by Candace Sams
From the shadowed growth, their leader stepped forward. He wore brown Druidic robes which led Anna to believe that their coming had been sensed and was likely approved. Merlin never wore robes if he believed he’d be seen by any normal person.
Their leader held up one hand in greeting. “I assumed you’d all find a way to gather here.”
Anna glanced at the others in her company, then she put her full attention on the wizard. “As you see, not all of us are present. Some at the castle are keeping a keen eye out. They’ll create a diversion if either Jean or Garrett gets too close to this hill though this business shouldn’t be kept secret from them.
Merlin snorted.
“At any rate, we shouldn’t be here so long that our absence is noticed.”
“Go on,” Merlin instructed.
“You know the reason we’re here. Garrett deserves to know the truth. All of it. You should have told him the facts when he was up on the hill, and you conjured a full vision circle.”
“He told you about that?” Merlin asked.
“Of course not! He hasn’t said a thing about you or your powers. He thinks we know nothing about Ethereals. Jean and Garrett still don’t know that Ben, Hingus, me, and all these other people are either Ethereal or immortal,” she said as she gestured toward the group with her.
“Anna, why didn’t you tell them?”
Those in the group with Anna began to complain, but she briefly raised one hand to silence them again.
“The Ethereals among us have used our powers to mask what we are. To Garrett and Jean, we’re just human household staff. That was our job and you know it. Long ago, we agreed that it was your responsibility to tell him! You promised Her Majesty—”
“Well…yes…but…”
Anna shook her head in disgust. “We’re sick and tired of pretending to age, Merlin. You cannot fathom the difficulty involved in doing such a thing. Or the powers necessary to keep that ruse in place, day in and day out for years. Even with my powers, it’s quite problematic. Hiding what we are from humans in the village is one thing. Hiding who and what we are from Garrett and Jean is something else. Why…I’ve told so many lies that I’ve begun to write down what I’ve said, just to keep everything straight. I actually disparaged Jean’s coming here just to make Gart think I was on his side when he was hesitant about training her.” She sighed heavily. “There were a few times I caught Garrett looking at me as though he saw through my magical disguises. We only agreed to keep this up for a couple of months. It’s been a damned bit longer than that. Enough is enough!”
The others strongly murmured in agreement.
Anna continued her tirade. “I’m disgusted with this deceit. I won’t do it one more moment. It’s unfair. Moreover…I cannot begin to imagine how furious Gart will be when he finds out that we’ve been assigned to protect him…a man who considers himself quite beyond babysitters, and who hates deception with all his good heart. It’s time you hold up your end, Merlin! This was your responsibility.”
Merlin released a heavy sigh. “I know you’re right. Of course, you are. But how am I supposed to shove all this down their throats? Neither of them fully trusts me as it is.”
“Because you’re lying and they sense it, you old conjurer! They don’t have to be immortal or Ethereal to figure out that you’re not telling the truth. A child could sense it.” Anna clasped her hands together. “Her Majesty has put off what’s necessary because she’s been led to believe you’d sort this out. This farce has gone on as long as it has because of your fear of Gart’s reaction…which will grow proportionally worse the longer you wait. I’ll say this again, in case it didn’t sink in. We dislike lying to Gart. More to the point, Jean’s appearance in the world as an Ethereal tells us that bad times are coming. That was the prediction.”
Once more, the others in the group muttered their unanimous agreement on the subject.
Merlin held out his hands in a gesture of supplication. “All right. Let’s say I burst out with the truth and tell Bloodnight and Jean that almost everyone at the castle is either immortal or Ethereal, and have been magically hiding their identities for years. Let’s say I tell them all that in one swift, and quite untactful, sentence. What will all of you do with the regular human staff at the hall? You know…the ones who don’t know who you are? The same ones who’ve worked next to you, thinking you all were as normal as they are.” Merlin rolled his eyes. “How are they going to deal with the facts, when they find out none of you was ever legally registered? What do you think their public response will be? How quickly do you think they’ll run to their computers and post everything?”
