by Tom Larcombe
“We can't stay long,” Anselm said. “I've requested that John change my duties. We both know that while I was helpful here, I wasn't really using my abilities to their fullest. Now, I'm assigned to escort refugees out of Germany in whatever fashion is available.”
“It's a dangerous job,” Merlin said, “but you've managed it once with a large group so now you have experience. Are you sure it's what you want to be doing?”
Anselm's grin grew wider, if that were possible.
“I'm sure. My wife and I feel that it's important enough to risk our lives doing it.”
“Wife? Congratulations! When did that occur?”
Vadoma spoke up to answer Merlin.
“He asked me the moment we left Germany and I said yes. Even Besnik approved after seeing how Anselm handled himself while getting the refugees out. Anselm felt that he was owed some leave after the assignment and we took it at a small town on the coast. We were married by the village priest. He was unwilling at first because I was Rom, but Anselm put him in his place and he finally consented.”
Merlin looked at Anselm quizzically.
“I didn't do anything I shouldn't have. I simply asked him if he would say the same if he knew that she and I had just escorted a mixed party of Jews and Gypsies out of the heart of Germany. I asked him what he'd done to equal her efforts at helping people. He was upset for a moment but I kept my temper and let him think about it. Several of the refugees were still with us and when they laid into him verbally, confirming what I said and giving some details, he relented.”
“Wonderful, it seems you've learned more of my lessons than just the magic. People can be led to do what they should, even if they don't want to in the first place. I might not have tried making him feel guilty, but I wasn't there and it worked. Congratulations to both of you. Come down to the pub and I'll buy you both a drink to celebrate.”
Anselm glanced at Vadoma, who nodded.
“Alright, but only one. When John heard, he gave me an extra week of leave. He also recruited Vadoma. When we aren't in-country helping refugees, she'll be reporting her prescient visions to him directly.”
The three of them left for the pub. Nimue was teaching a class and wouldn't be home until later. After buying them a drink and congratulating them again, Merlin stayed in the pub for another round after they left.
I think I'll go down to the base and meet Nimue after her class. I can walk her home, he thought.
* * *
When Merlin arrived on base there was still an hour to go before her class was over. He walked the base, heading towards what sounded like a very angry dragon.
In a hangar near the the airstrip, he found the young dragon who volunteered to take on the enemy planes when they were coming to Britain.
“What's wrong?” Merlin asked.
A young man in a British uniform turned to look.
“You're authorized to be here, good. The dragon won't allow me to put this harness on him. He volunteered to work with us, so we can figure out how to use them best, but he doesn't seem to like our ideas.”
The dragon also said something, but in the Draconic language.
Merlin shook his head.
Lack of communication will be a problem. I wonder what spell Primicerius used to learn our language so quickly? Perhaps I can gift this dragon with English and we can talk out a solution.
Merlin sent an image to the dragon. One where the dragon was talking to the British soldier. He also sent the idea of the headache that would follow learning the language. He wasn't sure a dragon would suffer that, but thought it better to be sure.
The emotion he received in return was an eagerness to be able to communicate. Merlin slid a crystal out of his pocket, sent his awareness to the dragon's mind and tried to locate the language center. When he thought he found it, he double-checked. He didn't want to make an error and cause more problems than already existed. When he was sure, he copied his own grasp of the English language to the dragon.
A roar of pain echoed throughout the hangar and the dragon pulled back from the soldier and buried its head under its front claws. The soldier turned to Merlin.
“What did you do?”
“This dragon will be able to speak to you shortly. I thought being able to communicate would help the process along. The price of learning the language quickly is a very painful headache for several minutes. I think that's what we're observing now.”
The soldier backed away from the dragon and waited. Within a few minutes, the head came out from under the claws.
“You will not control us like beasts of burden. We will communicate with our riders but we will not wear these... restraints.” The dragon filled the last word with a vehemence that left no doubt as to his sincerity.
“Then how, exactly, will you know where to go and what to do? We can't exactly speak to one another with the wind rushing past while we're on a mission.”
“We will find our riders among those we can speak to without words. Ask Merlin. He'll explain it to you.”
The soldier turned to look at Merlin again.
“I communicated with their leader while I was riding him by using a form of mind-to-mind communication.”
“Can anyone do that?” the soldier asked.
“Mostly just wizards, although there are cases where others have developed the ability. Evidently the dragons think they can find that latent ability in people and use it, or enhance it. I'm just guessing here. I'm not an expert on dragons.”
The solider turned to the dragon once again.
“Is there anyone nearby that you can speak to without words?”
“Aside from Merlin, there is one in the next hangar.”
The soldier left the hangar after glancing at Merlin and receiving a nod.
“Thank you Merlin. Although the pain was great, having a means to communicate was worth it. I am Ferox.”
“You're welcome Ferox. Was I correct in my guess? Have you a means to enhance that ability or train it somehow?”
“I don't know. I only know that there are those whose minds I can speak with that, when I show them how, can speak back to my mind as well.”
