Author's note:

Return from flashback. Gwaine, Lancelot, Ellyan, Percival, Arthur and Merlin are riding as fast as possible to find Gaius who has been kidnapped by Morgause.

The story continues…

Chapter 3: The Cave

When they arrived at the beginning of the caves, they were bruised and battered. They had been attacked two additional times. Their skin was scratched from riding among the trees. Their limbs were sore. The usual chatter and remarks about how well-trained they were compared to Morgause's men had died out, leaving room for a silence filled only by the labored breathing of the knights. After Arthur's mare was killed by a guard that Gwaine had spotted a second too late, they had left the horses behind and continued on foot. The forest was too dense now in any case. Percival was the tallest and heaviest so he found it harder to keep up. Merlin was so tired that he kept tripping over his own feet, but Lancelot was watching so closely that he was always there to pick him up.

On the whole, they were lucky that none of them had been killed yet.

"Two more guards," said Gwaine as they were crouching behind trees and rock to avoid being seen. "We must be getting close."

"Why is this landscape familiar?" asked Merlin wearily.

Arthur glanced back at him and replied in a whisper.

"These are the caves in which we found Balinor. Remember?"

Merlin could only reply with a wide smile.

The name seemed to give him hope. Balinor, his father, owed a debt of honor to Gaius. Perhaps he would make sure that it was properly repaid. After all, Freya had managed to come back from the dead to give him the sword, had she not? He knew enough about magic to be able to make that kind of assumption.

Arthur Pendragon, however, wasn't waiting around for a miracle. He had positioned the knights around the guards and now they were moving in. Percival quickly took down the first guard. Ellyan slit the other's throat almost simultaneously. The way to the first cave was clear. It wasn't the one in which Balinor had lived; in fact, it was but an opening on higher grounds, partly concealed by thick trees, and accessible only after a sharp climb on grey rocks.

"Stay here," said Arthur close to Merlin's ear. "Wait until the coast is clear."

Arthur left, sword in hand, and Lancelot followed him. Merlin could see the knights make their way slowly towards the entrance of the cave. He wasn't going to wait, of course; he would never give Arthur the satisfaction. However, as he was getting up, a whisper in his mind caught his attention. It was a powerful magic and it shook his entire body, forcing him to close his eyes to regain his balance. Sister, you are me now. Do this for me. Kill them all!

Morgause, thought Merlin immediately.

So she had survived. They had not found Morgause's or Morgana's bodies so they had just assumed that both of them were still alive; assumed, not known for sure. But this whispering was something else. It was a wave of magic deeper then anything he had ever felt before. Morgause and Morgana. Sister, you are me now. Was there a kind of magic that could combine their powers? If so, then they were in worst trouble then they thought, and Gaius wasn't just kidnapped; he was in mortal peril.

Not wanting to waste another minute, not even considering his orders, he ran forward towards the cave hoping, even praying, that Gaius would be in the first one.

"Merlin! Are you mad? You're going to reveal us!" said Arthur hoarsely.

But the young warlock was already breaking all the rules. He tripped on the soft grass because he thought that it was solid ground underneath, and then he climbed rock after rock until he reached the cave's mouth. He heard the others following him and Arthur's growling, but he did not slow down to wait for them. His mind was racing and he was fully awake now. Morgause and Morgana: united as one power. He could not go against that.

The strained voice that he heard when he entered the cave was enough to stop his heart.

"Merlin!"

Two guards stood on each side of Gaius. The others had not entered the cave yet so Merlin had a window of only a few seconds to act. He raised his hand and sent the guards crushing against the stone wall. They both fell unconscious on the floor at the precise moment when Lancelot appeared.

"He's here!" said the knight.

Merlin was already kneeling in front of Gaius. He said, "Onbind tha teage!" which undid the straps that were keeping the old man sitting on a crude chair.Gaius's limp form slumped off the chair and into his arms. Merlin's first instinct was to assess Gaius's body to see if there were any critical wounds. The physician showed signs of beating; his right eye was swollen. His lips were dried and his skin ghastly pale. He was shaking and looking at Merlin as though he was seeing a ghost.

"I thought… I would never see you again."

"Merlin! Can you really be that stupid?" thundered Arthur's voice over his shoulder.

He did not need to see the prince's face to know how angry he was. Yet as soon as he saw Gaius's weak form, the future king became quiet.

"They already know we're here: it's a trap," replied Merlin with as much conviction as he could muster.

"It makes sense," said Gwaine. "Why else would Gaius be in the first cave that we visit? They led us here with all those attacks and sentry." Nodding in the direction of the two crushed guards, he added to Merlin, "Did you do that?"

