by Tom Larcombe
That makes sense, he thought. Anything needing a charge will get it far faster under this tree than in the normal weather of Britain.
The two of them sat under the tree for a while, chatting. They finally pulled themselves away and entered the cottage. They didn't even wait to put their gear away, they dropped it in the hall and headed for bed. Sleep was a necessity after the last two days and they each spent about ten hours in its blissful arms.
* * *
When Merlin woke, it was to the smell of breakfast. He stumbled out into the kitchen and found Nimue cooking.
“Good morning. I thought that since I was up first I'd make breakfast for you,” she said.
“You didn't need to do that.”
“I know, and don't expect it most of the time, but since we have a couple more days off, I thought we'd continue our honeymoon. If I left it to you, we'd leave the house for breakfast. Leaving the house isn't in my plans.”
Merlin looked at her and found her staring at him. The look on her face convinced him that he really didn't have a good reason to leave the house until she was ready to do so.
Over the next pair of days the farthest they went from the house was the front yard, where they basked in the glow of the tree.
* * *
They returned to the base on the third day and reported to John in his office.
“Merlin, Nimue, good to have you back here. I have new schedules for both of you. I also have a request for you Merlin.”
“What do you need?” Merlin asked.
“I need you to teach William and Francis some basic transmutation and how to do it at a distance. Also we need you to teach that skill transfer trick you used to one of our experienced wizards. We'd like to deploy these students to the Royal Air Force and transfer piloting skills to them. Then we'll see if they're capable of flying a plane while tinkering with the opponent's aircraft. The German Luftwaffe is gaining superiority in the air and that might be a problem since we're in range of some of their bombers.”
“I can try to teach it to them, but you know there's no guarantee they'll be capable of learning it,” Merlin replied.
“I know that, but we need to do what we can. Nimue, we'll want you to train some of the female Welsh recruits. We don't have a lot of female teachers and would prefer that we keep the genders separated for training. We've had some... problems when giving male teachers female students in the past. Everything ranging from the teacher refusing to qualify them because they were female to the teacher taking advantage of the student. We want to avoid anything of the sort if possible.”
“I'll be happy to do that. What shall I teach them?” Nimue asked.
“Whatever they can learn, although focus on healing and doing everything with minimal energy costs please. Many of them won't be deployed to combat units and will go where we normally place women. A good deal of that will be medical of one sort or another. If there are any that shine at offensive magic then teach them whatever you can. They'll get some different assignments if they're amenable.”
“Easy enough to do that,” Nimue said.
“John, there's a bit of information you might be interested in if you're worried about the Germans achieving air superiority,” Merlin added.
“Go ahead.”
Merlin told him of Praesagium and his prophecy. He also told John about the possibility of the dragons assisting in the war on the British side should they be released.
“That might challenge the German's air superiority if it's true,” Merlin said.
John looked thoughtful, he stood up and paced around the room for a minute.
“Give some thought to how you would do that. I can't authorize an expedition to penetrate that far into Germany myself but I'll pass it up the chain and see what they say. Make a rough plan and give it to me, no details, just a very rough plan. With things like this, the less my superiors know, the happier they are. They're aware of German mind-reading capabilities and they try not to give away too much should one of them be scanned.”
Merlin nodded.
“I'll work on that.”
“Now, if there's nothing else you two can go plan for your students.”
“One other thing John,” Merlin said.
“Yes?”
“Would it be possible to get some iron? Scrap metal or things rusted beyond use are fine. Anguis is growing and he needs food. It's iron or silver for metals and I don't have the pounds of silver I'd need to feed him.”
“It might be easier to get pounds of silver than of iron what with the war going on. But it helps that it can be stuff that would just get scrapped anyhow. I'll see what I can do,” John said.
Merlin thanked John, then he and Nimue turned and left the room.
* * *
As fall turned to winter and winter passed, Merlin and Nimue busied themselves with teaching students, planning a rescue of the dragons, experimentation, and charging both themselves and anything that needed it under the tree.
John managed to get a large pile of iron that was destined for the scrapyard delivered to the base and by the end of winter Anguis had grown to the size of a large fox. He continued to play with the children each morning and his extra size didn't seem to bother them. Merlin had developed the habit of walking Anguis partway to his morning romps each day so he could sit and listen to the children laugh. The sound soothed his soul, which was constantly chafed by the nightly bombing of Britain's shores with the spirit creatures.
Near the end of winter, Merlin and Nimue were called into John's office.
“You've both got students finishing soon, yes?” John asked.
“Yes,” Merlin said.
“Good. Don't plan for more students in the near future. I've received word that you're to attempt the rescue we discussed. My superiors will deny any knowledge of it if you're caught. Requisition anything you might need and tell me who you want to take. I'll clear them from any other duty. Aside from that, tell me nothing.”
Merlin stared at John curiously. John's mood was one Merlin had never seen him in before.
“We can do that, but what's wrong?” Merlin said.
