Merlin's Travels (An Untimely Error Book 2)

by Tom Larcombe

“You can keep a tight rein on your thoughts and feelings. If you find yourself having thoughts that don't feel entirely natural, tell one of the wizards and we can do something about it. Mostly, keep thoughts of lust and greed out of your mind. Those are the emotions the demon can most easily use to influence you.”

  Besnik nodded.

  “I can try to do that.”

  Merlin decided to keep a good watch on Besnik. The man was goodhearted and, from what Merlin saw, loyal to a fault. He just wasn't very bright, and Merlin feared that he could be easily manipulated.

  “Do so. Tell one of us if there's a problem. Now I need to speak with Anselm and Vadoma. Please don't interrupt us. I'll need to ask her some embarrassing questions to find out what happened, so you might want to move out of earshot.”

  Besnik looked dubious but he moved over to where Gunter was watching the proceedings. Merlin walked over to Vadoma and Anselm, who were still speaking, and waited for them to notice him.

  “Merlin,” Anselm said, “what happened?”

  “The demon happened. Vadoma, were you guarding your mind?” Merlin asked.

  “I was up until I fell asleep. I guess my guard slipped then. I was having the most wonderful dreams and when I woke, I felt I should continue my dream in real life.”

  “I can guess what those dreams were about,” Merlin said.

  Vadoma blushed and nodded shyly.

  “Anselm, I saw that you weren't taken by the same thing in your sleep, what happened right before you lost control?”

  “Merlin...” Anselm said, unwilling to elaborate.

  “Anselm, do you want this to happen again, or other things? They won't all be as pleasant as this one was.”

  Anselm sighed deeply.

  “I was fine until I saw Vadoma totally nude. My control started to slip some then. When she pressed her body against mine, I lost control. I couldn't think of anything but her.”

  Merlin nodded.

  “Much like her dream, I'm pretty sure I know where your thoughts were.”

  Anselm looked guilty but after a moment he nodded.

  “So, we need to teach Vadoma how to maintain a mental shield in her sleep. Do you remember that lesson?”

  Anselm grinned, his composure recovered.

  “After learning it from your transcripts and then again from you directly? I'd remember that lesson in my sleep.”

  “Good, teach it to Vadoma. I need to check everyone else and make sure none of them are under its influence.”

  Anselm stared at Merlin in shock.

  “Me, teach?”

  “Anselm, do you love her?”

  He nodded.

  “I bet you want to protect her, yes?”

  “Yes,” Anselm said.

  “Then you're the one to teach Vadoma. You'll make absolutely sure that she has it right or it could be dangerous for her.”

  Anselm swallowed.

  “I'll do it. If I have any problems, I'll ask you to help though.”

  “You won't have any problems, you just told me you could remember that lesson in your sleep.”

  Merlin turned and began to scan the rest of the group with his Sight. He didn't see the orange-red glow near anyone now, including the two who were affected previously.

  Now to determine why the demon was still able to reach out and influence us, he thought.

  Merlin sat on the ground and called to mind a picture of the knife as it was when he examined it earlier in the day. The only explanation he could come up with was his missing a spell on it. He was sure he counteracted all the ones he saw, which left something hidden as the main possibility.

  I'll strip the leather off the grip. That's the only exterior surface I didn't examine. None of the existing spells or etching continued to that area but perhaps there's a second set of spells, he thought.

  Merlin laid back down and tried to get some sleep before his watch. When he was awoken for it, he knew he was running low on rest, but decided he was in good enough shape for the day. Twice during his watch he used his Sight to make sure there were no problems with anyone in the group. When his watch was over and the sky was lightening, he woke everyone up.

  “I need to do some more examination on the knife. I must have missed something for the demon to be able to do what it did,” he said.

  “You go do that. We'll get everything packed up and some hot breakfast ready,” Nimue replied.

  Merlin returned to where the knife was hidden and retrieved it. He slid it out of the bag and examined the leather wrapping on the handle. He finally gave up and cut the leather off of it with his own knife. When the metal of the handle was revealed, Merlin discovered a second set of spells. These were designed to enhance the demon's influence on the world around it.

  He slid the knife and the cut-off leather back into the bag, strengthened the first set of spells he had placed on it and then added a second set of spells, designed to counteract those on the handle.

  He returned to camp, bag in hand.

  “There was a second set of spells on the knife, hidden under the wrappings. I've counteracted them now but I still recommend that everyone keep their mind guarded. I dislike surprises like this one and we may discover it has yet another means of influencing people.”

  “We'll do that,” Nimue said. “Now sit down and eat so we can get on our way.”

  * * *

  Throughout the day they found themselves spending more time avoiding roads and houses, as the wilderness area where they recovered the knife slowly transitioned to something more rural. When they stopped to camp for the night Vadoma approached Merlin.

  “There's a small town coming up soon, Niederlahnstein. Across the river is another small town, Oberlahnstein. You wanted me to tell you when we got close to towns.”

  “Good, I'll see if there's anything we need. If not we'll probably avoid this one, unless... Do you know if it has a detachment of troops in it? If we find one of those we can steal their transportation, do a small injury to them, and hasten our journey all at the same time.”

