Prophecy

by Gregory Cholmondeley

  Nariana, who was holding the limestone cube, handed it to Versera. Janus transformed it to sand, which flowed through her fingers, leaving her necklace in the palm of her hand.

  Ops looked at her nephew with pride and amazement. “The one member of our team who cannot do magic is the one who invented a whole new way to use it. I am truly impressed, Stavius.”

  The others began clapping, and Stavius was embarrassed by the attention for the first time in a very long time. He said, “Well, it is still just a theory. We won’t know until we try it on Merlin’s cube.”

  His statement quieted the group, and Janus nervously pointed out that they would just destroy the cube if they were wrong. Elisa countered that the stone block wasn’t much use as it was anyway. Nariana suggested taking a vote, and the team unanimously voted for Janus to transform the granite cube into a pile of sand. Well, it was unanimous except for Janus, and, of course, Saturn, who still hadn’t returned.

  Janus started to cast the spell while holding the cube, but Versera stopped him. She suggested placing it on the ground so that he wouldn’t accidentally drop it. Janus wholeheartedly agreed and set the block on a smooth patch of soft dirt.

  He waved his hand and, after a soft swishing sound, Merlin’s transparent crystal ball was sitting in a pile of sand on the floor in front of him. There was a tremendous feeling of relief, but no one wanted to pick it up.

  Nariana finally asked, “So, what do we do now?”

  “I don’t know,” answered Versera. “Perhaps we should rub it.”

  “It’s not Aladdin’s lamp,” groaned Nariana, as she picked it up. She hoped no one noticed her quick polish, but everyone did.

  Ops took the crystal sphere from Nariana and observed, “It seems that it has no power. Perhaps it’s dead, or perhaps it has been sitting so long that it needs to be recharged.”

  She handed the orb to Stavius, whose eyes grew large as he grasped the ball in his hands. It was cool and surprisingly heavy.

  “I have no idea how much power to feed this thing, nor how quickly I should charge it. I could blow it up!” the hero complained.

  Janus laughed, “Yup, but as Nariana pointed out to me, it’s not doing us any good like this. Everyone who thinks Stavius should give it his best shot, raise your hand.”

  Everyone’s hands were raised, except Stavius, when Saturn returned. He asked, “What did I miss?” Ops told him to be quiet and raise his hand.

  Stavius didn’t want anything to do with this. The crystal ball was ancient and incredibly valuable. He didn’t even want to hold it much less try to charge it, but he didn’t seem to have any choice.

  Stavius set the ball back down on the pile of sand and asked everyone to get behind him, in case it exploded. The others hadn’t considered this possibility and quickly complied.

  Stavius put his hand on the ball and transferred some magical energy into it from the ground. Nothing happened.

  He tried again, with more power, but still, nothing happened.

  He tried again, with even more power, and this time he felt a slight tug, as though the orb was attempting to pull the energy from him.

  “This thing seems to draw as much energy as a talisman,” he muttered. Then, with a quick look for encouragement from his friends, Stavius unleashed a magical charge at full capacity.

  The effect was immediate. The crystal ball began to glow and sucked every bit of magical energy Stavius could feed it. Stavius’ arms were tingling with heat as unbelievable amounts of energy flowed from the ground, through his body, and into the ball. Stavius didn’t need to worry about overpowering the orb. He doubted he could have stopped if he had tried. In thirty seconds, which felt like an hour to Stavius, the globe had absorbed more magical energy than either of the talismans from the slave camp, and the process ended as quickly as it began.

  “How did you know when to stop?” asked Janus as he looked at the smoldering orb.

  “I didn’t,” admitted Stavius. “I guess the flow just stopped when it was full.”

  A mist began to form on the far side of the crystal ball before anyone could ask what to do next. They stood in awe as it expanded beyond the confines of the ball and seemed to solidify into a pile of tattered, gray cloth, eight feet in front of them.

  The cloth pile shuddered and mumbled, “What is this place? Where am I? This isn’t my office! I can’t believe that I’m stuck in another darn cave. Why can’t I ever wake up on a beach?” Then the pile began to turn to face them.

