I just want to stress I don't drag out updates for the fun of it. I usually work on three different chapters at a time, every evening, or during the day depending on what shifts I work at my job and I also do tiny bits of writing on future fanfics. And original stuff. Plus, somewhere in there I have to read and sleep. Sometimes I include food into this scenario. Long story short, I apologize for how long updates take.

Warnings: This story is shounen-ai, yaoi, slash, gay, whatever. Merlin/Arthur Arthur/Merlin

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter 11

"Necromancer," Merlin breathed as all the blood drained from his face. This is my punishment for kissing Arthur! Gaius would kill him once he joined them in the throne room, knowing this catastrophe had been a direct result of their, sort of, agreed upon relationship. Fate had turned its back and been horrified when it turned around and saw what had transpired. It had then decided to punish them by killing the people of Glencier with a necromancer. This was completely unfair, because if fate had done its job and kept watching, surely Arthur would have fainted, or Merlin, or both, or maybe the tower would have collapsed putting Merlin into a coma until Arthur married someone else. Fate could have done anything it wanted to stop this relationship from being established. Not that Merlin had actually agreed to a relationship, but Arthur had asked, and he was the prince and who was he to deny the prince? Okay, he ignored Arthur's orders most of the time, but as his servant he had to follow some of them every now and then. It might as well be this one, right?

Not that he actually ordered me to date him. But Arthur was already talking marriage, because why not? He had no idea Arthur moved so fast in relationships. Yes, Arthur tended to do so when under a love spell, but he wasn't this time, which made this mess all the more terrifying. Merlin couldn't just knock the spell caster aside the head with a rock or get Arthur to come to his senses with an antidote, because it seemed for once that Arthur's feelings for someone were genuine. That someone just happened to be him for the first time ever. Maybe I should hit Arthur with a rock. That could fix everything. He could act like Arthur had never admitted his feelings, and maybe he'd be too scared to admit them again.

"This is horrible," Gwen whispered. "Do you think the necromancer will come here?"

Merlin dragged his attention outward. Right, necromancer. "...Eventually, if it's not stopped. I can't imagine it would only attack one city unless it's carrying out a revenge of some sort." Okay, suddenly being Arthur's boyfriend was bad for the country anyway, but the necromancer was worse. Best to deal with the far more pressing matter of undead first. They weren't the easiest things to deal with when they were alone, so of course this one had brought an army with it and some unknown creature, probably also undead. Maybe if I throw myself from the tower fate will stop having a nervous breakdown and the necromancer will vanish. Right, and so would the army and all the other magic users attempting to kill Arthur thanks to Uther's stupidity. Arthur's dream woman would then appear, begging him to protect her, and Merlin could drag himself off into the sunset, back to Ealdor. Or a forest and spend the rest of his days with the Druids.

"Why would someone risk summoning a necromancer for revenge," Belden asked, frowning. "That's reckless."

"Some people don't care if others get hurt." He stopped, seeing the look of horror on Belden's face, though he couldn't exactly blame him. Revenge by necromancer didn't happen often. Even before Uther had brought a lid down on magic, a spell caster summoning a necromancer had been rare. The few attacks had been recorded, thankfully and plenty of different types of necromancers were classified in books. Hopefully, whatever they had to deal with was in one of those books next to a paragraph on exact instructions on how to kill the thing. Rekill? Unanimate?

"What are we going to do," Gwen asked. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Gaius will know what to do," Merlin said, smiling at her. He raised his hand to pat her arm, when the distinct feeling of someone glaring at him from behind, daring him to carry out his action, rushed him. He shoved both hands into his pockets.

"Y, yes, that's right! Gaius knows how to handle these sorts of things and with the knights, we'll be perfectly safe!" She forced a smile that didn't fit her or convey any feelings of happiness.

