-38-
The next morning Ryll found Merlin walking down the hall looking upset over something. He walked right past her without noticing her. "Merlin?" she called out. He jolted to attention, turning to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"What? Oh, nothing. I just spoke with the Witchfinder."
"What? Why?" Ryll frowned.
"He had some questions."
"About the smoke horse?"
"You heard about that?" he asked, looking frantic.
"Yes, I heard about it. What's the big deal? It wasn't doing any harm. It was probably some oddly shaped cloud. Did you see it?"
"No," Merlin rushed to say. "But a woman who was nearby did. She thinks I was a witness too, but I didn't see anything."
"Well if you didn't see anything, then why should he question you?" she asked.
"He doesn't believe me."
"He thinks you cast the horse?" Ryll asked. She laughed. "That's ridiculous."
"Yeah, ridiculous."
A guard passed them. "A meeting's been called in the throne room," he told them. "You're both to come."
Merlin and Ryll exchanged a glance before following the guard down to the throne room. Already the knights had been summoned. Uther sat on his throne, Arthur and Morgana at his side. Three women stood before him. The Witchfinder turned to look at Ryll and Merlin as they entered the room. Something about his expression gave Ryll chills.
"Tell the king what you have seen," the Witchfinder told the women.
Ryll listened as each one told a ridiculous tale of what sorcery they had seen. Ryll looked around expecting someone to start laughing – she had to bite the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from laughing – but everyone looked somber. "These tales are ridiculous," she told Merlin. "Is Uther really buying this?"
"As you can see," the Witchfinder told Uther, "the city is rife with magic."
"I can hardly believe it," Uther said.
"Fortunately for you my quick investigations have led me to a swift resolution."
"You know who the sorcerer is?" Uther asked.
"I do, my Lord. And he is standing in this room right now. The facts point to one person and that person is Merlin!"
Ryll felt her heart stop. The words didn't quite register in her mind. Merlin a sorcerer? It was impossible. Ryll gaped at the Witchfinder. "You're joking," she said loudly at the same time as Arthur said, "Merlin? You can't be serious."
"This is outrageous! You have no evidence!" Gaius objected.
"The tools of magic cannot be hidden from me. I am certain that a thorough search of the boy's chamber will deliver us all we need."
"I have nothing to hide," Merlin said.
"This is absurd!" Ryll said. "I've known Merlin for a long time. You can't just point fingers at anyone!"
"The evidence is against him!" the Witchfinder told her.
"What evidence? There is no evidence!" She turned to the king. "You have to see this is absurd."
"Let his room be searched. If we find nothing then he will go free," Uther said.
Morgana looked frightened out of her wits. Ryll felt a surge of hatred toward the Witchfinder. Who was he to come into Camelot pointing fingers and accusing the innocent?
"Guards, restrain the boy. Let the search begin," Uther said.
"You're not throwing him in the dungeons!" Ryll snapped at the guards. "He's done nothing wrong!"
"If you continue to get in the way, you'll be joining him," Uther warned her.
"You can't just throw anyone in the dungeons!" Ryll argued. She stood in front of Merlin when the guards tried to restrain him.
"Ryll, it's alright," he said softly. "Don't get yourself into trouble."
She looked helplessly at him and then moved aside. Two guards restrained him, pushing him toward the dungeons. The rest went to search the physician's quarters. Ryll felt a hand slip into hers. Morgana came up behind her looking frightened.
"What if he finds out my secret?" she asked.
"He won't. He has no evidence. He wouldn't dare try to arrest the king's ward."
Morgana smiled a little. "Let's hope not. I'm sure they won't find anything in Merlin's room."
"They won't," Ryll said adamantly. "He's innocent."
"Is there something between you two?" Morgana asked. "You were very protective of him."
"He's been a good friend to me all these years. I don't want to see anyone wrongly accused." She blushed slightly. "But you are right… We haven't told anyone. A noblewoman and a servant – I could care less but most people would not understand."
"I'm happy for you," Morgana said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "We'll get through this. They won't find anything."
Ryll nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "You're right," she said.
