Chapter eight

Merlin parked his car close to the Roald Dahl Plass, which was the heart of Cardiff Bay according to Gwen. Before she drove on to park the jeep somewhere else she dropped Rhys off to guide the three friends' way to the water tower, where they would meet up with her again. Merlin was happy to see that Gwaine and Arthur had lost most of their nervousness and were now excited about their new surroundings. After they got out of the car the men walked into the dark city.

"Here we are at the Plass. The high silver pillar in front of us is the water tower. On the left is the Wales Millennium Centre, built only with Welsh materials. The huge red one to the side of it is the Pierhead Building, which was build in 1897 and one of the few old ones still around. Beyond it stands the modern Welsh Assembly or as us Welsh call it, the Senedd. It can't be seen from here though. During daytime it is where our parliament can be found." Rhys rattled off some of the best features in the bay. Merlin smiled at the pride in his voice as he pointed out the sights around them.

Even in the dusk of the early summer's evening Cardiff Bay glistened with lights. Merlin noticed how eighteen tall pillars marked the Plass from two sides like lanterns. All around them the streets offered a strange mix of the old and modern. Somehow everything was in a balance which seemed to make sense for a large city. Lights shone from many of the buildings around him.

Merlin could already see Gwen waiting for them near the water tower. His attention however got drawn away from her and to the large building on his left side. It was the one Rhys had named the Wales Millennium Centre. Its best feature was the huge letters forming words in both the English and Welsh language. They were lit up from the inside in different shades of yellow light. When he looked closer Merlin believed that each letter was formed by glass windows, covering at least two floors on the inside of the place. "In These Stones Horizons Sing", he heard Gwaine murmur the poetic words the letters formed in English.

"Creu Gwir fel Gwydr o Ffwrnais Awen." Merlin fluently read the Welsh words spelled out in the windows. He grinned when everyone around him stared at him with surprise in their eyes, even Gwen who had just joined them. "You can actually read that?", Arthur faced him with an incredulous look on his face.

Merlin nodded before he explained, "Some of the land that is now modern Wales used to be part of Albion, the five kingdoms to which Camelot belonged. After Camelot fell I came across many druids who spoke Welsh. Along the centuries I picked up on their spells and therefore I learned to read and write their language. Creating truth like glass from inspiration's furnace, that's what it means." Merlin pointed upwards to the letters while Rhys and Gwen confirmed with a nod that he was right.


Many feet below the ground Jack watched the live feed of the Hub's security cameras. He saw the men walk over to Gwen and then stop several feet away from her. They all stared up to the Wales Millennium Centre. What were they talking about? Why were they wasting time? Jack tried to stay patient as he waited for his visitors to be ready to walk on. Martha, bless her, had convinced him to welcome them at the door. Then she offered to sit at Ianto's side while he readied himself. It helped knowing that she was there, but all the same he was still anxious to get back to his lover's side.

At last the small group was moving again. Jack followed their progress as they walked across the Plass and all the way down to the end of the docks. They stepped inside the tourist office which Ianto had set up as a cover for their hidden entrance. Inside cctv showed Gwen pushing the large button behind the counter in the small office to open the hidden door. Not long now until they would show up at the rotating door which led into the Hub.

In his eager to speed things up Jack pushed back his chair, walked out of his office and he hurried down the stairs. "They're here", he warned Martha over his earpiece with a tense smile she could not see. Once more he felt a spark of hope, maybe Merlin could help Ianto? He was desperate now to at least try and believe it. It would be so good if he could hear those lovely welsh vowels fall from Ianto's lips once more. Shaking his head at his own thoughts Jack pushed his feelings back. There was no point in jumping ahead of himself. Science still made far more sense…

At the sound of the warning alarms blaring Jack took a deep breath to steady himself. In a flash he composed himself, putting on the front of the strong man he always pretended to be. From the corner of his eyes he saw Martha join him at his side with an excited smile. "I can't help myself. I am quite excited about meeting a legend like Merlin… and King Arthur too."

Jack grinned at Martha's enthusiasm, unable to resist it… and her. It reminded him of Gwen and Ianto's reaction after they met Merlin and Arthur in Glastonbury. "Oh yes. Good feeling hey?" In spite of himself Jack grinned, feeling a touch of excitement as well. All the questions he wanted to ask Merlin about his possible immortality came bubbling to the surface again. Maybe after all this time he would not be alone to walk the Earth forever. With certainty he then knew that no matter what happened he owed it to Ianto to follow through on figuring it all out. That was why Ianto had set up the search for Merlin in the first place…

A second later the heavy door rolled away to reveal Gwen and Rhys. They were followed on the heels by the three friends, who all stared into the Hub with curious faces and a touch of awe. "Welcome to Torchwood", Jack invited them inside. He nodded to Gwen as a silent way to say, "You have done well." Then he introduced the men to Martha. "Doctor Martha Jones, meet Merlin, Arthur and Gwaine."


Merlin stepped into the strange underground world. It was a bit dark and damp down here. Parts of the place seemed to date back to the 19th century and at the same time it breathed of technology that somehow seemed to be of a time yet to come. Looking around to take it all in Merlin was amazed by the size of the Hub. The ceiling was so high up that he could barely see it. All throughout its height rose the same water tower he'd seen point up at the evening sky above ground. In a flash he understood that the three of them were privileged to be down here. It was a secret he swore to Gwen they would keep and never speak of to anyone.

