Merlin's Target (An Untimely Error Book 3)

by Tom Larcombe

  He looked curiously at Merlin and Nimue on the floor and then saw Gudrun.

  “Oh, that explains it. I was wondering why you were down there. Is John in? I just got a mental message asking me to report here.”

  “He's in but if it was the one about Colorado residents, that's for us,” Merlin said.

  “Yes, it was. I'm Andrew Hart, call me Andy.”

  He stuck out his hand.

  Merlin stood and shook Andy's hand.

  “I'm Merlin, this is Nimue, and the young one there is our daughter Gudrun.”

  “Honored to meet you, I'd heard you were here but I wasn't sure if I should believe it or not.”

  “We're here, on and off at least. Are you from Colorado?” Nimue said.

  “I was born there; lived there all my life until I joined the Army. I imagine I'll be going back when they're through with me here.”

  “Good, we're being granted American citizenship and we were thinking Colorado might be a good place for us to live. We had a few questions about it first though.”

  “Ask away. I'll answer whatever I can,” Andy replied.

  “This may sound strange, but is there any big game up in the high mountains in the state?” Merlin asked.

  “Heck ya, you can find some trophy sized mule deer up past the tree line even,” Andy said. “I've been hunting up there with my dad and brother before.”

  “There's a lot there then?”

  “Of the trophy size ones? Nah. But if you just mean lots of deer and elk, then yes. The mountains see a lot of those, pretty much any time but in the middle of winter. They move to lower elevations most of the time when it gets too cold. You'll find some bears and pumas up there as well.”

  “So there's lots of big game?”

  “Most of the year, yes.”

  “How do you like living in Colorado?” Nimue asked.

  “It's great. There's lots of room unless you get into one of the cities. Not so many people if you're outside of the cities so if some odd things happen near you, there's no-one to notice.”

  “You know anything about the mining in the state?” Merlin asked.

  “Nah, I never looked into that. I work on engines mostly. Haven't had any reason to do anything with the mines.”

  “Well, thank you Andy. I think you helped us reach our final decision,” Merlin said. “I'll tell John you helped us out here.”

  “You're welcome. Can I go back to the motor pool or should I report to John first?”

  “Go ahead and head back. Like I said, I'll tell him you were here and answered our questions for us.”

  Andy turned and left the building. Nimue gathered up Gudrun before she and Merlin knocked on John's door again.

  “Come in,” John called.

  “There was someone on base from Colorado. Andrew something or other, I don't remember his last name. He works in the motor pool. Anyhow, he said that any time but winter there's lots of big game in the mountains so we're going to go with Colorado.”

  “Good, I can finally process Ferox' paperwork then. He asked to live someplace close to where the two of you requested.”

  Merlin's face registered his surprise.

  “That's odd. He's a nice dragon and all that but I didn't realize he held that sort of attachment for us.”

  “Actually, I think he wants to be close to Gudrun. Evidently he was elected as a guard for her, no disrespect intended to you two or Anguis, but I was told that the dragons used to guard the offspring of the Tainted until their first change. They're just following tradition as far as I can tell. I've got the paperwork for his request here someplace, he spells it out there.”

  “Well, they made a good choice. Ferox is one of their better warriors from what I've seen,” Merlin said.

  “Alright then, I'll see what I can do for you in Colorado. I know they've got lots of state and federal land there. I bet they'll let loose a nice little parcel for the two of you. Especially if you want to live at a higher altitude than most people. I think most of the land at those altitudes is still owned by the government in one fashion or another.”

  * * *

  Merlin and Nimue needed to pack all their belongings over the next week. Merlin also still needed to take his cutting from the lightning tree.

  “Do we turn this back in or do we get to keep it?” Nimue called out.

  The same question or variations on it rang out over and over as they packed. In the end, they discovered that they really didn't have that many belongings. Merlin had lost all of his clutter during his long sleep. Nimue lost hers when she left France, under the nose of the Germans, in order to join Merlin.

  Gudrun had more belongings than either of them. All of their friends had acquired the habit of picking up trinkets and toys for her when they saw something they thought she'd like. But even with all of Gudrun's belongings they were still under the limit they'd been given for baggage.