  “I don't know. They didn't used to, but I haven't been here since before the war.”

  “I'll find out. Thank you for letting me know and for guiding us. I think we're moving more quickly than we would have with our original plan even.”

  “We Rom know all the quickest back routes. We needed to use them even before the war since we were frequently unwelcome. Sometimes we became unwelcome in a hurry if someone from the town started throwing accusations at us. At least this small good will come of that,” Vadoma said.

  “I've only known a few Rom but the ones I've known have not deserved the reputation that's been given them.”

  “Most of us don't. But people don't talk about them, they talk about the few that go bad.”

  “They do so with everyone, but it seems the Rom have suffered from that more than most,” Merlin observed.

  “When you're frequently on the move, the towns always view you as an outsider and talk about you more. The town's scandals get hushed up while those of the Rom get flung to the four winds for everyone to hear about.”

  Vadoma turned and left. Merlin feared that the conversation had bothered her, but at least she wasn't disturbed over the happenings of the previous night. He'd started the conversation just to see if she were over it. It appeared that she was, but the conversation had taken some turns he didn't expect.

  I'll have to go scout that town tonight, Merlin thought. I don't relish our group going into the countryside to avoid the towns and cities so we can remain unnoticed. That's a recipe for disaster. One person sees us, says the wrong thing, and we're caught. We need to find transportation of some sort and I think a troop transport would be ideal. I'll see if there's a detachment in the town tonight. If there is, we'll plan from there.

  Merlin asked Gunter to wake him an hour before his watch so he could scout the town. When he was awoken it was the early hours of the morning.

  There should be no-one out in the town so I
can see everything clearly, he thought.

  Merlin sat and made himself comfortable on the ground. Then he detached a portion of his awareness.

  He cast his awareness high into the air and sent it soaring towards the town. Even before he reached it he saw that it was damaged from being bombed. He peered down on the town and guessed that perhaps one in ten of the buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. He also saw at least two different squads of troops in the city, with their transportation nearby.

  He returned his awareness to his body and stood his watch. When the others were all awake he put the question to them.

  “There are troops in the town ahead of us, at least two different squads. Do we steal a truck from them and make our journey easier or do we continue to walk? Each has its own dangers.”

  “I like the idea of taking a truck,” Anselm said. “It may be dangerous but it allows us to arrive quicker and cuts down on the amount of time we're exposed in the middle of Germany.”

  Gunter nodded.

  “I think Anselm's right. If we can do it without starting a firefight, we should take a truck. But only if we can do it without gunfire. If there are at least two squads there then they've probably been instructed to stay close enough to hear trouble and reinforce one another.”

  As Gunter and Anselm discussed the possibility, Merlin fell silent. When Gunter noticed and saw Merlin's eyes darting here and there, unfocused, he smiled.

  “Wait Anselm,” he said pointing to Merlin, “we may need to accommodate some new ideas before we make a plan.”

  Several minutes later Merlin's eyes refocused.

  “Have any of you ever been in a city that's being bombed?” he asked.

  The group looked around at one another. Besnik's hand slowly raised.

  “I was trapped in one that got shelled while I was meeting some people to lead out of the country, why?” he asked.

  “Would you consent to sharing the memory of it with me? I don't need any of the personal parts, just the sounds and sights of the bombing.”

  “I don't understand, why do you need that?” Besnik asked.

  “What do people do, even troops, when a town is being bombed?” Merlin asked.

  Gunter spoke up and answered.

  “They run for cover, leaving anything they can't carry behind, including their transportation.”

  Merlin nodded.

  “I think our chances of stealing a truck would be greatly enhanced if the troops it belonged to were hiding in a cellar while we did so, don't you?”

  Besnik still looked confused. Vadoma turned to him and explained.

  “Do you remember the colored lights I entertain people with sometimes?”

  He nodded.

  “You know they're illusions, things I make with my magic, right?”

  “Yes, so?”

  “Merlin is a far more powerful wizard than I am. He's going to create an illusion that the town is being shelled. But he needs to know as much about it as he can first. So he needs your memories to help him shape his illusion.”

  “Oh,” Besnik said, his eyes widening.

  “Can you really do one that big? Vadoma says her colored lights are about the most she can do,” he asked Merlin.

  “Yes Besnik, I think I can do one big enough to convince the soldiers that the town is under bombardment.”

  “How will you get my memories then?”

  “Simply remember them as strongly as you can and I'll arrange to share them with you. Give me a moment first. Let's both sit down.”

  Five minutes later Merlin stood back up with new knowledge of the war. He shook his head in amazement at mankind's ingenuity for destruction.

  “Gunter and Anselm, you two were discussing some sort of plan to get us a truck. Did it involve you going into the city?”

  “Yes, it did. But we shouldn't need to do that now, should we?” Gunter said.

  “I can create the illusion but if there is no evidence of new destruction, then our ruse is liable to be discovered sooner rather than later. You retrieved some grenades from that SS patrol, didn't you ?”

  Gunter nodded.

  “Here's what I want you and Anselm to do...”

