Square Peg Round Hole

Chapter 21

Merlin fell into a deep sleep very shortly after going to bed, and Gaius used that time to sit down and write a note to Arthur. He had to phrase the message carefully so as to persuade Arthur to come back to Camelot with Grigor willingly.

Once Gaius was certain that Merlin wouldn't wake he quietly slipped out and headed for the Inn. Much to his surprise he found that Eryl and Grigor were both nearly ready to travel.

"Have you discovered where Arthur is?"

Grigor nodded as he finished organizing his pack. "It was easier than I had expected. The Prince and his men are a day's hard riding from here. If we leave now we can be with them before dawn."

Gaius was stunned and slightly alarmed. "We? I thought the plan was to have Grigor bring Arthur back to Camelot. Has something happened to require such haste?"

Eryl had obviously finished preparations for the trip and sat quietly in the corner observing the young seer. Gaius noted that the ancient druid was once again allowing Grigor to do all of the explaining.

"It's really a matter of logistics. If I had to bring Prince Arthur back to Camelot to see Eryl, then he would be missing from his men for far too long. I was able to 'find' Arthur, but his men would obviously change their location when he turned up missing. They might even come back to Camelot. I am not certain I could find them again so easily to return the Prince."

Gaius sat down on the edge of the one of the beds. "Why would you have difficulty finding the knights when you were able to easily find Arthur?"

"Prince Arthur is a very important man, and pivotal to the prophecy. I mean no disrespect to the good knights of Camelot, but they are no more than bit characters in this play."

Gaius raised his eyebrows at that description. "Play?"

Grigor actually blushed at the old healer. "I sometimes view the prophetic visions as a sort of play. It helps me to sort out what is important from what is trivial. That is a crude explanation, but serves its purpose. It is much easier to scry someone of great importance. Their lives have more of an impact on the balance between the present and the future... if that makes any sense."

Gaius thought for a moment. "I suppose it does. You do realize, however, that you will be riding into a dangerous situation with your master. If you are caught, the knights of Camelot will uphold the law not to mention what Cendred's men would do to you if you should run afoul of them"

"It is no less dangerous here in Camelot for those such as we. If we fail in our mission, Secret Keeper, all of Albion will be lost to war and chaos. Prince Arthur has begun to realize the true nature of magic, but he is far from ready to deal with the challenges that have yet to face him. Without Emrys by his side, Camelot will fall to ruin."

Gaius was stunned by the maturity that the young apprentice spoke with. It was shocking to see such a completely different side to the young man who fainted at the mere sight of him only the day before. Gaius looked to Eryl to see what the ancient druid made of Grigor's proclamation. The eyes staring back reflected pride in the young man and Gaius saw that Eryl believed what Grigor said to be truth which was enough for the aged healer.

"Then you must make haste your departure. I believe that Arthur will go with you when he reads this note." Gaius said, as he handed the sealed parchment over to the apprentice.

The court physician walked with Grigor and Eryl as they guided their horses to the main gates. With the citadel on full alert, given the current political climate, Gaius wanted to be sure the druids would be allowed to leave the city after sun down unchallenged and knew that his presence would facilitate their departure. Even though Gaius was certain that Eryl could charm the minds of any soldiers they might run across he still feared for their safety. The roads were rife with bandits and worse. There were those that would be less susceptible to his powers of persuasion.

Grigor was a strong young man and completely devoted to his master and Gaius only hoped that he would be able to defend them against any unforeseen attack. Gaius did take note that both men carried long staffs with them and he was well aware that the walking sticks could easily be used as extremely effective weapons if necessary. The court physician watched as the druids rode out of sight before turning back toward the castle to make his way home.

Grigor felt a great sense of urgency as he rode with his master away from the city. He had no trouble finding Prince Arthur, and that alone caused him enormous consternation. Eryl was not exaggerating when speaking to the Secret Keeper of Grigor's ability to scry without aid, but it should have taken him longer to find Arthur. He had never actually seen the Prince and even though he was a pivotal figure in the future of Albion, it was always harder to locate someone whom he had never laid eyes on.

The apparent ease with which Grigor was able to scry Arthur's location as well as a clear understanding of how to get to him was terribly unsettling. The young apprentice felt deep in his heart that the prophecy concerning Emrys and Arthur was poised on the edge of disaster; a sensation that grew more defined and powerful as he searched for the young Prince of Camelot.

Grigor always felt concern for his master and knew that he was pushing himself and the ancient druid hard, but Eryl took their pace in stride, keeping up with apparent ease seeming to share the sense of immediacy in their mission.

Grigor kept to the roads for as long as he dared at a fast gallop that left the horses breathing hard. The moon was well past its zenith when he finally turned off the road and was forced to take a slower pace through the dense forests surrounding the borderlands.

Picking their way through the forest took more time than either druid was comfortable with, but in the darkness of the dense canopy there was little choice. After half an hour the trees began to thin out somewhat and they came to a stream meandering through the landscape. Grigor decided to stop for a few minutes to let the horses rest and drink while he spent a few minutes getting his bearings.

