Merlyn's Final Truth

Servant of Two Masters P3

Merlyn stared down at the sleeping king, his countenance rather peaceful as he lay across Gaius' worktop, a thin blanket keeping him modest. His hair, which had lengthened since he had gained the throne, just about hid the black creature embedded within him; Merlyn reminded herself that she really needed to cut it. Still, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"So let me get this straight." Merlyn closed her eyes, doing her best to focus on the vague annoyance of the king trying to run her through. "If you kill one, another grows in its place."

"I've heard such stories in the past, but never thought they were true." Gaius shrugged, wafting another poultice in the air over Arthur's neck. He didn't appear particularly worried, but then, near-death experiences and a mind-controlled Arthur had become practically regular occurrences within Camelot. Merlyn sighed. She needed a holiday.

Gaius dabbed the poultice on the king's neck, the black sludge within seeming to still.

"That will silence it for a while." He murmured, glancing over to Merlyn. She nodded, staring at the king as she calculated her next moves.

"Do you have anything to keep him sedated?" She asked as Arthur's eyelids began to twitch. As confident as she was in Gaius' knowledge of the Fomorroh, she would rather not have to worry about being impaled, beheaded or just generally killed. Arthur was the king; sooner or later, he would remember that his title brought him some kind of power.

"Of course." The physician retrieved a small phial, uncorking it to allow the steam inside to escape.

Merlyn wrinkled her nose. "What is that?" She coughed pointedly. "Arthur's socks?"

Gaius gave her a look.

"Fine." She looked back down at Arthur, touching the blackness to his neck, wishing she could sleep just as peacefully. "But how do we get rid of that thing if it keeps growing back?"

"There's only one way, I'm afraid." Gaius said gravely. He fetched his tome, pointing down at the large image of the Fomorroh. Brilliant. That meant more work for Merlyn. "You have to kill the mother beast."

Merlyn stared at it. "You want me to steal this creature from Morgana?"

Gaius nodded sheepishly, not quite able to meet her eye.

"Great." Sometimes, Merlyn wished there was some other witch that could go, sort out her troubles on the days that she was not particularly feeling like putting her life in mortal peril. "How long have I got before Arthur and that thing wake up?"

"A day. No more." Gaius admitted. "And I wouldn't face her alone."

Merlyn stood up sharply, knowing what she would have to do. "Oh, don't worry. I won't be there at all. Well, not exactly. She won't recognise me if I'm eighty years old."

Picking the antidote from a shelf, Merlyn grabbed her Dragoon clothes. She stuffed them in her satchel and headed for the door. There was really no time to lose.

"What should I say if anyone asks after you or Arthur?" Gaius shouted from behind her.

Merlyn couldn't give less of a shit. "Just say... Say that Arthur is ill from his time in the forest and that I'm out picking herbs for him." She walked out of the room, but paused, ducking her head around the door. "Don't say the tavern."

~

Quite frankly, the fact that Merlyn had not thought to do some kind of tracking spell on Morgana was genuinely astonishing. Admittedly, she had no idea what she would do when confronted with the witch, which, in hindsight, was the exact reason she hadn't bothered with the spell, but it was still rather embarrassing that the thought had never crossed her mind. All it had taken was an item from her chambers, a red rose, preserved with magic so very long ago, and Merlyn was following a golden path that, hopefully, would lead her straight to the witch's dwelling. It wouldn't take long for her to seek the Fomorroh, she hoped, although she doubted she'd be able to sneak in and out of Morgana's home without being spotted. Merlyn had no idea what sort of allies the witch had; she had no desire to finish her bout with the serkets. If she was lucky, maybe the Fomorroh would be the only terrible creature in this adventure.