Horvath, still sitting on the cold sands of Cape May with a supporting arm around Veronica's back, took note of the people he hadn't seen in almost a year. He arched an eyebrow at his former cohort, who still stood with the dreaded Grimhold at the ready. "Chandra Kolinsky," he acknowledged. "So you've turned against me, too."
"You betrayed me," she retorted. "You left me unprotected in that cavern after you promised to keep us safe. You used us all. You deserve whatever punishment you get."
His face registered acceptance. "Maybe," he granted. "That's only to be expected, though, isn't it? Any other Morganian would have done the same."
"True enough," she had to admit, remembering her former apprentice. "That's why I'm not a Morganian anymore."
"I see."
Chandra spoke next to the woman leaning against Horvath. "Veronica, move away from him. I'm going to put the traitor back in prison where he belongs. He'll never bother us again."
To her surprise, Veronica shook her head. "No." Horvath looked grateful, and Balthazar remained unreadable, but Becky and her friends were aghast. The elites stood together, Veronica taking an arm of each of the gentlemen who flanked her. "We're a team," she explained. "Put that awful doll away, please. We all have some catching up to do."
The seven gathered inside the Winnebago, Chandra in the recliner, Dave and Becky taking the driver's and passenger seats respectively, and the other four claiming the fully expanded couch. Horvath, surrounded by those who had legitimate reasons to hate him, was ill at ease. He would have fled if he could, but he was outnumbered and carefully watched. He sat back and pretended unconcern. His teammates could do most of the talking.
Veronica gave an abridged version of events from her perspective, leaving out certain details that their rescuers didn't need to know. Balthazar noticed, and followed her example. In their way, they were defending Horvath. At one time, the eldest elite would have dismissed such kindness as weakness, but he knew better than to make that mistake now.
For their part, Dave and his fellows defended no one, particularly Dave himself. "And that's why we're here in a motor home," he concluded. "Chandra's in the clear, and Alvar has no records to incriminate him, but Becky and I are both wanted by the Feds. Drake set us up, but I'm the one who lost control of the situation." He spread his hands. "So what do we do now, Balthazar? How can I set things right?"
"You can't," was the simple answer. Dave's shoulders slumped. He'd been expecting a magical panacea from his master, an unrealistic expectation whose denial left him crushed. "I'm sorry," Balthazar went on. "You're the Prime Merlinian, Dave. You can't wipe away what happened without using Morganian methods. Master Alvar knew that." He shot a smile at his own master, seated to his left. "That's why he didn't tell you about them."
Horvath made his first contribution to the discussion. "You could plant a virus that would destroy every computer record of you from whatever date you chose. You'd have to either kill every witness or wipe their minds totally. Yes, you can clear yourself, but you'd have to do a lot of damage in the process. We Morganians call it self-preservation."
"So those thirty guys I burned, and Alvar and Becky helped to save..."
Horvath nodded. "For starters, yes. They'd have to die, or be as good as dead."
"No. There has to be another way."
The Morganian shrugged. "Suit yourself. Go to jail, stay on the run, or leave the country. Your decision."
In the ensuing depressed silence, Balthazar gave some encouragement. "Whatever you decide, Dave, you know I'll support you. I'll stay right here by your side for as long as you want me to."
To his right, Veronica echoed the sentiment. "So will I." She would always be grateful for what Dave had given her that night at Bowling Green, the gift of her beloved restored to her.
"And I," added Alvar.
"Don't forget me," chimed in Becky. She reached across the space between their chairs and caught Dave's hand in hers. Their fates were intertwined now.
Chandra and Horvath had their own fates to think about. Now that the goal had been met, Chandra was at a loss concerning what to do next. Horvath was similarly ambivalent.
"Well," said Alvar when the room grew quiet again. "Why don't we get some dinner and then head back down to Richmond? I'm sure we'll all be able to think more clearly after a good meal and a good night's rest."
"All right." Chandra stood with a sigh. "Anyone want to ride in the trailer with me? It was a bit lonely coming up here."
"I will," Veronica volunteered. "We have some unsettled business about what you tried to do in the storm drain."
They stayed at a Richmond motel that night, in two adjoining rooms, each with two double beds. The ladies shared one room, and the men another. They would have split up further, but Horvath couldn't be trusted alone or with only one guardian. Even at that, they did take a further precaution.
"Hand it over," Chandra demanded before they retired for the night. She held out her hand for Horvath's ring. Without it, his cane was powerless except as a bludgeoning tool.
