by Tom Larcombe
If I drop his shield, will that negate the attack? Or will it simply allow easier access to him? That seems to be the logical counter here, but it may well be a ruse to trick the victim into dropping their shields, Merlin thought. Although, he won't be any worse off if I do since it seems to already have left him comatose.
“Hey, what are you doing out there?” a voice called from within the tent.
Someone walked out into the sun and glared at Merlin.
“What are you doing to him?” the medic asked.
Merlin dropped his Sight and looked at the medic.
“I'm wondering what's wrong with this man, I know him,” Merlin replied.
“A friend of yours?”
“No, he was a former student of mine. Why is Anthony out here instead of inside the tent?” Merlin asked.
The doctor glanced back inside the tent where someone was waving him back in, calling his name.
“I don't even know what's wrong with him but any time I try to take him out of the sunlight, he convulses. I don't know what I'll do with him come nighttime,” he said, hurrying back inside.
Merlin stared at Anthony for a moment. He tried to balance his need to know what the alarm was for with his worry that removing the shield might damage the younger wizard. Finally his need to know won out.
If I remove the shield and it causes a problem, I can re-shield him right away, Merlin thought. I need to know what worried him enough to set that alarm.
“Gunter, would you hold Anthony? I think I can fix what's wrong but he may have some convulsions in the process,” Merlin said.
Gunter knelt down and wrapped his arms around the young wizard.
Merlin brought his Sight back up and looked at Anthony's shield. It was strong but brittle. There were cracks in it along the edges of the purple sections. He slid a tiny section of awareness through the cracks and could feel the battle going on within. Anthony was holding his own, barely. Merlin began to siphon the energy out of the shield, feeding it to Anthony to use in his battle. As the shield began to weaken, the purple sheen sheen spread out, attacking new sections.
Anthony's body began to struggle, but Gunter held him still. Merlin could tell that the struggle was to break free of the shield and not due to any discomfort. He siphoned the last of the energy out of the shield and the purple sheen fell to the ground. With nothing to tap for energy except the sun, the purple dissipated quickly.
Gunter loosened his hold on Anthony as the young wizard's body relaxed.
“Merlin?” the voice was faint but steady.
“Yes Anthony, it's me. What's going on here? Why was there an alarm on the bank of the river? It was set to be triggered by the passage of a wizard.”
Anthony shook his head and tried to speak. The effort only produced a dry croak. Gunter offered him a canteen and after a drink Anthony tried again.
“I don't know. As far as I know none of us here set such an alarm.”
“What happened to you anyhow? Something was locked into your shield and keeping you immobilized,” Merlin said.
“Long story, I have to report back to my superior. I found out why we're having a problem with our advance here.”
Anthony tried to stand and nearly fell over. When he tried to take a step, he staggered. Merlin stepped in to support one side while Gunter took the other.
“We'll help you to your superior. Tell us about it on the way,” Merlin said.
The three men slowly made their way to the destination Anthony indicated.
“We've been having a problem with our advance here recently. We were making steady, if slow, progress for a few days. Starting yesterday, we found several strong points that seem immune to our weapons. They're dug in well, but that doesn't explain it. Artillery is on target until it gets close, then it veers off to the sides. Air strikes do the same. Bullets ricochet off without getting close. I was sent out to discover what was going on, along with a couple of other wizards that work with the scouts.”
“It sounds like shields on a massive scale,” Merlin said.
“That's what I thought also but I couldn't think of a way to power a shield that large. They managed it though. Each of the strong points in question has a crystal for storing power. They're each the size of my leg and the power in them is...”
Anthony shook his head.
“It's vile is what it is. That's the same thing that was attacking me or at least whatever was attacking me was made up of that power.”
“Unfortunately, I'm familiar with it,” Merlin said.
“Those crystals are constantly recharging. When I went in for a closer look, I saw a wizard tending it, channeling energy into it. The energy was coming from all over and I don't know what it was. The wizard hurled a spell at me, made from that energy, and I could feel it trying to drain me. It wanted my life and my power. I think if I'd given in it would have taken my body as well.”
Merlin frowned, his face showing far more of his age than normal.
“That's death magic. Where better for them to charge their crystals than on the front lines of a war. I'd say I didn't believe they were capable of it but I know they're capable of far worse.”
“They wanted to know why these points were so invulnerable. I can tell them now but I don't have any suggestions on how to get around the problem,” Anthony said.
He looked at Merlin hopefully.
“You said you're familiar with it, do you have any ideas?”
“Every time I've encountered this power before, sunlight has destroyed it . You say these points are all well dug-in? As in, they're underground enough that little or no sunlight makes its way inside?” Merlin said.
Anthony nodded.
“Well then, perhaps we'll need to bring sunlight to the death magic crystals.”
He turned to Gunter.
“We won't be able to get anywhere until these points are cleared, will we?”
