The Lost King—Chapter 11
"What's an Afanc?" Addy asked, feeling rather stupid.
Merlin was still shaking. "Evil. Pure, unmatched evil. It's gets it's strength from the fear it exudes. It shouldn't be here. The power of the Old Religion has always kept it at bay. How has it escaped?"
Arthur looked back around the bus. The Afanc was lumbering slowly forward. It was taking its time, toying with the desperately frightened citizens in the street. In a few more minutes, it would be at the barricade, and they would have nowhere to go. It stopped, lifting its head, and sniffed the air. Then it did something no one expected; it spoke.
The voice was booming and ancient. It contained the weight of all its years of slavery in each raspy syllable. It said, "SORCERER. I KNOW YOU ARE HERE. I SMELL YOU. COME OUT. COME AND TASTE THE VENGEANCE OF THE AFANC. IF YOU COME TO ME, I WILL NOT HAVE TO KILL THESE PEOPLE TO FIND YOU."
Arthur turned to look at Merlin, who was trembling visibly. "It wants me." Merlin said weakly. "It will kill everyone here to get to me." He stood up.
"No!" Addy cried. "You can't!"
He bent down to her and kissed her lightly. "I'm sorry. I have to," he said.
"Wait!" Said Arthur, grabbing his arm. "This creature won't stop when you are dead. What about all these people? Sometimes, Merlin, you're too brave for your own good. What we need is a plan."
Merlin looked around at the destruction the Afanc had already caused. He considering Arthur's words. "The Afanc is a creature of fear. It's source of power is the fear it creates." He paused, lost in thought. "If we could get these people to not be afraid, then it might lose its power."
Addy stood up and shouted, "But have you seen what that thing can do? How would we get them to not be afraid?"
Arthur knew. He had seen enough battles to know how to fight fear. "Leave that to me."
Merlin looked him over solemnly. "These are still you're people, Arthur. And you are still their king."
Arthur bowed his head. "I know. I will not leave them to be killed by that thing!" He took stock of their situation. "I'll need to get to the top of that barricade, where they can see me." He said, pointing to the pile of Army tanks and tossed cars a several meters in front of them.
"But the Afanc will see you, too." Addy stated worriedly.
"Then, what I need is a distraction." He said to Merlin.
Merlin inhaled deeply, and his blue eyes deepened to the color of night. "I'll do what I can with my magic. That should slow it down, at least." His eye was caught by a particular piece of debris. "Wait here, I have an idea." He darted around the side of the bus.
"Merlin!" Arthur called out after him. "Don't do anything stupid!"
Merlin gave him a half-smile, and then turned around. He picked up a fallen street sign off the ground. "Fléw, geedhíwe." He said, and magic flowed from him into the metal. Instantly, the pole reformed into a sturdy, sharp sword.
"Ha!" Arthur said, and took the offered sword. He turned it back and forth, examining its magical craftsmanship. "Not bad."
"Addy," Merlin pleaded, "stay with Arthur. He will keep you safe."
The look in his eyes was too intensely serious to ignore. All she could do was nod her agreement. "Come back to me," she whispered.
"Oh," Merlin said, turning back to Arthur, "one more thing." He placed his hand on Arthur's throat and said, "Micle." Briefly, Arthur noticed his eyes turn from midnight blue to sunrise gold and back again.
Rubbing his throat, Arthur asked, "What did you do? Was that magic?"
"Don't worry. It was just to help you speak to the crowd." Merlin answered.
Arthur clapped Merlin on the shoulder. "Well, then, come on! We don't have any time to lose. That creature won't wait forever." He followed Merlin as they made their way to the front of the barricade. The Afanc was watching the scurrying people down below, smiling to itself. It was in no hurry, it wanted to savor the moment of its victory.
Arthur, Merlin, and Addy scrambled to the top of the piled up tanks and cars. They scanned the crowd of people below. Everywhere they looked were terrified, frightened people desperately trying to free themselves from their situation. A few souls noticed them and stopped their chaotic scrambling in order to see what they were up to.
Merlin turned to Arthur, and with as strong and confident of a voice as he could manage, confided, "In case this doesn't work, I just want you to know that it has been an honor to serve you, My Lord."
Arthur saw the pain in his eyes, and the toll of loneliness his long life had taken on him as well. How could he have taken Merlin for a fool? How did he not notice how extraordinary he truly was? He was starting to understand what Addy meant by saying that Merlin was magic. He grabbed his shoulder in a gesture of brotherhood and nodded. "The honor has been mine."
Arthur looked over the crowd, but before he began to address them, he turned once more to Merlin. The blue in Arthur's eyes looked like the ocean at dusk; endless, mysterious, and sorrowful. "Be safe, don't do anything foolish on my account. Not this time."
Merlin tried to answer, but the Afanc had noticed his presence and resumed chaotically destroying the bulidings and vehicles in its path. It would be upon them within a matter of seconds. He had to act now, in order to give Arthur a chance to carry out his plan. With one last passionate look at Addy, he jumped down over the side of the barricade and went to face the beast alone.
As he hit the ground, Addy's heart stopped, and her body froze. This was it. Merlin had gone to face the Afanc and she knew from the look he had given her, he did not expect to win.
