by Tom Larcombe
The clack of the crossbow releasing its tension and the whistle of the bolt as it flew disrupted the silence that had blanketed the street since the sniper's last shot. Moments later a flash of purple indicated the bolt's penetration of the shield. Less than a second after the flash, another shot rang out from the sniper. Once again a German fell.
Merlin hastily reconstructed both shields on Gunter. They'd dropped when the crossbow bolt passed through them, leaving Gunter temporarily visible and unprotected.
Merlin watched as the Germans behind the barricade took cover from the sniper and began to argue. The sole remaining wizard was being harangued by the rest of the SS troops. He heard a slight click as Gunter cocked the crossbow again. Unfortunately for the SS, taking cover from the sniper left them exposed to Gunter. Moments later a clack and a flash of purple signaled the other wizard's permanent removal.
Once again, Merlin replaced Gunter's shields.
{Do we be patient and let the sniper do our work?} Merlin sent to Gunter.
{No, he doesn't have a good angle on them. I can see all of them from here and they're in range. Be ready to reinforce our shields in case they figure out where the bullets are coming from.}
Gunter's bag shifted under Merlin's hand again. The familiar sound of Gunter chambering a round in his rifle caused Merlin to direct a bit more power to their physical shields.
The sniper's rifle was silent since he currently had no targets. Merlin could see him aiming his rifle in the general direction of the barricade, patiently waiting. The rest of the Russian squad was formed in a semi-circle around the sniper, facing outward and guarding his back.
Merlin's hand tugged him forward when Gunter moved to get a better shot at the men behind the barricade. The two of them moved as silently as they could, staying against the walls of the buildings. When Gunter stopped, Merlin drew his awareness back from the sniper. He touched the power he'd need to strengthen the shields more in case it was needed.
The first tight, controlled burst from Gunter's rifle surprised Merlin even though he knew it was coming. The SS soldiers behind the barricade were even more surprised. They froze in position when rifle fire started striking them on their flank.
In the first few seconds Gunter hit at least three of the SS soldiers. The rest started moving to new cover and Merlin was surprised yet again when the report of the sniper's rifle sounded. Another soldier went down and Gunter ceased fire.
{Strengthen the shields. I'm betting they have a general fix on our location and when they have cover from the sniper they'll fire at us.} Gunter sent.
Merlin loosed the power he'd been holding ready and felt it settle into their shields. Moments later the shields flashed lightly as they were struck by a hail of bullets. They began to glow after the first few bullets struck but Merlin felt as though he could hold them in place for hours if necessary.
Gunter won't be able to fire with his shield glowing this much, he thought. If they have cover from the sniper they'll be able to pin us down here. The shields are taking no concentration to hold so perhaps I can stir them up a bit.
The soldiers' vehicles were part of the barricade. Merlin sent his awareness beneath the one that was farthest away from him and looked for the fuel tank.
A bit of accelerated aging will help here, he thought.
The bottom of the fuel tank began to flake away, rust spreading quickly through a circle the same circumference as the tip of Merlin's index finger. When the petrol began to puddle on the road beneath the vehicle, Merlin drew his awareness back and created a small, intensely hot flame at the edge of the puddle.
The effect was more than Merlin had hoped for. The fuel tank was full when he ruptured it and the burning petrol spread out over the road. The flames drove the SS soldiers back away from their barricade and the sniper's rifle sounded again.
Burning petrol flowed under another vehicle in the barricade. In less than a minute, the fuel lines burned through and more petrol poured into the conflagration. When the flames crept under the last vehicle in the barricade, Merlin decided that it could be more effective still. He ruptured the side of the fuel tank facing the SS and apported a large quantity of air inside the fuel tank. The petrol jetted out from the added pressure, its vapors igniting in the fiery air. The two closest SS soldiers were sprayed with burning petrol from the knees down.
Only two soldiers remained standing behind the barricade. One of them turned to run before a report from the sniper's rifle preceded his fall.
{Merlin, drop the shield. I need to fire and can't take the time to get my rifle through it.} Gunter sent.
{Done.} Merlin replied, preceding his sending with the requested action.
A tight burst of fire from Gunter's rifle dropped the last of the soldiers that had been manning the barricade.
The roar of the flames was the only sound remaining.
“They won't be able to report in,” Gunter said loudly. “But I'm sure someone noticed the fighting here. Let's move quickly.”
They started out at a brisk walk. Merlin nearly lost his grip on Gunter's bag when a loud explosion sounded from behind them. A quick look back showed that the tires of the vehicles in the barricade were burning and exploding.
* * *
Chapter 16
“There's the Chancellery,” Gunter said as they advanced down the street.
“Good, you've gotten me this far. You should turn back now. I won't be able to shield you once things are underway. Attacking Ave is going to take everything I've got, even now.”
Gunter shook his head.
“I really wish you would. I don't want to be responsible for what could happen,” Merlin said.
“We went through this before Merlin, it's my decision.”
Merlin sighed.