"Right," Merlin said, knowing full well this wasn't going to be a knight problem, but a Merlin and Gaius one. Luca and Percival, who were currently the only two knights in the room, seemed to realize that was the case too, because they were looking at him with very grim faces. There was nothing he could do about that, though. Undead creatures were considered magic and had to be defeated by magical means. Unless they got lucky and this was one of those weak ones that went up in flames with the smallest of sparks. Of course, that might burn down the city of Glencier, but one problem at a time.

"Gaius is on his way," Ulrich gasped, leaning against the doorframe, and trying to catch his breath.

"Good," Uther said, turning to the others present. "Servants are dismissed for the time being. Stay in the dining hall and don't speak a word of this yet," he warned them. "Should someone decide to ignore my order, they'll find themselves in the dungeon, if they're lucky."

I can't leave!

Gaius walked in quickly, his eyes falling on Merlin before he looked to Uther. "I'm afraid I will be invoking Merlin's status as my apprentice, my Lord."

"Yes, yes, whatever you need," Uther said, with a quick wave of his hand.

If the situation wasn't so bad, he'd throw his arms around Gaius. Instead, he smiled at the other two servants. "What am I supposed to do?" He walked over to Gaius, who was standing next to the two men from Glencier.

"We need to find out exactly what we're dealing with," Gaius said, turning to Merlin. "I need you to go fetch the books we have on dark creatures from our room."

"Right!" He caught Arthur looking at him, worry clearly etched on his face, and offered him a small smile. It wasn't much, but he couldn't let Arthur spiral out of control while they tried to put together a plan.

"We'll have them help us figure out what kind of necromancer is in Glencier. Once we know that, we'll be able to decide on the proper course of action."

Merlin nodded and mouthed the words, 'It's fine.' to Arthur. Only to see the prince stealthily moving from his seat towards him.

"Oswin, I need you to bring me some paper and ink," Gaius said. The page nodded and rushed out of the room. "Now Merlin!"

"I'm going!" The council itself had begun talking amongst themselves, while the servants started exiting the room. Merlin followed the servants out, hoping Arthur wouldn't be able to find him in the crowd.

"Merlin," Belden said, grabbing the warlock's arm. "Gaius can stop this, right?" He was trying to sound matter of fact, but his body was shaking. Merlin gave a quick look around, didn't see Arthur, and hugged the younger servant. It was easy to forget he was only fifteen, and just barely. Belden's birthday had been only a few weeks ago. "Gaius knows exactly what to do. Everything will be fine." He released him and grinned. "This isn't the first time he's had to deal with stuff like this." And I've dealt with a few myself. They hadn't been necromancers, but any experience against an undead creature would be helpful in this situation.

Belden nodded, looking slightly calmer. "Okay."

A hand suddenly clamped down on Belden's shoulder from behind, both him and Merlin jumping. "We have this under control, Belden. Go ahead and see if your little sister needs help in the kitchen. Just don't mention any of this yet." Arthur gave one of his winning smiles, but Merlin could feel the murderous intent billowing from him.

Belden did not seem to notice. "My lord… thank you." He dropped into a low bow and took off down the hall.

"That was nice of you," Merlin said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm a nice person." He grabbed Merlin's hand.

Merlin's eyes instantly went to their hands. "Shouldn't you be in the throne room?"

"My father will get over it." Silence. "… Are you just going to stare at our hands or are we getting the books?"

"R, right." Blushing, he forced himself to look forward and started towards the tower. He really wanted and needed to address this, but necromancer first. Besides, he was enjoying this.

"I don't like this."

"I should hope not."

"I meant I don't like this getting thrown on you and Gaius."

"Oh, well, it won't just be us. The knights will end up involved too." Knowing what he did about undead creatures, he'd be charming a lot of swords in the near future. Will Uther send Arthur? Sometimes Uther seemed more than willing to throw Arthur into any situation that might end his life with the excuse that Arthur was the prince and the people of Camelot needed to know they could rely on him. Other times he was fine with locking Arthur in his room and actually doing something about a bad situation himself. Those times were rare.