He had allowed instinct to guide him thus far, but he was beginning to feel some doubt. Eryl had been very quiet allowing the young man to lead the way. The ancient druid had effectively placed complete trust in the young apprentice, which both pleased and frightened Grigor. He now carried the burden of success or failure in their quest squarely on his shoulders and he was weighted down by that trust.

Eryl seemed to instinctively understand the young man's internal consternation and approached him quietly. "You cannot falter now, you must believe in your sight and follow your heart."

Eryl's faith in him should have put Grigor's mind at ease, but it had rather the opposite effect. "But what if I'm leading us down the wrong path? You have trained me well; this I understand, but I have so many doubts."

Eryl turned ancient eyes to the moonlit sky raising weathered hands to Grigor's shoulders. "The moon casts its glow on the world below it, lighting the way, whether for good or ill without question. The rain falls on all, bringing relief or flood without prejudice. You are neither the moon nor the rain, but seek solace in their constancy. The future rests with you, Grigor. You must cast your doubts aside and trust your own role in the events that are unfolding."

Grigor took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Turning his face up to the sky he exhaled slowly allowing his uncertainty to flow from him with the air he expelled. Eryl was older than any living human being as far as Grigor could tell and the ancient druid had placed complete faith in him. If someone as old and wise as Eryl trusted him then shouldn't he also trust himself?

Grigor sat cross-legged on the bank of the stream and closed his eyes allowing himself to feel the energy emanating from all of the living creatures in the forest. He listened to the song of the breeze through the trees allowing its calm to penetrate his heart. He was aware of Eryl who sat beside him and allowed the old druid's presence to act as a well of strength to draw upon. An image formed in his mind's eye. A very small campfire in a wooded corpse surrounded by men clad in traveling clothes. One man sat watch over the others peering through the dim light on alert for any movement in the darkened trees.

Grigor allowed his perception to change as he floated above the group slowing rising up higher and higher until the tiny light from the fire was but a pin point poking through the tree tops. Always keeping that point of faint light in his sight he rose higher still until he could see for miles in every direction. The moon glowed brightly over the forest and off to the west of the camp fire he saw the sparkling water of a small stream. Concentrating on that shimmer of moonlight reflecting off the surface of the swiftly running water he looked closer until he could see it clearly. He allowed his mind to float swiftly along, following the winding path of the water through the forested land until he came to a small clearing on the east bank. Two dim figures sat quietly in the dark as two horses stood drinking from the water only a few feet away.

Movement to the north a few hundred feet from the clearing caught Grigor's attention. He turned his sight to a group of three figures moving silently through the trees. The figures were moving in the direction of the horses drinking from the stream. Each carried a sword at their side and shouldered bags. As he moved closer to the men he could see that they wore rough clothing and drank from skins as they walked. This group had an air of ill fortune about them. They stopped for a moment listening. Grigor could hear the horses at the water's edge. The sound was both far off and close at the same time. The men drew their swords grinning as they dropped their bags and began to carefully approach the sound.

Grigor's eyes snapped open and he stood quickly. Without a word to Eryl he moved to the horses and took their reins moving them away from the water and securing them to a stout young sapling then drew out the staffs. He tossed one to Eryl who caught it soundlessly before moving with absolute silence deeper into the woods to the north.

Grigor knew exactly where the brigands were based on his vision and took up a place hidden from them next to the twisted trunk of a very old tree who limbs hung low, heavy with foliage. As the men approached he gripped the staff tightly in his hands. When they were only ten feet from him he stepped out from the shadow of the tree trunk and stood quietly blocking their path, his staff held ready.

None of the men had seen or heard him. The leader looked ahead and simply saw him standing there as if he had materialized out of thin air. The jeering smile he wore on his face slipped as fear replaced confidence in his eyes. The man wore a grim expression as he attempted to regain some composure after being startled by Grigor's sudden appearance. "Well, well, what have we here? A bit late to be wondering the woods, boy."

Grigor stood resolute and eyed the drawn swords. Eryl had ensured that Grigor received extensive training in self defense using a staff as a weapon. As semi-nomadic druids, they were always at risk of being singled out by brigands such as these. Grigor moved to his right keeping all three men clearly in his line of sight. "I'll thank you to sheath your swords and move on. I have no desire to harm you."

That brought raucous laughter to the two men behind their leader.

"You hear that, Arron. He doesn't want to hurt us!" The man to the left said in a mocking tone as he stepped further to the left.

Grigor could see that these men were attempting to take up flanking positions surrounding him. He knew that he would have no choice but to fight these men, but didn't want to take the time or risk injury to himself or Eryl who had stayed behind with the horses. He gripped his staff tightly and raised it so that it was level with his chest. His eyes glowed gold causing the staff to glow as well which on turn caused the men to stop their forward advance.

"You should leave now." Grigor said in a calm voice, praying that the overt display of magic would dissuade any further attempt at attack on the part of these men.

