Earth's Magic (6 page)

Merlin was nearing the outskirts of town when he saw Heather running toward him, her braids flying. Rus with Goldie astride his back came galloping beside her. “Earl! We were so worried about you. No one had seen you. You hadn’t slept in your room.”

As she drew nearer, she noticed his drawn and haunted expression. “Are you all right? You look ill. Where have you been?”

“I don’t know quite where I was. Somewhere … else. And, yes, I suppose I’m all right. It’s just that there’s so much … so much …”

She put a hand on his arm. “Good gods, Earl, you look like the weight of the world has fallen on your shoulders.”

“In a way, it has.” He ran a hand through his lank black hair, and Heather glimpsed the bronze band on his wrist, a twin of her own.

“Earl! That bracelet.”

He glanced down at it and smiled. “Yes. My … my grandmother gave it to me.”

“Your grandmother?”

Gently he pushed a strand of her dark blond hair back from her face. “There is so much I have to tell you. And she said I could, to you at least. But first, there’s something I need to talk to Arthur about.”

Just then, Sil stirred on his shoulder and opened both bright red eyes. Heather pushed down her burning curiosity and gently stroked the silver tail. “I think he’s grown.”

“He’s been eating well. I hope he’ll be content now with discarded turnips from the kitchen.” As they hurried on, Merlin glanced down at Goldie and Rus, who were running around in circles chasing each others’ tails. “That little dragon’s grown too. Amazing—from kitten-size to cat-size in only a few hours.”

“Yes. There’s hardly a rat or mouse safe in the manor anymore, not between her and Red.”

“And Sil will keep the weeds down,” he sighed.

They walked past a field where a dozen boys and girls of assorted ages were kicking a leather ball back and forth. At the sight of two miniature dragons, the children let the ball roll away and hurriedly gathered around, questions and exclamations pouring out in a torrent.

Merlin wanted to hurry on, but the wonder he saw shining in the surrounding faces stopped him. Here these children were seeing two dragons, living creatures out of myth. Sil tried to escape attention by crawling under Merlin’s cloak. Goldie allowed curious hands to stroke her scales until a pair of small boys started yanking on Rus’s two tails. Hissing suddenly, Goldie spun around and defended her friend by spraying the offenders with a shower of sparks. After that, the crowd respectfully receded, and Heather and Merlin continued on to the King’s manor.

As they walked, with Goldie and Rus bounding ahead, Sil paced along the short length of Merlin’s shoulder. Suddenly he
snaked his head around and stared into Merlin’s face. “Go too?” he squeaked.

Startled, Merlin said, “You want to play with them? Sure. Go ahead.” Then he turned to Heather. “Do dragons talk this soon?”

She laughed. “I did read a lot of books in the Llandoylan School library. But I must have missed the section on baby dragon care.”

People walking along the street watched with mingled awe and amusement as the whirlwind of mutie dog and two baby dragons swept by. Then those same people had to flatten themselves against the walls as a horseman clattered down the street from the other direction.

“Sil, Goldie, come back!” Merlin ordered. The silver dragon streaked back to his perch, as Goldie astride Rus dashed back to Heather.

The rider, looking travel-worn and haggard, pulled his exhausted horse to a halt and called to Merlin. “You, boy, I have a message for the High King. Where do I find him?”

Smiling wryly, Merlin pointed his staff toward the gates of the manor. The rider swung his horse about and clattered off into the courtyard.

Merlin sighed. “It seems that this ‘boy’ had better find the King as well. I have a feeling that whatever message that fellow has for Arthur may also relate to what I have to tell him.”

The guards at the gate nodded to them as they entered. Those men had been with Arthur long enough to become accustomed to the magic workers, but they still flinched slightly as the young dragons swept by. Merlin asked and was told where he’d find the King, but Heather said she’d join them after she’d taken the ever-hungry dragons to the kitchen for some scraps.

Merlin found Arthur, Margaret, and Otto in the manor’s
small library, where they had been studying maps when the messenger had been shown in. Now the newcomer too was seated at the table as the others listened to his report. The young man stopped talking and glowered at Merlin as he entered. Arthur smiled slightly and said, “Ah, Merlin, come in. News—grim news, I’m afraid.”