"Are you scared," Arthur laughed.

"… I am," he said, Arthur's laughter dying. His fear had nothing to do with himself, however. He held Arthur's hand tighter, praying nothing would happen to him.

"You're not going to Glencier alone," Arthur pointed out. "I'll be there, and you know I won't let anything happen to you."

Merlin wished he could be that confident. It would probably be better if he did go alone or just him and Gaius. If only he could tell Arthur about his magic. Instead, he made a face. "Of course, I'm not going alone. I don't have a death wish. What could I possibly do against undead—"

"I mean it Merlin! Promise me you won't run off alone!" He stopped, making Merlin do so as well, his eyes narrowed.

"I promise," he said, shaking his head. He wasn't running headfirst into an army of the undead. And he'd definitely have someone next to him for moral support while he tried to cast whatever complicated spell he was going to have to use to save all their arses. Preferably someone with knowledge of swordplay and good eyesight. He had every intention of surviving this ordeal and living a very long and peaceful life and he could too, if fate would stop getting in the way or at least do its job during important life events!

"Good." He started walking again, pulling Merlin with him.

Merlin smiled, watching Arthur's back. Somehow it made him feel safe. He squeezed Arthur's hand again. If he did die though, at least he could go happy.

Arthur smiled. "Are you done accusing me of being under a love spell?"

Merlin shrugged. "You can't blame me for being worried, but even if you are, I'm taking advantage of it right now while we deal with the necromancer. I deserve something in return for helping Glencier out, don't I?"

"I know I do." He pulled Merlin into the entrance of Gaius's tower and kissed him.

A gasp had them both looking to their left. Payton, one of the guards, was staring at them, his eyes wide, grinning.

Oh no.

Arthur returned Payton's smile and pulled Merlin up the stairs.

"Arthur!"

"I told you I'm not hiding."

"At least wait until we've dealt with the necromancer and whatever else it brought with before triggering Uther's hell storm!" He couldn't save the country if he was in the dungeon or if he was dead and no one else was going to be able to get rid of it. Then he'd go down in history, if there was anyone left to write the history of Camelot down, as an idiot servant instead of the grand warlock he actually was.

"No." He smirked and released Merlin's hand as he entered the tower. "Where are these books?"

Jerk. Blushing, Merlin followed. "I'll get them." He went to their public bookcase and started scanning the titles. Gaius and he would go through their more private collection later on in the evening, after Arthur was asleep. "This one…" He pulled out one book, then wished Uther wasn't so stupid and he could pull the other books out, they'd be a lot more helpful, and they would be able to settle this issue sooner, but what could he do?

"What about this one," Arthur asked. He was holding up a book on mythical creatures.

"Maybe. The creature stampeding through the city might be in there." Arthur looked pleased, Merlin having to hold back an eye roll. Sometimes the simplest things made Arthur happy. "This should be all of them."

Arthur grabbed two of the five books Merlin was holding and started for the door. "Come on."

"He, hey!" He jogged after him. "You're going to get me in trouble!"

He glanced at Merlin. "When aren't you in trouble?"

"Just let me carry the books."

"No."

"Arthur!"

Payton looked absolutely thrilled to see them pass by and bickering. Scowling, Merlin picked up his pace. "I've carried a lot of stuff and most of it is far heavier than a stack of books!"

"As your boyfriend, it's my job—"

"I don't care what I am, I'm perfectly capable of doing my job!"

Arthur stopped, looking him over. "You're right," he sighed. He leaned forward and dropped the books he had onto the three Merlin was holding. "But not today," he added, snatching all six from Merlin's hands in one fluid movement. Smirking, he took off down the hall, Merlin staring at his departing form as his brain slowly began to put together what had just happened.