With a triumphant roar, the beast addressed Merlin. "GOOD. GOOD. I HAVE WAITED EONS TO HAVE MY REVENGE UPON YOUR KIND. I WILL MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOU, AND WHEN YOU'RE BLOOD RUNS IN THE STREETS, I WILL RULE ONCE MORE!" Faster than any creature that size should have been, it snapped its jaws at Merlin's head. He recoiled backward, feeling the blazing heat and smelling the foul reek of its breath.
I have to keep it busy, keep all its attention focused on me. I have to buy Arthur some time, he thought frantically. "Hey!" Merlin shouted up at the Afanc, "Stinky breath! You could really use some mouthwash!" The creature ran for him, but Merlin zipped underneath its belly and circled it. It spun around in anger. Merlin shot a look at Arthur that said, This is your chance! Then, he turned all of his attention back to the fight at hand.
Arthur stood up, drawing the sword with him and called out, his voice magically amplified so that all below could hear. "CITIZENS OF ALBION! MY NAME IS ARTHUR AND I WAS ONCE YOUR KING!"
At this, many fear-struck faces turned to him. Most thought, Why is this crazy man in a bathrobe telling us he was our king? He's just going to get us all killed! But as Arthur began to speak, his words stirred something long dormant in their very souls. Duty. Nobility. Loyalty. And the more Arthur talked, the more they really listened. More and more people stopped their mad dashes for freedom and turned in enraptured silence. Could it really be true? Could he be the King Arthur? They weren't certain, but they did know that this man, whoever he may be, was someone worth listening to.
Arthur continued, "WHILE I RULED, I STRIVED TO MAKE A KINGDOM RULED BY FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE, A PLACE WHERE NO ONE NEED BE AFRAID! BUT THIS CREATURE, THIS AFANC, HAS DESTROYED WHAT I WORKED MY LIFE TO ACHIEVE. SO, I'VE COME BACK TO YOU NOW TO TELL YOU THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE AFRAID ANY LONGER! MERLIN AND I WILL NEVER ABANDON OUR PEOPLE!"
They then noticed the lone figure, darting around in front of the Afanc. He seemed so small by comparison, so weak, and yet he must be incredibly brave to face that thing alone. The crowd began to move forward, climbing atop cars for a better look at the foolishly courageous young man.
Arthur was still speaking, but his voice was so strong now he didn't need the magical amplification. All the people were deeply moved by the power in his words. "WE WILL ALWAYS COME WHEN ALBION'S NEED IS GREATEST. I WILL NEVER ABANDON MY PEOPLE. FOR I AM KING ARTHUR, AND BY MY LIFE I WILL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU!" He raised his sword high into the air, and it was like he transformed in front of their eyes from a pajama-wearing lunatic to a warrior king dressed in royal white. An electrified cheer went up from the people below.
The cheer sent the Afanc into a frenzy. Something had changed. It felt weaker. The sorcerer must be the cause. He could not be allowed to live anymore. Enraged, it swiped a clawed hand the size of a van at Merlin.
Merlin fell to the ground, missing it by a mere breath. He, too had heard the cheer go up from the crowd and knew it was time to strike. As the Afanc pulled back for another blow, Merlin rose with a determined roar, and let the full fury of his power go. Lighting flew from his hands, pounding the Afanc full in the chest.
Worried onlookers watched in a trance as he called lightning out of thin air. Who was this person? Was it him? Was it Merlin? Were all the legends real? But they cheered him on regardless as he zapped the beast or dodged the snapping jaws. Whoever this dark-haired young man was, he was their hero.
Something was going wrong. The plan wasn't working. The creature gave only a beastly laugh and kept coming for him. It should have hurt it at least, Merlin thought. Panic rose, but he squashed it down as he darted away from the claws and teeth of the creature. Again, Merlin called upon his magic, summoning lightning. And Again. And Again. He slammed his fist to the ground, causing the earth to shake and crack, yet nothing would halt the beast. And Merlin was growing tired. He stumbled to the side, scooting back on his hands, barely in time. How much longer could he keep this up?
Addy couldn't breathe, every muscle in her body was tensed. His magic wasn't working, and she could tell he was losing the fight. "Get out!" She cried, but was too late. The beast swooped a massive, clawed hand straight at Merlin's heart. Only this time, he wasn't fast enough. It caught him full in the chest, and Merlin flew through the air as if he was made of sand. He landed awkwardly in a bank of snow at the edge of a tree-filled lot and didn't move.
Addy screamed his name and ran for him. Nothing mattered except him. She dropped over the barricade, ducked between tossed cars, and leapt over chunks of fallen concrete. Somehow she would have to find a way past the Afanc in order to get to Merlin. She was so desperate, though, she didn't care if it came for her or not. All she could do was to keep her eyes glued to Merlin's still form and run.
Arthur had watched Merlin do his best to stop the monster, waiting for him to prevail. But when the Afanc finally struck Merlin, something in Arthur snapped. He had lost many men in battle before, but none had ever affected him like this. Deep rage mixed with pain roiled within him, and he realized that the beast had probably just killed his one true friend.
He took up the sword and held it high overhead. With every ounce of authority, every shard of pain, and every drop of righteous anger, he cried, "FOR MERLIN!"
Without hesitation, Arthur surged over the barricade and ran headlong into certain death.
Author's note-
What can I say, I like the big, dramatic moments. :)
As always, please review! Curious as to whether you think Merlin survived or if Arthur will prevail. Hmm, and what about Addy? Don't count her out just yet. ;)