by Tom Larcombe
“And with that, we will bid you goodnight. I may be an old man but I've not forgotten what a honeymoon is about and you are already compromising that with your search,” Grigor said.
“Congratulations,” Brenda added.
“My best wishes to you, may your line create many strong wizards,” Gwyddon said.
“We'll speak again tomorrow, perhaps after lunch. Enjoy yourselves until then,” Grigor said.
Gunter led the way back to the boardinghouse. Merlin and Nimue closeted themselves in their room since it was their first private night together on their honeymoon trip.
* * *
Chapter 6
Merlin and Nimue woke late the next morning. When they left to find breakfast they found Gunter waiting in the sitting room.
“Out of bed finally, are you?” Gunter teased.
“We decided it was time for some food,” Nimue said.
“I'm not too long out of my own bed. Shall we return to the restaurant for lunch?” Gunter asked.
Merlin and Nimue nodded and the three set off to eat. When they returned from lunch, Brenda was waiting in the sitting room.
“If you'll get your gear, we'll provide transportation for your visit,” she said.
It was only a few minutes before they were ready to leave. An old automobile in pristine condition waited in the road in front of the boardinghouse.
“I'm surprised you can get petrol,” Merlin said.
“We can't,” Brenda replied, “but I'll take care of it.”
Grigor handed Gunter an empty twenty liter jerrycan and asked him to fill it with water. Gunter complied and returned with the can. He placed it on the ground in front of Brenda who loosened the cap and dropped something into the water. She closed her eyes, focused on something for a minute or two, then opened them and nodded to Grigor.
“Gunter, please pour that jerrycan into the fuel tank of the car?” he asked.
Gunter shook his head, but he was familiar with wizards now. As he lifted the can Merlin heard a sloshing noise and smelled the distinctive odor of petrol.
“Transmutation?” he asked.
When he looked at Brenda he knew the answer immediately. She was close to falling over from her efforts. He assisted her into the automobile where she allowed herself to give in to her exhaustion.
“Petrol is costly, but we can still manage,” Gwyddon said. “Please get in. We shall take you to the area where Praesagium resides. It will be his decision whether or not to speak with you though.”
The following hour and a bit was spent in a drive towards the western coast.
I was right, Merlin thought, but if we started farther north it would've been days or even weeks before we got this far.
Gwyddon stopped the car in the middle of a small village. It looked no different than any of the others, except for the large quantities of children running about. Anguis constricted around Merlin's neck and sent an image of himself playing with the children.
Merlin looked about to make sure no-one was looking before replying to Anguis.
{Go ahead Anguis.}
The heads of the three Welsh wizards whipped around to face Merlin as Anguis uncoiled from the form of a torq around Merlin's neck, assumed his normal tiny dragon form, and took to the air.
“What is that?” Grigor asked.
“A companion. He loves to play with children and couldn't resist,” Merlin answered.
“Not only does he have the form of a dragon then but he shares the preferences of them. Praesagium cannot resist a human child. When the British asked us to take in child refugees, he requested that a large number of them be sent here. By now every child in the place has met him and played with him.”
Calls of “Oh look, it's a little dragon this time!” came from the children, confirming Grigor's words.
Anguis swooped and played as Merlin, Nimue, and Gunter were led into a pub.
“If you'll wait here, we'll go and ask Praesagium if he'll speak with you,” Gwyddon said.
“As you will,” Merlin replied.
The three sat around the table nursing the excellent beers they were offered. After a few minutes, Merlin began to grow suspicious.
“Something is not as it seems.”
“What is it?” Gunter said, hand drifting to his pistol.
“One moment, I don't think it's dangerous.”
Merlin separated a portion of his awareness and sent it outside the pub.
“As I thought, the three wizards haven't gone anywhere.”
Merlin looked around the interior of the pub. His eyes were drawn to the bartender. The man seemed more solid than his surroundings. Merlin could tell that there was more to him than he could see. The bartender grinned, white teeth shining in the semi-darkness.
Merlin stood, took his empty mug with him, and walked to the bar.
“Another of these excellent beers if you would Praesagium,” he said in Welsh.
The bartender burst into laughter. He filled the mug and slid it across the bar.
“How could you tell?” Praesagium asked.
“Several things. The wizards who were allegedly going to get you are still in the street outside. The pub, despite having a truly excellent beer, is empty save for us. You appear as a forty year old human, yet your teeth are cleaner and more perfect than any human of that age in this area. Finally, you have a sort of ageless aura to you, despite your apparent age. It's similar to that of a wizard, but many times stronger.”
Nimue and Gunter came to the bar.
“Did I hear you correctly? Is this who we've come to see?” Nimue asked.
“Yes indeed, I believe we were being tested,” Merlin said.
“Of course you were. The famous Merlin, or infamous depending on who you speak to, would, of course, have been able to deduce what was going on. He did so rather quickly as well. I think it would have been faster save I distracted him with a fine brew.”
