Merlin sat in his hotel room, gazing at the line of trees outside his window. Aithusa lazed by the door, unnecessarily guarding it. He considered who to call. This was the best time to introduce someone new to the area, what with the two unicorns moving in. He opened his computer, hesitated, then smiled. He knew just who to ask.
He opened a call to Stella, the leader of the nymphs in America. While waiting, he considered other species that could make their home here if the nymphs declined. As the unicorns had already spread here, he couldn't bring any more dark hunters. Perhaps a griffin. He'd heard of a few new births in Canada, and it wouldn't be too far of a journey for them to take. Merlin considered it a little further, and concluded he could contact them regardless of the nymphs' reply.
"Greetings, Emrys. Have your travels been kind to you?" Stella greeted him warmly. She was alone as far as Merlin could tell. He smiled brightly at her.
"Hello Stella. I've been fine, thank you. I trust that all is well, so I won't bother asking. I have a question for you."
She nodded slightly before replying, "Ask already, Merlin, I know how busy you can be."
"I wondered if there was anyone that wished to move. Michigan is a wonderful place, but I know it can be crowded. I've found an area in Washington, near the border of Canada, that some may like to live in. Before you ask, yes, I am sure it's safe. I found the area while following a new pair of unicorns. The most danger you face here is a coven of vampires, but they appear to be 'vegetarian' ones. There is also a pack of shifters, Aithusa tells me, though they shouldn't attack a creature so similar to themselves. They might not even notice you, what with the vamps around," Merlin explained.
"It sounds like a nice place. I have a group of younger ones, only four decades old at most, that wish to live somewhere new. The majority of them look very young, though there are enough that look a tad older. They would wish to attend a human school, though I believe only the younger ones could pass for students. I would not worry about the ones that could attend elementary or middle school, so perhaps if you would check on the high school, my mind could be put at ease."
Merlin nodded. "I can attend classes with them for the first year, if they would like." He would need to de-age himself, but that would not be too hard. He'd done it before.
"That would be perfect, thank you." Stella replied.
"I'll talk with the coven and the pack about the new additions to the area. Also, I was considering also introducing a few griffins as well. No more than four. They would stay in denser areas, you know how recluse they are."
Stella waved away the hesitancy on Merlin's face. "They would be great protection, not that it would be needed. The vampires would surely have scared off any predators we have. The group I'll send is small. Only thirteen. Three of them would not pass for students any longer, though I doubt they would want to go anyway. There are four that could pass for elementary age children, four would go in middle school, and you only have to mind two in high school."
"Perfect!" Merlin beamed, "I'll set things up. Send me a file with their records and I'll make arrangements. It'll be a month before things are ready, but it's only July anyway."
"Thank you, Emrys. I'll talk with them. You'll get the files by tomorrow." Stella said, gratefully.
They spoke for a while longer, business out of the way, and hung up. Already, Merlin was looking up housing in the woods, in case the group wished to use it in any way. He was unable to find any, however.
After a bit of consideration, Merlin resolved to search for an area the next day. He hadn't done something like this since the 1950's, but he knew it could be done, however tedious it was. It would be a long month.
He visited the pack first. He hadn't heard of new shifters in a while. They likely didn't know anything about him, so this would likely take more explaining than just the usually meeting.
Finding the pack leader's house was easy enough, though it appeared that Merlin would be forced to wait for his return, as he could sense no magical presence currently. Still, he knocked, in case there was a human there. Shifters seemed to always be protective of humans, so it was not uncommon for them to freely mingle.
After a moment, the door opened to a woman. Her face was deeply scarred. Merlin looked at her in sympathy. He would ask to fix it later. "Hello. I'm Merlin. I would like to speak to the shifters' leader, if it's no trouble." Seeing the look of panic on the woman's kind face, he quickly added, "Oh, no, don't worry, it isn't anything bad. I've come to explain a few things, and ask a bit of a favor. I will not harm anyone in the pack, you have my word."
The woman did not appear completely convinced, though she did calm slightly. "Of course, come on in. He'll be back soon, I believe. I'm Emily."
Only a few minutes later, the leader, who Emily said was called Sam, arrived with two other shifters. They were very likely his second and third in command.
Upon seeing Merlin, the three gained a defensive stance. Emily, seeing their posture, slapped Sam playfully. "Cut it out, boys. This is Merlin. He said he won't harm anyone, so you can stop it with the tough act."
Sam relaxed, sitting next to Merlin at the table. The other two sat a bit farther away, not as trusting of the unfamiliar face.
Sam appraised him momentarily before asking, "So what can I do for you?"