“Then you can detect the ability. Can they speak to others that way after that?”
“No, only to a dragon who has chosen to speak to them first.”
The soldier returned, leading five men. Merlin directed a nod at Johann, who was one of the men.
“Which one of these is it?” the soldier asked.
“That one,” Ferox said, pointing at Johann with a claw. “I can see he's communicated like that before and I think I can speak to his mind. Let me see.”
After a moment, Johann broke from the line and approached the dragon.
“You did ask me to come closer, didn't you?” he asked.
“Yes, I can speak to this one. He can be my rider.”
“But he's a defector from Germany, not a pilot,” the soldier protested.
“Johann,” Merlin said, “remove that ridiculous barbed bit from the harness. Strip the harness down so it only holds you in place. Then we'll put it on Ferox here and test it, if you're willing.”
“Test if for what?” Johann asked.
“The dragons will need riders to communicate with the other humans. It's either that or put wizards in the planes and we don't have enough wizard pilots for that.”
“You want me to try riding a dragon?” Johann asked.
“Think of it as a different sort of test piloting.”
“He can't do that!” the soldier said.
“Go. Report to your superior that I'm overriding whatever orders you were given, since they're causing friction with our allies. The dragons will choose their riders. They'll know the rider's worth, and if they can be trusted. If we're unwilling to trust the judgment of the dragons, I'm afraid that they'll rightfully back out of the deal we made with them.”
“To hell with test piloting. I'm thinking this is even closer to flying on my own than piloting an
airplane was. Can you help me get this on him?”
“Certainly. By the way Ferox, you've chosen a friend of mine. His name is Johann and he is, or once was, a pilot of airplanes. Johann, this is Ferox.”
The soldier was still standing in the middle of the hangar.
“Are you still here? Go tell your superior what I said. I'll take responsibility for Ferox and Johann while you're gone,” Merlin said.
The soldier took off at a run. Merlin helped Johann with the harness.
“I think that this belt goes around your waist and these two smaller ones fasten to your ankles. Normally your hands would go on the reins, but we won't be using those.”
Johann followed Merlin's instructions and got strapped in. The other four men that came in with Johann were staring at the sight, emotions ranging from fear to envy on their faces.
“Ferox, would you jump around a little,” Johann asked. “If these straps are going to give I want it to happen only a few feet above the ground rather than in full flight.”
The dragon responded by prancing, hopping, and then leaning far over to either side.
“They seem sturdy enough,” Johann said. “Merlin, can we fly? Really?”
“Ferox, are you comfortable like that?”
“Yes, but Johann has yet to speak to my mind. We need that connection before we take flight.”
“Johann, concentrate on speaking to Ferox but don't actually speak the words. Just think them strongly and try to project them,” Merlin said.
“There, that will do,” Ferox said. “Can we fly now? I can feel the hunger for flight in Johann and it is equal to my own. We shall make a good team.”
Merlin gestured towards the door of the hangar and Ferox trotted towards it. Once in the open, the dragon spread his wings and beat them several times. The wind nearly knocked Merlin over, even though he hadn't been in its direct path.
Ferox crouched on his rear legs then sprang forward and into the air. His wings beat once, twice, and then he was accelerating away from Merlin, rising as he went. The dragon took to the skies, and Merlin heard Johann's yells of excitement as they flew.
After a few passes over the base, Ferox started some more extreme maneuvers. He tried the acceleration trick he used when fighting the Messerschmitts. He performed evasion tactics that seemed to have him turning ninety degrees in the air. He stooped and climbed, finally ending with a series of barrel rolls that left Merlin touching his magic, ready to catch Johann if he fell.
During the latter half of the trial run, Merlin was forced to ignore the officer yelling from beside him. Gunter had moved in on Merlin's other side and was watching the officer closely, so he obviously saw a potential threat. When Merlin saw Ferox coming in for a landing, he finally focused his attention on the Royal Air Force officer alongside of him.
The man was screaming about Merlin exceeding his authority and how he'd see that Merlin got a court-martial for his actions.
Merlin spoke softly but used the command tone he learned from Gunter.
“Shut Up!”
The officer stared at him in shock.
“Who put idiots like you in charge of the dragons? I want your name so I can report you for almost single-handedly losing us a set of extraordinary allies.”
At the same time, Merlin contacted John with his mind.
{John, we've got a problem here. I need you out at the hangars if you can come.}
The officer lost his temper and started screaming at Merlin. Merlin simply stared at him.
{Ferox, please move behind me, so the man yelling at me can see you. Then if you'd breathe flame straight up into the air? I have the feeling that this man knows nothing about dragons and is determined to prove it in the worst way he can.}
When Ferox' fire flared into the air, the officer clamped his mouth shut, for a moment anyhow.
“So, did you even know they could do that? What were your plans for that skill?” Merlin asked.
Merlin felt a shadow engulf him as Ferox slid his head into the air over Merlin. The officer's face turned pasty-white and when he tried to start yelling again, he stuttered and stopped.
John came running up.
