BIG chapter today. At least I think so. There's more to the Lucifer mystery and someone finds out a rather large secret. Plus the fabled meeting! Sound interesting? Well read on and please review to tell me what you think.
The ship was bustling with activity by the time Merlin reached it, desperately climbing up the rope ladder on the side. The howls in the distance were steadily growing louder and shouts of alarm were being raised. Soon they were going to be attacked by more of those demon wolves and even with the layers of protection that Merlin had created, they were going to have a battle on their hands. Subtlety pays a price after all.
"Merlin! What happened to you?" Arthur demanded, helping his friend up and over.
"I … uh, tripped again." Merlin lied. "Luck isn't on my side today."
"It's not luck, Merlin." Arthur replied and Merlin rolled his eyes. "Now get below deck with Alyss and the injured. You're not dying today. Half-decent servants are hard to come by."
"No Arthur. Let me stay up here. I'll help you fight." Merlin replied, grabbing a sword.
"Merlin, don't argue. Get below deck." Arthur commanded.
"Think about this. Plus, after all, you said that I was the one who drew them here." Merlin fought.
"Sire, if you'll forgive my interruption, but I agree with Merlin. Wargs are a terrible enemy and his help could be useful." Lucifer said, walking up to them.
"What are wargs?" Arthur asked suspiciously, instantly catching on the man's slip. "Lucifer, what do you know? Have you been here before? You know where we are when we don't have a map. You know what those animals before and I've never seen them in my life. What aren't you telling me?"
Lucifer was saved from answering though when the first round of pained cries rang out. Many of the crewmembers frowned but Merlin smiled, knowing that the wolves had reached the poisonous air. He was glad they had come from that direction as all of his enchantments were on that side.
"Here they come!" Gwaine yelled unnecessarily, shifting his sword between his hands. Arthur shook his head, keeping an eye out on the fog around them.
Obviously the wargs were fast because only moments later, the first warg appeared out of the mist and attacked. Out of good fortune, the sides of the ship were tall and the wargs couldn't jump straight on. Unfortunately though, that didn't stop them from trying.
Leaping and scratching, around thirty wargs all eventually ran out of the fog, causing the ship to begin to creak and groan. The men rushed to the side of the boat, stabbing and slicing at the large wolves, some hitting but most missing.
Merlin smiled as he got a good look at the wargs, noticing that their now ripped skin was covered in bulbs, rashes and burns. It was affecting them too as with one swipe, many wargs fell dead to the ground. At last, Merlin's magic was working and protecting them. It had clearly been close to useless during the storm over the seas. At least this would even up the odds a little.
"They're everywhere!" A sailor screamed, fighting off a warg that had managed to get a paw over the railing.
"Stay strong. Fight back!" Arthur yelled encouragingly.
The only response was a blood-curdling scream as the very same sailor was pulled overboard. Merlin grimaced, turning away from the gruesome sight. However, he kept his focus knowing that losing it now would be disastrous.
It appeared that the wargs had learned however as one of them took a flying leap at the boat, bounding off a fallen log to give it more height. It launched towards Merlin, snarling, teeth stained with the blood of past victims as it roared towards them. With no other choice and with little time to think, Merlin thrust forward his hand, casting a powerful wave of magic back at the beast. It whined in surprise and pain before slamming into the ground far below, dead.
As his eyes slowly faded back to blue, Merlin quickly looked around to make sure that no one had noticed him using magic. It looked okay – Percival!
The big knight was watching him with wide, shocked eyes that held no small amount of fear. Sword hanging immobile at his side, Merlin met his gaze, the other man staring at what he had seen.
Percival had seen. He had seen him use magic.
Heart beating wildly in his chest, everything seemed to slow down drastically, turning the battle around him into a slow pause. His breath was loud in his ears as he watched nervously to see how Percival would react. His biggest secret had been revealed. How had he been so careless? Was this the end? Was Arthur finally going to find out?
Percival turned away silently, back to the fighting leaving Merlin shocked and motionless as the battle returned to normal speed. Was he …? What was happening? Merlin swallowed heavily, eyes wide and staring. He couldn't believe what was happening. This was not the way he had wanted someone to find out.
Merlin lost his train of thought however when the ship was blasted with blinding white light. The wargs screeched terribly below on the ground, writhing in pain. He would have covered his ears against the noise but Merlin was more preoccupied with finding out who had just performed that.
"Away with you! The prize shall not be yours today." A deep, powerful voice announced. Instantly, the few surviving wargs snarled and ran away, galloping away into the distance.
Merlin cautiously peered over the edge of the boat to view their saviours. An old man clothed in a grey cloak sat astride a white horse, holding a staff. Next to him was a small man on a pony, his feet hairy and stomach well fed. Both were looking up but the old man was solely staring at him.
Merlin's eyes widened as he recognized the waves of power radiating from the man. He was a wizard and obviously the cause of the sorcery used before.
"Mr. Baggins," The wizard spoke to his little companion, finally breaking eye contact. "It would seem that I was wrong. The source of the magic belongs to a man."