Camelot

March, 509 AD

For an interesting shift in roles, Elyan led the charge through the forest when we set out the next morning. I've never seen him ride with such determination before, and my heart ached for him. I can only imagine that the dread he's feeling is a thousand times worse than mine – which must be a load heavier than five hundred whale sharks.

The knight expertly led us to where he and the rest of the team last saw Gwen and we instantly found Sawyer at the scene, still wearing all his tack with his bridle tangled with a tree branch on the ground. He perked up when he saw us, shifting nervously on his hooves as he let out a nicker.

I hopped off Dallas and rushed to check on him, trying to soothe him as best as possible while Elyan freed the reins and secured the stirrups. I felt relieved to find that he didn't have any visible injuries.

"Look," Elyan said and I turned to him. My stomach dropped when he showed me that the girth had become undone, the straps being damaged in a way that suggests that it happened by force.

"She must have been knocked from him by some force," Leon noted with a spooked look in his eyes.

"Here! Tracks!" Percival suddenly called out, bringing all attention to himself. "They are heading east!"

Merlin graciously offered to lead Sawyer and I handed him the reins before getting back on Dallas.

"Let us go!" Arthur called out. No one wasted any more time as we took off galloping again, with Elyan taking the lead once more, now being joined by Percival.


As night began to descend upon the lands of Britain, I began to truly consider the idea of pulling out my phone so that we could use the flashlight to continue following the tracks, which were getting harder and harder to identify as darkness spread over the forest. But I'm still admittedly terrified of the consequences that it could bring, and that whatever discussion would ensue might push our current quest to the background. So I refrained from doing it.

"It is getting too dark," Percival noted the obvious.

"We have lost the trail," Merlin announced in a deflated tone.

My heart clenched and I sighed shakily while dropping my head, my hands tangling in Dallas's mane in search of some comfort.

"It would be useless to keep searching," Elyan stated in a slightly shaky voice.

"We'll make camp," my brother proposed. "Get a fire going, and in the morning we will pick up the trail again."

"Yeah," Elyan breathed out.

We settled down not long after and we all split tasks to ensure that the horses would be comfortable, that we would have a campfire that would last us through the night, and that we would have something to eat. I think you can guess which task I instantly called dibs on.

The warmth emanating from Dallas's muscular back was a welcoming contrast to the natural coolness of my skin as I gently ran my fingers along his spinal cord, massaging it while checking that he doesn't have any sore spots.

Once I made sure that he remains in prime health, I moved on to perform the same routine on Scheherazade, who was ridden a bit harder than usual throughout the day. She had some tension in her muscles, but it wasn't anything that a nice grooming and a good night's rest couldn't take care of.

When I got to Sawyer, my chest began to feel heavy again and I rested my forehead against his withers for a moment, breathing in his horsey scent in an attempt to collect myself.

I pushed away when I heard footsteps approaching and I quickly got rid of the evidence that I'd been crying a little by wiping my face with the sleeve of my jacket. Then I moved on to Faye and continued the routine check-up on the horses.

"Are you all right?" I heard Arthur's voice.

I glanced over my shoulder and nodded, replying in a mumble, "I'm not the one who got kidnapped."

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and I let out a shaky breath, covering his hands with one of mine while the other continued to gently move the brush against Faye's bay roan coat.

"Join us by the fire, have some dinner," Arthur whispered before kissing the side of my head.

"In a bit. I still have to go over Promesse and Falcon."

"Fine," he sighed and gave me a gentle squeeze before moving away. I instantly missed his warmth, but I didn't protest as I moved on to Percival's mare.

As promised, I joined my friends by the campfire as soon as I was done tending to the horses and I grabbed a bowl of the whatever stew that Merlin cooked before sitting down next to Arthur.

The night was cloudy, which meant that there was little light coming from the moon. I almost feared we would have to face a storm on top of everything. Wouldn't that be fun? There was an owl hooting in the distance, and I couldn't quite decide if the sound was eerie or calming. The sound mixed in with the chirping of crickets and the swooshing of the trees as steady winds rattled their leaves.

Once I was done eating, I moved towards my duffel bag so that I could get my toiletries bag. With that in hand, I headed over to a nearby creek and brushed my teeth. Then I returned to the camp, put the bag back in my backpack, and retrieved my Avengers blanket.

