by Tom Larcombe
{I love you too Nimue. I'll take care of this.} Merlin sent.
He felt the channel they were using for communication close and be replaced by a surge of energy from the tree, funneling into Nimue through the ring.
Merlin looked up and found everyone staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you okay Merlin?” Gunter asked, “That scream was horrible.”
“Ave isn't attacking Nimue. Ave is trying to possess the mind and body of my unborn daughter. Nimue is protecting her as best she can,” Merlin said.
The stares turned to looks of horror.
* * *
Merlin stayed sitting with Nimue for about a half hour. He was making plans while he tried to reassure her with his proximity. Finally he stood and walked towards the cottage slowly.
“Where are you going?” Brenda asked.
“To get some sleep. If I'm to do anything about this, I'll need to be as well-rested as I can be. Please wake me when Nigel arrives.”
Merlin closed the door behind himself, only to hear it open and close again. He turned to find Gunter looking at him.
“When do we leave?” Gunter asked.
“We?”
“Yes, if you're going to do something about this like you said, I'm pretty sure it will involve travel. I intend to go with you. By the way, Ferox asked me to give this to you when you returned.”
Gunter held out the locator crystal.
Merlin thought back to Vadoma's prediction. It wasn't an exact match since Gunter hadn't asked to go but Merlin was sure this was what she'd seen.
“I was thinking of leaving first thing tomorrow,” Merlin said.
I guess being married to a woman I can't directly lie to has taught me to cloak the truth in an easily misunderstood fashion, he thought.
“We'll talk about this more later,” Gunter said. “We need to make plans and preparations.”
“I need to sleep and recharge now if I'm going to be of any use to her,” Merlin replied.
“You sleep, we'll talk about it when you wake.”
Gunter left the house and went back to watching Nimue.
Merlin tried to sleep but his efforts were to no avail. He tossed and turned for an hour or more before giving up. He went back out to sit with Nimue, finding Gwyddon out there keeping an eye on her. The Welsh wizard gave him a quiet nod but otherwise left him alone.
Merlin sat and took Nimue's hand again. Her energies seemed weaker now despite constantly drawing power through the ring. Merlin noted the tiny trickle it provided and, since he was the ring's creator, decided to try to increase the amount of power that could flow through it.
He bored out the small power channel he'd built into the ring until it could handle the full amount of power the tree was pushing towards it. Then he opened the channel up even further and fed part of his own energy into it. He watched Nimue's essence strengthen as she absorbed the power.
“Gwyddon, Nimue will be able to take additional energy now. If anyone around has extra, they can channel it to her through her ring,” Merlin said.
Gwyddon came over and Merlin felt him using his Sight to examine the ring.
“It wouldn't take any more earlier,” he said.
“I made the ring originally, so I modified it slightly, opened up the power channel a bit. She seemed to be weaker than she was earlier so I wanted to make sure she could draw the power she needed.”
“You speak as though you won't be here to give her the energy.”
“I won't. I need to make a counterattack at the source and ensure that Ave is no longer able to attack Nimue, my daughter, or myself. If that means destroying her utterly, so be it. I thought we were done with her once, this time I'll make sure of it.”
“Be cautious, dragons are cunning and make many plans,” Gwyddon said.
“I learned an axiom from some of the human soldiers around here: No plan survives contact with the enemy. She can have as many plans as she wants. My only plan is to remove her as a threat, using whatever means are necessary.”
“That may be a sufficiently simple plan to work, but your axiom works both ways.”
Merlin nodded.
“I know. But what else can I do?” he asked
Gwyddon shrugged, turned back to Nimue, and fed her power through the ring.
* * *
Nigel arrived later in the evening, with friends. Anselm and Ernst greeted Merlin warmly.
“Merlin, we're here to help,” Ernst said. “Nigel is assigning us to protect Nimue for the next two weeks. I'm guessing you won't be here, Nigel remained silent when I asked him what you would be doing.”
