Chapter 14: The Snake Pit
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Merlin scratched absently at his chest. He had hidden the stone underneath his maroon tunic and he felt it had bequeathed him not with immortality but some sort of rash. He desired to get rid of it or complain, but he didn't think it would behoove him to do so with the rest of the band trudging quite irritably behind Gerry. It was as though the itch were simply to remind of something he already knew, but couldn't quite put his finger on. It was driving him mad, too.
They had left the merry inn quite early the morning following their stay. He hadn't slept well, even though the conditions were more than adequate. He didn't dream but his sleep had been fitful, Arthur had woken twice in the night to reprimand him for it. He was sure it only had to do with the dread he felt about their quest - which never seemed to go as planned. He didn't trust Gerry, though none of them did, he hated that the druid (if you could call him that) was their only remaining option. Merlin desperately wished they could have thrown him in a dungeon somewhere, but he couldn't think of anything better.
The knave had insisted the shrine of Adheman was only a few short days ride. Arthur had been low on funds and thus had to invoke his identity as Prince to acquire them all horses. He had been loathe to do so, but there was no way around it.
They rode for two days, stopping only to rest. The weather was moderately uncooperative as most of their trip was spent in a deluge, but it cleared by the third day. Though still cloudy, Merlin thought those clouds no longer threatened to drown them. He hoped that, as the incessantly chatty Gerry predicted, they would soon be upon the Shrine of Adheman.
"Why so ill at ease, Merly?" Carrow said, trotting up beside him. Leave it to the witch to notice something be off with him. He could easily be made to forget how perceptive she was, the way she flitted about with that glazed over look on her face.
"What do you mean, Carrow?" he said, adding a smile.
"Well, for one, you have completely neglected our discourse on why certain self entitled nobles are so crotchety in the morning," she said, putting on airs. "And for another I am not an idiot." Her horse was now trotting backwards so that she could see him properly and the effect made it appear as though she had bewitched the poor animal.
"Would you stop doing that?" Merlin said. "You're going to run into something."
"Don't be evasive, little wizard, what is it?" Carrow said, reluctantly turning the horse around. Gwaine, Arthur, and Leon had moved ahead with Gerry sharing Gwaine's horse. Though they had all flipped for it. Carrow had offered to let him ride with her, but Gerry had made quite a fuss. Merlin supposed it would have been a touch traumatic to ride with a woman who would kill you without a thought. Had Carrow thought about it? Merlin did wonder…
"Honestly, it's nothing. Just tired. Lot on my mind," Merlin said, shrugging at her.
"En't that the truth!" Carrow said, making up her mind not to press the matter. Her expression darkened on him briefly, but she left him to his thoughts likely in order to peruse her own.
Merlin was not sure about the stone. He liked the plan in theory, but the odds of it being carried out in exactly that order were just so slim. Nothing was easy. But it wasn't just that which had him worried. What if the impossible occurred and they actually succeeded? His anxieties the night previous had not been of Keldor or Thomas or Bryant or any other ghosts of the past. His worries were of the future.
Arthur may have diffused a lot of his anger towards Merlin, but he could still feel an iciness that would likely be there for quite a while to come. The prince was entirely loyal to his father, fiercely so. Arthur may not have always agreed with Uther, but he respected the man and loved him. Merlin did not see Arthur making an exception for his servant. In fact, he was certain the only reason Arthur had not sent him away was due to the undeniable need for his magic at present. What happened when this was over and he was no longer needed for the foreseeable future? How would he protect Arthur if the prince banished him from the kingdom?
"You been getting any more informative nightmares from a certain necromancer, Gerry?" Gwaine said, breaking Merlin from his thoughts. He urged his horse to trot a bit faster to catch up to the rogue.
"Yes, he's been telling me all his dirty secrets. He's allergic to garlic, by the by," Gerry said sardonically.
"I'm curious, why have you not simply tied him to the horse and let him drag behind?" Carrow said.
"Because then he'd be moanin' the whole way, wouldn't you?" Gwaine replied.
