"Merlin, Merlin!" Arthur called out desperately. He waded two steps into the river then realised his chain mail and armour would render him useless in the water. He stepped out and began to strip it off. As he unbuckled his spaulder a searing pain shot through his shoulder he looked down and saw a slender point, unlike any blade he had ever seen, It had pierced right through the links in his mail. Slowly a terrible numbness spread out from the wound Arthur tried to turn, painfully slowly he moved his head but every second his body was stiffening growing more and more paralysed.

Merlin almost choked with the thickness of the water. He could see nothing and no matter how hard he tried he could not surface. The water filled his nose and seeped into his mouth, his clothes were weighed down with it. Sunlight just sat on the surface of this river as though it were afraid to enter. In his mind Merlin pictured light and threads of murky luminosity inched out from his fingers. Now he could make out the riverbed writhing below him like a thousand jet eels. Merlin cast about him for any sign of the journal. He willed the book to come to him and it came twisting and turning through the gloom into his hand. Above him he heard Arthur's muffled cries and expected that at any minute he would have him to rescue as well. But Arthur did not come and no longer called out. Merlin's lungs ached his mind was as muddied as the water. Swimming was impossible so he tried to stand on the bottom and walk across. The flow of the fiver was so sluggish that this seemed to work. But everything he did was in slow motion and Merlin knew that he would drown before he reached the other side. He tried to picture his spell book, he could not utter a word underwater but perhaps he could bring the words from the book into the light. In his minds eye he saw them as flames burnt into the darkness and on the black page of the river words began to form, swimming with its flow,
Ic i onstepee wæterstréam,theyspread out across the skin of the river like oil.Ic i onstepee wæterstréam

Gradually Merlin felt himself rise up through the river until his head broke the surface and he spluttered in the air. He rose up until he stood on the water as though it were a path and walked over to the dry land. Quickly he turned to look for Arthur, a brief wave of panic tore through him at the thought that Arthur had seen him..

Over on the other bank he saw Arthur standing rigid, his head craning to look behind him and towering over his shoulder a huge black headed fly, it's long proboscis piercing Arthur through the shoulder its iridescent wings beating the words of the book jumped into Merlin's mind.' The fleogan..whistling ..' Merlin lifted his hand and backed into the cover of an oak tree. An incantation left his lips and curled into the air. "Hwistle on gepyll "

A thin reedy whistle filled the air, not any human sound Arthur had ever heard. The face he looked into was horrendous enough to be the face of death itself but as he watched it the great fly shuddered and withdrew the blade of its tongue. It's eyes, if that was what they were grew dull it's wings folded and the creature slid to the ground. Arthur dropped onto his knees, barely able to move his tortured limbs He scanned the water for any trace of Merlin then covered his face. All he could think of was Merlin, his friend who now lay at the bottom of the river. He wanted to cry, but Arthur had never cried, he didn't know how. Instead he beat his fist into the mud, until it splashed up into his face and under his breath he cursed the quest, the river and himself.

Merlin watched Arthur drop to the ground, he almost called out but something distracted him. In the shadows of the oak trees opposite something or someone was moving. As the figure walked through the trees Merlin thought he saw the branches turn as though they were reaching out. Merlin's incantation had faded on the air but mingling with the last notes came a woman's voice, singing. As the figure stepped out from the shade of the trees his heart made a sudden leap. It was Morgana! For the first time in his life Merlin froze as Morgana leaned over her brother, as she knelt before him and pulled his hands away from his face. He watched as Arthur looked up at her, Merlin could not hear what they said but he saw Arthur look over to where he was hiding. Merlin did not know what he felt. He knew he could not harm Morgana again and he also knew she could not have forgiven him. He stepped out into the open, prepared for whatever she would fire at him but she only smiled and drew away as Arthur climbed to his feet waving frantically. Merlin watched her shrink back into the trees and disappear only her errie song remained.

By the time Arthur had waded the river with the horses he was exhausted. He fell to the ground muddy and breathless and looked up at his friend.

"Merlin. Thank god you're safe. I thought I'd drowned you. How did you….? Arthur stopped, noticing a strange look on Merlin's face.

"What is it Merlin? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Morgana. What did she say?"

"Morgana? You think that she was Morgana."

Merlin looked at Arthur with suspicion. "It was she."

"No Merlin, I think I know my own sister." Arthur remembered the affection Merlin had for Morgana" Sorry Merlin, I suppose she was something like her."

Merlin turned away, not wanting Arthur to read anything in his face. Arthur watched him for a moment. There was a time he was sure Merlin was in love with Morgana. He had never discovered what she thought of him. He knew it was not impossible to fall in love with a servant. Merlin had been there when she was taken and he had not been able to save her. Arthur imagined himself losing Gwen like that. He held Merlin's arm briefly, silently conveying his sympathy, and left him to his grief.

They walked their horses through the trees and out onto scrub land. Some of the trees were large and spreading and afforded good shelter. Neither spoke and Arthur set about making a fire. Merlin rifled through the bags and handed him a fistful of bread and cold meat. Arthur didn't like this silence. Merlin had not looked at him properly at all.

"I think Merlin that she was the river witch, she told me you were alive. She was full of kindness kind not at all like the sorcerers that have come to Camelot..it's curious..I was not concerned about who she was.."

Arthur looked over at Merlin, his shoulders hunched up against the gathering dark. "All I could think about was you, at the bottom of that river."

"Feeling guilty over my murder were you?" asked Merlin with his eyes still cast down.

Arthur felt uncomfortable. This hardly sounded like a joke but the decided to make light of it.

"Don't think anyone would hang me for disposing of a useless servant though." he said, prodding Merlin's boots with a stick.

Merlin finally lifted his eyes. He had always been open and frank with Arthur but now if he was to accept what he was saying he must deny the evidence of his own eyes. Arthur smiled at him warmly. "That river is deep and you went down like a stone. I was just about to get you out and this thing got me here look at that." Arthur pulled his shirt open to reveal a livid mark that was already red and swollen.

"I'll see to that Sire." said Merlin jumping to his feet. Arthur allowed Merlin to bathe his wound and glanced up at him trying to gauge the state of his mood. "How did you get out of the river?"

"Don't really know..crawled out..it was dark down there."

Merlin gently pulled Arthur's shirt over the dressing. "What did she say Arthur?"

Arthur knew that he must humour him. Merlin stood above him watching his face intently Arthur did not break his gaze but made a gesture that brought Merlin to sit at his side.

"She said don't despair he is found and then she pointed over to you"

Merlin talked slowly. "So you think she was the witch Arthur?"

"Yes and I think she saved me from those fleogan or whatever......they were real… Those huge flies you read about…I hate to admit that you were right.....she killed it with this whistling sound...."

Merlin wasn't listening to Arthur, a hundred thoughts were fighting each other in his head. ' Why would Arthur lie to him? Was Arthur lying to him and why was he seeing Morgana when Morgana wasn't there"