I was about to return to Arthur's side, but I paused when I noticed Elyan standing away from the rest, looking into the distance. I felt my stomach churn and I walked towards him.

"How're ya' doin', buddy?" I asked softly.

He sighed. "If I had stayed with her..."

"I would've told her to run, too," I said when he trailed off. "You had no way of knowing that this would happen. And Perci and Lee are alive thanks to you–"

"But I could not save my own sister," he cut me off, sounding like he was a second away from crying.

My heart shattered and I bit down on my bottom lip, not really knowing what to do. Arthur and Merlin are much better at being comforting than I am. So I did the best thing I could think to do and simply hugged my friend. He didn't hesitate before returning it and I heard him sniffling a little.

"You know, she practically raised me," Elyan continued in a shaky voice. "I do not know what I would be if it was not for her."

"She's an awesome person," I affirmed, pulling away from the hug and putting a hand on my friend's arm as I looked him in the eyes. "And we will save her, even if it's the last thing I ever do."

"Thank you, Astra. You are a true friend," Elyan replied.

I shrugged. "I try."

And with that, he finally agreed to return to the campfire and I was quick to curl up beside my King.


The sky cleared up at some point during the night, revealing the marvellous sight of a full moon that illuminated the forest with a cool, faint white light. The sight of it made me think of 'Teen Wolf' and I found myself grinning a little as I recalled the first episode and how the boys go into the woods to look for a freaking dead body.

My body tensed up as my brain grew irrationally paranoid that a monstrous werewolf would suddenly come charging at me. I'm not sure that I would like to be a werewolf. I mean, the superpowers it gives people are fun once they learn to manage it – like Scott McCall – but I don't really wanna get hairy and grow fangs and claws. That's sure to send Arthur running in another direction.

I tilted my head when I spotted Leon restlessly moving around in his sleep, barely audible whimpers leaving his lips. I rushed to his side and called his name gently. My heart twisted at the sight of his features contorting in anguish and I tried calling his name again, this time more firmly as I placed a hand on his shoulder.

He woke up with a scream that startled the soul out of me as I jumped backwards with a gasp and fell on my butt.

All of our companions jolted awake, too, and Merlin darted to Leon's side. "It's all right," he said softly while placing a hand on his arm.

I let out a shaky sigh and returned to Arthur, hugging his waist as he pulled me to his side by wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

Leon started explaining in between laboured breaths, "The tower... Everything in its shadow was dead... The sound, it was like... like children screaming."

"And the rain that fell was like blood," Percival suddenly spoke up, looking stunned as he and Leon stared at one another in fear. I shared a worried glance with my King. "I had the same dream," the tallest knight continued. "I was lost in a forest... the trees had claws... and when I finally escaped it there was a plain..."

"Empty as far as the eye could see, except–" Leon complemented.

"Beyond the skyline there was a black pillar of stone," Percival cut in.

"The tower was so dark, it could swallow the sun."

"Well, this isn't creepy at all," I mumbled under my breath as my heart raced at the speed of light. Why would they both have the same dream? I'm not sure it should be possible, unless they took Merlin's telepathy potion (which I doubt).

Arthur squeezed my side gently before stating, "The Dark Tower." Everyone turned to him with questioning looks and he sighed before continuing, "It is a place where every young knight is taught to dread, and rightly so... It is where many have met their end."

I shared a frightened glance with my brother. "I have never heard of it," he said.

"With good reason," Arthur responded gravely. "It is said that the mere mention of it can bring doom to any of those who hear it."

"Awesome," I grumbled while letting myself fall backwards.

"Well," Gwaine spoke with a weary sigh that indicated that he is as done with everything as I am, "let's not mention it again... I was having a dream of eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anyone else had that dream?"

That pulled a faint chuckle from my throat, while the rest of the team stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Well, you're all missing out," Gwaine stated before turning over and going right back to sleep.

Merlin agreed to get some water for Leon, who was still pretty shaken up, and I darted after him as he began to walk towards the creek, wanting to speak to him away from prying ears.

"Hey, you didn't give the Grady sisters over there any telepathy juice, did ya'?" I asked in a whisper.

"No," he replied in the same manner while casting me a wary look.

Suddenly, Arthur caught up with us and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Why would they both have that dream?" he wondered.

