Galapas and Kraak were waiting in the main room of Mo Dhachaidh as Merlin and the fair haired boy entered. Galapas noticed that Merlin did not enter in his usual ‘crashing in and slamming the door’ manner. For once the boy enchanter was almost pedestrian and the High Mage guessed that this was to not give away too much knowledge about himself to the newcomer.
“So,” Galapas said in his usual quiet manner to the fair haired boy, “You are Galahad. Kraak told me of you.”
The boy bowed courteously to the High Mage, “All I know is that my name is Galahad and I must seek out the man called Merlin, sir,” he said to the High Mage.
“You don’t need to call me sir,” Galapas replied, “And who was it who told you to seek out Merlin?”
“His name is – was Myrrdin Emrys,” Galahad continued, “That is all I know. That and my name is Galahad and that I must find Merlin and tell him that I was sent by Myrrdin Emrys.”
For a moment Galapas just looked at the boy without speaking. The High Mage had tried, as had Merlin, to seek out any evidence that the boy had been sent by the Dark Lord. Galapas had been met, exactly as Merlin had, with a blank wall.
There was enchantment here, Galapas was certain of that, and it was Deep Enchantment for the Magic ran over the boy like another set of clothes. The boy was not an enchanter, the High Mage was quite certain of that, just as much as he knew that the boy ran with magic. It was all very confusing, Galapas thought to himself, and it could also be very dangerous. The boy moved with an athleticism that marked him out as an exceptional warrior and it would not be impossible for the Dark Lord to send a boy to kill another boy, the ‘another boy’ being Merlin.
“You are sure that was his name, he was called Myrrdin Emrys?” Galapas asked.
“It is the name that I have in my head,” Galahad told the High Mage, “But it is only a name, I know no more than that.”
“You don’t know anything about this Myrrdin Emrys, what he looked like, where he lived, anything like that?” Galapas was at a loss as to what to say or even to ask next.
Galahad shook his head, “I don’t know anything more,” the boy said, “I have no memory of him. I know only his name and what he has instructed me to do.”
“And that was to find Merlin?” Galapas asked.
The fair haired boy nodded his head in agreement, “Yes, and I know nothing more. I have no idea where this man named Merlin lives. Perhaps you could help me to find him.”
The boy looked up hopefully at the High Mage.
“And this is also what Galahad also told you?” Galapas turned to Merlin.
“That is exactly what he told me,” Merlin emphasised the word ‘exactly’ as if to stress that he thought that the boy had his story off rather too well for his liking.
“Do you believe him?” Galapas asked Merlin bluntly.
“No, I don’t,” Merlin told the High Mage equally bluntly, “It’s all far too unbelievable.”
“And what do your instincts tell you?” Galapas asked the boy enchanter.
“That something is most definitely not right here,” Merlin replied.
“I agree,” Galapas said his face grave.
The fair haired boy had, quite understandably, become very annoyed by the High Mage and Merlin talking about him as if he wasn’t there. He turned on the boy enchanter his face darkening with anger.
“You insult me, Raven Boy. I do not lie and I will not remain here to be called a liar,” he said.
Galahad turned as if to leave Mo Dhachaidh but Galapas called him back. “The Raven Boy means you no offence, Galahad, and nor do I,” he said in his quiet voice but the High Mage had noticed that as Galahad’s temper had started to rise so had the boy’s hand slipped automatically to the hilt of his sword. It confirmed exactly what Galapas had thought from the start – whatever else the boy was, he was most definitely a warrior.
“We don’t doubt your truthfulness,” Galapas continued, “We just fear that you might be being used by the Dark Magic.”
“Wouldn’t I know if I was being so used?” Galahad asked sharply his face still flushed with anger.
“No,” Galapas told the boy, “The Dark Lord would empty you of everything. Your memories, your skills and then he would put into your mind everything that he wanted to. Perhaps to even kill me or…the Raven Boy.”
“And this Dark Lord would call himself Myrrdin Emrys?” Galahad asked.
“No, never that,” Merlin said abruptly.
Galapas looked questioningly at the boy enchanter, “You don’t think that the Dark Lord sent him?” The High Mage was surprised as Merlin had been the least trusting of the fair haired boy.
“No, I don’t,” Merlin said, “In fact I’m certain of it.”
“Thank you,” Galahad said ironically.
“Then who is this Myrrdin Emrys?” Galapas asked for the names meant nothing to him.
“I know both of those names,” Merlin replied, “But together I don’t understand them.”
“Perhaps this man, Merlin, will know,” Galahad suggested.
Galapas turned to Merlin, “What will you do?” He asked for a moment ignoring the fair haired boy once more.
“Talk with my father,” Merlin quite simply replied.
As the greatest of the Elder gods Mithras Invictus knew and saw everything that happened in Avalon and beyond. The only trouble was that the Elder god didn’t like being disturbed for what he considered to be ‘small matters’. But Merlin knew that this was just one of those occasions when he needed to ‘disturb’ the god who was his father.
“Mithras is still in Avalon?” Galapas asked the boy enchanter.
