Oh, ahem, by the end month. Didn't I say by the end of this month, not last month? No, I don't think so. Hush. We promise that we're busy. Anyway, on with the show!

Last night was not restful. Merlin was already reconsidering the idea of sending back the crazy crew rather than simply killing them. Zedd didn't sleep. He spent the entire night struggling against the restraints. And he grunted the whole while. Bless the gag for drowning out the cries of "I am waiting." Even now, in mid-morning, Zedd was still trying to break away from the tree.

At first, Arthur and Merlin had only tied Zedd's hands and feet. However, the old man would try to scoot away, without regard as to whether he was being watched. So they tied his wrists behind a tree. And later they were forced to wrap a rope around the wizard's ankles. The kicking and stomping had to stop.

Why the old man kept up this behavior was beyond Merlin. No, why wasn't what Merlin wanted to know. It was how. The young man's energy reserves were strained with the snatches of sleep he got. This old man, however, was able to sleeplessly wiggle all night and morning long with fresh vigor.

Merlin massaged his forehead. Arthur had better get back from hunting soon. Zedd was driving Merlin mad. And the warlock was starving. He hadn't had a decent meal in over a day. He frankly didn't care if he was tracked because of the smoke from cooking. The lack of food was making Merlin light-headed. They would just relocate immediately.

Merlin was only too happy to get away from Zedd. And leave the old man with Arthur for a change. The incessant grunting of "I am waiting" was headache inducing. A little danger almost seemed nice in comparison.

He crept through Camelot. Ironically, Cenred's men were far easier to get around then the knights of Camelot.

Merlin nearly fell into a psychotic laughing fit when he reached Gaius's. Morgana clearly didn't think that Merlin would risk coming back here. He shook with amusement before realizing how irrational he was being. Morgana had no reason to expect Merlin to sneak back in here. By now Gaius would be either in the dungeons or in hiding... Or dead. Merlin's stomach churned with anxiety. He fought the urge to creep down into the dungeons. Morgana, however, would be expecting that stunt. If he got himself killed it wouldn't help anyone. He was here to get the book, get the staff, and get out. Merlin sprinted to his room.

As soon as his door was open Merlin's jaw dropped. His room was now littered with some very interesting objects. Many of these objects Merlin recognized as former residents of the vaults. He tried to figure out why anyone would bring the Crystal of Neahtid or the Golden Trident of the Fisher King... Or any of the rest this stuff into his room. It almost looked like someone was using his room as a horde.

The room downstairs began resounding creaks and thumps. Several pairs of feet were tromping across Gaius's chamber. And by sound of it they were heading toward Merlin's room. Merlin dove under his bed. He could hardly breathe as the stairs squeaked.

"Are you sure no one is going to check here? What if Morgana sees us going in here?" Kahlan's voice asked just before any of the feet reached the landing.

"All we'd have to say is that we're looking for any clues that might tell how to track down Arthur and Merlin," Zedd defended.

"If that's the cover story, why haven't we scoured Arthur's old room?" Cara asked scathingly.

"Cara, if we don't have to explain our presence here, then let's not worry about it." Richard snapped.

"Why haven't we searched the prince's room?" Cara persisted. "He very well might have something useful in there."

"From what I've heard Morgana has searched Arthur's room from top to bottom." Kahlan said. "She's confiscated several of Arthur's things."

Merlin heard Cara give a strangled cry, "Why didn't you mention that earlier?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"If she has been obsessing over Arthur's room, whose to say she won't come in here?"

"Merlin doesn't have anything of value," Zedd pointed out. "She's unlikely to care. Let's get this done."

Merlin heard a pair of feet scuffle slightly. At the same time he could hear Zedd chanting something.

"Anything?" Kahlan asked when Zedd had stopped.

"I'm afraid not." Zedd replied.

Zedd began to chant again. Whatever it was that Zedd was doing it was having no results. Zedd had repeated the process about five times before Merlin started to wonder if he was going to die under the bed.

Over an hour later, the crazy crew finally left. After all that time, Merlin still didn't know exactly why they were hording things in his room. He had an idea why, but he hadn't been able to figure out the details. They had robbed the vaults looking for a particular item which they obviously didn't know by sight. They must be looking looking for something with a certain magical property. What type of magical property Merlin didn't know.

Merlin collected his book and Sidhe staff, and slipped back out of the citadel with no problem. He needed to explain to Arthur that something was off with their prisoner. Either Zedd could be at two places at one time or they had kidnapped a fake. Merlin was inclined towards the latter.

When Merlin got back to Arthur, he found that the prince was almost at wits end. The prince was pressing the writhing old man's face and belly into the dirt. Upon seeing Merlin, Arthur looked both relieved and annoyed.

"Merlin," Arthur demanded, "Where have you been?"

"I—"

"He ripped his wrist."

"Wha—" For the first time Merlin noticed that one of Zedd's hands was detached from his arm and was literally being held by the other hand. There was no blood. There was no way that thing was human.

Zedd grunted his usual mantra through the gag.

"Arthur, I don't think that thing is Zedd."

"What?" Arthur asked sharply.

"Zedd is in Camelot. That—I don't know what that is. It's not Zedd though. It must be some sort of copy."

"If it's just a copy, how about we just kill it?"

Merlin couldn't argue with that point.

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