It looks like a lion.
Merlin looked up to see Mordred sitting against a log, watching the smoke from the woodcutter's fire. He considered the smoke, tilting his head. Looks more like a rabbit to me.
No, see, look. The younger warlock cupped his hands. There's the mane.
Merlin smiled and held up his hand, whispering, "Hors, beride þá heofonum." Actually, it looks like a horse.
A horse? It doesn't look - he cut off with a gasp as the smoke formed the shape of a cantering horse. Merlin released the spell as Mordred turned to glare at him. That's cheating!
Merlin pushed the wood he was holding into Mordred's arms and ruffled his hair. Get back to work.
Mordred laughed and ducked away from him while he knelt to pick up Mordred's dropped wood.
"Did you see it?" a woman gasped, suddenly at his side and grabbing his jacket. "The smoke, did you see it?"
Merlin stared at her, shocked. "No, I saw nothing."
"Are you blind? You were right here! It was magic, I tell you. There's sorcery here. We must tell the King."
"No! Wait!" Merlin called after her, but she was already gone. He turned to see Mordred peeking out from behind a tree, shaken. It's okay. She can't have realized it was us or she wouldn't have spoken to me like that. It will be okay.
He nodded, but looked just as convinced as Merlin felt.
"Which one of you was it?" Arthur growled when he stomped into his room.
"I don't know why you assume it was one of us. Or that anything even happened for that matter. You heard what she said. She only saw something in the smoke for a second. It was probably just a trick of the light as you suggested."
"What were you thinking, Merlin!"
The older warlock set down the pillow he was fluffing with an offended look. "I just said it was- I do not object too much!" he huffed, shooting Mordred a look.
"You do," Arthur growled, marching over to put Merlin in a headlock. "You are an absolute idiot."
"Ow! Come on! It was just a bit of fun. It was only for a moment! I didn't think anyone would even see, let alone think it was magic!"
"That's the problem, you don't think. You're going to get yourself killed, and Mordred right alongside you." Arthur dug his knuckles into Merlin's head before finally releasing him. "No more magic, from either of you. Not until Aredian is long gone."
"Aredian?" Mordred asked.
"The Witchfinder. He hasn't been in Camelot since I was young, but he's famed for his ability to track down sorcerers. If you two want to keep your heads, you'll do as you're told."
Mordred gabbed Merlin's jacket and he wrapped his arm around the younger boy. "We'll be careful Arthur."
"No magic."
Both nodded.
"Good. I need to talk to Morgana. I'm sure she's already working herself into a fit."
"Do you know what the story is between Aredian and Gaius?"
"Gaius?" Arthur asked, looking up at Mordred.
"Merlin said Aredian stopped him and Gaius while they were doing their rounds. Apparently, he kept making subtle jabs at Gaius."
Arthur set down his quill with a frown. "I don't know. I didn't realize they had a past. Maybe they knew each other when Aredian was still around. I'll ask my father about it. Tell Merlin to get back here as soon as Gaius is done with him. I don't want either of you too far while Aredian is sulking about."
Mordred nodded and turned back to his work. Then he sucked in a breath.
"What now?"
He turned to Arthur with a terrified expression. "Aredian told Merlin to be at his chambers in an hour."
"What? Why?"
"He said he had some questions."
Arthur cursed.
"Can't you do something?"
"My father's given him free rein to do as he pleases. If I try to intervene, it will just raise suspicions. Tell Merlin to keep calm and try to be less of an idiot. There's nothing to link him to any sorcery so if Aredian thinks he knows something, he's going to try to make Merlin implicate himself."
Mordred shook as he nodded and Arthur squeezed his shoulder.
"It will be fine."
"What about the books? If Aredian finds them, he'll blame it on us because Uther would never think they were yours."
"I already hid them in the vaults alongside the Sidhe staff and the cloaks. It's going to be okay."
When Mordred started breathing heavily, Arthur froze before awkwardly pulling him into a hug. "Calm down. Nothing's going to happen, I promise."
"How can one person see something and the other not?"
"Well, smoke can be like that sometimes, can't it? One person sees a horse, another sees a lion or rabbit or nothing at all. It's a pretty common childhood game to search for shapes in the clouds, isn't it?"
"She seemed quite certain it was a horse, and she is no child."
"The other day I swore I saw an owl in the trees, but it turned out to just be shadows. The mind can play tricks on us."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it was you who performed the magic."
Where are you?
In the Physician's Chambers. Gaius wanted some herbs ground up, Mordred said, setting the pestle aside to pour the dust into a bottle.
Get out.
Why?
Aredian's accused me of being the sorcerer.
Mordred dropped the mortar.
They're coming there to search for evidence. I don't want him trying to link us together. Go to Arthur's. Hurry.
O-okay.
