I opened my mouth to voice some of this, but Merlin held up his hand. “All in good time, Crisanta Knight,” he responded. “But before we get into that …” Merlin glanced over my shoulder.
The hunter I’d kicked in the head was starting to get up. Daniel made to go toward him, but Merlin stepped forward first. He drew some white sand from another pouch. As he did, I noticed the metallic bracelet on his wrist. Part of it extended along his hand with bulging end points that met in the middle of his palm.
“Ignus.”
When Merlin said the word, the bulging end points struck against each other, producing a tiny spark that ignited the sand in his hand. The grains began to sparkle before he threw them on the hunter’s face. On impact, the now-sparkling sand created a white wisp of smoke that swiftly popped like a bubble. When it vanished, the hunter collapsed back to the ground. I thought he was dead until he snored as Merlin closed the pouch the sand had come from.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Potion sand,” Merlin replied. “Condensed magic particles of my own design. But that’s not important right now. First and foremost, you probably want to know why I keep reaching out to you in your dreams.”
“Um, okay,” I said, taken aback by the way he treated me with such familiarity.
“I’ve had visions of your future for some time, Crisanta,” Merlin said, pivoting on his heel and heading back toward the cave. He beckoned for us to follow. “Fascinating stuff. I feel like I know you and your friends quite well. You really are something. Come. This is a show-and-tell type of situation.”
Merlin stepped over Nyneve’s body like it was a pothole.
I scrunched up my face, put off by the action.
What was with this guy? In the last few minutes he’d defeated a bunch of magic hunters while he was invisible, murdered his ex-girlfriend, and now he was talking to us like we were long-lost colleagues whom he couldn’t wait to catch up with. For someone who was supposed to be a respected wizard, he didn’t act as prim and formal as Julian, the current Wizard of Oz. And for someone who was supposed to be a powerful wielder of Pure Magic, he sure didn’t give off the wise, all-knowing mentor vibe that Liza did. My first impression of the guy was that he was peculiar and shifty.
The infamous wizard hurried ahead of us into the cave. I restored my weapon to its wandpin state and pursued him. Daniel and I moved around Nyneve’s body and stepped into the cave. The entry sloped down substantially and the dirt was slippery; I had to watch my footing.
“So, is this who you thought was in here?” I whispered to Daniel.
“It’s in Le Morte d’Arthur, the famous book about Camelot’s history,” Daniel replied. “I remember something about Merlin being trapped in a cave that could only be opened by the same person who sealed it. Jason and I had to read the book for our Chivalry class. I’m actually surprised you didn’t know. Blue said you guys were reading it for your Damsels in Distress course.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s a fourteen hundred-page book, Daniel. And I’ve been kinda busy trying to save the realm, not turn evil, and avoid being killed. I haven’t had a lot of spare time for reading lately.”
The ground leveled out and we passed through a stone archway. I went under with no problem (like I imagined Merlin did since he was about five-foot-six like me). Daniel had to crouch a bit. When we came out the other side we found ourselves in a huge cavern lit with a bluish hue. The ceiling was very high and the floor was dotted with indigo rocks. A small, silvery pond at the back of the cavern rippled from the fountain protruding from its center.
The bluish hue came from clumps of luminescent moss growing on the ceiling and around the cavern walls. They lit up everything with perfect clarity, including the words and drawings on the walls. When I saw them, I shivered. It felt wondrous and spooky, like when we went to Liza’s home and saw how she kept track of her visions with paintings and diagrams.
Merlin had used fragments of the indigo rock like chalk to write and draw all over the cavern. I saw my name, Daniel’s name, and the names of many of my friends on the walls. I also saw phrases including “captured by Rampart,” “killed by magic hunters,” “Simia Crown,” and “Pure Magic” written near my name. I followed those phrases along the wall, pursuing their trail in a trance.
“Lady of the Lake, Century City, Potions Professor, Chance Darling, Dreamland, M.R.I., Big Bear…” I read out loud.