“Good Goddess, Merlin! Don’t you think we haven’t thought of that?” Anna complained. “There are a million ways to handle these issues. One of which is not to tell them. Only Gart and Jean need to know. The rest of us can continue to pretend to age, then leave and come back as new employees when the old staff retire or die off. At least we wouldn’t be lying to Gart or Jean, who are two of our most important operatives. We can do what we’ve always done in the world, and simply use magic to befuddle the humans around us. You let me deal with that. That’s my job. Yours is to tell Gart and Jean the truth, dear brother! If I must tell them myself, I will, but you won’t be any better trusted for my having done so. As long as this charade has carried on, we’ll all be begging their forgiveness as it is. But it must be done, and you know it!”
“Herne’s blood! That’s another thing. Garrett still doesn’t know you’re my sister, as well as an Ethereal in your own right.”
Anna moved closer to him. “This has been a well-kept operation for centuries, Merlin. We’ve all known this time was coming. Plans are in place. We know our jobs, but you are threatening the safety of countless people by not telling Gart the truth. He needs to be prepared.” Anna crossed her arms over her chest and recited the old prophecy. ‘When an Ethereal woman arises…a woman whose family has entwined with Galahad’s progeny…they shall together be trained for coming battle against Morgan! The dark sorceress will come to battle at that place where slaughter was known, and where tragedy is buried.’ That was your prediction, word for word. Was it not?”
“Yes, yes. Quite so.”
“Merlin, the prophecy has come true. Jean is here. She’s with Galahad’s descendant. That means Morgan will be on the move, as soon as her scrying shows her the truth. She will see portents and learn who Gart really is. And it’ll happen sooner than later,” Anna declared.
“There is nothing in the prophecy that says she’ll be at our door tomorrow, dear sister. Holy Herne! When did you become such a harridan?”
“Merlin—”
“All right, I’ll admit it!” Merlin shouted. “I’d rather have my eyes peeled than confront Garrett Bloodnight with this information. The last time I tried to tell the truth to a very powerful man, he didn’t listen. A kingdom was lost. I can’t make anyone follow portents. More’s the pity!”
“Garrett Bloodnight is most definitely not Arthur Pendragon. Putting this off isn’t making matters easier. Morgan could be scrying the truth about Garrett’s ancestry, even as we speak. When she knows who he really is…who is ancestor was… she’ll come for him. How many times and ways do I have to say this?”
The others loudly muttered their support for Anna’s tenacity.
“Listen to me. All of you,” Merlin injected, “I understand the fluidity of my own prophecies. They never happen exactly as planned, or I’d have known Camelot was going to fall. That being the case, it’s been centuries and that dark-hearted bitch hasn’t shown up yet. Yes, I know she will,” he admitted. “She’s rather like a bad rash in that regard.” He raised his hands to placate Anna and the crowd when they refuted his words again. “I know I should tell Garrett and Jean about his household staff hiding their powers. I really should. It’s just that, he’s so sure he’s got a good grip on his world. It won’t be easy to find out almost everyone around him has been lying for years.”
“We had our
orders to keep our identities and powers masked. You had yours to reveal us when the time was right. It’s past time, Merlin,” Anna insisted. “You must pull on your big sorcerer britches and get this done!”
“I heard you the last twenty times you said so,” Merlin groused beneath his breath.
“So, how will you do it? Practice on us,” she suggested. “Tell us what will you say to Gart and Jean? I want to hear it so that I can judge if it’s as tactful as it needs to be.”
“I-I can be tactful!” he childishly returned.
“The last time you thought you were being diplomatic, you told Sir Dillidyn that the lady of his choice was nothing but a kitchen whore. He threatened to run you through with his sword, and hang your head from a pike! The man never spoke to you again. Not even before the final battle.”
“Anna, that’s not fair—”
“Out with it. What will you say?”
