Not that long between chapters this time, due to my free time!
Song: Red: Taylor Swift
Warnings: As per last chapter
Hope you like it!
Merlin woke to extraordinary pain. His back burned a thousand fires, and his throat ached. It took a few moments to take a hold of his bearings, to remind himself that he was far from his bed back home.
"Merlin," a voice whispered. The warlock groaned in response and he heard a relieved laugh.
"You're the stupidest boy I've ever met," Aeneas said, but Merlin could hear the fondness in his tone.
"Thank you," Merlin replied, his voice hoarse and weak, eyes still closed.
"Can you get up?"
"Probably not."
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. You've slept all night, and Olaf will be here soon to get us to work."
Merlin moaned at his words, but began the painstaking process of getting up from his position lying on his stomach. It took a while, but soon the warlock was seated, his friend's muscled arm keeping him from falling over. The pain was overwhelming, and the young boy nearly passed out, but when the spots finally cleared from his blurred vision, he felt himself being pulled into a warm embrace.
"You shouldn't have done that, but I can't thank you enough for doing it," Doc whispered in the boy's ear.
"Just don't make me do it again." Merlin gave him a sheepish smile.
"I'll do my best," the old man replied softly.
The two looked at each other for a moment; however, they were soon interrupted by Bofur's deep voice.
"Well, now that the tearful reunion is over, we have to get down to business."
"What business?" Merlin looked at the fat man curiously.
"We were talking and have decided to go with what you were saying a few days ago—we need to find a way out of this hell hole or we'll all be dead within the week. Anyway, you won't even last that long if that back isn't given proper treatment. We wrapped the wounds with what's left of your shirt, but you need medication fast to stop infection."
Merlin nodded, looking down at himself to find his torso wrapped in his red tunic—or had it been blue? "What are we going to do?"
"See, that's the problem. Getting out of here would be simple if we could use our magic for a second, but the wardens are good at ensuring that we are chained at all times. He knows just how destructive one of us could be," Aeneas said simply.
"Do the chains vary in strength?"
"What do you mean?"
Merlin played with the shackles around his hands. "If there are chains where the spells on them are weakened, maybe our magic could break through them—if only for a second."
"The oldest chains are in the torture chamber, the blood of sorcerers has weakened their power." Doc's voice was bitter, and Merlin didn't miss his glance at the boy's bandaged chest. "But the problem is that if you ever find yourself in those chains, it means that you are either being tortured or dying, so no one can focus on calling on magic or even remembering a spell to get free."
"But some of us don't need spells…" Merlin murmured to himself.
"Sorry?"
"I need to get back into that chamber," the warlock said firmly, mind working fast.
"Whoa, there, you can't go in there now, you're too weak. To go back in there so soon would kill you, and you're no use to us dead," Bofur replied.
"It's the only chance we have; as you said, we don't have much time."
"At least wait two days, just to get your strength back. Remember, even if you do get yourself free, you'll have to fight your way through The Mine—you can't do that if you are as weak as you are now." Aeneas clapped a hand on the warlock's shoulder. "Anyway, why should you go? One of us can—"
"It should be me," Merlin interrupted. "I can use my magic without spells. They won't notice that I'm getting free until it's too late."
"I've never heard of magic being done without spells…" Bofur said suspiciously.
"Yeah, well, I'm a little different. You see—" Merlin was stopped by a wave of cold water that hit them all, leaving them spluttering in surprise. Nervousness gripped the warlock—how could he work in the state he was in? Aeneas seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and he climbed the rope right after the young man to ensure he kept going and didn't fall.
Merlin reached the surface to Olaf's leering smile. "Not sure if I can allow this…" The butcher-like villain said, fingering the tightly bound fabric that wrapped the sorcerer's chest. He then pulled out a knife and cut Merlin's side, breaking through both mock bandage and skin. The warlock cried out in pain despite himself when Olaf ripped off the fabric, his back bleeding again as the guard tore open the scabs. Merlin doubled over and barely made it to their workspace, Aeneas's hand the only thing keeping him upright.
The pain only got worse when Doc handed Merlin his pick axe, and with every lift of the tool, his back was torn further. Warm blood trickled down his skin and itched as it dried. But Merlin knew better than to stop, even going quicker when Olaf whipped him to work faster. The end of the day couldn't come fast enough, and that night, they whispered out a plan, Doc keeping his fear for Merlin a secret as he studied the warlock's worsening state. They kept like that for three days—long enough for Merlin to get used to his constant state of pain.
The day finally came, and as they worked, Aeneas kept shooting the warlock looks, mouthing the same thing every time: "You don't have to do this." But Merlin ignored him and swallowed his pain and fear—he would get out of this hell hole, dead or alive. He couldn't—wouldn't stay another day without the sun.
It was midway through the day when Merlin made his move. The boy collapsed to the floor, head lolling back in exhaustion. Olaf sauntered towards him, whip lifted menacingly.
"Get to work."
Merlin looked up at him with sharp eyes. "Hmm…not in the mood."
"Excuse me?"
"Are you deaf as well as stupid?"
