Chapter 2: Searching for the Sorcerer

Above a castle, a dark green cloud rose in the sky, it mutated into an enormous skull. There was something moving around the skull, it appeared to be a snake. FLASH! Another scene, a blue dragon, with a rider on its back, charging towards another dragon, this one red and with another rider on its back. Below them, two armies fought on desert, one large in number, the other made up of many races. FLASH! A third scene, a dark cave, in it's center stood a bridge. On one side, a creature, nearly twenty feet tall, made of shadows and flame, it wielded a blade of flames. Opposite the beast stood an old man, cloaked in grey, he held a long staff, he shouted and drove the staff into the bridge. The creature stepped forward and the bridge collapsed. Then a flaming whip came out of the darkness, and then man fell down the endless abyss.

THUD! Merlin hit the floor of his room, he must have fallen of his bed. He had the feeling that the sorcerer in Camelot had something to do with one of his visions. Merlin went to Gaius to ask him about these dreams. After he described the dreams to Gaius, Gaius told him, "It is not unheard of that when a warlock witnesses a new magic, he will sense something about its past. Normally these dreams occur in groups of three, one of the new magic and two false ones. These false ones are caused by the new magic striving to protect itself from discovery."

Curious, Merlin asked, "But do you know anything of these forms of magic?"

Gaius raised his eyebrow, "Well, the castle you described is like Hogwarts, the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." Noticing that Merlin was about to ask a question, he said "It's a mythical school that Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin built years ago. The skull with snake could be the mark of the Death Eaters, a group of malicious wizards, who want to kill all who are not magical. As for the vision with the dragons, there is a legend that a group of elves discovered how to tame dragons, and to ride them."

Merlin quickly interjected, "Like Dragonlords riding dragons?"

Gaius nodded, "Yes, except for one thing, these Dragon Riders gained the ability to live forever, unless they were killed. That is, they weren't affect by disease, nor old age."

Merlin frowned, "And the monster?"

Gaius shook his head, "That creature could be a Balrog. It's very rare and very dangerous, few have fought one and lived to tell the tale."

Merlin ran to Arthur, "I'm sorry I'm late, I must have overslept."

Arthur turned to face Merlin, "You really do love mucking out my stables, don't you?"

Merlin sighed, "Arthur, what are we going to do about the sorcerer? We have to know if we can trust him."

Arthur looked at Merlin quizzically "Why are you in such a rush to find out more about this sorcerer?"

Merlin paused, then responded, "You see, if one sorcerer is allowed to exist within Camelot, it won't be long until others do to. When that day comes, we need to be sure that some people who use magic can be trusted. If we start now, then eventually magic may be allowed to reenter Camelot and live peacefully by our side."

Arthur stared at Merlin, "You know, Merlin, if I didn't know you and I heard what you just said I actually might think you were…wise."

The two friends looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing. "No, definitely not."

Morgause rode through the forest, searching for any signs of human activity. It appeared that there was a group of bandits in the area, but there was no sign of the sorcerer to be found. It appeared that Morgana's information, that Arthur and his pesky servant were searching for the sorcerer, and the bandits, would be useful after all. As she approached the bandits, they stood up and drew their swords against her. She smiled, "Peace, men, I wish to give you a job."

Their leader confronted her, "Why don't we just take your money and kill you?"

Morgause chuckled, then her eyes flashed, "Forbearne."

A wave of fire raced towards the man, he flew back, and his charred remains were left on the ground. "Any other doubts?" The bandits nervously shook their heads, "Good. Prince Arthur and servant will be passing through the forest soon, I want you to follow them. If they meet a sorcerer, attack him from behind while and pretend Uther has sent you. Upon completing this mission, you will receive a hundred gold pieces each."

The rogues' eyes widened, "We accept."

AN: Sorry about the short chapter, I didn't want to reveal the sorcerer's identity just yet. His identity will be revealed in chapter 3, sometime over the weekend. Please review, even if it's only to guess where the sorcerer is from.