Chapter 8: Fire

Fire and madness were the only words that could describe it. A thick black smoke filled his lungs and he had to cover his mouth to stop coughing. The orange glow was blinding him and it was making his eyes water. The heat was such a contrast with the cold from before that he felt his body give a violent shiver. Kilgarrah was flying low over the woods and caves, lighting everything in sight. Morgause's men had taken fright and they could now be seen running in all directions. Their screams were dreadful and overwhelming.

Sister! They cannot escape! There is still a chance. Vengeance must be ours, said Morgause's voice in Merlin's head.

But Morgana was nowhere in sight. The fire was spreading around them, burning the trees and creating a wall of flames. They were trapped. Again.

"Did you tell the dragon to…?"

Lancelot did not finish his question. Merlin was struck by the look of horror on the knight's face. The others were equally in shock.

The young warlock took a few steps forward. Kilgarrah was doing the same thing that he had once done to Camelot. The only difference now was that Merlin had inherited the sacred gift. He would have to use his Dragonlord voice to stop the mighty beast. He could feel Kilgarrah's rage, but he knew that the dragon would not harm him for they were kindred spirits. And consequently not even its fire would touch him. Sure enough, the flames seemed to recoil at his presence. He was after all a creature of magic, a master of the elements, and he was in no mood for an argument.

He took a deep breath. "Dragon!" he called. "Non didlkai. Kari miss, epsipass imalla krat!"

He did not glance at the others but he imagined the fear on their faces as the beast that had almost destroyed Camelot swooped around the group and then landed heavily on the muddy ground. A great gush of wind ruffled the warlock's hair. He noticed that the dragon's scales were impervious to the swirling fire.

"What did you do?" said Merlin forcefully.

The creature was bowing its head low.

"I did what was necessary, and apparently so did you."

Merlin followed Kilgarrah's glance and met Arthur's furious glare. The dragon nodded in the direction of the prince. A silent understanding passed between the creature and the Dragonlord.

"This isn't what I wanted," whispered Merlin.

"You did not choose this day, young warlock, but it chose you," said Kilgarrah softly.

But then, they heard a woman's scream.

"Morgana!" yelled Arthur.

Merlin turned around in time to see Gwaine and Lancelot holding the prince back. Arthur had almost thrown himself in the flames in trying to answer his sister's call. The bond between them was undeniable.

"We have to do something!" said Gaius.

"For once, I agree with the old man," said the dragon. "Merlin, the witch Morgana must be stopped."

Merlin closed his eyes momentarily. Morgause was no longer talking to Morgana; she was whispering unceasingly in the Old Tongue, uttering words that made Merlin's inside twist in pain even though he could not understand what she was saying.

"Morgause has done something to Morgana," he said uneasily. "She's controlling her. It's dark magic. I don't know how to stop it."

The mighty dragon lowered its head; its wings were surrounding him, veiling him from the others.

"Merlin, you are a creature of magic; Morgause is not. She is playing with forces that she does not comprehend. Everything that you are is giving you the power to undo the evil that she has called forth. No spell or enchantment can help you. You will have to find the will within yourself, young Dragonlord."

The task before him seemed enormous; his burden had never been heavier. The dragon lifted its wings and Merlin saw again the scene of nightmare. Yet the fire and the smoke did not seem as important to him as finding a slender figure in a red velvet dress.

"Where is she?" asked Merlin, glancing around.

"Perhaps some rain?" offered his old mentor with a meaningful look on his face.

Merlin decided to keep his back to Arthur and his knights to say that spell. He had had enough awkward glances for one day and he didn't know how much more he could take.

He raised his right hand towards the sky and bellowed "Tidrenas!" Immediately, they heard a loud rumbling sound and drops of water began to fall all around them. The drops rapidly turned into heavy rain. It was putting out the flames and turning the black smoke into a mist.

"Great! I thought we were done with water for today," said Gwaine, brushing his wet hair from his face. But when his eyes met Merlin's, he winked.

Arthur, on the other hand, had more than rain on his mind, and he wasn't as lively as Gwaine.

"Spread out! Find Morgana!" he called to the others.

Ellyan and Percival had found swords and they were already on the move.