"But…" Arthur was going to make it to the throne room long before he did, holding the books he was supposed to be holding. "DAMNIT ARTHUR!" He ran down the hall after him. With the way Arthur was flaunting their new relationship, Merlin would be in the dungeon before sundown. His stupid boyfriend could at least wait until after they'd left for Glencier for Uther to find out about them! Not that it matter he realized. He was going to be in the dungeon anyway if Uther pretended not to realize they were dating and instead believed that he was making Arthur do his job. Ugh! I should have stayed in Ealdor!

He ran down the first hall, turning left when he made it to the end. There wasn't a single sign that Arthur had come this way, but there wasn't another way for him to go from the entrance they'd used. He dashed down the next hall, and the next. Four halls later, he sagged against the wall, taking in gulps of air. He knew Arthur was in good shape, but this was ridiculous. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Arthur had had a horse waiting for him two halls down from the door and had ridden it the rest of the way to the throne room.

No sense in hurrying now. He began walking, wondering how much trouble he was going to get in for this one. Gaius would get mad because Uther would be mad and well, maybe spending a few days in the dungeon wouldn't be such a bad thing. As long as the door remained locked, neither one of them could harm Merlin. At least not enough to kill him. And maybe Arthur would run into a beautiful noblewoman he would have to save in Glencier while Merlin was locked up in Camelot. Arthur would come to his senses and choose the fair damsel in distress over the idiot prisoner. The relationship would work, because all the fairytales claim once a prince saves someone they live happily ever after. Merlin would eventually be released, and Camelot would eventually get its heir!

Wait, I'm the only one who can stop a necromancer.

"Could you go any slower?"

Merlin looked up. Arthur was standing in front of the throne room, glaring at him, books still in hand.

"I didn't see the point in killing myself to get thrown into the dungeon."

"Just get over here," Arthur sighed. Merlin did so, and Arthur dropped the six books into his arms. He opened the door to the throne room and stepped inside, Merlin staggering in behind him.

"What took you so long, Merlin," Gaius demanded. He crossed the room, snatching the top two books from him. As he did, he glared at Merlin. "What were you two doing," he hissed quietly.

"I didn't do anything! He's lost his mind," Merlin whispered back.

"Prince Arthur is yours to handle, so do your job!"

"I was trying to do my job! He's trying to get me thrown into the dungeon before we even make it out of Camelot!"

"Is something wrong, Gaius," Uther asked.

"Nothing, my Lord," Gaius said cheerfully while still glaring at Merlin. "Just making sure Merlin grabbed the right books."

Arthur sat back down on his throne, his eyes dancing with amusement. It took all of Merlin's willpower not to throw one of the books he was holding at him.

Gaius allowed his glare to linger half a minute longer before turning back to the two men from Glencier. "Whatever you saw should be in one of these books." He approached them, Merlin trailing behind.

He snuck a glare at Arthur when Gaius wasn't looking, who again smirked at him, before turning his attention back to Gaius and the two men. Arrogant jerk. He would get Arthur back for this. He would… he's trying to sabotage me! Merlin would be at Arthur's mercy for everything if Uther threw him into the dungeon, and that could not happen!

"Not that one," North said.

Gaius flipped through a few more pages. "What about this one?"

"No, it was very pale, and the skin was practically stuck to its bones," Linwood explained.

"Gaius—!"

Gaius brought his elbow up without looking and launched it into Merlin's stomach.

"UGH!" Merlin doubled over, hugging his stomach. Why was everyone being so mean to him today!?

"What about this one," Gaius asked as if he just hadn't assaulted his apprentice.

"No… almost…" North frowned. "The skin wasn't rotting."

It's a Lich, Merlin mentally screamed. He knew it was; he was pretty sure Gaius knew it was, but for some reason Gaius didn't want him saying it aloud. It wasn't like the legend was illegal! Dangerous if someone took it the wrong way and reported you to Uther, but not illegal.

Percival came over to Merlin and took his arm, moving him away from Gaius. "What did you say," he asked, quietly.

"I didn't get to say anything," Merlin muttered. "But I know what it is."

