Author's notes: I was completely blown away by the reviews for my last chapter. You are all so great! Also terrific to see more people ticking the follow and favourite boxes for this story. Thank you all so very much.

In answer to a request from one of my readers, I've decided to make a list of the main members of the cast; who they were in their past lives and the names they are going by now. I'm including those who are well known, though I'm sure you're all aware of their alter-egos.

Arthur Penderel = Arthur Pendragon

Rhys Wilson = Merlin

Gwen Armour = Guinevere

Freya Campbell = Freya

Benedict Penderel = Uther Pendragon

Ygraine Penderel = Ygraine (Uther's wife)

Anna Penderel = Morgana Pendragon

Drew Spears = Lancelot

Wayne McGuire = Gwaine

Leonard Cameron = Leon

Matthew Davidson = Mordred

Dr Richard Grayson = Gaius

Fiona MacDougall = Alice

Will Edwards = Will (Merlin's childhood friend)

Mark Cornwallis = Cornelius Sigan (Mark Cornwallis has no other corresponding character)

Eloise Blessed/Morgause = Morgause

Hilda Grun = Grunhilda

Annie Carr = Queen Annis of Carleon

I think I've completed the list but if you can think of any others who you're having problems with, please let me know.

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Chapter Thirty-Seven

In Search of Sigan

Since Arthur and Gwen clearly wanted to spend most of their time together, Matthew was ensconced in the library deep in his research and Ygraine had not yet returned from the hospital, Merlin found himself alone and at a loose end. He wandered out into the garden, much treasured by the mistress of the Citadel, across the terrace, down through the herbaceous borders where the high blooming delphiniums waved blues and purples in the shifting air, while colourful phlox and asters clung to their ankles. Bees hummed in the quiet, peaceful area, though the occasional thrum of traffic, hardly obtrusive, could be heard if one chose to listen.

Thankfully, the sky was strewn with powder-puff clouds which gave some shelter from the relentless sun. Merlin walked on till he reached the bench by the pond and took a seat, gazing into the waters to catch a glimpse of the koi carp, their rainbow colours hidden in the shadows of the exotic water plants. He felt curiously distant.

Merlin was happy for Arthur and Gwen, but continually seeing them as a couple triggered his loneliness. He missed Freya and the fact that she would soon be here with him in Cardiff didn't seem to appease this feeling of isolation. Immortality had meant being alone. He didn't want to live like that any longer, but neither did he want to die, thus his future face-off with Sigan weighed heavily on his mind. Finding Freya and his friends again had made him more vulnerable than ever before. Now he had too much too loose... yet he wouldn't change things for the world.

"Hello, Rhys." A woman's voice came from behind him, yet not the lady he'd been thinking of. Dark haired and fine drawn with a hint of bravado, but lacking Freya's warm sparkle, Anna came around the edge of the garden seat. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Please!" Merlin gestured with his hand as he gave Anna a cautious smile. "It's your garden. I'm the intruder."

"I would hardly call you that. You're a guest, or maybe more than that," Anna said thoughtfully. "You and Arthur seem very close and yet... I've never heard him mention you before. Normally, Arthur doesn't make friends easily and I can't help but wonder why you."

Merlin's eyebrows climbed in surprised amusement. "Is this the third degree?"

"Not exactly." Anna laughed, brushing her hair back from her face. "Arthur is old enough and smart enough to look after himself, but he's my brother and, though we don't often show it, we do care."

"I know that. I witnessed how much Arthur was worried when you were missing."

"And he sent you to find me. I'm fairly confused about the last few days, but I do remember you and Wayne breaking me out of that old house. I'm extremely grateful."

Beginning to relax again, Merlin replied with a grin, "I was happy to help and, although I can't speak for Wayne, I believe he would have taken Paris apart to find you."

Anna squinted up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun's glow. "I must remember to thank him personally, too." They sat in companionable silence for some moments until Anna returned to her inquest. "I'm told you're a geologist who works for Arthur."

"That's true. I usually spend most of my time in the lab, but I was sent to discover if Camelot Industries was responsible for the water disturbances on Easdale and that's where I met your brother."

"And you became mates straight off?" Anna narrowed her eyes at this thin young man who looked like he might be blown away by even a mild wind. Yet, as a photo-journalist Anna was trained to see beneath the exterior and she suspected this man's wiry frame hid a core of calm, mental strength.

