Merlin had a feeling Morgana was behind all this, and he was right. Agravaine was working for her, which was not good for his friends. He must have been the one who drugged Arthur the day of the Feast of Peace.
Morgana was not pleased with Agravaine’s news. She even shouted at him. “You bumpkin! You were supposed to have Merlin drink it!”
“I know! I know! I’m sorry, My Lady.” Agravaine slapped his hands together and begged for her forgiveness.
Merlin was both shocked and entertained at the moment: shocked because, for once, Morgana was targeting him, but entertained because it was quite satisfying to see Agravaine being yelled at.
Morgana took a deep breath, calming down. “There’s no turning back now. We need to put Plan 2 into action. You are to continue leading the search party to the Perilous Lands. Whatever you do, do not take Elyan to the Lake of Peace.”
Merlin listened carefully. The Lake of Peace? What was that?
Agravaine had the same question. “What’s that, My Lady?”
Morgana explained. “The Lake of Peace is a resting spot for any weary soldier. The mermaids who live there will help anyone whom they suspect is under a spell. It lies west of here, just past the Northern Forest.”
Mermaids? Merlin’s never seen one before. So, there was a way to free Arthur and Elyan from the Death Lion’s possession after all? This was both interesting and alarming. Agravaine was leading the search party in what sounded like the complete opposite direction of Arthur. Merlin had to find a way to get the knights and Gwen to go with him rather than Lord Agravaine the next day. But how?
Merlin returned to the campsite just before Agravaine. He couldn’t let him know that he eavesdropped on him and Morgana. His eyes landed on Sir Elyan.
He was a mess. He stumbled up and down the campground, tripping on his own feet. Whatever that potion was, it was powerful.
Guinevere caught her brother in her arms. She was obviously a little worried. “Elyan, what’s wrong?”
“You have beautiful eyes,” Elyan said in a drunken-like voice.
Gwaine was rather amused at the sight of him. He asked Gwen, “Oh, do you think he snuck some drinks into our water pouches? Now that’s what I call a true knight!” Turning on his heel, he rushed to the water pouches on the log.
Gwen sat Elyan down on the ground, saying, “Elyan, maybe you should go to bed.”
Still grinning stupidly, Elyan fell onto his back and started to make an angel out of a pile of leaves. He laughed while he did this.
Sir Percival and Sir Leon stared. Why was Elyan acting so weird?
Sir Gwaine chugged down his entire water pouch in one gulp. He waited for the buzz of alcohol, but felt nothing. “Where’s the beer?” he complained.
Leon called to his friend. “Maybe Elyan drank it all! I mean, he is trying to make a snow angel in a pile of leaves.”
Elyan rose to his knees. He picked up two handfuls of leaves and threw them into the sky, letting them rain down on him.
It wasn’t long until Agravaine returned to the party. He froze when he saw Elyan. Deciding to speak, he tried to make it sound like he had no idea what was going on. “What’s with him?”
Narrowing his eyes, Merlin crossed his arms. “Apparently, somebody poured some beer into one of the water pouches. You don’t happen to know who it may have been, right, Lord Agravaine?”
“Why don’t you ask Gwaine?” Agravaine snapped. “He’s the one who’s crazy about the tavern.”
Gwaine heard his remark. He nodded to show the others that Agravaine was right.
Elyan snored like crazy that night. He sounded like Arthur when he fell asleep at the banquet hall. Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Agravaine, and Gwen were heavy sleepers, so it didn’t bother them. However, it bothered Merlin. Besides, he was already having a hard time falling asleep.
He tried putting his hands over his ears, but that didn’t work. He also covered his head with his sleeping blanket, but this was to no avail as well. Finally, he just sat up. Merlin tried to come up with a plan on how he could redirect his friends from Lord Agravaine in the morning, but nothing came to mind. This was not something he could figure out on his own. He needed help, and Merlin knew precisely who to ask.
He double-checked to make sure everybody was asleep before he snuck away. He tiptoed toward a cluster of bushes but stepped on a large stick. It cracked under his weight.
Agravaine shuffled in his sleep, but he didn’t wake.
For now, Merlin was safe. He hurried through the forest in the direction of a meadow and yelled an enchantment. He was speaking in dragonlore. Merlin was summoning Kilgharrah.
The meadow he ran to was just as beautiful as the Lake of Peace. It had tall grass and white flowers, which danced in the warm nighttime air.
Strange, even calling Kilgharrah wore the young sorcerer out. What was happening to his magic? He rubbed his forehead, waiting.
Only a little bit later, a figure appeared in the sky. It was a large dragon. His skin was brown, and he had long, sharp claws. His wings were enormous. They flapped gracefully whenever Kilgharrah flew.
Excited to see Merlin, the dragon plopped down in front of him at incredible speed. The impact caused the ground to shake. It knocked Merlin off his feet, and he fell onto his back.
“Well, if it isn’t the young warlock,” Kilgharrah said to him. “How long has it been? Two weeks?”
