The waves collided with the old wooden ship as it poured every ounce of its strength into staying afloat. The wind roared as it tried to rip apart the white sails. The night sky was beautiful, although there were hardly any stars to be seen. Merlin frowned at the lack of the shining little dots he adored so much. He wished he could see them from up close, but alas, tonight proved to be the opposite of perfect for stargazing. Instead of brooding over his lack of luck, the boy directed his attention towards the captain of the ship. Merlin took in the man's appearance. His black curly hair was currently being beaten by the wind, although the man did not seem to mind the special attention he was receiving. His eyes were shining as always. The only thing that bothered Merlin about those usually warm eyes was that he had caught flames dancing inside them on few occasions, frequently when the man was in some sort of predicament. The clothes he was wearing were foreign and were slightly hard to depict. The only conclusion the boy was able to draw from them was that the man before him was either a very successful shipman or had other businesses that brought him the money he needed in order to keep the lifestyle he was used to.

"Is something the matter, Edgar?" Balinor asked, sending the boy a concerned look.

Merlin was slightly confused at first for he had been addressed by a name that did not belong to him. After only a second, however, he remembered that he had indeed introduced himself using said name. Apparently he had not been able to keep track of the few lies he had told the person before him. A part of Merlin did not like lying to Balinor. Another one, however, kept reminding him that he had been advised not to trust anyone and unlike most of the time now Merlin was finding it easier to heed Kilgharrah's warning. Before Merlin could question the reason for his abnormal compliance he was jerked back to reality when burning arrows were thrown toward the ship. Screaming and victorious shouts could be heard from the neighbouring ship. Merlin's eyes widened when they met that of one of the pirates. When had they arrived? He had not felt their presence a second ago.

"Edgar, duck!" Balinor screamed as he used his hands to bring Merlin toward him. The boy was grateful for the captain's fast reaction because otherwise he would now be burning and undoubtedly in a lot of pain.

"How the hell did they get so close?!" Merlin half screamed, half asked as he tried to pinpoint where exactly those arrows were coming from only to realize that at least a dozen pirates were firing them.

"Magic." Balinor said before he brought his hand toward his mouth and closed his eyes. Merlin watched in horror as the man before him whispered an incantation the boy did not know. His fingers erupted into flames that had the colour of gelid blue, while golden stripes adorned the tips of his fingers. Balinor then leapt into the air and started cutting each and every one the arrows. Merlin had been shocked at first and had even screamed for the man to come back. Now, however, seeing that he could handle everything on his own, the boy opted to stay put and remain quiet. After all, the less Balinor knew about Merlin, the better Merlin's chances of keeping his secrets to himself were.

Soon the arrows were gone and Balinor's hand stopped glowing. The man smirked before he brought both of his hands in the form of prayer. He then brought them toward his chest, closed his eyes, whispered another incantation. His eyes suddenly opened, bright circles burning inside of them, while red and orange flames danced across his skin. He roared ferociously as he jumped from his ship to that of the pirates'. Merlin watched in astonishment as Balinor shot fireball after fireball, blocked, kicked, dodged, jumped up, down, left and right and repeated the actions over and over again. There were the occasional curses coming from the pirates and even from Balinor when one of them, the captain no doubt, had found an opening and had managed to slice Balinor's arm. The man growled, looked menacingly toward the enemy and shot a fireball with his good hand right at the man's heart. He died on the spot. Some of the pirates escaped, others were sliced, fried or burnt to death. Naturally, it ended in after a few minutes and Balinor came out of the battle as the victor.

Merlin's mouth flew open as Balinor jumped right back on 'Magic' and the enemy's ship disappeared into thin air. The man inspected his arm and cursed his luck. He brought his uninjured hand to the other and while whispering words that Merlin was familiar with he managed to heal part of the cut. Now all that was left was a small gash. Merlin sighed, rolled his eyes at Balinor's lack of patience and ignored the urge to go to said man and cast the spell himself. After all, though it was quite the simple one, it should be executed with caution because like every incantation it could always backfire and as a result not only would your wound not be healed, but worse – you could end up bleeding to death. Not a pretty sight indeed.

A sigh came from Balinor's way. Merlin looked at him questioningly. The man shook his head, chuckled and said:

"No need to worry about me, Edgar. I am quite capable of healing my wounds myself and thus would not need your help."

Merlin's eyes widened. He gaped at his companion. When had he revealed his most precious secret to an utter stranger?!

Balinor was confused at Merlin's bewilderment. The man nodded his head toward the boy's bags where a few herbs and bottles of medicine were protruding from and said:

"You are a physician or at least one's apprentice, are you not?"