Olaf grit his teeth, grabbing the warlock by the neck, but before he could hurt the boy, Merlin swung the pick axe that was still tightly gripped in his hand, hitting it with all his might at the man. The tool landed with a sickening crack and Olaf screamed, letting go of the warlock to clutch his now bloodied face. The other guard smacked Merlin on the head—making the young man see stars—but he dared not do anything further before tending to his fallen companion. He rushed to Olaf's side, cursing as he saw the damage the axe had done. A whole half of Olaf's face was dented in, and bit of splintered skull stuck out here and there, one eye completely gone. However, miraculously—and much to the onlooker's dismay—the large man had avoided any mortal damage. The other guard called in help and they towed Olaf away as he still screamed bloody murder. They then turned their pea-sized brains to the slave who had done the damage, dragging him towards the torture chamber where they promptly knocked him senseless to await further trial.
When Merlin awoke next, he was aware of an aching throb in his arms, and he looked up to see that he was chained to a horizontal bar attached to the ceiling, his torso covered in blood—how much of it was his own and how much of it was Olaf's, he couldn't tell. His attention turned to the chains that manacled his hands. He didn't have much time before the guards arrived with every intention of killing him (most probably slowly) because of what he had done to Olaf. The warlock closed his eyes and willed his magic to come to the surface.
Nothing.
He tried again and again, but still nothing. Merlin began to panic. If he couldn't get out of these chains, then they would surely kill him and the other members of his slave family, and that was one thing Merlin couldn't bear to think about. But his morbid thoughts were not long lived, because in came a group of five guards and (much to Merlin's delight) a very bandaged Olaf. At the moment, the aforementioned was seething with rage. The doctor had managed to dull his pain, but Olaf was adamant that he would see to Merlin's death himself before he was stitched up.
"Not so brave are you now, boy? All chained up like a lamb to slaughter," he sneered.
"What are you so angry about, Olaf? It's not like you had any looks that I could ruin in the first place—to be honest, I think I did you a favor. Having half of your face bludgeoned in must do well with the ladies—" Olaf stopped him with a hard smack that Merlin was sure had cracked some of his teeth.
"I am going to kill you, you worthless rat, and I am going to do it slowly and painfully, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it."
Olaf nodded to the other guards, who walked towards Merlin and began to beat him—some with sticks and some with gloved hands. When they had surely bruised and broken every bone in his body, they stopped and pulled back. Coughing up blood, the warlock struggled to keep himself conscious, but the pain muddled his thoughts. Olaf walked behind him, taking in the boy's torn back, and very carefully, the big man took a knife and began to slice open each of Merlin's whip wounds.
The guards watching soon grew sick of the screams.
Finishing his work on the final scar, Olaf gripped Merlin's face with his bloodied hands, showering the boy with his rancid breath.
"Now let me tell you what's going to happen, boy. This is going to drag on for days, and do you know what's going to happen that day I plan to kill you? I'm going to call in each of your little friends and I'm going to make you watch as I tear off their limbs." Olaf laughed, but his mirth faltered when he thought he caught a flash of gold in those pain-dulled blue eyes.
Merlin looked up at him and replied to his captor with calm, even words. "Threaten me, torture me, kill me, but lay a finger on my friends and I will rip you apart."
"How?"
"Like this."
The guards in the room screamed in pain and they clutched their heads, blood running from every pore in their body as Merlin's magic forced it from their veins. Chains above the warlock cracked and Merlin fell to the floor where he unlocked the bonds on his ankles. Then the warlock straightened as Olaf backed away in shock and fear. "That's impossible. The chains, you can't—"
"Now let me tell you what's really going to happen—I'm going to destroy your Mine, and I'm going to make you watch, and then I'm going to hand you over to the hundreds you've enslaved and I'm going to see what they do to you." Merlin said coldly, all the while his magic on overdrive—anger channeling his power. All around him, guards were flung to the stone walls and their captives' chains unlocked; soon Merlin wasn't the only one using magic.
"Clear?" he said coolly. Then the warlock's eyes burned gold and he lifted his hand, sending Olaf flying towards the wall at the other end of the room. The sickening thud was followed by a short scream, and Merlin didn't look back as he stepped over Olaf's dying body.
And they continued like that, their numbers growing, and no one could stand in their way. Merlin, comfortable that the slaves were well in control, ran to where Doc, Aeneas, and Bofur remained chained, shuddering in anticipation as the sounds of rebellion reached their eager ears.
"Merlin!" Aeneas grinned elatedly as the warlock slid towards them, unlocking their chains with a glow of gold.
"Come on!" The warlock pushed into the crowd of sorcerers rushing through the caverns, their bottled-up magic a force the guards had no chance against. Rage fueled the slaves as they fought their way towards the long missed sun, and the caves echoed the sounds of triumphant and dying screams.
Merlin held up his hand as a guard rushed towards him with a long sword, and the attacker soon found himself at the other side of the room, bones cracked. Turning around, the warlock caught sight of Aeneas wrestling with a guard, and Doc walking slowly through seas of people, eyes burning a seemingly permanent gold. It's almost too easy…Merlin thought to himself as the guards raced towards the exits to escape the onslaught of sorcerers.