"The poison from the snakes," Merlin responded with a shaky sigh. "It must still be coursing through their veins."

"But the same dream?" my King pressed.

"Morgana's a witch, remember?" I replied.

"Exactly, she conjured those snakes," Merlin added. "Leon and Percival would be dead if that's what she wanted."

"Oh, crap!" I exclaimed as I turned towards my brother with widening eyes. She's telling us where she wants us to go! This is a trap!

Arthur frowned. "What are you two thinking?"

"She planted those visions in their minds," Merlin answered.

"It's a trap, Artie," I continued with a sigh.

"She is luring you to your doom," my brother finished, his eyes darting between my King and I.

I puffed before muttering, "Well, she sure knows how to make someone feel special."

"The tower," Arthur said in a whisper. "That is where she has taken Guinevere."

I looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow and almost blurted out a sarcastic response, but I managed to hold it back. Now's not the time to be a smart-ass – we have to get to Gwen!


Sunrise found me sitting with my back against a tree again, supported by my backpack. My sudoku booklet – which is sadly almost finished – lay on my lap as I worked through one of the expert levels, my tired mind not functioning as well as it usually does.

Gwaine suddenly plopped down beside me and he started sharpening a knife. I gave him a momentary look of amusement before returning my attention to my puzzle.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

"Guess," I replied.

He hummed. "I do not believe that Princess Peach will be too happy to learn that."

I had to bite down on my bottom lip to muffle a laugh at the nickname. He seemed very pleased with himself and I gave him a nudge. I composed myself and returned my attention to the game of sudoku.

"We will find Gwen, sweetheart," Gwaine assured me after a few moments.

"I know. But at what cost?" I wondered through gritted teeth. "I mean, look at what happened with Ai..." My voice broke and I bit down on my lip again, this time to fight against the urge to start crying again.

"Shh, it's all right, kid," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his side. I let out a shaky sigh and squeezed my eyes shut for a few moments as I tried to collect myself again.

Fortunately, by the time the rest of the team started to stir awake, I was much steadier emotionally and I don't think anyone was able to tell that I'd almost cried again. I mean, one more breakdown and I'm sure that Arthur will revoke my knight status and send me right back to the castle.

I noticed Merlin starting to prepare breakfast and I whispered a quick thanks to Gwaine before scrambling to my feet and going to my brother, figuring that he would appreciate some help.

"I should have brought a sleep tonic to give you," he muttered as soon as I reached his side, his eyes scanning me for a second before he returned his attention to the pancakes.

"Good mornin' to you, too," I shot back with a sarcastic smile.

He rolled his eyes and handed me the stuff needed to make coffee. I smiled genuinely this time and happily started preparing the heavenly beverage that has probably silently saved my life more times than I'd be able to count.

Breakfast was soon served and everyone hurried to down theirs so that we could set out as soon as possible.

Arthur moved to the centre of our little clearing and cleared his throat. Everyone promptly turned to him and he took a quick glance around before revealing, "I have decided to journey to the dark tower." The knights all seemed bewildered at the suggestion as they exchanged wide-eyed glances. "It is my belief that Gwen has been imprisoned there. I do not know what horrors will be waiting, so I will travel alone."

"Forget the sleep tonic, I want whatever he's been smokin'," I whispered to my brother, earning a nudge to the side.

"No," Elyan instantly protested the King's dumb plan in a firm tone.

"I am sorry, I have made my decision," Arthur stated sternly.

"We recognise that you have made a decision but, given that it's a stupid-ass decision, we are electing to ignore it," I paraphrased Nick Fury, smirking proudly for a second at how I didn't miss a beat.

"Astraea," Arthur growled, but I skipped over that and stood up, standing as tall as I could (even standing on my toes a little) while giving him a challenging glare. Merlin stood beside me, linking my arm with his in silent support as he nodded at the King.

"You cannot stop me Arthur, she is my sister," Elyan piped in, squaring up as well.

"She is our friend," Leon joined.

"And our queen's advisor," Percival stepped up.

"She's a maiden in a tower. A damsel in distress. I was born for this moment," Gwaine stood up, too, and I couldn't help but giggle at his words. He sent me a wink.

"Sorry, handsome," I told Arthur. "Looks like you're outnumbered."

He sighed heavily. "All right then. Let us get going."