Merlin shook his head, unable to grasp Balinor's quick deductive skills. Just how observant and intelligent was this man?

"I'm afraid I don't remember telling you any of that. And even if it were true, would it matter? You are a sorcerer and quite a powerful one at that so I don't even dare imagine you would need my help."

Balinor's eyes narrowed as he finished wrapping a few clean cloths around his hand and asked:

"You don't trust me, do you, Edgar?"

The boy looked down before he responded:

"I believe that much was obvious."

"It was. It is also understandable." Balinor replied, making Merlin lift his head abruptly and stare at him. The man chuckled at the boy's look of bewilderment before he explained, " I haven't given you any indication that you could trust me. Unfortunately, neither have you so unless one of us dares to gamble and actually reveals something about themselves I fear we would not get very far."

Merlin's confusion increased before he said:

"But you've already shown me something that is quite dangerous."

Balinor chuckled once more before he looked at the boy, his gaze a mixture of amusement and sadness.

"My gift does not endanger me. Quite the contrary. Plus, where we are going only creatures of magic can enter. In fact, you have to be one in order to have heard of the Caves of Nymphia. Tell me, Edgar, how long were you thinking of lying to me?"

Merlin's eyes widened, while Balinor's stayed the same. The latter's narrowed when the boy before him sighed and seemed to have given in. Surrendered had he indeed. In that small lapse of time Merlin had decided to come clean. After all, as ludicrous as it sounded, a part of him told him that the man before him was not going to hurt him. It seemed that Balinor had known all along that Merlin was either a sorcerer or was somehow connected to magic and yet the captain of 'Magic' had made no move to physically hurt Merlin. Balinor had not even said anything and up until now he had acted as cordially as it was possible to be toward a total stranger. With a sheepish grin Merlin gave Balinor his full attention before he came clean.

"My name is not Edgar." Merlin began, while Balinor's eyes narrowed dangerously. His hand moved toward his mouth once more, but Merlin reacted immediately.

"My real name is Merlin. I am a physician's apprentice as you've already guessed. The reason for my sudden interest in the Caves of Nymphia is because I have a friend whose life is in danger and the only way to save them is to go to that place and seek the wisdom of the sirens."

"Risking your life to save that of a friend. How noble." Balinor said as his hand returned to its previous rather relaxed position.

Merlin did not react to his comment. He merely continued, "I am a creature of magic. A sorcerer just like yourself. A warlock to be exact."

Balinor's eyes widened at the final declaration. He could not help but whisper, "You were born with magic."

Merlin's eyes widened slightly before a sad smile broke onto his face and he nodded weakly. It seemed that confessing his burden even to a complete stranger was not an easy task.

"What is your reason for coming here?" Merlin asked, trying to rid himself of negative thoughts and memories.

Balinor sighed before he scratched the back of his head. He looked at Merlin with a semi-sad, semi-apologetic smile and answered:

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

"What? Why? It's not like I'm going to use it against you and you already know what my goal is." Merlin protested.

Balinor chuckled at the boy's exasperated look. He then got up and turned his back to Merlin, while he said:

"Let's just say I have a few questions that need to be answered."

Merlin rolled his eyes at the evasive reply. He got up and was soon standing next to Balinor and turned his head toward the captain of 'Magic'. Then he uttered:

"Who doesn't?"

Balinor chuckled before he turned, ruffled the boy's hair and then proceeded to walk to his room. He motioned for Merlin to follow him as he said:

"Come on, boy. We have a long journey before us and Lord knows we both need our rest."

Merlin did not need a second invitation. He complied with Balinor's request and soon found himself sound asleep.

The morning sun rose at the horizon. With gentle rays it flew toward 'Magic' and caressed both people's faces. Balinor scrunched up his face at the intrusion, but soon realized that it was morning and it was time to wake up. He rose and rubbed his eyes, ridding himself of sleep's tempting hold. Merlin, on the other hand, did not mind being held captive by such an alluring spell. He groaned when the sun stroked his face and immediately covered it. He snuggled closer into his pillow and opted to ignore the day for as long as possible. Balinor had other plans, however. The captain first tried to gently shake the boy awake. The only response he received was a grunt. Balinor then opted for roughly shaking Merlin awake. He got a shove, another grunt and was rewarded with Merlin turning his back to him. Balinor rolled his eyes, turned around and smirked.

A loud splash woke Merlin. He screamed, choked and felt as though he was hyperventilating. He looked at Balinor as though he had grown a second head and half screamed:

"What are you trying to do?! Kill me?!"

Balinor chuckled before he answered:

"No, I was merely trying to wake you up. It seems that people are right when they say third time's the charm."