"What about you, harpy? Have you anything more to say on the matter of Keldor? I know you have not been exempt from his haunting vagaries!" Gerry said, giving Carrow the evil eye. The way he spoke was very often irritating, writer indeed. The scoundrel was longwinded and obscure, it was no wonder that Arthur and Leon had chosen to ignore him. Carrow, it seemed, could never do that. Merlin noticed she, more than any of them, enjoyed tormenting him. And he her.
"Do you get nightmares?" Gwaine asked Carrow.
"Is that it, in the distance, do you think, Arthur?" The witch said, galloping forward to ride with Leon and Arthur, ignoring Gwaine's question. A fairly reasonable one. Carrow had not complained of nightmares. But Carrow rarely complained of anything of more substance than sore feet or dry fish. She kept herself to herself, and yet always made it her business to know everything of everyone else.
"You think she'll ever open up?" Gwaine said, tone a touch despondent.
"No. The she-devil is full of secrets. If I were you, I'd fasten my attentions elsewhere, mate," Gerry said, involving himself in a conversation where he was not wanted, as per usual.
Merlin scowled at Gerry. "Carrow's just being… Carrow. I just think she doesn't want to burden us with what she sees. I'm sure it is of her son. She's focused - this is her last chance for finding redemption. Once we've put Keldor behind us -"
"Fat chance, of course," Gerry interrupted.
"Would you like me to gag you again?" Gwaine offered. "Because nothing would make me happier. Honestly, Merlin, I could cheerfully strangle him - the shrine does happen to be in the distance there, what do we need him for?"
"He has absolutely no clue how to use it though," Gerry reassured Gwaine. Merlin sighed, thinking that he could certainly figure it out given the time to try. Trial and error was very often how he persuaded anything to work. Still, he knew now wasn't the time to be rid of the irritating little cad.
"Relax, Gwaine. We'll be there by the end of the day and we can chain him to a tree somewhere. It'll be grand," Merlin said. Gwaine did seem a bit pacified by the idea.
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"We'll have to walk the rest of the way. The horses won't be able to cross here," Arthur said as he got down from his horse. He unloaded his pack from its back. They had come to a rough pass. The shrine, though tall and more extravagant than Arthur had anticipated, seemed to have been built in a crumbling ravine. Leave it to druids to make things unnecessarily difficult. They would have to carefully climb down into the place, avoiding crumbling rocks and probably snakes.
"There used to be stairs," Gerry muttered, looking at the ravine distastefully. "How about I stay here with your attack dog and you go and retrieve the orb?" It was Leon's turn to cast Gerry a look of disdain.
"Not a chance. In fact - you're going in first," Arthur, shoving Gerry forward. The man let out a satisfying whimper. Arthur wasn't about to let Gerry get away without a scratch. He was on edge, as they all were, awaiting some sort of trap. He didn't know that Gerry could have thought so far ahead to see himself without magic or aid, but perhaps he had somehow sent word to Keldor. Perhaps an army of ghosts was awaiting them inside the shrine.
The troupe made their way down the perilous ravine. It wasn't quite as difficult as Arthur had first imagined. The rocks jutted out in such a way that it was easy to predict where one's foot ought to be placed, handholds aplenty. The problem was that once you steadied your foot, the rock might come loose and you might end up sliding to your death.
There was a loud crumble, the sound of rocks sliding down the slope. A brief shout escaped Carrow as she lost her footing and began slipping down the slope, rocks and rubble following after her. Arthur quickly managed to latch onto her arm. She looked up at him, trying to disguise her momentary fear with a cheeky smile. "Hello there," she said.
"You alright?" Arthur asked a bit breathlessly as he drew her up into a more steady position on the side of the chasm. She nodded, her smile softening into something a bit more sincere. He liked it when she wasn't trying so hard to seem as though nothing bothered her. He'd seen that small trace of fear in her eyes. He returned the nod, breaking eye contact.
"Carrow, are you alright?" Gwaine shouted down after them.
"Good Sir Ravine is no match for me!" Carrow called back, winking at Arthur as she slid down the next couple of rocks more purposefully. Arthur shook his head and concentrated on what he was doing. It crossed his mind that perhaps Merlin could have waved a hand and made this a bit safer with some magical rope or bridge or something, but he squashed the ideas as quickly as it had occurred. He couldn't believe that it had occurred to him. They didn't need magic for every tiny thing.
