- Chapter 27 -
"Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love."
~ John le Carre
"When is this going to end?" asked Balthazar, speaking his mind out loud. "Ah!"
"Hold still," ordered Veronica, who was tending to Balthazar's wounded arm with a healing spell.
"Morgana is strong. Too strong, that not even I can defeat her," admitted Merlin.
"If not you, then who?" asked Maxim, who had his dark eyes fixated on how Veronica was tending to Balthazar.
After King Arthur's death, the new ruler of the kingdom, Constantine, was doing his best to fight off old enemies of Camelot. The news of Arthur's death had reached to the far ends of the land and so enemies thought that it was the perfect time in conquering Camelot once and for all. But while Constantine was away, there was also a battle within Camelot that Merlin and his followers had to face.
Morgana was wrecking havoc at the same time, and so many Merlinians had already died. This then was what Merlin and his apprentices were just discussing back at their Keep.
Merlin kept silent but for a moment before he answered Maxim.
"There is one sorcerer who can," the old sorcerer said, "but said sorcerer is not yet born."
This sudden information caught all three apprentices' attention, as all three of them turned their heads to their old master, but it was Balthazar who voiced his thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
Looking up, Merlin stared into the faces of his apprentices one by one before looking away from them and replied, "I cannot defeat Morgana, but that sorcerer can. He is to be called the Prime Merlinian."
"What is this...Prime Merlinian?" Maxim finally asked out of curiosity.
"The Prime Merlinian is a far more powerful Merlinian or sorcerer among many others," answered the old sorcerer without holding back. "He will become so powerful within...he'll no longer need his ring to cast magic."
There was silence for a moment.
"There is such a sorcerer?" asked Veronica, finally unable to hold back her own interest about the subject.
"There will be such a sorcerer," corrected Merlin as he looked up to the female apprentice. "He is not yet born."
"Well if he's not born yet, what use is he to us as of the moment?" said Maxim with a sudden outburst. "We need him now, Merlin."
"Horvath," hissed Balthazar with the attempt of silencing his friend.
"This is a time where we should use the Grimhold," Merlin replied. "You all do know that the Grimhold is made to imprison powerful Morganians, yes? While the Prime Merlinian isn't born yet, imprisoning Morgana in the Grimhold is the only way to keep her at bay and not do much damage."
Balthazar appeared thoughtful then, looking up to his old master, said, "But Morgana has followers. They will at least try to free her from the Grimhold."
"It won't be that easy for them to take, not if the Grimhold is under the care of my three apprentices," Merlin smiled.
Maxim was in the beginning of having a serious headache, as he rubbed his temples with a hand. But Balthazar pressed on. "But we can't take care of the Grimhold forever, so that would only mean that it had to be passed on from one generation of Merlinians to another."
"But for how long?" Maxim finally put in his own two shillings into the matter. "Just when exactly is this Prime Merlinian will be born?"
Merlin didn't really want to say the rather disappointing part, but he had to be honest with the matter. "Nobody knows when exactly. But it might take not just years but...centuries, even."
"Then what Balthazar said before is right," said Veronica, not moving on her chair as she kept her eyes fixated on her old master. "It would take generations of Merlinians to find the Prime Merlinian."
"Yes, but I can only put my whole trust into you three," said Merlin. "I give my trust to all three of you in finding the Prime Merlinian being that you three are my apprentices, and that I can trust that with all three of you to teach him under the Merlin's Circle can make up for the time as you guide him till the day he fulfills his destiny."
"But it would take centuries in search of him, right?" said Maxim. "We don't live that long, Merlin."
"Yes," Merlin smiled, causing Maxim to frown. "But what if I stop your normal aging process?"
All three apprentices were then intrigued, but confused.
"Merlin, you'd have to start making sense," said Maxim almost irritably, but he kept his cool as he kept in mind just who was he addressing to.
"I can stop your aging process with just a spell," explained the old sorcerer. "But for that I need time, because it requires a great amount of energy. Give me at least two weeks."
"You'd make us immortals?" asked Veronica, while her two colleagues were a bit speechless.
"With a limit, of course," Merlin smiled. "The spell is powerful, of course. It won't be broken no matter what, only until the Prime Merlinian fulfills his destiny can it be broken."
Maxim rolled his eyes and sat down heavily on a nearby chair, just beside where Veronica was seated. "You smile despite how serious the matter is being discussed?" He was getting a little annoyed of Merlin keeping on smiling.
The old sorcerer only stood from his seat and answered rather calmly. "You're just almost fifty, just two years more, and yet you're already grumpy." This said, Merlin meant to jest, because he knew too well that Maxim had grown up to be a slightly grumpy adult over the years. "For now, I must go. I have to meditate to gather enough energy for the anti-aging spell. We will be talking some more about the Prime Merlinian after that." He walked on till he reached the door, opened it, and turned to his apprentices for one last time. "Have all the rest you needed. Believe me, you need it." And with that, he completely left, closing the door behind him.
