A/N:

Enjoy!

Ilandrae

Disclaimer: Still don't own Merlin

CHAPTER 28 – THAT'S JUST CHEATING

The Forests Skirting Rhuddlan, Gwynedd

Bedivere wasn't quite sure what he was watching. From his hiding spot, he'd seen Merlin creep to the forest's edge. Seen the quick exchanging of words as the sorcerer thief clutched the Blood Rose like a lifeline, the tell-tale gleam of madness glinting in his eye. The moment the knight had seen the man and his manic whispers, he knew something was not right.

Then all he saw was fire.

A fire so intense that while the flames did not touch him, he felt his eyebrows begin to crisp. Radiating a heat that sucked the very moisture out of the air and the very air out of his lungs. He shied back, but the flames did not touch him. Merlin must be containing them to the clearing to prevent the whole forest from being destroyed.

Through the heat haze, he saw the warped image of Merlin—stave glowing just as intensely as the flames around him were burning—untouched by the attack. It was as if he stood in a bubble amidst the sea of flames.

Just as suddenly as they'd appeared the flames stopped, as if someone had blown out a candle. The sorcerer thief snarled when he saw that Merlin was unharmed and then the ground was shaking, great chasms snaking their way to where Merlin stood. He saw Merlin's eyes flash and vines and roots shot out of the ground, latching onto his opponent and sewing the ground back together. The thief's concentration was broken as he was freed himself and the quaking stopped.

Bedivere now saw why Merlin had wanted him out of sight. His sword had no place in this battle. The sorcerers waged war with their destructive powers, tearing up the clearing with their magic until then the debris itself became weapons, flung about with deadly accuracy.

Merlin was never still for a moment, dodging and ducking spells that he didn't simply block with his own power, all the while he attacked with his own spells. But as Bedivere watched, he saw that Merlin was tiring. As the battle dragged on, the warlock's movements and magic began to slow. Even as his opponent didn't seem to tire or slow, the blood rose shining from his wrist.

Merlin was hit with a tree branch, then a rock, slicing open his cheek. He ducked a lightning strike only to come face to face with a fireball. His hastily cast shield flickered. Suddenly the warlock was flung back, managing to retain his feet at first he then tripped over a rock and fell to sit panting in the dust.

"You—" he huffed, flicking his hair out of his face, "—have the bloody Crystal of War. That's just cheating."

"You are powerful sorcerer. You have true affinity to the filth that is magic."

"Say's you." Merlin retorted rolling his eyes.

"I can help you. Purge you of that taint."

"I think I'll pass."

"Too late."

Merlin gasped as a sudden white light hit him. He writhed on the ground clutching his stomach. And Bedivere had to stop himself from running to the warlock. An action that would have been a death wish.

The thief laughed, "There...all better."

"What did you do?" Merlin growled as he hauled himself to his knees.

"I stopped that taint from flowing into you."

"You cut me off from the magic of the land…" Merlin frowned. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"You are free."

"I'm a warlock you idiot. I have my own magic."

The thief snarled. "Warlock? Demon!"

Merlin laughed and dusted himself off as he shakily stood, saying something else to the thief who now stood with his back to Bedivere. But even as the warlock spoke to the thief, his words drifted through Bedivere's mind.

I have a plan. I just need a few moments to recite the spell. Don't let him speak and he won't be able to use magic. Hit fast, hit hard and for spirits sake get out of the way when I finish speaking.

One second to process the warlock instructions. That's all it took. Then the knight burst out of his cover, swinging his sword at the sorcerer thief. The thief turned in surprise, drawing his own sword to block the knights. He opened his mouth to speak but Bedivere shoved him to the ground. As the thief scrambled to his feet, he heard Merlin begin reciting.

The thief opened his mouth again, but Bedivere swung at his head making him duck, the follow through cut of his next words as well. Lightning fast Bedivere attacked, barely letting the thief breathe in-between his attacks.

Merlin's voice increased in volume and the sky darkened as clouds formed out of nowhere. Winds began to blow, tearing up the already ravaged forest. Now Bedivere could barely hear the warlock over the howling winds and rain that began barrelling down but he saw Merlin's warning in his eyes as he shouted the last words of his spell.

Bedivere threw himself away from the thief clutching onto a nearby tree to keep from blowing away and gazed in awe at the giant storm that Merlin had summoned. Not just summoned he realised.

Controlled.

Cyclone spell Sparks, you gotta try it.

