Merlin had used magic to no avail. I searched my memory for anytime he might have hinted at such abilities but quickly shook the image from my head. Merlin was Arthur's magic hating lapdog, that was the only image I needed to see. Louder and more stern than before he repeated the same spell. It had absolutely no effect on the chains but the more he struggled the more the idea I had of him began to crack. It had eased my mind to view him as someone terrified of what they didn't understand. It comforted me knowing that his actions against me were the result of small mindedness.
"Isen fæstnunga onlucan me!" He shouted. The chains simply tightened.
So did my heart. I hadn't breathed for almost a minute as I watched in horror rather than fascination. Tears started streaming down my eyes. My throat seized remembering the pain of the hemlock he had tricked me into drinking. Not only was he also a sorcerer, but it was clear he'd studied for more than the year I'd been gone. He could have told me, he could have taught me. But he chose to hurt me instead. I started rocking, trying to console myself and forget the fear of almost dying. My hands shook like the earth during a small quake. I breathed in and out, trying to bring my attention back to Merlin, but I could no longer enjoy the idea of him dying painfully. Memories of my own near death experience had thoroughly ruined any chance of me wanting to watch. I made to move but stopped when I saw him looking around frantically. The idea of him seeing me froze me in place. It was then that I heard a low hissing noise coming not far to my left. beneath the brush a figure that looked made of rocks moved steadily, rustling the leaves and branches. I quickly whispered a spell Morgause had taught me for such an occasion, one of invisibility from the mind of simple creatures. Serkets had magic to thank for their large size, but were not endowed with magical sight as more noble creatures like wyverns.
For a second I nearly stood out of my hiding place, but then I remembered Merlin is a creature of magic, it's entirely possible he'd be able to see me. Silently I continued to watch Merlin struggle as the bed of serkets closed in. He managed to shoo some away magically but upon the second attempt to ward them off was stung squarely on the back by a daring younger serket. That bravery was rewarded by a a near instant death. Merlin howled in pain, sending the serket flying into a large tree.
"Instinctive magic like yours is rare, Morgana." Morgause had said as she lovingly pushed my hair out of my face. "Most sorcerer's can only hope to achieve wordless magic through decades of study, but for a gifted few over a millennia it comes naturally."
Rare, I thought. It didn't make sense for such a powerful sorcerer to take on the role of a lowly servant. Forget being servant to the king, with proper study he could take the throne himself. He wouldn't get that chance if he didn't receive help soon. I found myself doing the unthinkable, I started moving from my perfect hiding spot to help him. He raised his body again with newly found strength and started yelling at the sky.
"Ω δρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!"
It was no tongue I'd ever heard before, definitely not of the old religion. There was also no visible affect, no feeling that powerful magic produces. And yet, it seemed like the battle cry of a mage. I stood there, like an idiot, waiting for something else to happen. Once again wondering if I should just let him die. The Serkets were closing in again when a blood curdling roar cut through the sky. I backed away from the clearing, terrified of the giant beast now descending from the heavens. A dragon. Merlin had summoned a dragon. The beast covered a cluster of Serkets in fire, killing them easily. The rest didn't stay long to meet the same fate. They backed up rather quickly, leaving their prey by himself. I leaned against a tree, trying to process what I had just witnessed; Merlin being rescued and carried away by the last known dragon.
AN: Just a short one today as I work on some original projects. ~ Myrien