Merlin rolled his eyes, grumbled and glowered for a while before he gave in. Balinor had tried to wake him up normally. The boy supposed he could forgive the man. Just as he was about to say just that Balinor uttered:

"You should be grateful, you know?"

"Grateful?!" Merlin yelled as he got up and made his way toward Balinor, "I thought I was drowning for a second there!"

Balinor laughed before he slapped Merlin on the back, nearly making him fall face first on the wooden surface as he said:

"Don't be silly, Merlin. Plus it was either that or throwing you into the water. I'm sure the sirens would've loved to have you for dinner."

Merlin was about to retort, but his mind decided to focus on Balinor's last words.

"Sirens?" He asked.

"Yes, Merlin, sirens. They're out here right now actually."

"Really?" Merlin exclaimed as he rushed to see. What his eyes witnessed made him choke. Beautiful aquamarine scales were shining under the water as the salty liquid caressed each and every one of them. Long raven locks were dancing in rhythm with the waves. The strong tale was making sensual movements as though it alone were trying to lure Merlin in. When said tale disappeared underwater and was replaced with a face Merlin choked. He found himself staring into viridian pools that promised endless pleasurable torture. Blood-red lips moved and soon formed a triumphant smirk that seemed to mesmerize the boy. The movement dared him to lean forward, venture into unknown territories, seek the siren's tempting touches, succumb to the sinful pleasures she would undoubtedly grant him with.

Suddenly the siren jumped and Merlin was unprepared to react. Luckily for him Balinor was quick. He grabbed Merlin's shoulder and jerked him back just in time to avoid the poisonous teeth that were about to sink into his skin. Scaly hands grabbed onto the wooden platform and multiple hisses could be heard. Sharp nails dug themselves into the wood and almost shattered it into a million pieces. Fortunately, Balinor yet again interfered. He shot the siren with a few fireballs and soon she was back in the water. Agonizing screams and multiple hisses from her companions could be heard until they sank back into their unknown world.

Merlin was breathing heavily. He could not believe what he had seen. At first a beautiful woman and then, then this snake-like creature… Just what the hell were they?

"What you saw was not a siren. It was an umbra." Balinor iterated.

Merlin's eyes narrowed as he whispered, "Umbra. What kind of creature is that?!"

"Umbra means a lot of things – darkness, ghost, Spirit, foliage, darkness, security, shadow, safety, illusion, etc, etc. It derives from Latin. These creatures were given such a name because of their nature. They do not have a true form or even if they do and change into it, there is no way you can find out whether they are in it or not. They are the shadows that lurk in the deep blue of the oceans, seas, sometimes even rivers and lure men and women alike in. They give them a few pleasurable moments before they start feeding. Some of them prefer the skin, others bones, third blood. There are those that prefer the soul, though they are quite rare."

"So what… are they shape shifters of some sort?" Merlin questioned after he had finished shuddering. He could not believe he had allowed that thing to come so close to him.

"You could call them that. Anyway, it doesn't matter which term you use. The point is they are dangerous so stay away from them." Balinor replied before he started walking back to his room.

Merlin sighed. He could not believe he had been fooled. It seems eyes really could not be trusted when it came to magic.

"How can I distinguish umbra from sirens?" Merlin called out.

"Easy. Umbra will always show you the person you desire the most – it might be your parents, siblings, friends, lover, etc. It all depends on which part of you they choose to exploit, though most of them love messing with people's libido."

Merlin's eyes widened as he stuttered, "L-libido?! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means they show you the one you want to screw or what was it most noble men used… Ah, yes, make love." Balinor explained as he turned around. His eyes widened before he doubled over in laughter. Merlin's entire face was currently as red as a tomato. His ears seemed to have grown from that shade and his eyes were as wide as saucers.

While Balinor returned to his room, only one thought was running through Merlin's head:

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! NO! No way in hell. There is no way I want to do such things to M-M-M-Morgana! No, no way. It is not possible. Period. Balinor must be wrong. There is no way in hell I want to m-ma-ma-make l-lo-lov…Gah, I can't even think it!

Suddenly the image of the siren came back only to be replaced with the true version. Merlin wanted to rip his head. He screamed. He growled. He groaned. He looked down. His eyes widened.

Crap!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea for the plot.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I hope you found this chapter enjoyable. Before we move on I have a question – would you like Merlin to find out that Balinor is his father or not?

A big thank you goes to those you read, followed, favourited and reviewed. Also, thank you Howarand for reminding me about this story. If it weren't for you, this chapter probably would have come to life. (Insert laugh here) : D

Until next time,

~ QueenofRhymes ~