The skies had blackened, and clouds swirled overhead in a furious tumble. Bedivere now heard nothing, but the snarling winds and the hammering rain that poured down feeling like rocks hitting his skin. The next second, hail joined the rain in its onslaught and the knight was even more glad for his limited shelter.

Merlin stood in the heart of it all. His eyes still glowing gold as the magic continued to run from him.

As Bedivere watched, Merlin's gaze turned to the thief who also stood slack jawed. Before he could do anything, Merlin tilted his head, and the thief was ripped into the sky by the winds, buffeted back and forth in the turbulence. There was a glint in the sky and the Blood Rose flew to rest at Merlin's feet, back to full size. Merlin then allowed the thief to fall back to earth where he collapsed into an unconscious heap.

The storm continued and Bedivere looked at the warlock with concern. There was an odd look in his eyes that said he didn't want to stop. The storm continued to rage, ripping up trees and causing destruction. Then Merlin's still golden eyes flickered back to their blue for a second. Merlin winced, closing his eyes only to open them again back to their usual blue.

Clear concentration etched into the raven-haired man's features the wind began to lessen. Bedivere was no longer about to be blown away and the hail ceased threatening to brain him. When the rain had stopped to a drizzle Merlin let his stave clutter to the ground and his legs seemed to give way. Bedivere rushed over but Merlin waved him away, "I'm fine for now make sure he's unconscious." He flapped a hand at the unconscious thief.

After Bedivere had secured the thief, he returned to Merlin. The warlock sat slumped against a tree; eyes closed.

"Merlin?" The knight queried, concerned.

To the knight's relief the warlock opened his eyes, "That Bed, was even harder than I expected it to be. But we did it. So, hurray for us. But let's just rest here for a bit."

Bedivere hauled his captive closer to them and sat down. When he saw Merlin start shivering, he rekindled the remains of the thief's fire.

"That light." He asked as the warlock inched closer to the flames. "What was that?"

"That—" Merlin grimaced as he warmed his hands. "— was about as pleasant as mucking out Arthur's stables."

Bedivere let the silence drag on until the warlock continued. "He put a blocker on my magic. It has stopped magic from the land flowing through me."

Bedivere's heart skipped a beat. Merlin without magic—wait a second…

"But the cyclone spell?"

Merlin shrugged himself deeper into his cloak, as if staging off a chill. "He cut me off from the land. He couldn't cut me off from myself. I had to use nearly every drop of my warlock magic to cast that. Even then, the magic nearly overtook me. Weather magic is particularly addictive, hard to let go once you start. But I'm pretty much empty now. My own magic takes some time to replenish, especially with the amount I just used."

"Are you still cut off?"

Merlin frowned. "Yes… but I can already feel the barrier thinning. I guess for a normal sorcerer it might have blocked them entirely. But I think my own magic will wear the barrier thin at some point."

He shivered, "How do you people cope with no magic? I feel so cold without it. And short of breath. Like my lungs and heart just shrunk and can't quite do the job properly."

"Guess you can't miss what you never had." Bedivere shrugged.

When they eventually returned to the Tivr temple with their two charges in tow, Myara greeted them warmly and promptly sent Merlin to one of her healers. The Blood Rose was sent to its new vault while the thief was taken to the cells. They spent the night at the temple, during which time the Tivr healers patched up Merlin's scrapes and bruises and theorised the same as the warlock: he would likely regain his access to normal magic but when that would be, they couldn't say.

Myara, upon hearing of the use of the cyclone spell, laughed. "I thought that storm came on suddenly and now I understand your current state. Wes will be happy though."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "I did the spell to stop the thief. Not to please that crackpot."

Myara smirked.

"That still begs the question." Merlin furrowed his brows. "Who got the idiot to steal the Rose in the first place. He didn't steal it for himself, that was obvious. It sounded like he was taking it to someone. Someone that gave him the amulet that got him past your defences."

"I agree." Myara said. "It is worrying. But to be honest. I think we've done enough worrying for one day. You need rest and I need a strong drink."

"I'll join you for that one" Bedivere muttered, he'd seen enough today, and a strong drink sounded like the right option. Merlin looked ready to drop so the knight had no doubt the warlock would be heading straight to bed. And he doubted even Merlin could get up to too much trouble in this temple. His charge would be fine for one night without him.

The next day they gladly accepted Myara's offer for transport. The thief remained with the Tivr for interrogation. However, the sight they were greeted with when they arrived in the Camelot Council Chamber was… unexpected.