We journeyed for forty nights and forty days... Just kidding, but that's what it felt like. It must've been about five days, and we travelled past various forests, lakes, mountain ranges, valleys, and even a little desert. I think. I'm not entirely certain of what I saw. As you may expect, what little sleep I managed to get was plagued by nightmares and I was running on less than fumes. So, y'know, the classic 'a friend is missing' package.

Finally, we reached a cliff that overlooks a large forest that extends over a series of hills. Past that is an empty land, where a tall structure made of medium grey stone is built reaching towards the skies in a manner that felt almost threatening. The outlining shape of it reminded me of the Statue of Liberty a little bit.

I paused to wonder how Morgana (and probably Thanata) might've managed to get Gwen there so fast, considering that Sawyer was left behind. Unless they provided her with another horse, but I doubt they're that charitable. This means that we can't be too far behind them!

"The dark tower," Arthur breathed out after a few seconds of silence.

"How do we get to it?" Merlin asked.

"A helicopter would be nice," I mumbled, earning a glare from him.

My King casted me a confused look, then he shook his head and gave an actual answer, "Through the impenetrable forest."

"But it's..." my brother trailed off as he tilted his head.

"Impenetrable," Gwaine piped in.

"Exactly."

I frowned. Am I missing something? From where I'm standing, it looks like a pretty standard forest. I didn't ask, though.

"We can't possibly get through there," Merlin said in a barely-noticeably shaky tone.

"I don't think we have a choice," I responded with a nonchalant shrug. "Unless ya' wanna leave Gwen to rot, which I don't."

I ignored the alarmed looks I got and asked Dallas to walk again, eager to find a safe way off the cliff and into the woods.

It wasn't long before I finally understood why it's called 'the impenetrable forest'. From the very start, it is armed with sturdy branches that block all possible ways through it. And it instantly became obvious that we would have to leave the horses behind. So we untacked them and made sure they had access to water before leaving them to graze and entering the wilderness on our own feet.

How, indeed, did Morgana manage to get ahead of us? Considering the circumstances I noted earlier, and the fast pace at which we have been travelling, the fact that we haven't caught up yet is puzzling.

Perhaps they flew on brooms!

Swords became indispensable as we slowly began slashing our way through the forest. Nothing but the crunching sounds of breaking branches could be heard as everyone seemed to get lost in concentration. I had a nice advantage over my companions in that my size makes it easier to creep around the thickness of the forest without having to destroy so much stuff.

An amused grin formed on my lips when I heard Gwaine grunting and I turned back to find him passionately slicing at some branches, a pouty look on his face. Everyone else paused to look at him with unimpressed glances.

"Keep going," he waved us off.

Little by little, I found myself getting further and further away from my friends, since I was having a much better time getting past nature's obstacles.

"Astraea – wait up," Arthur called out. I rolled my eyes in slight annoyance (not at him, but at the fact that we're going very slow), but I complied anyway and gave myself a minute to rest and drink water while I waited for him and the rest to catch up.

"Maybe we should recruit more bite-sized knights. We'd be outta here already," I told my King once he reached me.

He gripped my arm and leaned down to whisper, "Stop running ahead or I will put you on a leash."

"You don't have a leash," I pointed out under my breath and cowered a little when he glared at me.

Calm down, stupid brain! This is not the time for sass! We gotta find Gwen before they hurt her, or worse!

I kept going.

"Astraea!" Arthur roared. I halted and turned back, gulping when I realised that I accidentally ended up well ahead of him again.

"Sorry, it just happens..." I mumbled sheepishly when he caught up once more.

I began walking again and started singing 'Into The Thick Of It!' by The Backyardigans in whispers because... well, what better occasion?

I stopped again when I noticed that the distance between Arthur and I was starting to increase once more and I allowed myself to rest for a bit while waiting for everyone to catch up. Then I resumed the walk and started to sing again.

I started at a metallic clinking sound and turned to find Percival holding up his sword. Or rather, the lower half of it, for it had broken in the struggle against nature. I snorted at the disappointed look that filled his features before walking up to him and giving him my own sword. "Here, I don't need it anyway."

"Thank you, Little Menace," he responded, turning a bit smiley again.

"Just don't break it," I warned with a playful menacing finger pointed at him.

