Ever My Merlin (Book 3, My Merlin Series)

by Ardis, Priya

Medusa’s snake. The metallic snake held the blood spilt by Medusa on her death, twenty-five-hundred-year-old blood.

  Matt gave him a long look. “It is tied to the past. It will not show you the future.”

  “You will pardon me if I don’t take your word for it. Once again, you’ve missed the obvious—the Lady led you to it. It worked before, now that I have your power, this will work for me, too,” said Vane. “Where is it, Merlin? Or do I have to tear through you to get it?”

  “You’ve done enough of that today, haven’t you, brother?” Matt said in a voice laced with bitterness.

  Vane glanced at me with a smirk. I resisted the urge to wince.

  “Yes, but there is little time for you to wallow. You will accept what has happened eventually. There is no other choice.” He raised the trident. “Give me the snake, Merlin. I will not ask again.”

  Matt crossed his arms across his chest. “I. Don’t. Have. It.”

  “Pity.” A shield of ice hooded Vane’s eyes. I had a moment of deep foreboding before Vane fired on Matt.

  “Vane!” I moved to block the blast.

  Matt instinctively put up a hand to shield himself, but no magic came out. Blake made it to Matt first. He held up a weak shield. Owing to the amount of energy the wizards had already used to protect the city from the tsunami, I knew it wouldn’t hold against Vane’s power. I jumped and caught the blast with the edge of Excalibur’s blade just before it hit the shield. The blast slammed into Excalibur’s unusual metal. It knocked me backwards to the ground and rebounded into Vane. Vane put out a hand and captured the stream of pure energy into his hand. Somehow, he compressed it so that it formed a tight green fireball and bounced it idly in his hand.

  My bones jarred by hard concrete, I forced myself back on my feet and shouted, “What are you doing, Vane?”

  Thoughtful eyes turned to me. “It seems as if I truly have stripped Merlin’s magic.”

  “You knew that!” I said, seething. “You promised not to harm him.”

  “I promised earlier. This is later.” Frost firmly obscuring any emotion in his eyes, Vane lifted the trident again at Matt. “I need that snake, Merlin. All our fates depend on it.”

  I strode forward, putting myself between Matt and him, and taunted him. “You’ll have to go through me and I know you won’t. You still need Excalibur.”

  “Are you so certain?”

  He said it so quietly I felt a trickle of unease go down my spine. I raised my chin. I hadn’t given into him when he was being a jerk before and I wasn’t about to now… even if this was a way scarier jerk.

  Another figure came out of the door. This one made my stomach clench. He also held a sword. It was the gargoyle king’s traitorous son—Oliver, who’d once been my friend. I’d hoped to never see him again. I wasn’t so lucky.

  Oliver mocked, “Am I late?”

  He lined up with Leonidas and the mermaids. Disbelief filled me. I’d lost count of how many times the gargoyle had tried to kill me. I turned to Vane. “You’re working with him?”

  Vane said steadily, “I needed a backup.”

  “You sicken me,” I thought to him.

  The Minotaur inside stirred and awoke. Green eyes intensified.

  Oliver smiled at me. “I will happily take the sword.”

  I spat, “Try me.”

  Oliver took a step forward. A barrier of magic blocked his way. Vane said, “We’re not here for that today.”

  “Let’s give you a choice, love. Merlin or your friend. Which one will you defend?” Vane’s voice said, except it sounded oddly hollow.

  A stream of magic sent Gia flying backwards across the roof. She landed on a ledge. Her head and back collided with the wall in a loud “crack!” Her head slumped forward as she passed out in a sitting position. Instinctively, I took a step toward her.

  Vane raised a brow. “Which one will you choose?”

  I hesitated.

  Vane barked, “Leonidas, take the red-haired witch.”

  Sword in hand, Leonidas leapt toward Gia with a feral noise. Grey ran to Gia to intercept him. Everything happened quickly after that. Too quickly.

  “No!” Blake yelled. “Aayat!”

  A knife extended into a sword in Grey’s hands. Blake managed to conjure a weak fireball, which he lobbed at Leonidas. He and Grey charged the mermaid prince with a sword. Oliver stepped in against them. Close to the edge of the rooftop, the two clashed. I knew Leonidas too well. Blake and Grey didn’t stand a chance.