“What's the problem Merlin?”
“What idiot placed the dragons under the command of the RAF?”
“What? I wasn't aware of that,” John said.
“This moron almost lost us the dragons. He wanted them kitted out like horses or mules, with a barbed bit in their mouth to control them and reins to steer them. The dragons have other ideas about the situation. But if it continued as it was when I discovered the problem, I wouldn't have blamed them for just leaving. Where's Nigel anyhow? He's supposed to be our contact to the rest of the British, isn't he?”
“Nigel's been gone since before you returned, on a sensitive mission I can't talk about here. But this seems as though it might be connected to what he's doing. Come with me and we'll talk about it.”
John turned to the RAF officer.
“What exactly are you doing on an American base, anyhow? You have no authority here. I suggest you return to wherever you came from and tell them I said so. The dragons will not be under control of the RAF. They may work in concert with them, but if that's a problem then they'll work with the American air forces that are present.”
The officer, sensing an excuse to get away from the situation, saluted and left.
Merlin and John waited for Ferox and Johann to discuss their flight, then left for John's office. Once they were inside John turned to Merlin.
“This is not for dissemination to anyone, not even Nimue.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn't tell me. I don't keep anything from her.”
“You can tell her about it after Nigel returns, but can you not say anything in the meanwhile?”
“I can do that.”
“Nigel and I noticed that there was far more information leaking out from high up in the British ranks than there should have been. We also noticed that things were being done to keep the Allied forces from working at full efficiency. This cockamamie scheme for controlling the dragons fits right in with that.”
“And he's where, doing what?” Merlin asked.
“He's disguised himself so he can move among the high ranking levels and is trying to find the source. He's also planning on removing it without a trace, if possible.”
“Nigel is planning on removing it?”
“Yes. Unlike him isn't it. It seems that most of the people he needs to examine are supposed to be gentlemen and upper crust and all that. It offends his sensibilities beyond belief that one of them would act that way. He actually got angry.”
Merlin shook his head and then tugged on his chin.
“It would explain some things, wouldn't it?”
John nodded.
“Now you know why it has to go no further though, right?”
“I do, and I'll keep quiet about it until his return.”
“I'll arrange for the dragons to be under USO control until such time as a better plan can be made,” John said.
“Thank you.”
“You know Merlin, you could talk to me every now and then when there isn't a problem. It seems the only time you talk with me nowadays is when you need to report or when there's a problem.”
“I assumed you were busy most of the time and didn't want to disturb you.”
“I'm less busy than you might think. Things are running smoothly right now.”
“Join us for dinner tonight at the cottage then? If you haven't seen the tree in a while, you're in for a surprise.”
“I'd love to.”
* * *
Chapter 26
The dragons' rest period flew by. John became a frequent visitor to Merlin's cottage, both for Merlin's company and to speak with the dragons who were often lounging near the lightning tree in human form. When the rest period was over, the dragons began training.
Nigel arrived back at the base shortly after the dragons started training. He was
a far different man than Merlin knew earlier. After viewing the upper crust in action, Nigel decided that he did not, in fact, want to be like them. He wanted to be his own person. Merlin never asked him about his mission, but he could see in Nigel's face that the artificer had experienced fighting, up close and personal.
The Americans had a new fighter plane coming into the war. They were convinced that it was going to make a major difference in the battle for air superiority. Merlin asked John to obtain a picture of one and then they set the dragons to working on an illusion to duplicate its appearance.
By the middle of February, 1944, the dragons were ready. Those who would be going into combat had trained with their riders. The riders each wore a small crystal pendant that would allow them to communicate with the radios in the airplanes of their formations.
Nigel and Merlin worked on the crystal pendants together to get one that would broadcast a radio signal. Without the additional magic provided by the dragons, they never could've made it work. But now the riders could simply think towards the crystal and their voice would be transmitted to the radio on the other end. The crystal also received radio signals and the rider heard it as mind-to-mind communication.
“I wish these weren't so exhausting to make,” Nigel said. “I'd love to equip all the troops with them.”
“We'll make some extras and they can be distributed to where they'll be the most use. I imagine that scouting parties going into enemy territory could use a lightweight communications device. We may need to send wizards to operate them though. I think the physical proximity to the dragons is the only reason they're working well for this purpose,” Merlin replied.
The dragons got their test run in the 'Big Week' air attacks by the Allies. Disguised as P-51 Mustangs, the dragons flew with the rest of the airplanes. Knowing their near immunity to the bullets from other fighter planes, the dragons frequently interposed themselves between attacking enemy fighters and their targets.
The riders were shielded by the dragons themselves. The dragons discovered that extending their shield to the riders cost them almost no extra energy. Several dragons and their riders were lost to enemy fire, primarily anti-aircraft, but the 'Big Week' attacks dispelled the idea of German air superiority and set their efforts back. The Germans recovered from the damage to their aircraft industry that the attacks were intended to cause. They couldn't recover from the massive loss of trained pilots that the 'Big Week' attacks cost them.