"It's more what I can do for you. I think you should know a bit more about your kind. I doubt you know too much." Merlin stated calmly. He hoped his general calming spell would keep the shifters in check. "However, I would like to know what exactly it is you can become."
After a moment's consideration, Sam replied, "Wolves." He seemed to hesitate before asking, "Are there other types of… shifters?"
Merlin smiled. Sam was much more accepting of this situation than that one pack of lions had been. This would be one of the easier talks he'd had in a long while.
The explanation passed by quickly, as they grew more curious. They must have been quite new, Merlin concluded. Before informing them of the new groups, he asked Sam about Emily's face. The story was a common one for shifters.
After some questioning, they decided there was no point in healing her scars. They had been there two long to do anything about them without suspicions surfacing. The rest of the meeting sped by. The pack would welcome new faces, as long as they were innocent ones. Soon, Merlin left, leaving the pack leader and his two pack mates, who he discovered were called Jake and Quil, to figure out what to do with the new information.
Merlin drove back to his hotel to pick up Aithusa, who had just gotten back from asking the griffins if they wished to travel.
Aithusa, in the shape of a large, pure white dog, entered the car from the trunk, as she was too large for the side doors.
"I gather they agreed?" Merlin inquired, noting the dragon's satisfied look.
"They will send two of the newborns out. They are trained enough to be on their own. Should be out by next week." Aithusa said, not bothering to use telepathy in the privacy of the car. "Where are we going? Surely you've already talked to the shifters?"
"I have. They are wolves, by the way; good shape for this climate. I need to search for an area to build a house for the nymphs. Probably a nice clearing. Might need to move a few trees to make it accessible, but it shouldn't be too difficult. I thought you might find a nice spot. I'll give you back your wings once I find a secluded area."
"Finally! I haven't flown in ages!" Aithusa exclaimed.
"You went flying yesterday!"
"So?"
It hadn't taken long to find a place to park, and it took even less time for them to find a clearing. It was a bit large, but that could be useful. They would check it out before Merlin did any building. Upon studying the area, he concluded it would be far too open for the nymphs. They tended toward areas similar to these, but this one would leave them open to attack, even if placed right next to the tree line.
Still, Merlin marked the area with his magic. While the vampires would keep away many creatures, there was always the possibility of one of the less pleasant ones making its home here.
As he knelt down to finish the spell, Aithusa growled. Merlin shot the transformation spell her way before whatever she growled at appeared. Once again, she took the shape of a dog.
A vampire and a human are coming, Aithusa spoke through the mind path. Block yourself off. He could be gifted.
Merlin noted the area in his journal, waiting for the pair to arrive. He needed to talk with the coven anyway. Aithusa lay next to him, watching the trees in front of them for signs of the vampire.
If he had not known the coven's diet of choice, Merlin would have been less calm. Instead, he wondered curiously at the relationship of this vampire and the human it traveled with. He could ask once they arrived.
Merlin, I'm sensing more. Six. They're all headed this way. The first pair will be here momentarily. I suggest waiting for the others. Aithusa said.
Before he had a chance to respond, the first two entered the field through the tree line.
Stay quiet. Merlin warned the dragon. He finished the last sentence of his entry as the two strangers approached him.
He looked up, smiling kindly. He had felt a probing force on his shield. So the vampire was gifted. Merlin rose to his feet, holding his free hand out to the boy. This one was obviously the vampire, as his eyes were bright gold. The hesitation was obvious in his face. He likely didn't want Merlin to feel the lack of heat in his skin. Unperturbed, he held his stance until the boy took it.
When he did, Merlin's smile widened. "Thanks for that. Old bones don't like to cooperate these days. Hello! I'm Merlin."
The boy's eyebrows rose in suspicion. "Edward," the boy supplied.
Merlin turned to the girl beside him, offering his hand again. She readily accepted it, smiling nearly as big as Merlin. "I'm Bella, nice to meet you, Merlin," she said, oblivious to the boy's wary expression.
The others are almost here, Merlin. Introduce me, will you? Aithusa asked.
"Nice to meet the both of you. And this here is Aithusa." Merlin spoke cheerfully, hoping to stall the vampire's suspicion. The tactic seemed to work on the girl, Bella, quite well, as she became enthralled with the large dog.
"Aithusa. Weird name for a dog, isn't it?" She asked, rubbing behind Aithusa's ears.
"Maybe, but it fits her. Can't go about changing her name at this age, anyhow."
"What breed is she? I haven't seen anything like her before…" Edward asked.
It was obvious his suspicion would not clear up for a long while. Merlin worried at this observation. Hopefully, this was not the coven leader. This conversation might not go over as well as his last one. He gave these thoughts to Aithusa, in case he required her council.