Luca raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you know how to defeat it?"

"We're going to need all the inner circle knights," Merlin said.

Percival and Luca both sighed.

The inner circle knights was the nickname Merlin had given to the knights who knew about his magic. Meaning, all the knights that had just endured Arthur's horrible jealous behavior were going to have to follow his lead in stopping a lich of all things.

I don't want to, but…

"Listen, Arthur won't lash out at any of you anymore, okay?"

Percival snorted. "He's not worried about us. It's Gareth's head he's after."

Merlin nodded. Now that he thought about it, Gareth was the one who irked Arthur most of the time.

"What was the breaking point," Luca asked.

"Lucien." Which was strange because if someone had to choose between the bookshop keeper's son or the highly illegal warlock, most people would grab the bookshop keeper's son and run. Fast. And then there were the more practical reasons for choosing Lucien, such as a better paycheck, better job security. He was definitely better looking than Merlin.

But Arthur doesn't like to read. Knowing Arthur, that was probably the deciding factor.

"I knew he'd come around eventually," Percival said, sighing. "Just didn't think it'd take this long." He looked at Arthur and shook his head. "So, what do you need from us?"

"I need everyone to make sure they have iron weapons. Anything silver will help too."

"Understood."

Luca gave a quick look around. No one was looking at them. "I'll go warn the others." He gave another check around and slipped out the door.

This is going to be a nightmare… He shook his head. That's way too literal. How were they supposed to deal with this? The necromancer was probably a lich, one of the more dangerous types because, once summoned, had its own free will. The summoner could control the creature if they wanted to, but often the magic wielder would leave after summoning the lich and allow it to run rampant all on its own. The chaos a lich could create was usually far greater than anything a human could come up with.

Frowning, he looked to Arthur, who was impatiently tapping his fingers on his armrest. Arthur can't get involved with this. Arthur raised an eyebrow in his direction and he quickly looked away.

"What's wrong," Percival asked.

"Listen…" He moved Percival further away from the others. "If Uther orders Arthur into this mess, we're going to have to distract him. We can't let him try and fight a lich. He won't win."

"A lich?" Percival's face paled. "You think it's a lich?"

He nodded. And with the knights doing their best to keep Arthur preoccupied, Merlin could, completely disobeying what Arthur had just made him promise moments ago, slip away alone, and destroy the creature. It wasn't ideal, but even if he enchanted every knights' weapon and armor, it would only do so much good. Gaius might have a better idea, but for now, he would start lying the groundwork so he could sneak off when the appropriate time came, just in case.

"Are you sure it was a necromancer," Gaius asked.

"It was undead, without a doubt," North said.

"That doesn't necessarily mean it's a necromancer," Gaius said. "Perhaps you could draw it for us?"

"I could try," North said.

"I'm not much of an artist," Linwood muttered.

Gaius didn't seem to care. He pointed towards the nearest table where he laid two pieces of parchment down and handed them quills. "Draw."

The two men looked at each other, shrugged, and began their task.

"Are you sure it's a lich," Percival asked.

"Gaius doesn't want everyone in the court to know for some reason." Though Merlin could guess that it was so the people of Camelot didn't go into a panic. Or maybe he just didn't want Uther throwing one of his infamous fits that put Arthur's own to shame. Why is the royal family here so violent?

"Gaius and you know how to stop it, right?"

"I'm sure Gaius has something written down somewhere." Gaius seemed to have an inexhaustible amount of instructions written down in their private collections inside the tower. If not for Uther's stupid laws, they could have pulled them out already and maybe be packing for their trip to Glencier already. "We'll save Glencier. Or what's left of it…"

"What a rotten time for a necromancer to show up though, now that you and Arthur—" Merlin slapped his hand over Percival's mouth, his glare daring the knight to even continue his thought. "Shut. Up," he hissed. Percival nodded, his eyes wide. "Good." Merlin removed his hand. "Go tell the inner circle to meet in the tower after dinner."