“It is a fine brew,” Merlin said, sipping from his mug, “but honestly, the others told me they were going to get you, so I suspected nothing until I noticed that with all the children running and laughing in this village none of them were right outside the pub.”
Merlin took a deeper drink.
“I assume that the wizards who brought us here were still unsure of us, and steps were taken to protect the children?”
“The dragons always claimed that there was more to you than you let on Merlin. I can see we were right to do so.”
The shutter on the window facing the street opened from the outside. A flash of silver crossed the room and Anguis landed on Merlin's shoulder.
An image appeared in Merlin's mind. A silver-blue dragon, flying and playing with children. From what Merlin saw, the dragon was easily the size of some of the larger whales in the ocean.
{Yes Anguis, our host here is that dragon. He's in human form currently though.}
Merlin turned to find Praesagium staring intently at Anguis.
“What is that? It feels almost like a dragon?”
“This is Anguis,” Merlin said. “He's a creation of Nimue's. She was attempting to make a construct that would fulfill the requirements of a spell I had placed myself under. Those requirements were a dragon flying overhead.”
“She came so close. He has something dragonish about him, besides his name and form I mean. He is the kin of a dragon but not quite fully one.”
Nimue blushed.
“I infused the blood of a dragon into him on his creation. Evidently I didn't use enough or there was some other problem since Merlin's spell didn't recognize Anguis as a dragon.”
Praesagium's face grew stern.
“The blood of a dragon? Just how did you obtain that?”
“Were you are aware that several dragons attempted to revive Merlin from the spell he was under?”
Praesagium nodded.
“One of them tried to take flight from the area Merlin was in. I was with him at the time. Knights shot him from the sky as he lau
nched himself into the air. I was showered in his blood and saved some of it in a stasis spell. That was the blood I used, it was only a few drops though.”
“You were showered in his blood?”
Praesagium stared at Nimue, his eyes grew distant and he muttered to himself.
“Tainted? Yes she's tainted as well.”
He spoke to Nimue directly in a louder voice.
“I see that you and Merlin stand close to one another. By chance, are the two of you mated?”
“Yes, we're married, but what has that to do with anything?
“The tainted mated! I was right, I was just centuries too soon,” Praesagium said.
“What are you talking about?” Nimue asked.
“The prophecy.”
“What prophecy?”
“Centuries back, before the dragons disappeared, I made a prophecy. I was sure it was a true prophecy at the time. It regarded saving the dragons. When the time came, I thought it was associated with the dragons disappearing. I was wrong though, I see that now. It has to do with rescuing them from their plight, not preventing it from happening.”
Praesagium fidgeted and moved as though he simply couldn't contain himself. His movements brought him out from behind the bar and when he reached the open floor, he broke into full movement, dancing about the room, chanting gleefully.
“Seek the tainted to avoid the fall
Help is needed lest future pall
Kindred spirit in the air
Risk and danger he must share
Few will travel, more will aid
or all life and land will fade
Tainted mated, two as one
Drain the curse and she is done.”
Praesagium stopped dancing as abruptly as he began. He turned back to Nimue.
“That is, of course, a translated version. The original was in my own language. I thought you were the tainted mated the first time you and Merlin mated. We were in dire need then as Ave was betraying our kind to those who sought us while the knights of Camelot were hunting us down. But the prophecy was not about then, it was about now. Now you truly are the tainted mated.”
“What is this tainted you're talking about?” Merlin asked.
“Tainted is the term dragons use for those humans contaminated by our blood, if they survive the experience. Both of you are now tainted and you've officially mated. You MUST be the tainted mated.”
“Why must we be?” Merlin asked.
“You are the only two tainted still alive. If you are not the ones in the prophecy then it will be decades or more before it comes to pass, if ever. That cannot be. So you must be the ones spoken of.”
I dislike being thought of as a savior, Merlin thought.
“So what exactly do you assume the rest of the prophecy means?” he asked.
“Once, I thought the beginning referred to the fall of the dragons. That has passed already, so the only other major fall in this current time would be that of the Allies. If the Germans win, the future will certainly pall. I've already commented on a kindred spirit in this room, have I not? The 'she' mentioned in the prophecy can only be Ave. Drain the curse? I'm uncertain of specifics but Ave used a spell to lock the dragons away from the world, that could certainly be seen as a type of curse.”
“Then it appears that we are working at similar aims here and perhaps we can help one another,” Merlin said.
“How is that?”
“We came to seek information about Ave. She's thrown in with the Germans and her efforts seem to be making a big difference, both with their results in the war and, worse still, in the mental stability of the Germans. She's insane, you know that?”
Praesagium's face sobered as he nodded.
“Her insanity is contagious, both to those who stay near her for any length of time and to those wizards who use the magic she sheds. A horde of insane wizards on the German side will make a difference if nothing else does,” Merlin said.
“We knew of her insanity, it was thought by some that perhaps a mate could cure it. It initially developed when she lost her first hatchling and mate long ago.”
Praesagium looked at Merlin.