There were phrase trails for Daniel and my other friends too. Between our trails were fairly impressive sketches. I saw an illustration of Jason standing in a wooden boat crossing a lake. A drawing of five weirdly shaped hummingbirds flying over my head. A rendering of Chance Darling and Daniel arguing.
I stopped when I came upon a sketch of me facing off with Mauvrey. I’d seen the image in a dream. I was holding her by the throat, strangling her. The expression on my face was so ruthless it caught my breath.
“Like I said …”
I turned to face Merlin.
“I know you.”
My lips tightened into a frown. I’d always felt uncomfortable with how much of my future Liza knew. It made me feel inferior—like she was a god and I was her subject. After we met and got to know each other, that discomfort had lessened slightly because we were no longer just dreams to one another; we were real. She typically didn’t lord her power of foresight over me, and as our relationship had grown I didn’t feel so violated when she did reference my future. With all the work she’d put into training me, she’d earned that familiarity, and my trust.
Merlin, however, had not. We had no relationship, but he was clearly privy to the turns of my fate before I was and didn’t seem to have any qualms about showing it off.
Another thing that bothered me was that while I knew Liza’s motivations for helping me, working with me, and interfering in my life, I didn’t know Merlin’s. Why had he been communicating with me through my dreams? Why had he left that book for me at Gwenivere’s castle? His motives were not evident and that was disconcerting.
Furthermore, Liza never mistook seeing my future as a write-off for not needing to understand me in the present. I think that, above all other reasoning, was why Merlin’s last statement perturbed me so much. Merlin didn’t know me. Knowing someone and knowing their future were two very different things. I didn’t appreciate him acting like they weren’t.
“There’s not much to do in this cave except sleep and meditate,” Merlin said, not paying any mind to the annoyed expression on my face. “The result is a lot of visions. I came to learn a lot about you and your friends’ significance while I was stuck here.”
“How long has it been since Nyneve trapped you in the cave?” Daniel asked.
“Based on the way Nyneve looked, I would say about ten years,” Merlin said.
“How does Nyneve’s age let you know you’ve been here for ten years?” I asked. “And if that’s really the right amount of time, how the heck did you survive that long?”
“The potion sand in my third pouch is for rapid aging,” Merlin said, gesturing to his utility belt. “It makes people age five years for every one year that passes.”
“Why have a potion that does that?”
Merlin shrugged. “I don’t like to kill my enemies if I can help it. I prefer to punish them. I’m vindictive like that. So I always carry some kind of suffering-based potion. One shot activates it; a second will reverse the effects like you saw with Nyneve a few minutes ago. That’s how I know the approximate amount of time I’ve been here. Nyneve was forty when she trapped me, but I managed to hit her with some potion sand before she sealed me in.
“As to your second question, this cave is enchanted. Time moves very slowly inside. For me, it’s only felt like a couple of months have passed. And I’ve had the Fountain of Youth to keep me alive.” Merlin gestured to the fountain in the middle of the pond like it was no big deal.
“The water contains nutritional powers that provide your body with everything it needs to
sustain itself. It can’t heal the sick or the wounded, but it can prolong a healthy life indefinitely if you keep drinking. This cave used to be the home of the Holy Grail for that reason … But that’s another story.”
Merlin huffed in amusement as if he was remembering something funny. “Anyway, being trapped in here hasn’t been so bad. I’ve just hated that I haven’t been able to protect the realm and the people I care about for so long. I’ve had many visions about Camelot’s fate under Rampart and Morgause’s rule, as well as what has befallen Arthur. It is regrettable. Now that I am free I can help proactively. We must depart for my compound immediately. I have to make preparations for what’s coming and there are some things that you need.”
Merlin slapped Daniel on the back. “Let’s go, tall guy.”
Daniel was surprised by the sudden, familiar gesture, but he followed the wizard out. They ducked under the arch we’d entered through. I hesitated before going after them, taking one last gander at Merlin’s work on the walls.