"Alright… Merlin?"

"What?"

"Be careful." He left the room without bothering to see if he was being watched, everyone's attention focused on the drawings the two men were attempting.

Careful isn't going to be enough, he thought bitterly. He rejoined Gaius, who was looking more and more angry as the men tried to draw the necromancer they'd seen. Even with their terrible skills, Merlin could make out the signs that it was indeed a lich. The way the skin was pulled against the bones, no rotting flesh. Linwood had given the creature a weapon which narrowed the necromancer down to three types, a lich being one of them. "We have a plan, right," Merlin asked, quietly.

"If you can call it that, yes," Gaius whispered.

"… Do I need to ditch everyone before going after it?"

Gaius looked away from the drawings, frowning. "I don't want to say yes, but…"

"But no one else is going to stand a chance."

Gaius nodded before turning back to the two men. "Give me that," he snapped, grabbing the two drawings. The men looked alarmed but said nothing as Gaius studied the two drawings. "These drawings aren't going to do us much good." He turned to Uther. "Sire, if I start now, I might be able to find what is destroying their city, but judging by these drawings, it does not seem to be a necromancer. If it is, this is something we've never seen before."

Merlin stared at Gaius.

"We'll reconvene first thing tomorrow morning," Uther said. "The rest of you are under strict orders not to tell anyone about any of this or what we fear might have happened to Glencier, not until we have a proper answer, am I clear?" The people inside the room nodded. Merlin knew everyone in Camelot would know by the time dinner was served. "Good. Dismissed."

"Thank you, King Uther." Gaius bowed deeply, straightened himself, grabbed Merlin's arm, and dragged him out of the throne room before anyone around them could say a word. "Of all the things," Gaius muttered.

"Do you think if I tell Arthur no, it'll just disappear?"

"What do you mean tell him no?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"If you told Prince Arthur no, Camelot will be burning to the ground tonight, long before this thing arrives at the gate!" He jerked Merlin's arm hard.

"Ow!" He started walking faster. "Do you have a better idea? Because I'm willing to leave tonight and do what needs to be done, but I can't have Arthur following me."

Gaius stopped. "Call for a meeting tonight."

"I already did."

"Good. Have Prince Arthur join us."

"Wh, what?!" Arthur couldn't join them! That completely defeated the purpose of having a meeting with the inner circle!

"Trust me, Merlin. I have an idea."

"If you say so…"

"I'll go over the details with you now, before the others arrive."

(X)

Merlin placed the cake down on the table next to the apple pie. The table was covered in the other foods the knights had thrown at him for Sweet's day, all of them still fresh curtsey of yet another useful spell he'd located in the same book with the mattress spell and warming spell. With all the inner circle joining them and the rather dark subject they'd be discussing, food seemed like a necessity.

A quick knock followed by two short ones told them one of the knights had arrived. The door swung open and Gwaine and Percival entered.

"I brought alcohol," Gwaine said.

"Of course, you did," Gaius sighed. "No one get drunk until after we've fully discussed everything."

"I brought some bread," Percival said. He dropped the loaf down onto the table.

"No one needed to bring any food," Merlin muttered. It seemed they had the same idea as Merlin, though. If they were going to be talking about bad things, they might as well enjoy good food while doing so. At least they helped them without drawing any suspicion.

"I have roasted chicken," Gareth cried, entering the room. "Elizabeth's personal cook made it and I promise you won't be disappointed!" He set the platter down with a dramatic flourish. "Prince Arthur isn't here yet? How did you manage that?" He spotted Merlin, grinned, and threw his arms around him tightly. "I told you he was madly in love with you!"

"He's not—!" Merlin started, his face burning. "He's just confused!"

Gareth snorted. "No one is that confused."

"I… I promised Arthur I would tell you to stop hanging all over me so…" Though it seemed pointless now. What good would telling Gareth to stop do him?