  Merlin took his cutting from the lightning tree two days before they were scheduled to leave. It looked like a budding branch taken from the tree but when placed in the sun the tiny buds on it would unfurl into miniature leaves.

  They arrived at the motor pool early on the day they were scheduled to depart. John met them there.

  “Here you go, as we discussed I have your identification. I also have the deed to a nice little hundred and fifty acre plot of land in the mountains of Colorado.”

  Merlin took the proffered paperwork and scanned the ID.

  “So, I'm to be Merle Alston and Nimue is Minerva Alston?” Merlin asked.

  “Yes, all the paperwork is filled out in those names,” John replied.

  Merlin looked at Nimue.

  “Minerva?”

  “I liked it when I saw it,” Nimue said. “If I can't keep my real name, it's as good as any other and it isn't currently popular so I can train myself to respond every time I hear it.”

  “The truck will take you to the port. We're sending all the Dragon Wizards on this ship. The dragons without a human form will follow in a few days. Once you get to the States, there will be transportation available to take you to Colorado. It won't be fancy, but it'll get you there,” John said.

  “Have I mentioned that I'm not that fond of large bodies of water?” Merlin said.

  “Yes dear, you have,” Nimue replied “Don't worry, I'll be there and I'm fairly skilled with water magics, unlike some. Besides, if there's a problem we'll just change forms, grab Gudrun, and fly to safety.”

  Merlin grimaced but nodded.

  “If you're ever down Texas way, look me up,” John said. “I'll do the same for you if I'm in Colorado, if you'd like.”

  “Certainly, we'd love to see you,” Nimue said. “Although with Colorado being brand new to us I doubt we'll be going out of state until we've explored the one we'll be living in.”

  “Here's your truck. I've got to go and try to get the rest of the Dragon Wizards into their transportation,” John said.

  Merlin waved.

  “Thank you John and good-bye.”

  “Good-bye Merlin, Nimue. I hope to see you again.”

  John turned away and Merlin heard him mutter something about herding cats. John turned back once and waved at Gudrun, who waved a chubby hand in return. John was smiling when he headed off to the other dragons.

  The drive to the port was peaceful. Crossing the ocean on a ship full of Dragon Wizards was not. There was constant tension amidst them and more than once there were squabbles. Merlin, Nimue, and Gudrun didn't have any problems with that though. Somehow Ferox had obtained the cabin next to theirs and anytime they left their own cabin, he attached himself to them. His focus told them that John was correct, Ferox was guarding Gudrun. Any other Dragon Wizard that showed signs of aggression when Gudrun was nearby immediately had Ferox to deal with. Despite his relative youth, Ferox was never challenged when performing those duties.

  Merlin sighed in relief when the ship pulled into port in the States. Throughout the entire voyage all he could
think of was the vast quantities of water beneath his feet.

  “It isn't so much the water,” he told Nimue, “as it is the lack of land in sight and the motion of the waves. It reminds me of the AC electricity that drains my power when I'm near it.”

  “We don't know if that's the case any more though,” Nimue said. “I haven't been near it since I changed, have you?”

  Merlin shook his head.

  “We'll have to test that.”

  John had also been correct in his statement that their transportation wouldn't be fancy. They were put up for several nights on the military base they landed at. Then they were put on a train and told they'd be met at the other end.

  The train was slow but Merlin enjoyed watching the countryside pass by through the window. When they arrived in Colorado, there were a pair of Army trucks parked at the station.

  “I guess that's our transportation,” Merlin said. “One truck for us and one for Ferox perhaps?”

  Gudrun's guardian had informed Merlin that he was given a fifty acre lot adjoining the one belonging to Merlin and Nimue.

  “We might as well just share a truck,” Ferox said. “It isn't like the four of us and our baggage would fill even one of them.”

  “Let's make sure that they're both intended for us first. They may have all of us in a single truck and the other one here for a different reason,” Nimue added.

  Merlin walked over to the drivers and, as they suspected, the two trucks were both intended for them. He explained the situation to the drivers who proceeded to flip a coin to determine which one would take them.

