Ch. 10

The city was a maze, full of twists, turns, plenty of shadows, and Arthur loved it. What he didn't love was how long it was taking to get around the city to the bloody dragon. They cut through the buildings themselves, going as straight as they could, which wasn't very straight at all. Lancelot and Morgana had the rear, Arthur and Gwen the lead, and Gwaine supporting Merlin in between. The boy was trying to be remarkably resilient, his face set with determination but also hard with pain. Whatever Trickler had done, he hadn't held back. Merlin's face was splashed with so much bruising, scrapes, cuts and dried blood that he was nearly unrecognizable, and that was only what could be seen on the surface. The way he cradled his chest, the careful way he held his arm while doing so and his hunched posture told a much darker story.

It made Arthur's insides boil – with anger, with guilt, with the need to make sure Morgause, Cenred and Trickler were no longer in a position to do to anyone else what they did to Merlin. Merlin wasn't even a soldier, for goodness sake. He was a mechanic, a wizard, skinny and idiotic even if he was also brave. This shouldn't have happened to him. This shouldn't happen to anyone.

Their group cut through what might have been someone's house and rushed through the back door on the other side. A squad of seven men spotted them and charged toward them. Arthur unsheathed his sword, not wanting to use pistols and alert the rest of the enemy to their whereabouts. But the squad wasn't five feet away when they suddenly flew back, landing hard enough to be knocked unconscious. Arthur looked back at Merlin, the boy's bruised hand still raised, and gave him a nod of approval.

Gwaine chuckled. "Oh, I like you even more, mate."

They hurried on, flitting from shadow to house, crouching and ducking like thieves. And while Arthur knew the direction they needed to go, he had no idea where their exact location was, and his heart raced even faster when he began to wonder if they had missed it.

"In there!" Merlin gasped, having been hoisted higher against Gwaine when the boy began to flag. Arthur didn't waste time asking how Merlin knew – he could hear a patrol heading their way. They ducked through the door of a tall, square structure.

"Up the stairs. To the roof," Merlin said. They did as told, climbing three flights of steps and then a fourth leading to a trap door. Arthur was the first one out, and he nearly stumbled back through when he found himself face to face with the golden snout of the dragon. And it was smiling.

"Well done, young regent," the dragon rumbled. "You have found me."

The others clamored out but stayed well away from the dragon curled like a cat on the stone rooftop. It regarded each and every one with that same unnerving amusement, but when its eyes landed on Merlin, they seemed to fill with something like pride.

"I am happy to see you have heeded my words, young warlock. But you waste time coming here. You know I could have told you the way in which to escape."

Arthur's bewildered gaze darted between the dragon and Merlin. "Told him? How?"

"I have my ways," Kigarrah said as though in no mood to explain. "Why have you come? You must leave while you can."

"Easier said than done," Gwaine muttered.

"He's right. We need your help," Merlin said.

"I have not offered enough help?" Kilgarrah said curiously.

Merlin, twice as pale from his exertions, forced his lips to form a tremulous smile. "A little more would be much appreciated. Besides, you might like what I have in mind." He then straightened as much as he could, pulling away from Gwaine as he appraoched the dragon without a hint of fear. "Tell me how to free you."

Kilgarrah's eyes rounded over. "You are right, young warlock. I rather like how your mind works. As these chains were forged and locked with magic, so, too, must they be unlocked by them. Touch the manacle on my ankle and speak the words written upon them. Hurry!"

Merlin shuffled over to the dragon's back leg. He started to crouch but a yelp of pain made him freeze. Arthur hurried over and supported him the rest of the way into a kneel.

"Thanks," Merlin panted. He licked dry, cracked lips, then placed both hands on the wide, thick manacle wrapped around the large ankle. The words etched into the clean metal were gibberish to Arthur's eyes, a collection of fancy scribbles that resembled no language that Arthur knew of, and he knew plenty of languages.

But Merlin took one look and nodded resolutely. Then he began to speak, the words as garbled as the lettering. Words of magic, so of course Arthur didn't know them. He'd never had a reason to.

It was high time he rescinded that attitude.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold. There was a click. The manacles parted and it was with some effort, soon followed by Arthur's help, that Merlin pulled them away. Kilgarrah lifted his foot and rolled his ankle as if working out the kinks. He sighed.