Merlin looked around to ensure that Nigel was out of earshot.
“Yes, the only way that I know of to stop this is to go after whatever body Ave is in now, destroy it, and keep her from taking another until she fades away. So, that's what I'll be doing. Nigel isn't to know for sure, he fears that he would be forced to reveal that knowledge if he knew for sure.”
“Nigel said we shouldn't tell John what we were doing,” Anselm said. “Do you know why?”
“John has been compelled to moderate his behavior. Especially regarding me. If he thought there were actions being taken that would go against his Geas, he might be forced to act. I know he left the room when there was the slightest chance that Nigel could manage to let me do what I need to. So, he can resist what's been done to him on at least on some level, but we don't want to potentially force him into taking actions dictated by the compulsion.”
Anselm and Ernst both nodded.
“So, what will we need to do?” Anselm asked.
“Nimue's greatest need is going to be for power. She's formed her essence into a defense of our unborn child. Ave is trying to take the child over but if Nimue is provided enough power then she can prevent that. The ring I gave her for our wedding is a channel to feed her power. It seems Ave overlooked that somehow.”
“We can certainly do that,” Ernst said.
“Someone who can feed her power will need to be with her at all times. The attack is ongoing but intensifies at random times,” Merlin said.
“Nigel said that he'd be here when he could be. That makes three of us,” Anselm said.
“Five of you,” Merlin corrected, “The dragon in Wales sent two of the Welsh wizards down here when he foresaw that they would be needed.”
“We should be fine then, less than five hours of duty per day? The rest of the time to recharge ourselves?” Ernst said, “I don't see that we should have any problems.”
“Except that it takes three of you out of the direct war effort,” Merlin said.
“I wasn't doing much. The beaches have been clear for a while now. Anselm told me you knew his missions were canceled for the foreseeable future as well. So, it might take Nigel out of play, but I have a feeling he'll still put his hours in at his regular job before showing up here.”
“Alright then, one last thing. I'm leaving Gunter behind, but he doesn't know that. I told him I was leaving first thing tomorrow. He thinks I mean dawn but I intend to depart at midnight plus one minute. I'll want you to prevent him from doing anything foolish. Anselm, I think this is the situation Vadoma foresaw and warned me about.”
Anselm nodded.
“We'll do what we can to keep him here.”
“Appeal to his sense of duty and tell him someone needs to be a physical guard for Nimue,” Merlin suggested. “You've both come along quite well as wizards but I'm guessing that you're nowhere near Gunter in physical combat skills.”
Both younger wizards nodded in agreement.
“That's probably the way to get him to stay. Appeal to his duty and vanity at the same time,” Ernst said.
“On that note, I need to finish making my own preparations,” Merlin said.
He went over to the rack of crystals being charged by the tree. He opened his satchel, picked up the rack, and dumped the entire batch into it.
“That should do, and if n
ot I don't have any others I can lay my hands on in time,” he said.
Nigel turned his back when he saw what Merlin was doing, Anselm and Ernst simply stared.
“Do you really think you're going to need that much power?” Ernst asked.
Merlin pulled out the locator crystal and turned it until the light was as bright as it would get.
“According to the maps I looked at, this crystal is pointing towards Berlin. I believe Ave is there. So yes, I'll need that much power,” he said.
“Or even more,” he added to himself, softly enough that no-one else could hear.
* * *
“I'm ready to leave first thing in the morning,” Gunter said.
Merlin was back in the cottage, sitting and resting since he was still unable to sleep.
“Are you sure you won't stay and guard Nimue for me?” he asked.
“Merlin, I've told you before. I'm your bodyguard. What you're doing is going be extremely dangerous. Nimue is in danger, but not of a type I'm equipped to defend against. The best way for me to aid Nimue is to aid you. I can keep you alive so you have a chance to save her. I can't do anything for her as she is and I don't truly believe there will be a physical component to the attack on her.”