  The pile of cloth wasn’t just cloth. It was a man. He was a short, fat, old man with liver spots, a large nose, and long, stringy, white hair hanging down around a bald spot covering the top of his head.

  He froze when he saw the others in the room. Then he straightened up, threateningly raised both hands, and bellowed in a deep and booming voice, “Who dares summon the great warlock, Merlin?”

  He stared at his shocked audience for a moment before doubling over with laughter. “I always wanted to do that,” he choked out. “I just wish I had emerged facing you. Didn’t anyone notice the arrow on the ball? You’re supposed to point it toward you when you turn it on. I tried to explain it in the pictures on the box. Oh well, I’m Merlin. Glad to meet you.”

  Chapter 12

  A Legend Appears

  Stavius was awestruck. Merlin was, beyond any doubt, Mark’s favorite fictional character. Sure, you could make a case for Batman, or Spiderman, or possibly Superman, if you were old. But none of them matched Merlin. He was the granddaddy of all superheroes. He was the model for Tolkien’s Gandalf! This was the greatest moment in Stavius’ life. It was better than meeting the gods. It was even better than learning he was going to become a god.

  After all, Stavius had already met the gods and found them to be disappointing. The only concern in Stavius’ mind was that Mark had expected a tall, thin, severe-looking man instead of the plump and jolly guy standing in front of him. He worried that his hero might not meet his high expectations as he began to introduce himself.

  He was just opening his mouth when the ground shook, and the sound of a loud explosion rumbled through the cave.

  Euryale shouted, “Everybody out! Grab whatever you can, leave the cave, and move away from the entrance!”

  Then, there was a second explosion, much more forceful than the first. Stalactites broke free from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. Toxic gases began seeping from the depths of the cavern.

  “Run! Run as fast as you can!” screamed Saiph as she shooed her children ahead of her.

  Everyone charged out of the room except for Janus and Stavius. Stavius picked up the ball and instructed Janus to transform the granite sand into a lump of clay. Janus hesitated but quickly complied after Stavius asked him if he wanted to run through a cave carrying the unprotected crystal ball.

  The boys ignored the screams from Merlin’s projection as it bounced off the walls and ceiling. Stavius placed the ball in the pile of clay and quickly covered it with the soft mud.

  “OK, now release your transformation and let’s get out of here,” he screamed at Janus. The air was almost unbreathable.

  Janus waved his hand, and the clay resumed its granite form. Stavius picked up the ball and handed it to Janus, who dropped it into his rucksack. They ran for the entrance as fast as they could.

  The rucksack bounced and bobbled as they ran, and the boys heard a tiny voice emanating from the pack, yelling phrases like, “Hey, watch out! Let me out of here! I can’t see a thing. Ouch! Oh no, I’m going to puke!”

  They were halfway to the entrance when they heard two, terrifying roars and a high-pitched, woman’s shriek. Mars passed them running back into the cave, yelling, “Venus, my love. I’m coming to save you!”

  The boys collapsed outside the cave entrance, coughing and sputtering from the noxious fumes. The girls dragged them to a safer distance as the oily-brown gasses became darker and more toxic. Several minutes passed until Mars finally stumbled out, carrying a limp and
naked form. It was the remains of Venus.

  “Quick, set up the tent and get some heating stones!” yelled Elisa, but Ops was already unpacking the tent, and Janus held two glowing, enchanted rocks in his hands.

  Mars wept, “Please save her,” as he placed the unmoving form in the tent and backed out. Elisa and Ops crawled in to see what they could do.

  Venus was an ageless, eternal, ethereal being, so she should not be affected by any physical toxin. The Soul Reaper body she had inhabited, however, seemed to be withered, with massive grooves and ridges everywhere. It was still alive but shivering and chattering.

  Ops moved the stones closer to the body, and it softly moaned, “Thank you.”

  Ten minutes later, the woman and girl backed out of the warming tent and closed the flap. Everyone was anxiously waiting outside for news.

