'What do you mean they haven't finished with me?'
'We have to go. I'll explain in Arthur's chambers'.
'No Eve, if you're going to explain it you're going to do it now. Because this mark is fucking freaking me out'. Merlin said.
'Merlin. Don't think you can tell me what I should do. Now we need to get out of here now. They could be down here'.
As soon as I said that we heard a noise, like a door banging shut. We all spun around to see..
.. Sir Limner's wife.
'We should go' I say to Arthur.
'We should and then you can explain what the hell is going on around here'. Arthur said.
Once they both have their tops on we start walking up the stairs. We get to the top of the stairs and that's when Merlin falls over.
'Still falling down even when our lives our in danger, eh Merlin?'
I bend down to Merlin's side 'Merlin, are you alright?'
'Yeah, just felt a little bit faint'
'Right, put your arm over my shoulder'.
'I'm fine Eve'.
'Merlin don't do this just put your arm around me'.
Grudgingly he obeys and soon we are out of the burial chamber.
We get as far as the armoury before Merlin leans so far over to me we both fall to the floor.
'What's wrong with him?' Arthur questions as he helps me helping him up.
'There will be no time to get to your chambers if we want to help him. We have to get out of here'.
'Where do we go?'
'I know of a cave. Just please we need to go now'.
'But what about my father? He will need to know where we are, he may send a search party'.
'Look I'll deal with that later. Just please help me'.
We put Merlin's arms around our shoulders as he went in and out of consciousness.
'Come on Merlin stay with me' I plead as he falls unconscious once more.
We started hurrying towards the stables. Once there we rested against the wall in the stables pre-parement rooms.
'Go and get the horses ready, I'll stay with Merlin' I tell Arthur. He nods and leaves the room to get two horses. I turn back to look at Merlin who is barely conscious.
'Merlin please hold on' I beg clutching at his cold, sweaty hand.
'Eve?'
'Yeah?'
'Why are there three of you?'
'What do y-'.
Before I could finish of my sentence something knocked me over the head. I scrambled to my feet assessing the damage done. My hand comes away bloody.
I look to see two cloaked figures 'Deeyna, Aurua' I hiss.
They lower their hoods.
'Pleasure as always Eve'.
'What do you want with Merlin?'
'Spoilers' Deeyna tuts at me.
'Bollocks to spoilers' I reply as I walk towards Merlin.
'Astuche' Aurua says and I'm thrust backwards and hit the wall with a smack. Black dots start to surround my vision but I'm not going to give up without a fight. I stand up holding onto the wall for support.
'You will not hurt him' I say trying to sound authorative.
Deeyna and Aurua just laugh 'and why is that Evie?'
Just then Arthur walks into the room 'get out Arthur' I shout at him.
Too late.
Deeyna has seen him. She swiftly knocks him out and gets ever closer to Merlin.
'Glad to see you can knock someone out' Aurua says to Deeyna as they step closer to Merlin.
'You will not hurt him' I say again.
'Evie when will you learn? You can't tell us what to do' Aurua says and just like that they produced a sword from their cloaks and hit me over the head with the hilt of it the last thing I see before I black out is Deeyna standing over Merlin, smiling, eyes gold.
'Eve'
'Eve'
Eve, please wake up'
I opened my eyes to see darkness. I panicked for a second thinking I'd gone blind but then my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I realised it was only night and I was outside. I turned my head to see who the mystery person was the called my name. It was Arthur.
'Arthur? What are we doing out here?'
'They took us out here ;Aurua and Deeyna. They chucked us of the horses and went off with Merlin'.
'What! Then why are we sitting around doing nothing then? We have to save Merlin'.
'They tied us up and the rope is magical so is unbreakable'. Arthur replied.
I looked down at the ropes that bound us together, sighing I said 'avnet' which untied all of the ropes.
I started to stand but fell back when my ankle flared up. A quick glance down told me it was sprained.
Shit, I thought, how am I meant to help Merlin when it hurts to walk?
Upon noticing that Arthur was up I held my hand out to him, gesturing for him to help me up. He did so and asked 'can you walk?'
To which I replied 'I think so but it hurts a bit'.
Arthur put his arm around my waist and picked up a thick stick. 'Seeing as though we have no sword and no torch would you mind lighting this up for me?'
'Forbearnan' I said and the thick stick lit up, illuminating our surroundings.
'We should get going, they have had who knows how long a head start and when we last saw Merlin he looked shit'. I say during an uncomfortable silence.
'Yeah'.
'Which way did they go?'
Arthur spins around for a second before deciding that they went left from where we were.
'Right come on' I say.
After about an hour of walking in silence Arthur says 'um Eve?'
'Yeah'.
'You know yesterday in the clearing?'
I took a deep breath I knew what was coming.
'Yeah'.
'Well I've been thinking, I want to know the real reason as to why you kissed me'.
'Well, you see, um, there, oh fuck, look I think your cute ok?'
'Cute?'
