Then…

.

.

.

They didn't hear anything from the other side of the stonewall.

"I don't think that we have much of a choice. All we can to is continue on." Merlin said. It would have been easy to use magic, but it would have revealed to the knights, and Bran, who was still not yet aware of all of his secrets.

"Why do I have the impression that this is not the first time that you've gotten yourself into this kind of situation?" Bran asked.

Merlin shook his head and smiled. "Maybe not exactly like this, but something similar."

"So if you say that we should continue, we should do it."

"I think so, yes."

"Okay."

So they turned around and continued their journey deeper into the catacomb.

()

Gwaine stared the wall.

"Arthur is really gonna kill me." He murmured.

"Maybe. But should we try the other way or just wait?" Percival asked.

"I can imagine that this is not the only trap in here." Elyan said.

"We wait." Gwaine said. His voice was somehow, a final echo, the tone, which the others did not dare to resist. They were going to wait. Elyan looked at his follow knight. Sometimes, very rarely, Elyan thought that in Gwaine, there seemed to be two very different people. In the same way as Merlin. That other man who was alarmingly close to Arthur. Ruler, not a servant. It came up rarely, but when it did, no one dared to ask questions. Except, perhaps Percival.

"Why is that?"

Gwaine looked at him.

"Merlin usually knows what to do. And I trust him."

And there were no more questions.

()

There were no more traps. Or at least they did not come across any other traps. Merlin smiled. It was typical of Gwaine to hit one of them and lead them into trouble. Gwaine, unless he himself happened to set a booby trap off. His only concern was that they had no food or drink with them. And their journey wasn't short. Merlin thought that they had walked for hours, stopping in between to rest, to achieve anything. He saw how Bran began to give up hope and just when Merlin decided that after the next bend, if anything new should not be received, he would use his powers to bring them out, they arrived there. Ahead was a doorway that led into the darkness. They stopped. Merlin hesitated, but they had no alternatives. He pushed ahead, lifted his torch higher and whispered a few selected words. The light expanded. They both gasped for breath. Merlin had read and heard stories of treasure troves and caves, but in all his life, he didn't believe it possible to find such a thing. His eyes hit the mirror and he put the torch in front of him with caution. Light escaped from the tip, hitting another on its mirror, and gradually the whole cave's enormous size appeared to them in all its splendor.

"And how do we find, in the middle of all this gold and precious stones, a small compass?" Bran asked when they had wondered around for a while, before joining again. Merlin poked his foot at something that revealed to be a crystalline skull. However, it was hardly a human skull.

On a small table next to him, a goblet vaguely reminded him of something.

Bran was right. There was lot of stuff. Maybe he should use some kind of tracking spell.

"If you are looking for from that way and I will check here." Merlin suggested. Bran nodded and walked the other direction. Merlin grabbed a blue stone, and sighed. Suddenly he realized that all this was probably his. The idea made him sick.

"Ábeþecian."

Stone began to shine dimly. He followed the light. When the light brightened, he knew he was on the right track. But because the cave's huge size, tracking took time. Eventually, the stone nearly burned his hand and he knew that he was close to the Compass. He looked around and noticed a small wooden box which was engraved with directions.

"Bran!" Merlin called Bran, and soon Bran was with him.

"You found it. At long last." Bran stretched out his hand toward the box, and hesitated. He glanced at Merlin, who shrugged his shoulders. Bran took the box and picked it up.

"The moment of truth." Merlin smiled and Bran opened the lid. A puff of smoke caused him to throw the box to the ground and coughing, they retreated.

"What is ...?"

"I'm the guardian of the Compass." They heard a voice thundering through the cave. Merlin waved a hand through the smoke to see. He saw the character in the middle of the smoke. At last they saw a man who was wearing a simple white tunic.

"Guardian of the Compass? Right, that's right. I forgot it." Merlin coughed.

"My name is Bartimeus. What do you want?" Now the guard sounded normal.

"Are you human?" Bran asked puzzled, and looked at the man. Although he seemed a man, his eyes sparkled unnaturally.

"No."

"The smoke. The box. Human shape. You are jinn." Merlin realized.

"What is a jinni?" Bran asked.

"Spirit. Very powerful genie. There are many kinds of jinn, but, I know his name. Bartimeus. I have read about you." Merlin watched the jinn with curiosity which in turn looked him with great interest.

"Oh, your learned. I'm honored to meet you. And you are very powerful yourself, indeed. But, may I ask again, what do you two want?"

"I need that compass to find my brother." Bran explained.

"Very well. You may use it." Bartimeus shrugged his shoulders and stretched out his hand. On his palm rested a circular gold box. Bran glanced at Merlin.

"But?" Merlin guessed that there was more coming. He had read enough to know that none of the jinn did not do anything without a price. The jinn's smile was wolf's grin.

"I need the pledge. And the pledge is a human life." The jinn looked Bran. "If you not return the compass in time, I'll take that life and do with it whatever I please. That is the only way you can get this." He offered the compass.

"You can take my…" Bran stepped forward.

"No, it's doesn't work like that." Bartimeus shook his head. "Who takes the compass, must put someone who is close to him in danger. And only, if he accepts this." And the jinn turned again to look at Merlin.

"You mean… No! I can't ask anyone else to do something like that." Bran snapped.

"I accept." Merlin said looking the jinn carefully.

"What? No!" Bran screamed.

"Then, this is yours." Bartimeus smiled and threw the compass towards Bran, who grabbed it instinctively.

"No, I can't…. Merlin, you…"

"The deal is done. Now, let me see." Bartimeys walked front of Merlin. "Five months, when the year turns, on your birthday, that's the limit. If the compass is not returned to me, your life is mine to use."

Merlin nodded.

"I hope, for both your sake, that you know what you want most when the time comes." Bartimeus sighed. "Use the Compass and you can find your way out."

Then, he was gone.

.

.

.

Now…

.

.

.

When Bran stepped inside the room he was too shocked, for a moment, to do anything.

"Merlin…" Bran whispered. Was he too late? He walked up to Merlin and squatted in front of him.

"What is happening to him Bran?" Arthur asked, trying to keep his voice neutral, but there was anger behind it.

"He put his life at stake for sake of the compass." Bran answered, without removing his gaze from Merlin. "Without him, there was no chance for me to take the compass. I asked why he did it, but, he didn't say."

"It's because he is too loyal. He put his life on the line for much less than this." Arthur sighed. He had seen that happen too many times.

"But I don't know for sure what this is. Maybe its part of the deal that he made." Bran watched the silver streaks on Merlin's skin, his hands and eyes. He was too immobile. His breathing, he hardly noticed. Bran took something out of his pocket and placed it in Merlin's hand. He clenched Merlin's hands around it.

"Merlin, please, take this. Find your way back to us."

AN/

Hello again. As I said to my beta TheJunebug 1218, that rather surprisingly I have started to write longer chapters. I do not know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.

But one problem I have.

When this story ends, I then begin to write a sequel either the story Tired or Future to remember, and I can't decide which one. Both stories get more and more alerts every day. So I'm going to follow the advice that I write it in the story I have received more reviews. So, you still have time to comment those stories before this story ends.