CHAPTER 1: IN HINDSIGHT A MISTAKE
Arthur sneezed and that woke up Merlin, his closed eyes registered the light and his ears took in the sounds of the forest and the muffled noise of the horses tied nearby. He refused to open his eyes wanting to stay in that doze-like zone which protected him from the reality of the forthcoming day.
Nevertheless, reality won out and he had to acknowledge that their return trip to Camelot would be fraught with sadness and self judgement.
They had lost one of their knights, presumedly killed in a careless accident in an area honeycombed with underground streams, caves and crevasses. Merlin felt guilty as it had originally been his suggestion that they take a shortcut through the valley. It should have saved them two days travel if they had not stumbled upon tracks of a small herd of deer and someone had decided that as they were going to arrive home earlier than expected that it might be amusing to do a little hunting.
Arthur turned restlessly beside him. He knew that the guilt of the man's death lay heavily on his shoulders. However, he wasn't entirely to blame; yes it had been his idea to go hunting but they had all been warned of the instability of the ground before they had taken the shortcut. As the actual road meandered far to the West before finally turning North in the direction of Camelot, it had been an enticing alternative.
The local innkeeper when Arthur had suggested that they take the 'Way of the Lost' had strongly cautioned them against it. "Good Knight, it's not worth the risk. Tisn't worth losing one's life to arrive early. If I had a gold coin for every traveller who leaves here with the intention of using that section of land as a shortcut yet never reaches his destination, I'd be a rich man." Merlin had smiled no better way of putting it.
-0-0-
Arthur and he had shared a room. The landlord had realised that Arthur was a man of substance and if he wanted the room to himself and his manservant, it was to his benefit as they would get more money for the extra rooms the knights took.
Merlin had walked into the room and claimed the bed as his own. "Arthur, you can sleep on the trundle."
Arthur looked at him aghast, "Merlin, I have no intention of laying myself down for the night on a pathetic cot which you pulled out from under the bed. So, unless you are willing to pay the charge for the night, you will be sleeping closer to the floor than I ever intend to."
Grinning Merlin said, "I'll remind you of that the next time we are sleeping rough. You'll certainly impress the others by being able to sleep upright propped against a tree." He rolled over on the bed and Arthur plonked himself down beside him.
"See, I knew that we would come to an amicable agreement," Arthur said with a sly grin.
"Are we eating downstairs with the others or will his Lordship wish to eat up here alone?"
"Don't tempt me, Merlin. I'd be quite happy to turn in now and forgo supper as long as you were willing to cooperate."
"Well, count me out as I'm famished. I gave half my lunch to you as you had that begging look which puppies get when they are hungry and no one has realised it."
"You should have said something."
"What…and have you complaining all day about your empty stomach? Anyway, I wandered through the kitchen and one of the girls was coming in with chicken carcasses so we might enjoy our meal for a change."
They made their way downstairs to join the others but not before Arthur had claimed a kiss as a reward for being agreeable to leaving the room. He missed the privacy which he and Merlin usually had once they closed the door to their chambers at home.
-0-0-
The following morning Leon settled with the innkeeper for their accommodation, the meals, the drink and the food which the landlady had kindly prepared for their onward journey. The family at The Gulph's Rest had been welcoming and put up with quite a lot of noise and carousing. Gawaine as usual had impressed the serving girls and Merlin was sure that he hadn't slept alone.
They reached the entrance to the shortcut, Arthur glanced at Leon and he nodded back so Arthur led the way, through sparse foliage keeping an eye out for the roughly marked track. They were able to ride in pairs to begin with but soon the way was strewn with large boulders and the track became a twisted trail which descended over a patch of rocks. Arthur turned saying, "Look after your horses, we don't need any broken legs. Take your time and let them pick their own way if it gets difficult."
So saying, he gave Favoury her head and urged her over the lip of the track. She dug her heels in but with a little persuasion she finally slid down a couple of feet before gaining purchase. Merlin watched carefully realising that each horses' descent would make the way more like a slide. He didn't envy any of the knights on inexperienced horses but as they were animals with a herd mentally they would probably just follow the one ahead without too much hesitation.
