But Now, I Know

Unburying A Dragon

"You will fail, Morgana!" he said. "Give up now! Continuing to fight will only make it more painful!" 

Their descent slowed, their flailing bodies calming as even the rain seemed to freeze around them. Their faces were inches from the cobblestones. Morgana sighed in relief. Merlin had pulled it off. The calm air and floating sensation was gone as soon as it arrived. Merlin and Morgana tumbled down the short distance left between them and the ground, receiving only minimal scrapes and bruises. 

"You alright?" Morgana asked. 

"Yeah," Merlin said hoarsely. She helped him up, wearily watching as he staggered to his feet. 

"Are you sure?"

"Well," Merlin looked down at his wound. "I've still got this gaping hole in my chest," he said matter a factly, swaying where he stood. "But other than that..."

Morgana put both hands on his shoulders to steady him. "And I wish we could stop to treat it, but I'm afraid we don't have time. Kyulds will brush Arthur away in a matter of seconds! I'm surprised he hasn't done it already."

Both tensed at the sight of a group of knights running in unison near them. They shuffled back into the shadows and continued their discussion, making their way discretely back into the citadel. 

"You're right. The only reason Arthur has been able to hold him off for this long is because... he's me. I wouldn't use magic to hurt Arthur. Never."

"Then we've got to think of something quick, before we run out of time!"

"We need to find a way to kill him... or at least get rid of him."

An idea struck Morgana. "A few weeks ago, the Great Dragon warned me of the danger of Kyulds. Perhaps he would know something that would help."

Merlin shook his head as his eyes hardened. "The last time I went down there to see Kilgharrah, the tunnel had caved in. Looking back, it was probably Kyulds who caved it in in the first place so he wouldn't be able to warn me."

Morgana bit her lip. "But it's our only option."

"How are we going to clear the rocks?"

Morgana smiled slightly. "Emrys and a high priestess? I think we can muster up the strength to clear some boulders."

Merlin grimaced. "A high priestess who's lost control of her magic and an Emrys who's young and inexperienced...? That makes it a little different..."

"We won't know if we don't try."

<<>>

Their pace was slow as Morgana and Merlin made their way down the many stretches of dimly lit corridors, occasionally ducking behind pillars and rushing into hidden closets to avoid the watchful eyes of the patrolling knights. There weren't too many patrols, as most of the men were busy trying to clear the hallway to the kings chambers. Both Merlin and Morgana kept their eyes peeled, terrified that Kyulds might seep out of the shadowy patches of hallway at any moment.

"This isn't right..." Merlin muttered under his breath. 

"What?" The citadel shook with the sound of the distant thunder. 

Merlin stopped and look back in the direction they'd come. He gulped. "We're not alone."

Morgana followed Merlin's gaze, but saw nothing. She tugged on his arm. "Come on, we have to keep going," she urged, not wanting to believe that Kyulds had already caught up with them. 

Merlin indulged her and let her lead him down another hall and down a few flights of stairs. 

"Come on, we're almost there..."