“I don’t suppose we can take some of that water from the Fountain of Youth with us?” I heard Daniel ask as they ascended toward the mouth of the cave.
“Nice try, kid,” Merlin responded. “But the magic waters only work if you drink them in the cave while it’s sealed shut. You can only reap their benefits if you’re stuck in here like I was. It’s a bragawash clause, but all magic comes with a cost.”
I stared up at the sketch on the wall of me throttling Mauvrey. “Don’t I know it,” I muttered.
erlin seemed to know all the moves the Shifting Forest was going to make before it made them.
The wizard twisted through trees and glens and natural undergrowth tunnels with the utmost confidence even as the ground was moving. He explained that the forest’s tectonic plates shifted in certain patterns, which had to do with the time of day. He’d memorized these patterns long ago.
During the journey, Merlin told us more about the potion sands he kept in his leather pouches. Like SJ and her portable potions, the wizard had invented a way to crystalize his magical brews into a more travel-friendly form. While SJ had figured out how to condense hers into marble-sized projectiles, Merlin had reduced his potions to grains of sand. All it took was a spark to ignite them and release the enchantment contained inside. The metal bracelet he wore was designed to produce the necessary spark when he—or whoever wore it—spoke the command, “Ignus.”
Merlin was legendary for his magic and his influence over Camelot as Arthur’s right hand. The potion sands that Merlin carried with him explained his wide range of powerful abilities, which had helped foster the mythology of him being the “greatest wizard of all time.” The only power that was not a result of his inventiveness was the gift that resulted from his Pure Magic—invisibility.
Like me with my powers of life, or Liza with her powers of teleportation, Merlin’s Pure Magic had bestowed him with one incredibly powerful ability. Not only could he make himself invisible, he could project that power onto other beings and objects as well.
Nyneve had been right; those magic hunters had been no match.
After walking for half an hour, we reached a stone wall that encircled a massive property. Vines covered much of the wall and mushrooms sprouted at the base. At the top of the wall were long, sharp spikes like the points of Twenty-Three Skidd lacrosse swords.
Merlin led us along the barrier until we reached a silver gate decorated with crystals. I imagined they must’ve been stunning once, but like the gate itself, they were now dull and weathered.
The gate did not have a handle or a keyhole. Instead, there was a large, translucent disc with a round opal at the center. I stared at it curiously. It looked like an eyeball. Then the thing blinked and I jumped away.
“Many years ago, I put an enchantment over this property,” Merlin explained. “If the walls and the spikes don’t deter trespassers, this little guy stops them in their tracks.”
Merlin held his palm up to the eye. It blinked before a wave of blue energy rippled across the wall.
“How does it work?” Daniel asked, eyeing the eye suspiciously.
“The eye scans anything alive within one foot of the wall all across the compound. If it does not see me, then it will release a warning. If that warning is not heeded, then the trespassers face an electrifying consequence.” Merlin looked up at a dove in a nearby tree. “Here, I’ll show you. Both of you step back a few feet.”
“Wait, what are you gonna—”
“Crisanta. I’m working.” Merlin held up a finger for silence then shooed Daniel and me behind him.
It took all of my strength not to let my irritation show. I hadn’t gotten shushed like that since I was at school. My impression of Merlin was not improving.
Merlin removed one of the pouches from his utility belt and shook it upside down on the grass several inches from the gate. A few small particles spilled out.
“More potion sand?” I asked.
“No,” he replied. “This is trail mix. I ran out a while ago, but I thought I might have some crumbs left.” He whistled lightly to get the attention of the dove. Curious, it flew over. When the bird landed on the ground to eat, Merlin retreated and joined us.
At the center of the gate, the shimmering eye blinked again. Its opal cornea shifted in the direction of the dove. After a moment, a wave of blue energy passed over the wall like it had before, only this time right after it finished a loud chime sounded and a wave of red energy followed. Then a warning was issued. It was loud but calm.