“Then at least take this. Pin it on your cuff and if something physical is flying at you speak the word I'll send to your mind.”
{Contego.} Merlin sent.
“This is your shield pin, are you sure you want to part with it?” Gunter asked.
“I think my natural protection is as good or better, plus I have Anguis. The shield will serve you better than it will me if you insist on staying with me. It's stronger than the general purpose one you already have.”
Gunter pinned the shield to his cuff.
“I'll wear it as you did and I will be accompanying you,” he said.
“If you must. As you said, it's your—”
“Wizard!” a voice called.
Merlin looked around. It took him a moment or two to spot the old man tucked into a doorway. He would have walked right past, oblivious to him, if the man hadn't called out.
How does he see us? We're still concealed, Merlin thought.
“Is that a Russian uniform?” Merlin asked.
“I think so,” Gunter replied.
Merlin walked towards the doorway.
“Why did you call me?” he asked.
The man looked at him blankly then replied in a language Merlin was unfamiliar with.
“English?” Merlin asked.
The man shook his head.
“French? German? Welsh?”
“Little German,” the man answered.
“Why do you call me?” Merlin repeated, this time in German.
“German bad, not understand.”
Merlin exhaled in frustration. He thought for a moment, then he pointed to his chest, made a motion as though he were drawing something from the man's head, then a second motion as though he were putting something in his own head.
The old Russian soldier, which was what Merlin had decided he was, nodded vigorously.
Merlin quickly drew on his power and sent his awareness into the man's mind. He ignored everything but the language center and copied the language the man was speaking into his own brain. The headache struck him as anticipated. He hunched over for a minute or two but his head cleared more rapidly than the last few times he'd used that spell. When Merlin straightened up, the man sp
oke.
“American wizard, what are you doing here? The Russians were tasked with taking Berlin.”
“They were not informed of a potential difficulty. That difficulty has made this war personal for me and I intend to remove it,” Merlin said.
“You speak of their wizards? I am here to hold them in check and yet, it is all I can do to keep them from claiming the power they harvest from the deaths in the city.”
“No, something greater than a wizard. There is one who has the ear of those high in the German hierarchy. She has meddled with the human race for centuries, causing war and strife. If what I was told is true, she can be held directly responsible for many of the wars that have occurred on this continent in the last thousand years. She currently assails my wife, in an attempt to possess my unborn child.”
“Perhaps it is her with whom I battle for control of the power,” the man said, glancing into the sky.
Merlin looked up with his Sight. The bruised purple of death magic stained the sky. It spiraled about a point directly over a building about two blocks away, and yet the vortex of magic had no funnel to channel it down to the one that had gathered it.
“You are keeping her from claiming the magic she tries to harvest from all the deaths?” Merlin asked.
The old soldier nodded.
“It is all I can manage. My opponent seems distracted by other tasks. Not all of her attention has been focused on reclaiming this power. I fear that when she does, I will be overwhelmed.”
“Is it merely a matter of energy? Would you hold longer with more?” Merlin asked.
“Yes, it has been more than twenty-four hours since I put a stopper in her vortex. I've been holding it there firmly all this time but now I am nearly exhausted.”
Merlin flipped open his satchel and glanced into his bag.
Five fully charged crystals, he thought. I haven't needed to use one since I changed.
“A quick question for you. How did you see us? We were under a concealment shield.”
“I've been immersed in magic for twenty-four hours. My Sight has been constantly up all of that time. Do you think I would not see a spell passing by on the street in front of me?”
Merlin nodded. He knew that the longer one used their Sight continuously, the more they saw, and the harder it was to return to normal sight after.
He held out four charged crystals.
“Will these help?” he said.
The old man nodded again and put out his hand.
Merlin deposited the crystals in his hand.
“They are designed to not leak power. You access the energy by tapping into the ward that seals it within the crystal.”
“This will allow me several more hours at least, unless she concentrates her full attention on me. If she does, then they may allow me to survive,” the old wizard said. “Thank you.”
“If all goes as planned, you may not need to hold against her for much longer. If not, perhaps I will weaken her enough that you can do more than you have so far,” Merlin said.
“Luck be with you wizard. If you can spare this much energy for me, perhaps you have enough to match her. I see there is more to you than meets the eye but it is the same with her.”
“Hold on a little longer and perhaps I can allow you to get back to your intended purpose,” Merlin said.
“Beware, there are three wizards other than her nearby. I've been unable to do anything about them while fighting for control of this power.”
“Thank you for the warning. I must go now, I've taken far too long to get here and I fear for my wife and child,” Merlin said.
The old wizard nodded and turned his Sight back to the power in the sky. Merlin recognized the action as a dismissal and he and Gunter headed past the Chancellery.
He pulled out the locator crystal again after checking to see that no-one was near since he didn't know if the glow would show through his concealment shield or not. The lighted end pointed to a low, unassuming building, at least compared to the others in the area, about two blocks beyond the Chancellery. Merlin grunted in satisfaction.
