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Chapter 26 – Merlin's Quest

Merlin followed Alba back to the stone circle. It seemed like a life time since he was there last, yet only a few hours had passed. He felt as though he was walking to his doom, he couldn't shake the feeling that he would not see those dearest to him again. Alba stopped at the entrance to the circle and turned to Merlin.

"Good luck Merlin, I will wait here for you to return," she said.

"Do you really believe I will return?" Merlin asked.

"I do, I believe in you and your destiny Merlin, I always have." He smiled at her and walked towards the centre of the stones and the white light that was waiting for him.

Once again the white light seemed to surround him before dimming and taking the form of the White Goddess. Gaya held a staff and passed it to Merlin. She gave him the crystal and in his mind he saw how it must be planted. She then passed him a small satchel that contained the earth he would need to plant the crystal in. He put the crystal carefully into the bag on top of the earth.

"Open your mind's eye Merlin so I can show you where you must go." Merlin closed his eyes and opened the one in his mind. A series of images flashed through his mind and he opened his eyes.

"The world you are about to enter is very different to the one you know but do not be afraid. You will not be able to use your magic until the crystal has been returned to the cave. I would advise you not to use your magic at all, unless it is really necessary. If Cate is monitoring that world she will become aware of you if you use magic. Remember Merlin, magic is a life force and that world is starved of magic. Like a tree starved of water will send out roots to find a pool. That world will try to drain you and you will need to fight it. Are you ready?" Merlin picked up the staff and nodded he didn't trust himself to speak, his throat felt dry.

She led him towards the opening between the two large standing stones. The area between the stones wavered and rippled but if Merlin looked closely he could see trees and a darkening sky. Behind the stones in Avalon there was a grassy bank and it was midday with a bright sun and clear sky. He realised he was looking into another world and wondered once again if he would meet his doom in a strange land. Gaya moved towards the large stone on the right of the doorway, she chanted some words in a strange language and the image in the doorway became clear.

Merlin took a deep breath and walked through the opening. As he walked through he felt himself change, like he had used an aging spell, his hair was longer and had turned white. He wondered how old he had become, then looked down and noticed he was wearing strange clothes. He still had the satchel though and he looked inside to check the crystal was safe. It was still there partly buried in the earth and looked just the same as when he had put it there.
He then turned and saw the standing stones behind him. There were just the two buried deep in the Earth and they looked old and worn. The light between them shimmered a little and Merlin thought he could just see the stone table. He turned away before he lost his nerve and looked around him.
He was standing half way up a gentle slope leading down to a lake. There were a few trees on the slope but they looked sickly and many of them looked dead. Although it was not completely dark he felt like he couldn't see properly. There seemed to be a shadow on the edge of his vision that threatened to block out the light. The air was heavy and he could taste the fumes that poisoned this world. Already he could feel his strength being drained from him. He felt light headed and sick.
There was a path in front of him so he set off walking slowly hoping he would find a place to cross the water. The path led to a small wooden platform where several boats were tied up. There was someone sat on the platform trying to untie the rope that held one of the boats. As he got closer he could see that it was a young woman, she wiped her eyes and Merlin could see she was crying.
Merlin stopped on the path just above the wooden platform, the air seemed to be closing in on him and he turned away from the path to be sick.

The woman looked up and saw an old man being sick on the path just above her. She wiped her eyes again on her sleeve and walked over to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked looking at Merlin with concern. She realized he was not as old as she thought, the white hair and the staff made him seem older. Merlin wiped his mouth and looked back at her. He nodded not trusting himself to speak, he was not sure if he was going to be sick again.

"Here let me help you, I have some water in the boat." She took his arm and led him down to the wooden platform where the boats were tied up.

"I'm Bella," the girl said. "That's not my real name, but I don't tell anyone my real name."

She talked all the time telling Merlin how she was camping on the island with a group of friends. How she knew her boyfriend, Charlie, was cheating on her, so she was going home and taking his boat. They wouldn't notice she was gone until morning, and she'd be far away by then. Charlie would have to walk home carrying all his gear. She told him she's going to be a nurse so he was in safe hands. Merlin let her talk fighting the sickness and hoping he wouldn't pass out.
She helped him to sit on the platform and then jumped into the boat getting a bag. She climbed back out and sat next to him. She took a clear container out of her bag and twisted the top then passed it to Merlin.

"It's just water," she said holding it out to him.

Merlin took it and looked closely at the container which looked like glass but was soft and warm to the touch. He felt like he was going to be sick again and fought it taking a sip of the water. It tasted flat and stale but it was just water so he drank some more.

"Were you with those archaeologists we saw earlier?" she asked then continued without waiting for a reply. "They left hours ago but don't worry I can take you across the lake."