Arthur being left to his thoughts was hardly a good thing. The more he thought of Merlin, the more his stomach would churn. It did not suit him that Merlin could use magic. His servant - having the power to incapacitate men with a single well chosen syllable! Merlin looked and behaved in the same manner he always had, bumbling and good natured, but how could that be possible. He was very nearly a stranger now. But that fact was easy to forget upon looking at the funny eared little man, the servant he'd had by his side for over three years.
Arthur pushed the thoughts away as they came to the bottom of the ravine, the entrance to the shrine being not fifty yards away. Its decaying stone walls looked as though they had merely begun to sink and perhaps dissolve into the earth. Ivy and undergrowth weathered its foundations. They would certainly be required to move around some boulders in order to enter the place.
"What if I just stayed here and peered in through the window, I'd send you moral support via prayer," Gerry said, looking at the place wearily. That didn't reassure Arthur in the slightest, but he did get a sort of unwanted glee at the thought of Gerry entering first and being impaled by some kind of phantom. He almost felt like Carrow as he prodded Gerry forward.
"I don't know why you bother asking silly questions like that, do you just enjoy being abused?" Gwaine asked, landing with a loud thump beside him. The rogue was the most irritated with Gerry only because he'd had the chattering little whelp sitting behind him most of the ride here.
Arthur ignored the bickering and followed Merlin and Carrow towards the entrance of the shrine. Merlin had already put his hand out in a motion that, he assumed, would imbue a bit of magic to make the crumbled opening a bit wider. Arthur put his hand on his servant's shoulder.
"Merlin, don't. We can simply move a few of the boulders out of the way," he said - a bit more snappishly than he meant to. He was trying to tell himself not to be angry with Merlin, but that was going about as well as one might imagine.
"But this way's eas - " Merlin started, but Arthur glared at him. "Fine. If you want to pull a muscle doing unwarranted manual labor, who am I to stop you?"
"Who said anything about me doing unwarranted manual labor?" Arthur said, crossing his arms. Merlin scowled at him and began yanking at the large rocks a bit pathetically. The sight was positively comical.
"Honestly, Merlin. You have the upper body strength of a woman," Arthur said, bending down to help. He had always meant to help, of course, but he had also wanted to watch Merlin struggle with the rest of them for a moment. Perhaps Carrow's vindictiveness was catching.
"You're a prat, you know that?" Gwaine told him.
"Quiet, you fools!" Carrow hissed suddenly. Arthur hadn't noticed her slip through the tiny hole in the side of shrine. She seemed to be standing still as a statue in the entrance hall of the place, listening for something.
"Is someone in there, do you think?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know, someone keeps talking and throwing rocks," she said. Arthur clenched his jaw, rolling his eyes. Still, he stopped what he was doing so that Carrow could listen. Nothing caught his ears, though, but the howl of the wind and a few chirping birds - which he thought to count as harbingers of good fortune. Or at least better fortune than the unnatural stillness he had anticipated to greet them.
Carrow then hopped around and went back towards the hole she had come, where Gerry was standing idly by watching the rest of them. She reached out and grabbed him around the collar, yanking his head in through the hole. Arthur tossed the rock he'd been holding and ran over to the two, hoping he wouldn't have to save Gerry. Carrow's face was contorted in anger - which was a rather frightening sight to behold. He couldn't recall her ever being entirely angry before. She was always very much in control of herself (whimsical and eccentric though that may be).
"Carrow, what is it?" Arthur said. "You're going to snap his neck!" She had yanked the man through at an odd angle, which made Arthur wince.
"Do you have a trap waiting for us in there? Did you warn Keldor of our arrival, you sniveling little worm?" Carrow said.
There was a loud crash as Merlin used magic to remove the rest of the rocks. Arthur was too preoccupied to chide him for it. Merlin and Gwaine disappeared inside the shrine, reappearing behind Carrow.
"Carrow, love, there's nothing in here," Gwaine said. Arthur could see the two scrambling around inside.
