by Tom Larcombe
Merlin looked down at Rhys again. He spoke slowly in an attempt to control his hissing.
“There will be a change of plan. I will need to have you and your men return and tell those in charge what happened here. Warn them that Nimue will encounter the change eventually. Have them do all they can to keep it from happening before she gives birth. I have no idea what would happen to my child if Nimue changed while pregnant and no idea when she will first change. I was just told that she will and probably sooner rather than later,” Merlin said.
Rhys paled slightly at the thought.
“We'd be happy to do that for you. When do we leave?” he asked.
“Tomorrow. Gunter said you were awake all night. Anguis and I will stand guard tonight while all of you rest. Then I'll tell you what information I want delivered. It will be verbal only and you'll all memorize it. That way it will get through from one or more of you. Gunter, Anguis, and I will relocate and wait until I can control the change before we continue on.”
Rhys nodded tiredly.
“Where are we setting up camp?” he asked.
“I'll leave that to Gunter,” Merlin replied.
Gunter cleared a campsite in the undergrowth they'd hidden in the night before. It wasn't roomy but it would keep enemy eyes off of Gunter and the wizards. They crawled into their camp and fell asleep. The events of the last few days had left them exhausted enough that they could've slept in the undergrowth even if Gunter hadn't cleared an area for them.
Merlin and Anguis sat up through the night. Anguis had already told Merlin that he probably wouldn't need to eat for several days. Like snakes, dragons filled their bellies infrequently, although they weren't as lethargic immediately after.
In the early morning hours, Merlin sensed someone using magic to examine the area. His concentration had returned after his change so he tried to conceal both himself and Anguis.
If they're checking the area magically, I assume they noticed all the magic thrown around here a couple of days ago, he thought. I think mere mortals, even wizards, are going to be beneath the notice of whoever it is spying on us. Especially if they managed to notice Anguis and I before the concealment shield went up.
Morning arrived with no further interruptions. Merlin had spent part of his watch determining exactly what information he wanted to send with the wizards when they left. He'd finally decided on something that didn't include all the details but did contain enough information about the magical defenses they'd encountered, and his own situation, to warrant sending a warning.
Once he'd relayed the message and had each of the wizards repeat it back to him word for word, he sent them on their way.
“Don't be a hero, any of you. I'd prefer the information get back with all of you intact,” Merlin told them as he sent them off.
* * *
“Now what do we do?” Gunter asked.
“We move our camp. We were spied on magically last night. I tried to conceal Anguis and myself but I don't know if I was quick enough. There's a forest a few milesss away that's large enough to provide food, water, and possibly concealment for myself until I can return to my human shape,” Merlin said.
Gunter grinned.
“So, are you going to fly me there?”
“Sorry, it's shank's mare for both of us. I don't know when I'll shift my shape involuntarily again and I'd hate for that to happen while I was flying us to the forest,” Merlin said.
“I can see where that might cause some concern. But any aircraft flying over us is going to see you. You're kind of large to hide.”
Merlin slipped a concealment shield around himself.
“Really?” he replied.
“I stand corrected. Which way is the forest?”
“Northeast. It's a little out of our way but I can't think of anything better.”
“Once you're secure in your form, you can fly us to Berlin in under an hour. If you can use the spell you're using now while you fly, then we'll have no problem with being noticed either. I think it's a fair trade-off. We'll lose a few days, maybe as much as a week, but we'll also lose a lot of the risk involved in our final approach to Berlin,” Gunter said.
“Still, I hate the delay while I know Nimue is in danger.”
“If Ave had someone checking our area last night, it means you have her worried. If she's worried, she's not about to go all out attacking Nimue. She'll hold back enough to defend herself if necessary. At least, that's how I think she'll react.”
“I hope you're right,” Merlin said. “Let's start walking. We won't get there until early afternoon as it is.”
* * *
Merlin extended the concealment shield to cover an area, instead of just himself, before they started walking. Gunter walked beside him while Anguis climbed onto his back.
“I think it will be better if none of us can be seen. Just as a precaution,” Merlin said.
They walked straight through lunch time, Gunter eating as they traveled. Merlin appreciated how holding the spell seemed effortless. The same spell in his human form would've worn him out in less than an hour.
Evidently dragons are inherently stronger in magic than wizards, Merlin thought.
They were in sight of the forest when the plan fell apart.
“Merlin, why are we stopping? What's wrong?” Gunter asked.
Merlin was unable to answer. Racking pains held him motionless and his concentration had fled when the pain started with no warning. Anguis flew up off his back and landed next to Gunter. The two of them stared in fascination as Merlin's form began to ripple and shimmer.
Moments later, Merlin's human form lay spread-eagle in the meadow they'd been crossing.
“Can't breathe...” Merlin gasped, “Feel like I'm being run over by a tank.”
“Merlin, tap the power you were using as a dragon. The source is still there for you in this form,” Anguis said.
Merlin coughed and struggled to breathe.
“You need to do that. You may be in your human form, but the dragon's weight is still there. Use the dragon's power to negate it or you'll be crushed,” Anguis continued.