  “Will she live? Will she recover from being disfigured by that toxic gas?” croaked Mars, between sobs.

  “I believe that both Venus and the Soul Reaper body she has been using will be just fine,” chuckled Ops. “I don’t think the gas did any damage, but sitting in a hot tub for nearly three weeks has turned her into a living raisin!

  “Let’s find her some clothes and build a dry sauna with some heating stones. She should stay out of the water for a few days and limit her soaks in the future.”

  Everyone relaxed, and Versera turned to ask Euryale what had just happened. “Was it an earthquake? A volcanic eruption? Is hot lava going to start flowing out of the cave?”

  “No, child. Nothing so dramatic,” chuckled Euryale. “Older dragons tend to pass gas when they awaken, which can be quite forceful if they have been in a trance for an extended time. Those eruptions, as you describe them, were monstrous farts from two of my ancestors waking up. I believe that opening Merlin’s crystal ball has roused both my mother and my grandmother. I can’t believe that grandma’s still alive. It’s a good thing I dusted them both right before the reunion.”

  She turned toward her granddaughters and commanded, “Girls! Go get as much food as you can. Your great-grandmothers will be starving, but they won’t be able to eat anything large. Bring back some ribbits and deer. Oh, and squarells! Bring back as many squarells as you can. Your great-great-grandmother loves the way their tails pop when they’re swallowed.”

  The remaining humans and dragons waited outside for at least fifteen minutes until Euryale gave the all-clear signal. She explained that it was safe to return to the cave but that the place would stink and groaned how it would take weeks to clean everything inside, including the walls, floor, and ceiling.

  Janus hefted his rucksack on his shoulder and heard muted grunts, complaints, and swearing from inside. They had forgotten entirely about Merlin during the confusion. Both he and Stavius desperately wanted to meet their hero and to learn his secrets, but they were dreading letting him out.

  “Let’s leave him in there until things settle down,” suggested Stavius.

  “Good idea,” Janus said, in agreement.

  “No! No, it is not a good idea! Let me out of here right now, you two imbeciles!” squeaked a tiny, muffled voice.

  ✽✽✽

  Saiph busily readied the cave for the elders, while Euryale trotted to the rearmost chambers to greet them. Everyone was struggling to not breathe through their noses. The child dragons were disappearing and reappearing with small game. Juice and the other dragon men were nervously inspecting their man-cave garden for damage. Juice explained that the new sprouts were at a very delicate stage of their development. And the seven humans returned to their room with Merlin’s crystal ball.

  Janus set the ball on the floor and transformed the granite into a pile of sand. A very annoyed and animated wizard sprang forth and began yelling.

  “Don’t you ever do that again! That was absolutely inexcusable behavior! If I were still corporeal, I would smite you with a blast of magical energy more powerful than you could possibly imagine!”

  “But you aren’t corporeal,” said Nariana.

  “And I’ve never had anyone threaten to smite me before,” laughed Versera.

  “Oh, we smite people all the time in our fantasy wargames,” said Stavius.

  “You are such hopeless geeks,” groaned Nariana.

  “Hey, you’re missing the point! This is all about me!” bellowed Merlin. “I cannot believe the lack of respect from this group.”

  “Well, you are little more than a 3D movie,” noted Terra.

  “What is three-dee, and what is a movie?” asked Merlin. Then he added, “Never mind. I just want to know why you wrapped me up, threw me in a bag, and bounced me all over creation.”

  “Because we didn’t want to break the crystal ball. Euryale’s mother and grandmother just woke up and blasted the entire place with toxic gas. We wrapped your orb up in granite to protect you while pulling you from the danger zone,” exclaimed Janus.

  “And it never occurred to you that a magic, crystal ball capable of containing a person’s consciousness might have a protective shield around it?” queried Merlin.

  “Well, no, but that does make sense,” mumbled Janus.

  “Of course, it makes sense, you idiot!” complained Merlin.

  Stavius came to Janus’ defense with, “But we didn’t know that. We didn’t want to risk damaging you if the shield wasn’t active after being discharged for so long. A little jostling seems like a small price to pay for us, ensuring that you’re all right.”

