"So where are we going?" Aubrey asked loudly, leaning between the seats so that she could stare at Merlin.
The car still carried the lingering scent of stale beer and even having the windows cracked was doing anything to cause the smell to dissipate. They had been travelling for what felt like hours along country lanes and back roads. It felt as if they were running not only from the Atlantians but from any signs of human existence. The red head had lost track of their location very quickly. Their navigator however appeared reluctant to share any information at all.
"You'll see soon enough, we are almost there." Merlin replied. His eyes were trained firmly out of the front windscreen. "Take a left here."
With only a few metres until the turning, Andrew's fingered tightened around the steering wheel. He applied his foot hastily to the breaks before wrenching the wheel to the side. The car tires screeched loudly as they were all thrown around in their seats as the car cornered sharply.
"Can you give a little bit more notice next time?" He growled, his head turning to glare at the blonde haired man sitting in the passenger seat before focusing on the road once more.
"I will only tell you as much as you need to know. Turn right." Merlin replied blandly, his fingers scratching at his jaw absently. "The landscape has altered. I have to rely on my senses to direct us."
"Great, so we're relying on your inner compass to guide us. That's just brilliant." Andrew snorted, shaking his head as he did so.
Aubrey kicked the back of Andrew's seat and, when he met her gaze in the rear view mirror, she shook her head. No matter her suspicions, she needed Merlin. It wouldn't do well to antagonise him. Her fingernails dug into her legs as she turned her head to watch the scenery flying past, one boring hedgerow at a time. It would be so easy for him to refuse to help. The thought made her feel nauseous.
Poor Andrew, who was the only one with the capabilities to drive, had to deal with Merlin's blind navigation, only calling out instructions at the last possible moment. Any attempt at cordiality vanished with each barked instruction Merlin gave.
"STOP! Stop here." Merlin shouted, slapping his hand down on the dashboard so hard it cracked under the force of it.
Sparks shot out from his hand, disappearing into the car even as Andrew performed an emergency stop. The power to the car died abruptly with a sad clunk. Aubrey braced her hand on the seat in front of her and the other on the roof of the car. Her body was thrown forwards but the seatbelt locked in place painfully tight over her chest.
The car finally skidded to a halt. Andrew, panting heavily, leant forwards and pressed his forehead to the steering wheel. He sucked in several sharp breaths before uttering, "I hate you."
Merlin, completely unaffected, unplugged his seatbelt and climbed from the lifeless vehicle. His gaze roamed over the landscape, his hands held out in front of him as he pivoted on the spot. He turned around three times before he stopped, nodding his head as he did so. Without waiting for the others to follow, her climbed up the grassy embankment which bordered the road, climbed over the weather worn wooden fence and then started across the grassy field.
Aubrey strained against her seatbelt but it was locked firmly in place. With a growl she released the belt from the socket and took a deep breath, her hand rubbing at her chest as she did so. "That man is so frustrating."
"That's an understatement." Andrew growled and hit the dashboard. "He's broken my damned car. It won't start. How am I supposed to explain this? Well, some legendary magician zapped my car and now it won't work."
"Calm down. Complaining won't help." Aubrey muttered, checking for any wayward traffic before opening the door to the car. "Come on, we'll need to push this into the layby up ahead if we're going to go after him."
Andrew groaned loudly, before doing as she ordered. "I'd rather stay with the car." He muttered, using one hand to steer the wheel while he pushed forwards, placing once foot against the other.
At the rear of the vehicle, Aubrey braced both hands against the dusty panels and pushed with all of her strength. With a grunt, she exerted a bit more force and the car started to roll forwards, one meter at a time. Aubrey was glad of her Atlantian status. She never would have managed to push the car if she had still been human. It was fair to say exercise had not been a high priority.
By the time they had rolled the car into the layby, Andrew had sweat dripping down the sides of his face and his t-shirt clung to his body. Aubrey, while less effected than her human companion, was still feeling the strain in her muscles, especially her neck which gave a painful throb in time with her pulse. Even as she forced the heady weight of the car forwards, she had been desperately searching for Merlin, her head craning to look up over the embankment to try and catch a glimpse of him.
"Go and find him." Andrew stated, nodding his head in the direction Merlin had taken off. "You know I'm not important in all of this. Go and find him. I'll wait here with the car and see if I can maybe get it running again."
Aubrey winced as looked at the stationary machinery. She could figure out if it was due to the pain raging at her or the sight of the useless piece of metal. "I'm sorry about your car, Andrew."
The scratched at his jaw and just shook his head. "It's not your fault. I would never have let him in my car if I knew he was going to be such a terrible passenger." Turning away from her, he leant in through the car door and pulled the lever for the bonnet. When he noted the red head still staring at him he sighed. "Get out of the road and get after him. If you want to save your friend, you need to go."
Aubrey lingered for a moment, her eyes watching as Andrew lifted the bonnet and then disappeared behind the sheet of metal. Then, with a sigh, she turned and attempted to follow the path Merlin had taken.