'Alright! I like you ok?'
'But I thought you and Merlin were together'.
'We are but…'
'But what?'
'But I like both of you'.
'So if I were to do this' Arthur said as he pinned me against a passing tree.
'Arthur?' I hesitantly asked.
'And this' he said as he crashed his lips upon me. I felt another spark, but harsher this time and more intense. Oh God I shouldn't be doing this. I really shouldn't. but those thoughts didn't prevent me from kissing him back with an equal fierce dominance.
In between kissing I said to Arthur 'this is wrong, Merlin's in danger'.
'I know' he replied.
We carried on kissing for a further minute or two and just when my magic was about to set fire to a tree we stopped.
'That was' I started but found I couldn't finish.
'Good?' Arthur ventured.
I shook my head 'more than good it was amazing'.
He laughed. 'That it was Eve, that it was'.
'Did you feel a spark?' we both asked at the same time.
'Well I guess that answers that question' I said.
'Yep, um, does that ever happen with Merlin?'
'No' I didn't add that something worse happens when Merlin and I kiss; the fact that I want to rip his throat and drink his blood.
'Oh'.
'We best go find him' I say breaking the silence that is trying to creep into us.
'Yeah' Arthur says and brings his arm around me again, helping me to walk.
We only have to walk for a few minutes before we see signs of Aurua and Deeyna. We see horse tracks that stop suddenly.
'I wonder why the tracks stop so suddenly?' Arthur asked.
'They must of sent them back to Camelot so as not to arouse much suspicion although I would of thought that it would arouse more suspicion. Then again they never were that bright'.
'Look up ahead there's a cave it's got a light coming from it'. Arthur says pointing forwards.
'Quickly put your torch out'.
Arthur did so and we slowly and carefully walked towards the cave.
From inside the cave we could here muffled voices.
'We should… now'.
'No we have…..'
'She should be ….'
'We can't….'
'AHHHHHHHH' a voice screamed.
I knew it was Merlin.
Ignoring the pain in my leg and Arthurs calls I charged forward and into the cave.
First thing I saw was Merlin on an altar with blood on his chest.
I tried to get over to him but Deeyna appeared and thrust me backwards knocking into Arthur who had followed me.
'MERLIN!' I cried out when he moaned in agony.
Getting of Arthur I shouted a spell to Deeyna moving her away from Merlin's body.
I couldn't see Aurua anywhere. That didn't mean she was gone though.
The stench of Merlin's blood was almost overwhelming but I forced myself to concentrate. If I didn't help him now then he would die.
Ripping my cloak into strips I wiped away the blood from Merlin's body. I could no longer see a Druid burn on him. But that could be because there was still blood on him. But I wasn't too sure. Still I bound his wounds together and muttered a spell that would stop infection.
Turning around I saw Arthur trying to fight Aurua and Deeyna.
'Let him through Aurua'.
'Why?'
'Because you don't need to be like this'.
'Be like what? Powerful? Oh wait I like being powerful so no'.
'Please . let him through Aurua, Nimeuh doesn't need to know about this'.
'Hmm' Aurua said 'fine' and with that Deeyna and Aurua fled.
Arthur made his way over to us and helped me lift Merlin.
'We need to get out of here before they come back. They will of given us time to get out but no more. If any of us are left in there after the time is up they will take us to Nimeuh'.
'Eve can you hold Merlin a second whilst I check that the way ahead is clear?'
'Sure'.
Minutes later Arthur returns 'we're safe'.
'I'll keep us covered from behind if you hold Merlin'. I say
'Are you sure?'
I nod and kiss Merlin on the forehead 'you're going to be ok Merlin, the mark has gone, and you're safe now'.
I grab one of the torches from the walls and turn around so I am facing where we found Merlin. We are almost out of the cave when someone grabs me from an enclosure in the wall.
My screams are muffled as I drop the torch, making it go out.
'I hope you didn't drop the torch Eve'. Arthur says as he and Merlin are at the cave entrance.
'Eve?'
He grabs a torch near the entrance and shined it and found me.
'Get off her!' he and a now conscious Merlin shout.
'Emrys and the future king saving her? I don't think so' the woman holding my waist said. Aurua.
'Let her go' Merlin repeats in a cold manner.
'Why do this after you allow us to get out?' Arthur asks taking a step closer to me.
'Not so close prince-y' Deeyna the woman preventing me from speaking said.
'Why do you want her?' Merlin asked.
'For a ritual of course' Aurua answered and I could practically feel her smirking.
'But if you needed her for a ritual then why not take her at Camelot, why take me?'
'Oh that was just for fun and because we wanted her to not be of sane mind. To confuse her feelings that she tries to bury so very hard' Deeyna said.
As she said this I couldn't look at Arthur or Merlin.
'Anyway must dash, things to do, someone called Eve to kill' Deeyna said.
'NO' both Arthur and Merlin screamed as I felt searing pain through me and I blacked out.