"Stay with Gaius," Merlin said to the dragon.

He was feverishly looking around for signs of Morgana when suddenly someone grabbed his right arm.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight," said Arthur stubbornly.

"Right. So you can burn me at the stake," snorted Merlin.

"Maybe I have something better in mind," replied the crown prince.

With a silent nod in Gaius's direction, Merlin and Arthur started at a rapid pace towards the woods. Gwaine and Lancelot were already searching on the right so Arthur wheeled left, pulling on his servant's sleeve as he went. However, the ground was slippery and treacherous; the rain was cold; and Merlin was too exhausted to keep up.

"Wait!" said the young sorcerer, panting. "All this magic is a lot harder than it seems."

"I don't want to know," growled Arthur.

But Merlin was experiencing a pang of pain again, mostly in his arm. He wrapped his right hand around his left shoulder to get a better idea of his wound. When he looked at his fingers, they were sticky with blood. He glanced nervously back at Gaius, but all that he could see was the faint white glow of the old man's hair. They had run up the hill from which Morgana had probably been watching the caves, and they were too far to ask for the physician's opinion.

"Come on, Merlin!" said Arthur impatiently. "You can rest when we're back in Camelot and you are in your new home. I have a special cell in mind for you."

Merlin was about to reply something when suddenly, he heard a powerful scream in his mind. It wasn't Morgause this time; it was Morgana and she was pleading. She was begging Morgause to leave her alone, to get out of her head. She was close. He could almost feel the dark magic around her.

"There!" he said all of a sudden, pointing at a piece of red cloth up ahead.

Arthur was quicker on his feet. He picked up the red and soaked fabric before Merlin had even started to move. The cloth was actually a cloak: Morgana's cloak.

"She must be around here somewhere…" Arthur began to say.

And then the prince was caught. Jumping from behind a tree, Morgana was on him faster than a spell and her dagger reached Arthur's throat before Merlin could react.

"No! Morgana! Don'!" he yelled.

She was pressing a gold and silver dagger on Arthur's skin.

"Tell me why I shouldn't!" she screamed. "Tell me that this wouldn't hurt Uther the most!"

"Don't you think he's already been hurt enough?" cried out Arthur. The comment only made Morgana press harder on his throat.

"Shut up, Arthur…" murmured Merlin as he was getting up slowly.

A part of his mind was trying to get a sense of Morgause, of her presence in Morgana's mind. He had to figure out how to undo Morgause's magic like Kilgarrah had said, but the dagger on Arthur's neck was making it difficult to think.

He had to choose his words carefully now.

"You don't want to kill Arthur," he said.

"I think I do…" hissed Morgana.

"No, you don't because he's... a… pratt."

"Merlin!" cried out Arthur, outraged.

"He's a pratt and a good person," repeated the young sorcerer. "Arthur has always been nice to you. He has treated you like family. Always. Your quarrel is not with him."

And then, something changed in Morgana's face. The anger in her eyes turned into fear. She seemed almost lost. Tears began to pour down her pale cheeks.

"Merlin, help me!" she said, her voice barely audible. "I don't know how to get rid of her."

Merlin tried to maintain the eye contact. "Let Arthur go, Morgana."

She's going to release him, he thought hopefully. But the second later, her eyes had turned cold again. The moment of weakness was gone.

"Vengeance is mine!" she screamed, and in his mind Merlin heard Morgause as well.

The young warlock was quick to react. "Ahatian!" he cried.

The dagger in Morgana's hand became red hot; the witch let out a cry of pain, but she did not drop the weapon. There was a red line now on Arthur's neck. Merlin had no choice. Her next move might be to slit the prince's throat.

Raising his hand in a flash, he sent a wave of magic towards Morgana using all of the strength that he had left. Nothing less was likely to break Morgause's powerful will.

The impact was brutal. It sent both Arthur and Morgana flying backwards in opposite directions. Merlin watched in horror as the prince's body crushed into a tree. The Lady Morgana, on the other hand, landed on her back on a soft spot of grass. She twisted violently and then, grabbing her head, she began to speak in half sentences as though she was arguing with someone that wasn't there.