Mordred darted to the door, then paused. What if Emrys had left something and forgotten. He glanced around and held up his hand. "Hierste þæt íecen sóna."
One of the powder jars on the wall lit up and he ran over to it. He opened it up and fished a bracelet out. He tucked it into his pocket, then rechecked the main room. He did the spell once more in Emrys's room, then fled to Arthur's chambers.
"There's nothing here, Aredian!"
"I'll be the judge of that. Over there, behind this tapestry. In there, upend that stool. Be sure to check for hollow legs. In there, within those powder jars."
Arthur gave it a few more minutes before a shelf of tonics smashed to the ground. "Enough!"
His men all paused and turned to him while Aredian scowled at him.
"You've turned this place upside down and found nothing. Clearly, you were mistaken."
The man narrowed his eyes further at him and glanced towards Leon. "I am never mistaken. There has to be something."
"There is nothing to find here." Arthur turned to Gaius. "I'm sorry for the trouble. I will ensure you are reimbursed for anything damaged and Merlin can have the afternoon off to help you clean."
"Thank you, Sire."
"The boy is still a suspect."
"I have seen no evidence to suggest Merlin is a sorcerer and will not let him be held under baseless accusations," Arthur said, not looking at the man as he directed the others out. "Sir Leon, please see to it Merlin is released immediately."
Mordred jumped to his feet when Arthur entered, thankfully followed by Emrys. "What happened?"
"Nothing. They ransacked the place and there was nothing to find so Merlin was released."
"Glad I grabbed this then," Mordred said, pulling the bracelet out of his pocket.
They both frowned at him and Emrys took it. "Where did you find this?"
"Hidden in one of the powder jars. I used the revelation spell to make sure you didn't leave anything behind."
"It's not mine," Emrys said, turning it over in his hand.
"You're sure?" Arthur asked.
"I know you think I'm stupid, but I'm not going to leave a magic bracelet out for Gaius to find," Emrys huffed, studying the inscriptions.
"Then where did it come from?" Mordred said.
"It's just enchanted to glow," Emrys mumbled. "And not even brightly either. It's useless. Why would anyone make a glowing bracelet?"
"To make it look magical," Arthur growled. "That's why Aredian was so sure the knights would find something. He planted it."
"Why would he do that?" Mordred asked.
"My father pays him to find sorcerers. If he can't find one, he doesn't get paid."
"We need to get proof," Emrys said, setting the bracelet down on Arthur's desk and moving towards the door.
"Are you mad?" Arthur grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him back. "He just accused you of magic and you want to go poking around him?"
"We need to find proof before he accuses someone else."
"We'll handle it. You need to keep your head down. Go help Gaius clean up. Aredian made a mess."
That gave Emrys pause and Arthur grabbed his shoulders to frogmarch him to the door.
"I promised him your help, so go."
"Tell me if you need help."
"We won't. Goodbye."
"Be careful."
Arthur shoved him out the door. "If you don't go straight to Gaius, you'll spend the next week in the stocks," he said before slamming the door.
"What's the plan?" Mordred asked.
"Find Guinevere. Have her keep watch while you search Aredian's room. I'll find him and distract him to give you time."
Merlin fidgeted as he made his way into the square. He should be helping Arthur, not restocking supplies. This entire situation was his fault, to begin with. He couldn-
He froze, eyes darting about. Something was calling to him. Not a voice, like with Mordred or the dragon, but more of a… He couldn't think of a way to describe it. It went beyond the five senses. It sent a shiver to his spine and it felt… painful. Not that he was hurting, but that whatever was calling him was.
He followed the sensation down into the crypts beneath the castle weaving through them until he came across an odd metal device. It was in the shape of a pyramid, with iron poles forming the sides and base while thin iron wires formed the walls. A chain connected it to the ceiling so it almost looked like a net that could be used to capture animals, but the wires laid loose enough that anything could slip through.
All the same, it appeared something had been caught in it as Merlin could see a dark shape inside that was giving a low growl.
Merlin crept up to the cage and held his torch over it.
"Cavall."
The cat hissed and curled up tighter.
"What are you doing in there?" he asked, eyeing the cage.
He'd discovered he was allergic to iron one awful winter when Will had given him a necklace made from the metal as a gift. If he kept contact too long, his skin turned red and he grew sick. He'd been bedridden for a month before his mother had noticed the rash and realized his sickness was from the iron. Thankfully in the short term, it didn't do more than cause a tingle. It was an unpleasant feeling, but harmless nonetheless.
The cat gave a pitiful mewl and looked up at him.
"You know you can just climb out."
"Merrrrrrr."
Merlin sighed and set the torch to the side. He grabbed the strings and pulled them apart to form a hole. "See?"
Cavall hissed as a few of the strings neared him and curled up even tighter.
"What is wrong with you?" he asked, letting go and rubbing the pins and needles out of his fingers.
