Chapter 8
Arthur felt drained. The events of the last days, his worry for Merlin, and the uncertainty of being able to escape this place took away all of his energy. It took all of his willpower to keep going, but there was no other option. Past situations had looked very bleak; this one would be in the top five. He was glad it didn't involve more of his men - looking out for Merlin gave him enough of a headache as it was.
Merlin... He was wide awake and even though he was a lot paler than usual he seemed eager to leave. Arthur really hoped this holy well of man... something would heal his friend. If they could even find it. It wasn't as if there would be any signs guiding them into the right direction. The only one to guide them at this moment was Vortigern.
He looked from the physician down to the unconscious Kildare. Carrying him wouldn't be an easy task. He had learned how to handle wounded people on the battlefield, how to carry them properly, but Kildare was a tall man wearing a heavy cloak. He turned to Vortigern.
"You have to support Merlin so I can carry Kildare - and please tell me there's a short way out of here."
"Yes, there is." Vortigern answered but didn't move. He was still kneeling, checking Merlin's pulse, but otherwise he wasn't in a hurry to get away it seemed. Was he having second thoughts?
"So, what are you waiting for?"
"Every exit to these dungeons is guarded except for one, " Vortigern swallowed, gazing at Arthur, open fear in his eyes. "But we can't go that way."
"Why not?"
"It leads to the river Tregan which flows below these old ruins into the lands beyond. It runs to the far west edge of the Darkling woods. It's the ideal escape route, but the legend tells of a giant serpent inhabiting the underground part of the river."
"Have you ever seen this serpent?"
"I don't make it a habit to go that way."
"So there's a serpent you have never actually seen?" Arthur raised a hand in exasperation, having heard enough. Even if there was a monster in the river it was something he could fight - unlike the magic of these druids. "I vote for this river."
"Me too." It was Merlin, who had taken Vortigern's hand as if to reassure him.
"Well?" Arthur waited for the old man to make up his mind and do it quickly.
"I can't come with you." The man avoided his glance.
"I'm not suggesting you come the whole way, just lead us out of this maze."
As long as they reached this river he would be able to find their way out. Maybe the dark magic inside of Merlin would be enough to find the well, or maybe Kildare's magic could. For now they needed Vortigern.
"But Kildare."
"He's your friend; I understand. He will come to no further harm if he cooperates."
"Promise."
"Oh, please..."
"We promise." Merlin's soft voice responded.
This seemed to be enough for Vortigern. He gave them both a nod, even though he still didn't move and neither did Merlin. It seemed to be up to Arthur to urge them onward, which made him very worried once more. What if the two men were too weak to make it to the river?
Maybe he wasn't giving them the credit they deserved however, as Merlin was stronger then he looked.
"As much as I love this place," Arthur started, "could we get out of here before either Kildare wakes up or we get more visitors?" He ignored Merlin's subtle smirk and he knew exactly why it was directed his way. He never asked for permission - he was a prince after all - but there was no harm in keeping Vortigern happy.
"Yes, let's go." The man stumbled to his feet, giving Merlin a hand to stand up. They both leaned against the wall and on each other for a moment, but they didn't crash back to the floor which was a good sign to Arthur. They would make it, but he wished he could just grab Merlin and get out of here, at least without Kildare. This was going to be one hell of a journey.
"Let me assist you." Merlin offered Vortigern, draping his arm around the man's side. Walking would be a task all on its own and still Merlin offered someone else a hand. Arthur shook his head and swore he would have a serious word with his friend about his selflessness.
"I take it you know the best way to this river?" Arthur asked Vortigern before he grabbed Kildare's arms and pulled the man over his shoulders in one swift move.
"Of course."
"I guess a floating spell would be out of the question?"
"Magic isn't that simple."
"I guess not." Arthur re-shifted the load on his shoulders and grumbled. "Lead the way then."
Kildare was heavier then he looked, Arthur concluded when he turned another corner following Vortigern and Merlin. The two were supporting each other and, even though this was all fine, Arthur wished they would hurry up. The druid draped over his shoulders got heavier with every step.
He'd only eaten one small piece of bread and a handful of water in the last hours, still, he was the only one still strong enough to carry this weight. He'd always thought any sorcerer could conjure up spells in an instant but there was much more to it. Vortigern was probably too exhausted to even try. At least the spell on Kildare was holding, but for how long?