"Oh, it has been so long since my powers infused me so. I have forgotten the joy of it. Thank you, young warlock. There had been no need for you to free me. I would have provided the distraction you required so long as it meant your escape. I will not forget your kindness."

"Why is it so important that I escape?" Merlin asked.

The Great Dragon rose onto his feet, rustling his wings in preparation for flight. "Permit me to tell you when time is not of the essence. Now go! I will keep them busy." The dragon launched from the roof, buffeting the humans below with the hurricane force of his wings. He roared, and the sound was like thunder the very moment lightning has struck, filling the massive chamber until it shook. The dragon then inhaled, and when it exhaled, a fist of flames exploded from its jaws. Down below came the frantic the call to arms.

"Let's go," Arthur said. He lifted Merlin to his feet and supported him back through the building, the others close behind.

"Wait, we didn't ask it how to get out!" Gwaine said.

"He already told me," Merlin said. "Go around this building then go straight as you can."

Down on the ground, everything was chaos, the kind of chaos that didn't allow anyone to take the time to realize that they'd just past their quarry. The dragon was raining fire and death down on Morgause's people and the bullets fired from pistols did nothing except bounce off the dragon's armored hide. Arthur and his people made their way through the city unmolested, no longer having to duck and dodge through shadows and buildings. Arthur was starting to love dragons.

"... damn you, Cenred, I sensed magic. They are near- there!"

Arthur nearly stumbled. He looked back, his eyes going wide, to see Morgause, Cenred, Trickler and eight men ignoring the madness behind them in favor of their quarry just ahead. Cenred was shocked, Trickler frightened, but Mrogause enraged. She held out a hand and snarled ancient words.

Merlin held out his hand and gasped words back. A fire ball came hurtling toward them only to explode against a transparent wall that shimmered blue like water when hit.

"Keep going, I'll hold them off!" Merlin said.

Arthur adjusted Merlin higher and dragged him forward. "Yeah, not this time. We're not leaving you behind."

"You don't have to, just keep going!" Merlin's hand remained raised, another ball exploding against his shield.

"After them!" Morgause bellowed in rage. The men with her surged forward, led by Cenred. Gwaine, Lancelot, Gwen and Morgana scattered them with pistol fire. Once again they were forced to duck behind buildings to avoid return fire.

"Whatever happens, stay together!" Arthur said.

"We're almost there," Merlin said like a promise.

But the problem with having so much cover was that it was just as much a benefit to the enemy. Cenred and two men appeared out of nowhere, blocking the path ahead. He smiled, showing teeth.

"Afternoon, Arthur." Cenred raised his pistol.

A word from Merlin and the pistols flew from Cenred and his men's hands. Merlin heaved a weary sigh.

"Sorry, Arthur. It's all I have to strength for if I want to keep the sheild."

"No worries," Arthur said. "I have this." He glance swiftly behind him, placing the location of his people. They were catching up but slowed trying to keep the enemy off their tail. Arthur looked ahead at Cenred advancing with his rapier at the ready. Arthur leaned Merlin against the wall of a building and unsheathed his.

"You're not getting out of here, Pendragon," Cenred said confidently, happily. "I promise you that. I always said I would finish what I had started when I tried to assasinate you."

"And I always said I would gut you like a fish given half the chance," Arthur said.

The two men advanced, circled, then lunged. Steel rang against steel, their swords colliding with furious moves. It was not the practice fights of Arthur's youth, light and poised as though more for show than survival. It was fast, vicious, their blades a silver blur, their feet in constant motion. They lunged trying to press the other back, trying to go in for the kill, only to meet more steel. Arthur managed to deliver a cut to Cenred's neck but at the price of a cut to his bicep. When Arthur delivered a shallow cut to Cenred's side, Arthur got one of his own to the chest.

They were too evenly matched.

It was Cenred's turn to press in, and just when Cenred was about to go in and deliver another cut to Arthur's body, the man stumbled. Arthur took the advantage and sliced Cenred across the stomach. Cenred stumbled back, clutching his gut and sneering at Arthur.

"You little bastard!" he growled. "Kill him!" His two men lifted their recently retrieved pistols. Gun fire cracked through the little alley. But Arthur felt no pain, and looking down saw only the blood from his cuts. When he looked up, Cenred's men collapsed back.

