More than magic
Part 2
Strange, luminous strands of blue entwined me. They were a bit like intangible ropes, connecting me to another, living being whose presence somewhere in space I could clearly sense. I could feel her fierce determination, her will to overcome weakness and pain, her desire to return to that warm, safe place to which she had always returned. I caught sight of her at one point; framed in a blue ring, a frail, milky white point, flickering like a candle flame in a draught. I realised that I could reach for her, look through her eyes, take control completely. I was tempted to do so, to explore uncharted regions of magic, to test my skills. Right now, however, the most important thing was to maintain this incredible connection between me and Galatea, and to fuel the still smouldering spark of life within her. No experiments were out of the question. I had read many years ago that temporarily possessing the bodies of other creatures was one of the most advanced types of magic. To the things that can go wrong, the author devoted more than half the book. In fact, that's the only reason I devoured it entirely in one night. I found it wildly entertaining. I laughed to tears at the case of Clement of Rugueux, who roared like a cow and ate grass for the rest of his life. I laughed because I wasn't going to try it myself. Neither eating grass nor taking over the bodies of animals. With my face pressed into my pillow so as not to wake Gaius up with further fits of laughter, I vowed to myself that I would never, ever go as far as such risky practices. In the present context, however, this pledge seemed silly, childish, even cowardly. The power pulsed within me, despite my extreme weakness, demanding further action, the next step. Galatea would not resist. Perhaps she would have even accepted it with relief, and I would have gained confidence that we would reach home. Or kill us all if, because of my not-so-good state, things got out of hand. I had to stop at what reason told me, not to let myself be carried away, deceptive as light in a storm, by a sense of superhuman strength. If Galatea survives long enough, Leon will take care of the rest. The most important thing is that he doesn't lose the horse.
I redirected all my will towards this goal. The ring around Galatea grew, but then clouds of filthy, dark magic began to press violently against me, entwining their tentacles around the ropes, turning them an earthy grey. Fearing that the contamination might not reach Galatea, I broke the connection. There was nothing more I could do. Completely exhausted, I completely lost consciousness.
The first thing that came to me when I emerged from nothingness was a woman's scream.
„Oh my God! Who is it! Who is Leon carrying"!
Immediately afterwards, a second voice sounded, even more shrill than the previous one.
„No! No"!
I recognised him immediately, even though he was unbelievably changed. I longed to reply, but could not. My lips were too heavy to move them, my tongue too big, too dry. The creature's magic had completely penetrated my body, turning it into a disgusting, rotting, inert mass. In fact, I could only feel the head. I knew of the existence of the rest, but it remained out of reach. My heart beat slowly and loudly, like a mournful snare drum. If not for that, I would have thought I was dead.
The dogs were barking. Someone was saying something, giving orders, probably mentioning my name, demanding something. Snatches of conversation were flooding in, but the meaning of the individual sentences eluded me, hovering just out of reach and teasing me, moving away the more I tried to understand.
„I'll take him. Hold the horse, Percy. Bloody hell, hold the horse! Slowly, Leon, slowly. Are you all right"?
„Get someone else here. She is about to fall".
„Take the dogs away! Right now"!
„Tyr! Tyr, come here"!
„Somebody help me carry him. No, Leon. Not you. You can barely stand".
„Man, move faster"!
„What do you think? This fucking idiot is always drunk when he could be of some use. He'd better stay out of my sight for now".
Suddenly I floated, lifted by some gentle force. I drifted among the voices until finally the surroundings changed. I tried to force my confused mind to determine what had changed. It had become quieter. Yes, quieter. The dogs stopped barking. And there was a familiar smell - a mixture of herbs and medicines. This smell brought me back a little more to consciousness. Camelot... Home... I was back home.
Someone nearby was carrying on a conversation. With difficulty, but nevertheless, I understood its general meaning.
„Your father had it hidden, along with other, magical artefacts, but I have no idea where. We may never find it".
It was Gaius. He spoke strangely somehow. I think he got a cold.
„We certainly won't find it if you don't go there". Arthur... Arthur sounded frustrated. Frustrated... What a difficult expression. Excellent, Merlin. It's not so bad with you.