  “Yeah, so suck it up and stop whining,” added Nariana.

  “I have no idea what you mean by ‘suck it up,’ but I do not like your tone, young lady. I am, however, grateful for your consideration of my well-being. I thank you for your care, and I withdraw my comment about you being idiots. But please never do that again. I suffer from terrible motion sickness,” the wizard admitted.

  This was not at all how Mark had wanted to meet his hero. He said, “It is such an honor to meet you, Merlin. I’ve read everything about you.”

  Merlin was taken aback by this admission. “You’ve heard of me? But you must be from at least the year one thousand eight hundred back on Albion.”

  Nariana asked, “Where is Albion?”

  Saturn replied, with obvious disdain, “Albion is what this gentleman would have called the land in which he lived. We would call that island Britain today, but I think it would be clearer to refer to the entire world, which we call Earth.”

  Terra spoke, “OK, well, we’re from a few hundred years later than that. But how did you know?”

  Merlin was clearly impressed and answered, “Earth is an odd name for the world, but I will use it henceforth. The Prophecy obviously has a cycle of just over one thousand, two hundred years. Our cycle was over, and I simply did the math. But you say they’re still talking about me nearly a thousand years after I died? I obviously didn’t give Geoff enough credit.”

  Saturn piped up, “Do you mean that you spoke with Geoffrey of Monmouth, the author of the Arthurian tales?”

  Merlin grinned, “Yes, well, he was just a kid at the time and certainly didn’t have any ‘Of Monmouth’ title, but that was the guy. Wait, did you say Arthurian tales?”

  Saturn explained, “Geoffrey of Monmouth is known for the stories he wrote about the mythical King Arthur. Most readers become enthralled about Camelot with its gleaming alabaster walls, the round table, the tales of knights in shining armor on their quest for the holy grail, and, of course, the sword in the stone.

  “Historians, however, recognize most of this as fiction. However, many believe that some of the stories are based upon actual, people, and events from that era. We call it the Dark Ages because we know so little about that period in England and Europe. It would be immensely beneficial to our understanding of this era if you do, indeed, possess the memories of someone who lived during it.”

  “And don’t forget tournaments with jousting, King Arthur’s glorious battles, and the sorcerers, magicians, and dragons!” Stavius quickly added. “The
stories say that you were King Arthur’s court magician! Is that true?”

  “Court magician!? Arthur, a king? Knights with shiny armor? What did that hack write? I hired that imbecile to write my memoirs. All those stories of which you speak were background material. I should never have paid him in advance,” grumbled Merlin. He sat on a rock and sulked.

  Saturn quickly mentioned that Geoffrey’s first writing was, in fact, called Prophecies of Merlin, and he also wrote another work titled Life of Merlin. His most broadly-known book was, however, The History of the Kings of Britain, in which he discussed King Arthur in great detail.”

  The History teacher side of Saturn was entirely in control now. He continued, “We know that many elements like Arthur, dragons, and your living for four hundred years were added to bring interest to the story. Learning the details of the historical elements would be invaluable. What can you tell us about what really occurred?”

  Janus interrupted and said, “That sounds like a fascinating conversation, but I think it can wait. The more compelling questions involve how you acquired all seven talismans, what you did with them, why it worked, and why it didn’t fulfill The Prophecy.”

  Nariana agreed, “I was going to say the same thing. Let’s not lose focus now.”

  Saturn relented, “Of course. Of course. We can discuss all this later. Please help us with understanding our mission.”

  Merlin turned around to face his audience. He studied their faces and saw curiosity, amazement, and excitement. It had been a very long time since he had entertained an eager audience.

  He said, “Very well, I will tell you about the talismans, but first, I need to clarify some of your information. You need to know who I am and a little about my compatriots before we begin.

  “First, let me retract my disparagement of Geoff. I did hire him to write about me. However, he worked for the church, and I am not surprised that he could only get his works published by packaging them as stories about spreading Christianity. His employers certainly weren’t going to promote a story about a wizard.