Merlin paced in agitation as Reynfrey stabilized Blaise. "I did all I could," he mumbled, working to keep from breaking down. He turned his head slightly to look at the young man laid out on a table, his head, hands, and feet drenched in blood, his clothes stained with it.

Reynfrey spoke lowly. "Whoever attacked him tried to drain him dry." The magic physician began cutting the clothes from Blaise's body. "I don't know if he'll live."

Merlin continued to pace. He should have looked for him sooner. He'd been too distracted by Nyra's poisoning and then Freya's sister.

"Emrys?"

Merlin looked to his old room where Nyra had taken up residence to remain close to Reynfrey as she recovered. The young woman stood at the bottom of the stairs, barefoot in her nightgown and staring at Blaise. Merlin darted over to her, grasping one of her arms. "You shouldn't be up."

"I'm fine." She made to step forward, but lost her balance and only remained upright thanks to Merlin's support. She tightened her grip on his arm.

"Here," Merlin said, helping her back up the stairs.

"But..."

"You can't do anything to help."

"That's Blaise."

"Yes." Merlin directed her back to his old bed, and she sank down on it, putting a hand to her head.

"I just felt a little dizzy."

"No one will fault you for staying in bed," Merlin gently chided the Druid.

Nyra looked up at him and broke into a smile. "I suppose not," she said tiredly. She let out a long breath. "What happened to Blaise?"

"I don't know. I found him tied to a tree."

"Is he...dead?"

"Not yet," Merlin whispered.

Nyra shook her head, and then her eyes flashed. "Someone's trying to hurt us all."

Merlin had come to the same conclusion. Someone was tormenting Camelot and he'd begun to suspect who. "You should rest. I can see to Blaise."

"Carwyn told me about the woman he thinks poisoned me."

Merlin looked away from the girl's suddenly penetrating gaze.

"He said you don't think she did."

"I'm not certain she did," Merlin clarified.

"I told him to trust you."

Merlin turned his gaze back on Nyra.

"You're Emrys. You have more wisdom than any of us."

Merlin stepped up to the bed and laid his hands on Nyra's shoulders. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

"You'll try." She smiled up at him. He and Carwyn might have shared magic, but only Nyra shared an understanding of destiny.

Merlin nodded, knowing what she said was true. The best he could do was try. He leaned down to kiss the forehead of the woman he'd come to consider the daughter he never had.

"Merlin!" Reynfrey called from the main chamber.

"Rest," Merlin commanded Nyra, letting her go, shutting the door, and descending the stairs.

Reynfrey stood next to Blaise, his eyes wide, pointing. "Look."

Merlin moved to the physician's side and his heart froze. A message of only one word had been carved into Blaise's chest: EMRYS.

Merlin pounded on Gwen's door, his heart racing, his chest aching from exertion. He didn't have to wait long for a blurry eyed Gwen to crack open the door. "Merlin?"

Merlin pushed the door open fully, entering her room. "It's me, Gwen. This is all about me."

Gwen turned, shutting the door. "Light?" she asked quietly.

Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the candles lit. He faced her, his arms crossed into his chest. "I found Blaise."

"Blaise was missing?" Gwen asked in confusion.

Merlin forgot she hadn't known. With all the uproar over the poisoning, no one had been paying attention to poor Blaise. "I went to his room and he was gone. I just found him in the woods. Cut, bleeding..." Merlin ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"He's with Reynfrey?"

"Now. Gods, Gwen! He's just an innocent boy!"

Gwen moved close to Merlin and took his hands in hers. "Come sit." She drew him to a chair and gently pushed him into it, then pulled another chair up facing him and sat down. Merlin perched his elbows on his knees, his hands pressed together, his fingers to his lips. "Tell me what happened."

Merlin stared into her waiting eyes. Where to begin? He could hardly wrap his own thoughts around the whirlwind of events the last day. "I realized Blaise hadn't been around all day. His room was empty. After I questioned Iona, I took a stroll and found him tied to a tree." Merlin's hands pressed tightly together. "Someone tried to...exsanguinate him."

Gwen's gaze became horrified.

"He may not live." Tears sprang to Merlin's eyes.

Gwen laid one hand on his knee, but brought the other to her neck. "How is this about you?"

Merlin clenched his jaw. "Because he left a message. On Blaise. Emrys knifed into his chest." Merlin covered his eyes with his hands as he broke down. Gwen leaned into him, holding him tightly. When he quieted, Gwen pulled back, fighting her own tears.

"Who is doing this?"

Merlin continued to tremble. "I can only think of one man—Rankin."

"He's dead."

Merlin rose from the chair, pacing again, running his hand through his hair a second time. "I've never believed him to be gone. He tried to break me once and he's doing it again."

"You can't be certain," Gwen argued. "There are many who despise Camelot."