„You know exactly what to look for, so you'll find it the quickest. We can't risk me or Gwen digging through it all with the right thing under our noses".
„Sire, I can't guarantee that…"
„Of course you can't. I understand. Just go now".
„Arthur is right. You're the only one who knows. Come on. We'll find it and... And everything will be fine".
Gwen has apparently developed a runny nose as well. Maybe it's some kind of epidemic?
The door slammed. Silence fell. Almost. Someone, in heavy boots walked incessantly. He came closer, farther away, closer, farther away. At one point he stopped right next to him. He did something I couldn't define, it looked like he touched me, and then he started walking again. It occurred to me that maybe some thief had taken out all the chairs and the poor man had nowhere to sit. We had a chair stolen once. And no, that was in Ealdor. There are too many guards here and they would certainly be interested in a man coming out of the medicine man's chambers with a chair. A furniture thief would not elude them. Unless he was a sorcerer.
Listening to the rhythm of the steps, I let myself drift off. I didn't feel the need to fight it. I was at home.
Into this relieving state, pain violently entered. Thousands of heated needles were penetrating my body, digging deep, down to the marrow of my bones, gouging and pushing the tainted magic out of every, smallest nook and cranny to burn it to the surface. Someone's fingers were embracing my hand. I was aware of this, just as I was aware of the touch of cool metal on my wrist, or the blood flowing from the wound. I didn't try to hold anything back, to control anything. It was - without a doubt - a healing process. Along with the pain, life was returning to me, my own magic was returning. The cleansed areas tingled slightly. I felt more and more things; the softness of the mattress beneath me, something warm by my feet, a damp material sliding gently over my face. Everything was taking shape and texture, settling into specific points. I myself, piece by piece, was becoming whole again. The darkness in front of my eyes thinned. Light slowly crept under my eyelids; understanding speech no longer required superhuman effort. So I clung to the voices. Listening to them helped distract me from the pain.
„He knew perfectly well where he was going and that great care had to be taken. But no one could have foreseen the appearance of the animortus', Gaius said grimly.
„Really, it's hard to predict that something bad would happen in a place widely considered to be cursed", chuckled Arthur tartly.
„My lord, you and I know that these are mostly the invention of locals".
„And the imaginations of the locals have attacked Merlin? The imaginations of the locals have caused him to have to endure pain that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy!? He shouldn't have gone there at all! I'm surprised that you allowed this"!
Arthur spoke louder and louder until he finally started to scream. The hand, resting on mine, clenched quite tightly.
„I haven't encountered anything really dangerous there for years. Besides, Merlin is no longer a child. He's stronger and can do a lot more than you think". Anger shone through from Gaius' tone.
„Just because you don't recognise his abilities doesn't mean he doesn't have them".
I would have smiled if I could, although discovering that they were arguing because of me, and very sharply by their standards, didn't count as encouraging. I didn't want them to argue.
„He can't hold a sword properly"! roared Arthur. „That's reason enough not to venture alone into places like the Ifrean caves"!
„The sword is not the solution to all problems, my lord. You heard Sir Leon. He killed that beast with a dagger", Gaius howled.
„And he would have died in terrible agony if Leon hadn't found him and brought him back at the last minute! He would have died if we hadn't had that damn bracelet! Now he's going through a torture that even the most twisted executioner wouldn't be able to inflict! You expect me to just accept that"!?
With this torture and twisted executioner he spectacularly exaggerated. Although the pain was of a similar intensity to that of the soon-to-be-injured, it was easier to endure under the current conditions, and a skilled executioner, fond of his profession, would have got this through without too much difficulty. With passionate torturers, serkets, animortus or other magical creatures don't stand a chance. It is man who is the undisputed master of inflicting pain.
„Well... I suppose it would be best for everyone".
Behind Gaius' seemingly calm tone was pure fury. Arthur drew in air violently.
„Excuse me, how do I understand this? Did you just tell me not to interfere"?
„Calm down! Both of you"! - cried Gwen. I realised she was the one holding my hand. „Do you really want to take your emotions out on each other!? I dare to doubt it, but if I'm wrong, then please, go jump down each other's throats somewhere else! There is enough room! I, for one, have not the slightest doubt that Gaius would not have allowed Merlin to go if there was even the shadow of a fear that it was too dangerous for him. Insofar as anyone is at all in a position to prevent Merlin from doing something".