"Why would I do that? What good would it have done me to warn Keldor about your idiotic little plan!" Gerry said, squirming to get away from Carrow. Arthur put a hand on hers, giving her a stern look to let him go. He didn't know why, but he believed Gerry. Carrow glared at him, as if she felt he was taking the moron's side.
"What is it that you heard?" Arthur said, as Carrow finally let go of Gerry. She took back her hand and quickly turned around, choosing not to answer him. She had decided to behave like a child just then and he wished to know why.
"Leon, will you watch him?" Arthur said, giving Leon an apologetic look.
"Are you sure, sire?" Leon asked.
"Yes. I don't need any… accidents," he replied. Leon nodded and put a hand on Gerry's shoulder, gripping it firmly.
"Don't worry, Sir Loquacious and I get along quite famously," Gerry said, straightening himself and rubbing his throat gingerly. "Honestly, he's unflappable. Best investment Camelot ever reared, aren't you, ya great prune?" Arthur turned then, and entered the shrine, feeling guilty indeed about saddling Leon with Gerry again. But he had employed a two day break from the man. Hopefully their journey with Gerry would soon be ending.
"Arthur, hurry up," Merlin called. Arthur followed his servant's voice to a set of stairs leading down further into the shrine. They had asked Gerry who Adheman was, why he had a shrine named after him, but the shifty bastard had informed them he had no idea. Gerry was not interested in history, he said, only in useful information pertaining to powerful artifacts. That Arthur certainly believed. And a part of him couldn't really blame the man.
He followed down the stairs, his heartbeat increasing a little with every step. He took care to unsheathe his sword as he went down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom stair, he found that the four of them were in a small, circular room, most of which was covered in dust and cobwebs. However they were not alone.
"Who is it?" Arthur said, raising his sword, as he peered through the darkness. Merlin finally had the sense to conjure up one of his little orb-like torches, which glowed balmily around the servant's head.
Arthur went forward, to get a better look at the man sitting before them. At least it looked like a man until Arthur inspected it more closely. It was a statue, an incredibly lifelike statue, every piece of him perfectly etched in stone, covered in cobwebs.
"Ugly brute," Gwaine said. Merlin edged closer as well, bringing his torch with him to get a better look at the man. Somehow he had been kept perfectly preserved under the webs, an older man with a strong, stubborn brow and a square jaw. He looked as though, at some point, he had been able to command legions. Arthur edged forward and touched the statue's aquiline nose.
"Arthur," Carrow clucked from another side of the room, falling back into a breathy sing song voice. She was investigating a tablet that stood there, which Arthur had not noticed when he first arrived. She pointed to it and Arthur edged closer to read.
"If you have come for the gold, I fear I have spent it. If you have come for the shawl, it has left me. If you have come for the orb, it is in my lap - you may have it only if you don't wake me."
"Is this some sort of joke?" Arthur said, frowning and looking up at them. Carrow jabbed at the tablet again.
"I do not joke," it read.
Gwaine laughed. "You think he left it?"
"Who else would have done such a thing?" Merlin said. She looked at Arthur then, her mouth quivering into the smallest of smiles as she proceeded to remove the thick silky spiderwebs away from the man's lap which uncovered a large round effervescent orb. It was slightly pink in hue, but it did not glow or look magical in the slightest. In fact, it faintly resembled something that Arthur had gotten Morgana for her birthday one year.
"Carrow, be careful," Arthur said.
She put a finger to her lips to shush him, though he expected it was more to quiet herself. She seemed on the verge of a giggle fit. He wondered if it was because not moments ago she was livid. Hysteria, probably. The last thing they needed was for Carrow to be hysterical.
"Perhaps I should…" Merlin said. Arthur would have preferred that. Though if history proved anything, it was that Merlin was not the most dextrous of people.
Carrow, however, managed to remove the orb quite painlessly, Arthur didn't even hear her scrape the glass of the orb against the stone of the statue.. She held the orb up for them to see.
"Right, now get away from him and lets - " Arthur started.
