~~~~~~MERLIN~~~~~~

Chapter Nine A witches plan

Merlin ran all the way back to his bedroom, distraught. So the dragon was right. She had been hiding a great secret.

He knew that Crystal was guilty…so what could he do about it? Let the guards see her and take her away now that he knew she wasn't innocent? Or let her carry on with her plan with those figures…

He lay on his tummy, flattened out on the bed, confused. Gaius was fast asleep, not seeming to have missed Merlin at all.

Merlin began to think.

Perhaps he could question her? Tell her that he knew…and see what she said.

But she might be angry because he knew and kill him…

Clouded by confused thoughts Merlin fell asleep without knowing. He was exhausted.

~ ~ ~ M ~ ~ ~

Merlin slept all the way through the rest of the night and then forced some food down his throat. He had to go and see if Crystal was still there and try and hand her over to the guards. He didn't deal with people who used magic for bad.

He had to find away to get unseen to the dungeons, considering everyone still thought he was in the dungeons. It was one thing to do at night but not easy in the day. He decided to throw on a cape, which he kept in his cupboard, and then he crept out. It would be easier to use the alternate entrance near the forest to get into the dungeons. So he snuck off through the villages, no one turning a head, and finally made it to the dungeons entrance. Once safely inside the tunnels he took off the cloak and made his way cautiously onwards.

He came round the corner and there was Crystal sitting huddled up in the corner. She looked up at Merlin with frightened eyes, as if trying to hide something. But of course she is, Merlin thought, she's trying to hide the fact that she is evil! Merlin noticed a large wound on her cheek but said nothing. He didn't care about her anymore. "I was wondering if I could have any food…" she said.

Merlin stared at her viscously and Crystal trembled, as if she knew that Merlin had found her secret. Which of course she did, but Merlin didn't know that.

"First I want you to explain." Said Merlin sharply.

"Explain what?" asked Crystal putting on a poor act of bewilderment.

"Why you betrayed everyone in Camelot, why you use magic for bad and WHY you killed all those people."

Crystal looked down. "I knew it was you. I saw your silhouette running away and almost cried out, but didn't want the witches to see you."

"Witches?" asked Merlin, puzzled.

"Those three figures…they were withes. My…careers." She said, putting inverted commas on the word 'careers'.

Merlin was silent. "For some reason they chose to look after me when my parents died six years ago." Crystal explained.

"Six years ago?" exclaimed Merlin, really puzzled now, "But your parents were killed a few weeks ago…"

"No, Merlin. That is a lie the witches told me to tell everyone. So someone would take pity on me and look after me. That way I could get into the walls of Camelot unharmed. Everyone would be searching for me so I could be hidden safely."

"So you admit it! You did betray everyone!"

"No!"

Merlin stared hard at her.

"I didn't want to. But the witches FORCED me too." She said defiantly.

"And you did what they said anyway?"

"They tortured me until I could barely walk. How could I say no?" she said.

Merlin stared at the cut on her cheek. A few things slotted into place.

"So you were forced to go here by three witches who want something in Camelot. And they torture you so that you do everything they say." He said, trying to make sense of the story so far, "But why? What do they want with Camelot?"

He relieved to know that Crystal wasn't as bad as he thought she was.

"Well. It's not what they want with Camelot. Its more what they want me to do in Camelot. You see, they've wanted me to become a witch for a long time. I have 'special powers' they think, that they need for some plan that they haven't told me. And the only way to become a witch in their…religion - or way of living -…is to kill three knights and a…"

"What?" asked Merlin, wondering what was coming.

"A servant…and the servant was supposedly the one who would take pity on me and take care of me. And they were right…"

"They asked you to kill me?" Merlin said, a prickly of fright running down his back. He stepped back a bit.

"Yes. But I refused. How could I kill an innocent person who took it in their heart to look after me? They tortured me and tortured me but I never gave in. Then they said to at least kill the boy without doing it myself. And I had to tell them you had magic. I wasn't…I'm not…allowed to keep secrets.

"So they used that as an advantage and said to tell rumours that you had magic so the King could hear. Everyone was looking for a sorcerer. I conjured up a magic potion and put it in your room, so when the guards searched your room after hearing the rumours, they would see it. They would think you were a sorcerer and you murdered those people. So that's what I did. I was going to try and get you out of the dungeons once the witches had finished with me."

Merlin listened in shock.

"But then Arthur saved you and…as you can see by my cheek…the witches weren't too happy. They said that they had no use for me and that I must…"

Crystal looked down at the ground, a tear dropping from her eye.

"Die." She said, her voice breaking.

Merlin was even more astonished.