It was decided then - the Prime Merlinian was their only hope and the three of them were going to find him.
A goodly amount of moments passed where all three sat in silence. It was deafening, not even Balthazar was making any noises as Veronica finished tending to his wound. When she had cleaned up - disposing of the bandages with a spell and throwing the water on the basin out the window - Maxim stood and addressed her.
"Veronica, I have a need to talk to you."
Both Veronica and Balthazar shared a look with each other, before they both looked up to their colleague.
Opening her mouth to reply, Veronica drew in a quick breath and said, "Of course. What is it?"
The black haired sorcerer made a quick glance toward Balthazar. "I'd prefer it if it were just the two of us. Let's say" - he jerked his head toward the door - "outside? For just a moment?"
Veronica caught what Maxim meant right on cue, as she shared one last look with Balthazar then left with the dark haired and slightly bulging sorcerer.
"What is it?" she asked immediately after closing the door behind her, although she knew all too well that Balthazar might have cast a spell already and could hear her and Maxim from inside.
"You know what it is," replied Maxim simply, meeting her gaze with a steady one of his. When she didn't answer, he asked eventually. "For how long are you to keep me waiting for an answer, Veronica? It's not that I'm in a hurry, but I'm not getting any younger. Neither are you."
Forming any possible answer in her mind to reason with, Veronica found nothing. "I don't know, Horvath," was all that she can manage to say to him.
He nodded. "Alright, if that's how it is, alright," he said, though she wasn't certain whether it was out of understanding. "Besides, I suppose we'll be having all the time we need after what Merlin just said moments ago. Not to mention the mere fact that we have much more important matters at our hands, what with the Prime Merlinian and all." Forcing a smile, Maxim quickly took off his gaze from Veronica just as how quickly his smile vanished as well.
After an awkward moment of silence between them, eventually Maxim excused himself from Veronica and left. As soon as he curved to the left down the end of the hall, Veronica entered the room, only to see Balthazar frowning as he sat unmoving on the very same chair she left him sitting on. And he only got to notice Veronica when she came to a standstill near him.
He looked up to her.
"Are you still planning to tell him?" she asked immediately.
Balthazar sighed. "Of course I still do. I'm just...waiting for the opportune moment."
"And when is that?" Veronica didn't make any effort in hiding the small hint of anger in her voice. This only caused Balthazar to sigh once more. "Horvath was right back there," said the sorceress, "and I know you heard us. We will be having all the time we need, but if you intend to keep it that long, I will be forced to tell him myself."
"No!" Balthazar almost shouted. "I've told you before Veronica, I am his best friend. If there is anyone, it should be me as the one to tell Horvath."
"Tell me what, exactly?"
Both Balthazar and Veronica turned to the person whom they found standing by the opened door. They already know it was him because they would know the sound of his voice. And they should. The three of them grew up together.
Maxim stood by the door, looking at Balthazar, but as he spoke he addressed both of his fellow colleagues. "There's something the that two of you are not telling me. And I'm a little disappointed that you actually thought I wouldn't notice it."
Once again, the two shared a look.
"If there's something I must know," said Maxim, "I suggest you tell it to me right...now."
Balthazar was hesitating as he stood, trying to think of such possible words that would seem proper on how to say it to his best friend. But Veronica spoke up first.
"Horvath, you should know, that Balthazar and-"
"Veronica and me," cut in the blond haired sorcerer, taking the hand of the sorceress beside him. "Well, you see, we're...We are-"
"The two of you?" interrupted Maxim. His eyes were showing mixed emotions from the moment how Balthazar took Veronica's hand and how she accepted said hand and bowed her head as though she didn't want to look at Maxim at the moment. "You two...are a couple?"
On how Balthazar looked away and how Veronica was at the verge of tearing up was all the answer that Maxim needed to have, or to see. He need not hear anything else.
"Since when?" he asked, his eyes were turning into a deadly glare, one that which both Balthazar and Veronica have seen each time their colleague was facing an enemy sorcerer.
"Five years," answered Balthazar in a small voice. "Maxim, I'm sorry," he apologized, using his best friend's first name as the entire matter was becoming quite serious.
Now, Maxim's full attention was on Balthazar. "That's the exact same amount of time since I told you my true feelings about her."
Veronica risked a glance towards Balthazar, but didn't say a word on it, as Maxim continued.
"Each and every night since that day, I kept asking you if I should continue this feelings I have for Veronica. And yet still you kept your relationship with her to me?"
"Maxim, I didn't mean-" Balthazar tried to say but he was interrupted by Maxim once again.
"I never thought that the Great Balthazar Blake could be such a coward on some matters."
"Yes, I was coward!" agreed Balthazar, taking a step forward, letting go of Veronica's hand. "Because I was afraid. I was afraid I'd lose a friend, and I was afraid to hurt you."
