by Tom Larcombe
“You know that with some illnesses the best you can do is strengthen the victim and let them fight it themselves?”
“I hate that kind; I like being able to fix things properly. But I know what you're talking about.”
“There's a man here with a problem like that. I have reasons for not wanting to work on him myself. Would you be willing to lend him strength for his struggles?”
“Certainly, if I know how.”
“I can show you how. Now, look at me.”
Dieter turned his eyes on Merlin.
“Is that how you look at the creatures you heal?”
“Oh, you mean Sense you, at least that's how I refer to it.”
“Do it that way.”
Dieter's eyes snapped open. Merlin could tell that the man's senses had probed him then abruptly stopped.
“You're ancient. When I Sensed you, it seemed as though you were an ancient graybeard. But instead of the frailty of age there was a solidity, like a mountain slowly weathering away but still solid, full of granite,” Dieter said.
“Then yes, you can truly See, or Sense, me. Of course I'm ancient. Did you think I took this name to impress you men?”
“We weren't sure. Merlin was supposed to live more than a thousand years ago.”
“I was careless with a spell, it had to do with a woman, and it kept me asleep for centuries. We'll drop it there. Maybe I'll tell you the whole story some other time but not now.”
Dieter showed a great deal more respect when he replied.
“What would you have me do then?”
“Sense me again, but while you're doing so, change your viewpoint. Try to Sense me from over near that window, but don't move your body there.”
Dieter closed his eyes for a moment before they snapped open again.
“I could Sense the whole room from over there. Beyond the room even. There's a certain warmth to all of us in here that the two guards in the hallway don't have. Is that the magic?”
“To me it's a glow but I See things, I don't Sense when I'm in that state. So yes, that's probably how you perceive the magic.”
“Now what?”
“Can you keep yourself in the state where you sense things? You keep snapping back to your body.”
“I've never tried. Normally I focus on the task I want to accomplish and when its done I go back to normal,” Dieter said.
“Here's the next step then. I want you to Sense me from near the window again but hold yourself like that. I'll do the same and we should be able to perceive one another. If we can, I'll lead you to the person I want to help. Simply aid the affliction in his head as you would an illness where the victim needs more strength to fight it off. Can you do that?”
“I think I can. If you can get me there, I can do that.”
“Make your body comfortable then move your perception to the window.”
Dieter arranged himself and then his eyes closed and he slumped slightly. Merlin extended a thread of his awareness and found Dieter's consciousness near the window as instructed.
Merlin perceived himself as grasping Dieter's hand and tugging gently. The two of them moved through the building, seeking Herr Schreiber. They found him, but when Dieter examined his head Merlin felt him shudder and try to recoil to his body. Merlin's grip on Dieter strengthened and the student settled down again. The feel of power flowing out of Dieter and into Herr Schreiber was palpable and when Merlin felt Dieter weakening himself, he intervened.
The two men returned to their bodies. Dieter's eyes snapped open and rolled wildly.
“What was that thing? It was like a worm, devouring some of the man's thoughts and replacing them with others.”
“That thing is a spell that was placed on him. Wizards normally refer to a victim of such as being spell-ridden. Could you feel him struggling against it?”
Dieter nodded.
“You're strengthening his struggles, aiding him in his fight. If it gets to the point where his mind is winning the battle I can strike and remove the spell.”
“Why can't you help him?”
“I'm trained and a trained wizard has an individual style, unique from any other. So I would leave signs that point to myself. You aren't trained and you're simply feeding him strength to assist in his fight. That will leave no traces. If I can break the spell, I can protect the man from having it done again, in much the same way I showed all of you to defend your own minds.”
“Who is it?”
“I'd rather not tell you except to say that he is in a position of authority here and I suspect his decisions are influenced heavily by the spell. I imagine you're tired now?”
“Yes, exhausted,” Dieter said.
“You'll strengthen over time but I suggest finding a way to spend some time outside tomorrow. I get the feeling that you'd recover best near animals but I haven't seen many around here.”
“I've always felt best when near my livestock.”
“They make you happy?”
“Yes, very much so.”
“That's what does it then. If there's anything around here that makes you happy or makes you experience strong positive emotions, then I recommend you try to do that tomorrow. Being outside in the sun will help some, as will eating.”
“Can I try that thing with moving my perception around more?”
Merlin shook his head.
“I'd recommend you wait until you aren't exhausted. That's part of the reason you're so tired now. The other part is because you were pouring energy into our patient. I pulled you away or you might've fed him enough to damage yourself. You need to learn your limits. Find out how much energy you can use or give to someone else without harming yourself.”
“There was never a problem before. When using the spark, what I used to call my magic, so long as there was life in an animal or tree I could normally do enough to make it better, even if I was just feeding it energy for its own struggle.”
Merlin's eyes were unfocused in thought when Dieter finished speaking.