Merlin slowly struggled into a sitting position. His breathing eased and after a few minutes he stood again.
“I knew there would be a drawback to this. If I can't access magic somewhere, I'm liable to be killed by the weight,” he said.
“No,” Anguis replied, “You're part dragon now. That part of you is magic. You can always access that. The connection you have now will always be available to you unless you exhaust it somehow. You should have instinctively made that connection when you were in human form again.”
“It's my own fault then,” Merlin said. “I don't normally stay connected to the power at all times. Too much exposure can have detrimental effects on both your mind and body. When I felt myself trying to touch it instinctively, I forced myself to stop.”
Gunter scanned the area nervously.
“Could we maybe continue this discussion after we're in the forest? We're very exposed out here and we're visible now.”
“Good idea, let's move,” Merlin said.
Merlin started walking. He didn't feel a bit of the extra weight so long as he kept the connection to his magic alive. He wasn't willing to let go of the magic and repeat his recent experience. He just hoped that the effects on his mind would be different with dragon magic. But his memories of Praesagium's behavior and Ave's madness suggested that it was a forlorn hope.
The three of them made it into the cover of the forest and Gunter started to set up a camp that would pass undetected unless there was a close examination of the area.
“It'll be a cold camp. I haven't seen any smoke near here so ours would stand out like a sore thumb,” Gunter said.
“That's fine,” Merlin replied. “I don't know how long we'll be here or exactly what's going to happen so it's probably better that way. If I experienced another shift while next to a fire, who knows what might ignite if I scattered it during the s
hift.”
When night fell, Merlin was still in his human form. He sent his awareness out, headed back to check on Nimue again. He arrived at the area near the cottage and moved towards Nigel.
Nigel looked up, alerted by a flashing crystal in his hand.
I guess he's been busy with more than just keeping an eye on Nimue, Merlin thought. I wonder what that crystal detects?
{Nigel, it's Merlin.} he sent.
{Merlin?}
{Yes Nigel. I've a lot to tell you.}
{You don't quite feel like Merlin. There's something odd there.} Nigel sent.
{Praesagium was withholding information from us, that's probably what you're noticing. I sent the wizards that were traveling with me back with some information about it. But I wanted to get it to you as quickly as I could.}
Nigel's mental voice was doubtful.
{Go ahead.} he sent.
{The Tainted are more than just humans that survived ingesting dragon blood. Either from a certain amount of time passing, stress, or repeated exposure to strong magic they eventually shift to a dragon form. Wizards gain the ability to shape shift between their human and dragon form. I don't know what the actual cause is, Praesagium left a message with Anguis that said time was pertinent but I was also in battle and had just channeled some very strong magic. So it could be any of the three things I mentioned or a combination of them.}
{That explains it. By chance did this happen two days ago in the afternoon? The dragons on base went mad then. They were all trumpeting and hissing, making this incredible cacophony. When we asked why, they wouldn't answer us.}
{I think that's correct. Things are a little fuzzy for me at the moment.}
Merlin heard the dry British humor in Nigel's reply.
{I can't possibly imagine why. So, you're a dragon now?} Nigel asked.
{Currently I'm in human form and trying to gain control over the shift. But, I wanted to warn you. If Nimue experiences the same thing while pregnant I don't know what would happen to my daughter.}
{Nimue's in good health, barring a bit of a green rash on the back of her neck and one wrist.}
Merlin reply was panicked.
{Check that rash closely. If it appears to be tiny scales, then she's showing the same symptoms I did a few days before I shifted the first time. I don't know how to prevent the shift though, you may need to contact Praesagium to find out.}
Nigel felt Merlin's worry through the link.
{I'll do that. I don't know how quickly we could get through to Praesagium though.}
{Ask Brenda to do it, or Gwyddon. Either one of them should be able to handle that.}
{I'll do that if the rash proves to be more than we thought.}
{I'm going to try to contact Nimue now. I thought I should warn you in case she reacts poorly.} Merlin sent.
Merlin moved his awareness to Nimue. Memories of the last time he tried to contact her kept him moving slowly and cautiously.
He began by feeding her energy, streaming it into the link on the ring he'd made for her. Then he tried to contact her through the same link.
{Nimue, it's Merlin. Can you hear me?}
She reacted violently.
{Go Away! I won't be fooled by you again, damned dragon!}
She lashed out at him with the power he'd just fed her, striking his awareness and sending it spinning.
Merlin watched as Nigel raced over to Nimue. He looked at her agitated state and waved Merlin away.
{You ought to leave, Merlin. She's using up energy she should be conserving. I'm sorry you couldn't talk to her.}
Merlin mentally shook his head and retreated along his tether.
* * *
When morning arrived Merlin had no appetite for food, nor for experimentation. He spent the morning depressed and moping.
I can't believe it, he thought. I've sent my awareness across the continent twice to try to contact her and she attacked me both times. I wonder if Ave's already taken her and that isn't Nimue any more?