"Where did he go?" Gwaine asked quite suddenly. Arthur had scarcely looked away from the man resting there and he had completely vanished. "What is this? Some sort of trick? Carrow, do you still have the orb?" Carrow nodded, holding up the orb again. "Good, put it in your bag. I think we best be leaving here."
The lot of them headed towards the door, but flames erupted there, blocking their way. Arthur had been nearest the door, his arm nearly through it. His jacket caught light and he could feel the heat searing through it quickly, catching his flesh as well. He fell backwards away from the flames, swatting at his arm like mad. Merlin and Gwaine were on top of him then, trying to put the fires out. He could feel it eating at his flesh and his eyes began to water from the pain.
Once they got it out, Gwaine helped him to his feet and they whirled around. A cold, cruel laugh reached Arthur's ears then, its tenor hoarse and neglected.
"I warned you not to wake me," the man said, his voice strained. He let out another hollow cough.
"Who are you?" Arthur said.
"My dear boy, don't you know where you are?" the man said.
"No - you're not Adheman, are you?" Carrow said, sounding gleeful. Arthur clenched his fists, very nearly wanting to slap her. His arm burned and he was struggling not to seethe and she sounded excited.
"Why yes, my dear, I am. And that is my orb you're about to walk off with," Adheman said.
"Well you did say we could take it." Carrow motioned to the sign.
"Yes, if you could do so without waking me. See now, you have, so I'll take it back," he replied.
"Well, what in the hell do you mean by trapping us here? You nearly killed me! What the hell is going on?" Arthur exploded, growing quite irate with the entire situation. He grimaced as a cockroach scuttled across Adheman's face. The man took no noticed and smiled at Arthur.
"Oh that wasn't me," Adheman said, quirking a smile. "I'm not the only one here. Surely you heard the laughter earlier."
"What? There was no laughter, what laughter? Upstairs is empty. There's only us!" Merlin said.
"No, I heard it. There… it sounded like my Thomas. I thought I was hearing Thomas, that Gerry had led Keldor to us somehow and he was baiting us," Carrow said, voice no longer gleeful but distant and apathetic.
"Your mind was playing tricks on you, you little brute. That's the laughter of the three. They live in the forest surrounding the area. I'm surprised they didn't come out to meet you, they love fine gentlemen like yourselves… Actually I believe it was you they may have been avoiding. That face isn't something to ensconce in eternity," Adheman said, smiling at Carrow as though he were being charitable.
"Hey!" Gwaine was of enough mind to say in Carrow's defense.
"The three what?" Merlin pressed.
"Gorgons, young warlock! Gorgons!"
"What the hell are Gorgons?" Arthur asked.
"Face and bust of a woman, tail of a serpent. One glance can turn you to stone, mate. Seductresses, supposedly. The stuff of legend. You know - complete rubbish," Gwaine replied. Arthur thought he should be surprised that Gwaine would have the answer to that, but considering they were 'seductresses,' he supposed that piqued Gwaine's interest long enough to learn of them.
"Gorgons hiding here," Carrow said. "But why?"
"They were here first. My brethren forced me here to protect that which you hold in your hand. I made it - though I can't remember why at this point," Adheman said. The old man sounded tired, unconcerned even. "But in my long sleep I have heard whispers of your arrival. I am sorry to say I cheated - I was awake when you arrived. I have not decided whether to allow you to take it or not."
"But you said you didn't do this," Merlin said, pointing to the wall of fire, still burning brightly.
"I didn't, my power has all but faded. The sisters keep me alive, because they owe the druids a favor. And because I tickle their fancy from time to time," he said slyly. Arthur did not want to know what he meant by that and his nose wrinkled unbidden at the idea. "They are the stuff of legend, as you say, Sir Gwaine."
"Sir? I'm not a Sir. Has a nice ring to it, though, don't it, highness?" Gwaine said, elbowing Arthur, who winced.
"Not yet, I'm sorry. I forget what has and has not happened yet. They whisper all sorts of things to me unwittingly. It becomes muddled, you see. For instance I know you wish to use my orb to sap the power from your undead foe," Adheman said, speech slurring slightly.
"And will you allow us to leave with that in mind?" Merlin asked tentatively.