At one point the knights stopped their descent as a boulder had been dislodged and threatened to roll. Luckily it happened in front of Gawaine's horse and he had Hazlit in check in no time. He cast out on another path and managed to rejoin the others, the remaining knights following him.
Iago fussed but when he felt himself slipping he decided to behave himself and Merlin patted him telling him that he was a very clever horse and appreciated his getting them down to the others.
Arthur called a halt when they had reached an area which was almost level. The knights dismounted to check their horses legs and apart from a few scrapes everyone had come through with little damage. Leon suggested that they continue on foot to give the horses a rest as most were slick with sweat after the arduous descent.
All too soon, the path reached an abrupt end and the alternative was to either climb back up or descend once again. They mounted and put their horses at the steep drop. Footing was easier this time as the bank seemed sandy and most of them slid down to the bottom on their haunches. Merlin figured that would mean more scrapes and bruises however, none of the horses complained by pulling up lame.
They were now in a desolate landscape, huge boulders, great depressions and in some cases long slender rifts in the ground, easy enough to step over but the worry was that the ground might not be stable enough to support the weight of a rider and horse. Once again, they dismounted and chose their own path through the arid area.
Ahead of them they could see a few trees and Arthur waved them on. The footing improved and they mounted and followed Arthur in single file. They reached an almost level glen with a stream and Arthur called for a stop to water the horses and again check for injuries. Spenser and Rhylin walked the area and reported that the ground seemed solid.
Water-skins were filled and Arthur decided to give everyone time to eat. It was not yet noon but Merlin was hungry so he passed around what the landlady had packed for them.
"There'll be no supper tonight if we eat it all," Merlin said but the food tasted good and they had eaten just after dawn so in no time at all, it was all gone.
"You'll just have to catch some rabbits or maybe a couple of fish for supper," Arthur said gallantly grinning at Merlin.
"What self respecting animal would choose to live in a place like this?"
Gawaine who was sharing his apple with his horse said, "Snakes, newts, some birds…
"Squirrels…" offered Simon.
Arthur said, "Don't be stupid they live in trees."
"Well, ground squirrels?" said Simon hopefully. The others listening laughed.
Spenser not liking his best friend being criticised added, "Tree squirrels who were on the ground to travel over this area." That broke everyone up but Simon caught Spenser's eye and smiled at him.
"Peacocks!" Merlin said suddenly, "…and ostriches!"
"What in heaven's name is an Os..trit…sus, Merlin?" Arthur said, "You're just making up words."
"No, I'm not it is the largest bird and lives in Africa. Gaius had a sketch of one in one of his books. They have long necks, beaks, black feathers with white plumes and naked pale legs and they are taller than Percy by about this much!" Merlin opened his arms to show a length of another two feet.
Gawaine just broke up at that bit of information. He was visualising Percy dressed in black feathers with nude legs. He choked on nothing and one of the others gave him a good thump on his back.
"…and they can run very fast…and just one of their eggs would feed us all for breakfast."
Arthur could see that many of the knights were beginning to think that Merlin was telling the truth especially with all the silly facts he had made up to substantiate his claim. He said, "Enough, Merlin! You're telling a whopper…however, should you, when we get back home show me this in Gaius's book, then I will apologise and treat you to an ale in the tavern."
"Can we all come?" Gawaine wanted to know and when the others also showed interest, Arthur realising that in no way was there such a bird, nodded.
He thought to himself, 'Surely if there had ever been such a bird, as the King of Camelot, I should have had knowledge of it.' To add further weight to the fact that he knew that Merlin was kidding, he smiled saying to the company of his knights before him, "Not only invited to join us but I will pay for the evening's drinks!"
He turned to Merlin and said sotto voce, "…and you, My Love, will be paying me back out of your wages!" Merlin confidently grinned at him.
A few of the knights heard him and smiled, they knew that if Merlin was happy so was Arthur and it made him a lot easier to live with.
-0-0-
They packed up what remained of the meal and mounted. Once again, the terrain turned treacherous. Sometimes they had to backtrack to get around chasms and what appeared to be sinkholes. Merlin would have enjoyed doing a little exploring but as the reason for the shortcut was to shorten their journey, exploring was out of the question.