The messenger’s glower turned to a look of surprise, which he politely tried to mask as Arthur continued. “Brendon here comes from Duke Geoffrey of Cheshire, sent to give his news directly. Brendon himself has been one of Geoffrey’s spies in the Manchester court for some time.”

Queen Margaret had been trying to lure the red dragonlet off the spread-out maps by dangling one of her earrings in front of it. It pounced, grabbed the shiny glass beads, and then, spying the other one still on her ear, clambered up to her shoulder and batted at it. She shrugged, removed the second earring, and attempted to disentangle Red’s claws from her almost equally red hair.

Trying to smile through the pain, she said, “Brendon, why don’t you start your tale from the beginning? You mustn’t let Merlin’s youth fool you. He’s really a cranky old man who knows a thing or two about wars and such. And his advice has proved annoyingly useful at times.”

The young man blinked. “Sorry. It’s just that hearing stories is one thing but … Well, anyway, yes, after Duke Geoffrey defeated the forces of Manchester, with your very welcome and timely help, Your Majesties, the two dukedoms established a somewhat shaky truce. Duke Geoffrey—he’s my uncle—sent me to Manchester in an exchange, ostensibly to train in their guards, but also, frankly, to be a spy and keep an eye on an old enemy.”

Arthur winced as Red, with two earrings now tucked under
a wing, bounded across the table and leaped onto the King’s shoulder. Arthur plucked the dragonlet off and firmly placed him on the table. “Red, if you are going to be a royal dragon, you need to act with dignity. Sit still and look regal, will you?” To everyone’s surprise, the dragon promptly did that.

“Sorry, Brendon,” the King said, turning back to the young man. “When I met with the Duke of Manchester last year, he pledged his allegiance and accepted me as High King. But he struck me as rather an opportunist who would willingly change allegiances if a better offer presented itself. Do you think it has?”

“It may have. When my uncle heard my report, he sent me here to tell you directly. After I had been a while at Manchester, I began to notice dark, shadowy things skulking about the place. Not too alarming, perhaps, since there are always plenty of muties scuttling about on the fringes of towns. But these were different somehow. So I began to watch more closely, and then one night when I drew the detail of guarding the Duke’s chamber, I saw something more. Chancing to glance out the guard window, I saw shadowy things crossing the courtyard.”

“Describe them,” Merlin said. “Were they creatures that cast shadows, or were they shadows themselves?”

“They were dark but didn’t seem to have any solid form, and they didn’t so much walk as flow. Most of them were low, like dogs maybe, but in their midst was a person, wearing a cape and hood.”

Merlin looked at the King, who nodded for him to continue his questioning. “Then what happened?”

“The shadows disappeared from my view, but I could tell they had entered the tower I was in and were coming up the stairs. There weren’t footsteps so much as swishings. I also heard a sound as of someone in armor falling on the stone floor and realized it must be my fellow guard who had been assigned to
the lower door. I almost panicked then. The creatures were coming up! There was only one landing between the bottom floor and the one where I was, guarding the door to the Duke’s bedchamber. Then I heard a door open on the landing just below. That was where the Duke had his study. I was about to rush down to defend whoever was coming out of the room when I heard a voice. I had thought the Duke was asleep in the room behind me, but the harsh whispered voice was clearly his.”

Brendon seemed to be enjoying the dramatic pause, but severely Merlin urged, “What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Greetings, madam. There’s a guard upstairs too. Send one of your fellows up to put him to sleep as well.’ Clearly, I didn’t have to defend the Duke. I had to defend myself! I doubted my sword would do much against shadows. So quickly I sat on my chair, laid my head on the windowsill, and pretended to be asleep already. Soon I could hear something creeping closer, but my eyes were squeezed shut and I was snoring too loud to tell exactly what it was. A wave of coldness poked around me for a moment, then slipped away.”

By now even Otto was paying rapt attention to his story. Brendon clearly enjoyed the effect, but after glancing nervously at Merlin, he continued. “When I cracked open my eyes, I was alone again. Creeping down the stairs, I plastered myself against the door to try to hear what was being said inside.”

Another dramatic pause until Merlin snapped, “Did you?”

“Not much. The door was too thick, and they must have been near the fireplace at the far end of the room. I could pick out the Duke’s voice and a woman’s but not what they said. Not until the voices started moving closer. ‘You realize my difficult position,’ the Duke said. ‘But I trust that the rewards go up proportionally to the danger incurred.’