Leon, Tristan and Percival stood shocked in a corner. Isolde and Mithian held several crimson robed people at sword point. Gwen looked outright confused, half way out of her seat at the head of the table. And Mel was standing on the table, an odd crimson cloak hanging from her shoulders while she held Councilman Willis at dagger point.

Her eyes shone as she saw them appear in the doorway. She grinned, "Emrys! We solved it!"

But it was Myara who spoke next, a single breathless word, "Will?"

Merlin wasn't quite sure what he was looking at when they returned.

His confusion only deepened when he saw Myara's look of absolute astonishment and heard her breathless word, laced with recognition, "Will?"

Councilman Willis turned to her. Hatred glazing his features. "Myara." He snarled. "Demon."

"Shut up." Mel growled jabbing forward with her knife. "Not your turn to talk."

"What on earth is going on?" Merlin strode further into the room and looked to Gwen.

She just sighed and sat back down in her seat. "That's what we were trying to figure out."

"We solved it Emrys!" Mel repeated again, "They said we c—"

"Little Griff shush." Isolde interrupted. "Clarity of words in these situations. We have some explaining to do."

The girl slumped. "Right, sorry."

Seeing that Isolde seemed to have some control of the situation Merlin asked her again, "What's going on?"

"You came back just in time Merlin. May we present the group that is responsible for your attempted assassination along with the torture and murder of multiple sorcerers who were secretly residing in Camelot. Albion's Purge led by the one and only Purge Master, Willis Terrent."

"Did you say Albion's Purge?" Several things flashed through Merlin's mind.

The Magic Councils warnings of a cult in Camelot. The fanatical words about the Purge Master from the sorcerer thief and the crimson cloak he'd worn. The crimson cloaks Isolde and Mithian's captives wore. The crimson cloak that Mel was wearing.

He groaned. What had the girl done now?

"Will." Myara croaked out bringing Merlin's attention back as she echoed his own thought. "What have you done now?"

"Do you know him, Myara?" He asked.

"Willis is my brother." A stunned silence filled the room broken by the man himself.

"You are no family of mine, demon. Magic is a filth. You killed our parents!"

"I think you'll find that was you Will." Myara said sadly. "But it seems that is not all you have done." She turned to Isolde and Mithian's captives murmuring a spell and they found themselves shackled together with vines that sprung from an unnoticed crack in the floor.

That taken care of, Merlin followed her suit and took a seat at the Council table. Once everyone else was also seated again, Merlin—seeing how ridiculous it was that Mel was still on the table—drew on his limited stores of magic to make Willis' seat grow up and around his arms and legs. He wasn't going anywhere. Ignoring Myara admonishing look at using magic, and Willis screams of "DEMON! DEMON!" he asked for an explanation once again.

Isolde, Mithian and Mel launched into their story. He wasn't very surprised at the start of their escapades. Of their refusal to stay out of it despite Tristan and Leon's insistence. Nor of their rather precise identification of suspects and thorough investigation and elimination of each. When he learnt of Mel's unintentional infiltration of Albion's Purge however, he was less pleased. He looked to the girl in question.

"Sorry Emrys." She apologised from her seat on the table next to Isolde that everyone seemed to be ignoring. "It was reckless I know."

"As long as you know that... Would you do it again?"

She hesitated.

"Would you do it the same way again?" He corrected himself.

"No..." She shook her head, "I'd do it better. Safer."

"Good." He turned back to Isolde. "Go on." He was sure the girl had already been scolded enough by her companions, so he didn't see the need to do it again. Besides, everything seemed to have turned out alright in the end.

"With Mel on the inside we learnt some troubling information. Willis here created and led Albion's Purge. A group which sees magic as a plague and strives to eliminate it from existence."

Myara scoffed and Merlin had to agree. The entire notion was impossible. Magic was part of the land; they may as well try to dry up the ocean.

"The group also label witches and warlocks as demons." Isolde continued. "Which was why they tried to kill you, Merlin."

"What proof do you have!" Willis shouted.

"Shush." Merlin waved his hand, and the chair grew a gag.

"The proof, my dear Willis." Isolde smiled. "Was actually quite easy to obtain. You might have killed that sorcerer you hired to spell the knife, but you used a very specific drug that was available at very few places in Camelot. Only took Mithian a few hours to find the herbalist that sold it to a—and I quote—'slightly crazy man with a crooked nose in an odd red cloak'. I on the other hand, spent yesterday tailing Little Griff here as you send her on her 'errands'." Isolde looked to Mel to continue.