Vortigern seemed to be taking a lot of secret passageways down to this river of Tregan. There was no druid activity below the dungeons so far, but who said they wouldn't be overrun by guards at any time now? How far away was this river anyway? It felt like stumbling into an unknown abyss. He was about to say something when Vortigern spoke.
"We're almost there; beware of the steps."
Arthur had to stop and rest for a moment but before he could even mention it they had reached the steps. He let out a swear word or two when they started descending, not even turning back to see if he followed. Well he'd wanted them to hurry up, but at the moment he wanted to fall down and forget the world for a while.
They stumbled down the roughly hewn steps, Merlin leaning heavily on Vortigern's shoulder. It wasn't very wide so they had to turn their bodies frequently to allow them access to lower steps. By the time they reached the last step Arthur was so exhausted and bruised he all but dropped Kildare, placing his hands on his knees and panting. The rushing sound of water made him look around.
The steps had lead onto a wide stone ledge situated against the rock wall of a tunnel. The river Tregan was flowing rapidly through the tunnel, leading into darkness on both sides. The only reason Arthur could see where they were standing was because the path and shore were lit by a single torch. This place was used by the druids, then. Of course, or Vortigern wouldn't have known about it.
Even though Arthur could hear the water it was too dark to see the other side of the tunnel. He was wondering how wide it was when Merlin let go of the physician in front of him and almost slipped off the ledge. In a rush of adrenaline Arthur jumped, grabbed the younger man around his waist, and pulled him back avoiding a topple into the dark river. Anger took hold of him for a moment.
"Damn it, Merlin, will you watch where you're going!" Realising he was still holding Merlin's waist he let go, but carefully.
"Never knew you cared," Merlin muttered, but the tremble in his voice made Arthur realise this had been way too close and Merlin wasn't back to his old self in any way. They really had to find this well.
"I haven't carried Kildare's heavy body all the way down these steps for amusement." To hide the awkward moment he patted Merlin on the back and turned to Vortigern. "Tell me there's a boat?"
"There's a boat." Vortigern pointed to their right where Arthur saw the contours of a dinghy. It was barely visible from where they were standing - the edge of the rock ledge was a little higher than the water and the solitary torch wasn't bright enough to light more than a small part of the tunnel.
Without wasting time Arthur walked toward the boat. It was small, way too small, and bobbing up and down barely attached by a rope to an iron ring in the wall. One pull on that rope and the dinghy would be swept away on the current. There was a puddle of water in the bottom which Arthur eyed suspiciously. If this was their only way out of here it was a huge risk. A long pole was lying on the shore and Arthur grabbed it. It would help them to steer it, at least a bit.
"Well?" Merlin asked.
"I don't want to be negative here, but this boat doesn't look like much."
"It'll be fine," Vortigern assured him. " And you can use the pole to make sure the boat stays away from the shore once it's adrift."
"Or to scare off river serpents."
"It's not funny, Arthur." Merlin's face was a mixture of nerves and irritation.
"You should go." Vortigern took hold of Merlin's arm while Arthur carefully lowered Kildare into the dinghy. "This stream flows fast so if you release the boat it will find its own way out of this tunnel. Make for shore near the tall rock resembling a raven."
"Raven. Right." Arthur couldn't help the edge of sarcasm in his voice. What was it with sorcerers and ravens? Was it their symbol or something? He felt Vortigern's tired eyes on him as if the man could read his mind. Involuntary cold shivers traveled down his back.
"Can you have faith in me for once, Arthur Pendragon?"
Arthur felt embarrassed enough to turn away and quickly hop into the dinghy, grabbing hold of the pole as if it was his lifeline. He didn't want to admit to himself that he liked the old man. How could he ever like a sorcerer, a druid? The man looked so fragile when he dared a glimpse. Wasn't it their task to look out for him?
"Come with us." Merlin - still standing on the ledge - sounded tired but determined. He certainly wasn't the only one who cared for the physician. It made Arthur feel proud. Merlin was a lot like him in a way, always doing what seemed to be the right thing. Well, Arthur hoped it was what he himself tried to do; Merlin might disagree.
"Merlin, let's go." Arthur whispered, eyes darting toward the steps behind Vortigern, expecting druid guards coming to stop them. It was one of those gut feelings and it made him anxious.
"Come on, Vortigern." Merlin's voice had a desperate edge to it. He tried to pull the older man forward as he carefully stepped into the boat himself, "you need to come with us."
"I really cannot come with you, the druids still need me here - now go!"