"Really, not a clue. Probably something like a great pyrenees and a great dane mix. Likely more than a bit of wolf in there, as well." Merlin joked. Really, he knew well what breed she was imitating, but they had long gone extinct. At this point, he couldn't even remember the name, it had been so long. Not like Edward would recognize the name anyway, as it was a magical breed. Poor things, hadn't been able to survive the hunts for werewolves back in europe.
"So, are you from the U.K.? Your accent isn't something I've heard around here," Bella inquired.
"Yes, I was born there." Truthfully, his accent didn't exist anymore, but Merlin managed to shape it into one of the accents from his homeland. Not too difficult, what with centuries of practice. Here, it was easier, as Americans didn't seem able to pick up on the subtle differences.
The rest are about to walk in. Be sure to explain me quicker this time. I hate it when people talk down to me like they do.
Thankfully for the dragon, the rest of the coven, Merlin hoped, decided to enter the field at that moment. "Friends of yours?" Merlin asked, gesturing to the group.
Merlin stepped back, allowing Aithusa to position herself in front of him. They usually took this stance when they were greatly outnumbered, as her form would be able to put distance between them and danger quicker if Merlin was ready to jump on her back. None noticed the shift as far as he could tell.
The constant probing he'd been feeling grew three fold. So there were more gifted ones? Only three total, but that was impressive for a coven this size. Most he encountered were lucky to have one. The Volturi were the only clan he knew of that would beat this one in gifted vampires. He'd ask about it later.
"Yes they are my family. I'm sure they'll want to introduce themselves," Edward replied.
Merlin watched Edward as the family approached. He made head movements that would have been nearly impossible to detect had he not been looking for it. Mind reader, most likely. Merlin shared his conclusion with Aithusa, who nodded in response. Turning his attention to the approaching vampires, he noticed a worried look on one of the girls' faces. She was probably one of the gifted ones. The dragon agreed in this as well. The third remained hidden, though the ancient pair suspected they would find out more about this group soon. Looking over the others again, he gathered that the leader was the oldest looking man. Again, Aithusa agreed.
Just as the introductions were about to begin, Merlin cocked his head in recognition. He knew that face. He'd seen it before, in the Volturi's house. He said as much to Aithusa. She would not recognize him, however, as she had been dealing with a phoenix at the time. If he remembered correctly, his name was Carlisle. Yes, that was it. He remembered the way one of the Volturi spat the name like it was an insult.
"Hello, all. My name's Merlin, and this here's Aithusa." Merlin spoke with enthusiasm. His hopes for this conversation grew with the recognition of the old vampire. His bright mood seemed to put most of the group at ease.
How do you manage to do that? After all these years… You've not changed since we met. Aithusa said. This was not the time to get into that, they both knew that. Thankfully, Merlin had practice in concealing undesired emotions.
We can talk about that later.
I know. Just an observation. Anyway, I think the tense one is an empath. I can feel him trying to read your emotions.
Emotions and thoughts. Useful skills in this type of coven. Merlin filed the thought away.
"Lovely to meet you, Merlin. I'm Esme," the kind looking woman said. She was definitely a peace keeper. Merlin nodded politely at her, still smiling.
Carlisle stepped forward. "I'll skip the awkward introductions, shall I? This is our family. Our kids, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. You've already met Edward. My wife, Esme. And I am-"
"Carlisle Cullen. Pleasure to meet you. Heard wonderful things about you." Merlin interrupted cheerfully. He knew it was a bold move, and would not have tried it if their diet had been different. The smiles dropped from their faces, though that was to be expected. It was best to get their skepticism out of the way soon, but that would require less formalities. He kept a smile on his face, and maintained a pleasant tone. They could be reasoned with.
Carlisle seemed the least concerned at the recognition, his face filled mostly with curiosity. He seemed about to ask something, but Merlin did not wish for the questions to go on for too long.
"A bit brash of me, I know, but I recognized you from the halls of the Volturi. They spoke… often of you." That was as much of the truth as he could summarize in one word.
Mention of the well known coven brought further wariness to the group. Carlisle, however, appeared even more intrigued. There was obviously a ripple of confusion among the vampires, most likely from the presence of a heart beat. The Volturi never let a human walk away.
"Ah, the familiar face of apprehension. Don't worry, I'm not here about them. Nasty group people, they are. Hardly one I want to be associating with for too long."
"What do you want, then." This came from Edward. Merlin expected him to be the first to question him. He seemed very protective of Bella. Unnecessarily so. Her response to the mention of the Volturi gave Merlin a good idea of how involved she was in this family. She could obviously take care of herself. Merlin made a mental note to address her later.