“Please step away from the wall. You are trespassing on the property of the almighty, and incomparably handsome, Merlin. You have five seconds to move away.”
A bad feeling started to creep up my throat. “Merlin, it’s not going to—”
“Shh.” Merlin smacked my arm with the back of his hand. “I like this part.”
The dove continued to peck at the crumbs.
“Four,” the voice counted. “Three, two, one.”
As I’d feared, something horrifying happened on “one.” The wall crackled with white-hot magical electricity. Then a single pulse shot out of the bricks closest to the bird. The delicate dove never knew what hit him. He was dead instantly.
“You killed him!” I dashed forward and came to my knees in front of the ill-fated bird. There was a small black scorch mark on his otherwise pure white coat, right above his heart.
“Relax,” Merlin said as he held his palm up to the gate’s eye anew. Blue light flashed over everything as he shrugged. “It was just a bird. Nothing to get yourself into a twist about. It’s not like it was a person.”
“Have there been people, though?” Daniel asked sternly. “Killed by this gate, I mean?”
“Nah,” Merlin shrugged. “I had this enchantment in place for years before I got trapped. It only kills the occasional woodland creature. It’s never hurt a person. People are smart enough to move away once they hear the warning.”
Merlin snapped his fingers in front of the eyeball. The gate vanished.
“Now, onward,” Merlin said. “If you two hope to complete your long-term mission, you’ll need some of the magical items I have inside.”
“Keep them,” I said, glaring at the wizard. “I don’t want anything from you.”
My irritation at Merlin had blossomed into mild anger. He couldn’t just go around killing things. I was still on the moral fence about taking life where bad guys were concerned, but I knew that taking life to prove a point was a hard wrong. I figured everyone knew that.
“I thought you were supposed to be a good guy,” I said to Merlin.
“I am a good guy,” Merlin replied. “I just focus on the big picture to accomplish the most good. I never do anything without a reason.”
My glare persisted, but Merlin took in my sour expression with ease. “Not a fan of my methods, Crisanta Knight?”
“Hardly,” I huffed.
“That’s fair,” Merlin replied. “I’ve been told I’m an acquired
taste. Like croquet or sushi.”
“Sushi?”
“It’s like raw fish, only fancier. When you go to Earth, I recommend a place called Sugarfish—I’ve foreseen tiny portions, but excellent quality.”
My annoyance with the wizard melted into confusion. I raised my eyebrows and looked to Daniel for help. “Okay. Now I’m lost.”
Merlin shook his head. “No, no. That’s not supposed to happen until Book Seven.”
I turned back to him. “What?”
“Never mind. I’m getting ahead of myself. Been in that cave a bit too long, you know.” Merlin knocked on his head, which made a disturbingly hollow sound.
I blinked hard and long. Merlin threw me for a loop. One minute he was cold and calculating. The next he was babbling like a quirky hobo living behind a dumpster.
“You’re not making any sense,” Daniel said.
“Or am I making all the sense in the world, but it is a world you’re unfamiliar with?” Merlin countered. I opened my mouth to speak, but Merlin held a finger to my lips, shushing me preemptively. I had to fight all my instincts not to break that finger.
He pulled away and crouched down to my level. “Crisanta Knight, I’ll admit that being in that cave alone with nothing to do but get lost in my visions has made me a tad more unstable than usual. But make no mistake: I am not a fool. And no action I take is without purpose or meaning. The help I’m offering will be vital to your destiny. As a matter of fact, this dove was killed just for you.”
Merlin’s irises flared with the stern intensity of someone strong, powerful, and more brilliant than anyone I’d ever known.
“You’re a smart girl, Crisanta,” he said. “And I know there’s been a theory burning in the back of your mind about the extent of your powers. You want to know whether you can actively use them to restore life to others like you accidentally used them on yourself. More specifically, you want to know if you can use them to bring back a friend.”
Crisanta Knight: To Death & Back Page 31