"Hurt me?" repeated Maxim, his voice became as deadly as his glare, as he also took a step forward. "Hurt me? And how does keeping your relationship from me for five years a way of not hurting me?"
Taking in a quick breath, the blond haired sorcerer tried to reason with the then angered best friend. "Maxim, you have to understand. I was-"
"Elhallgattat, te fattyú!" (Shut up, you bastard!) But once again the dark haired, and quite hurt, sorcerer cut him off and this time, with a furious and angry voice. "I have heard enough from you!" He then risked a glance to Veronica, and took a moment before speaking again. His was breathing heavily; his eyes had softened a little. "So I never had a chance with you since before, had I?"
She didn't say a word, as she was unable to hold back the tears that fell from her eyes.
When Maxim brought his gaze back to his ex-best friend, he said, "Tell Merlin he's short out of one sorcerer when I get out." Then he turned around and started for the door, and when Veronica tried to stop him, she was held back by an arm from Balthazar.
When the two sorcerers in the room were not able to hear the footsteps of their colleague, Veronica dropped to a nearby chair as Merlin appeared by the door a second after she had seated.
The two sorcerers looked up to their old master, who met their gazes with a serious one of his.
"I heard, so you two need not speak at all," Merlin said. "We continue as planned, and after two weeks, I will cast the spell on the two of you."
Balthazar nodded. "Nothing's changed."
"No, Balthazar," said the master. "The moment Maxim walked out of this door, everything has changed."
And with a cloud of red dust, Merlin disappeared.
Four days later...
It was late at night and Maxim had shove a villager up to a nearby tree somewhere in the woods.
He had just came from a tavern after some slightly heavy drinking and had found his way to the woods, where he had encountered the villager who was somehow drunk himself. Whatever the man had said to Maxim, it was a form of insult that the dark haired sorcerer was utterly offended.
"W-What are you doing?" asked the villager in an angry but shaking voice, (poor man). "Do you intend to kill me?"
"Well if you must know, I was planning to, yes," said Maxim rather coolly.
"Y-You can't!" said the villager. He made no attempt in hiding his fear. "Y-You're one of Lord Merlin's apprentices!"
At this, Maxim let go of his grip on the man, and turned to take three steps away. "Yes, you're right," he said, having his back on the villager. "I am one of Merlin's apprentices. But you're forgetting one very important thing, my friend."
"What's that?" asked the obviously clueless man.
"That I'm not like Merlin." This said, Maxim whipped around toward the villager and cast an attack spell that was as deadly as it was fast, as the poor man fell to the ground dead in an instant.
When Maxim, after taking in a few seconds of pause, started to leave in his slightly staggering gait, he was stopped in his tracks when he heard an eerily familiar voice of a woman.
"You know, killing innocent people is against everything that a Merlinian stands for."
He turned his head toward the direction of the voice, and greeted with, "Good evening, Lady Morgana."
Somehow, Morgana's presence didn't quite bother Maxim anymore.
The sorceress mentioned stepped out of the shadows and removed her hood. "A good evening to you, Lord Horvath," she greeted back, as she looked over to the dead body of the poor villager, then looked back up to the dark haired sorcerer. "My, my, what a mess. You're master will be furious at you."
"I am a sorcerer of my own," returned Maxim, his expressions blank, his voice oddly calm. "I serve no man."
"If that were true then why are you a Merlinian?" countered Morgana.
Whether Maxim caught on with what Morgana meant or not, he didn't show, as he only fell silent and looked away from the sorceress.
"Aren't you going to ask me what I want this time?" the sorceress asked. Still, Maxim kept silent. "I know you left Merlin's keep and plan to never return and I know why." She walked toward the younger sorcerer and said, "You're hurt...because of a woman."
The words were cruel to Maxim's ears, but he didn't comment on it, for it was true. But it wasn't entirely the reason why he didn't think twice in killing the helpless villager. And Morgana knew that all too well herself, as she walked in circles around the sorcerer.
"You and I have things in common, Horvath," she said. "I know you think the same way about them"- she gave a glance toward the dead body - "That they should be the one's to serve us!"
The last line she said made Maxim look to her, which only gave Morgana the confirmation that she was right.
She said a number of things more just to convince him to be by her side, but Maxim was only half listening to her. She need not say too much for he knew he wasn't fit to be a Merlinian when he turned over twenty. He had silently declared that he no longer believed in what the Merlinians stand for anymore, yet never voiced it out. He had been going out on missions that he grudgingly accepted, and more Merlinians had voiced out how they didn't like his ways in doing any errands. Perhaps then, that would had only meant that...Morgana was right all along.
"Enough, you don't have to say those things to me," he said to the sorceress, causing her to be silent indeed. She looked up to him as though she already knew what he was to say when he met her gaze, as he indeed said, "Just tell me how may I serve you...Lady Morgana."
The sorceress smirked.
"First, you need to turn your back on the Circle...and welcome the Pentacle."