"I would hardly call it 'love' at first sight," he said with a touch of sarcasm, "but yes, we discovered pretty quickly that we got along. We certainly found we had a common goal..."

"And mutual enemies?" Anna didn't know quite where her question had sprung from.

"Why shouldn't we? I do work for Camelot Industries. What hurts them affects me."

Anna drew her hand backwards and forward along the worn wooden arm of the bench, still studying Arthur's new friend carefully. "Have we ever met before, Rhys? I mean before Paris. You seem weirdly familiar."

Internally, Merlin gulped. Anna was just as smart and resourceful as Morgana. Perhaps it wouldn't be feasible to keep her in the dark about reincarnation, or Morgause and Sigan. He forced his voice to remain neutral as he answered, "I don't think so. In fact, I doubt we've ever met. Anna, your life has been very different from mine. We just wouldn't have mixed in the same circles."

"I'm not a snob!" Anna sounded indignant, yet a tinge of humour tempered her voice. "Much less than Arthur anyway."

"You find Arthur condescending?" Merlin was surprised. He was well aware of his friend's high-flying life style and he wasn't above ribbing Arthur about it, yet he hadn't found him supercilious this time around. In fact, even as a King he'd cared more for the lot of the common people than his father or many others in that sovereign role.

Anna shrugged, before admitting somewhat reluctantly, "No, not really... though he can climb on his high horse every now and then... especially if he thinks I'm doing something out of order. His friends seem to like him well enough."

"Well, I'm his friend and I hope you'll think of me in that light too. After all, I did help rescue you."

"Isn't there an ancient adage that says my life now belongs to you?" Anna cocked her head, grinning impishly.

Merlin joined in her laughter. "I think that might be an old wife's tale... or an American Indian custom... or both. I don't think it applies to the digital age. Besides, if you want to be beholden to anyone it should be Wayne. I only heard you scream. He broke the door down to get you out."

A slow, genuine smile spread across Anna's face. "Wayne always was a good guy to rely on. I must find some particular way to thank him... but you don't know me very well, Rhys, if you think I'll feel beholden to anyone."

"I thought we were joking! I never doubted your independence." Merlin held out his hands palm upwards. "We don't know each other at all." The voice inside his head added... 'not in this life.' He quickly stilled it, not knowing what might trigger Anna's latent magic powers. "But Arthur is my friend and he loves you, so I'm hoping we might get to like each other for his sake."

Anna gave him another long stare. "There's something quite unusual about you, Rhys, which I can't quite put my finger on, however, I'm willing to trust you as long as you've my family's best interests at heart."

"In that case, I think we'll work well together."

Fortunately, Merlin was relieved of continuing this unexpected and difficult conversation by the arrival of the one person he wanted to see more than any other. Freya had arrived with Drew and Fiona, all of them happy and triumphant because of their success in silencing Ms Grunn.

Of course, that led onto yet another uneasy talk with Anna. A chat full of evasions and half-truths about how exactly the personal accusations by Ms Grunn and Leonard Cameron against Arthur had been refuted; the former by the unexplained disappearance of the Head of the Planning Committee and the latter by Mr Cameron realising that the guy who'd offered him a bribe had been an imposter. However, Merlin was mostly on the sidelines for that exchange as Drew, Fiona and Freya explained what was possible about the happenings in Bearsden.

Later, the members of the household had gathered in the drawing room to discuss the current state of play. Ygraine, having returned from visiting Benedict, had invited them all to a 'round table' conference; the group included all the remaining family members, the recently arrived Scottish contingent and Matthew.

Ushering Fiona into a large comfortable chintz chair, Ygraine took time to gather her thoughts as she sat slowly in her own armchair. Gwen and Freya, already on the way to becoming fast friends, took a seat on the sofa side-by-side while their significant others ranged themselves opposite, standing before the open inglenook. Matthew looked around and chose a straight-backed chair next to an occasional table where he laid his trusty tablet, dusting off some tiny flecks of pollen which had fallen from the vase of blowzy roses occupying the table top.

Drew and Anna decided to stand, he rather inconspicuously by the window, while Anna chose the challenging centre stage. She sensed a mystery, a conspiracy of silence, albeit a benign one, and she loved it. Mysteries were her thing and she was very good at solving them.