"Don't worry, nothing sinister. Had to introduce myself eventually. I'll be here awhile, and informing you of my presence is always the best way to keep peace with you lot."
Merlin paused as he caught a shift in the small one, Alice. "I did not see you coming." She said, almost accusingly.
The last piece fit in. So they have a mind reader, an empath, and a seer. Quite the combo. Merlin said to his companion. Should be easy enough to gain their trust with the right use of their gifts.
I agree. Might make it harder to live with them around all the time though. They appear young enough to attend school. They will likely be around you more often than we anticipated. Aithusa noted.
Merlin contemplated his next action momentarily. Finally, he said, "A seer. The last piece falls into place. First one of your kind with that particular talent that I've met. I admit, I don't have the best experience with them, but you seem nice enough." He turned to Carlisle. "You have quite the family. Three gifted, and another on the way, if I'm correct. But enough mystery. I'm sure you have questions." Merlin saw his words bring the effect he had predicted. Now most of them held an expression of curiosity rather than animosity.
Carlisle spoke again, "Of course! If you would like, our house is not far from here."
Merlin shook his head. "No, here is the best place for this talk. Easier to detect eavesdroppers. Besides, I have doubt your house is big enough for this particular conversation."
You enjoy this far too much, the dragon noted.
Hard to come by this kind of entertainment anymore these days, Merlin teased.
The group looked unsure of what to do. They probably had depended on speaking with each other and gathering their thoughts before having these kinds of conversations. Their confusion amused Merlin. He rarely got to mess with people like this anymore.
Finally, Carlisle said, "To be completely honest, I'm not sure where to start."
"I'll start then," Emmett said, "what's with the dog?"
Thank the gods.
Pleased are you?
Absolutely. There's no one around for miles. Aithusa made sure to double check for witnesses whenever she made the transformation. It was too large not to notice these days. And she was not even a full adult yet.
"Good place to start. Aithusa thanks you for that," Merlin said, enjoying their reactions, "and she's no dog. If you wouldn't mind standing back a bit, perhaps ten meters will do."
They moved, but not nearly enough, so Aithusa moved back to compensate. Merlin gestured towards his friend, and she changed. At the end of her short transformation, she spread out her wings. Merlin knew how she hated having them missing, even for a short time. It was necessary, now that modern technology rarely let things go by unnoticed, especially at her size.
For a moment, Merlin considered how big she had gotten. Not a large as Kilgarragh yet, but she was getting there. She would probably reach full maturity in the next half century. He wondered how Arthur would react when he met her. Merlin hoped he would see his old friend soon.
Letting those thoughts go, Merlin turned to see the reactions of the coven. Awe at the sight of the white dragon was to be expected. He watched as Aithusa lowered her head and blew smoke through her nostrils, causing Bella to cough.
He walked over and swatted her snout. "Cut that out," he said, careful not to actually command it of her. He had not commanded either of the dragons in a long time, and would not start over such a small offence. Besides, she was getting as much entertainment out of the meeting as Merlin was himself.
They heard a chuckle, most likely to have originated from Emmett. "Nice pet you got there."
"I am no pet, infant." Aithusa drew herself to her full height in an attempt to appear more fearsome. It certainly worked, though not enough to scare Emmett.
"You are certainly a cocky breed," Merlin observed aloud.
"Indeed they are. He is certainly lucky that I have a greater sense of humor than Kilgarragh." Aithusa said, obviously holding back laughter. Obviously to Merlin, at least.
The joking banter seemed to help ease the coven's minds, as they all were smiling to a degree.
"Now, that should open a few questions, shouldn't it?" Merlin said.
Before someone could speak, the dragon cut in. "Merlin, this is hardly the best size for me," she reminded the warlock.
Another short gesture, and she was the size of a wyvern once more. She often took this size, whenever her true size was more a hindrance than a help. Kilgarragh could also comfortably be in this state, though he despised being so confined. He usually only allowed to be shifted to his own imitated form. His was similar to Aithusa's, though his own color stayed. While his assistance and guidance was greatly appreciated, his refusal to comply to Merlin's requests meant he was not as involved with the warlock's job as Aithusa was.
"How are you doing that?" Bella asked, glancing between the warlock and the dragon, unsure who could answer the question.
"Magic," both said. Merlin winked.
Another silent moment of consideration, and Carlisle asked the next question, "What are you, then, that you have this talent."
"Pulling out the big questions first, I see. I am a warlock. I can use magic at will. But really, I am not here to brag about my own capabilities. I was going to come to you anyway." Merlin answered, aware of how Aithusa stalked around him in a protective stance. You seem to be enjoying this far more than I am, he told her. All he received was a laugh that echoed in his mind.
This is just the beginning, I can feel it.