  They spent the next two hours developing and fine tuning the plan. The group would stay where they were for the rest of the day. Early the next morning Anselm and Gunter would go into the town. They'd arrange for a physical complement to Merlin's illusions and the group would meet up again at a building on the outskirts of town at dusk.

  Merlin spent the day setting up spells in his crystals. He thought he could control all the illusions he would need at once, but if he could set some up in the crystals instead, it would increase the chance of success.

  The next morning arrived all too soon for Merlin. He sent Anselm and Gunter off with a final admonition.

  “Remember, only set them up in areas that will be empty of civilians once the sirens go off. If you happen to determine where the SS will go when the alarm is given, you can set up multiples at that location. I wouldn't cry a tear if they happened to get blown up, but I want as few civilian casualties as possible. Whichever truck is farther away from us at dusk would be a good target for destruction as well.”

  “Yes Merlin,” Gunter said.

  “Be at the rendezvous at dusk. I showed Anselm where and he'll show you on the way into town.”

  “Can we go now Merlin? We know all this. You told us yesterday,” Anselm said.

  “Just let me change your uniforms as we discussed and you can go,” Merlin said.

  Gunter grimaced as Merlin altered their clothing to SS uniforms, Gunter was an NCO and Anselm an officer.

  “Go then, and may Lady Luck smile upon you,” Merlin said.

  While Merlin was speaking, Vadoma moved over next to Anselm. Before Anselm could turn and leave for town, she took hold of his arm. She leaned up and gave him a kiss. Even though it was chaste, Besnik glowered.

  “Just so you're a bit more cautious,” she said. “I'd like to make sure you return. Perhaps that will give you an extra reason to take care of yourself.”

  Anselm and Gunter waved, one more cheerily than the other, and headed towards the town.

  * * *

  Chapter 16

  Merlin fretted his way through the day. Anselm would let him know mind-to-mind if something went wrong, but Merlin still worried. Nimue noticed his mood and tried to alleviate it.

  “You know that both of them are very capable, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, I know they are. I never would have asked them to do this if they weren't.”

  “Then what are you worried about?”

  “The demons of misfortune,” Merlin said.

  “Demons of misfortune? Who are they?”

  “It isn't a they, it's a what. Long before I ever met you I, and several other wizards, put forth the observation that when you're at a cusp, anything that can go wrong will do so. We laughingly attributed it to the demons of misfortune. The observation was mostly made in jest but the longer I live, and the more cusps I pass through, the more I think it might be true.”

  “Merlin, they're resourceful. They'll be okay. We've only got two hours before we're to meet them, and we'll need to spend one of those walking, so let's get everything packed up.”

  Merlin helped pack and they ate a quick dinner before heading towards the town themselves. Rein was irritated to be woken early and even more so when he discovered that Anselm wasn't in the area. They calmed him by promising they were going to meet Anselm and Gunter.

  They arrived at the rendezvous a bit early and Merlin fretted the minutes away until Gunter and Anselm arrived.

  “Did everything go well?” Merlin asked.

  Anselm found himself unable to answer due to the enthusiastic reception he was receiving from his owl. Gunter answered instead.

  “Everything went fine. One little snag but we took care of it.”

  “What happened?”

  “One of the SS troops used to be
stationed at the research facility. He wasn't there when it was destroyed but he remembered me. He started to give us a hard time until I pointed to Anselm and told him that he had requested me as an assistant.”

  “That could have been bad.”

  Anselm took up the story now that Rein was perched on his arm instead of all over him.

  “It might have been except that when the man asked why I rated an assistant, I gave him a demonstration. I enclosed him in an airtight shield and held it until he passed out. He's tied up in an empty basement right now. Gunter said he should be able to get out by tomorrow if he works at it.”

  “Well done then. You've memorized the locations of all the grenades and can send your awareness to them and pull the pins?”

  Anselm nodded.

  “Then, I guess it's time to get started. Anguis, if you would?”

  The dragon slithered off of Merlin's shoulders and stood on the ground in front of him. As Merlin watched, Anguis's ears shrank away, absorbed into his skull.

  {Here's crystal number one, you remember what to do with it?} Merlin asked.

  {Fly high in the air and trigger it. When the noise it makes is answered by similar ones on the ground, I shut it off and come back to you for the next one.}

  “You've got it Anguis. Take the crystal and get going,” Merlin said.

  The dragon reached up with his mouth and plucked the crystal from Merlin's hand. His color shimmered to that of the night sky and he took to the air. A minute later a piercing air raid siren rang out in the sky high above them. Within two minutes, the alarm was being echoed by more sirens on the ground.

  Anguis dropped out of the sky and handed the first crystal to Merlin. His ears grew out from his head once more.

  {Even without ears that thing was loud. The vibrations from the noise were making me dizzy.}

  {Are you good for the next part?} Merlin asked.

  {Yes, this one will be fun. I never tried to imitate an airplane before.}

  Merlin handed Anguis a new crystal.

  {When you're close enough that they would hear the engines of an airplane, trigger that. I'll be holding a second illusion from down here that repeats your image another dozen times or so. They'll think there's an entire squad of bombers about to attack them. Make sure you save enough energy to get to the truck and meet us there.}