Seven
One of the men in the taskforce checked Arthur's bullet-proof vest was secured right, muttering 'Good to go,' before Arthur put on a black jacket over it, none of them mentioning the uselessness of such a vest against anyone attacking them with magic. The same guy came over a moment later to check his communication pieces were in place so that he could talk to the rest of the team and again gave him the okay after which Arthur donned the black head and face covering then a helmet, like the rest of the taskforce members. Next, a woman came up to him and handed him a baton. He was to be one of the non-combat members of the team, so he didn't receive a gun but still had something to defend himself with.
'Bear42, you're going to shadow Fox07. Do not move unless you're told to. Understood?' said the woman, Lion24.
'Understood.' Arthur gave a quick nod. It was a nice change from Your Highness, to be a codename, just like everyone else on the mission. Arthur followed the agent on the taskforce codenamed Fox07 to an alcove in the library.
Of all places where this mission could have taken place in, he didn't expect it to be in Camelot's biggest library. Before the location of the mission was disclosed, Arthur had imagined he would find himself in some abandoned warehouse or something, where the sorcerer gang were meeting up. The taskforce's investigation led them to believe that the group were going to get together in the Camelot City Library, the heritage-listed building they were currently stalking inside.
Arthur had been to the library a number of times before on school visits and Royal occasions. It was a grand, ancient piece of architecture, restored and maintained meticulously. Today some sections of the library had been closed off for the taskforce to carry out their mission in secret. The corridor where Arthur and the others were in was still and quiet. He took a moment to look up at the stone foliage patterns in the high ceiling above. If he ignored the social distancing posters or the concealed CCTV cameras he could imagine being a knight in this hall in the old times of dragons.
A crackle sounded in his ear. 'Unit Phoenix is going in. Standby in position,' the mission commander told them through their earpieces.
Arthur followed the instructions he was given and took up his position, crouching behind Fox07. While hidden in the alcove space created by a pair of columns, they looked to a wooden door up ahead at the end of the corridor.
Eight armed agents approached the door. Their leader noisily knocked on the door, shouting , 'This is a Federal Investigation, open up!' The opaque door remained locked. Behind it was one of the historically preserved rooms of the library, usually booked out for conferences and the like, but apparently today was the meeting ground for a group of sorcerers connected to the plague.
The agents got their equipment ready to break down the door. Or unlock it, without damage, Arthur hoped. The polished wooden door was a piece of history.
But they didn't have to do anything.
BOOM!
The door flew outward out of its hinges.
Wood splintered and dagger-like projectiles exploded from the door. Arthur, like the others, ducked on instinct. He and the rest of the agents standing by were not in the vicinity to be hit by the door pieces but nevertheless he could feel the echo of the explosion through him.
Five people walked out of the room, the lower half of their faces covered by black masks, conveniently hiding their identities and allowing them to stick to the public health orders at the same time. They were mostly in hoodies or overcoats. One of them wore what could only be described as a green velvet mage's cloak-with-hood from a cosplayer's wardrobe. These guys really wanted to declare they were sorcerers.
'Put your hands in the air and surrender!' the agent that lead the Phoenix crew shouted.
One of the sorcerers in a long coat stepped forward and raised their palm toward them instead.
Even from meters away Arthur heard the sorcerer's incantation.
There was another deafening sound that seemed to shake the columns of the corridor. It was followed by the creak of ruptured stone. Pieces of stone crashed down from the ceiling.
While they ducked the five sorcerers made a run for it. Arthur rose from a crouch to find the Phoenix crew giving chase to the criminals. Fox and several others joined the chase while another unit of the taskforce stormed into the room occupied by the sorcerers. Arthur ran along Fox, past the main library floor, down flights of stairs and finally down the main, long hallway to the entrance.
When he ran out through the library doors, he stopped abruptly behind Fox. The library was surrounded by a swarming crowd of protesters.
Merlin tried to look as anonymous as possible. He wore a non-descript facemask and a dark grey hoodie he was sure Arthur hadn't seen him in. He kept the hood up on his head, casting his face in shadow. Not that he had any chance of standing out in this sea of protesters.
He had turned out to the protest following word on the Internet alleyways. The protesters believed the King and the government were sending a taskforce to the library to arrest an innocent group who had magical abilities and would accuse them of creating the plague. Throwing caution to the wind about the stay-at-home orders, the crowds turned out to the library to stop this arrest, which they didn't believe was simply going to end in a fair trial. They were convinced the arrested sorcerers were going to be taken into an 'off the map' facility before no one heard from them ever again.
It wouldn't be the first time that happened.
'Free Magic!
Free Magic!
Free Magic!'
The chant from the protesters blasted against Merlin's ears. Despite knowing these people supported people with magic, just like him, he felt intimidated being enveloped in the crowd. He craned his neck to see what was happening at the library entrance, if the taskforce was coming out with those arrested.
Merlin wished he was able to accompany Arthur. If something were to happen to the prince Merlin would not be able to fulfil the task that the Dragon set him. But then he thought of the last couple of weeks, when he and Arthur had kept each other afloat during the lockdown -usually under the pretext of having a go at one another. And those rare moments when they didn't, like the random chat over the biscuits.
Merlin knew somewhere in his mind that he would have been here to see Arthur was safe even without the Dragon's words.
His train of thought was cut off by a booming noise coming from inside the library.
The impact must have come from the second storey. Everyone looked up as glass shattered and rained down from some windows on that level. Many in the crowd started to scream and run, fearing for their lives.
Something knotted in Merlin's stomach. Arthur must have been there, where the explosion happened. A couple of anxious minutes later the doors of the library opened. Five individuals burst out the door, their faces hidden by facemasks, their coats or cloaks flowing in their wake. They were followed by a dozen or so black-clad people -members of the taskforce, it seemed.
Much of the crowd dispersed to let these people through but the "Free Magic" chants rose in volume. Merlin guessed the first group that ran out must have been the accused sorcerers.
The crowd-control police surrounding the protesters broke their chain for a moment and attempted to cut off the sorcerers to help out the taskforce. Merlin leapt back along with other protesters, but his eyes were glued on the black-clad group, going from one person to the next.
There was no way to tell if Arthur was amongst them.
Another of the sorcerers cast their palm outward toward a line of police. A loud bang rang out, followed by frenzied shouts from the crowds. A part of the garden at the courtyard was on fire and the stone fountain was shattered. Fresh troops joined the fighting against the sorcerers, jumping from vehicles which screeched to a stop in front of the library and were barely parked.
A small group of the new troops broke off and zeroed in on someone specific in the taskforce. They surrounded him and seemed to usher him away from the fray.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. That must have been Arthur.
Unfortunately, the special treatment which this member of the taskforce was getting did not escape the notice of one of the sorcerers.
