Chapter 9
Merlin ran all the way back to Arthur, but when he finally got there he found the inside of the tree empty. He wanted to start panicking, but he knew it wouldn't help him find Arthur.
He didn't see any signs of a struggle inside of the tree, so whatever happened to him must have occurred outside the tree. He slowly moved away from the tree as he looked in every direction in hopes of finding something, anything that would tell him what happened.
The surrounding trees and bushes didn't tell him much, but the ground around it told him a lot. He could tell Arthur had crawled away from the tree and made his way over to another tree. He retraced the same path to where it ended and looked around to see what Arthur might have been looking at. He saw what looked like a newly cut tree, but why would he have been looking there? He moved around the tree and saw something that caught his eye.
The ground looked like something had crushed it because the grass and weeds were all pushed down. It also appeared that the same thing that had caused the damage had been dragged away. The trail looked like it led him to the center of the forest, but since he wasn't familiar with the area he didn't know for sure. There was only one thing he could do was to follow the only clue he had.
Arthur had a vague sensation of having been dragged through the woods, but he was unconscious for most of it so he didn't know how long it had lasted. He also remembered being thrown onto something hard and then being jostled around. His foggy brain could only equate the feeling of how it was to ride in the back of a very old worn out wagon.
When he finally opened his eyes he closed them again rather quickly. It wasn't so much of what he saw when he opened his eyes, but who he saw. Standing over him were three young children. The tallest of the bunch was holding a stick and trying his hardest to look menacing.
Before he opened his eyes again he heard one of them calling out.
"Mother, he's finally awake".
Arthur took a chance and opened his eyes again. He saw the three children still standing there, but this time there was an older woman standing there with them. She looked like the kids so he could only assume she was their mother. He gave the woman a weak smile but remained silent.
The woman put her arms around the children, "All right you three, time to go out and play for awhile".
Two of the children were more than eager to leave, but the one who had been holding the stick spoke up, "You may need my help with him, perhaps I should stay with you".
"Nonsense, you go out and play and take your brother and sister with you. I can handle this one".
Arthur watched as the three of them left. He looked over at the woman and saw that she was rinsing out some cloth in the basin of water next her. When she was done she turned to him and put it on his head.
"Well you've been asleep for awhile now, but not to worry, your wound has been all cleaned up and your fever seems to be coming down finally".
This would explain why he felt so weak, but he didn't like it when she said he had been asleep for a while, "How long have I been here?"
She finished patting his head with the wet cloth before responding, "Well my husband brought you home last night, and it's well past noon today, so I would say at least half a day".
He finally remembered the men in the woods and realized that one of them must be this woman's husband. They must have been cutting down trees for firewood or something, or at least he hoped that was what they were doing. He needed to find Merlin and didn't have time to deal with these people if they turned out to be something other than simple folks living off the land.
He felt awful, but when he tried to sit up he soon regretted it. A sharp pain stating in his leg radiated throughout the rest of his whole body. He tried to sooth the pain by rubbing the wound, but was soon confused by what he felt there.
The woman had been tending to something off to the side and hadn't noticed Arthur moving, but when she saw him feeling his leg she sprang to life, "No, you need to leave that alone or it won't work".
Arthur pulled his hand away and found that it was now covered in thick black goo, "What is this stuff?"
"It's some poultice that my mother taught me how to make. It works wonders on infected wounds. You had a pretty nasty infection starting. I just hope I got to in time".
"What do you mean in time", Arthur didn't like the way she had said the last part.
The woman starting examining Arthur's leg to see what damage he may have caused, "Well, it looks like you managed to wipe some of it off, I'll need to put some more on".
Arthur wasn't used to having his questions ignore, "What did you mean by getting there in time?"
The woman took notice to his agitation, "What I meant by time was I had just hoped that the infection had not spread or it would be harder to heal. If you leave this on to dry you will soon heal, but you have to leave it alone".
Arthur finally noticed the smell of the slime, "What is it anyway?"
"Oh it's a mixture of some plants and bugs".
"Did you say bugs?"
"Now I don't want you to worry about it. I need to go and get some more to put on your leg, so don't touch it while I'm gone".
He was started to feel nauseous so he laid his head back down. When he felt better he found that she was back from where ever she had gone and was now working on his leg again. "Did I fall asleep again?"
"Yes you did, but its sleep that you need now anyway. I made some soup, would you like some?"
"No, I'm not hungry". He studied her as she stood up. She seemed rather young for having had three children. "What's your name?"
"My name is Ann, what's your name?"
"It's Arthur".
"Well nice to meet you Arthur, so what were you doing in the woods anyway? When John found you he said you looked frightened when you saw them. Are you running from someone?"
He had to be careful what he told her. He didn't know who she was or for that matter where he was. She could be in with the Duke and his plans and could easily turn him in, "I was out hunting and we got lost. I couldn't find my companion and thought I would rest in the forest hoping he would come back".
"Oh, well I don't know where your companion is, but John brought you back here since you were in no condition to take care of yourself. But now that you're awake, I would suggest you get better soon. John doesn't like having strangers around".
"I would like to leave as soon as possible. I don't want to make trouble for you or your kids".
"Kids; I don't have any children".
"Oh, but what about the kids that were in here, one of them called you mother?"
"Oh that's why you thought that; no, they are my brothers and sister. Our mother died last month and they are still having trouble adjusting. My husband and I live here with them and our father. He was the other man who brought you back. His name is Simon".
"Sorry, I just assumed they were yours, but that would explain why they look like you".
He closed his eyes as another wave of pain rushed through his body. He put his arm over his eyes to shade out the light. He could feel Ann as she continued to tend to his leg. Whatever she had put on his leg made it hurt, but the warmth soon eased the discomfort. He looked up from under his arm and saw that she had moved to the fireplace. It looked like she was getting some food ready. He wondered if he would soon be meeting her husband and father. He was hoping to ask them if they had seen anyone else in the woods. He needed to find Merlin.
Merlin had followed the trail for a short while before it disappeared. It was replaced with what looked like wagon wheels.
The new tracks moved away from the forest and he wondered if they led to the same place he had just come from. The woman had said her husband was out, so maybe the wagon tracks belonged to him. But if this was the case then what was he doing with Arthur. His mind started going over every possibility, but the one he kept coming up with was that the Duke had found him. He wondered if the family he had encountered had anything to do with the Duke.
With a sense of urgency he started following the wagon tracks. He was so focused on where he was going that he failed to notice a group of men that were now headed straight for him.
There were 4 men in the group and the instant they spotted Merlin they took action.
One of the men took charge and motioned to the others to take cover. He didn't want to lose the prize again.
Merlin continued to follow the wagon tracks and failed to notice anyone crouching in the bushes. If he had seen them or at least sensed their presence he would have been able to defend himself when one of them quietly slid up behind him and thrust their sword in his back.
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