“No Merlin, if they have hardened artillery and machine gun nests that can't be touched, we won't be getting very far past them while they're still there,” Gunter said. “Doing so would leave us vulnerable since I assume they have lots of men here as well. If they're defending a line that strongly, they'd have to have mobile troops here also.”
Merlin looked to Anthony for confirmation. The young wizard nodded his head.
“Then, I'll see what I can do tonight. They'll not be expecting sunlight after dark, perhaps we can surprise them. I'll need you to contact all the other wizards in the pocket here Anthony. I may not be able to do this by myself. Every one of them should do their best to fully charge a sun crystal before it gets dark...”
The instructions continued until they reached their destination. Gunter and Merlin sat nearby as Anthony reported in. Merlin caught several curious looks directed his way while the report was being made. Finally, Anthony's superior walked over to Merlin.
“I'm to understand that you're giving orders to my men?” he said.
“If you want my assistance I am. I'll do what I can but I may not be able to clear this problem on my own.”
“Anthony tells me you're another one like him, only more powerful.”
“Yes, I am. I was one of his teachers.”
“Why aren't you all up here helping us out?”
Merlin looked around and then pointed at himself.
“Where exactly am I if I'm not here trying to help?”
The officer started to reply then snapped his mouth shut.
“Very well then, I'll pass along his requests but I cannot make them orders to men not in my chain of command.”
“Just tell them that Merlin requires their assistance. I'm sure that will get them here, orders or not.”
The officer ground his teeth.
“You're insane. Merlin? You think you're a wizard out of a story book?”
Merlin stared the officer in the eyes and let the facade he normally kept in his own drop. His eyes were filled with wisdom and age, as well as worry for Nimue and his ch
ild, and a rapidly burgeoning dislike for the man he was staring at.
The officer paled and took several paces back.
“Yes, well... I'll go pass along those messages now,” he said, before he turned and beat a hasty retreat.
* * *
As the day dragged on Merlin grew more and more anxious at the delay. He and Gunter took their meals right where they were, Gunter taking care of the food preparation while Merlin spoke with each of the wizards as they arrived. By dinner time, there were seven wizards besides Merlin. Five of them were previously his or Nimue's students.
“So, here's what I'm going to try. I'll scout the shielded locations with my mind and try to find a way in. If I can get my awareness into them, I'll apport a sun crystal so it's right beside the death magic crystal that powers the shields. If they react as others of the sort have done to the sun crystals then the shields will be weakened, or gone, for at least a brief period of time. We'll need to co-ordinate with our own artillery to take advantage of that brief window. We'll also need to direct the energies from their crystals to aid in the destruction of the strong points so that those energies are dispersed. I'll attach a spell to the sun crystals that will take care of that.”
Merlin was worried about the spirits attached to the death magic being released but few wizards knew of that and if any of these were unaware, he didn't want to be the one to tell them about it. He knew that if any of those spirits survived and fed on the deaths from the front line of the war, they'd be a problem nearly as big as the shielded strong points. So he'd ensure that all the power from the death magic crystals added itself to the effects of the artillery.
“We've got one of the commanding officers of an artillery company that's aware of magic,” Anthony said. “We'll co-ordinate with him and tell him what we're doing.”
“I think you should be there in person Anthony,” Merlin said. “I'm sure you'd like to be a part of the rest of the attack but I don't think you've recovered enough yet.”
Anthony's face fell.
“It's still an important job,” Merlin said. “They won't be destroyed without some very good timing and I know I can contact your mind.”
“I'll do it. You're probably right about me being too weak for much more right now,” Anthony said.
“Here's what I'll want the rest of you to do. After the first one, if I make it in, I'll come back and tell you how. You'll each be assigned a strong point and you'll attempt to do the same. Apporting the crystals will take a lot of energy. If you need more, let me know now, I have some charged crystals I can loan you. Anyone who can't apport an item that size will need to tell me, and I'll do that for you. You'll need to have your awareness out of your body and be able to communicate with me at the same time for us to do it that way. Any questions?”
There were questions. Two of the wizards were unable to apport at all. Several needed additional energy. Before it was dark, Merlin had taken care of all their requests. Now, they just waited.
Once it was fully dark, Merlin sat and detached a portion of his awareness. He sent it out towards the nearest shielded location. As his mind traveled to it, he saw the results of an attack that had been put in on the strong point earlier in the day.
It's twisted, he thought. What they're doing is sick. It looks like they draw the death magics of those they kill. So the shield protects them from the attack and then they recharge it from the deaths of those attacking.
Merlin approached the shield. With only his awareness there, the shield glittered in his Sight, a malignant purple dome protecting the weapons and soldiers within. He traveled the circumference of the circle but found no weaknesses. He moved his awareness up and found the top to be as solid as the sides. Finally he sank into the ground. Four yards down, he found what he was looking for.
They aren't using full spherical shields, only a hemisphere on the top, he thought. I guess they thought this was deeper than any of the artillery they deflected would penetrate.