“Less and less,” the boy enchanter said in reply to Galapas’ question, “But he has lost patience with us. I think that he has fallen out of love with Avalon.”
Galahad looked from Galapas to Merlin, “I don’t understand any of this,” he said looking more confused than ever. “Who is your father, Raven Boy?”
“That has nothing to do with you,” Merlin snapped back at him.
The boy enchanter did not understand Galahad nor believe his story. If the fair haired boy did somehow come from a Power of the Dark then it would be very dangerous if those Evil Powers were to learn that Merlin was the son of a god.
“We will help you, Galahad,” Galapas said feeling that Merlin had been too abrupt, if not too rude, to the boy. “But you will need to trust us.”
“I trust you, Galapas,” the boy replied stressing the ‘you’.
“But not me?” Merlin put in wryly.
“You are not easy to trust, Raven Boy,” Galahad gave the young enchanter a stare that was both flat and cold.
” Nor to like,” the fair haired boy added for good measure.
“I really couldn’t care less whether you like me or not,” Merlin told the boy with his usual abruptness.
“Good, because I don’t,” Galahad retorted and once again Galapas noticed that the boy’s hand had slipped almost unconsciously to the hilt of his sword.
“Go speak with your father,….Raven Boy,” the High Mage felt that it was time to calm things down as he certainly didn’t want a fight in Mo Dhachaidh and the quickest way to prevent that was to split the boy enchanter and the boy warrior apart.
Galapas also felt that it was important, possibly for the safety of the whole of Camelot and Avalon for them to find out whether Galahad could be trusted or not. Appealing to the Elder god was possibly the only way that they could find out one way or the other.
As Merlin left the High Mage’s house Galapas turned back to the newcomer, for all his obvious courage the boy was looking lost and unhappy.
“You will be safe here,” Galapas promised the boy, “We will try to help you. But first food, when did you last eat?” He asked.
Galahad smiled for the first time since he had appeared so suddenly and inexplicably among the Great Stones of Avalon.
“And that’s something else that I can’t remember,” he told Camelot�
��s High Mage.
CHAPTER FIVE
AVALON
THE CRYSTAL CAVE
Merlin was stood on the ledge that overlooked the Crystal Cave. It was a long run from Mo Dhachaidh but Merlin was sure that the only way that he could find out whether Galahad was speaking the truth was to ask his father, Mithras Invictus, the greatest of the Elder gods.
The entrance to the Crystal Cave was from the high, rolling hills of Avalon and was hidden by the Deep Enchantment of the Old Magic. To the ordinary eye there was only the rocky escarpments which looked as if they had been there since the beginning of Time. No mortal would ever have sight of the entrance to the Crystal Cave and now Mithras Invictus allowed only his son passage to his shrine. The Crystal Cave was also guarded by three Guardian Spirits and these appeared to be insubstantial wraiths but they could turn themselves, in the twinkling of an eye, into banshees whose screams could drive you insane in less time than it takes to tell it.
It was these Guardian Spirits that Merlin summoned from his ledge over the Shrine of the Elder god who was his father.
“Spirits, I would speak with my father,” Merlin’s voice echoed loud and clear around the Crystal Cave. There was no answer which was exactly as he had expected that it would be. The Guardian Spirits liked to play games with the boy and he always found it very irritating. Keeping his temper under control Merlin tried again.
“Spirits, I repeat, I would speak with my father,” once again Merlin’s voice echoed around the Crystal Cave and still there was no answer. The Guardian Spirits were being particularly annoying Merlin decided so it was time for him to intimidate them a bit. That usually worked for the Guardian Spirits were almost as afraid of Mithras’ son as they were of the Elder god himself.
“Answer me, Spirits,” the boy enchanter ordered grimly, “Answer me or I will summon my father myself and he will not be pleased with you, I will make sure of that.”
That did the trick as Merlin had expected that it would, the three Guardian Spirits materialised before him.
“Greetings, Merlin,” the first Spirit said as if it had only just heard Merlin’s summons which it had not.
“Greetings, Merlin, we seek only to serve,” the second Spirit said rather too fawningly for Merlin’s liking.
“Greetings Merlin, we seek only to serve Mithras Invictus,” the third Spirit told Merlin. It always annoyed the boy that the Guardian Spirits had to constantly repeat themselves. He wasn’t sure whether it was because they wished to annoy him or because they had too much time on their hands.
“I would speak with my father,” Merlin told them in a bleak voice.
“Mithras spends much time away from Avalon,” the first Guardian Spirit replied.
“Mithras Invictus does not concern himself with Avalon, he visits other Worlds and other Times,” the second Guardian Spirit added.
“Mithras the Bull Slayer does not concern himself with the World of Men,” the third Guardian Spirit said equally annoyingly.
“I know that he is here,” Merlin told them. Sometimes he thought that perhaps he should repeat himself three times as well just to see if they found it as annoying as he did.
“We seek only to serve,” the first Spirit said.
“We seek only to serve, Mithras Invictus,” the second Spirit agreed.
“We seek only to serve the Bull Slayer,” the third Spirit added.