The slicing and dicing resumed while I slithered in between branches and ivy roots, trying to keep a straight path, but I'm not sure how well I was managing it and, given the thickness of the forest, I couldn't quite see the sun's position, which means that I couldn't really tell where we are really going.

I halted again and turned around to face my King. "Hey, Artie?"

"Yes, love?"

"You sure we're goin' the right way?"

"We will keep heading north," he answered.

"How do we know which way is north?" Gwaine inquired.

"The ivy," Arthur replied as he gestured towards a root beside him. "Pale leaves face south, dark leaves face north."

My eyes widened in surprise and my heart skipped a beat.

The King kept moving without another glance, taking the lead from me.

I caught up to him in a flash and grabbed his arm as I whispered, "You're extra hot when you get nerdy." I reached up to kiss the side of his jaw, and responded to his momentarily stunned look with an innocent grin.

Then I released him so he could use his arm to slash at the branches, and I started to sing again. It just fits so well with the moment!

"Into the thick of it,

"Into the thick of it,

"Into the thick of it,

"But we can't see where we're going..."

About two hours later, we reached a small clearing about halfway down the slope of the hill and we were able to spot the dark tower in between the entanglements of branches.

"We are on the right course," Leon commented in between exerted pants.

"We should reach the tower by sundown," Arthur stated. I let out a sigh of relief and leaned against his side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

We remained in the clearing for a few minutes to rest, and then we started walking and slicing and dicing again.

Contrary to what Arthur's forecast had predicted, sunset began to descend upon us and I couldn't see an end to the lengthy stretches of forest that extended all around me. It almost felt as if the finish line was being moved further and further away with every step we took.

Feeling my legs growing weak, I leaned against a tree and waited for my friends to catch up once more, panting from the endless hours of exercise I've subjected myself to in the past week.

"We should have made it out of the forest by now," Leon pointed out.

Arthur halted and looked around, tilting his head when he spotted something. I followed his line of sight and watched as he walked towards a thorny ivy, which had a piece of red cloth stuck to it. "Look," he called everyone's attention to it.

"What is it?" Gwaine asked. The King held up the cloth and the knight promptly extended his cape to reveal a hole at the back of it. Arthur clenched his jaw in frustration and I moved closer to him, slipping my hand into his.

"How can that be?" Elyan questioned.

"We have gone around in a circle," my King responded with a shake of his head. "We have wasted an entire day."

The amusing way in which 'Into The Thick Of It!' fits with our situation isn't so funny anymore...

I felt my heart twist as I watched Elyan sink to the ground, hiding his face in his hands.

"This doesn't make any sense," I said, my voice low and deflated as I looked up at Arthur. "We've been going strictly north, like you showed us."

He ran his thumb over my knuckles in a gentle manner. "I do not know what to tell you, my love. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."

I let out a shaky sigh and moved to hug him, focusing on his breathing as mine threatened to get erratic and shut down again.

"Let us make camp for the night. Get some rest and pick up fresh in the morning," Leon suggested.


I was bored out of my mind while everyone slept – just like the past bunch of nights. I spent about two hours genuinely trying to travel to dreamland, but the catastrophic thoughts regarding Gwen and what she could be currently going through kept on plaguing my mind and I gave up, resorting to lying on my back and observing the increasingly monotonous starry sky while trying to keep the rollercoaster of emotions at bay.

Merlin abruptly sat up and I raised an eyebrow, watching as his focus darted in all directions, as if he were looking for something. Then, he stood up and slowly began to walk away from the camp. His behaviour told me that he wasn't looking to go and empty his bladder, so I carefully stood up, careful not to disturb Arthur as I slowly removed his arm from around my waist, and I followed him.

"Goin' somewhere, mister?" I asked in a whisper once we were far away enough from the camp that we wouldn't be heard if we spoke quietly.

He started and turned to me with a glare. I remained stoic, awaiting an answer.

"I sensed something," he said.

I hummed in understanding and motioned for him to keep going. He sighed and kept walking through the wilderness.

Suddenly, he halted and began to look around in confusion once more.

His eyes stopped on something closer towards the ground and I followed his line of sight.

"What the fork?!" I exclaimed in a whisper while recoiling when my gaze landed on a rat-sized humanoid creature with punk-y hair, which was perched on a protruding tree root in a frog-like position.