"The Purge Master—" the girl said the title with the most sarcasm Merlin thought he'd ever heard her use. He also heard the underlying anger in her voice. She hated this man. More than Merlin had seen her detest anyone. "—sent me all around the city. He got me to give coin to and take coin from the city guards and officials. I wasn't sure what it was for at first. But then some gave me information in return. Information that I was meant to give the Purge Master. Spoiler alert, I definitely didn't."

"What information?" Gwen was fully engrossed in the story now.

Mel cast another disgusted look at Willis, "Turns out he was giving out bribes for information on magic users in Camelot. And for the guards to look the other way when he and his friends went on their 'hunts'." Before Merlin could ask exactly what they were hunting Mithian took up the tale.

"As soon as Mel started getting information of potential sorcerers hiding in Camelot from the guards, we decided we had to know what he was doing with it. So, this morning we broke into their base and ransacked their documents." Reaching into a satchel next to her she dumped a stack of papers on the table. Merlin saw Willis' face pale when he saw the pile.

"In there—" Mithian tapped the pile of papers, "—you will find correspondence between 'The Purge Master' and the outlaw sorcerer Borandir discussing the commission of a tri-spelled dagger deadly enough to kill a warlock. Also in there is documentation of the thirty or so individuals that Albion's Purge has tortured and murdered for being magic users in the past six months. Albion's Purge bribed as many people as they could get their hands on for information before hunting those they suspected of using magic and killing them. The rest of the bribes were for people to look the other way. And when money wouldn't do it... Willis used his position as Council Member to convince them otherwise. When we found this, we came straight here, dragging the Purge members we could find along the way with us."

A shocked silence greeted the end of the story.

"Will..." There was a heartbreak in Myara's voice that Merlin hadn't heard before. "You did it again. Why did you do it again... Why do you take such pleasure in destroying us?" Myara took a deep breath and seeing everyone's questioning eyes, told her own story.

"I was born in Camelot, to the noble family of Terrent. As I said earlier, Willis is my brother. Our mother had strong magical ties which only I inherited. Even when I was a child magic called to me, and I called to magic. Enough so, that while I'm not a witch, my ability to use magic does rival one. Willis had never been comfortable with my abilities."

Myara paused a moment before continuing, "When I was twelve, and Will was fourteen, the Great Purge happened. My magic was not widely known but Will apparently saw his chance. He turned me in. Our parents sacrificed themselves so I could escape, and I fled to Gwynedd. I had always believed that Will had perished alongside our parents—had hoped he had. Never would I have dreamed that he had somehow become a Camelot Council Member. Or done something as terrible as this."

She had another long hard look at her brother, "But it does not surprise me."

Leon really had to stop underestimating his allies. First Merlin turns out to have saved Arthur's life more times than he had. Then Art turns out to be a warlock. And now Mel, Mithian and Isolde had solved the investigation he and the knights had been chasing their own tails on in the space of a few days.

Honestly, he was impressed. He, Tristan, and Percival had been nowhere near figuring out who'd tried to kill Merlin. And the girls had not only found the culprit but unearthed an underground magic hating cult in the process. The only downside was... He was never going to hear the end of it.

From Isolde... being Isolde, and Mithian already looking smug with their achievements, not to mention Merlin never having doubted them for a second and sitting there with a smirk on his face and simply enjoying the aftermath.

Then there was Mel. The little fire drake aptly dubbed Little Griff by Isolde. Fearless and fierce like her namesake and obviously intensely protective of Merlin. She'd lost her father and uprooted her whole life to come here. And it seems she was intent on carving her own place in Camelot. When she'd asked to be a knight, Leon had dismissed it instantly. She was a girl. Only eleven years old at the time. But after hearing everything she'd done… She was intelligent, and a quick thinker, not one to turn tail and run.

It was all the characteristics Leon looked for when he recruited his young knights. At twelve now, she was the perfect squire's age and Art was about to start his own squire hood. But the blasted rules! His hands were tied!

But looking at Mel as she, Isolde and Mithian assisted the guards in taking the cult members to the cells. All he wanted to do was to train her. And see what she would become. He thought of Art, and Merlin, and all the knights that were returning to Camelot.

See what they would all become.

A/N:

I'll try and keep updating.

Until next time!

Thanks

I ;)