A heavy, menacing silence fell. If it hadn't been for Gwen's hand, I would have thought everyone had disappeared. I realised I was scared. Now, for a change, my heart was thudding in my chest, as if it was going to catch up. I couldn't see what was happening, I couldn't move, I was unable to do absolutely anything, to influence them in any way. It was reminiscent of some particularly nasty kind of nightmare.
„Forgive me, Gaius", Arthur finally spoke up. „Forgive me, I've gone too far".
„Me too, my lord", whispered Gaius. „You're right, perhaps I'm losing my right judgement in my old age".
„No. It is entirely my fault. Camelot should have been free of such creatures long ago".
Without warning, convulsions began to jerk my body so hard that I would have fallen off the bed if Gwen hadn't held me down. After a moment, she was joined by a second, far stronger pair of hands. It flicked me in all directions, bending my limbs unnaturally, blades of pain stabbing madly. I tried to shout that if they didn't do something right away, I'd be blown to pieces, but my voice hadn't found itself yet.
„I've got to get this off before it breaks his bones", Gaius said.
„We're holding him", replied Arthur briefly. Then my head was filled with a high-pitched, wheezing screech that effectively cut me off from all other sound. At this point I would have cried from helplessness, if, of course, I could afford that luxury. It was worse than the pain. Impossible to ignore, impossible to drown out. Fortunately, it ended as suddenly as it had appeared. The twitching also stopped. Someone cut the magical strings and the inebriated, pathetic puppet, considered by some to be a powerful being, flapped inertly onto the mattress.
„What a horror", groaned Gwen.
„At least it's over", replied Arthur. He rubbed my shoulder before taking his hands away.
„Shouldn't he wake up"?
„This may take some time. The magic took almost the whole body. In your case it was only your leg and you were actually conscious the whole time, so don't suggest it".
Now Gaius was leaning over me. He was checking my pulse. I wanted to at least blink, to give a sign that I heard them, but even though I could fully feel my body, I still had no control over it.
„I need to take this back to the vault and have a few words with Leon", announced Arthur.
„Gaius, if you need something…."
A pleasant warmth enveloped me, I sank deeper and deeper into it. The last thing I registered was the sound of the door closing and Gwen's quiet words:
„Don't be angry with him. He was terrified. He was really terrified. When you wearing a crown, you have to guard your true friends even more than the crown itself".
The next awakening was complete. I was finally able to open my eyes, slide the tip of my tongue over my chapped lips, move my hand. I was lying on my back, with the duvet and a few blankets pulled up to my chin. I was not in my room, but in the main chamber, on a bed meant for patients. The pale light of the winter morning was pouring in through the windows, and somewhere nearby I could hear Gaius roosting. To say that I was awake didn't convey the essence of the matter. I felt as if I had single-handedly dug myself out from under heaps of rotten, stinking earth, from a grave that was trying to consume me alive. I breathed deeply, heedless of the protests of my ribs. I was free, alive. I ran my fingertips over the blankets, relishing the softness of the material. Unexpectedly, I came across something hard; as I soon discovered, inserted between the blankets, a stone heated in the fire. Lots of stones. Enough for an elegant tombstone. I nudged one with my foot, inadvertently causing it to fall with a loud crash. Gaius appeared in my field of vision. I smiled slightly, still stunned with relief.
„My boy", he said quietly. For a moment he simply looked at me with a fatherly tenderness, healing no less than his potions. I reached out and touched his hand, longing to physically feel the presence of another living being.
„Why am I lying on a construction site"? I asked, overcoming the dryness in my throat.
Gaius giggled. He adjusted the blankets, though there was no need to do so.
„You were very cold. We had to warm you up somehow".
„Oh, yeah. I've never seen such a snowstorm. It's a miracle we made it back. How is Leon doing"?
„Everything is fine with him. He just needs to rest. For that, you gave us a big scare".
„I know, I'm sorry", I replied honestly. „I was overconfident. I was thinking, I wasn't paying attention. I was attacked by a creature that was very difficult to fight. No spells actually worked on it".