"Welcome to my realm, Emrys," the thing said in a womanly voice.

"Who are you?" Merlin questioned it, looking slightly terrified and maybe a little disgusted.

"Why, I am Queen Mab," it... she responded. "I am the spirit of this place. And all the places that bring despair to men's hearts..."

I scooted closer to my brother and asked him in a whisper, "Should we be trying to shoot it?" He gave me a pointed look in response.

"Few have ever seen me Emrys... queen Astraea. You should count yourselves fortunate," the creepy thing continued.

"You... everything in this forest, it's bewildering," Merlin responded to it. Her.

"And annoying," I piped in.

Queen Mab shot me a sarcastic grin before speaking again, "The forest is one step of the journey."

"How do we find a way out?" Merlin inquired.

"Oh little one... you should not have to ask," she replied in a condescending tone. I glared at her small figure. "Left is right and right is left. And the way behind is the way ahead. It is simple."

"Well, 'physics' has left the chat," I quipped. "What's next?"

My brother cast me a cautionary glance before kneeling down so that he could kind of look Mab in the eyes. "Oh, simple?"

"You have a mind's eye, Emrys. You must learn to trust in it," she said. "But far greater challenges lie ahead."

"Awesome."

"Shut up, Astra," Merlin spat before turning back to the little woman. "You mean when we reach the dark tower?"

"If," she corrected in a whisper, causing fear to strike at my chest.

"What do you mean?" my brother shakily questioned and we shared a frightened glance.

"You must beware, Emrys," Mab stated. "The tower is not a real place... It is the heart's rest... The mind's deepest fear... The stillness in a hummingbird's eye..."

"Stop talking in riddles," Merlin demanded.

"Then I shall talk in rhyme," the woman countered, prompting me to clench my jaw. "Heed my words with due concern, for one of you will not return."

My heart-rate accelerated and I almost groaned at the renewed theme of foretold futures, but I bit my tongue in recollection of Merlin's kind request for me to shut up.

"What do you mean?" Merlin questioned. His eyes darted towards me for a second and I could see the turmoil in them even under the dark sky.

Mab bursted out in giggles, not giving an actual answer.

"Which one?" Merlin pressed. But she simply vanished into thin air.

He stood up and grabbed my hand in a tight grip. I gave him a reassuring look. Now that we've had a warning, we can be more alert and ensure that all of us will return to Camelot alive and in one piece.

Merlin and I returned to the camp and sat down against a tree, and we remained quiet for a few minutes. Perhaps as long as a half-hour. Until I couldn't take the intrigue anymore and I broke the silence to ask, "Mind's eye... What d'ya think she meant?"

He pursed his lips and shrugged. "I do not know. Some kind of sixth sense?"

"All right, Cole Sear," I said with a smirk, then I sighed when I realised that he wouldn't understand the reference because I don't have that movie on my tablet. "So, what, you've got like an internal compass of sorts?"

"Maybe," he responded with a nod.

"So all we've gotta do is find a way to switch it on," I stated.

Merlin quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not a robot, Astra."

"I know that," I responded with an eye-roll, "but there must be a way to, like... trigger it, somehow."

He snorted. "Any suggestions?"

I bit down on my bottom lip for a moment, then I shrugged and proposed, "Close your eyes, picture Gwen in your mind, and let your feet guide you?"

That earned me an unimpressed look, to which I responded with a pointed one. My brother sighed and reluctantly did as I told him. I waited a minute or two, and puffed when nothing happened.

"Okay, let's go for something smaller," I suggested while standing up. "Close your eyes, I'll move in a random direction, and then try to follow me without opening them."

"All right," Merlin agreed with a sigh and we followed my plan.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a laugh of disbelief when it actually worked and I hugged him tightly.

"Let us try again. It could have been a fluke," my brother pointed out.

And so try again we did, and it worked once more.

"Okay, now, I'm gonna spin you around, and you're gonna try to go to Gwaine," I proposed.

The plan was fruitful again, and Merlin now sported a grin on his lips. He's starting to believe that he can guide us to Gwen!

"Let's try from a longer distance!" I chirped.

The rest of the night was spent with us testing his inner compass in different ways and, by the time dawn arrived, he was confident that he had a sense of where our missing friend could be.

If only we'd known about this superpower when Aithusa was kidnapped, aye?