Meanwhile, a part anxious, part amused frisson passed through Ygraine, and, after giving an update on her husband's condition which concerned his children greatly, she turned to her daughter. Unaware of the earlier short confrontation between Anna and Merlin, yet understanding Anna's tenacious streak of curiosity, she accepted that Anna would demand some explanation of what had happened while she'd been gone.

"Have you got any questions you'd like to put to Arthur, or the rest of us, Anna?"

Giving her mother a quick glance of acknowledgement and approval, Anna spoke. "I do, Mum. You know me too well, though, right now, I'm sure Arthur is wishing I weren't quite so inquisitive."

And indeed, Anna was right in her reading of her brother's thoughts. He reverted to mind talk. "Mum! What are you doing? I thought we'd agreed to keep Anna in the dark..."

"About Morgause and Ariahrhod... and reincarnation, but I doubt Anna will be so easily diverted about the threat to Camelot." Ygraine looked warningly at her son.

"Your mother's right. Anna's already tried to give me the third degree in a small way," Merlin hissed into Arthur's brain. "We have to tell her something about what's happening otherwise she'll go off and investigate on her own and I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not sure that talking telepathically is a good thing either. You know Anna has the gift. Just because she's not aware of it doesn't mean she won't be able to hear something."

Arthur's mouth twisted in a pout of disagreement, before he gave in and addressed Anna. "OK, Sis. Fire away! Do you have any questions?"

"I want to know what Sigan Fuels is up to. I have got the name right? And I want to know what you're doing to combat its efforts to bring down our firm!" Anna said, squaring up to her brother. "Gwen's already told me a little about it, but the last I knew was that we were being blamed for those strange water spouts somewhere in Scotland."

"Not anymore! Rhys managed to clear us completely of that charge. He took samples of the waters and found someone had managed to contaminate those ponds with chemicals which appeared to have created some pre-volcanic markers."

"Is that possible?" Anna's question came at Arthur and Rhys with the speed of a bullet.

"It is." Merlin chose to fill the slight silence which had followed. "Along with the odd... gadget."

"Gadget?" Anna's arched brows rose.

"Yeah," Arthur replied, trying to sound composed. "You know, compressed air cylinders. That sort of thing. Together they created quite a spectacle." He rushed on, hoping to forestall more needling queries from his sister. "The main thing is that we could disprove the allegation that the chemicals were leaking from our Bearsden Plant and we could hardly have a motive for creating the turbulent waters with toys and various concoctions. If we'd been guilty, we'd have done our best to cover up any manifestations."

"I guess," Anna admitted grudgingly, but mostly because she'd have loved to be the one to uncover that sort of fraud. However, that didn't mean there wasn't something she could look into. "Gwen mentioned you suspect Sigan Fuels might be responsible for these war games. Any particular reason why?"

Taking a deep breath, Arthur answered with a good deal of conviction. "Because they're the new players on the scene. Our other competitors have been around for as long as we have and, apart from the usual one-upmanship, none of them have attempted any of the outlandish shenanigans this lot employ."

"And the CEO did rent a cabin cruiser at the end of April. He's hired it for an indefinite period and it's now moored in a marina in Poole," Matthew interrupted, still a little hesitantly, as if he were over-awed by the company.

"Why didn't you didn't tell us?"

"And why is that significant?"

Arthur's edgy demand came on top of Anna's analytical one and left Matthew looking even more uncomfortable.

"Because a group of people arrived by boat on Easdale shortly before the problems with the water started," Merlin explained, hoping to draw Arthur's fire off Matthew and to satisfy Anna's curiosity. "People whom the locals thought looked out of place... not from your usual yachting fraternity, nor your normal tourist."

"And you happen to know it was this particular yacht?" Anna asked more kindly than her brother, giving the young man a chance to regain his equilibrium.

"Yes. These hired boats have a GPS system which allows them to be tracked, supposedly for safety purposes, but it also comes in handy if you want to follow someone's trail. Mind you, I can't say for certain Cornwallis made that trip, but his yacht did. It's visited those islands twice. Once in late Spring and again in June," Matthew replied, glancing between the siblings. "And I didn't tell you because I've just found out. As we agreed, I only started investigating Cornwallis's record earlier today."

"Sorry, Matthew. The past few days have been intense, but I shouldn't have snapped at you." Arthur's apology was accompanied by one of his flashing smiles and, if this one appeared somewhat weary, it only made him seem more genuine. "Actually, I'm surprised by how well you've done in such a short space of time."