  I ran across the roof to help them. Matt ran beside me.

  Out of the corner of my eye, across the long length of the rooftop, I saw Hari, Raj, and about ten other wizards surround Vane and the remaining mermaids. They held swords and fireballs in their hands, with which they bombarded Vane. The small, explosive balls, although magic, lacked strength. Vane deflected the fireballs easily, then imbued them with more strength as he sent them rebounding back. A fast, blazing fireball flew straight back at Hari, hitting him squarely in the chest. With barely a cry, the young wizard sailed backwards. His body collapsed on the rooftop. The sword, now useless in his hand, clattered to the ground beside him.

  “No!” Sangeetha, her black braids flying behind her, ran to her husband.

  Matt halted midway to Grey. Hari, the young wizard, who was so alive only a few minutes ago, now lay as still as a marble statue. Sangeetha dropped to her knees, letting out loud, harsh sobs. Raj went to her and put an arm around the girl’s shaking shoulders.

  “Fall back,” Raj shouted.

  The other wizards backed away from Vane. He let them go. Leonidas grabbed Grey. He slammed his head against the ledge. I turned to go to him.

  A few feet away, Blake, black hair wild and wiry in the blowing wind, lunged at Oliver. Oliver struck back at him.

  “Blake!” I screamed.

  The thick blade connected with Blake’s neck with deadly force. Blake never had the chance to make another sound. His head fell to the ground.

  CHAPTER 4 – COLD SUMMER

  CHAPTER 4

  COLD SUMMER

  “No!” Matt’s cry rung with grief.

  I stopped midstride, pole axed and frozen in place. The rest of the world buzzed around me yet it was an indecipherable sound. All I could hear was the stop and start of my heart pounding against my eardrums.

  Oliver didn’t slow down. With the practiced ease of a trained candidate, he turned and ran at me.I lifted Excalibur in return.

  “Enough,” Vane roared.

  In a flash of green light (Vane’s magic), Oliver went flying backwards. But Vane didn’t glance at us. His gaze remained fixed on Blake’s severed form. Real emotion stirred. For the first time since I’d seen him assume the mantle of the monster, it receded. The green cracked and a glimmer of Vane’s hazel irises peered through. Then, Leonidas walked to his side. Shields dropped over Vane’s expression and all emotion was buried. The mask of indifference slid firmly back into place.

  Oliver got up quickly. “I can bring her down.”

  “No,” Vane commanded.

  Oliver lunged at me.

  Vane knocked him a few feet away.

  “I won’t tolerate disobedience.” He stood on the other side of the roof. “I’m afraid this association will not work out after all. Leonidas, take the traitor gargoyle prisoner.”

  Blake’s head stared at me from the ground.

  My fingers tightened on Excalibur. “No, he’s not getting off that easily.”

  Leonidas blocked my way. The mermaid prince faced me without lifting his sword. I moved to attack him. More green magic blew at me, knocking me backwards. Hard concrete collided with my tailbone. Vane zapped Oliver too. He slumped to the floor, felled by a sleep spell. Leonidas grabbed Oliver and thrust him at the other mermaids.

  I jumped up and shouted at Vane, “Did you ever care about anyone? How can you protect him?”

  “I may need him,” he replied.

  While his expression wasn’t apologetic, the mere
fact that he bothered to explain surprised me. I stared at him through a haze of tears. I didn’t move.

  Matt knelt beside Blake. He picked up Blake’s head and set it against his body. Two young wizards left Sangeetha’s and Raj’s side and rushed over to us. In a glow of yellow, the young wizards sealed Blake’s head back on his body and closed the lifeless, unseeing eyes. They bowed their heads.

  The wizards on the other rooftops gathered just outside the green bubble that held us captive. Eyes fixed on the body of their fallen leader, they watched, but could do nothing to help. Ignoring the pain in my own worn out muscles, I stumbled over to Grey. A cut bled at the hairline across Grey’s forehead, and I put my fingers to his neck. His pulse was strong.

  “He will be fine,” Vane said. “His gargoyle blood will heal him.”