"Mooooooow."
"You're ridiculous," he muttered, grabbing the bottom and lifting it.
Cavall finally climbed out, pressing himself as close to the floor as he could until he was clear of the cage.
That was when Merlin noticed the pressure plate on the floor. With Cavall off it, the chain receded and the cage was pulled back up to the ceiling.
Cavall immediately pressed himself up against Merlin, whining and shivering.
"What is going on?" Merlin hummed as he shook out his hands.
He noticed a small saucer sitting on the pressure plate and picked it up. On it was what looked like honey, but it had a metallic glint and smelled of the sweetest berries. It also gave Merlin an eerie feeling.
Cavall gave a chirp and climbed into his lap to lap at the dish.
Rolling his eyes, he held the dish over his head. "Don't eat random things you find in crypts."
The cat just hopped up onto his shoulders.
Merlin scowled and said, "Bærn."
The cat hissed as the odd honey caught fire and burned away. He scratched Merlin's neck, causing him to drop the saucer with a yelp.
"Why?"
Cavall jumped down and ran off into the darkness.
"Try not to get caught again," he called after him, rubbing at his neck. He grabbed the torch and began the trek out of the crypts.
Gwen gave a sigh of relief when Mordred appeared at her side. "Did you find anything?"
As they started walking away, he nodded and held up a flower petal.
"What is that?"
"Belladonna. It causes hallucinations. He had a jar full of them."
"Hallucinations?"
"Merlin said Aredian brought in a group of women complaining of visions of magic."
"But it wasn't magic, it was poison," Gwen sighed. "But how can we prove it?"
"It would be too suspicious for him to give it to them himself. Where could they all have gotten it from? What do they have in common?"
Gwen shook her head. Rhian was a chambermaid, Glaw was a seamstress, and Tegan worked at the tavern. They didn't have anything in common. Except, "They are all women!"
"So?"
"What's the one thing only women would buy? Things to make them look beautiful."
"Your Highness!" the apothecary gasped, bowing Arthur into his shop.
"I have a few questions for you."
"Questions?"
"Do you sell belladonna?"
"B-belladonna?"
"Yes."
"Um, yes, Your Highness, I-I think I've got a tincture of it somewhere. The women love their eyedrops."
"Eye drops?"
"Yes," the man said, holding out a bottle he'd found on a shelf. "Women use them to make their eyes more beautiful."
"Where did you get this?" Arthur asked, looking over the bottle.
"Well, my usual suppliers."
"Is that so?" he said, giving the man a look.
"Y-yes, um, is there an-"
"It would be wise not to lie to your prince."
"I-I d-don't know -"
"You have nothing to fear," he said firmly. "No harm will come to you. Tell me the truth."
The apothecary's eyes darted to the windows and said in a low voice, "The Witchfinder gave it to me, Your Highness. He-he said that I had to sell it or I would burn, and if I told anyone…"
Arthur set his hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you. I might need you to tell my father what you have told me. I assure you, Aredian will not be able to harm you."
The man looked scared, but agreed.
Aredian frowned as he picked up a shard of broken pottery. He rubbed a finger over the soot marks with a hum. "So there really is a sorcerer in Camelot."
"Uther, I have a new lead."
Arthur and his father turned to see Aredian coming into the council chamber.
"It would seem the sorcerer has a -"
"Perfect timing, Aredian," Uther cut him off, his face blank. "Perhaps you can explain why my son has just come to me with evidence that you're behind the accounts of witchcraft."
Arthur kept his face blank as the Witchfinder caught his eye.
"I have no idea where these accusations could have come from," he said in a low voice.
"Despite your insistence that neither my men nor I would be needed, I thought to investigate the claims of magic myself. I discovered all three women had recently bought tinctures of belladonna from the apothecary in the lower town. My page informed me that belladonna could cause hallucinations and when I brought a sample of the tincture to Gaius, he told me the dose was far higher than what would normally be given to women for their eyes. Imagine my surprise when I went to speak to the apothecary, only for him to try to lie to me about where he'd gotten the belladonna. Failing that, he fearfully explained that you had forced him to sell it on pain of death."
"How do you answer to these accusations?" Uther asked.
"They're absurd," Aredian growled. "Likely the work of the sorcerer as revenge for the traps I set."
Arthur nodded. "I do not want to believe them, which is why I came here to ask my father to search your rooms so that we could put these accusations to rest."
"I have nothing to hide."
Arthur was surprised by the flower petals falling out of the cupboard and the toad coming out of Aredian's mouth, until he spotted the glowing bracelet set within the massive amount of tincture bottles.
"I thought I told you to stay away from him."
"Gwen was worried you might need some extra evidence to convince Uther."
"And the toad?"
"… Did you see the look on his face?"
"Merlin!"