"I knew it would have to end between us sometime," Gareth sighed. He hugged Merlin all the tighter and released him. "If he ever grows tired of you, just let me know. I'll take you back, no questions asked." He winked at him.

"I'd rather die," Arthur said, the others jumping. "I brought some apple cider." He dropped the small barrel onto the table and walked over to Merlin. "Thank you."

"F, for what?"

"For telling Gareth to stop." He gave Merlin a quick kiss on the cheek. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Merlin nodded, his brain turning off.

"Gwen insisted I bring vegetables." Lancelot said and set the bowl down next to the other food. He seemed to notice Arthur standing there because he stopped and blinked a few times. "My Lord."

"Lancelot."

The door opened, Luca walking in. "I have dried fruit."

"How often do you all do this," Arthur asked.

"My lord, we have gatherings like this at least every two weeks to keep Merlin's sanity intact," Gareth said. He dropped a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Now that you're a part of the keep Merlin sane organization, you're free to join us."

Merlin sighed. He hated when Gareth called the inner circle that.

"So, all of you have been watching over Merlin and what?"

"My lord, you don't seem to understand just how much Merlin likes you. Every time you were entertaining a noble woman, he—"

"He doesn't need to know about any of that," Merlin shouted. He had more than enough memories to scrub from Arthur's brain, if that was even possible, without Gareth giving Arthur a rundown of Merlin's life and feelings. If I find that spell, I'm wiping Gareth's memories too. Actually, he'd have to wipe everyone's memories, but Gaius's if he found such a spell. Just the thought of that had him sitting down at the table. Maybe it would be a potion, though he doubted it, and he could just add it to the water supply. What am I even worried about? That was an issue to worry about this morning, not now.

"Merlin?" Arthur sat next to him.

"I'm fine… I just can't believe this is happening."

"We'll take care of the necromancer in Glencier. It can't be that difficult, right?"

"My lord… we're actually dealing with a lich," Gaius said. "Merlin and I knew from the start, but we didn't want to alarm anyone, in case we were wrong."

Arthur frowned. "How do we kill a lich?"

"With iron and silver weapons," Merlin said, fast. They would be charmed weapons, but the less Arthur knew, the better. "The problem is finding its weak point. There's a good chance that whoever summoned the lich is the one with its anchor."

"How do we find the sorcerer," Arthur asked.

"That's the problem, we have no idea where the sorcerer is or how to find them. They probably summoned the lich and ran."

"We can't just ignore a lich running through Camelot!"

"We're not," Gaius said. "The lich will need to be dismembered, and the parts kept separated until we can locate the sorcerer."

"We can do that, right?" Arthur looked at one knight to the other. They nodded, probably more for Merlin's sake than Arthur's. "How far apart do the pieces need to be kept?"

"It would probably be best to bury them in separate cities," Merlin said.

"If we each take a piece, it will take some time, but we can do that," Arthur said.

"That's assuming your father allows you to take part in this," Lancelot said. "The last time an undead creature was involved, he refused to let you battle it."

"But he had no problem sending Arthur to his death to kill a creature that was impossible to kill without magic," Gwaine snorted.

"Who else would he possibly send? Someone has to lead the knights," Arthur protested.

"There have been a few times King Uther has ordered me to fulfill missions without you, my lord," Gareth said.

Those missions were often ones Gaius assured Uther that Gareth and a few knights were more than enough and sending Arthur would be an insult to his position, while in reality Merlin had been sneaking out with the group and helping destroy whatever creature or sorcerer was causing problems. Most of them were thankfully within a few hours riding distance from Camelot, and so Merlin was "in the tavern" as Gaius so nicely put it when Arthur came looking for him. Merlin didn't think they could get away with that excuse this time.

"I'm not abandoning the people of Glencier," Arthur said. "None of us are."

"No, we aren't," Gareth agreed.

We're just abandoning you, Merlin thought wearily. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

(TBC)