"What? Oh, oh yes. Of course. But you must bring the orb with his power back here once your quest is completed. It will only be safe under the care of I and the Gorgons," he said.
"Will it work, do you think?" Carrow asked.
"That, I do not know. Keldor is very cunning, I believe he already knows what you mean to do… and that, witch, does not work in your favor. But that being said, you all have shown yourselves to be cunning as well. Besides that you have him," Adheman said, pointing at Merlin slowly. Arthur frowned. He didn't understand what was so important about Merlin, why the servant was somehow this great sorcerer. Right under his nose! If he was so great, why did Merlin allow himself to be treated as he did? Why did he work at all?
"If you're allowing us to go free, are the Gorgons going to?" Arthur asked.
Adheman's eyes widened. "Oh! Now that is the question, isn't it?"
"Why aren't they here? If they were able to spring this fiery - "
"That's more like a… security system. It appears whenever someone tries to take - Oh here comes one now. Sthenno, most unfortunate… " Adheman slurred, edging back towards his place on the stone bench. "She's the forceful one. Impatient." He sat back down and abruptly turned back to stone. Arthur quickly went over to him, hugging his arm to him as he did so, and put a hand to the man's shoulder. Solid, as though the conversation had not occurred at all.
Suddenly Merlin howled from behind him. Arthur spun around to see Carrow and Gwaine leaning over Merlin, who's teeth were clenched in pain. He saw blood pouring from Merlin's gut, the man's eyes closing slowly. Arthur forgot the amulet then, and raised his sword searching for the beast who had stabbed Merlin. His heart pounding as he heard a laugh which sounded like bells.
"Don't look her in the eyes!" Gwaine said.
"Oh stop that, of course you can look me in the eyes!" The laughter came again and a woman appeared in front of Arthur. A beautiful creature with fiery red hair and crystal blue eyes. Her neck was long and sloping, everything about her graceful. Except the mouth, which hid a pointed tongue, flicking in and out through her sharpened teeth. Her bottom half, did indeed appear serpentine. A dull black tail which she rose up on to peer into Arthur's eyes. He expected he would end up like Adheman, stone forever.
Nothing happened.
When he didn't turn to stone, Arthur took his chances and swung his sword at her. He was surprised when it met with steel, his burned arm vibrating painfully. He pushed hard against her, but the beast was incredibly strong. The sneer in her eyes turned savage and hateful, she used her tail to trip Arthur to the floor. Gwaine came up behind Arthur then, his own sword drawn.
"Gwaine, no!" Carrow called. The Gorgon then glared at Gwaine and he stopped in his tracks - stone just like Adheman. Carrow ran up to him and cupped his now stone face in hers. She stomped up to the Gorgon, eyes glowing gold in anger. The Gorgon was flung to the wall opposite.
"Undo it! Turn him back right now or I will cut out your eyes and damn well feed them to you!" Carrow screeched, metallic anger radiating off of her. Arthur struggled to his feet, sword clenched in hand.
The sound of bells again, as the Gorgon cackled.
"You certainly know how to paint a picture, little one. Stronger than you look when pushed, too," she said. Sthenna Adheman had called her. Arthur's blood boiled angrily as he looked at Merlin's lifeless body, at Gwaine's stone face.
"Your wizard is wearing an Amulet of Life, is he not? I sensed it when I entered. I'll warrant you have no idea how those work, do you?" Sthenna said, chortling madly. She enunciated each 's' in perfect snake-like fashion.
A small bit of relief caught Arthur in the throat as he recalled the amulet. Sure enough, not twenty seconds later, Merlin was struggling to breathe. Arthur thought about going to his side, but chose to hold his ground. He knew, now, that Merlin would be fine.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't care what you mean, put Gwaine back to rights," Carrow said in a cold voice.
"All in good time, shrew. You care for the loudmouth, that is so touching. It has been a long time since I witnessed love, those who come here - it is out of greed or curiosity." The Gorgon paused, glancing at Gwaine, "I should very much like to keep him myself. Such a handsome face." Her words were like a caress. Were it not for her teeth and bottom half, Arthur thought perhaps it would be quite easy to be seduced by her.