Merlin struggled to his feet. He held his arms out to his sides as he tried to keep his balance. His face was slowly turning white again. Yet, he went ahead and said, “I need your help,” to Kilgharrah.
Chuckling, Kilgharrah rolled his eyes. “Of course, you do. What is it you wish to know?”
“Tell me about mermaids,” Merlin stated.
“The mermaids are a sacred race,” Kilgharrah explained. “Their powers come from the Old Religion. They specialize in healing magic. If they suspect somebody is enchanted, they’ll help them. While they can’t completely get rid of a spell, they can ease its effects. This allows the victim more time to break it before they succumb. Why do you ask?”
“Arthur,” Merlin said. “I think he’s gone to see them. He’s been possessed by the Death Lion, but not all of him is gone. Why else would he go to the Lake of Peace?”
“Ah, so you know where the mermaids live?” asked Kilgharrah.
Merlin nodded.
Kilgharrah continued. “Arthur is a strong lad. He’s fighting the spell just as much as you are fighting the Death Lion’s toll on you.”
“So, you know it’s stripping me of my magic?” Merlin wanted to know.
“Yes, young warlock. I see everything that is happening to you. If you wish to see Arthur again, then you must travel to the Lake of Peace.”
“I know that, but how am I supposed to pry Gwen and the knights away from Agravaine tomorrow?” Merlin said. “He’s trying to take us to the Perilous Lands, in the complete opposite direction of Arthur.”
At this sentence, Kilgharrah leaned in close to Merlin’s pale face. “That is something you must figure out yourself,” he told him.
“What are you talking about?” Merlin was obviously a little frustrated. “I came here asking for your help, and what do I get? Another vague response.”
“Because this is not my problem,” Kilgharrah admitted. “This is yours and Arthur’s. If you wish to defeat the Death Lion, then you must use magic.”
“Magic? But Gaius said magic can’t defeat it!” For a second, Merlin wondered if Kilgharrah himself had sipped the potion.
The dragon was still vague. That was typical for Kilgharrah. He said, “This is a different type of magic I’m talking about, young warlock. It’s not the magic you’re used to.” He flapped his wings, starting to lift back into the sky.
Merlin called after him. “Wait! Why can I never get a simple response from you? Why do you always talk in riddles?”
Kilgharrah momentarily turned around so he could look at him. “Magic will be needed to reach the Lake of Peace. Don’t forget that you’re Arthur’s best friend, and the knights and servant girl know this. Beware, though. Mermaids do not have a good reputation in the legends. You have to convince your friends that they are not evil.”
“Oh, great,” Merlin mumbled under his breath. He watched as Kilgharrah vanished into the nighttime air. The meadow was silent once again.
Merlin collapsed to his knees between some wildflowers. He tried to make sense of everything Kilgharrah told him. Gaius clearly said that magic could not defeat a Death Lion, yet Kilgharrah said it could. What was this “different” type of magic he mentioned? It was true that Merlin was Arthur’s best friend, and the knights and Gwen did know this.
Wait a minute. Something came to mind. What if Merlin, Arthur’s best friend, was kidnapped by a sorcerer? Without him, the knights had no hope of finding and saving Arthur. Agravaine would lure everybody to the Perilous Lands, and all would be lost. Yet, if a sorcerer was involved, then that would get the knights thinking that he was the one who kidnapped Arthur, since he kept magic banned from Camelot, a trait he shared with Uther. Perhaps the sorcerer wanted revenge? What if he were an old friend called Dragoon the Great?
Merlin smirked. He had a plan, and he couldn’t wait to put it into action.
***
The Lake of Peace was silent tonight. Only a few frogs and toads croaked. The water looked like glass, but a few ripples appeared under it. A head poked out of the water. It was Esmerelda. She held King Arthur, who was still unconscious, in her arms. The mermaid flapped her tail, swimming toward the lakebed. She reached it in the nick of time and hauled herself out of the water. She dragged Arthur with her.
Esmerelda was sitting on a small but charming beach. The sand was soft and warm to the touch, and the scenery here was absolutely fantastic. There were the mountains, and billions of stars lit up the nighttime sky. It was a full moon, which meant that the time had come. The Lake of Peace’s elder told Esmerelda the other day that this full moon would tell her what her destiny was. She had to protect King Arthur from the Death Lion, but to do that, she could not be a mermaid.
Esmerelda gently set Arthur down in the sand. Sighing, she moved her eyes up to the full moon and lifted her hands. She positioned them in a cup-like formation so it looked like she was holding the moon itself. Her eyes glowed up, and she whispered a spell. “Pelsana serum coliga maikea.” In a mere two minutes, her tail faded away. In their place was a set of human legs.
While Esmerelda examined them, Arthur slept soundly. He did not look drunk or mad. He looked peaceful.
Esmerelda glanced at him. Wow, just looking at him up close, she realized how handsome he was. She definitely wouldn’t mind helping him. A pinch of excitement whipped through her body. This was it. It was time for the siren to join the war against the Death Lion.
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