"Lancelot did that," said Merlin, lying on the spot and completely ignoring the reproachful glare that followed. Lancelot was fuming.

"So it means that Morgause is coming," said Ellyan gruffly.

Merlin felt Arthur's hand on his shoulder.

"How is he?" murmured the prince. "Can we move him?"

Merlin was now wishing that he had tried a healing spell on Gaius instead of simply undoing straps.

"He's weak," he said. "His pulse is not good. Give me some water."

Arthur immediately handed over his water skin and Merlin gave his mentor a few drops of the clear liquid. It seemed to revive the old man; he looked more aware of where he was.

"Merlin! You shouldn't be here!" said Gaius in a dried voice.

"Honestly, Gaius, you know me better than that," chuckled the young man.

Percival came closer to the group. He had been watching the cave's entrance and from the look on his face, the news was not good.

"It's quiet out there; too quiet. They are all ready waiting. They'll catch us as soon as we show ourselves."

"What about this cave?" asked Ellyan. "Can we escape through another exit?"

Merlin detached his eyes from Gaius for a moment to glance around at their surroundings. The walls were dark and smooth; the chamber was perhaps as big as the king's hall, but not more. He couldn't see any tunnels or cracks.

Arthur seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "There's no way out. This is why they choose this cave."

Merlin was suddenly struck with an idea.

"We could wait for the cover of darkness."

There was a short moment of silence during which all the knights were deep in thought.

"It's not a bad idea," said Gwaine. "We wouldn't be waiting that long. It's already dusk."

"We may have an advantage in the dark, but how are we going to find our way around? We'll be blind," said Ellyan.

Lancelot was looking at Merlin as though he held the answer.

"You said you've been here before," said the knight to Arthur. "It means that you know your way around these caves at least a little. If we can put out their fires, it would give us the advantage."

"I wasn't alone the last time," said Arthur and Merlin knew that he was referring to him.

As tired and worried for Gaius as he was, it was true that he could probably find his way at least to Balinor's cave. Putting out fires was also falling within the category of magic that he could perform unseen.

"All right!" said Arthur rather suddenly. "We will wait for the cover of darkness."

"Looks like you have some time to recover your strength," said Lancelot with a caring hand on Gaius's shoulder.

They did not make a fire but they took comfortable positions on the ground, wrapping their cloaks on their shoulders to keep warm. Lancelot secured the two unconscious guards with a rope; their black cloaks were given to Gaius as blankets. Percival and Ellyan took turns to watch the entrance of the cave. Merlin ripped some of the black fabric to make bandages for Gaius's cuts and bruises.

"She didn't come here personally, did she?" said Merlin while assessing a particularly nasty cut that Gaius had on the left side of his neck.

"No, it was just the guards. Is it going to take sutures?"

"No, it's already closing, but it needs cleaning. I felt something." He glanced around to make sure they were not being overheard. "Morgause and Morgana. There's some dark magic at work. I think they found a way to unite they powers quite literally."

The look on Gaius's face was a mixture of pity and shock.

"You must be careful," he whispered. "Your magic is deeper, but dark magic is more treacherous. Promise me…"

He let his voice trail while Arthur was walking by.

"Promise me you won't go up against her."

"I may not have a choice," murmured Merlin, aware of the implications.

"Not alone, Merlin. What about the dragon?" whispered Gaius.

Merlin glanced around and saw Arthur pacing nervously. Lancelot had his sword in hand and Gwaine was fiddling with his pocket knife.

"I can't call him; they'll hear."

"You don't have to call him. Your souls are connected. If you reach out with your mind, he will hear you. Ow! What are you doing?"

While they were talking, Merlin was appraising Gaius's right foot; it was swollen and red.

"I'm asserting if there are any breaks. I need to stabilize your ankle. Do you really think it could work? "

"Merlin, you amaze me. It's like I'm having two conversations at once. You should get some rest while you can and…"

Gaius's voice broke and his eyes fluttered. His breathing was loud and unsteady. Merlin immediately took his wrist and sought his pulse. He touched Gaius's cheek but the old man did not come around, so Merlin took him by the shoulders and pinched as hard as he could.

"Gaius, stay with me!" he cried out.

The shaky voice was almost inaudible. "I'm all right. It's just a weakness."

There were several sighs of relief around Merlin and the old physician.

"It means no more talking then," said Merlin seriously. "Drink what you can. Keep your strength. I'll… err… try to close me eyes a little."

Arthur and Lancelot were standing to close. What he really wanted to say was that he was going to try and summon the dragon with his mind. Gaius seemed to understand because he gave him an encouraging pat on the arm as he rose.

"Merlin?" he said, his voice still weak. "You're going to make a great physician."