"Arthur, I'm hoping the visit in June was the one when a woman was a member of the party," Merlin suggested, before turning to the lady who was following the conversation with the concentration of a wise old owl. "Fiona, is that possible? Otherwise, Sigan has had an accomplice for longer than we suspected."

"My boy, it very well could be." Fiona laughed, a little self-deprecating and also at the irony of calling a man of Merlin's great age a boy. "My memory isn't as good as it once was... I can hardly remember what I had for dinner yesterday!" Which was, of course, an exaggeration, but her tiny detour into humour relieved the tension for a second or two and everyone smiled.

Merlin, however, was warming to his theme. "That woman matched the description of Eleanor Blessed."

"They know each other?" Again, Anna's retort was sharp and incisive but purely professional.

"We don't know for sure," Arthur admitted, lines appearing in his brow. "But we think they might be working together. It would make sense."

"Arthur, I think we can prove they are acquainted." Matthew drew all eyes back to him as he powered up his trusty tablet, the one he never seemed to be without. "Since I'm trying to track Cornwallis, I decided to add a search for Ms Blessed too... and this turned up." He offered the pad to Arthur and Merlin, who were standing close together in front of the fireplace. Arthur took it and began scrolling through what were clearly press photos.

"You're looking at some still pictures of a banquet at the Mansion House in London and there are a few of Mark and Eleanor together," Matthew explained. Now that he was embarked on his favourite hobby horse of research, his voice took on a more positive note. "Also, if you click on the video link, you'll see some footage of your parents. If you look closely at the background, you'll spot Cornwallis and Blessed paying them quite a lot of interest."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, as he handed the tablet to Merlin. "These were taken at the Lord Mayor's Banquet... so they would know each other in June. Time enough for them to turn up in a boat on Easdale?"

"But surely the waters were acting up before that time?" Gwen asked. She too was thinking, calculating.

"Yes! But Matthew has just told us the yacht was there twice, if that tracking device can be trusted," Merlin said, passing the device with its damning photos and video to Anna.

"Oh, they're accurate, particularly the latest versions." Drew, who'd been standing silent in the bay window like a guard on security duty, finally joined the conversation. "Where I come from they use them a lot to trace yachts which have strayed off course. Mind you, you can disable the GPS, but it seems Cornwallis never thought of that."

"So what, Rhys? Are you suggesting they went once to set up the whole show and went back in June to check on how it was doing? If you remember, we were there in June taking samples from the waters." Arthur still didn't look convinced and he'd clenched his hands behind his back to keep them from fidgeting.

"Sounds feasible, especially if he knew you'd begun testing... or maybe Cornwallis just wanted to show off his pyrotechnics to his new co-conspirator," Anna mused, her instincts beginning to get a feel for a story. "It's what I would have insisted upon if I were Eleanor and joining forces with someone I didn't know."

"You believe all this?" Arthur said in shock. Normally his sister would argue with him for hours before she saw things from his point of view... and sometimes she never agreed. In this case, even he admitted their evidence was pretty sketchy.

Anna's shoulders lifted in an almost imperceptible shrug. "Let's just say I have a gut feeling..."

"Like Merlin!" Arthur blurted out.

"What?" Anna asked, pouncing on his mistake, which Gwen hurried to correct.

"Oh, it's a joke. We've taken to calling them Arthur and Merlin since they've been thick as thieves since this whole thing began."

Anna laughed heartily, looking at the two men standing rather sheepishly in front of the mantelpiece. "Good one, Gwen! I like it. Arthur's always been lacking a sidekick." But she quickly settled down and returned to the business at hand, deciding a seasoned reporter should actually take charge of this investigation. She set her sights on Matthew. "Remind me! Who are you and what your role is here?"

Immediately, Arthur stepped forward, placing himself between Anna and her quarry. He knew what it was like to be the focus of his sister's laser-like attention. "Anna, this is Matthew Davidson. He's a researcher in IT for Camelot Industries and he's very good at his job. He's also working for me, so quit the bullying tactics. He's already on Cornwallis' trail."

"Good! And I'm sure he'd appreciate some professional help," Anna said, smiling sweetly at her brother. "I am an award-winning reporter."

"I know! You never let us forget it." Arthur smirked sarcastically back at Anna, while his quick brain was considering how to get her off the case. "So, doesn't it follow that it's a waste of resources to have our best people chasing down the same leads? Why don't you leave us with Cornwallis and start investigating Eloise. If they're working together, she should be under our spotlight too, and she seems to be just as dangerous... more perhaps."