Could it be that simple? The staff is living, the stories say that any part of a dragon is still alive so long as the dragon is, but the statue and the bone couldn't be living, could they? I'll test it on the scale when I get back to my cottage.
“Sorry Dieter, you put my thoughts on a different path there for a moment. A spell isn't that similar to an illness. It will take a measure of power equal to that used to cast the spell in order to overcome it. It weakens with time if struggled against though. Each time we feed our patient more power, he'll make more headway against the spell.”
“Well, next time I'll know not to just push power to him but to keep an eye on myself at the same time.”
“A very good idea. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to check on the progress of the other students and then return to my quarters.”
The rest of the budding wizards were doing the reading Merlin recommended. Anselm and Ernst even went beyond the portions Merlin pointed out to them. The other four stopped after they finished the recommended sections.
“That will be enough for now. All of those sections contained descriptions of exercises in them that relate to the portions you were reading. Please practice them until the next time I see you,” Merlin said.
He took his leave of them and eagerly returned to his cottage to study the ward on the scale.
* * *
Chapter 9
Merlin woke with a start. A hand was on his shoulder, shaking him gently.
“Sir? Sir?”
Merlin shook his head groggily.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Sir, you're sleeping in your chair, leaning on the table. I thought you might prefer to sleep in your bed.”
The speaker was the same guard from yesterday, the one Merlin invited to come inside the cottage.
“Oh, sorry. Thank you for waking me then.”
Merlin stumbled to his bed, still clutching the scale whose puzzles kept him awake until nearly dawn.
I
'm close, I can feel it. I've wormed my way inside of the ward but I still need to figure out how to key it to myself. I can't release its power until I do, he thought.
Merlin fell asleep atop the covers on his bed and slept for another two hours. When he awoke again his thoughts were clear.
I've got it. The ward is like the wires that carry the electricity I can use. I just need to start it flowing with a bit of my own.
The scale was still in his hands. Instead of sending out a thread of awareness to examine it or to snake through the tiny gaps he'd found in the ward, he sent a tiny jolt of power into the ward itself.
His head instantly cleared. Without being aware of it, he'd been functioning through a haze. He was used to holding as much power as he could in the past. The limited amounts he managed to acquire recently had been insufficient to fully fuel the spells he once maintained on a constant basis. As the power from the scale flooded into him those spells reactivated and he could feel his senses strengthen considerably.
“Good morning to you. Thank you for getting me to move earlier on. I fell asleep working on some research,” Merlin said.
“You're welcome sir. I thought you might be happier sleeping in your bed.”
“You were right. Do you know the time? I'm hoping that breakfast is still available.”
“If you hurry you might still make it. Also, I was asked to remind you that you have an appointment with Herr Schreiber this morning.”
“Well then, thank you again. I'll scurry over and see if I can still claim some breakfast.”
Merlin moved through his morning routine much quicker than in the previous days. Within a minute he was heading out for the cafeteria. Although he was a bit late, the workers he normally bantered with found him a bite to eat. Afterward he walked into the facility and went directly through to Herr Schreiber's office.
Once again the secretary tried to take him to task for being unescorted.
“You know better, you need to be escorted in this part of the castle.”
Merlin was not in the mood to withstand the man's petty issues. He reached inside the man's mind and gently severed the connections causing the unnatural compulsions. This time he also put in a tiny block to prevent them from forming again.
“I know that I was requested to be here this morning. If the guards I passed didn't feel that I needed an escort, who was I to correct them?”
The secretary looked confused for a moment as Merlin finished working in his mind, then shook his head and looked at Merlin again.
“I'll tell Herr Schreiber that you're here,” he said.
Merlin was immediately escorted into the office. Herr Schreiber sat behind his desk and his coloration was much improved over the last time Merlin saw him in person.
“Merlin, so glad you're here. Whatever you did has me in much better health. I know I'm nowhere near where I used to be but I'm so much better than I was a week ago that it's difficult to believe.”
“I'm glad to hear that,” Merlin said.
He used his senses to examine the man. The chain appeared weaker, more translucent than it was the night before. His lungs were still in poor shape but there were several patches that were free of the scarring.
“I can, perhaps, help some more today if you would like,” Merlin continued.
“I would appreciate that. But first, I need to hear about your students.”
Merlin sat and relayed his impressions of the students to Herr Schreiber. He included nearly everything, from Horst's success at controlling his classmates' minds to Dieter's skill with healing. The only thing he left out was his work with Dieter on breaking the spell.
“I would think that you were making these things up if I didn't have a first hand example of your efforts. As things stand, I'll take you at your word and forward these results to my superiors,” Herr Schreiber said.
“Would you like me to make further efforts on your lungs now sir? I've been getting my power back and I can probably do more this time than the last.”
“I would be grateful.”