"But we can't find the well without you."
"Yes, Merlin, you can," Vortigern smiled down at them. "You will be fine, as will I. The people here are my friends; they won't harm me." He pulled himself free from Merlin's grip. "We'll meet again."
"Merlin, sit down." Arthur took hold of the rope, ready to leave.
"But..."
"Now!"
"Fulfill your true destiny, Merlin. It is all that matters."
Destiny? Arthur gaped at them for a moment, but there wasn't time for an explanation. He would ask Merlin about it later. These druids spoke in riddles at the best of times so it didn't have to mean anything, but it was best to know. If Merlin knew something he didn't, it was his job to find out. Merlin couldn't keep a secret for long anyway.
He pulled the rope from the ring, pushing the boat away from the stone ledge using both his hand and the pole. Merlin tried to touch Vortigern's outstretched hand as if a silent promise was passing between the two of them, then events started to unfold in rapidly.
As the dinghy rushed into the dark tunnel at least four druids came running down the steps. Their way onto the ledge was immediately blocked by Vortigern - not that the exhausted old man had a chance against their force, but at least it gave them the opportunity to get out of their reach. Arthur hoped they wouldn't use any foul magic to pull their boat back to shore.
They could hear Vortigern's strong voice over the rush of the water. "Stop, we need to let them go!"
One of them pushed the physician out of the way. The man lost his balance and fell onto the rocky ledge, hard. They could see he wasn't moving, as if he were...
"No!" Merlin had shot up after witnessing the scene. "Arthur, we have to do something."
"We can't; we have to keep moving."
Arthur felt shocked, but there was no time to think. Vortigern had to be alright - he had to be - but there was no way they would be able to find out. Even if they could return to the shore they wouldn't be able to do anything and the druids would lock them up once more. He wasn't going to let it happen.
"Sit down, Merlin!" He roughly pulled Merlin's arm, making him fall backwards into the dinghy.
The torches of the druids near the shore quickly faded as they were rushed into the darkness beyond. It felt like being swallowed up by a huge monster.
They wouldn't be able to see a damn thing and it worried him more than this so-called river serpent. Giving Merlin a quick glance before every bit of light was gone, he could see the young man had pulled his knees against his chest and was staring into nothing. Arthur lay a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. He could feel the body below his hand trembling.
"He'll be fine."
"How can you be sure?"
"He's as tough as Gaius." Arthur wasn't certain if he said it to comfort Merlin or himself. Vortigern had helped them with the coin, had helped them escape. He could be seriously hurt, even dead. It made Arthur enormously angry, made him want to hit something by the unfairness of it all - but they had a quest to complete: find the holy well of Manswal and heal Merlin. He wasn't sure where Kildare came in, but the man was carrying the coin and was in some way connected to Merlin. He probably had his part to play in all this.
The boat rushed on in silence while neither of them felt the need to speak. It was an eerie experience, floating around on a restless river in total darkness. No matter how much Arthur squinted his eyes, there was only sound. The sounds only seemed to get louder - the water, his own rapid heartbeat, Merlin's breathing.
"Did you hear that?" Merlin suddenly asked. "There's something out there."
"Are you sure it's not just your teeth rattling?"
"Can you be serious for once?"
Arthur smiled to himself, something Merlin couldn't see in the dark anyway. It was good to lighten up the tension a bit. Merlin was still far from alright, of course, but it might keep his mind off what had happened and what still lay ahead of them.
"There it is again."
"Must be water from the ceiling," Arthur concluded, though he silently feared the tale of the serpent wasn't just a tale. He'd seen many strange creatures in his lifetime and, even though he might want to dismiss these things as nonsense, he wasn't a fool. He tensed up, grabbing hold of the pole with both hands.
For a moment Arthur held his breath, waiting and concentrating. All he hoped for was to see the end of this tunnel, because fighting something in the dark would be all but impossible.
There it was - a loud bubbling sound, not far to their right. Arthur's senses were on full alert while he grasped the pole more tightly and suddenly realised if he took a swing he couldn't be certain to not hit Merlin. As a trained knight of Camelot he could fight with his eyes closed if need be, but Merlin had to get out of the way.
"Merlin?" He suppressed the panic in his voice as the bubbling came closer and closer.
"Arthur?"
"I want you to lie down in the boat next to Kildare. Make yourself as small as possible."
"What?"
"Just do it, I don't want to come in contact with your head when I take a swing with this pole."