"Sorry we're late," Gwaine said, Morgana beside him. "We need to move. Lance and Gwen are keeping the rest occuppied but it won't be for long."

"Right, but first we need to deal with-" Arthur began, but looking ahead, he saw the street now devoid of Cenred. "Damn coward. Right, let's go." He gathered Merlin against his side, Merlin draping his arm around Arthur's neck. They kept moving.

"That was you that made Cenred trip," Arthur said. He frowned. "That's cheating, you know."

"I didn't know life or death situations came with rules. And you're welcome, by the way," Merlin said. "Go right."

They turned sharply.

"Straight, then right again," Merlin said. "Follow that street."

The street they were on was narrow, more like an alley. It wound upward bringing them to the otherside of the cavern. The path turned.

"Keep going straight," Merlin said.

They darted between two buildings, and then the city ended, the way ahead natural rock, a narrow field of boulders and stalagmites that they had to pick their way through without tripping.

"Those two rocks, there," Merlin said, pointing a little to the left at two dark gray stalagmites rising from the floor right against the cave wall. They gathered between them, facing... nothing, just a blank rock like any other rock face.

"Now what?" Arthur demanded. He looked at Merlin but the boy's eyes were closed. Arthur's chest seized with panic. He shook Merlin. "Merlin!"

"Give me a minute," Merlin said.

"Mate, we might not have a minute," Gwaine said, guarding the rear with Morgana.

Merlin said nothing. Then he opened his eyes and pushed away from Arthur toward the wall. Placing both hands on it, he spoke ancient words. A flash of gold in his eyes and a section of the wall crumbled into sand, revealing a wide, dark tunnel.

Arthur wisely didn't question it, but he certainly planned to, later. "Let's go," he said.

Merlin summoned his ethereal ball, larger than before, to light the way. They piled into the tunnel big enough for an entire phalanx to get through – or refugees desperate to escape a magical purge.

"Keep going straight. Don't take any of the side tunnels until we're three tunnels in. Those are just decoys."

Three side-tunnels in and on the fourth tunnel Merlin shouted, "Right!"

They had yet to so much as turn when the ground rumbled. Rocks split from the ceiling and crashed to the floor, piling on top of each other as they buried the only exit. They all whirled around.

Standing seven feet away was Trickler, a glowing orb in one hand, his other hand outstretched, and a manic smile on his face. But he was alone.

"Oh, you are going no where," he breathed, eyes alight. "I haven't finished breaking you, little sorcerer."

Gwaine cocked his gun and aimed it at Trickler. "This little bastard is mine," he snarled.

"No!" Merlin said. He slipped from Arthur's hold. Limping forward unsteadily he said, his face empty and cold, "He's mine."

Trickler laughed. "Oh, am I? Does the broken little sorcerer-mechanic think he can best me? I've got training, boy. Years upon years of it. What do you have? A few spells and a bit of luck?"

"Natural talent, actually," Merlin said. He then thrust out both hands, his eyes flashing bright in the gloom. A whirlwind shot up from the ground and surged forward. It grabbed Trickler, and like a slingshot flung him violently back through the cave. Trickler went flying, screaming. He hit the ground with a crunch and the screaming stopped.

"Impressive," Morgana said with a small smirk.

Merlin, panting, slumped, both arms going to his chest as he cradled his ribs and injured wrist. "Not really. He's just out cold. I'm getting a little less up for the heavy stuff." And to prove his point, his body began to waver. Arthur rushed forward and supported him.

"Now what?" Arthur said. "Do you think you have it in you to move enough rocks for us to get through?"

Merlin shook his head, then closed his eyes. "There's another way. Er, sort of. We Keep going straight, then left at the first turn-off. We need to hurry. Kilgarrah said he spotted Morgause and Cenred heading our way. They're about to join up and they managed to gather some men."

"Off we go, then," said Gwaine.

They hurried as fast as they could while still keeping Merlin on his feet. They came to a left turn and followed it, the pathway angling upward. Arthur could already smell fresh air and felt a cold, mountain breeze tug at his collar. A gentle turn and the pale light of outside nearly blinded him. He shielded his eyes and plowed through.

Merlin lurched back with a yelped, "Arthur, stop!"