Slowly they made their way north and when the sky changed and dark clouds covered the sun, Arthur decided to call it a day as once it got twilight, it would be too dangerous to continue. They were in a depression between two ridges, surrounded by large boulders and a trickling stream. He decided that it would be a good place to camp. If they stopped travelling, Merlin and Simon might be able to catch some rabbits, unlikely but possible. Merlin could always be counted on to produce something to eat and they had seen some mushrooms and various berries in the area.
Arthur had also been checking the ground as they had been travelling and he had noticed various trails which to him suggested that there were deer in the area. Merlin felt that the area was less than perfect for hunting but the presence of wildlife tracks convinced Arthur that it would be fine. "How much trouble can we get into?"
Mentioning that he would like to see if they could get a doe for supper, Arthur asked if he had any takers to accompany him in an impromptu hunt. They would backtrack to the last wooded area they had passed. Gedwynn and Glyn had shown interest immediately. So, Leon suggested that Aislin, Nathan, Caedrick and the young knights Gedwynn and Glyn join Arthur. He nodded at Aislin to show him that he would be responsible for Arthur's wellbeing. He told Charles to accompany them to look after their horses and to help carry back anything they caught. The knight nodded and went to put some oiled linen sacks in his saddlebags.
The remaining knights were just as happy to call it a day. In the rough terrain, Leon figured they had maybe covered only twelve miles but they were heading north and that was half the battle.
Merlin under pretence of checking Favoury's tack, ran his hand along Arthur's thigh whispering, "Keep yourself safe. You are very special, you know."
Arthur looked down at him and grinned, "For anything in particular, Merlin?"
Merlin raised his eyebrows mockingly saying, "No, nothing that I can think of just now…Sire!"
Arthur laughed aloud turning to the others who had shown interest in the hunting excursion and said, "Come on! The sooner we get started the better."
The last thing Merlin saw were six horses walking back along the trail. They were soon hidden among the huge boulders and sparse foliage.
He needed to scavenge around for something to eat. Simon and he left to set a couple of snares for rabbits. He picked up some mushrooms from decaying logs and some wild celery and cress from the banks of the stream. Simon suddenly nudged him and he saw a trout jump in the river, they approached the bank and peaked over to see three fat trout floating under the lip of the bank. Merlin nodded at Simon and almost immediately two flapping trout were lying on the bank.
Simon grinned finally he had got 'trout tickling' down to a fine art. He smiled thinking of the numerous times he had grabbed and come up with nothing while Merlin was nearly always successful. Walking upstream, they again repeated the performance and soon had six trout strung on a solid twig. Merlin looked at Simon and smiled. From his days as a page who had luckily escaped abuse from a visiting prince, he had matured into a worthy and very capable knight and a good friend. Merlin smiled to himself knowing that Spenser would within a heartbeat have seconded that evaluation.
They returned to pick up the mushrooms and plants and made their way back to the others, later he'd check the snares. He smiled trust Arthur to decide that a couple of hours hunting would break the monotony of the trip they had been away about ten days but to Merlin delaying the return home to terrorise the local wildlife seemed unnecessary. Mind you, he didn't begrudge them a few hours of pleasure and he would be as willing as the next man to partake of venison if any were forthcoming.
Leon had directed the others to higher ground. They stopped to water the horses and then made their way to a flat area below the outcrop. They sat on the rocks and downed tree trunks while they waited.
Merlin and Simon found them there and Rhylin offered to clean the fish while a fire was built.
Gawaine started to tell a rambling tale about a local girl who had gone missing ten years ago, lost in this area when she had gone rabbiting. Seems a stranger had arrived in the village last year claiming to be the girl, now a seventeen year old with a garbled story of an underground town from which she had escaped. Strangely, she knew of all the happenings over the missing years, insisting that the people below could hear and follow their families' daily lives.
The others just hooted at his story, Merlin however, distinctly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
-0-0-
Arthur raised his hand and the riders stopped, dismounted and handed their horses over the squires called John and Charles. Handing his reins to Charles he said, "Wait here until we return."
Charles took Favoury's reins saying, "Hopefully with some success!
"Hungry are you?" said Aislin with a grin.
"All right," Arthur said, "Let's get going, we only have a short time." He nodded at Charles and led the others into the thicket.