"Ah."
Arthur could hear stumbling and he would have grinned if the situation wasn't so dangerous. If this was really the serpent, how tall would it be? Would it attack from under them, or straight ahead? So many questions, so many variations, it made him bite his lip. Would the beast even attack them? The last question popped into his mind when he heard a rush of water and felt the air moving to his right.
A loud hiss told Arthur they were in big trouble.
Merlin wanted to throw up. The motion of the dinghy made him violently ill and he worried about Vortigern while the darkness inside kept trying to regain control. He wanted to crawl into a corner and wish it all away. It was dark enough to think this was all another nightmare, that the bubbling of the water didn't mean a monster was about to attack them. In a moment Gaius would wake him to have breakfast. The idea of breakfast made him more ill and he grabbed hold of the side of the boat while he pushed himself down next to Kildare. His stomach landed in a puddle of water and he groaned.
The dinghy was swaying dangerously when a loud hiss in the air above made him realise the serpent was not a legend after all. Merlin lay as flat as he could, trying to peer through the darkness to find out what was actually happening. He wished he could make some light to see, but even if he could it would have raised questions from Arthur. There had to be something else he could do.
He squinted and to his utter surprise the darkness seemed to get less. He hadn't used any of his magic, but as he turned around he could clearly see Arthur slashing wildly with the pole. It was a bit of a hazy picture, but he could see.
Surprise made way for dread when his eyes fell on the giant creature sweeping tentacles in all directions. Merlin had never seen anything like it before; its beak was wide open, another hiss escaped the nose which looked like slits in a reddish scaled skin.
"Arthur, watch out!" Merlin shouted when one tentacle came their way. He realised too late Arthur couldn't see it. The large tentacle hit the prince's back with so much force his body instantly catapulted from the fast-moving boat. Merlin yelled, missing Arthur's arm by a finger's breadth as the prince landed headfirst in the water.
"No!" The only thing his frantic mind could come up with was jumping straight in to save him. He became painfully aware once more that his repressed magic wasn't an option. How on earth would he get them both out of the water if he jumped in? They would be lost for certain.
He scrambled to the side of the boat and scanned the water. He still couldn't understand why he could see through the darkness; it was unnerving and weird.
A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw a blond head appear nearby. Arthur was struggling to grab the back of the boat as another tentacle draped itself around his arm trying to pull him under.
"Arthur!" He reached out as far as he could over the side of the dinghy. "Grab my hand."
It was hopeless; he had to come up with another plan. His mind was racing frantically but the only option he could see was to go into the river and pull Arthur up. Then he spotted the rope still attached to to the boat. If Arthur could grab it there would be a chance.
Merlin quickly dropped the rope into the water. "The rope, reach out and grab the rope!"
Arthur went under and fear took Merlin's heart.
"Arthur!" He screamed, tears running over his cheeks, his subdued magic sending blinding sparks to his eyes in an effort to regain control. He could feel it, it was there, he had to reach it - reach Arthur.
Two hands broke the surface, then a head. Arthur had managed to grab hold of the rope and was pulling himself up out of the depths. The serpent was nowhere in sight. Had his friend managed to discourage the beast? Merlin didn't know and didn't care.
"Merlin?" Arthur spluttered and coughed; he was barely holding on. "You have to- I can't hold on, I..."
Arthur's hands started slipping and Merlin was losing his sight. No, no, no, it couldn't get darker! He had to see to save Arthur. He needed to make a choice, right now. It could mean both their deaths, but he was out of options. He lowered himself over the side of the dinghy, the cold water making him gasp. He held on to the boat with one arm, adrenaline pushing his exhaustion away as he grabbed Arthur around the waist.
Holding on to both the dinghy and his friend was hard. The current was strong enough to make the body leaning against him slip away. There was no response from Arthur when Merlin pulled him back up, doing his best to keep both their heads above the surface. He didn't have the strength to do more than this, and if Arthur didn't regain consciousness soon they wouldn't be able to climb back into the dinghy.
"Arthur!" He shouted the name into the man's ear, but his only answer was a groan. "Come on, wake up you.. you dimwit! I can't do this alone."
Kildare! The name soared through Merlin's mind. The druid was their only hope. But the risk of waking him was huge, and could be their undoing. Arthur wouldn't be too happy about it either, but there wasn't any other way out of this. Maybe he could get through to him once more? Merlin sure wanted to believe he could at least have some influence before the man would bring them back to the place they escaped from. If he wouldn't be able to wake him Arthur would be lost, so it was a risk worth taking.