“That obvious, is it?”
Merlin nodded.
John's voice was tight with anger and rose in volume as he spoke.
“I hate this crap. I hate having to blind myself to what's going on. I hate having to lie when questioned about it. No matter how well you lie, some people know you're lying and you end up losing their trust. I can think of four or five ways to increase your odds if we acknowledged the mission but no, I'm not allowed to do that.”
“John, it's okay,” Nimue said. “I think the reason behind it is so the Allies can disavow anything related to magic. The Germans know it exists and so do we but if the Germans spout off about a magical espionage team they caught, it's only going to hurt their cause. The Allies get to play the 'look how crazy the enemy is' game by denying it.”
“The reason doesn't matter. I hate sending my people out on unsupported missions where they can't even count on help from nearby Allied troops if they need it. That's the big problem this causes for me,” John said.
“We wouldn't call them John,” Merlin said. “If we need help, it won't be of a type that normal troops could provide and you know it.”
“You never know, I managed to get care packages sent out to all of the Welsh wizards I could track down that were conscripted. I had the Welsh recruits send them out so it just looked like care packages from people at home. Each of them contained some copies of your basic transcripts and a couple of charged crystals. So there is some magical backup out there in the field.”
“You never mentioned that,” Merlin said.
“The best secret is one kept close. I wanted you to know that there is some backup available of the type you might need. Getting authorization to use it is the problem.”
John paused for a moment, gave an explosive snort, then continued.
“If they want to do things that way, two can
play at that game. Since they'll claim your mission is unauthorized if you get caught, you might as well have access to unauthorized backup. Feel free to call on the troops if you need to and I'll just say it must've been more of your unauthorized activities if they challenge me on it.”
“Thank you John, but we'll try not to do that. Once we're in the country, there won't be any troops nearby to call upon. What's the real problem?”
“Can't fool you, can I Merlin? I don't want to be the wizard who goes down in history as having lost two living legends. But I agree with my superiors, if we don't do something about German air superiority we're doomed. We Americans have some new fighters coming but it may be too little, too late. Your ex-students are doing well but they can't be everywhere and we can't spare many more wizards for pilots.”
“So what you're saying is you think you're responsible for us if we're lost in the attempt?” Nimue asked.
Merlin turned to her as John answered.
“Yes, you're under my command and I'm responsible for losses to my personnel,” he said.
“Nimue, don't...” Merlin said.
“I wasn't going to lose my temper over it Merlin, at least not unless he was talking about personally feeling responsible for any consequences due to our choices. Since he's talking chain of command it's quite all right.”
Merlin turned back to John.
“I'll have a list of items for you in a few days. I can tell you the people I want now but I'd prefer to ask them about it first.”
“Tomorrow then for the people? I may need to free them up from other duties and that could take time. Much like everything else they took forever to authorize the mission but now that they have, they want it to occur immediately.”
“Then I'll give you the list of people tomorrow,” Merlin said.
He and Nimue turned and left.
“You, me, Gunter, and who else?” Nimue asked.
“Hopefully Rein. My tentative plans include Rein's recovery of the draining knife. That means maybe Anselm as well. He turned out to be a pretty good general wizard so he shouldn't be a handicap. I'll give Gunter the option of not joining us though, he may well have a problem with returning to Germany. Anselm as well which is why I said Rein and not both of them.”
“So six of us at most, if you count Rein and Anguis. Only four people though, the Maquis ought to be able to smuggle four of us up through France and into Germany. I'll send a message tonight and see.”
“I'll speak to Anselm and Rein when it gets dark tonight. Gunter I can talk to now,” Merlin said.
* * *
Gunter was always in sight but managed to not be intrusive. Early in the afternoon, after Merlin's classes for the day were finished, he buttonholed Gunter.
“Gunter, I'm going to be taking a small group back into Germany,” Merlin said.
“I guessed that might be the case after we visited Wales. I didn't think you'd wait this long though, so I thought perhaps I was wrong.”
“No, we were waiting for authorization from John's superiors. If we do it with their authorization, then we have more options open to us, ranging from gear to transportation, whatever we need within reason.”
Gunter nodded.
“That's sensible, although my biggest fear at first was that you would charge back into Germany immediately. With no time to prepare it would have been more dangerous,” Gunter said.
“Well, now we have some time to prepare and resources to call on. My question is if you're willing to accompany us.”
“I'm supposed to be your bodyguard Merlin. I can't guard you if I remain here.”
“I'm still not sure I need a bodyguard Gunter. I think the British term for the position you actually fill is batman.”
“Yes, I do perform the duties a batman would, but I'm also your bodyguard. Do you remember the influx of wizards that weren't actually assigned here shortly after our return from Wales?”
Merlin thought back. Over a period of two months, more and more wizards from the Allied forces just showed up on the base. The trend continued until John declared the base off-limits to wizards who weren't actually posted there.
“Yes, they were everywhere. I think I might have spoken with most of them at one time or another.”
