Falling Through Portals

Pendragons

Chapter 4

Merlin mistook the pounding in his head from a massive drum being beat next to his ear.

With a groan, he squinted and massaged the back of his neck, where he had landed on a stray root. He opened his eyes and saw a flash of light. Startled, he sat up and found the clearing empty.

Blinking three times, he glanced around at the forms lying on the ground. Arthur was crumpled on the other side of the camp, and Percy was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the knights were littered about the clearing.

His legs shook as Merlin stumbled into a standing position. He knelt next to Gwain and pressed his fingers on the Knight's neck. There was a pulse. Merlin exhaled in relief. One by one, He checked on each of them. All of them were alive. For now.

The pounding in his head was his background music as he made his way over to Arthur. He could hear the stupid prat breathing, which was a good sign. With a sigh, he sat down next to Arthur and massaged his temples.

No matter how many times he was thrown back by magic, the ache of his head never ceased to surprise him. Dark magic. It was almost as if he could feel himself swimming through it.

A tan piece of paper caught Merlin's eye. It was in Arthur's open hand. Merlin frowned as he plucked it from Arthur's glove.

His eyes darted across the paper. The language was very old, but Merlin recognized it from some of Gaius's books. Horror gripped him after he read the last line. He let the paper drift from his hand and into the dirt.

This was his fault. He should have been paying attention. If he hadn't been so absorbed in the fight, he would have noticed Morgana.

His thoughts were interrupted by a groan from next to him.

He looked to his side in time to see Arthur's eyes flicker open and groan again before sitting up. Merlin watched him closely as his consciousness returned.

"Morgana," Arthur murmured, suddenly he became more alert and looked around desperately.

"They are gone," Merlin handed him the note, "she took him."

Arthur read the note and cursed.

"He gave himself to Morgana for our lives?" Arthur questioned, "what would Morgana want with him? Why would he do that?"

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but he beat you very thoroughly. And maybe he wanted to save our lives." Merlin said.

Some of the other knights began to stir.

". . . But she must want him for some reason. . ." Arthur said.

Merlin knew.

Percy was a demigod. If he was as powerful as Gaius seemed to think he was . . . Morgana would want nothing more than to have a mighty demigod at her side. And if his tongue slipped about Merlin's identity . . .

They were all in danger.

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Handcrafted candles, Persian carpets, and tapestries of the deepest and richest colors decorated her chambers. By Camelot's standards, she was living like a queen. By the look on Percy's face, she could tell he was impressed.

Her lips quirked at his shock. Morgana left his side and walked to the table on one side of the room.

A mountain of exotic fruits, loaves of bread, cheeses, and meats decorated the table. Dinner was just the way she had left it. She sat down at the head of the table and watched Percy closely as he looked around. Morgana examined him closely. He was lithe, agile, and fit with muscles that bound his chest and arms. And unlike most people, whose eye color wasn't pronounced, his green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. Even if she hadn't seen his skills, his eyes were like beacons, proclaiming his real power. And she couldn't help being attracted to it.