Merlin approached the man again. He sank into a trance and split his awareness. This time instead of flaking off the scarring, Merlin removed the moisture from it, causing it to desiccate until it formed a fine dust. He increased the circulation to the exposed, healthy tissue beneath it and ensured that he hadn't dried that section out unintentionally. The entire procedure took less than five minutes this time and throughout it Merlin maintained enough conscious awareness that he was unafraid of being startled by an interruption.
“That should do sir. Your body will need to adjust some before I continue. You may find yourself rather dry for a day or two. Drink some extra water and if it feels like you're coughing up some dust, don't worry. That will just be your body getting rid of the scar tissue I destroyed.”
“So quick this time?”
“As I said, I've been recovering my power. That allows me to work more quickly.”
“Well then, perhaps we'll learn something about those items you're studying.”
“I can already tell you that several of them are repositories for power, of a fashion I'm unfamiliar with. We discussed the best ways of storing power before. If I'm not mistaken, someone found a better way while I slept.”
“That would be welcome news. Part of this project is building and filling a large storage device for power. If there is a better way than those we know of, perhaps we can make it more efficient.”
“I've yet to unravel the way it was done, but I am working on it. They used an exceedingly complex ward for it.”
“I'm sure you'll discover it. The sooner the better though. We're being pressured to show positive results in our projects. Some concrete example of things we've accomplished would be welcome.”
“Then if I may be dismissed I'll get back to working on that now.”
“Certainly Merlin, you're dismissed.”
Merlin exited the office and headed back for his cottage. After picking up the scale, he turned to the guard.
“Lets go back down to the vault. I need to exchange this piece for a different one.”
The guard nodded and led the way into the castle basement. With his heightened senses Merlin could now distinguish more information from the traces of dragon magic. The dragon leaving them was female and very old. She was probably a mature adult by the time Merlin fell into his long sleep. Tinges of despair and loneliness shaded the madness that permeated the traces.
Once again, when the vault door was shut, the traces of dragon magic were cut off. Merlin replaced the scale in its assigned spot and turned to the staff. He pondered for a moment.
I don't need any more power right now. Unless I have to do something drastic I have as much as I need for the foreseeable future. But, I should check and make sure the ward is the same.
A quick look with his senses showed him that the ward on the staff was nearly identical to the one on the scale. He turned to the bone to check.
I see, it's essentially the same ward, but inverted. All the magic in the bone will be made accessible if I simply draw a bit of power out of the ward itself instead of the bone.
Probing the dragon statuette with his senses showed similarities to the wards on the other three items, but there was something more there as well. He picked the statue up and turned to the guard.
“I'll be returning the scale and taking this statuette with me.”
The guard made a note in a small book he withdrew from a pocket.
“I have it noted sir, are you ready to leave?”
“Yes, let's get out of this dank tomb.”
The guard led the way back out of the castle and, once more, stationed himself in a chair just inside Merlin's cottage.
Merlin wanted to get back to studying the statuette but there was something he needed to take care of first. His beard continued to elicit stares from everyone who saw him. To his knowledge there were no other men wearing a beard at the facility.
He wanted to fit in
better, to be able to blend, and the beard was preventing that. The razor he received with his kit was not something he wanted to trust against his skin so he'd procrastinated. Now that he was full of energy again, there was an easier way to take care of the chore. When he finished removing the hair on his chain with a trickle of power, he settled in to study the statuette.
* * *
Three days later Merlin was still puzzling over the dragon statuette. The class he held for his students the night before went well. Even the four that weren't using their full effort to study were still making progress, although less than the others.
What I wouldn't give for another student like Nimue, Merlin thought, She absorbed everything I showed her and pushed herself to learn faster than she already was. Dieter's almost like that but he doesn't have the intuitive grasp she did. He has to work harder and, as a result, learns slower than she did.
Merlin set the dragon statuette on the nightstand beside the bed and drifted into sleep. His dreams were pleasant, taking him back to the time when he was teaching Nimue. He was happy then, even happier when she approached him the day she came of age. In his dream, her relatives came to the cottage before he was warned and he defended himself, killing two and injuring the rest. Nimue was in a rage and insisted that she never wanted to see him again.
Merlin awoke with a start, his emotions in a turmoil. Something fluttered past his face and he brushed at it to drive it away. When his hand struck metal, he grabbed it. A flick of his finger and a small amount of concentration threw the cloth from the sun crystal and provided light within the cottage. He looked at his fist to see the small statue moving in his grasp. It squirmed and tried to escape his grip. His fingers relaxed, and he watched as it flew from his grip. The small dragon circled his head for a while before landing on the nightstand again.
Merlin reached his hand out to the creature, palm turned upward, and it daintily walked onto it. Merlin's interest was piqued. He held his open hand in front of his face, examining the animated statue intently. The creature's head turned to face Merlin and its eyes slowly blinked.
Is it only animated or does it have a semblance of life? I do believe it's truly alive and was simply in some sort of stasis before, Merlin thought.