Arthur skidded to a halt – with only four inches between him and a sudden drop. They were on a wide ledge, high up the mountain enough for them to see the entire valley, and not a single way down that Arthur could see, not even if they were to climb.

"How the hell is this a way out?" Gwaine said.

"I said sort of," Merlin said sheepishly. "Just stand to the side, make room, lots of it. And have patience. This is going to take a moment." Merlin thrust out his hand, the one with the bruised wrist. He winced, then spoke his magic words.

Nothing happened.

"Merlin?" Arthur said through clenched teeth.

"Just give it a moment," Merlin snapped.

"We don't know if we have a moment. I hear voices coming our way," Gwen said.

"How the hell did they find us," Gwaine said.

Merlin cringed. "My magic. Morgause can sense it. But it shouldn't be long, now. Look, there!"

Arthur looked to where Merlin pointed, and burst out laughing. A flyer was heading toward them, glittering gold in the early morning light. It glided swiftly to them, but in doing so inadvertantly attracted the many flyers still searching the valley.

The enemy behind them, more enemy heading their way – escape was going to be a tight squeeze.

Merlin's dragon flyer landed on the ledge, latching onto it with its metal claws. It lowered its head and the cockpit doors whined opened.

"Uh, Merlin, mate, not to split hairs but don't you think it might be a touch too crowded for the lot of us?" Gwaine said.

"Lords, don't any of you know how to be patient?" Merlin groused. "Arthur, you'll need to go with me. The rest of you, get to its back."

Arthur carried Merlin to the cockpit, helped him climb his painful way inside then climbed in after, squeezing uncomfortably behind him. Merlin flipped a switch and there followed another whine. A glance over the shoulder showed Arthur a portion of the flyer's back part open revealing four seats. The flyer's body lowered and the Order clamored inside.

"Sorry to doubt you, Mate," Gwaine said laughingly.

"Hope none of you are claustrophobic," Merlin said. Lancelot, paling, looked about to say something but never had the chance when the doors slid shut, sealing the flyer's back. The cockpit doors followed. Arthur saw, through the view window, Morgause, Cenred, a bloody Trickler and their men pile out of the cave entrance. Merlin gripped two handles, his eyes flashed, and the flyer tipped off of the ledge into the sky. Arthur's stomach shot into his throat.

But then the flyer rose, angling toward the blue sky. It suddenly rolled, Arthur's stomach rolling with it, as a fireball shot harmlessly past. But the enemy flyers were converging with two flyers coming staight at them.

"Hold on!" Merlin said. His flyer dover, skimming perilously close to the trees, then rose, shooting past the two flyers, then leveling out to fly overhead. Merlin angled left sharply, Arthur could feel the sudden shift in his rolling gut, and bullets flashed harmless past. Merlin angled again the other way and more bullets skimmed harmlessly by. The flyers kept coming, but Merlin kept dodging – diving, climbing, spinning, even going back the way they had come causing two flyers to crash into each other.

But the flyers still came, still giving chase, and Arthur cringed when he heard the sharp ping of bullets bouncing off the metal skin. With the space so cramped Arthur had no place to put his hands except Merlin's back. He could feel the boy's fast, heaving breaths and felt the slight tremors rippling through him growing stronger by the minute.

"Merlin, how are you. The truth!" Arthur demanded. He gulped when Merlin did another roll to avoid gunfire.

"Been better, to be honest," Merlin said through a clenched jaw. "It's not the most-" he dove, "comfortable position." He rose.

It wouldn't be with broken ribs, it would be agony, Arthur thought. He placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder and squeezed. "You can do it, Merlin."

"If they'd just stop coming. There's too many!" Merlin angled right only to drop, rise, faster, sharper, and Arthur thought for sure his was going to vomit. The flyers were everywhere like a swarm of jackals, and Merlin's trembling was becoming worse.

Four flyers were coming right at them, three more joining them, two flanking on one side and one on the other, blocking a clear way to escape.

Merlin's shoulders stiffened under Arthur's hands.

Suddenly, a fist of flame punched into the four flyers. The rest of the flyers scattered madly in either direction, clearing a straight path. A great golden body appeared just ahead of Merlin's flyer. The ancient head looked back, nodded once, then Kilgarrah veered away.