"He's a sorcerer!" The man in back to the right shouted just as the man to the left backed up telling the leader "I won't fight a druid."

Arron seemed to forget his fear as anger at his man came to the surface. "Hold your ground. This is but a boy with a stick."

The leader of these brigands didn't realize how close he was to the truth. Grigor's power lay in his ability to see. His ability to use overt magic was rudimentary at best. Eryl had taught him some simple incantations that could be used to start a fire or move an object, but Grigor always had to concentrate very carefully to accomplish these mundane tasks with any real success. Choosing not to rely on his limited magical arsenal, Grigor decided that the best defense was a strong offense. He stepped forward with alarming speed and used his staff bringing it down sharply across the wrist of the leader disarming him. With a quick spin of the staff and upward movement he cracked the man under the chin hard enough to send him stumbling backward.

The other two men charged forward from either side brandishing their swords. Grigor spun quickly using the staff to counter the downward swing of the closer man on his right. Sensing the approach of the man on his left he thrust his staff backward catching the man in the mid rift causing him to double over. He then thrust the staff forward attempting to do the same to the man in front of him but he side stepped and the blow missed him. Grigor quickly found himself surrounded by the bandits including the leader who had recovered his sword and now came at Grigor with a bloody chin and a desire for vengeance.

Grigor used his training to his advantage, but these men had clearly been trained in fighting as well and pressed their advantage in numbers. He was able to parry the blows and thrusts from two of the swords-men effectively and continued to move in an attempt to avoid the third. He could almost feel the approach and knew he would suffer at the end of the man's blade, but before he could be run through he heard the third man cry out in shock and pain.

Eryl had entered the fight unnoticed by all and had effectively taken down one of the bandits evening up the odds considerably. Grigor was not happy to see his mentor fighting these men. The ancient druid had incredible stamina for one so old, but the druid's age alone was a huge disadvantage.

Before Grigor realized what had happened he found himself back to back with Eryl as the druids defended themselves from the leader who had blood in his eyes and his remaining conscious companion. The two remaining bandits kept up a tireless assault on the druids until their strength began to wane. Sensing victory the leader let out a blood curdling battle cry and charged forward. Eryl spoke clearly in a voice that seemed far too powerful for one so small and frail, "Fyrwylm ascufan!"*

A roiling fire lashed out from where the druids stood engulfing their attackers, causing them to fly backward. Both men were thrown with tremendous force into trees behind them and slumped to the ground as their clothing smoldered. The flames died away as quickly as they appeared leaving only smoke in their wake. The three brigands were alive but unconscious, and now badly burned.

Grigor turned to face his mentor, shocked by what had happened. He knew that Eryl possessed powerful magic, but in all the years that he had known the druid, Grigor had never seen Eryl use magic in this manner. It was almost beyond comprehension. When Grigor looked closely he could see that the fight and the magic had drained Eryl's strength and any astonishment he felt washed away in a wave of concern.

"Eryl, are you all right?"

The ancient druid raised a hand waving off the question. "We cannot leave them this way. Go and fetch my bag."

"What? Eryl, they tried to murder us. You mean to mend their wounds?" Grigor was dumbfounded and annoyed. They could not afford this kind of delay. Their mission was too important to threaten it over men of this ilk.

"We will not linger, but I have no intention of leaving these men to die painfully. It is not our way, Grigor."

"I know that, Eryl. I just don't always agree with it." Grigor said, as he left to retrieve the horses.

Eryl made quick work of coating the men's burns with a salve that was in a small wooden box. The effect was almost miraculous to watch. The angry red burns immediately lost some color and began to more closely resembled a bad sun burn under the shiny surface of the balm. Arron regained consciousness as the druid applied the salve to him.

"What are you doing, sorcerer?" he spat out as viciously as he could given the amount of pain he was in.

Eryl held the man's gaze steadily. "I am treating your burns. You and your men will need rest and you will need to keep your wounds clean."

The confusion showing in the bandit's eyes was abundantly clear. The thought of tending to the injuries of an enemy was absolutely alien to him. "Why?"

"I am not a sorcerer," was the only answer Eryl would give to the man.

As soon as the men were tended, Eryl rose and approached the horses looking utterly spent. "We have been too long in this place. It is time to move on."

Eryl got no complaint from Grigor who was more than willing to leave these men behind to fend for themselves. He knew exactly what direction to travel in and figured that they would reach the Prince in a little over an hour without further interruptions. Grigor did insist that Eryl ride while he guided the horses through the forest however. The fight and the use of such powerful magic had drained the ancient druid of strength. Eryl needed to be able to preform the incantation necessary to wipe the Prince's memory and set the balance of the prophecy back in line.

TBC

A/N: Thank you for your patience. I have not abandoned this story. It is taking me a while to get to the new chapters. Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Below you will find the old English translations of the spell used by Eryl. My computer does not have the capability of putting the accent marks over the proper letters so I had no choice but to spell it out as seen in the text.

Fyrwylm - wave of fire
ascufan - to drive out, remove, expel, banish, push away