  I ignored him. Wiping at my wet face, I checked Gia next. She lay on Grey’s other side. At my prodding, she sat up slowly. She saw me and frowned. By my face, she knew something was wrong. She looked past me and spotted Blake. As realization hit her, I felt its vicious blow again. Gia made a shrieking sound of horror that pierced the air. Loud sobs wracked her body. I tried to pull her into a hug, but she threw me off and crawled toward Blake. She lifted his limp hand and started weeping.

  My insides twisted at the sound of her pain. It echoed mine.

  Matt got up and walked to me. He said harshly, “This shouldn’t have happened.”

  I reached out a hand to him, needing his touch, but dropped it halfway when those amber-brown eyes fixed on me. Something profound flickered in those depths. Something hard.

  Vane leaned on the trident and watched the scene from a safe distance. Leonidas stood at his right. At a nod from Vane, their king, the other mermaids moved to protectively surround him. Grey stirred and sat up. The gargoyles moved to band together at his side. Beyond the bubble, the wizards on the other rooftops also gathered. All eyes were fixed on the bodies of their fallen brethren, but there was nothing they could do to help.

  Vane played with the trident. “Tell me, Merlin, how many more are you willing to sacrifice today before you give me what I want?”

  “No one else is going to die here today, Vane.” Matt stood up. To my shock, he grabbed Excalibur from my hand. Heaving the blade like a lance at Vane, he shouted, “Zikara!”

  “Zikara!” The other wizards on our rooftop shouted in unison.

  Excalibur flew straight and true across the rooftop.

  “Zikara!” The wizards on the other rooftops echoed. One-by-one, the cry spread out like a wave.

  It hit Vane just above his heart. With a yelp, he sailed backwards as the blade impaled his shoulder.

  In a rainbow of multi-colored magic, a mist, spreading rapidly from the ocean behind us, attacked Vane’s bubble. With Vane now on the ground, the bubble dissipated without much of a fight. Dewy mist solidified into fog as it took over the rooftop. I could barely see the sky above, or the ocean ahead of me. Under its thick blanket, Vane lay still on the ground.

  “Vane!” Leonidas said. He knelt down at Vane’s side just before the fog obscured my view.

  I couldn’t help it. I took a step toward him. Matt grabbed my arm and stopped me.

  “We have to go,” Matt said into my ear.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Vane. Excalibur.”

  “I don’t want to leave Excalibur with him, either, but we don’t have a choice. Excalibur won’t slow him down for long. He’s too powerful. He was surprised this time, but we can’t win against him right now. If we don’t go, we won’t get out at all.”

  “He’s right, Ryan. We have to go while we can.” Grey stepped into view through the thick layer of mist. He held Blake. Gia followed behind him. Her hand stretched out to emit a small bubble of yellow light. It pushed back the mist a few feet from us. Two wizards carried Hari’s body. I glanced back into the grey nothingness that had overtaken the rooftop. It was a very bad idea to leave Excalibur with Vane.

  An eerie acapella aria filled the rooftop as the mist started lifting. I saw the mermaids surround Vane. Their mouths were open as they emitted the haunting melody. Vane’s body rose in the air. The shroud of mist began to lift along with him.

  “They’re fighting back against the fog,” Matt said. “We leave now!”

  We hurried to the broken access door, past remnants of wood still attached to weakened hinges. Climbing through the slats, which hung open like drunken sots, resigned to defeat, we got out.

  ***

  Was this my life now? I wondered a few hours later as I stood in a secluded clearing just beyond the outskirts of the city. Once you left the main drag, the area turned rural rather quickly. The darkened sky thundered beneath charged clouds and streaks of lightning flashed through small gaps. The first storm of the monsoon season threatened to drench us. Not that it mattered. We were already drowning in our own grief.

  The ones whose families would want to say goodbye in their own way, were left on the roof. Placed upon a heap piled high with bent and broken wood, Hari was one of the six in the pyre in front of me. Sangeetha stood stoically beside the pyre, wearing a white sari. She watched her husband fade into ash. They’d only been married for six months.

  Raj, Hari’s brother and apparently second-in-command, carried the torch, setting the six funeral pyres ablaze. His eyes were red with unshed tears. We stepped back as he said his final goodbye to the dead wizards, his friends, and his brother.