“Two blocks beyond the Chancellery, that low building with the miniature silo in front of it,” he told Gunter.
* * *
This area of the city was not untouched although it wasn't as bad as most of the ones they'd passed through. It was deserted and looked like the middle of a war-zone. The walls were pocked with bullet holes and bombs had struck many of the buildings in the four square block area that Merlin could see. Even the Reich Chancellery showed damage from an earlier bombing raid.
Merlin's skin prickled from the magic that permeated the air. With his Sight everything looked as though it were cloaked in a purple fog, the magic was that thick.
They continued their crawling pace as they started down the last two blocks that led to their target. After the first one, Merlin yanked hard on Gunter's bag.
{Gunter, stop. There's another wizard nearby. I can't see him but I can feel him drawing on the magic in the air.}
Gunter halted and held absolutely still.
{Find him then, we're exposed here and that old Russian saw through your concealment. I worry that the SS wizards might be able to do the same.}
Merlin scanned the area, sending out his awareness to check the areas that were out of his line of sight.
{I can't see them but there's more than one. I'm guessing there are three of them, two close together. They're all between us and the target.}
{If you look towards the building you indicated, there are some guards trying to conceal themselves in front of it as well.} Gunter added.
He won't be able to stand up to these wizards but I've yet to meet the soldier he can't handle, Merlin thought. Maybe I can keep him safe.
{That sounds like an appropriate division of labor.} Merlin sent. {You wait until I have the wizards engaged, then slip past and deal with the guards in front. Is your crystal still charged?}
A moment passed and Merlin imagined Gunter checking the power remaining in his crystal.
{About two thirds full. That should do for this.} Gunter replied.
{Wait until I engage the wizards and am holding their attention. Then slip past us and take care of the guards.}
{I'll start the concealment shield on my crystal now and move away. You let the one you're holding on me drop so you have that power available to you. I'll be ready when the chance arrives.}
Merlin thought for a moment how best to engage two unseen wizards. He could tell where they were within fifty feet, give or take a bit, but couldn't pin them down any more closely.
This is one of those cases where I'll need to give them the first shot, he thought.
He counted off a minute and then let his own concealment shield drop. He replaced it with the strongest shields against magic and physical objects that he could summon. When they fell into place around him, he was amazed. They were so strong he could practically hear them humming.
I hope I'm not unconsciously tapping all this death magic, he thought. Although, that would serve to free the spirits attached to it.
“There!” came a shout.
Merlin waited and watched. The shout had originated somewhere in the area he knew the wizards were in. He didn't have to wait long. A gigantic ball of fire, standing as tall as he did, came rolling down the street. He stood his ground.
Between my shields and being a dragon, I imagine it would take a very impressive fire to even singe me, he thought.
The ball of fire rolled straight at Merlin, engulfing him. It stopped its forward momentum once it was on top of him. Merlin chuckled to himself. It was a bit warm but there was no fire inside of his shield against magic. The flames raged and roared to no avail outside his shields.
The magic surrounding him had a vaguely familiar feel to it and he spent a moment trying to identify its source.
Aha! I guess they're making use of him, he thought. This is a far better effort than I saw him make before at least.
&n
bsp; Merlin stepped forward out of the flames.
“Manfred? Are you still trying to send magical fire at those with the proper shields raised?” he called.
“Merlin!” Manfred spat.
Merlin's Sight showed him the tendril of power Manfred was using to fuel and control the ball of fire. He traced it back to its origin and sent a small burst of magic along the trail. The burst was designed to explode when it found a shield, causing the shield to overload and dispel itself
After the flash of light when the burst struck, Merlin saw two men standing side by side. He recognized them both as his former students from when the Germans had found him after his long sleep. Manfred, who had practiced almost solely with fire magic, stood beside Karl, who had focused on shields and remote manipulation.
I have to remember that they may have learned more skills since then, Merlin thought. It wouldn't do to be caught by something unexpected. Perhaps a bit of psychological warfare to start. I bet I can undermine their confidence.
“So,” he called, “my students have been promoted and now they think they can best their first teacher. Do you remember the lessons I taught you last time?”
Manfred reddened with rage while Karl stood stolidly beside him. Merlin watched as Karl glanced upward, his eyes focusing on something. Merlin's eyes followed and he saw the massive chunk of stone falling from a nearby building, coming directly at his head.
Three steps to the side took him out of its path but when he glanced up, the stone had altered its path to follow him.
Merlin moved again but this time he also sent a lance of the blue-white fire he used for cutting towards Karl's shield.
I bet if I stress his shield, he'll concentrate on that and let the stone fall, Merlin thought.
Merlin poured power into his fire lance and he felt the shield start to give way. He kept moving as he attacked the shield. A loud crash sounded somewhere behind him and Karl lifted his arms, pushing his hands out as though trying to push the shield farther away from himself.
Manfred was reaching out with his power, tearing anything flammable from the nearby buildings. He formed the debris into a ball, ignited it, and once more a ball of fire raced towards Merlin.