Merlin was thorn in two. He wanted to go to Arthur's aid, but he knew that he had mere seconds before Morgause took control of Morgana again and tried to kill him. It was Gwaine walking hurriedly towards the unconscious prince that made his choice easier.

"I've got him. Take care of the girl," said the knight compellingly.

He had to force himself to walk towards Morgana instead of Arthur. He could see fear in her eyes again. She was pleading him to do something. She had the look of someone who has been tortured and who is now begging for a swift end. But he could not kill her; that much he was sure of. Murder wasn't in him. He was a creature of magic. He couldn't destroy life. What then could he do? The dragon had once said that Morgana was the darkness to his light. Perhaps light was the solution.

"What is this? What is happening?" cried Morgana, recoiling as he was stepping closer.

He didn't mean to scare her, but he couldn't think of any comforting words. Kneeling in the grass in front of her, he pressed his hands on each side of her head and closed his eyes. Looking into Morgana's mind was even worst than watching Camelot burn. She was trapped inside a darkness that did not even belong to her. It was obliterating everything that she was. It was building a wall around her soul.

The young sorcerer did the only thing that he could do against such evil power. He thought of a light, pure and white, and he willed it inside her head. He felt the dark magic escape her and surround him instead, but he was the light and therefore the darkness could not touch him.

Morgana's body twisted and writhed, but Merlin held her down with both hands. He remained in this position for as long as he could and after a while her breathing slowed down and she became calm. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she had fallen into a deep and troubled sleep. Her eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids. Merlin could no longer feel Morgause's presence, but there was no way to tell what the damage was to Morgana. He could do no more for her.

He placed the red cloak on her like a blanket and then he hurried towards Gwaine and Arthur. The knight was sitting on the muddy ground with the prince's head on his lap. There was a deep gash on the top of Arthur's head and the blood was trickling down his golden hair.

Merlin moved closer and pressed a hand on his master's forehead. He murmured "Gestahole! Thurhale!" and watched the effect take form. It wasn't long before he saw some color return to Arthur's skin.

Gwaine let out a long sigh of relief.

"You're going to need a long rest after today, aren't you?" he said, his voice full of empathy.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," was all that Merlin could say.

Gwaine shook his head, his eyes never leaving the sorcerer. "Of course not. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yes, you're right."

He had not anticipated at the beginning of this long day that it would end like this. Yet he could only see one course of action after the events that had unfolded. Uther was still the king. Arthur would be going against his father's orders if he kept Merlin's magic a secret. In fact, he would be charged with treason if the ruler ever found out. But Arthur would never sentence Merlin to death. What other solution did the prince have then? Would he accept to share the secret? It was exactly the kind of lies that could destroy the Camelot that they were trying so hard to build.

As Merlin glanced around at the scene, he saw that the dragon had moved closer and was waiting. Kilgarrah had sensed what he was about to do.

"Promise me that you will look after him and Gaius," said Merlin with a meaningful nod in Arthur's direction.

"You can't go," said Gwaine.

"He needs time, and so do I. And I need to take care of her too."

The dragon had moved closer to Morgana. "I do not agree with your decision, young Dragonlord. Your role here is not done."

"Nobody asked your opinion," cried out Gwaine irritably.

He then turned to Merlin, his eyes full of understanding. "Where will you go?" he asked.

"To Aria's Cradle where my father's house may still exist. I want to see if anyone bearing the name Brittanicus is still alive. But not right away. I'll take her some place safe first."

It took all his will power just to turn his back to Gwaine and Arthur. The prince was beginning to stir and Merlin wanted to be gone before he opened his eyes. Explaining would be too hard and he was at lost for words. Most of all, he didn't think that he would be able to go through with it with Arthur watching. One scornful look would be enough to change his heart.

His body was shaking horribly and his eyes were watery, but still he climbed on the dragon's back and settled himself for the long journey. The creature carefully took Morgana's limp form within its claws, and then Kilgarrah took off.

He heard more than one panicked "Merlin!" as he flew away, but he forced himself to remain on this course.

It was over.

He was done.

Author's note: DON'T PANIC

This is not the end of the story; it is rather the end of Part One.

The next chapter is coming up.

Please review. It helps me to write faster