  Six. It was not a good number, and I had to wonder at life’s design, which extracted souls so capriciously. My mother. Alexa. Blake.

  Blake wasn’t included in the pyre. Matt contacted the First Member of the Wizard Council and Blake’s body was to be rushed home to England by special arrangement. It helped to have connections in the British government.

  Tears fell from my eyes for all of them. I didn’t have the energy to brush the drops away. So many had died today, ultimate sacrifices for those they left behind. I pictured Blake’s kind eyes and the way he used to fiddle with his geeky, black glasses whenever he was nervous. How he’d always been there for me. He embodied everything it meant to be a knight.

  My hands tightened on the strap of the fabric bag I was holding.

  I would not forget this day.

  Fierce wind blew dust in my face. I glanced at Matt’s silent profile next to me. He stared, stone-faced, at the glorious blaze lapping at the sky. Light danced across his high cheekbones, shadowing them, in a remarkably similar way to his brother. Despite Vane being slightly older, they could have almost passed for twins. Except for the eyes. Matt’s usually brooded. Today, they just looked bleak.

  He didn’t return my look. Instead, he stared at the blazing conflagration. I turned back to the funeral. A wizard, dressed in the wrap-around, white sarongs that priests wore in India, stepped forward, muttering a long phrase. He threw a handful of white rice into the fire as part of a last rites ceremony. Nearly a hundred wizards stood in the clearing, a somber crowd all clad in white funeral dress. I took a deep breath, inhaling heat and smoke. It scorched my nostrils and burned the hairs a bit. Its sharp scent went straight to my brain, leaving me a little dizzy; and although it made me feel somewhat more alive, it did nothing to alleviate the cold, hard weight pressing down on my chest.

  I turned and began to walk away. My restless legs refused to hold still anymore. Grey, who was standing just behind me, caught my sleeve. He gave me a questioning look. His skin pallor looked like ash, and and Gia held him onto him to keep upright. The gash on her head was healed, but she still wasn’t okay. She didn’t look at me. Or anyone. Instead, she stared off at a point in space, silent tears streaking her cheeks as she looked for something that was now long gone.

  I couldn’t breathe. I swayed in place. Grey’s grip tightened. I let myself draw from his support and straightened. Slipping out of his hold, I kept going. I crossed the edge of the clearing and went down the dirt path to a white concrete house, nestled deep within the woods. The sky darkened over the
rectangular house. Two stories high, it had a huge, covered veranda in the front. The SUVs we’d been driving hugged the side of the house. I also noticed a Jeep and several sedans. The place was some kind of safe house for the wizards.

  I went up a short flight of steps and hurried past empty rocking chairs that invited you to enjoy the balminess of a sultry evening. I spotted a doorway that led straight into the main part of the house. I stumbled across a tree stump as large as an easy chair and sat down. Inside, open-air seating around a square courtyard revealed more blue sky. Gauzy, white curtains framed the open wall of the seating area. As functional as they were decorative, they would be closed as soon as night fell, to ward off mosquitoes.

  Like many traditional houses in India, it was built around a central, square courtyard. At its core, a thick mango tree showed small green fruit starting to emerge from dense branches. I crossed the seating area and went to the next section of the house, where two long, wooden tables took up most of the kitchen. Instead of chairs, benches had been put in place for seating. One table displayed framed pictures of groups of people with garlands around them. I sat down on a bench at the other table and took off the shoulder bag. I stared across the gulf at the smiling faces in the pictures. Most of those wizards were now gone.

  I touched my neck. I no longer wore the amulet. Matt insisted that I take it off and I conceded. I reached for the fabric bag and unbuttoned it, drawing out a wadded handkerchief. Matt had wrapped the Dragon’s Eye carefully after we’d left the rooftop. I set the wad on the table. I peeled off the cloth, being careful not to touch the chain or the gemstone. A simple touch would link me back to Vane.

  I was surprised I could take off the necklace. Thankfully, Matt had removed the spell that locked it on me while we were in Athens. He never put it back. Biting the inside of my cheek, I debated what I was about to do. I took a breath. I had no idea where I was. It was as safe as it was going to get. I picked up the necklace and put it on. My body sighed with satisfaction as soon as the gemstone touched my skin. Something about it sent a visceral sigh through me.