„Yes. At one time, animortus were feared even by sorcerers. The weapons used to fight them disintegrate on too much contact. Only silver resists their power. They have one weak point. The one through which they have been infused with magic. They can be defeated by piercing this point, but the difficulty is that you never know where to aim".
„That is, by sending the dagger, I was dumb luck".
„Not necessarily. It's possible that your magic pointed you to this place and you acted instinctively".
„You are probably overestimating my abilities".
„I don't think so, Merlin, I don't think so", Gaius replied with seriousness. „Even when I met you, you were already able to do amazing things".
„Maybe. But in the end that's not what saved me anyway".
„Well...I would rather say it's not just that. What do you feel"?
I sat down awkwardly. My muscles ached as if I'd been in a dyke for a week, but other than that, they worked just fine. My side and arm, on the other hand, tended to produce flashes of bright colours in front of my eyes, but overall I felt much better than I expected.
„A bit weak and battered. But apart from that I'm fine", I replied.
„Well, lie down. I don't anticipate it will take you less than a week to regain your strength. It was dark magic, Merlin. Terrible magic. I'm afraid you will still feel its effects in the coming days".
„I will at least go to my room".
„Later. I must now inform Arthur and Gwen that you are awake. Arthur took it all badly and it's better not to pull the string".
„Oh shit", I groaned. The complexity of the situation was slowly starting to get to me, I recalled snippets of overheard conversations that made it clear that hiding anything this time was not an option.
„Should I know something"?
Gaius sighed deeply.
„You can probably guess that it was impossible to hide anything. Arthur became concerned before I did, and I admit that at first I tried to downplay it, but when you didn't turn up for too long he declared that he was launching a search and demanded specific answers. I told him because I was starting to get seriously worried myself. He had gathered people and was actually already leaving when Leon brought you in. Immediately afterwards a storm broke out".
Suddenly, the memory of a shrill scream came back to me, hit me with incredible power, almost squeezing tears of emotion from my eyes, although I wasn't quite sure if I had heard that scream for real or if it was just the delirium of a semi-conscious mind.
„Leon explained what had happened", Gaius continued, taking a pot of some sort of liquid off the fire. He knew perfectly well that there was only one way to save you. A way we hadn't used in years. And Arthur... He didn't hesitate at all. He just had it found as quickly as possible".
„Some kind of magical artefact"? - I asked quietly. The metal hoop that stuck in my mind undoubtedly had to be magical.
„Yes. A bracelet made by the Order of Cata, capable of removing animortus magic from the body. Uther has kept one copy. Anyway, thanks to this, we once saved Arthur himself".
Gaius handed me a cup with what turned out to be an infusion of elderberry. I sent him a grateful look. I was very thirsty, but at the same time the thought of clean water made me nauseous.
„I suppose Arthur threatened all the insiders with execution, and I owe the recovery... To what do I owe the recovery"?
„My outstanding skills", Gaius replied with deadly seriousness.
„To this I can agree".
Being careful not to let the cup out of my slightly trembling hands, I took a sip of the brew. My throat burned a little, but the pleasant warmth soon brought relief.
„However, no threat of execution was made", Gaius said. „Apart from Arthur, only myself, Gwen and Leon know, and you weren't supposed to know because... According to Arthur, you wouldn't approve".
We exchanged sad smiles. I set my mug down on the chair by the bed and burrowed back under the covers.
„I didn't suppose he cared", I muttered. I was overwhelmed with exhaustion, as if sitting for a few moments was some kind of superhuman effort.
„Much more than you think. Sometimes you underestimate him a little, Merlin", Gaius replied and left. Barely had his footsteps fell silent, the door swung open as if someone was trying to sneak in. I pressed my face into the pillow. My tired mind decided that it didn't necessarily need to deal with this problem, but was of course quickly led astray when the person who had the audacity to sneak in at the wrong time decided to speak up. I cursed in my spirit. Not only is he doing something potentially suspicious, he's also talking in the process. Willing or not, he's going to have to be given a bit of attention or he's not going to be allowed to take a nap.
„Shh", I hissed, hoping that would be enough.
Please, let me know what do you think.