“Then the woman answered—a lovely bell-like voice she
had too. ‘Naturally. Loyalty is something I reward highly, particularly loyalty in the face of danger. And as I said, I will inform you as soon as I discover where this battle is to take place.’

“Suddenly I realized they were practically at the door. As quietly as I could, I raced back up the stairs, but before I was halfway up, the door opened. I curled up small in the corner of a shadowed stair hoping I wouldn’t be seen. Candlelight flooded out the open door, and inky shadows glided through it and down the stairs. The light also showed me the face of the woman just before she raised her hood again.”

A pause hung heavily in the air until Otto broke it. “For gods’ sakes, man, you are not a bard spinning a tale. You’re giving the High King of Britain important military information. Who was this woman?”

“I don’t know, but she was beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. Flowing black hair, a splendid figure, and skin so pale it was almost white. I’ve never seen anyone with such pale skin.” He broke off, glancing nervously between Arthur and Merlin. “Until today, that is.”

Both the King and his wizard groaned. “Morgan,” Arthur said, forming the word as if he were spitting out poison. “I had hoped, Merlin, after what you told us of your last meeting with her, that she was dead now, or at least through with Britain.”

Merlin shook his head. “Morgan doesn’t die easily. And she may have larger horizons now and worldwide plans. But we have always been at the heart of her scheming. And I have reason to believe now that whatever is coming, Britain may be its center.”

The King sat in frowning silence for a minute. Then he looked at Brendon. “Have you more to your tale?”

“Not much, Sire. After the woman and the shadows were gone, I crept back up to my post and pretended sleep again. Soon the Duke came up as well, berated me offhandedly for
sleeping on duty, and retired to his room. The next morning the downstairs guard complained of an awful headache, and I saw messenger crows being sent off from the top of the Duke’s tower. But I didn’t stay around longer. I lied to the commander of my unit that I’d received an urgent summons home because my mother was ill and returned to Chester. When my uncle heard my news, he dispatched me immediately to you. Despite the snow, I think I made remarkably good time.”

“Indeed, you did,” Margaret said. She looked up to see Heather arriving at the door along with Rus and two dragonlets. “Heather, be good enough to show this gentleman to the kitchen for a hearty meal and ask the steward to find him a comfortable and well-deserved bed. Then return here. There’s much to discuss.”

“Discuss!” Otto bellowed as Brendon and his guides left the room. “That lad’s as windy as Kyle the harper, but his news is bad. It’s battle plans we should be making.” He glowered at the map, in the middle of which the young red dragon was now curled up asleep.

Gently sliding the dragon off, Arthur said, “Yes, a battle eventually, I don’t doubt. But first we must be sure who are our allies, who are our enemies, and who might go either way. If Manchester is dealing with Morgan, I don’t doubt some others are as well. Glamorganshire, possibly, and maybe Norfolk. Kent has me worried too. No doubt Morgan has been worming her way into every court she can, promising untold power and riches if they side with her, tip the battle, and turn Britain over to her kind.”

“It’s more than just Britain we’re talking about now,” Merlin added. “I have some dire news myself. The comet and the earthquake that everyone’s been troubled by—indeed, they are omens. Omens of a cataclysmic battle that’s brewing, not just
here in Britain but throughout the world. Morgan is only one part of the picture.”

“And I thought that Brendon kid was being dramatic,” Otto scoffed. “Just where, boy, did you pick up this tidbit of information?”

“From a source I cannot disclose, but with whom I would trust my life … and Arthur’s.”

“And all of ours, it seems,” Otto added sourly.

Arthur frowned. “This is chilling news indeed. But, Otto, I don’t believe we should question it. Have you ever known Merlin to be wrong on matters of this sort?”

The big general snorted. “No. The hocus-pocus stuff is his specialty. So, boy, when does this end-of-the-world battle take place?”

Merlin frowned, trying to look more confident than he felt. “I don’t know that yet. This is a puzzle with many pieces. But I sense it will be soon—sooner, at least, than we want.”

Otto grumbled. “Not a very specific target to be ready for.”

Arthur looked at Merlin, then at his general. “But we
will
be ready for it. We must be. I am no seer, never was. I leave that sort of thing to Merlin and his kind. But there must be reasons I was brought back to this world. I see this coming battle as one of them.”