…
Morgana wanted to spend some time in her room away from anything to do with the Witchfinder. Ryll watched her go and then made her way down to the dungeons. Two guards tried to stop her. "I just want to see him. I'm not going to cause any trouble," she told them. They let her pass with some reluctance. She couldn't help but smirk. She was getting a reputation in Camelot for being a troublemaker.
She found Merlin's cell, rushing over and grasping the bars. "Ryll, what are you doing here?" he asked when he saw her.
"I had to make sure you were alright. This isn't fair. They don't have any evidence. They can't just take one man's word and throw you in prison."
"Uther trusts him."
"I don't like the look in his eyes. He's here to catch a sorcerer not to bring justice. He would condemn an innocent man as long as he got paid for the job."
Merlin came forward, wrapping his hands around hers. "It's alright, Ryll. They won't find anything. I have nothing to hide." They broke off as someone came down the steps. Ryll pulled away just as Arthur came into the dungeons. He unlocked the door.
"You're free to go," he said. Ryll could tell something was wrong by Arthur's tone.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"They found something," Arthur said.
"What?" Merlin looked confused.
"An enchanted bracelet. Gaius has claimed that it is his."
"That's ridiculous. Gaius isn't a sorcerer," Merlin argued. "I would know."
"I'm sorry, Merlin. It's evidence and he admitted that it was his."
"What's happened to him?"
"Time to go." Arthur grabbed Merlin by the arm and led him from the dungeons just as Gaius was ushered in.
"Gaius!"
"Merlin, don't say anything!" Gaius warned him. "Promise me!"
Merlin watched helplessly as Gaius was taken away. Arthur kept a firm grip on him until they reached the corridor. "I'm sorry," he said. "If he is truly innocent – nothing has been proved yet – I'll do everything I can to help him." He left them standing there.
Ryll wrapped her arms around Merlin's arm, putting her head against his shoulder. "We'll prove his innocence," she promised him. "I know Gaius is no sorcerer. Maybe if we find whoever did conjure this smoke horse we can prove him innocent."
"That's not possible," Merlin said.
"Why not? It might be someone in Camelot. Maybe that woman who saw it was actually the one who conjured it!"
"No, she wasn't," Merlin said stiffly, pulling away from her.
"What do you mean?" Ryll asked frowning.
"Just forget it. We'll think of something else." He turned away from her heading toward the physician's quarters. Ryll stood feeling slightly shocked by his harshness. He was just worried, she told herself. But he was so sure they'd never catch the conjurer. Maybe he knew who it was. Maybe he was protecting someone. Maybe… Ryll shook her head. She wasn't getting anywhere with this line of thoughts. She headed toward her room but stopped short as the Witchfinder stepped out into the hall in front of her. She glared at him.
"Might I have a word?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so," she said, stepping around him. He grabbed her arm in an iron grip. "Let go of me," she said firmly. She clenched her fists. She would not punch him. She would not punch him.
"I asked if I could have a word."
"And I said no," Ryll said through gritted teeth.
"You seemed to know the boy was innocent. Did you suspect the physician?"
"Gaius is as innocent as Uther – magically speaking anyway," Ryll said. "And so is Merlin. I only spoke the truth because I know them. I've never seen either perform magic. Do you want to know what I really think?" she asked.
"And what's that?"
"I think you paid those girls to give accounts. There were no goblins or toads. It was all made up."
"I can assure you that those girls did indeed see what they spoke of," the Witchfinder said. "It's rather bold of you to go around accusing me of such treachery."
"You asked for a word," she said. "It's not my fault if you don't like what I have to say."
"Perhaps behind all this front you're hiding something."
"I'm not."
"Your mother was Lady Violet, was she not?"
"You knew her?"
"Yes, our paths crossed once. Did you know that she was a sorceress?"
"I don't know anything about her. She died when I was a child." Ryll thought back to the healing ring. She hadn't thought much about her mother performing a spell to enchant the ring but she realized now that her mother must have had strong magic to perform such a task.
"I could not find the evidence to prove it, but I knew what she was."