"No. It's me. Don't you see? Nyra poisoned, her child threatened. He knows Carwyn is like a son to me. And then the woman blamed is the sister of a woman I loved?"

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "Iona is what?"

Merlin looked suddenly guilty. "I didn't know who she was at first," he muttered weakly.

"A woman you loved? Who?"

"A woman long dead." A girl, really. They had been so very young then.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gwen sounded hurt and angry at the same time.

"It would complicate matters."

"You should have told me."

Merlin confronted her pained eyes and nodded. "I should have...Rankin is finding ways to hurt me through the people I care for. Nyra, Freya's sister, Blaise... This is all about me."

Gwen rose from her seat. "Let's say this is true. If this is Rankin, what does he accomplish? Revenge?"

Merlin wondered if it could be so straightforward. "There's got to be more to it. He wanted to kill you and take Camelot. And if he's behind The Retribution of Camelot..."

Gwen nodded slowly. "He wants to free Camelot from the Pendragons entirely." Gwen stared at him. "What do we do?"

Merlin stared back. "We prepare."

Merlin steadied himself as he pushed open the door to the physician's chambers. He stepped inside to see Blaise sitting up in a cot. "Merlin!" the young man called out, smiling. Merlin strolled over to the cot, sitting on a stool. "Reynfrey was just giving me something to eat."

Reynfrey approached. "I can hardly believe you're alive."

"It's thanks to you," Blaise said as he took the bowl of soup Reynfrey offered, but Merlin noted it shook in his grasp. Blaise tried to bring the spoon to his mouth with a quivering hand.

"Here," Merlin said. He took the bowl and spoon from Blaise. "Let me." He held the spoon to Blaise's lips so he could suck at the warm liquid.

Blaise smacked his lips. "It's good."

Merlin tried to smile and failed. He continued to feed Blaise until the bowl was empty. Blaise lay back with a contented sigh. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted. Achy. Not too bad."

Merlin shook his head at Blaise's characteristic optimism. "I'm sorry."

Blaise's eyes met his and turned serious. "You didn't do this to me."

"Someone did this to you to hurt me."

Blaise sighed and brought a hand to his bandaged chest. "I know what happened. It's alright."

Merlin tried not to break down at the boy's ease of forgiving his part in this.

"The queen came to see me."

Merlin nodded. "She's mobilized the knights and warriors. We're protecting the city and castle. We won't let anyone else come to harm." The past two days had been a flurry of activity.

"She wanted to know who did this. I don't know. I was writing in the woods, and then I woke up here." Blaise's eyes grew moist. Merlin reached out a hand to his shoulder. "They took the book."

Merlin stared. The book about him. Me again. This is all focused on me. "All your work..." Merlin squeezed the young man's shoulder. "Well, I'll just have to tell it all to you again."

"I think I bother you too much." Blaise's voice was sadly sincere.

"Never."

Blaise raised his eyebrows.

"Well, yes. But I want to be bothered. Bother me any time."

Blaise smiled.

Merlin left Blaise's side on a mission. He marched to the dungeon, passing the guards who peered at him with curious eyes when he didn't stop to consult them. He paused in front of Iona's cell, his eyes gleaming golden to unlock it. He threw its door open. The sight that met his eyes cut him to the quick. The woman was dirty and disheveled, her hair in disarray, her face smudged and tear streaked. She looked so much like her sister had when he'd hidden her. Iona's eyes moved to him, but they'd dulled. I should have come back sooner.

Merlin steeled himself. He'd come for answers. He strode up to Iona and crouched down in front of her. He yanked her sleeve away from the shoulder with the patterned scar. "Who did this?" he demanded.

Iona pulled away.

Merlin grasped her behind the neck, forcing her to look at him. "You're part of some game to hurt me. Who did this?"

"I...I don't know," Iona stammered.

"How did this happen?"

Iona shook in his hand. He let go her neck. He sat beside her, leaning against the prison walls. "I don't believe you poisoned Nyra."

Iona's shoulders shook with tears. "Then let me out of here. Please."

"I wish I could... I need to know what that scar is."

"I don't know. It's true."

"Tell me about it."

Iona wiped at her face. "It wasn't too long ago. I was in another city looking for work. I found shelter in an alley and a man found me."

"Go on," Merlin prompted.

"He offered me money...to please him." Iona buried her face in her hands. "I'd never done that before, but I needed the money."

Merlin contemplated the floor of the cell. He couldn't imagine being in such desperate need. And that some men took advantage of women...and Freya's sister at that. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not sure what happened," Iona spoke quietly. "I must have passed out. When I awoke, my shoulder hurt and this was there." She rubbed at the patterned scar. "He only left a couple coins."

Merlin leaned his head against the wall. Blaise marked with his name. Iona marked with a symbol. Both horribly mistreated. What was the purpose to it?

"Help me," Iona begged.

Merlin turned his head to her, the words from his dream startling him. Her pleading eyes pierced his soul.

