❝ when she looks into his eyes, she feels the gripping temptation to tell him all her darkest secrets; the names of the men she has killed, but she learned a long time ago that the only people who can keep secrets are resting in overgrown graveyards...
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE THE CURSE OF CORNELIUS SIGAN ( ii. )
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"If I asked you to kill someone for me, would you do it?"
Calliope stops sharpening her sword in the armory, looking up at Merlin, who is covered in mud and...horse shit. He smells awful, and the blonde scrunches up her nose in disgust. He raises his arms, awaiting her answer, and Calliope can't tell if he's being serious, but she suspects the person he wants murdered had something to do with his misfortunate odor.
"Who am I killing, and why am I killing them?"
The sorcerer sighs as he plops down on the bench beside her, "Cedric."
"Who's Cedric?"
"Arthur's new servant," Merlin kicks the back of his feet against the bench. His face is pulled down by a sense of disappointment in himself.
Hating seeing him like this, Calliope sets down her sword and nudges his shoulder with her own, "Well, I can definitely make him mysteriously disappear."
"No, I wasn't serious," the sorcerer says, glancing over at his friend. "I only wish Arthur could see me for who I really am and not have this idea that I'm just a fumbling idiot."
"He's the idiot," Calliope states, trying her best to cheer him up. What makes Calliope feel better when she's feeling down is stabbing something; with her past self that something was often someone, but now the practice dummies receive all her rage. Reaching behind her and grabbing another sword, she offers it to Merlin. "You wanna come beat up some practice dummies with me?"
Knowing this is her extension of comfort, Merlin smiles and shakes his head, "No, I'll let you have all the fun this time."
Calliope stands and ruffles his hair, "You'll be alright, Merlin," he bows his head in a thankful nod. "Now, go wash up. You smell like shit."
♛ ♛ ♛
The next night is eventful. After Gaius finds out that the sapphire gem in Sigan's tomb holds his soul, keeping the tomb guarded is something Calliope actually starts to care about because if anyone tried to steal the gem, Sigan's soul would take over their body as his new host and unleash his power on Camelot.
But, late in the night, someone does indeed break into the tomb. Nothing is stolen, but the once shining blue gem is an empty, pale gray, proving Gaius's theory right.
Which means, someone in the palace is walking around possessed by an evil spirit, and Merlin already has concluded who that person is: Cedric. His guess makes sense. The new arrival in Camelot wanted to get close to Arthur so he could steal the key and break into the vaults to retrieve the riches inside, but instead, he found an evil spirit hungry for revenge instead.
Alas, Prince Arthur is always a skeptic, and when Merlin tried to explain the situation to him, he lost his temper and attacked Cedric, ending with his ass getting thrown into the dungeons for the night, and no matter what Calliope says in his defense, the sorcerer cannot be let out until he cools down.
