"He's getting hotter," Gwendolyn says.
Margarette and Gaius both rush over to Merlin. Margarette sits beside Gwendolyn as Gaius stays behind the woman. Merlin starts to mutter an incantation under his breath causing Gwendolyn to look up at Gaius and for Margarette's eyes to widen.
"What language is that?" Gwendolyn asks Gaius.
"None," Gaius tells her as Margarette takes over, "The fever's taken hold. None of those words are his own," Gaius grabs Merlin's hand and puts his fingers on the inside of his wrist, "His pulse is weaker."
Margarette passes the cloth back to Gwendolyn as she takes Merlin's hand and pulls up his sleeve where his skin is raised in a an oval.
"What is that?" Gwendolyn asks.
"That can't be right," Gaius mutters as he saw the mark, "The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage."
"What does that mean?" Gwendolyn drops the cloth into the pale of water as she looks up at Gaius.
"It means that my son is going to die sooner rather than later. It mean that Arthur has less time than we hoped," Margarette mutters under her breath as she scowled at the rash on her son's wrist.
Gaius walks back over to the book and Gwendolyn follows. He picks up a makeshift magnifying glass and holds it over the text, "It says here that once the rash appears, death will follow within two days."
"You said he had four days," Gwendolyn says.
"That was before we saw the rash, dear," Margarette says from her place besides Merlin, "A spell must be making the illness move faster."
"A spell?" Gwendolyn asks in shock.
"Yes, a spell dear, like witchcraft," Margarette nods.
Gaius nods in agreement and flipped the page, "It warns that the effect of the Mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the flowers preparation."
"But Bayards no sorcerer," Gwendolyn points out.
"No, he isn't," Gaius agrees.
"Then who did this?" Gwendolyn asks worried.
"It can't have been," Gaius says to himself after a moment, "She wouldn't dare come here. Unless...."
"Unless what?" Gwendolyn asks.
"What happened to that girl?" Gaius asks.
"You're not thinking what I think you are, are you?" Margarette asks in worry.
"What girl?" Gwendolyn asks Gaius.
Gaius looks back at Merlin and Margarette, "Just before Merlin burst into the hall, one of Bayard's serving girls took him outside."
"She had dark hair; very beautiful," Gwendolyn trails off with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"Find her, quickly," Gaius orders Gwendolyn.
Gwendolyn nods and runs out of the room as Gaius takes a seat next to Margarette, "Arthur," Merlin mutters before going back to incanting. Margarette looks back at Gaius in worry.
"It isn't who I think it is, correct," she pleads.
"I'm afraid so," Gaius empathizes.
They lap into a silence, Gaius watching Merlin's rash and Margarette cooling her sons fever. After a couple of minutes, Gwendolyn returns.
"Let me guess: she wasn't there," Gaius says.
"No one has seen her since the banquet," Gwendolyn nods, "Who is she?"
"Not who she claims to be," Margarette told the serving girl.
"But you know, don't you? Both of you do," Gwendolyn says to them both.
Gaius sighs but answers her original question, "Kara. Though that's not her name-"
"-not her real name, anyway," Margarette finishes. Gwendolyn gets ready to ask another question but Margarette cuts her off before she can speak, "She is a powerful sorceress. Now stop with the questions, child."
"Let us tell Uther, he could send-" Gwendolyn starts but Margarette cuts her off once more.
"She's long gone, Gwendolyn," Margarette says, "Currently our only hope is Arthur."
"Oh, no," Gaius says.
"What?" Gwendolyn asks as both, Gaius' and Margarette's eyes fill with worry.
"She knows the only place an antidote can be found is the Forest of Baloch," Gaius says as he stands.
Margarette shook her head and let out a humorless laugh, "She wasn't after Merlin. She's after Arthur. Who is currently in a dangerous forest filled with cockatrice to get an antidote which can only be found there. Merlin is just collateral damage."
"Arthur," Merlin whispers, drawing the attention of everyone inside and outside of the diary's image, "Arthur. Ahh." He then starts incanting under his breath again as the trio surround his bed, "Arthur. It's a trap. It's a trap."
"His fever's getting worse, isn't it?" Gwendolyn asks Gaius.
"The poison's settling in," Gaius answered as Merlin went back to incanting, "Shhh," Gaius whispers as he presses the cloth to Merlin's forehead. He then looks up at Gwendolyn, "Could you fetch me more wolfsbane?"
"Yes, of course," Gwendolyn answers before she leaves the three magical beings alone.
"Merlin? You must fight it," Gaius tells the druid.
Margarette grabs Merlin's hand and grips it tight in worry, "Come on, Merlin. I didn't come all this way just to see you die."
After a couple minutes of the two sitting in silence, Merlin starts to whisper again, "Arthur. It's too dark. Too dark." Merlin starts speaking an incantation once more, but this time there's a result.
"Ow!" Margarette shouts as she pulls her hand away from her son's, only to see a ball of blue light sitting where her hand once was. She smiled brightly at the light, "I told him not bringing his wand wouldn't make a difference."
"What is he doing?" Gaius asks Margarette.
"He's protecting the prince," Margarette lets out a laugh, "Even when someone tries to save his life, and he ends up on the verge of death, he's still saving people."
"Leave them, Arthur," Merlin cuts in, "Go. Save yourself. Follow the light."
"Told you," Margarette whispered teasingly to Gaius.
"Faster," Merlin whispers, "Go faster! Follow the light! Move. Climb."
After a couple of minutes, Merlin's breathing calmed down and the light in his hand disappeared, "He did it. Arthur did it."
"He hasn't got much longer has Arthur gotten the flower?" Gaius asks Gwendolyn after the image slowed down again after being sped up.
"I don't know," Gwendolyn admits, "Uther won't allow anyone to see him."
"You are a serving girl, are you not?" Margarette asks, "Because if you are, shouldn't you be able to bring food to the prisoners?"
"That would be very dangerous," Gaius opposes.
"I've got to," Gwendolyn agrees, "Merlin will die if I don't."
"Then hurry child," Margarette tells her.
"Be careful," Gaius tells her before she leaves.
The image speeds up once more and the students in the Great Hall can see Gaius pacing and Margarette continuing to care over Merlin. Soon enough the image goes back to its normal speed and Gwendolyn rushes in the room.
"How is he?"
"Have you got the Mortaeus?" Margarette and Gaius as in unison.
"Here,' Gwendolyn says as she hands the flower to Gaius.
"His breathing is much worse. We have to hurry," Gaius says as he starts to make the antidote but suddenly stops.
"Why have you stopped?" Gwendolyn asks.
"The poison was created using magic. We made need magic to make an antidote," Gaius tells her and Margarette's eyes snap up to Gaius' in worry.