  The drive into the mountains let Merlin and Nimue see the area they'd be living in. It was heavily forested and most of the trees were evergreens. Infrequently they saw clumps of aspen mixed in with the pines and there were some other deciduous trees along stream beds.

  Finally the driver turned off the paved road onto a dirt track. They bumped along for a mile or so before turning off into a driveway.

  “This is the larger of the two lots,” the driver said. “There's a cabin back this way. I'm assuming that's where you want me to drop you off?”

  “Yes, please. We'll get unloaded right away and then you can make your other stop,” Merlin said.

  The driveway ended at a log cabin.

  “Here you go, it's a fairly new W.P.A. building. There should be details inside somewhere. There's a hand pump and outhouse out back,” the driver said.

  Merlin and Nimue unloaded their belongings quickly while Ferox held Gudrun for them. In less than fifteen minutes they were unloaded and everything was inside.

  “Someone should be by tomorrow to drop off a vehicle for you,” the driver said, “and there should be some basic foodstuffs in the cabin already.”

  The driver pulled out to drop Ferox off while Merlin and Nimue went into their new home. Anguis, having spent the trip armoring Merlin, slid off of him and took to the air to examine the lay of the land.

  * * *

  The primary heat for the house was a wood stove in the living room. The stove in the kitchen also used wood, so Merlin went outside to see if there was any fuel. He came in with an armload of logs.

  “There's quite a bit of wood in a pile out back. It looks like they were ready for us, or someone, to move in. At least they don't have AC electricity here,” he said. “I don't know if it would affect us as dragons but Gudrun doesn't have a dragon form yet.”

  “It looks like the cabin was designed to be used without electricity,” Nimue replied. “Fortunately, we're both used to doing things without it.”

  The two settled in for an evening of unpacking. Although it didn't take that long with their few possessions, the rest of the evening was spent discussing what else they wanted for the cabin.

  “There were lots of things the military had that were designed to run on the DC kind of electricity,” Merlin said, “and I can easily set up a bank of crystals that sees the sun for most of the day. We can use that to produce that kind of electricity. I converted power from DC electricity to magical energy on the fly a couple of times. We could get things like that and have the convenience of electricity, at least if I can work out a stable conversion process.”

  The two of them made out a list of things to try to find.

  “I bet if we can't find some of these, John might be able to arrange for us to get some of the Army's used equipment. I imagine a lot of it's going to be surplus now that the war is over,” Nimue said.

  Merlin nodded in acknowledgment.

  They went to bed early, despite not needing the sleep. There wasn't much else they'd be able to do until they received the transportation the driver had promised would arrive the following day. The two of them woke shortly after dawn and Merlin went out to get more wood.

  “Nimue,” he hissed quietly, “come out here and look at this.”

  Nimue slid out the back door and the two of them stared out at the meadow that made up about a sixth of their property. A herd of deer, perhaps forty in number, were grazing their way across it towards the woods on the other side. Behind the deer, the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky.

  “I think this place will do very nicely,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and leaning in for a kiss.

  Nimue returned the kiss. Then the two of them stood on the porch watching the sun rise in the sky. The deer slowly made their way across the field and into the woods on the other side. A few moments later they heard the gentle burbling noise Gudrun made when playing with Anguis so they knew she was awake. Nimue went into the house to tend Gudrun while Merlin brought in the wood he'd originally come out to get.

  * * *

  The End

  * * *

  This concludes the series An Untimely Error.

  If you enjoyed any of the books in this series please take a moment to leave a review on that book's

  page at Amazon. Other readers frequently use reviews to decide which books to read.

  * * *

  I have my next series underway already and the first book in it will be released before the end

  of 2014. The series name will be Crow Hill and it is set in the same world as

  An Untimely Error

  but seventy plus years in the future from where Merlin's Target ends.

  * * *

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  The author's blog is located at:

  tomlarcombe.blogspot.com

  * * *

  Other books by Tom Larcombe:

  Merlin's Awakening (An Untimely Error - Book #1)

  Merlin's Travels (An Untimely Error – Book #2)