Horvath drew back, affronted. "How dare you," he responded. "Without me, you'd still be a mere human, and now you have the nerve to order me about?"
She wasn't intimidated. "It's either that, or you spend the night in the Grimhold."
He looked around for support, but the others had drawn away from him. "Veronica," he pleaded, "don't you trust me?"
The woman he'd called his wife was sympathetic, but her resolve didn't waver. "I'm sorry, Horvath," she said. "It's too soon. You'll have to prove your trustworthiness, and that won't happen tonight." She and Balthazar exchanged glances and a slight nod of unspoken agreement. "If it makes you feel any better, we'll join you in the Grimhold until tomorrow."
He gave in. "That won't be necessary," he told her. Reluctantly, he pulled the power ring from his finger and handed it to Veronica. "Only you have the right to keep this for me," he said. "I did take yours from you, after all."
"Thank you, Horvath. You'll get it back in the morning." She kissed him on the cheek, then left with Becky and Chandra.
When the men were alone, they had to decide who slept where. Dave fidgeted, uncomfortable.
"What's wrong, Dave?" his master queried.
The young man's cheeks had grown red from embarrassment. "Um, there's two beds, and, um, there's...four of us." He scratched his ear so he could break eye contact.
Horvath and Balthazar both rolled their eyes. Alvar just groaned. Balthazar told his apprentice, "It's nothing inappropriate, Dave. Men have shared rooms, and beds, at inns and such for centuries. We sleep. That's it, okay?"
Dave just stared at the floor.
"Look, how about if you take the one bed, and I can sleep on the floor? Let me swipe a pillow and the top blanket, and I'm good to go. This carpet is a lot softer than your lab floor."
"Really? You wouldn't mind?"
Balthazar gave him a playful cuff as he grabbed the requested bedding. "Good night, Dave."
When he saw Veronica again the next morning, Balthazar thought she looked happier than she had since that first night they'd spent together on the beach. "I'd forgotten how good a shower felt," she said brightly, and he couldn't help but agree. The trio had made many improvements in the living standards of their time in the past, however short-lived those improvements had proved to be, but indoor plumbing hadn't been one of them.
"So, did you ladies sleep well?" asked Alvar. Their own night had passed without incident, all four men being too tired to even watch TV.
"Yes, thank you," Becky responded. Like Dave, she had slept alone, but without requiring a roommate to sleep on the floor. "We had a good discussion."
"Oh?" Dave asked. "What about?"
Chandra replied, "Girl stuff." That was all any of the women would say. They just smiled at each other conspiratorially, and let the men guess whatever they wanted.
The group enjoyed the complimentary continental breakfast in the motel dining area, then gathered again in the room where the men had slept. "What now?" asked Horvath. "I don't suppose I'm free to go, eh?" His ring had been returned as promised, but he was still under virtual arrest.
There was no immediate answer. After much uneasy shifting and studying their shoes, Alvar confessed, "We don't exactly know what to do now. We were hoping your return would fix everything."
Dave added his comment. "It's too bad we all couldn't have gone into the past with you. None of this mess–being on the run, I mean–would have happened."
"No," said Balthazar, "but you wouldn't remember anything, either. We didn't exactly go with diaries in hand. We didn't even know our own names."
Chandra nodded in agreement. "He's right, Dave. Losing your identity is even worse than being an outlaw. You're starting your life over from scratch."
Horvath broke in. "That's not necessarily a bad thing." He sounded wistful, almost sad.
Balthazar peered at his colleague with an empathetic smile. There was plenty in his own life that he would just as soon forget. One didn't live for nearly 1500 years without gathering scars.
Dave said nothing, but his master could practically see the gears turning inside his head. "What are you thinking, Dave?" he asked.
"What, you mean you can't read my mind?" came the gentle tease in response.
"Not this time. Maybe I'm losing my touch."
"Maybe, or it could be just because I haven't figured it out myself." He glanced at his watch. "We'd better check out soon. Let's go back to the campground so I can pick up the car. I need a little time to be alone so I can concentrate." He grinned at Balthazar. "Focus, I think you'd call it." Then, to Becky: "Well, not quite alone."
The older couple wanted some time alone, too. They walked together to the edge of the campground, where trees ran along the shore of a sizable lake. Even in February, there were fishermen and boaters using the water, though not in the numbers it would see later in the year. If not for their presence, the scene could have been one out of time, from last week to last year to more than a millennium ago. It was a bittersweet reminder of the vision they had built up over the last months of their lives, only to see it destroyed.