He moved his awareness inside of the hemisphere and then upwards into the protected area. Several soldiers slept, while another one kept watch out the front. One of the SS special troops, bearing the additional Dagaz rune on their insignia, slept in back. He was curled around a large glowing crystal.
Well, I'll need to keep him from destroying the sun crystal when I bring it in. Perhaps he should sleep more deeply, Merlin thought.
Merlin carefully crafted his magic, creating a gossamer spell structure that resembled a net. He gently draped it over the SS wizard and watched as the energy of the spell seeped into him. When he could no longer see any part of the spell on top of the man, he changed his focus.
He concentrated on the sun crystal that was in the left hand of his physical body. His right hand held a full charged crystal whose power he now tapped. With the additional power he formed a connection between the space on the ground in front of his awareness and the sun crystal in his physical hand. A nudge of willpower, and a great deal of effort, shifted the crystal through the connection and the interior of the shielded strong point glowed with the light of the sun.
The shield shimmered and flickered as the power in the larger crystal retreated from the sunlight. Merlin focused his mind on Anthony.
{Now! Shell location one. The shield is flickering if not down.} he sent.
Seconds later Merlin heard the whistle of incoming artillery. He sent his awareness back into the ground and away, popping up outside of the strong point to view the results of his efforts. The shield was flickering on and off and several of the artillery shells were diverted. Several others weren't and moments later, the shield went off for good as the strong point was turned into a crater.
He returned his awareness to his physical body and found the crystal he'd used to power the apport fully drained. He sighed, but turned to the wizard tasked with removing the next shielded strong point.
“The shields are only hemispheres. Get four yards underground and you can go right under it and come back up inside. The crystal will have a wizard tending it but mine, at least, was asleep. I just deepened his sleep and he never woke up.”
Several of the wizards looked confused.
“You know you can send your awareness into the ground with no danger, right? If you didn't know, now you do.”
Gary, the wizard that was going after the next strong point, sat down.
“Do you want me to accompany you?” Merlin asked.
“No, I've got this. Keep one of those extra crystals near me though in case I need more power for the apport.”
Merlin did as requested and several minutes later, he heard the artillery fire up again. He got some rest as the next three completed their missions. Then came the first one that was unable to apport.
“You take care of the wizard. I'll get the crystal in there after you do,” Merlin said.
The younger wizard nodded, looking a bit pale.
Merlin took the rear as they approached the strong point. The mission went without a hitch, barring the drain of yet more of his power in order to apport the sun crystal into the bunker.
The last of the Allied wizards also needed his assistance for the apport. When Merlin moved his awareness into the strong point, he found the SS wizard attacking his ally. This time, when they'd entered the strong point, the German wizard had been awake and watching with his Sight.
Merlin sent a quick attack in on the German, trying to stun him and give his ally the advantage. It worked, for a moment at least. Merlin took that chance and summoned in the sun crystal. When the SS wizard saw the sun crystal appear, he immediately dropped the fight and returned to his body. He bent to pick up the sun crystal and Merlin struck him with an electrical attack that left the SS wizard's body momentarily paralyzed.
Merlin heard the whistle of shells and noted that his ally was already gone. He quickly sank into the ground only to find the dirt he was in flying up into the sky from the explosions. He was slightly dazed from the effect and sank deeper into the ground
to give himself a moment to recover. When he had his bearings again, he returned to his body.
“The wizard was awake in that one,” he said to no-one in particular. “I hope it was just that one since I've got three more of these to do myself.”
“I could probably do one more if you've another charged crystal I can use,” Gary offered.
“Are you prepared to fight if another of the guards is awake and watching?”
“I can do it,” Gary said.
“Well, if they're awake and expecting us, maybe if we put the next two closer together we can take them by surprise,” Merlin said. “I'll go first, you go maybe a minute after me. We'll check with Anthony and see if the artillery can have two of the locations tasked at a close interval.”
Gary nodded.
“That sounds good to me, let's get these things destroyed.”
After a few moments of consultation with Anthony, Merlin nodded.
“They can do it. They'll have half the battery pointed at each of these next locations.”
Merlin sat back down, followed by Gary. He tossed Gary another fully charged crystal from his satchel. A quick glance told him that he was almost out of charged crystals. From the box he'd dumped into his satchel, there were only eight remaining, and he'd use up another four finishing these strong points off if everything went well.
“Alright, I'm going. Give me a minute and then do yours,” Merlin said.
Once more Merlin sent his awareness out, seeking the next of the shielded bunkers. He slid beneath the hemisphere and slowly moved up, trying to sense the wizard within.
He's awake, Merlin thought, over there next to the crystal. If I come out through the wall he's leaning against that should give me a moment's surprise. He's probably trying to keep an eye on everything at once. Sleep isn't going to work, not while he's this alert. Maybe an illusion for him to grapple with while I bring the crystal in.
Merlin prepared his spell and released it without even exiting the wall.
I'll still need to exit the wall to do the apportation. Apporting physical objects can't be done while I'm inside the earth, I need to have empty space around me or I won't be able to transfer the crystal here.