He he. Another day, another chapter. Thanks so much for all the alerts, and to those who have reviewed or added this story as a favourite. It's so good to see some of those I recognise from 'Nightmares', as well as the new people too :D

Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin (although if the writers of the show randomly read my story and wanted me to help, who would I be to refuse?)

Chapter 2

"You really are a complete idiot, aren't you Merlin!"

A few Knights looked up briefly at the sound of their Prince having yet another argument with his hapless manservant, but most of the people in the camp paid them no heed, instead settling down for the night. It was now the ninth day of this expedition. Tension was high, and tempers were fraying. Who could blame the Prince for getting somewhat annoyed with his servant's incompetence?

What they were unaware of were the quiet words of the ancient language said servant was muttering throughout his master's tirade.

If Merlin hadn't been so focused on the spell, he would have rolled his eyes. It never ceased to amaze him how Arthur could continue to give practically the same lecture almost twice daily without losing interest. It was lucky for them, though, that the Prince had never grown bored of it in the past. It gave them the perfect cover for him to cast his magic without any of the Knights being any the wiser.

The young warlock had researched this particular spell the day before their journey began, at Arthur's request, as there were certain things they would want to talk about during their time together which it would we unwise for others to listen to. Although it didn't really stop others from hearing what the two spoke about, it effectively blocked the conversation from their minds. Basically, for the ten minutes the spell would be in effect, anyone who passed them would simply not notice anything the pair said to each-other. Unless they were invited to join the conversation, or Merlin stopped the spell.

A nod of his head and a faint flash of gold in his eyes marked his completion of the chant. At once, Arthur wound down his rant and the two settled themselves down a small distance from the campfire.

"Well," began the Prince, "have you sensed her at any point today?"

"No. Nothing."

Arthur let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you absolutely certain that you can't track her?"

"I told you before- unless I've prepared the person beforehand there's no way for me to track them from a distance. The most I can do is sense if they're in the general area. Other than that, I'm about as clueless as any of you. That won't change- no matter how often you ask me."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just…" His voice petered out, the two of them falling into silence for a few seconds before Merlin remembered their limited time.

"Don't worry- she won't be hurt- Morgause obviously cares about her too much. It's just a matter of time. But we'll find her."

Merlin could see the quick study Arthur gave his face, even if his friend tried to hide it. They both knew what Morgana being found might mean for the warlock. If she told anyone that he had poisoned her, then he would be sentenced to death. The king would not be willing to listen to reason, even if it had been the only way for Camelot to be saved. He was blind as far as Morgana was concerned. Not to mention that it would be the word of a servant against that of the king's ward. It was something they hadn't talked about, and something he sincerely hoped Morgana wouldn't stoop to doing.

After a few seconds Arthur sighed resignedly, evidently deciding to leave that particular conversation for another time.

"What about Morgause? Surely she'll have discovered by now that her enchantment has been broken. Do you think she could have worked out your secret?"

"I doubt it." He gestured down at himself. "Let's face it. I'm not exactly what most people imagine when you say the word magic. It's probably what's kept me alive so far- no-one ever expects me to be anything more than a bumbling idiot."

They both grinned slightly at that. It was certainly what had kept Arthur from noticing- at least until Merlin had lost control of his magic during a particularly bad nightmare and knocked the Prince half-way across the campsite during their previous expedition. It was fortunate for them that no-one else had been in the camp at the time.

Then Arthur became slightly more serious.

"And are you certain that you set up those protective charms well enough? We still don't know whether or not she'll try again."

Merlin leant back slightly, breathing in deeply. "Oh believe me, she'll try again. I poisoned her sister- she's not just going to let me off that easily. The question is how she'll do it- she doesn't seem the type to try the same thing twice." He looked at Arthur. "To answer your question, yes, the charms have been set up. They should be enough to warn me as to whether or not any malicious magic has been used anywhere in Gaius' chambers. That's about all I can do for now. "

"Very well. I don't think there's anything else important for now, so you can end the-"

Merlin jolted upright, startling Arthur into silence. There was a definite hint of magic in the air, almost as though multiple powerful spells had been cast at once. He stared into the forest, trying to discern the direction of the source, but the feeling was gone almost as quickly as it had come.

"Merlin?"

He shook his head, blinking, before turning to face Arthur once again. "What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure…" He spoke hesitantly, staring warily into the trees. Had he imagined it? "I thought… I thought I felt something. But it was confusing, and it was only for a second. It may have just been my imagination." Or it may be incredibly bad.

Arthur was a warrior. He had been trained all his life when to rely on his instincts- instincts which had saved his life in many a battle. And right now, his instincts were telling him that there was a truth to what Merlin had felt- that there was (or at least had been) danger nearby.

"What was it? Where did it come from?"

"I'm not sure. It felt like magic, but it was disjointed, like there were about fifty spells cast at once." He pointed vaguely to his left. "Somewhere over there."

Arthur looked at the sky. "It's too dark to do anything now, but we'll head in that direction tomorrow. It's only a slight deviance from where I was planning to go anyway- nobody will question it. For now, we should probably get some sleep."

Merlin nodded, releasing his hold on the spell. The two made their way over to their bed rolls, nodding at the Knight keeping first watch. As he settled down, pulling the blankets up to his neck, the warlock's mind shifted back to what he thought he had sensed. The magic he may have felt wasn't extraordinary powerful separately, but it was still quite strong, and there was a lot of it.

And it didn't feel friendly.

The following morning, Arthur led the group in the direction Merlin had mentioned. If memory served, there was a small village just a short ride away. If anyone asked, his excuse for changing his plans would be that he wanted to search the village. He seriously doubted that the villagers would hold any information about Morgana, but the king was expecting him to explore any and all possibilities of her whereabouts.

About 45 minutes of gentle riding later the party crested the ridge of one last hill.

And stared.

Sir Mordon, to Arthur's left, was the first to speak, muttering a swear word. Then it was Sir Caridoc.

"What in the King's name happened here?"

The village was in ruins.

:'(