time, but far more deadly.
One of his crystals drained, going dark, and rather than tax another he let the spell lapse. There were a number of enchantments he could use from his own remaining energy rather than draining his crystals. In a snap decision he decided to hoard his crystals for a time when he actually needed them.
A quick gesture and some concentration caused the light to bend itself around him, not true invisibility but as close to it as he could come with his own energy. In an attempt to keep himself safe he also created a shield of hardened air that would protect him from the small metal objects whistling about. After clearing a larger opening he walked out and gazed over the edge of the large hole the cave entrance now led to.
The only signs of the forest that covered the area when he went to sleep were several splintered trees. The rest of the land was now open plains, sporting several similar holes to the one in front of him. There were people in these other holes. They were holding more of the items that hurled small metal pieces through the air. Helmets adorned the heads of these people and on the side of one he caught a glimpse of the sun rune.
A thick, meaty impact, followed by a strangled cry, caught his attention. One of the men in this hole had been struck by a flying piece of metal. As the man's life expired, there was a surge in the available magical energy. Although he disliked using death magics, he instinctively caught the energies fleeing from the man's body and stored them in the crystal that went dark earlier.
I don't know what's going on and may need the energy. I hate doing that though, it always feels to me as though I'm trapping a part of the person until I use the energy I gathered that way, he thought.
Although dragons provided the stronger magic needed for large workings, each man himself had a small amount that they could call upon. The strong emotions each individual felt generated energy within them. These personal energies were released when the person died and this was what he just appropriated. Walking back to his hole, he slipped inside the cavern once more, letting his spells lapse. Perhaps when this fight was over he could speak to the victors and find out when he was and other basic information.
He waited a full half hour before the reports stopped again. A glance through the entrance showed the men in this hole resting, speaking with one another in a guttural language he didn't understand. Learning a language was another magic he could perform but he would need the energies from a crystal to do so if he didn't want to exhaust himself.
He sent a thread of his awareness out to one of the men sheltering in the hole. It entered the man's mind and began searching. When it found the appropriate memories, he fueled the spell with the crystal he just charged. The crystal went dark as his mind was struck with the man's native language.
The spell took several seconds and normally left him with a headache. This time was no exception. His head aching, he climbed through the hole once again. The men didn't notice him immediately but when he cleared his throat, three of them spun and pointed their metal hurling contraptions at him.
“Halten Sie, identifizieren Sie sich!”
It took a moment for his mind to translate the statement to:
“Halt, identify yourself!”
Once it did he replied.
“Mein Name ist Merlin” (My name is Merlin)
“What are you doing here?”
Merlin gestured towards the opening he just crawled out of.
“You awoke me in my cave.”
The eyes of one of the men went wide and he turned to another, barking a command.
“Get the squad leader on the radio. Tell him to come here as quickly as possible. It seems that we have not been chasing our own tails.”
He turned to Merlin.
“We've been looking for you sir. There are many tales of you in this day and age. We were told that they pinpointed your location to this area but, I must confess, there were doubts.”
“Tales of me? I find that both flattering and somewhat unnerving. There are many things in my past I would prefer not to be remembered for.”
“If you are who you say you are, then I'm sure that any questions you have will be answered. If you are not, then I pity you sir.”
Silence reigned over the area for several minutes before another man slid over the edge of the hole.
“Squad leader, this man appeared in the crater claiming that his name is Merlin,” the man Merlin spoke with earlier said.
The squad leader was older than the other men. He walked over to Merlin, looked him over, and asked a set of questions that left Merlin wondering just what tales of him were still known.
Merlin gently tugged his beard.
“I dallied with a young lady named Nimue. She told her family that night and the next morning she came to warn me that they were coming for me. She also begged me not to harm them so instead I put myself to sleep. I thought it might be a decade or so and Nimue would be of an age to be a true partner for me when I awoke. Evidently it has been much longer than I planned.”
The squad leader's demeanor changed abruptly.
“Sir, I beg your forgiveness for my earlier threat but I have lost several men during our search. My superiors wish to speak with you. I have transportation if you will come with us. We'll need to carefully retreat from this sector. My men will cover our retreat and then follow us.”
“Certainly sir, lead the way.”
As a precaution Merlin set the shield of hardened air about himself again before following the squad leader.
Merlin's precautions were for naught. The squad leader gathered ten men and arrayed them in a double ring about Merlin as they left the field of battle. He was led to a strange metal contraption. The cloth covering on its back made it resemble a wagon. When it roared to life, he jumped. The smell of a chemical smoke filled his nostrils as he watched the men enter the rear of the metal wagon.
“Come on, come on. We need to be moving,” the squad leader said, gesturing Merlin towards a door near the front of the wagon. Merlin cautiously entered through the door and found a hard seat to sit down on. He slid to the middle as the squad leader entered behind him. The man on the other side of him apparently controlled the wagon since when he moved his hands and feet it jerked into motion.
Within seconds a brisk wind blew the chemical smoke out of the enclosure and Merlin was able to taste mostly fresh air, scented only by the men to either side of him. He attempted to talk, but the noise from the wagon was too loud and he was unable to make himself heard without yelling. He settled in to watch the countryside pass by at an astonishing rate of speed.