The prince's head was going under and, no matter what he tried he couldn't hold on to him for much longer. The boat was speeding out of control towards God knows where and the serpent had left for now but could come back at any given time to finish off its prey.
"Kildare!" Merlin coughed up water and tried to add strength to his voice. "Kildare, wake up!" Trying to find the connection between them would mean letting the dark matter of the tree in once more - and that would hurt. Merlin wasn't sure he could do it; he might lose his remaining energy and let go of Arthur or the boat. No, he shouldn't think like this. If Kildare woke up he would help them - he had to.
He concentrated hard but nothing happened. Merlin groaned in frustration. He knew he had to calm himself for it to work properly, but with the water splashing over his head and the cold seeping into his clothes it wasn't easy.
"Kildare." He didn't sound like himself; his voice came out like a strange entity's - dark and firm. At the same time a dark wave - nothing to do with his own magic - pushed itself out of his mouth like fog, touching the unconscious druid in the boat. It made his sight somewhat clearer again and he wondered if the dark entity of the tree had something to do with it.
He heard someone cry out and realised it was coming from his own mouth before it filled with cold water. There was no strength left in him; they were both going to drown in this awful river. What if he just let go; would it be painful to drown? He spit out water, trying to take a precious breath of air.
A rough hand grabbed his shirt and Kildare's confused face gazed at him over the side of the boat, magic still visible in his eyes. He had done it; he had awoken the druid and Kildare was using magic to save them.
"Arthur, you have to..." He struggled to speak when another wave of water made it impossible. What if the druid would just save him and leave Arthur to drown? "Kildare, please, you have to help Arthur."
"Save your breath," Kildare's voice penetrated his mind. "Brace yourself."
Before he could ask why an invisible force pulled both of them out of the water and dumped them into the dinghy. He hadn't even heard Kildare utter the spell. This man was powerful indeed, and dangerous.
In a tangle of arms and legs he pushed Arthur - who let out another loud groan - to the side and faced the druid. The only light left was produced by a small bubble following the boat - Kildare's spell.
Kildare didn't say a word but seemed to observe the both of them as if they were the strangest things he'd ever seen. There was so much confusion in the druid's eyes Merlin couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Was this the real Kildare he saw? The one who would do anything to keep his people safe - Vortigern's best friend?
"I'm sorry." The druid broke the silence, "I only want what's best for you."
Merlin gaped at him, too stunned to answer. He didn't dare to break eye contact, afraid it would push Kildare back into the darkness. He needed to distract him. "What if the serpent attacks again?"
"Is your sight getting clearer without the light?" Kildare waved a finger at it and it dimmed.
"No, it's dulling at the moment."
"I thought so; I can feel it." Kildare looked around. "The serpent is connected to the tree and the curse of Idad. Only people inhabited by part of the tree's soul can see through the darkness of the tunnel when the serpent is nearby."
"It's leaving?"
"Yes."
Before Merlin could say anything else, the druid started to mutter to himself.
"We are on our way to Manswal." It wasn't a question and Merlin could hear the tone of both surprise and disappointment. "Vortigern betrayed me."
"No; he wants you to be well."
"Be silent." Kildare snapped and Merlin could see it took all of the man's concentration to fight what was inside of him. Merlin felt it pulsing inside his own veins, and he knew it could very well take full control over him soon. If Kildare found the eorðgráp hidden deep within his pocket they would definitely lose the fight, the both of them. Just thinking about the coin made Merlin swallow.
The tree seemed to be winning when an intense frown appeared on Kildare's face. When he looked at Merlin, his eyes were burning.
"This flight of yours has been in vain. We will return and you will both be punished as well as my traitor friend. You will learn what it means to obey and you will be taught."
"I don't think so."
Merlin saw the flash of sparks leaving Kildare's fingertips. It hit his scalp and the intense pain made him grab his head. The druid's voice penetrated his mind, screaming at him to obey, to let go of himself, to drown in darkness...
Then it stopped.
The pain in his skull slowly disappeared and he gazed up, disoriented. There he saw a dripping wet Arthur standing over an unconscious Kildare. The prince was panting and when he saw Merlin he swallowed and fell to his knees. The moment he did so, the bubble of light disappeared and they were surrounded by total darkness once more.
TBC