"Light!" the people next to him cried and pointed to the end of the dark tunnel, and Merlin didn't hesitate to run alongside them as they fought their way to freedom, as they fought their way to the sun. When the light first hit him, it burned his eyes and skin, blinding him. But his pupils dilated and slowly accustomed to the brightness and Merlin laughed out loud. He had never loved the sun more than in that instant. Around him slaves cheered and smiled—both things they had long thought they couldn't do anymore. However, Merlin's heart grew heavier, and his unease grew with every passing moment. The guards were gathering at the foot of the trees, looking at the sorcerers in dismay. Why aren't they running?
He didn't have to wait for an answer.
"DRAGON!" someone screamed to his right, and Merlin turned to the sky where he saw a dark shape circling them. All around him, the once exuberant yells became screams of terror and the slaves retreated into the caverns from whence they had come.
"Stand your ground!" Merlin turned to see Aeneas screaming beside him.
"STAND YOUR GROUND!" the dark-haired man yelled, eyes glowing gold. Merlin took his lead and began to scream the same, and soon the slaves calmed and stood beside them.
The sky darkened and Merlin's breath left his body as he caught sight of the creature that he had been sent from Glendale to meet—the great dragon and lord of the sky Kilgarrah. The dragon was gargantuan, even more than Merlin had thought, and the creature's scales rippled as it landed on the ground before them with an impact that shook the earth beneath their feet. Both sides were silent for a moment, and then the dragon opened his mouth and let out a wave of flame at the newly freed peoples.
"Chistian," Merlin put his hand up, his shield blocking the fire—something that had never happened before. Kilgarrah stopped and the warlock followed suit. Then the dragon did what Merlin never would have expected—it laughed.
"Well well well," it said in a deep voice, its chuckles shaking the ground, looking down at the bloodied and bare-chested warlock. "What do we have here? A sorcerer with enough power to challenge me. That's new."
"I'm not here to challenge you," Merlin said, attempting to keep his voice from quavering, but the magic still rushed through him and gave him strength enough to speak to the awesome beast before him.
"Then what are you here for?" the dragon asked, sounding rather amused.
"I'm here with my comrades to escape imprisonment."
"I can't allow you to do that," Kilgarrah said with a sigh.
"Why not?"
"Because half the jewels they mine go to me, and I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to part from that great gift."
Merlin looked up at the dragon in shock, and admittedly, disappointment. "I'd heard that dragons were noble creatures that cared for the people. I never thought that such majestic beings were juvenile enough to fall under the spell of glittering gifts."
"Our involvement and care for people has only lead to the near extinction of our race. We no longer care for the quarrels of man, so long as we reap the benefits."
"So the power of the dragons is lost?" Merlin asked defiantly, rage making him bold.
"How dare you! I could crush you in an instant!" the dragon roared, leaning in towards the warlock so that they were only inches apart. Merlin didn't flinch.
"Then why don't you?"The young man challenged.
Kilgarrah opened his mouth to reply, but instead narrowed his eyes and studied the seemingly insignificant being before him. "Who are you?"
"I'm nobody."
"Well, you sound like a somebody."
"Were I a somebody, you would have known who I was."
"Make no mistake, puny human, I know exactly who you are, so I know that you are a somebody traipsing as a nobody."
"I am a nobody traipsing as a nobody."
"In that, you are wrong, insolent mortal. No nobody would dare defy me."
"Then I must be the first."
Kilgarrah chuckled. "Yes, it seems that you are. Tell me, why should I let you and your friends go?"
"I am here because of my search for you. I've come from the court of Leodogrance, sent by the three sorcerers who teach there. They told me to find you. I had expected that you would give me the answers I seek, but it seems I was wrong. You are not the all knowing, noble, powerful creature I had expected to meet. So perhaps you should let us go, to prove that you are the magnificent being I was sent to find, and not the cowardly lizard I've found."
"I should kill you for your insolence."
"Yet still you continue to entertain me."
The dragon narrowed its golden eyes at Merlin, smoke curling from its great nostrils. "Yes. And though I would love to kill you, you are not fated to die at my hand. For that reason, I will leave, but heed my warning: should I see you again, I will not hesitate to break prophesy."
Merlin looked in surprise as the dragon turned to leave, and in the silence, one could have heard a pin drop. However, just as the creature unfurled its great wings, it turned back to the small figure.
"Before I go, I will give you one piece of information, for you'll need it in the coming months. Your coming here has set off a series of events that will bring into reality a prophesy-when the blood moon eclipses, you'll have to choose, and that choice will either destroy or save the seven kingdoms. Young warlock, you have powers that you know not of, but be warned, all magic comes at a price, and your sacrifice will be the greatest of them all. Be warned, Emrys, everything is about to change."
ooo ominous words. I PROMISE NEXT CHAPTER I'LL GIVE YOU A BREAK FROM ALL THE GORE!
Was the chapter any good? Cyber cookie for anyone who tell me!
-ladywarlock