"Why did you kill Merlin?" Arthur said through clenched teeth.
"Why to teach! Or to remind, for the warlock has already learned the hard way how the Old Religion works in matters concerning life and death," the snake hissed sweetly.
Merlin sputtered and coughed, trying to clamber to his feet.
"What does she mean, Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"The balance? That balance must still be restored?" Merlin said.
"Balance, what balance?" Arthur pressed irritably.
"Balance, yes! Always about the balance with the Old Religion. Silly and unfortunate. For every life granted, another must be taken. That is how it works," the Gorgon crowed.
"Every time someone dies and is returned by the stone… someone takes his place," Arthur echoed, eyes widening.
"But then who took his place?" Arthur said, scrambling.
"Not important! You must do something for me if you desire to leave here. My sisters will not be pleased I allowed you to leave, of course, especially you, your highness. Such a strong nose. We would so have enjoyed gazing at you for a couple hundred years," the Gorgon said.
"What do you want?" Carrow spat.
"Feisty, feisty. If not for that face, you would be entertaining company! You remind me of my sister, Euryale, who is so often away…" Sthenna said a touch despairingly.
"And my promise of violence still stands," Carrow said, looming over the Gorgon vengefully.
"What do you want?" Merlin repealed, edging towards the scene carefully.
"I want you to bring Keldor to me. We have unfinished business. My sisters and I are confined to this area, except for Euryale, who wanders more freely. She consistently refuses to help me though - she is very conniving at times. If you do not, your handsome rogue will be bidden to return to me. Once under my spell - he is mine, you see. As Adheman is mine," Sthenna said.
"What do you want with Keldor?" Arthur asked.
"That is no business of yours. But I will take part of the responsibility for how he turned out, for allowing his power to grow - I did, after all give him a shawl of the undead," Sthenna said. The fires suddenly dissipated. "But he was once a very handsome man. My sisters and I often fall prey to a pretty face."
"What do you owe the druids?" Merlin asked. Arthur frowned at him for the question, he didn't see why it mattered.
"The druids! Such lovely people when they are not trying to get something from us! They gave us control over our eyes, you adorable creature! We were cursed hundreds of years ago to turn anyone we looked upon into stone. Even each other we dared not land our gaze. But in return for our cooperation, the druids recalled the curse and gave us choice in the matter," she replied. "It is so pleasant that you are interested, little one. But you must not continue to badger or I will lose my temper and not allow you to leave at all."
"Turn him right, then," Carrow repeated.
"Yes, yes, alright, you wicked little thing," she hissed.
Gwaine took in a deep breath of air behind Arthur. Carrow continued to glare at the Gorgon. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder, urging her to relax. He, too, was angry and frustrated. His arm burned and he would have liked nothing better to than to slice the snake's head off. However he did not think that would go over well and tried to gather himself.
"Go then, your way is free. I am sorry for your loss," she said, before slithering away out one of the holes in the very top of the room. Arthur heard her laugh as she dismissed herself. The fires dissipated and they could go through. They did not speak to each other as they went up the stairs, each of them thinking the same - that Sir Leon had died in response to Merlin's resurrection.
They did not find Leon dead, however, but Gerry. Leon was bent over the man's body with horror on his face as he tried to resuscitate him.
"Sire, I'm sorry! He just keeled over! I don't know what happened!" Leon said, ready to take the blame. Arthur put a hand on Leon's shoulder wearily, relief spreading throughout his body. He should have felt sorrier that Gerry was dead, but how many people had the man gotten killed in his effort to 'experiment' with the stone? Arthur knew that the bastard had known how the stone worked. It was why he so desperately wanted away from them. The deaths probably had only one thing in common - proximity to the stone. He wondered who had died at the inn when Carrow had killed him.
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They had gathered then, each piece to the puzzle. Arthur was rolling the amulet around in his hand - they had decided against wearing it now. He didn't even know if it would be worth it to use on Keldor. But they had no other option. He had taken up third watch that night, while the others slept. There had been no permanent damage to Gwaine, that they could see. Though he had been stone, he had been conscious of the entire precession. He had joked that it wouldn't be so bad to be Sthenna's pet, but the joke had been half hearted and fell quite flat.