“You are the cause of that first lost mate Merlin. When her hatchling was killed by a man, she drove her mate to exact revenge on any human he could find. You killed him in return after he slayed your parents.”
Merlin paled with the memories.
“So, a male dragon courted her. She continued her plots and schemes throughout the courtship though. Finally she accepted him as a mate, but it made little difference to the other things she did. He thought he was making progress until I first made the prophecy. When I did, he became sure that you were the answer to curing her Merlin. So he volunteered to help try to break your spell. He was the one shot down over you Nimue, and so Ave blames you for the loss of her second mate.”
Nimue chuckled grimly.
“Should she hear that Merlin and I are married, perhaps she'll die of apoplexy.”
“I wish that it were that easy,” Praesagium said. “She has taken over the body of a human. Should it die, her essence will simply return to her draconic body.”
“What would occur if her draconic body were destroyed first?” Merlin asked.
“I don't know. It's possible that she would die that way. She might also be able to take over the body of another human. She was never free with information regarding her powers, even before she lost her mates.”
“Then it looks as though fulfilling your prophecy and freeing the other dragons is the best method of countering her. Perhaps some will be grateful enough to assist us and the scales will tip in our favor.”
“It's likely that they would. If Ave has been meddling with the Germans as much as you claim, the dragons will want to do something to clean up the mess she's created,” Praesagium said.
“Then we should talk. If we're to help with this we'll need to know anything you can tell us about Ave,” Merlin said.
“Certainly, let me speak to the other wizards and I'll bring you back to my home.”
Praesagium turned to Nimue.
“I should like to spend some time with Anguis. He is the closest have come to another dragon in a long time. If you desire, I can possibly enhance him somewhat. If it was too little blood or there was something else wrong with it then perhaps if I infuse a touch of my own into him he will be... more than he is now.”
Nimue paused for a moment considering. Then she looked at Anguis. The little dragon nodded emphatically.
“Yes, I think Anguis would appreciate that,” she said.
Anguis looked at Praesagium, who held his arm out across his chest, fist closed. The little dragon launched himself off of Merlin's shoulder and landed on the outstretched arm. Praesagium stroked Anguis' metal body firmly and the little dragon gave off a raspy buzzing sound, like metal plates rubbing together rapidly.
“Is that a purr?” Merlin asked.
“It is similar. Young dragons who have not yet learned to speak express strong emotions in such a fashion.”
{Anguis, are you alright?} Merlin sent.
Anguis sent an image of himself that was somehow larger, with a more intelligent gleam in his eye. The feeling that came with the image was one of great happiness.
{Yes.} was the sending that accompanied the image.
“I think Anguis is very happy about the idea,” Merlin said.
“Good then, shall we?” Praesagium asked.
The pair of dragons led the way through the door and walked over to Grigor.
“Well done. I shall be taking them to my home. I will return them tomorrow just after lunch.”
Grigor nodded. He gathered up Brenda and Gwyddon and the three of them walked unto the pub that was just vacated.
* * *
Praesagium led the way towards the ocean, walking at a fast pace. The only building in sight was a small hovel atop the sea cliff. Praesagium made his way directly to it and opened the door, gesturing the others
inside.
As Merlin stepped inside he noted that the levels of magic in the area were even stronger than those he'd known centuries earlier. He couldn't help but soak it in, just by being in the area. He thought that Nimue was probably experiencing the same.
The interior was crowded with the four of them and Anguis. Merlin was just about to say something about it when their host leaned over and opened a trapdoor in the floor.
“Follow me. We will have more room down here,” Praesagium said.
He climbed down the ladder beneath the trapdoor and the others followed. When Merlin reached the floor at the bottom of the ladder he looked around.
They were inside a vast rocky chamber. A cool breeze, rife with the smells of salt, seaweed, and the ocean itself told him that there was an opening leading to the cliff face. Several passages led out of the chamber. Most of them were sized for a human but the one through which the breeze entered was twenty or more times the size of the others.
Droplets of water spotted the walls, glittering and reflecting the light of a crystal set into the ceiling. In one corner the light glistened on a pile of silver-blue scales. Somehow, the reflections from the pile increased the overall light level in the chamber.
“This way,” Praesagium said.
He entered one of the man-sized tunnels. After a few paces the tunnel was blocked by a door. Inside the door was a room that would have been comfortable for twice as many people as currently occupied it. Furniture was set in such a manner that anyone sitting in a piece of it would have a table to hand and be able to see anyone else sitting in the room.
Praesagium seated himself and gestured to the other chairs. Once everyone was seated, he began to speak.
“So, what do you want to know of Ave? What will help you free the dragons from their prison?”
They talked late into the evening. Merlin and Nimue asked anything and everything they could think of. Gunter was conspicuously silent, listening to everything and sitting in a chair that allowed him an unobstructed view of the door.
When it grew late Praesagium broke into the series of questions.
“Enough for now. You humans need sleep. Anguis and I shall have our own discussion while you rest.”