“But what if there is Gunter? The people helping her are not fighting types.”
“Tell that to Ernst. Tell that to the dragons that linger near the tree. Have you noticed them watching her? They look at her like she's some sort of miracle underway. The only thing getting through them would be Ave herself and you know that she already took me over once so I'd be no help in that case.”
“Do they really look at her like that? I hadn't noticed. Are you sure?”
Merlin watched Gunter closely as he answered.
“I'm sure. Especially since she's taken over the jobs you used to do. Around the same time it became common knowledge that she was pregnant, their attitude towards her changed dramatically.”
Damn Praesagium for keeping secrets anyhow, Merlin thought. I bet he knows what's going on there.
“Well, as I said. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow. Maybe you should get some sleep. I seem to be unable to do so.”
Gunter nodded in agreement and left Merlin sitting alone again.
* * *
Chapter 4
Midnight was slow to arrive. Merlin found himself checking the clock every five minutes, sure that an hour had passed since the last time he looked. When it finally did arrive, it nearly caught him off guard.
Merlin spoke softly to himself.
“Well, time to go. If I have to do it by myself to keep Gunter safe, so be it.”
{By yourself? What am I, nothing?} Anguis sent.
{Anguis, I should've known I could count on you. But you didn't say anything.}
{I was working on a new form for your protection. Come outside.}
Merlin picked up his gear and walked outside to find Anguis waiting on the porch.
{Stand still for a moment.} Anguis sent.
Merlin stood still as Anguis swarmed up him. His knees bent a bit from the added weight but as Anguis changed his shape, he also seemed to lighten. Once the dragon was finished Merlin glanced at himself.
Anguis had formed himself into a covering that was shaped like the chainmail hauberks Merlin was familiar with from long ago. The dragon had provided a flexible covering that began around Merlin's neck. The weight was mostly on Merlin's shoulders and the covering continued down to just below his knees. His arms were covered all the way down to the wrists and there was a thicker section there that made him think Anguis was prepared to provide protection for his hands if needed.
{I'll provide a head covering if there's danger. I might be able to completely cover you but I didn't think you'd want that. The areas I'm covering should be bulletproof and flameproof. If you want me to cover the rest of you, there might be some weak spots.}
{No Anguis, this is incredible already. Taking this shape doesn't hurt you or make you more vulnerable to injury does it?}
{It shouldn't. Are we ready then?}
{One moment.}
Merlin put on a thick leather belt and attached the Luger's holster to it. He shrugged into his pack, and slung the satchel over everything else so he'd have easy access to the crystals. He watched as Anguis' colors shifted until it looked like Merlin was wearing his USO uniform.
{Slide back from my shirt cuff for a moment, would you?} he sent.
Anguis obliged.
Merlin pinned his shield pin, enchanted to provide an impenetrable shield when a command word was spoken, onto his cuff.
{Now I'm ready.} he sent.
Anguis stretched himself to provide armor down to Merlin's wrist again.
{How are we getting there?} Anguis asked.
{We'll drive some, then go on foot, until we get to the other side of the channel at least.}
{Merlin, I may not need to breathe, but you do.}
{Don't worry, we'll be under the water, well under it.}
Merlin's first steps as he headed for the tunnel Verruckt had shown him were accompanied by Anguis' sense of confusion. Anguis relaxed when Merlin explained his plan. Now that they were away from the cottage, Merlin spoke out loud.
“We'll take the Dverger tunnel under the channel. Then I'll use my rank as an officer, even if it is just in the USO, to get us transportation to the front. We'll need to cross some areas that are still being fought over...”
Merlin walked onto the base and waited for a truck headed in the right direction. He slipped into the back as it started and watched the countryside as they drove.
Time reversed its grip and he would've sworn the drive to the tunnels took only half as long as the last time he made it. The truck stopped about an hour's walk from the tunnel entrance. Merlin covered the distance as quickly as he could and stood in the mouth of the small cave that housed the entrance.
