Anna hurried through the lower town, dodging around the people bustling here and there, decorating the town for the visiting king's arrival. She had planned to leave her house early that morning to be at the tower and get her chores done before King Illtyd of Amata arrived, but it seemed everyone else had had the same idea: the entire town, it seemed, had risen early.

Anna wondered what the town's reaction would have been if Illtyd's father, King Sarrum, had been the one they'd been greeting instead. Sarrum had a particularly ruthless reputation. He had been killed in an encounter with Morgana about a year before. His son was a more moderate ruler, but had no great love for Morgana—thus the projected alliance with Camelot.

Gaius was still in bed when Anna finally got the tower. She was about to apologize for bursting in on him so early, when she saw the expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Merlin is headed toward the Valley of the Fallen Kings."

"What? Why?"

"A Druid boy sneaked into the castle last night and asked him to help his sister. He says she has the sweating sickness. Merlin promised to meet with him this morning."

"That's almost half a day's journey! And on the day Illtyd visits—Arthur will be furious."

"You don't have to tell me that," Gaius said sourly.

Sure enough, Arthur showed up in the surgery half an hour later. "Where is he?" he asked angrily. "And don't ask 'who'," he added as Gaius opened his mouth.

"He's gathering herbs, Sire," Gaius answered.

"Gathering herbs."

"Yes, Sire."

"When will he be back?"

"It's hard to say. He's gone in pursuit of a young agrimonia. They're difficult to find—he could be all day."

"On the day one of our allies comes to visit?" Arthur asked, exasperated. Then his eyes narrowed. He pointed at Anna. "Why didn't she go after it?"

Anna tried not to look guilty.

"She's—unfamiliar with the area, Sire. She doesn't know where they grow."

Arthur put his hands on his hips and hung his head in surrender. "He's in the tavern, isn't he?" he asked in a voice of longsuffering.

"No, Sire!"

"Well, when he gets back from 'gathering agrimonia'"—Arthur made air quotes—"tell him he has exactly one hour to sober up and get to my chambers. We've a guest to prepare for."

Anna and Gaius exchanged looks as Arthur stalked out again.

"If he's going to the Valley of the Kings and back, he won't be back before evening," Anna pointed out. "Arthur will be livid."

"He knew the risks when he left," Gaius said with a sigh.

000

But Merlin wasn't back by evening. In fact, when Anna came back the next morning, she found Gaius pacing the floor worriedly.

"He didn't come back," he said without preamble.

"Maybe he had to stay with the girl overnight."

"Maybe. But something about this situation has seemed fishy from the first. A druid just happens to show up the night before an important diplomatic meeting, needing help for his sister, who is so far away—surely it would have been easier for him to have gone to someone closer? There are villages nearer to the Valley who have healers."

"None as skilled as you."

"But it wasn't me he was asking for. It was Merlin. And I'm not casting aspersions on Merlin's skills, but he's not more skilled than closer healers."

"…You think it's some kind of trap?" Anna said at last. "But why?"

Gaius shook his head. "I don't know, but I wish I'd persuaded him to stay."

Anna turned around and opened the door. "I'll go after him."

"Not through the Valley!" Gaius expostulated. "It's a den of cutthroats and murderers!"

Anna pursed her lips in thought. "All the more reason to go." Gaius opened his mouth and Anna raised her hand. "I'll get Gwaine to go with me."

"Arthur will not like one of his most trusted knights disappearing without leave."

"But if it is a trap, better Gwaine play hooky than Merlin get killed," Anna said, and left before Gaius could argue any farther.

000

"The Valley of the Fallen Kings, you say?" Gwaine said, buckling on his sword belt.

"Yes. I'm afraid it's rather a long trip—"

Gwaine waved away the objection. "Merlin might be in danger. We have to go after him."

"We'll need to stop by the kitchens for some food. Should we ride?"

Gwaine shook his head as he threw on an unassuming brown cloak. "It would draw too much attention. Besides, I'm going to have to track them, and that's easier done on foot than from the back of a horse."

Even so, it took most of the day to follow Merlin's path to the Valley. It was growing dark by the time they stepped into its gloom. In the poor light, Gwaine had even more trouble finding Merlin's trail.

"Hm," he said, examining the ground.

"What?"

"The smaller set of footprints turns away here," Gwaine said. "It looks like the boy ran away."

"Why would he do that?" Anna said nervously.

Gwaine looked around. "There—those scuff marks!" he said, moving a few steps farther. "It looks like someone was—thrown backward…" He ran a little farther on. "He landed here. And there is a third set of footprints. They leave that direction." He pointed away. "But where is Merlin?"

Anna came up next to him and peered down the sharp drop beside them. "Oh, no," she gasped, and ran back down the hill. Gwaine, confused, stared down into the darkness. Merlin was lying, unmoving, at the bottom.

TBC