Oh, very well,” Merlin capitulated as he stroked his beard. “I suppose I’ll start by telling Garrett that he is the last descendant of Sir Galahad. I’ve already explained that one knight’s child was saved after the fall of Camelot. What I didn’t say was which knight’s child that was, or that the boy was later hidden by immortals. I never said that all the offspring of that child were carefully watched over from afar. I didn’t mention that this was specifically done to keep his identity secret so that Morgan, in her scrying efforts from whatever part of the globe she occupies, would never know and go after that family line.”
“That’s a good start. At that point, you’ll obviously have to mention that Morgan is still alive.”
“Quite so. I’ll most assuredly have to tell him that she’s hiding, but is still using dark arts to keep herself in this world. She is neither immortal or Ethereal, but a very dangerous, dark sorceress.”
“Obviously, he’ll be quite alarmed by that part. But you will keep going. Won’t you?”
“I’m getting to the rest, Anna. Just be patient.”
She tapped one booted foot on the ground, indicating that her tolerance of the situation had come to an end.
“I’ll be sure to tell Garrett that he was never truly on his own; that we always knew his whereabouts, even after his parents were killed in that boating accident. He must be made to understand that, that sad part of his life was, indeed, an accident. If he gets angry about his being left at the orphanage, I’ll reiterate that we couldn’t approach him without possibly revealing his lineage to Morgan and her magical scrying. We might have put his life in jeopardy, when he wasn’t yet an immortal. In fact, we could have put a lot of innocent humans around him in jeopardy as well. Morgan would kill anyone who gets in her way. His friends included.”
“Be sure and tell Gart that you knew he would be an immortal at some point in his life, just not when. Then, repeat the prophecy.”
“Anna, am I child that I need this kind of coaching and prodding?” he angrily responded. “Am I not the sorcerer of sorcerers?”
“I’m not going to respond to that. Just be sure and tell Gart and Jean that Jean’s appearance in his life…as connected by her great grandfather…matches the prophecy. Sooner or later, Morgan LeFey will scry the truth. When she does, she’ll come for Gart. You must be very careful in highlighting that fact. Say it as many times as it needs to be said. Gart needs to know that the measure of Morgan’s hatred for Galahad, and his seed, will transcend time. She’ll come here, to these old hills. Where it all started and ended, so long ago. Don’t forget to tell Gart that we refer to him as The Last Knight. Morgan LeFey knows that only he can kill her. That was why it was so necessary to protect him until he became immortal.”
“Bloodnight isn’t going to like this interference in his life. He’ll be outraged that he never knew the full truth, or that his ancestors were part of a very old prophecy. He’ll be incensed that he was kept in the dark. Especially after his service to his country.”
“For his own protection, we had orders not to tell him, Merlin! Make sure he knows this, and that we all must follow orders. There are others gleaning information about this situation, and their collective data is still coming in. We cannot be too careful. Explain that to him. If he’s still angry, the rest of us can explain our parts in this charade. We’ll doubtlessly have to at any rate.” She clasped her hands together. “You’re right. He will be furious. Absolutely outraged. He’ll likely not want to speak to any of us. Not ever again.”
Once more, the others in Anna’s entourage whispered in affirmation.
“That, my dear friends, is why I did not blurt everything out all at once. I have learned things over the centuries. One of which is not to unload all the information one has, on an unsuspecting audience. It can be rather demoralizing for the receiving party to learn that he or she has been lied to for years. But leave this to me. I promise that Garrett Bloodnight and Jean Long will be fully apprised of the situation. Bloodnight is nothing if not a patriot. Once he knows the truth, the queen will wish to knight him. Her Majesty believes that only a knight should face Morgan, and I tend to agree. So, I’ll see it’s done at Balmoral. Very little paparazzi can swarm there so the ceremony will remain private. I assume Jean will be invited, of course.”
“Of course! Her Majesty will make accommodations,” Anna agreed.
“Is that it? Have I got it all? Anything more?” Merlin sarcastically asked.