Merlin found himself back in Reynfrey's chambers near the end of the day. He greeted Blaise, who still remained in the cot, though the boy now had his nose in a book. The sight lightened Merlin's heavy mood.

"I need to see Gaius' books," Merlin said.

Reynfrey pointed to a bookshelf. "Grimald kept everything. Even organized them."

Merlin walked over to the numerous tomes. He could almost sense the spirit of Gaius next him, both of them discussing where to find the answers they sought as they had many times. He smiled at the memory of the nights they'd sat across from each other turning page after page seeking solutions. At the time, he'd been tired and annoyed. Now he would have given anything to spend just one more sleepless night in the physician's presence.

Merlin's smile fell. His work was too serious for wishful memory. He set himself to his task, pulling out several books he knew Gaius had consistently consulted when dark magic was involved. Merlin had already gone through his own stack of books, even his copy of The Retribution of Camelot. He'd found nothing.

Merlin plunked a pile of books on Reynfrey's table.

"Do you need help?" Blaise asked.

Merlin looked over at him. "You need rest."

"I want something to do."

Merlin handed a couple books to the boy.

"What are we looking for?"

Merlin dug into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper with the symbol on it. "This." He handed it to Blaise.

Blaise set aside his own book, taking the two offered and pouring over them, his eyes creased in concentration. Merlin grabbed several others, and sat at the table thumbing through them one by one, skimming various descriptions of dark magic. He tried not to get distracted, but several times his thoughts wandered when he came upon information he and Gaius had used to help Arthur or Uther or Camelot. He could hear Gaius' voice explaining the pages. I need you here, Gaius.

Merlin perused the books for over an hour, increasingly thinking the exercise a waste of time. "Any luck, Blaise?"
Blaise didn't answer.

Merlin saw the boy had fallen asleep, one of the books laying open across his chest. He smiled and stood to retrieve it. He turned it over, intending to close it and put it back in the stack, then stalled, staring. A sketch of the symbol met his eyes. He scanned the writing surrounding it, his eyes widening. He rushed from the room.

"She didn't do it." Merlin dropped the open book onto Carwyn's table. He'd interrupted a meal.

"The woman?" Carwyn ground out.

"Carwyn," Nyra spoke warningly. The Druid had been well enough to move back to their chambers and sat next to her husband.

Merlin pointed. "See this? She has a scar just like it on her shoulder."

Carwyn leaned over the book and skimmed the passage. He pushed back in his chair, staring with uncertain eyes at Merlin.

"You can't hold her any longer."

"She poisoned Nyra."

"She had no choice!"

Nyra had slid the book over to read it. "Carwyn, if this happened to her...she didn't know what she was doing."

Carwyn threw down a napkin and stood, pacing away from the table to lean against a window frame.

Merlin pulled the book back over. He traced the picture of the symbol. He must have remembered if from one of those long nights searching through books with Gaius. It was a brand, one inflicted by magic. It bound the will of its bearer to another, a process known as enthrallment. "She's suffered enough. Let her go."

Carwyn's smoldering eyes turned to Merlin. "And if she does something else?"

"I can release her from it."

Nyra stood, moving over to grasp her husband's arms crossed over his chest. "Emrys is right and you know it."

Carwyn stared at her for a moment, then unfolded his arms and wrapped them protectively around her shoulders. He didn't look at Merlin. "Then release her."

The door to the cell opened. A guard stood by with a torch as Merlin stepped inside. Iona stared at the open door. "Is it time?" Her voice quavered.

"You're free."

Iona gasped, then choked, sobs welling up.

"Unspanne pas frown," Merlin spoke softly. The chains around Iona's wrists tumbled to the floor. He knelt down in front of her. "I have to do something else to help you."

Iona swallowed and nodded feebly.

Merlin gripped her arms. "Aliese pas frown ond adee fram wealsadan." Merlin felt magic surge through him. He gently pulled Iona's sleeve down. He let out a breath of relief. "It's gone."

Iona looked to her shoulder, rubbing where the scar used to be. "What was it?"

"I'll explain after you've had a good rest. Come." He helped her stand, but she faltered, collapsing into his arms. He let her lean into him for a moment to regain her strength, then he held her arm as they left the cell. She wiped at her eyes with the handkerchief he'd given her previously.

Merlin directed her up the stairs and down several halls. He stopped at the door to a bedchamber. "You'll be staying here. I've had them draw a bath for you."

"W-what?" Iona stammered.

"After what you've suffered, I thought it only right we provide for you until you find a home and work." And I owe Freya. Merlin pushed open the door. "Food will be provided as well."

Iona stepped inside the room, staring wonderingly at its opulence. Merlin pulled back to close the door when Iona turned to him. "You loved her, didn't you?"

Merlin stalled. He met the dark brown depths of her eyes. "I did." He closed the door, striding back down the hall, a wistful smile playing on his lips.