“They were here to see you, and Nimue to a degree, but primarily you. Did you know that there was a plot on your life at the time? One of the Allied wizards was a traitor.”
Merlin's disbelief showed on his face.
“I keep in touch with the gossip on base. I knew there was something wrong from what I learned talking to the other wizards. John listened to my concerns and the traitor was taken down. I may not have thrown my body in front of yours to save you, but I did my duty nonetheless.”
“Why would anyone want to kill me?” Merlin asked.
“Merlin, even with as much power as you have, you're more powerful still as a symbol. Much of the world has heard tales of you. Stories about you are told to children. Adults read books that are about you. The magical portion of the world that most people remain unaware of knows what you've done. They know that you found the Germans wanting and left despite them trying to stop you. It...”
Gunter stopped for a moment, searching for the correct words.
“It sways their judgment, whether they know it or not. John told me, and I believe him, that the favor of the magical world has much to do with who is victorious in a war. You color their judgment to favor the side you choose simply by being yourself. So, just by being a symbol and staying alive you bring advantages to the Allied forces.”
“I don't know whether I believe that or not,” Merlin replied.
“Whether you believe it or not, your superiors do. So the fact that they've approved a mission that puts you in danger tells me that things are not going well.”
“I know nothing about the overall picture except that the Germans are developing a superiority in the air. I hope that if we're successful, this mission will negate that advantage. So back to what I was saying, I know you're loathe to fight your own people Gunter. What will happen if we're attacked by the German army?”
“I heard you discussing plans with Nimue. You intend to sneak into the country, don't you? Using the aid of the Maquis?”
Perhaps Nimue and I need to be a bit more discrete with our conversations, Merlin thought, if Gunter overheard us, others may have as well.
“Yes we do.”
“The Maquis are good at what they do. I'll trust them to get us into Germany. Once inside Germany if we're attacked it won't be by the regular army, it will be the SS. I have no reservations about firing on those scum.”
“Then you'll accompany us?”
“Yes I will.”
“If you need any equipment, please let me know so I can requisition it for you.”
“I'll do that Merlin. I'll have a list for you tomorrow.”
After dinner, Merlin set out to find Anselm. He waited for darkness so Rein would be fully awake as well. When he sent his awareness out to scan for the wizard and his owl, they were in a field adjacent to the base. When he was satisfied that they'd remain there for a while he joined them.
“Anselm, good to see you. How have things been going?” Merlin asked.
They chatted for a few minutes. Anselm was feeling underutilized, occasionally he and Rein were called out for scouting missions. More frequently he was assigned to tutoring students and performing in mock magical duels with them.
“I know it's useful work but I feel I should be doing more. Aside from the infrequent scouting, they have lots of people who could do what I'm doing,” Anselm said.
“Be careful what you wish for Anselm. I'm here because I would like Rein's assistance. Yours too if you're willing.”
The starlight that illuminated the field was enough for Merlin to see Anselm's face break into a smile.
“What do you need?” Anselm asked.
“Nimue, Gunter, and I are traveling back into Germany. We've discovered powerful
potential allies of a magical nature. They're trapped and we think it's possible to rescue them. Part of my plan for doing so revolves around Rein though, as we'll need to recover the draining knife I had him dispose of before. My thinking was that since he knew where he disposed of it, he could recover it for us.”
“Well, he should be done hunting soon. There are still a few rabbits left about here. He's sure to make his kill and return in a few minutes.”
The silent landing of the owl proved the truth of Anselm's statement.
“Rein, Merlin has work for us. Are you willing?” Anselm asked.
Rein cocked his head and stared at Anselm. Merlin could tell they were communicating.
“Yes, part of it is something only you can do.” Anselm answered Rein aloud.
Rein turned to Merlin and stared at his eyes.
Merlin felt a sense of inquisitiveness.
{Rein, I have need of the knife I asked you to dispose of. Do you remember where you put it?}
The image of a deep crevice formed in Merlin's mind.
{Can you recover the knife from within it?}
This time the image formed with Rein added in for scale. There was no way the owl could fit into the hole in the rock.
{Can you lead us to the crevice so we can try to recover it?}
The image changed again. This time the owl was flying overhead while several humans hiked a mountain trail.
“I believe Rein is willing. Are you Anselm? There could be violence, and it could be against your fellow Germans.”
“Did you hear what you just said Merlin? My fellow Germans already experience more violence than they should have to. If there needs to be a bit more to relieve the constant fear and violence many of them live in now, then so be it. I'm willing. When do we leave and what do I need?”
Merlin and Anselm spent an hour or so discussing what to take. They set the departure date for nightfall two days later. This assumed Nimue could contact the Maquis and arrange for them to be smuggled onto the continent and as far into Germany as possible.
When Merlin returned to the cottage, Nimue was already asleep. He removed Anguis and joined her in bed, nearly falling asleep before his head hit the pillow.