"Welcome to Torchwood", the captain said. Merlin smiled as he shook the man's hand. Just like the first time he met Jack he still believed that the captain was out of place somehow. Even when Jack didn't wear the greatcoat there was a feel to him, saying he was from another time and that he lived for far too long. Immortality; Jack was the only other person on Earth who embraced and understood what it meant. Yet could he trust the man? Merlin wasn't sure of it just yet. All he knew was that he'd come to Cardiff for a reason. Destiny had brought him here. Time could only tell him why…

"Thanks for coming down here." Jack smiled, but Merlin saw in the tired blue eyes that the other man was wary. Between Gwen's words earlier in the day he heard her say that Jack didn't believe in magic. He didn't know how long Jack had lived, but he recognized himself in the way the other man held back his emotions when it came to strangers. Only some got behind the walls they put up out of self preservation. The fewer people got too close to them the less it meant they would have to say goodbye. It was not something which had not always come easy to Merlin, but he'd learned the tactic of putting up walls all the same and had become by far too good at it. In fact he was doing the same thing when it came to dealing with the Torchwood three.

"Like I told Gwen, I can't give any guarantee that I can help Ianto. All I can do is give it my best shot. Martha, can you tell me all you have done to help him and show me the statistics on his vital signs?" Merlin decided it was best to come to the point and not waste any more time talking.

He saw Jack nod to Martha as if a silent command to her to help Merlin as best as she could. In her expressive eyes and in her kind face however Merlin saw that she had not needed the order for there was nothing she would not do for her patients. "Of course. Come, I will show you the infirmary. Every reading I took is on the computer there."

Together they walked to the infirmary. From the corner of his eyes Merlin saw the others follow them in curiosity. They kept a respectful distance, so he ignored them for now. Once in the infirmary he listened to Martha as she told him all about the cube, what it looked like and how she believed it scanned Ianto.

"What was in the beam of light, do you know?"

Martha shook her head in obvious disappointment at not getting any further with it. "No. Not even the alien tech specialists figured that one out. All they came up with was 'nothing', but I just can't accept that. It seems to me it wasn't just light. Light doesn't make us humans sick."

An almost too modern looking computer held scans and all the data they needed. Merlin was impressed by how much information it held. In a vivid picture of numbers it showed him the strain on the heart, which was the most worrying problem. Ianto seemed to be fighting off some virus and yet nothing in his blood work suggested it was even there. As clever as the computer was it couldn't tell what was wrong with Ianto. Science it seemed wasn't the answer here.

Merlin walked over to the bed, ignoring the fact that everyone was following him with their eyes. A lot was expected of him and for a moment he felt nervous. Then he saw Arthur and Gwaine look at him with trust, both showing him without words that they had faith in his powers. He didn't need to look at the others to know that each and every single one of them watched with baited breath, unsure about what to think as they did. The pressure of an audience made him want to run, but of course he wouldn't. Ianto was why he had come… not any of the others.

Taking a few deep breaths Merlin calmed his nerves. Once he felt collected enough he placed his right hand on Ianto's chest to allow for his magic to feel for anything that could explain an alien illness. For a moment he closed his eyes in concentration. After a few slow breaths he sensed a glimmer of something dark course through the veins below his hand. Ianto was fighting an invasion alright, but he stood no chance. The virus was as alien as it was effective in its growth. With effective coldness it multiplied, replacing white and red blood cells with foreign intruders. In shock Merlin opened his eyes…


Jack observed every move Merlin made. There was an assuredness that came with age in him, but at the same time the mysterious man seemed to doubt himself. From the way Merlin stared at the computer screens Jack could see that he took his patient. Yes, the man hid behind walls… but in his hands and on his face rested a sense of care for an in a way complete stranger. What made Jack want to trust him was that Merlin's questions showed an insight in the human body. Did he understand medicine?

It made no sense to Jack though that Merlin seemed to take the alien side of the strange illness in his stride. What kind of knowledge was lying deep beneath the surface of the mysterious man who claimed he lived for a long time? More and more Jack felt confused at his mixed feelings on Merlin.

When all Merlin did next was put a hand on Ianto's chest Jack grew even more confused. Was he using magic already? Jack had no clue. For one moment he held his breath in a tense pause for what was to come. Before he had even let it out he stared into eyes filled with shock and determination. "Found it…" Jack nearly missed the whispered words. His mind could barely grasp the meaning behind them. Had Merlin actually found in mere moments what everyone else stood no chance at ever finding with science?

In disbelief Jack shook his head. He was about to ask Merlin what he was doing when a golden glow lit up in the deep blue eyes. A left hand joined the right one on Ianto's chest even as the gold continued to burn like a fire fuelled by pure oxygen. In answer to it the silence in the Hub grew even more tense. Jack held his breath; afraid to believe and yet praying with all of his heart his scepticism was about to be proven unjustified. More than anything he wanted Ianto to be right about Merlin and his magic now.

"Ic the thurhaele thinu licsar mid thamsundorcraeft thaere ealdan ae." The strange words were spoken with passion. Merlin seemed to put all of his strength in them.

Though Jack had no clue what the strange spell meant he held on to one single thought, "Please Ianto, wake up."