Here's the next chapter as promised. I'm not happy with it but it will have to do.

Enjoy! :D

Chapter 20 - A Matter of Distrust

She approached the city of Camelot from above, gaining a wide bird's-eye view of the landscape. Quickly the tranquil future she was used to seeing flickered into a scorched nightmare. The earth was blackened and bare and all life had been leeched away in a far-reaching circle radiating from the castle. She knew the hand of magic when she saw it but even growing up on a centre of raw power she had never imagined magic that could decimate so much in a single frightful blow… and why did its origin seem to be in Camelot, a fortress of those who despised such arts?

Each time she wondered as if she was looking on this scene anew. It was only afterwards she would remember that she had watched this before.

As her vision zoomed in to within the castle walls, her sight became more distorted as curls of mist swirled across the flags of stone. The denseness of the fog was nothing though, compared to the oppressive feeling of magic which bore down like a lead blanket upon everything it touched. Around her bodies lay scattered, mostly soldiers but also peasants, women and children as well as the adult males – none had been spared.

From out of the grey wisps of smoke a lone figure gradually emerged, striding forward, tall and silent. The air around him seemed to glimmer with his presence and an unfelt breeze swept through raven hair but his pale features were impassive and even his flaming stare seemed vacant somehow. Clearly though he was the source of this magic. A person channelling so much energy was unheard of but the evidence was clear. He had caused this devastation.

Time flashed backwards. Now she was in a familiar cave and lying motionless on the ground was the golden-haired prince, spread-eagled and with a smoking hole in his chest. A charred circle marked the wall beside which he had fallen. A young man, the same man as before, turned around to face him, eyes wide with shock.

Mildryd raised her head, re-entering reality again with a jerk. Not again. She was accustomed to dreaming the future at night but now her visions were haunting her by day and becoming increasingly more unsettling. The image of a peaceful, tolerant Albion, united under King Arthur's rule was rapidly deteriorating and being replaced by this.

That was why she was here. She needed answers. Was the person she secretly hoped could thwart her and her sister's plans and help restore a decaying kingdom also capable of its destruction.

The harsh wilderness rolled out before her and a fair distance ahead she could see thick woodland, which she intended to avoid. Beyond that she observed the craggy cliffs that rose high above the former town of Heolstor. She kicked the laden horse she had 'borrowed' from the swamp, although given the fate that had befallen the other she had probably done it a favour. There was a lone area of shrubland ahead of her and she made for it, intending to conceal herself until the pair she was preceding reached her. What she would do when they did… well, she hadn't planned that far ahead yet.

x x x

"What do you mean she's gone?" Ailith, who wasn't Ailith, fumed. Now she knew that the warlock still lived she had wanted to talk to her 'sister' about her disobedience.

"I mean she's absent from here. No longer present. She is currently somewhere else," Nedra answered sardonically. She actually had no idea where Mildryd was, although she lived in her own world half the time so it didn't concern her much. What did concern her was the sudden interest in her whereabouts, but she wasn't about to show it.

"Yes thank you," said Eda dryly. Nedra was deliberately trying her patience but if she was to keep up the pretence she would have to control herself and not succumb to her fiery temper.

"I didn't realise we were prisoners," Nedra challenged. "Surely she's entitled to go for a wander. Look at us, stuck in a cave for heaven's sake."

"Would you rather go back to your old life?"

"In a heartbeat, if there was a way to bring my husband back, but I know that can never happen so I must do anything and everything to retain what precious little I have left."

"We have lost too much." Ailith agreed.

It took all of Nedra's restraint not to attack Eda where she stood for such a remark. She had lost her childhood home, her parents, her lover and thanks to Eda's treachery, her oldest sister. By contrast what had this impostor lost? It paled in comparison. Basically this was just a spiteful adolescent who had never truly grown up, albeit one with a natural talent for magic. Oh yes, she knew very well who this woman really was and what she had done. Unlike Mildryd she was not completely oblivious to the world around her. I bet she hasn't even noticed I am with child, she thought, although admittedly she was only just beginning to show. Nedra's powers of observation, however, were not lacking.

It was a dangerous game they were both playing, concealing what they knew, each using the other for their own ends. Eda needed the sisters for their knowledge of this source of magic and without them she would not be able to carry off sorcery of this magnitude. Nedra wanted what was best for her remaining family and if that meant taking sides with her sister's killer, so be it. When this was all over she would deal with Eda, but until then she needed Uther's reign to end for the sake of her unborn baby who did not need to suffer as she had. Arthur's death would be a bonus, surely the son would not stray far from the shadow of his father and even if he did, how long would that take. She couldn't afford to wait.

Now Arthur would come to Heolstor and his life would end in exchange for the safety of Camelot; Uther would be dealt with permanently, not just with petty taunting; then she would make sure Eda paid the full price of her actions. She owed that to the real Ailith.

x x x

Merlin and Arthur's afternoon past by smoothly. They crossed the remainder of the swamp without incident but were nonetheless relieved when the drained marshland gave way to the easternmost reaches of the grassy northern plains.

Arthur was unusually silent as he tried to wrap his brain around the big questions that were churning around up there. Was magic always evil? What was it about Merlin? And how had the clumsy fool just managed to trip up on air for the fourteenth time today? The cogs of his mind grated against each other as he tried to figure these things out but it was so cluttered with things that didn't make sense and as much as it pained Arthur to admit it to himself, he really wasn't cut out for deep thinking. He felt as if all that was needed was one swift kick in the right direction to have everything tumble into place but what direction was beyond him. The answers were in there somewhere and yet completely out of his reach.