“What gifts have you brought for us, Merlin, that we might summon Mithras Invictus for you?” The first Guardian Spirit asked.
The Guardian Spirits had a great love of small shiny things. In fact very, very shiny things and it was always their expectance that Merlin would bring them the gift of very small and very, very shiny things. In this they were always disappointed but still they lived in hope.
“What gifts?” The second Guardian Spirit asked hopefully.
“What gifts?” The third Guardian Spirit inevitably repeated.
“I bring you no gifts,” Merlin told them, his face stern, “I need to make no offerings to you to speak with my father. Now either you summon him or I will do it myself and Mithras Invictus will be displeased with you. I can promise you that.” There was an edge to the boy’s voice that told the Guardian Spirits that this was no idle threat.
“So cruel,” the first Spirit said.
“So cruel,” the second Spirit repeated.
“So cruel,” the third Spirit repeated yet again.
“I’m getting fed up with this,” Merlin told them, “Summon my father or I will blast you across the Abyss and you won’t like it there at all.”
“So cruel,” the first Spirit said.
“So….,” the second Spirit began to say but Merlin had had more than enough of their games by now.
“…..Stop that,” the boy ordered. Merlin always looked the image of his father when he got seriously annoyed and Mithras the Unconquered was not just the greatest of the Elder gods he was also the most vengeful and bloodthirsty.
“We are yours to command. We obey you as we obey your great father, Mithras Invictus. See the portal opens,” the first Guardian Spirit quickly put in.
Merlin was amused to see that the second Spirit was about to repeat what the first Spirit had said but one look at Merlin’s grim face had made it shut its mouth very quickly and the third Spirit immediately followed suit. There was just a few ‘so cruel, so cruels’ as the Spirits faded away leaving Merlin free to summon his father.
“Father, I would speak with you,” once again Merlin spoke in a strong voice that echoed off the myriad of crystals that was the Crystal Cave.
There was no response and Merlin wondered if his father had finally left Avalon. When the boy had told the Spirits that he knew that his father was there it had been a bluff. In reality Merlin had no idea where his father was, he just hoped that the Elder god was still in Avalon.
“Father, Mithras Invictus, I would speak with you again. If not for Avalon then for myself, your son,” the boy enchanter knew that he could do no more. If Mithras truly had left or was refusing to speak to him there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it.
Then the huge figure of Mithras Invictus appeared and the whole of the Crystal Cave ran with the power of the greatest of the Elder gods. Mithras was a huge figure standing many times the height of a man. Tattoos covered most of the god’s face and body and there was the look of great cruelty etched into the lines of his face. Mithras Invictus was a god who was as old as Time and yet he had the body and powerful muscles of a young man. He was the Unconquered god who had never been defeated and never would be.
Mithras looked bleakly at his son, the god was not pleased at being summoned back to Avalon.
“I am here,” there god’s voice was deep and reverberated off the walls of the Crystal Cave.
Merlin bowed his head to the Elder god who was his father, “Thank you, father.”
“What do you wish from me, Merlin?” There was more than a hint of displeasure in Mithras Invictus’ voice, “I do not care for Avalon these days,” the god continued.
“Then for my sake.”
Mithras Invictus looked grimly at the boy but to Merlin’s relief the god made no move to leave the Crystal Cave.
“Ask,” once more Mithras’ deep voice boomed off the myriad of crystals of the Crystal Cave.
“There is one who has come to me,” Merlin told his father, “He claims to remember nothing except that his name is Galahad, that he was sent to find me and that…,” here Merlin paused, “He was sent by Myrrdin Emrys.”
“And this you do not understand?” the god said and there was just the hint of a smile on his face.
“I do not,” Merlin was unsettled by his father’s half smile, Mithras Invictus was not a god who smiled often if at all.
“What do your instincts tell you?” Mithras asked mildly.
“That he does not carry the aura of the Dark Magic with him but still he is bound by enchantment and very powerful enchantment at that.” Merlin repli
ed.
“You are correct,” Mithras said, “He does not have the Dark Magic and he has not been sent by the Dark Lord. You say his name is Galahad?”
“I don’t understand why he is so heavily masked from me,” Merlin continued, “Only one being can do that, father, and that is you.”
“You are wrong, Merlin,” the god told his son, “There is another who carries this Power of Concealment with him,” and here the god paused before continuing, “And that is you.”
This confused the boy enchanter even more. Firstly he didn’t know that he had this ‘Power of Concealment’ and secondly unless he had been casting magic in his sleep he was absolutely certain that he hadn’t enchanted anybody let alone the fair haired boy who had so suddenly appeared at the Great Stones of Avalon. It was all very confusing Merlin thought to himself but he recognised that Mithras knew the truth of it for the Elder god saw everything.
Mithras Invictus seemed to be amused by his son’s total bewilderment. Two half smiles from Mithras was something that even Merlin had not seen before. It felt to the boy enchanter as if his whole world was being turned upside down.
“I don’t understand, father,” the boy told Mithras Invictus and that was certainly the truth of it.
Merlin and the Land of Mists Book Three: Galahad Page 3