"Do you think there's any trace left?" Veronica wondered.
"Probably," her comrade replied. "If we were to dig far enough on Randall's Island, we'd probably be able to find a few stones from the fort, maybe even a metal artifact or two."
"Just like Merlin's castle," she said mournfully. "Is there to be no home for us, Balthazar? Will there never be rest?"
He took her in his arms and held her close. "Someday," he promised. "Our year is almost over. By this time next month, we'll be husband and wife, and then we can build a home together."
She looked up, brown eyes meeting blue. "Truly? You still want me, after...?" Sorrow and fear and hope mingled in her voice, in her eyes, in her body next to his. "I'm not pure anymore," she felt compelled to remind him. "You kept yourself pure for me, through all the years of loneliness, only to find I'd been taken by another. I'm not the virgin bride you were waiting for."
"I know." Yes, it hurt, and he made no effort to hide it.
"If only I'd gone with you when you asked me to..."
"You did what you thought was right. How can I fault you for that? None of us knew any different." He stroked one upturned cheek. "John loved Agatha, even though he knew she would never be his. Now that we know you're free, how can Balthazar do less?"
Tears of gratitude flowed over his fingers on her face. "I've made mistakes," she said through tightened throat. "Loving you was never one of them."
There was only one appropriate response. The shoreline of a lake served just as well as a crystal pebble beach.
The three sorcerers left behind were relaxing in the Winnebago lounge when Balthazar and his bride-to-be returned.. They'd been sharing Morganian stories over drinks, much more at ease in each other's company than they'd been the day before. Horvath even seemed to be enjoying himself for the first time since he'd got his memory back.
They turned at the sound of the vehicle door opening. Horvath's smile abruptly faded as Veronica entered, followed closely by Merlin's third apprentice. There was a change in the pair; something had been resolved that left the two even more obviously devoted to one another than they'd already been. Horvath turned his face away.
Balthazar noticed, but pretended not to. Although the trio had become a team again while away on their adventure, a status that none of them had suggested should now be dissolved, there were still certain issues that had to be settled. After what his colleague had done to the woman he loved, Horvath deserved to suffer a little, too. Balthazar wasn't quite as ready to forgive him as was Veronica.
"So what have you three been up to?" he asked as casually as he could manage. "Plotting to take over the world again?" He smiled to disarm the accusation.
Alvar spoke for the others. "No, we're done with that. We were talking about Morganian policy, especially when it comes to new recruits." He shook his head. "What's this world coming to, when they take women and idiots like Drake Stone? No wonder their side lost."
"Hey!" Chandra protested. "I resent that!" She poked him with her cane, but he only laughed at her.
He raised his glass in mock apology. "A toast to sorcerer women," he offered, bowing his head to both Chandra and Veronica. "What would we men do without you?"
Not long after, the Malibu pulled into its designated parking space beside the unoccupied horse trailer. Dave and Becky emerged and opened the car trunk. They came inside the camper laden with bags of groceries and other things.
"Hi guys," greeted the youngest sorcerer. "I figured, since we were out anyway, we might as well do some shopping. I got us some steaks." He grinned in anticipation.
"Oh, good," Alvar replied. "We can have a cookout."
Dave couldn't believe it. "A cookout, in the middle of winter? It's, like, forty degrees outside! Are you nuts?"
"We're all nuts." Alvar smiled and stood. "I'll go fire up the grill."
After dinner, the mood grew more serious. Though no one had mentioned it aloud, they were all starting to think about sleeping arrangements and other accommodations. The Tour was spacious, yes, but it wasn't meant to sleep seven, nor was the water tank capacity enough for that many.
When they couldn't put it off any longer, Alvar brought up the subject that was on everyone's mind. "We can't keep doing this," he stated. "We'll have to find a real place to stay until we figure out our next step." This last was meant for Dave; who, by unspoken consensus, was the linchpin that determined their future.
The linchpin recognized as much. He took Becky's hand and stood close beside her He gazed at each of his companions in turn, setting their images firmly in his mind. "Becky and I have been talking," he said to no one's surprise. "We've made a decision. We...I think it's best if we leave. You've all been in exile, in one way or another, for whatever period of time. Now it's my turn."
"I don't understand," Balthazar claimed, although he feared that he did. "You're in exile right now, along with the rest of us. How will leaving help anything?"
"I don't mean leave this place. I mean leave here, this whole world. Becky and I are going through the wormhole."