Once over the embankment, she surveyed the lay of the land around her. Reconnaissance was never her strong suit but she attempted it all the same. Not that there was much to see unless you counted green fields as far as the eye could see, intersected by leafless hedges. Sheep dotted the landscape with a several huddling in the centre of the field. When they parted, she glimpsed Merlin kneeling between them all.
Picking up her pace, she stumbled across the muddy field, taking care to step around the obvious piles of manure left by the livestock. As she stepped closer, Aubrey struggled to keep her eyes on the man as the flock started to move.
Merlin had his head thrown back, his eyes closed, and his fingers buried into the earth. A frown formed between his brows as he started to sway from side to side, his lips moving rapidly as he chanted under his breath. Holding her breath, Aubrey took another step closer and then stopped. Something in her body was urging her to stay back. It was telling her not to get too close.
Aubrey kept her distance even though curiosity was burning within her. The red head had learnt enough in the past few months to listen to instinct. It was probably one of the few things she could rely on without Tiberius by her side.
The seconds ticked by. The red head remained as still as she could even as goosebumps formed on her arms. A fresh breeze buffeted against her body while the pungent smell of sheep manure tickled at her nose. She knew that there were probably great big chunks of it clinging to the bottom of her shoes. Aubrey couldn't find it in her to care. Her entire body was coiled, ready to burst in action at a moment's notice.
Her eyes were trained upon Merlin as he worked. As the seconds ticked by she could feel the energy thrumming beneath her feet. It was swelling, growing more and more pronounced as the seconds passed. The air filled with static electricity which tingled as it coursed over her skin, causing small sparks when the build-up of energy grew too large.
"Can you feel it?"
Merlin opened his eyes to reveal irises which shone brightly. They shone with a light that was far from natural. Magic. It still seemed so incredible that such a thing existed. Instead, she nodded with her lips pressed together. No matter how much she saw and experienced, it was still difficult to step in the world of the fantastical.
"Magic is an intrinsic component in the formation of the different realms. Even here, in the realm of the mundane," Merlin threw a dirty look towards the road behind her before lowering his captivating gaze back towards the earth. "Magic can be found if one only knows where to look. Not everyone is capable of harnessing its power however. Many so called witches have tried over the years but very few are capable of truly understanding and controlling the power. And fewer still actually do."
Aubrey nodded her head and then allowed her gaze to roam over the fields around them. "That's all very well and good. But how does this help Tiberius."
"Are you truly playing at being dense Miss Winters? I thought you possessed intelligence."
Merlin stretched out his mud and muck covered hand. His fingers closed around Aubrey's wrist before he tugged sharply. She staggered forwards, the abrupt movement pulling her down on to her knees. Before she could protest, the man thrust her hand into the dirt where his hand been just moments before.
The glow had yet to dissipate from his eyes. The red head kept her face blank ever as she felt energy tickling against her finger tips just begging for her to give in to it.
"I am going to teach you to harness the magic around you. Every Atlantian has the capability of wielding magic but it has gone out of practice. They no longer teach new recruits how to use the powers available to them. Only a few still know how to use it. The Matriarch was one of them. But she, like too many before her, has become corrupted with the power. With you, I do not believe that will be a possibility. Your heart is too pure in intent."
"The Matriarch is dead. We do not have to concern ourselves with her anymore." Aubrey stated, wiggling her fingers within the dirt. The magic responded almost playfully, tickling over her skin as it wound between her dancing fingertips. "But thank you, I suppose. I'm glad you do not think I can be corrupted."
"It is not a compliment. It is the truth. You do not seek to learn magic for your own power. You will be learning to wield elemental magic to help free the man you love."
Aubrey snatched her hand away as she coughed and spluttered. "Love?! Are you out of your mind?"
His fingers wrapped around her wrist and he guided her hand once more into the dirt, his gaze roving over her features even as he did so. His expression held nothing but bored disinterest. "Don't deny it. You love him. How you love him, whether as a friend or a lover, is for you to decide. I do not care as it has no bearing on how we proceed. I just need you to focus and train because without you, I cannot go home." Merlin paused, the wind blowing harder with each second that passed. He stared straight into Aubrey's eyes, allowing her to catch a glimpse of emotion, so quick she thought it had been a trick of light, before his mask slid back into place. "I want to go home. I have been away for far too long. That means I need you to keep your eye focused on the end goal. Can you do that? Are you with me on this?"
Even though she still had the warning about Merlin's true intentions running through her mind, after a brief hesitation, she nodded her head. "I'm in."
Merlin smiled a gloating smile of a man who had just gotten everything he wanted. He released his grip on Aubrey's hand, allowing her to finally pull it from the dirt. The tingle of power ebbed away into a distant murmur, caressing against her skin once more before drifting down into the ground beneath them. Other than a small crease between her brows, she gave no sign that she felt its loss of its comforting and pleasant warmth.
"So what do we do first?" she asked, staring at the field around her with a wrinkled nose.
Merlin clapped his hands, his eyes staring at the damp grass beneath his feet just as clouds, which had rolled in above them, grumbled so loudly the ground trembled beneath them. "You build camp. And tonight, I will teach."