They moved quietly stopping frequently until Arthur pointed Nathan and Glyn to the right and Caedrik and Gedwynn to the left. He whispered pointing to deer tracks on the ground, "Move slowly and keep your eyes open!" He chose Aislin to work with him as they were used to each other. Arthur wished it had been Merlin then smiled as Merlin so often spooked the prey, unintentionally he was sure. He felt his heart warm at the thought of him. He was a joy to be with and the idea of not having him and being alone always made him feel sick with worry.
He was standing perfectly still, waiting when he was conscious of movement on his right. He slowly turned his whole body and saw beyond the closest boulder a young deer. He reached for his knife and nodded at Aislin who had his arrow ready. There was a twang and thrashing. Arthur was after it immediately and was able to finish it off quickly.
Hearing the noise, the other knights came over, Gedwynn swinging a partridge.
"Not exactly a deer but fresh food at least," he said. Arthur put his arm across the young knight's shoulders and smiled. He was the youngest brother of one of his knights. He had great hopes for him.
Nathan and Glyn hoisted the carcass onto a boulder and gutted it. Having no use for the whole carcass, they skinned it and took what the six of them could easily carry. The remainder they left for the wolves, foxes, scavengers and other inhabitants of the desolate area.
They made their way back towards the horses. Suddenly the ground opened up and with a scream of shock and surprise Gedwynn disappeared. Aislin spun around but there was nothing but gaping hole which in no time was filled with rocks and rubble. Caedrik and Nathan collected the pieces of venison and piled them near a boulder figuring that once they got Gedwynne out, they would continue on the way back to the horses.
Aislin who was the closest to where the earth had given way, went to walk to the opening but Arthur warned him saying, "Crawl, you don't know that it will hold your weight." Aislin dropped to his knees and only reached within three feet of the opening when he felt the ground giving in and he quickly crawled backwards.
They had all felt the earth tremor so Arthur told them to stay were they were. He called, "Gedwynn, can you hear me?"
They could hear muffled sounds but no recognisable words. Whether it was a human voice or the earth shifting and moaning, they would never know. Aislin motioned for the others to collect what meat they could carry and go back to the horses to get the others to help.
Left by themselves, Arthur kept calling Gedwynn's name but got no response. He was determined not to leave without the young knight. Aislin grabbed two sturdy branches and lay them on the ground about a foot apart. Arthur then added shorter branches in a criss cross pattern. Aislin looked at him and Arthur nodded as he lowered himself to crawl along the branch bridge. Arthur grabbed his ankles, "Can you see anything?"
"Nothing, it seems to be full of rubble. We need more light. Sir Knight, can you hear me?"
Again there was a rustle of sound which Arthur attributed to pebbles and gravel sliding into the hole and bouncing off the rocks but he still yelled, "Gedwynn, if you can hear me, bang something!" he waited...but nothing.
They could hear voices in the distance and the four others arrived. As John was the lightest, Arthur asked him to walk way beyond the hole and then approach it from the other side so that he was opposite Aislin. "Can you see anything?"
John shook his head, "Sire, it's too deep and dark. I can make out rocks and some hanging roots but nothing else."
-0-0-
It was dark; Merlin was worried. They should have arrived back, even if they were empty handed. He motioned to Gawaine who came over, "Should we go out to meet them? They should be close by."
"Arthur wouldn't risk travelling around this God-forsaken area in the dark. They have probably decided to stay where they are until dawn."
Merlin couldn't settle, he'd cooked the rabbits which had been unlucky enough to get caught and the trout. The others had settled with full stomachs. He looked at Gawaine and said, "I won't be able to sleep, I'm going after them."
"But you have only a rough idea of where they are. Arthur will kill me if anything happens to you, if you're going, so am I!"
Merlin gave the ghost of a smile and went to let Leon know that Gawaine and he were going to go out to meet the others as they couldn't sleep. He didn't, mention the foreboding he had but Leon was not stupid. He put his arm around the younger man's shoulders saying, "Aislin has a good head on his shoulders, he'll watch out for Arthur. Go but be careful...Arthur won't cope well without you."
Smiling slightly, Merlin said, "I don't intend to unleash his wrath on you. Don't worry, Arthur has probably got carried way and forgotten the time." He looked at the darkness and shrugged, "We'll bring them all back."
But they didn't...