"She used her magic to heal and help if she did have any," Ryll told him. "She was gentle and caring. I remember that much. People like you and Uther are blind. You only see the dark side of magic. You ignore the good side. Not everyone who has magic uses it for ill purposes. Some use it to help others. But you don't care. As long as you get the reward money."
"You're crossing a line," he hissed at her.
"We're finished here," Ryll said ripping her arm from his grasp. That was going to leave bruises. She turned on her heel and walked away from him as quickly as she dared. After shutting herself in her room she went to sit on her bed. Her mother had been a sorceress. Did that mean she had magic too? Ever since the ring had been destroyed she hadn't felt anything. But she hadn't really been trying, had she? She'd just assumed that it was gone along with the ring. True magic was in the blood though. She shut her eyes and focused on her bruised arm. After a moment she rolled up her sleeve. The bruises were still there. She sighed, rolling down her sleeve and laying back on the bed. It was silly of her to wish for magic at a time like this but suddenly it felt like the only link she had left with her mother. And now even that was gone.
…
The next few days were agony. Merlin had all but shut down now that Gaius had been arrested and was being consistently interrogated by the Witchfinder. Ryll felt helpless as she watched. Finally she had to leave the castle and get some fresh air. Fear was overwhelming the air inside the castle and she feared it would choke her. Even she had started to feel wary. Morgana was near breaking point, terrified that the Witchfinder would glean her secret.
Ryll walked through the markets, trying to forget her worries for a moment. She'd never thought that coming back to Camelot would be so trying. She sometimes missed the simplicity of the life she and Lancelot had shared. But she wouldn't leave her friends for anything. They needed her.
"Ouch!" someone cried out from close by. Ryll went over to one of the stalls where a young girl had been slicing an apple. She had cut herself and was bleeding heavily from her palm.
"Here," Ryll said taking out a handkerchief and tying off the girl's hand. "You should get that seen to."
The girl looked up at her in surprise. "Thank you," she said. Ryll looked down at her hand. Blood had soaked through the white handkerchief. She realized that there was no physician to take care of this girl. Gaius was indisposed and Merlin was not currently functioning enough to tend to the girl.
"Let me see what I can do." She grabbed a bucket and hurried over to the water pump, filling it with clean water. She returned to the girl and blotted at the cut until it was clean, tossing the ruined handkerchief aside. The girl had some clean rags in her stall and Ryll put some pressure on the wound. "I'll hold this here for a minute to stop the bleeding," she said, pressing the girl's hand in her own hands.
"It was careless of me," the girl said. "I'm not good at cutting apples but I didn't wait for my mother."
"You'll be alright. What's your name?"
"I'm Arabella," the girl said.
"I'm Ryll."
"It's a good thing you were passing," Arabella said.
"Yes, it was. Let's see if the bleeding has stopped." She removed the cloth and looked down at the wound. Arabella gasped and Ryll felt her jaw drop. The wound was gone and only the blood was left. Arabella looked up at Ryll with wide eyes.
"Are you the one?" she asked breathlessly.
"The one what?" Ryll asked shakily.
"The one who conjured the horse from the smoke?"
"No, that wasn't me. I'm not a sorceress," Ryll rushed to say.
"But you healed me."
"Are you going to tell the Witchfinder?" Ryll asked.
"Why would I do that?" Arabella frowned. "You healed me. I owe you a debt."
"But I used magic… I guess. I don't even know."
"Ryll, you helped me. The Witchfinder is looking for a sorcerer who causes trouble. He's not looking for you."
"He's looking for anyone with magic."
"Your secret's safe with me. I promise." Arabella squeezed her hand and then tied off her healed wound. "There," she said, "now no one will know."
…
Ryll walked back to her room in a daze. She had healed the girl. But how? She had concentrated last night and nothing had happened but today when she wasn't even trying, she had someone conjured the magic to heal her. Maybe it was something that had to come naturally. Her thoughts were cut off when she ran into Morgana. She was nearly in tears. "The Witchfinder questioned me," she told Ryll. "He knows about my nightmares."