As daylight began to dwindle, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, but having few options they set up camp for the night where they were. He searched the immediate area for signs of trouble but found nothing. After spending quite a while setting up a rather ingenious trap – he thought – so that at least tomorrow they should be able to eat, he returned to Merlin only to be very much amazed and slightly put out when he saw a pair of freshly skinned rabbits cooking over the crackling fire.

"Where on earth did they come from?" he gaped.

"I caught them. I'm afraid the smaller one is a bit burnt. I take it that'll be mine."

"You caught them?"

"Yes."

"You?"

"There's no need to sound totally shocked." But Arthur could not help but be suspicious.

"How?"

"Does it matter?" Merlin said, presenting him some meat.

"I suppose not." Arthur curled his nose up at his blackened offering and proceeded to pick off the worst bits. It would seem Merlin's flair for culinary excellence was a matter of much debate, although his skills were marginally better than his own. He began to tuck in when a thought struck him mid-mouthful. "You didn't just find it did you? It's not diseased or anything?"

"No I killed it." Arthur swallowed thankfully.

"I thought you hated hunting."

"I don't mind if there's a point to it, such as dinner," Merlin indicated the cremated flesh that could possibly resemble something edible. "I just don't think it's particularly fun."

"That's because you, Merlin, couldn't catch a cold."

"Nice rabbit?" the fearless bunny-slayer asked, eyebrows raised.

"Hmmm." Arthur had to confess to himself that the evidence did contradict him somewhat. "I'll admit you seem to have had an incredible stroke of luck to run into the only two creatures dumber than you. Did they hop into the fire themselves?"

"You're welcome." Merlin said, knowing that was the closest thing to thanks he was going to get.

Once Merlin's back was turned, Arthur tossed a large chunk of meat over his shoulder. The rustle it made as it landed in the grass behind him however seemed far too heavy and much further away than it should have. Wait. There it was again. Arthur stood up sharply on full alert. This grabbed Merlin's attention.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked.

"Listen," Arthur hissed. There was the faint sound of a breaking twig.

"What is it?"

"Well it's not another improbably stupid rabbit." Arthur looked around but night was now well and truly upon then and the orange glow of the fire penetrated very little into the gloom. He couldn't see anyone, but they were there.

Slowly and cautiously they crept together towards the source of the noise, Arthur leading the way with Merlin not more than a step behind. They traced the sound into a small patch of thicket, which Arthur cursed himself for having overlooked.

A pair of black shapes graced the darkness. A pale light flared up suddenly out of the sorceresses palm as Arthur accosted her. Before she had time to murmur any more spells she was restrained on the ground with Arthur's sword at her throat.

"I've found one of our horses," Merlin called out.

"Fetch the reins," Arthur cried back. When Merlin arrived at his side, he temporarily passed control to Merlin so he could tightly bind the woman's hands using the leather straps. Satisfied that the knots held good he reclaimed his weapon. "You're a sorceress," he said, pointing it directly at her.

"Yes, I am."

"The same one who attacked Camelot?" he asked fiercely.

"I wasn't there but I helped, yes," she answered calmly.

"You helped? How many of you are there?"

"Three, myself and my two sisters." Fantastic, thought Arthur. If one sorcerer wasn't bad enough, now they were outnumbered.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Ten years ago Uther destroyed my home and my family, and we have been hiding ever since," Mildryd explained regretfully.

"You practiced magic," Arthur pointed out.

"We caused no-one any harm."

"What happened there was wrong." Arthur couldn't believe the words that had just slipped from his lips. He'd just admitted that and to an enemy no less. "But you are no better – the people of Camelot are innocent."

"I know."

A wave of anger came over him. She wasn't even trying to defend her position. How could she be so casual about the suffering of others like this. Did she care for no-one but herself? This was getting him nowhere so he changed tack.

"What has Merlin got to do with this?"

"What?" Merlin said from the side, puzzled. "What about me?"

"You don't know yet?" exclaimed Mildryd, flicking her gaze between the two young men. The prince had little patience for games and so ignored her.

"Surely even you can see there's something odd going on around you," Arthur snapped to Merlin. "They made a dead man look like you , somehow you knew about the illusions before they happened and you were mysteriously rescued from the swamp by magic."

"So someone almost got me killed and now they're protecting me?" Merlin responded. "You don't think you could be reading too much into things. I'm not exactly important."

"I was told to kill Merlin, for reasons I can't say," Mildryd announced. "I didn't."

"You very nearly did," said Merlin.

"What she's saying is that she tried to get someone else to do her dirty work for her," Arthur told him, trying to ignore the guilt niggling at the back of his thoughts, reminding that it had almost been him. The question of why anyone would want Merlin dead still troubled him, but he wasn't going to get the answers he sought. He faced Mildryd sternly. "I should kill you right now, but you may be useful if we have your sisters to contend with now as well. One false move however and it'll be your last, understand?" The witch smiled and Arthur took it as an affirmative. "Know that I trained my servant in the sword myself and he is as highly skilled and as fearsome as any knight."

"Really?" said Merlin hopefully. Arthur closed his eyes and sighed as his own attempts at illusion were shattered. It was going to be a long night.

Next chapter is written but it'll be about a week before I post it so as not to keep you waiting too long again, unless you persuade me otherwise, which won't take much. I lack willpower.