That last, depressing, thought stuck with him all morning as he wandered aimlessly through the forest. He stayed within yelling distance of the camp at Gunter's request, but he told Anguis to stay with Gunter.
Shortly before lunch time, Merlin froze. His body didn't want to obey his mind and he felt himself begin to shift again. As he reached his full size, several trees came crashing down on and around him as his larger dragon body expanded into the area they had recently occupied.
Gunter started to rush into the forest, rifle in hand. He stopped when he saw Merlin's dragon form.
“Are you alright?” Gunter called.
“Hungry,” Merlin answered.
Anguis came flying out.
{Shall we hunt? The Dragon Wizards say that the hunger always comes with the shift to larger form but that it's easier to control with experience.}
{Yes, let's hunt.} Merlin replied.
They flew off, leaving Gunter behind to guard the camp. When they returned several hours later, Merlin had made several kills and felt satiated.
Merlin managed to shake off most of his depression while in his dragon form, but the niggling fear that Nimue might no longer be herself stayed with him. His body shifted back to its human form that evening, shortly after nightfall.
The next few days passed in a similar fashion. Merlin used his Sight to examine himself and try to hasten his control over the shift. He shifted involuntarily twice more in that time. Each time he returned to human form more quickly than he did with the previous shift. The last time he shifted it was barely two hours before he returned to human form.
Two days after the short shift, he made a breakthrough. He was examining himself when he felt the rigidity that preceded the shift. With his Sight, he could see the dragon form trying to swell and grow. He locked it down through willpower alone and then stood and forced himself to move.
“I think I have it,” he said on his return to camp. “If I manage to not shift before dark, I'll go out in the field and try to do so intentionally.”
The hours ticked by and Merlin stayed in human form. He spent the time devising a spell that would duplicate the effort of will he used to keep himself in his human shape.
At dusk he stood and walked as close to the edge of the forest as he could while staying hidden. Full dark fell and he moved out into the field.
He released the lock he'd placed on the dragon form, but he stayed human.
How do I make the dragon form grow intentionally, he thought. Perhaps if I do something similar to the lock I used but reverse it, encourage the form to expand.
It took several different approaches but ten minutes later Merlin felt his body begin to expand.
{Anguis, I think I have it. I need to eat, then I'll try to return to my human form. Let's hunt!}
The two flew off into the darkness, looking for game large enough for a dragon.
An hour later, a well-fed Merlin landed in the field.
Now, I need to get the dragon form to shrink, then lock it down again, Merlin thought.
A simple reversal of the method he'd used to release the dragon form caused him to return to his human shape. The same lock he'd devised that afternoon slid into place and he felt confident that he could control it in the future.
Merlin walked back into the camp. Gunter was sitting, staring at the night sky.
“Time to make some plans,” Merlin said.
“You have it controlled?”
“I'm pretty sure that's the case. I can switch from one form to the other easily and I prevented an involuntary shift earlier today.”
“Then let's make some plans,” Gunter said.
* * *
Chapter 15
Merlin spent the day ensuring that he had complete control over his shifting ability. After three pairs of shifts from human to dragon and back he was exhausted.
“It's a good thing we're leaving tomorrow. I've almost depleted the area of large game. I'll still want to hunt tomorrow morning bef
ore we leave, but I may need to go farther into the forest to find anything,” he said.
“You're positive you have the shift under control now though?” Gunter asked.
“Definitely. I prevented another involuntary shift today and it seemed easier than the first time. Plus I made three voluntary shifts each way. I have it under control.”
“Good, I'm going to get some sleep then. You may not need it but I still do.”
“Rest easy Gunter. Anguis and I will stand guard.”
* * *
“Anguis, keep a sharp eye out, would you? I have one other thing I want to do before we leave tomorrow,” Merlin said.
“Nimue?” Anguis asked.
Merlin nodded.
“I want to get through to her, she keeps thinking I'm Ave whenever I try to communicate with her.”
“Go, I'll keep watch,” Anguis said.
Merlin sat and cast his awareness back towards Britain. When he arrived he found Brenda and Gwyddon guarding Nimue. He approached them first.
{Brenda, it's Merlin.} he sent.
{Merlin? I almost didn't recognize you. Nigel said you'd changed but he didn't give any details.}
{Yes, I've changed. It wasn't exactly voluntary but I lived through it.}
{Merlin, don't take this wrong but... Why do you feel like a dragon?}
Merlin's mental voice was tinged with bitterness.
{Because that's what the Tainted really are. According to Praesagium, who didn't tell me this until the change was upon me, the Tainted are slowly becoming dragons. At least Nimue and I are lucky. Since we're wizards we'll retain the ability to shift between a dragon shape and a human one.}
{The change is... stressful?} she sent.
{Very much so.}
{That explains the precautions Nigel told us to take and his asking us to get him in touch with Praesagium.}
{Yes, I asked him to prevent Nimue from entering the change while she was still pregnant. She was showing the same symptoms I did a few days before the change. That rash? If you look closely, I think you'll find that it's actually tiny scales.}
{They are, we checked. We weren't given an explanation though. Thank you for telling me.}