Arthur was angry. Livid even, at what had happened. He stared into the fire, trying to get a handle on his anger - which so often seemed just about ready to boil over. Everything that happened, that kept happening seemed reactionary. They were never a step ahead, but three steps behind. It worried him that Keldor seemed to know everything they planned. How? How could he know? Was he there watching them now somehow? He was not a God! He was a man! He could be destroyed! Arthur had to keep telling himself or fall into despair.
He didn't notice that Carrow had come to sit beside him.
"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked grimly.
"Sweet prince, don't you hear yourself mumbling irritably under your breath? Because I certainly do. And it is extremely annoying," she said.
"Did you know about the amulet?"
"I feel I should have. There is always a catch."
"I am so sick of simply reacting to things!" Arthur said, throwing a stick into the steadily burning fire angrily. Carrow didn't answer, though he was certain she felt the same.
"How is your arm?" Carrow asked.
"What? Oh, fine. Well, it stings," Arthur replied. It turned out that there were only first degree burns, a few splotches of second - but nothing serious. Arthur had refused a magical treatment, he was sick of magic. He wanted natural.
"Let me see," she said.
"No magic," he warned her. She grinned cheekily. He removed his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeve to his shoulder so that she could see. His arm glowed a hot red in the firelight. The heat from the fire tickled angrily and he wanted to move.
"Let me put a bit more of the salve on them," Carrow said, jumping up to grab an ointment she had made from God knew what. She seemed to know what she was doing when it came to natural herbs and remedies, but Arthur felt she had splashed a bit of magic in as well. The thought irked him. She retook her seat on his right and began spreading the green gunk onto his arm. It immediately cooled and a sense of relief tingled through his arm.
She worked quietly and smiled at him as she did so. She was in a far less chatty mood than usual, he got the sense she was not in the mood to fake it like usual.
"The Gorgon… she said you loved Gwaine," Arthur said, wishing he hadn't as soon as it had escaped his lips.
"She did? Because I could have sworn I just heard 'care'. Which is true of any of you," Carrow said, giggling and looking at him mischievously. "Why, sweet prince, do you care what a manipulative Gorgon said?"
"No reason, I was just curious," Arthur said. She put the salve down.
"I know what you're thinking though. Or not thinking rather. You need to put all of that from your mind," she said cryptically.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Arthur said, bristling.
"Oh be honest. You're jealous of Gwaine - rightfully so I might add," she said, which stung. "But you have a hero complex, you want to save everyone. Which will make you a great king one day - well, if not a tragic one - but you see me as someone who needs rescuing. That's an attractive quality in a woman for you. And while I may be a damsel, and I may be in distress - I can handle it. I do not need a hero. I need help. And you don't need to be nursing feelings for me, feelings which are unfounded and will only get you into trouble. You are a prince, a snotty, supercilious, strong, and courageous prince and I am a scarred, erratic, and eccentric witch. Possibly even insane. None of those qualities should a future king be attracted to."
"Are you quite through?" Arthur growled at her.
"I think so. I could probably come up with more, but wait - no, yes, I'm finished," she said, smirking at him. He wanted to slap her.
"You really have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "You barely know me."
"If you say so, sweet prince," she said in her loathsome sing song voice. She got up to lay back down, to leave Arthur to stew with her words, he knew. He was glad she left him. His jaw clenched and he felt like hitting someone again. Gwaine sounded like a fine prospect. But it wasn't his fault that Carrow happened to be right. Was she right? No, she wasn't! He wanted nothing to do with her. His arm tingled coldly again as the salve began to work.
##
Sorry this took longer than expected. School is kicking my ass - besides that I'm getting down to the wire here and tying up loose ends is going to be… difficult. I know Gorgons are more of a Greek thing, but oh well. They just sort of worked in my head. Granted I think this all just brings up more questions than answers, but our heroes have to sit down and have a chat about what they're actually going to do now, don't they?
I love hearing your thoughts/comments, as always. And you silly anons, it's too bad you don't join so I could reply to you! Regardless, I love hearing from you. Thank you all for keeping up!