"Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering." Paulo Coelho
Lash held up her hand, "The Merlin is working with the Black Council, but I have no knowledge as to their involvement. The Black Court is working along side the Merlin, though more than likely their cooperation ends where their goals diverge. Getting you out of the way permanently is a reasonable mutual goal."
Harry shivered as the wind picked up. As he glanced out over the lake he noticed that heavy clouds were gathering and blowing inland. He had no desire to stay and get pelted with cold rain so he turned and walked up the slight slope away from the lake and back toward the city. Lash was immediately beside him and for a brief second he wondered at the small bit of relief he felt that he wasn't truly alone.
Lash gently cleared her throat and spoke, "The Merlin has surrounded himself with strong warlocks and other magicks to ensure his safety. His stronghold is also enchanted. He is immediately notified when any wizard crosses onto his land."
She paused and laughed. Harry turned to stare and she laughed harder before answering his questioning look.
"You aren't a wizard anymore, Harry Dresden. You are so much more." Lash paused and a wicked smile spread across her face, suddenly reminding Harry of who she truly was, "The magic you possess now won't cause any alarm. He'll never know what hit him because he'll never see you coming. He's probably celebrating your defeat at this very moment."
Harry nodded and continued walking. He had no clue where the Merlin was or how best to defeat him, and deep inside he knew that he wouldn't be satisfied by his death alone. He had his heart set on the destruction of everything the Merlin held dear. There was a small part of him deep inside that screamed in alarm, but he ignored it. He hadn't realized it before her death, but Karrin Murphy embodied everything good in his life. Every generous, kind and forgiving piece of him lay battered, bloodied and dead beside her broken body. His fist tightened around his staff and he ground his teeth together harshly as he redirected the pain into anger.
A dusky red glow hovered around the couple as they resumed their walk. Lash took a deep breath and placed her hand gently on Harry's arm causing him to jump at the contact as the power that was building in him was pulled from him in a sudden rush. Lash grunted and then whimpered softly as she pulled the power through her physical body to ground it harmlessly into the grass beneath her feet. She stumbled and fell partially to one knee before Harry caught her under an arm and hauled her up and slightly against his side.
She looked up at him, her half-lidded eyes misty with tears and pain. "Oh…"
A quick flash of fear shot through Harry's thoughts. "Are you OK?" He asked as he settled Lash on her feet, though he still had hold of her shoulder since she was shivering and he wasn't quite convinced her feet would hold her.
Lash stared up at his face, confused and a little fearful herself. After taking a deep breath she nodded and steadied herself as she stepped away from Harry. "I think so, that was a bit overwhelming. I fear I'm not used to feeling things physically and though I knew what I was doing I wasn't prepared for the sensation and emotion behind your anger."
Harry ran his hand through his hair. "You mean you actually felt everything?"
Lash nodded and blushed slightly. Harry sighed, "Great and what exactly do you think you felt?" Harry asked, with a bit more anger than he felt.
"Well, I'm not sure since I'm rather unfamiliar with most emotions, but there was such sadness and a feeling of emptiness mixed with something I could barely begin to express. A small part of me responded to that strange feeling," Lash held her hand over her stomach, "a part deep down inside that I've never sensed before."
A sudden wave of frustration, anger, fear and weariness rushed through Harry leaving him more tired than he ever felt before. He turned to fully face Lash and on impulse roughly grabbed her arm and twisted it up and behind her back. She yelped in pain, but managed to free herself without much difficulty, as she simply disappeared and then reappeared a few inches from Harry.
Anger flushed her face as she turned on him, "What in Hades do you think you're doing?" A rush of power ran through her, causing her hair to swirl and blow around her face as she rubbed at her shoulder. "That hurt."
Harry nodded and frowned. "Testing a hypothesis. You can feel…that's kind of scary."
Harry's frown deepened and he motioned they should continue walking then turned as he turned and left Lash where she stood. Lash stayed were she was for several minutes before disappearing into Harry's thoughts.
Harry walked and worked on a plan to destroy the Merlin. There were a few things he wanted to run by Bob so after chatting with Lash about it he opened up a path into the Nevernever and with knowledge he didn't know he had opened another up in his lab.
"That's freaking cool!" He exclaimed when he arrived before a startled skull.
Bob suddenly materialized. Harry was struck by the look of total shock on Bob's face and by Bob's shout of, "By all that is holy in this life and the next! Harry what the hell are you doing here?" Bob paused and crossed his arms across his chest in aggravation, "That idiot, Morgan came looking for you. He set an alarm spell and I'm sure by now it's alerted him that you're here, which means you should leave. Now!"
A flicker of thought from Harry and Lash appeared. She bowed gracefully to Harry and then to Bob. "What is it you wish of me?"
Bob jumped and pointed at Lash, "Um Harry…I thought we got rid of her?"
Bob watched as Lash ran a hand over a romance novel on the work table. She picked it up and surveyed the cover; a bare-chested pirate ripping the bodice from a blond who looked like she was about to pass out.
Lash chuckled, "The Pirate's Revenge how original." She smirked and eyed Harry suggestively, "A little bedtime reading? Do you like to pretend you're the pirate or the wanton little slut?"
Harry frowned and sent a thought directly toward the Lash in his head.
"Oh!" Lash snapped, suddenly rubbing at her backside allowing the book to fall back onto the work table. She glared up at Harry, "How did you do that?"
Harry smiled smugly and shook his finger back and forth. "You can feel pain, I can inflict it. I know I said it was scary, but I didn't really think of the positive side. I can punish you and even better, I can think it and you feel it."
Lash had the audacity to stick her tongue out at Harry, who just smiled and inclined his head.
Bob cleared his throat, "OK, not like the White Council isn't finally out for your head or anything Harry…now will you please tell me what is going on? I figure you made a deal with the Sidhe, but what does," Bob pointed an accusing finger in Lash's direction and frowned severely, "she have to do with all this?"
Bob put his hands on his hips and waited. Harry sighed, slumped onto a stool and looked at Bob.
"Well my deal was to become Winter's Knight, join up with Lash's shadow and kill the Merlin." Harry shrugged, "What's so hard to understand?"
Bob turned to look at Lash as she rifled through vials and boxes lined up on a shelf along the wall. "Last I remember Lash's shadow was…well a shadow. I'm sure you can see that she's hardly a shadow of anything just now. Even I can see her plain as day and in case you haven't noticed she's interacting with the corporeal world, not to mention you just gave her the equivalent of a mental bitch slap."
Harry sighed, and tried really hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He rubbed his aching neck and explained everything to Bob, including all the info Lash had shared about the Merlin. Bob listened, asked questions and filled in a few blanks. Bob held no love for the Merlin, since his current state was at the hands of the Merlin, but he wasn't sure Harry's plan, or as he viewed it, lack of a plan, was going to get him anywhere but dead.
Bob glanced again at Lash, nodded in grim determination and rubbed his hands together as a smile spread across his face. "Very well then, let's do this."