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Merlin's worried voice sounded loud in Arthur's ear. "You're sending her straight into the line of fire again... and she could remember her past if she comes in contact with Morgause too often."

"We can't work if she's sitting on our shoulder. Believe me, I know my sister, she'll interfere and you've already inferred that sending Sigan back to the netherworld is our top priority."

Totally unaware of the frantic conversation taking place between her brother and his friend, Anna gave Arthur's suggestion some thought before replying. "Actually, you're right in this case, dear brother. I do have a personal bone to pick with Ms Blessed..."

The distinct warbling of her smart phone alerted Anna. Fishing it from her pocket, she glanced at the screen, hit the answer icon and marched over to a far corner of the room. Facing the wall, she held a whispered conversation while the others waited apprehensively. Anna could be a loose cannon which could blow their investigations apart and lead to her remembering who she'd been and what she'd done. Neither of those scenarios were welcome. They waited in silence.

Suddenly, Anna turned, her face transformed by a happy, somewhat sexy smile. "That was Wayne. You must have convinced him that Eloise Blessed is still a threat to my safety. He's been trying to track her down, but she seems to have disappeared. He's suggested we join forces and he's asked me to dinner to discuss tactics..." With a mercurial change of mood, Anna continued. "Sorry, guys, but I'll have to leave you. I'm off to get ready for my 'date' and I'll let you find proof against Sigan. Bye everyone... Drew, it was really good to see you again and we'll have to catch up when all this is finished. To those of you I don't know, it was nice to meet you... and ditto! We can all have a long chat later."

With those last words, she left the room, leaving them all to heave a sigh of relief. Anna was a force of nature!

"Thank God for Wayne," Arthur commented, his feeling heartfelt. "And thank God Anna still fancies him, otherwise we'd never have been able to distract her."

"I don't think Wayne's the only one we should be grateful to," Ygraine said, at last, her hands gripped tight in her lap. "I'm sure The White Goddess took a hand in diverting Anna. She understands how important it is to stop Anna regaining her memory at the moment, both for herself and for her relationship with Wayne."

Arthur cocked his head at his mother. "You believe Wayne was channelling The White Goddess?"

"It makes sense," Merlin answered. "I doubt we've seen the last of The Goddess... or of Morgause. Though we left her at Arianshod, we've no idea where she is now. I'm hoping she's still under The Goddess's care and Wayne and Anna are on a wild goose chase."

"At least we can continue our research in peace." Arthur turned to Matthew. "Thanks for what you've already discovered, but do you know what Cornwallis was doing five years ago?"

Matthew shook his head unhappily. "I'm sorry. Not yet. That's going to take more time, but I'll get there. Don't stress!"

"But not right at this moment," Ygraine said, getting up from her seat. "Anna's dinner arrangements are sorted, but we all need to eat. Most of you know I'm not the best of cooks, but I'm sure I can throw something together for us."

Fiona, too, stood up. "Mrs Penderel, if you don't mind, I could give you a hand in the kitchen."

"Would you? Your help would be most welcome." Ygraine offered the older woman a gracious smile. "And please, call me Ygraine... The kitchen is this way."

The younger women made to follow, but Ygraine had different ideas. "No! Stay." She turned in the doorway. "Freya, you've just come from Argyll and I can see Merlin is desperate to talk to you." Again she smiled, beneficent. "I wouldn't deprive him of his pleasure, my dear... and, as my son and Gwen are joined at the hip, I've no doubt they'll find some way to amuse themselves. Matthew, put that computer away for now. If you and Drew will come to the kitchen, I'm sure we have some cold beer in the fridge. Why don't you both go out to the conservatory, relax with a beer and compare notes... on this life or the last. We'll call you all when dinner is ready."

Having deployed her loved ones satisfactorily, Ygraine took Fiona's arm and, sharing a grin, they went off to prepare the food. No doubt, they too would be comparing notes.

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I hope you found this 'catch-up' chapter through Anna's eyes as interesting as the earlier chapters. Sometimes I feel the need to sort through my plot lines for my own peace of mind.

I might be a few days late with my next post as I've quite a lot of private life stuff on in the coming weeks and I'm already feeling quite exhausted. However, I will try not to keep you waiting... or not too long.

Looking forward to your reviews and hoping you didn't find this reprise boring.