Arthur laughed like a maniac, clapping Merlin's shoulder.

"Er, Arthur, that... hurts..." Merlin croaked.

Arthur winced. "Sorry, sorry."

They flew without opposition over the mountain to the other side of the valley. But Merlin was still shaking, his breaths even heavier. Arthur gave another squeeze to his shoulder, lighter this time, in reassurance.

"You did it, Merlin. We're safe, now."

"Good," Merlin said. Arthur heard him swallow. "Because I don't know how much longer I can keep going."

~oOo~

Much longer than even Merlin gave himself credit for, as it turned out. They flew well into the afternoon, then landed – suddenly, it seemed – in a clearing by a lake near a road. Arthur heard Merlin mutter something about not being able to take it any more. Once on the ground, Merlin needed all of Arthur's help along with Lancelot's and Gwaine's just to get out.

"He's warm," Lancelot said. "I think some of his injuries may be infected."

Arthur sent Gwaine and Lancelot to follow the road to find help, while he, Gwen, and Morgana made camp with what supplies they had. They laid a barely conscious Merlin on a blanket after stripping him of his coat then shirt. The injuries hidden under his clothes were as bad as the ones on his face, his body peppered with little cuts and massive bruising on either side of his ribcage. They bound the most serious injuries using all the bandages from the little first aid kit in the flyer.

The flyer lay motionless within the shadow of the trees, just like its pilot.

Evening came. Morgana lit a fire and Gwen boiled some water to drink. Gwaine and Lancelot had yet to return. Arthur took first and last watch, so would be awake to see the sun rise. The only change to Merlin's condition was that he was warmer than before.

"Maybe Morgana and I should follow the road in the other direction," Gwen said. "Maybe there's a town closer by that way."

But Arthur shook his head. "No. The more we're divided the more vulnerable we'll be. I won't risk it."

Gwen pursed her lips, her hands folded in her lap. "Arthur... he's getting worse," she said.

Arthur took a breath and released it slowly. "I know. I shouldn't have sent Gwaine. He knows flyers, he could have figured out how to use Merlin's."

"Not if the only way to fly it is through magic," Gwen said. "Arthur, you made the right decision. At this point, all we can do is our best and have hope. We got away, and if what Merlin says is true then our escape has somehow prevented Morgause from finding the Emrys." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "We got Merlin out."

Yes, they did get Merlin out, an endeavor that wouldn't mean a thing if he died. Which, for some reason, was all that seemed to matter to Arthur at themoment. Not whether Morgause and Cenred had found this Emrys.

But, then, Arthur had always counted his losses in human lives, not in whether or not he had retrieved some trinket. It was an attitude his father had never approved of. Victory had never been some ancient sword no longer in enemy hands, but how many of Arthur's people had made it out alive.

It would have been Arthur captured and tortured if not for Merlin. It still surprised Arthur, considering that it wasn't all that long ago he had tried to take Merlin down for mouthing off. But that was missions for you, Arthur supposed. You never knew a man's true heart until a mission. Merlin was still a skinny idiot, of course.

Just a loyal and brave idiot as well.

Arthur looked at him, his face shining with sweat and his brow pinched with pain. He was breathing fast again. They had done all they could for him, but it didn't feel like enough.

The sky exchanged its black starry mantle for the blue-gray of growing dawn.

A distant grinding noise like old complaining gears ripped Arthur from his thoughts. He rose, one hand on his pistol, the other his rapier. He stepped over the sleeping forms of his people to the road, stared at where it vanished into the trees, and waited.

Five steam trucks rattled and rumbled into the light. Arthur stepped back, planting his heel into the dirt in preparation to pivot for a dash back to camp, when a familiar voice halted him.

"Princess!"

Arthur coughed a laugh.

Gwaine was hanging out one of the windows, smiling his biggest smile. "Guess who we found!"

The trucks trundled to a halt. Gwaine hopped from the passenger side, Elyan from the driver's seat. Lancelot emerged from the other truck, Gaius with him, while more men from the Chariot slid from the cabs or hopped out from the canvas-covered truck beds.

The sun climbed over the mountains, filling the valley with light the color of Merlin's eyes whenever he did magic.

TBC...

A/N: Only one chapter to go, which I'll be posting later tonight.