He grasped a protrusion on the wall that he estimated was two of Verruckt's hand spans from the symbol and the door slid open silently. When he stepped through and closed the door with the protrusion on the inside it was still hours until dawn.
As the door closed, the blackness became complete. The light of the moon and stars had been enough to get this far, Merlin had adjusted his eyes to deal with low light conditions long ago. There was no light at all for his eyes to work with here though. He drew his sun flashlight out to illuminate the corridor.
After a few paces he came to a set of stairs that led down as far as he could see. Merlin nearly stumbled on the first few steps since they were a tiny bit shorter than he was used to. He started counting as he descended but gave it up for a lost cause after he got to five hundred. When he finally reached the bottom he estimated that there were about a thousand steps.
Merlin walked down the corridor he found at the foot of the steps. The walls alternated between natural surfaces that looked like cave walls and smooth sections that were clearly created by men.
Or more accurately, created by Dverger, he thought.
The silence of the corridor was only broken by his own footfalls and the sound of water drops striking stone. The tunnel smelled dank and moldy, like a house left to decay on its own.
After what seemed like hours of walking, Merlin's eyes were caught by a light in the distance.
There's someone down here, he thought. Verruckt never mentioned anything of the sort but he did say that his people had moved deep underground. Maybe it's one of their cities or a group of their people. I'll be careful though. Better to prepare for trouble and be pleasantly surprised if it isn't.
* * *
Merlin shut off his flashlight and used a trickle of power to silence the sound of his footsteps. He slowly moved towards the light, discovering that it was much farther away than he had believed.
Must be a trick of the tunnels, he thought, light probably travels farther down here with the moisture on the walls reflecting it.
He slowly drew closer to the light. The silence was now un
broken by anything other than the dripping water. Merlin's suspicions grew.
If there were a lot of people there, I'd have heard something by now. I think my caution is warranted.
Merlin was still a hundred feet or more away from the light when he staggered forward. His ears rang from the loud noise that accompanied the strike to his back. He spun around.
A Dverger faced him; the first thing Merlin noticed was the German rifle pointed at him, the second were the eyes and the bruised purple color that filled them.
The Dverger fired again. Merlin's stomach felt as though it were punched by a strong man when the bullet hit Anguis.
“Don't do this,” Merlin said, “I don't have the time to be gentle.”
The only answer was the rifle's point of aim shifting to Merlin's face.
“So be it.”
Merlin anchored a shield inside the barrel of the rifle. Then he turned his back and continued down the corridor towards the light. The explosion behind him was nothing more than he expected. He glanced back and saw that the Dverger was still alive but wouldn't be using his hands and arms for very much in the near future. The Dverger tried to stagger to his feet but the attempt ended up with him slumped against the wall of the corridor.
Merlin turned his attention back towards the corridor ahead. He sped his pace and let the magic that muted his footfalls drop. Anyone in front of him already knew he was coming.
Two short, stocky silhouettes moved to block the light. Merlin continued forward but when his foot came down on what appeared to be the solid rock of the corridor, he fell.
The pit was about ten feet deep and Anguis took the brunt of the fall. Merlin looked up at the edge of the pit and saw that it was shrinking. The rock was growing over the top of the hole in an attempt to seal him in. He cloaked himself in a concealment shield and levitated out of the pit.
The two Dverger who were silhouetted by the light earlier on moved closer, keeping their eyes on the mouth of the pit as it closed.
They want to play with stone? I can oblige them, Merlin thought.
From the stone beneath their feet Merlin drew a sense of rigidity and strength. Using his magic he wrapped the two Dverger in the spell, causing the stone beneath their bodies to flow up and around them. One of the two let out a strangled cry that was cut-off midway through as the stone enveloped his mouth. Merlin did make sure to leave tiny holes in the covering over their faces so they could get air.