Anna tapped one index finger against her cheek. “There will be other defenders coming to Bloodnight Hall. However, I’m not so sure it’s wise for that information to be disclosed. Not right now.”
“No, those warriors’ safety is paramount. Once Morgan LeFey knows who Garrett’s ancestor was, that vengeful bitch will take out anyone she feels is our ally. For that reason, there will be more secrets to keep. Sadly, it’ll be very difficult dealing with Bloodnight when he doesn’t know if he can trust us.”
“The safety of the world is as stake, dear brother. The importance of that cannot be understated. Thankfully, wherever Morgan is, she has no greater powers than you. That’s why that cowardly woman hides!”
“Indeed! It’s discouraging enough when she occasionally lets us know she’s still breathing. She loves rubbing her continued existence into my face!” he said with a frown. “She’s like salt in a very open wound.”
“We must all remember the war years. She was the reason Hitler rose to power. That symbol known in modern times as a swastika was the same one she used at Camelot. She always thought it brought her good fortune. In 1940, she meant for it to strike fear into our hearts!”
“It did,” Merlin admitted. “It struck fear into the hearts of millions.”
Anna slowly shook her head. “We can only imagine what that she-spider wants in this world. She’s been hiding for so long, and allowing her anger to fester so deeply, that there must be some horribly foul scheme ahead. She remains fixated, even after repeated defeats. That woman was always half mad. In Camelot, I could smell the craziness on her. It stunk like old, boiled cabbage. What’s worse, she might have collected enough magical objects to do Goddess knows what. This coming battle won’t be like any others.”
“For every year of her nasty life, that woman has probably gleaned a hundred new magical sources we’ve never heard of. We must take great care. All of us,” Merlin said as he spoke to everyone in the group.
The others nodded as they glanced at each other in concern.
“To finalize this matter, you’ll tell Garrett and Jean before another week is out. Agreed, brother?”
“All right, Anna! All right. Just consider one thing.”
Anna frowned. “What’s that?”
“Morgan hasn’t yet gleaned Garrett’s true heritage. If she had, we all know that she’d have come after him by now. She isn’t likely to show up on our doorstep by Monday. So…for the love of Herne…let Garrett and Jean have this weekend! Will you?”
Anna gazed at those in her group; those who’d soon have to reveal their immortal or Ethereal identities to a
man they all loved. They were all smiling. “Well, I think that can be arranged. After all, this is a matter of the heart. And, if there’s no love in the world, what’s worth saving?
Jean felt the emptiness of Bloodnight Hall like an omen. She wasn’t frightened by the situation, just on guard.
She left her room and wandered, only to find the kitchen staff finishing up cooking for the entire weekend.
She couldn’t find Anna or Ben. The livestock had been let out to roam in various pastures and enclosures. Only a light staff was still in the barns, tending animals too young to let loose, or those needing medical attention. Even adopted puppies and kittens—there were always a plethora of these at Gart’s insistence—were being taken home, to be tended by staff from the nearby village. Everything had been purposely planned so that no animals would be left without companionship or nutrition.
Whatever the reason, she and Gart would be almost completely on their own, until Monday morning. The situation was unusual. Made more so by a young kitchen worker’s missive.
The girl was hurriedly putting her coat on, when the message was imparted.
“Miss, there’ll be no reason to be out at tonight. Old folks in town say it’s comin’. They always know, you see. No one doubts it. It’d be best if you stayed inside, and don’t wander about after dusk. Even an immortal like Mr. Bloodnight shouldn’t be subjected to that kind or magic. We’ll be back bright and early, Monday.”
With that, the girl left. Jean stood there, heartily confused by what she’d just heard.
What was the ‘it’ to which that employee referred? Why would an immortal care about being outside?
The warning put her on extreme guard.
If the girl was referring to Merlin’s magic, how could any employee know the wizard existed? Only Anna and a very few others knew she was training with a man named Jon Merdwyn, and those few did not gossip.
She dared not question anyone further, fearing she might make the staff suspicious.
The situation was very strange indeed.