"Thank you," Merlin said then he leant over the water to be sick again. He felt hot and feverish.

"Here," she pulled his hair back away from his face securing it with a band that had been tied around her wrist.

"What's your name?" she asked after he had drunk some more of the water.

"Merlin," he replied.

"Merlin?" she asked looking at him, "You mean like the wizard, wow, your parents must have been as bad as mine." She laughed and looked at him, lowering her voice before continuing. "My real name is Tinkerbell, I have no idea what my mum was thinking."

"It's a pretty name," Merlin said taking another sip of water.

"Yeah, if you're a fairy who likes to tinker. School was a nightmare but I guess you know what that's like being called Merlin." She smiled at him and threw her bag into the boat. Merlin had no idea what she was talking about so he stayed quiet, he felt awful and he wasn't sure how he was going to make the rest of the journey.

"Let's get you into the boat," she said helping him to stand. "The fairy meets a wizard, my mates won't believe this." She rowed the boat across the water as they moved towards the shore the smell and fumes got worse. Merlin leant over the side of the boat feeling sick again.

"Hang on," she said putting the oars down and looking through another bag that was by her feet. "Here, take these," she put two small round yellow pills into Merlin's hand. He looked at her, unsure of whether he should take anything from this world.

"They will stop you from feeling sick. Make sure you drink plenty of water with them though." Merlin put the pills into his mouth and washed them down with more of the water. They can't make him feel worse, he already felt like he was dying. A cold wind blew across the lake and Merlin shivered. He no longer felt hot, now he was freezing. Bella picked up the oars and continued rowing. She was still talking, telling Merlin how she had always felt sick on the water and about life at the hospital where she worked.
The pills seemed to be working and by the time they reached the other shore he was no longer feeling quite so sick. There was another wooden platform on this side of the lake. She pulled the oars into the boat then tied the rope to the platform. She was still talking, changing the subject and moving from one thing to another. Merlin didn't have a chance to speak but she didn't seem to expect him to anyway.
She took the bottle from Merlin and replaced the lid. Then she helped him out of the boat. She jumped back in and grabbed both of the bags and put Merlin's staff on the platform. Merlin picked up his staff and leant on it. His teeth were chattering and he couldn't stop shivering.

"Here, it will keep you warm," Bella said. She was holding something out to Merlin but he couldn't see what it was in the fading light.

"What is it?" Merlin asked still shivering.

"It's a hat," she said putting it on his head. "Don't argue, I brought it for Charlie but didn't get a chance to give it to him." Merlin hadn't said a word, he felt too sick to speak. He put his hand up to his head and pulled the hat down over his ears.

"Thank you," he said trying to smile.

"Can I give you lift anywhere?" she asked standing next to Merlin and smiling at him.

"I know my way from here," he said, it was almost completely dark now and the fumes were stifling but he no longer felt quite so sick or cold. He looked around but all he could see was the lake, a few trees and a hedge in the distance. Apart from the stifling fumes, this world didn't seem that much different to his own. Bella was dressed in strange breeches and jacket but she seemed quite nice and she had helped him, even though she never stopped talking. His head was pounding and he was finding it hard to understand what she was saying. Luckily for him she didn't seem to expect him to say much. She put the water bottle and the pills in one of the bags and held it out to Merlin.

"Here," she said, "Don't take any more of those tablets for at least four hours okay."

"I can't take your bag," Merlin said. He found it hard to speak his throat was sore and his mouth was dry.

"It's not mine, it's cheating Charlie's and if you don't take it I'll throw it in the lake." Merlin tried another smile then took the bag and put it over his shoulder.

"Thank you, for all your help," he said.

"You're welcome and you helped me too. I was feeling really miserable before you showed up and you didn't mind me prattling on about my troubles." They walked up the wooden steps to the road. As they were nearing the hedge a huge carriage thundered passed on the other side of it. There were no horses and it moved as fast as a dragon. Bella took no notice of it but Merlin took a step back. Another passed, smaller this time and not so noisy. Merlin realised that these were not living creatures but machines and they were one of the things poisoning this land. Bella had gone on ahead and was waiting for him at the entrance to the road these machines travelled on. Merlin hurried to catch up with her. His head was pounding and he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything. Once on the road he looked around wondering where to go now. He closed his eyes and saw the way, he turned to his right.

"I'm going this way, my cars parked in the village," she said turning in the other direction. "It was nice to meet you Merlin," she said, putting the other bag on her back as she turned and walked away.

"It was nice to meet you too, Bella," he called after her. It hurt his throat but she had been so nice to him. She turned and waved, Merlin waved back then turned to walk along the side of the road, hoping he could find the cave before he passed out.

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