Hey Friends! So here's the new chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter because I spent quite a while working on it
Wisegirl6

Chapter 7 ~New Job

It was very boring being a slave for Cavell. If you weren't working you were kept in your cell with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Since Merlin only worked about 50 hours every week in the laundry room he spent about 120 hours sitting in his cramped, cold cell.

Merlin never thought that he would ever miss working. At least then he would have something to distract him from the constant cold and hunger that plagued him. That was really all he could do in his small cell. He couldn't remember the past, that was too painful, he couldn't look to the future, not that Merlin really had one here, so the only thing he could focus on was the present, and right now the present was very cold.

The young slave sat at the very back, like he did everyday. 'Only about 8 more hours before it's back to the laundry room,' he thought to himself in a monotone.

He was shaken from his thoughts as the door to the cell opened and two uniformed guards strode in. They marched right up to the warlock and hoisted him up by his shoulders.

"Where are you taking me?" he demanded as they dragged him through the dungeon corridors. It was much too early for him to be called back to work, and usually Cavell would inform him when he was need for other duties for the next day.

Their only answer was to tighten their already vice-like grips on Merlin's shoulders. What was uncomfortable became painful.

They led him up a large set of stairs and up into the main part of Cavell's 'fortress'. Merlin closed his eyes against the bright sunlight that streamed through the windows, after spending such a long time underground his eyes were too used to everything being dark.

It was pathetic really. The mighty Emrys, only being able to see the sun a couple of times a year. If the druids could see him now, cold and hungry and sick.

"Ah, this is the boy," drawled a cold voice from ahead of him.

Merlin clenched his teeth and forced himself to look down. If Cavell was here then so was Isobel, he rarely did anything without her; as Merlin had heard from his fellow slaves. Merlin wasn't afraid of Cavell, he was afraid of Isobel.

She was pure evil, what she did was sick and cruel. Not only did she take pleasure in causing pain in the initiations when helpless people were made her slaves, but she bound them in rules so tightly that everybody was powerless to escape her and return to their families and lives. Isobel might look innocent and beautiful at first glance but she was a cold, heartless, sadistic sorceress that you just didn't want to cross. She could happily order Merlin to kill himself and he would have to oblige.

The warlock stayed silent and kept his gaze trained on the floor. He knew better than to give a snarky reply like he would have done years ago, too may sharp backhands to the face had installed that lesson into him.

Cavell continued, regardless of the fact that he hadn't even received an answer," You are very lucky to be in this position right now, I know a lot of the other slaves would kill for your new job."

Merlin looked up after that, desperately trying to keep from looking at Cavell's blood-red clothed sorceress. He didn't want to meet her eyes; they had that criminally insane look about them, like she knew what she could do to Merlin and how much he feared her.

Cavell smiled an egotistic, supercilious smile; knowing that he had captured his audience's attention. "I have a proposition for you," he said almost joyously.

Merlin thought this was very weird, he barely even saw the Lord of this fortress, but here he was smiling at him like Merlin had just won a sack of gold. Usually he was very reserved, stony, and cruel.

The Lord absent mindedly waved the guards back and began slowly walking forwards. "My wife, Isobel, has taken a certain interest in books lately. So, as a gift I bought her an entire library of books! Sadly, when the volumes were being delivered a nasty storm struck and ruined all of them." Cavell looked at Isobel apologetically but she waved it down and turned his gaze back to his slave.
Merlin cocked his head slightly to the side and pursed his lips.

"I know what you must be thinking; where do you come into this?" drawled Cavell. "I need someone to treat the books so that they are still usable. So, you will be moved to the library so you can start work immediately. You will no longer be needed in the laundry rooms."

The slave felt a cold weight settle in his stomach, if he was being transferred jobs then how was he going to keep in touch with his friends? The answer was simple, he couldn't.

Going against everything that the last two years had stood for, Merlin tried to plead his case. "But, m'lord. I have no past knowledge in how to treat books, I would be more of a hinderance than a help," he said quietly.

"No problem," said Cavell, who had already turned his back on the slave and was walking down the corridor with Isobel by his side. "We have a librarian enlisted already that is familiar with the art of saving volumes from mildew and water."

The guards stepped forwards once more and led Merlin through winding passageway after winding passageway until they came to a set of pristine oak doors.

'Probably polished painstakingly by other slaves,' Merlin thought to himself miserably. Said doors were opened to reveal the most beautiful room Merlin had ever seen.

It was very large, with a high arching ceiling and pillars at regular intervals. The library was circular shaped so Merlin could see the entire room from where he was standing. Windows covered a portion of the walls, giving them a perfect view of the sun starting to set over the distant mountains and the fluffy snowflakes drifting down. But, the most wonderful part of the library wasn't the architecture, it was what the room contained. Books, from floor to ceiling shelves placed almost haphazardly about the room.

Merlin stepped closer to read one of the spines: Basic Magical Science. The warlock couldn't believe it, a book on magic! His gaze shifted to the next one, it read 'Magic In Healing'. He quickly scanned the shelf, every single book contained magic. He let his conciousness slip and felt around the room, probing it with his mind. It was true, he could sense the very magic that was installed into every page; every word. The feeling was brilliant after spending such a long time starved of it.

Merlin desperately wanted to reach out and touch one of them, heck, he wanted to spend the rest of his life in this room, but the guards' patiences were being stretched and he didn't want to test them. So, with as much willpower as he could muster at his current state, the slave walked away and rejoined his escort.

They continued on to a table arranged in the very center of the library, piled high with books and what Merlin assumed were supplies. And there sitting at the table, hair pinned back and wearing glasses of all things, was...

"Sage?!"

I bet none of you expected that. Anywho, this will probably be the last update for a while because I just got obsessed with Supernatural (I'm well on my way of becoming a SuperWhoLocker) and spend every available second trying to watch it online.
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Wisegirl6 :D