Chapter 25—Elements of Magic
Merlin shivered, fingers raking through his hair as he clutched his head and strove to push back the pain. His scalp prickled as though thousands of tiny fire ants crawled through his hair, biting him. Beside him, Skittles munched happily on the lush grasses that grew tall beside the lake, blissfully unaware of Merlin’s distress. The sun shone overhead in a cloudless sky that reflected the deep azure of the lake.
Magic raged all around him. The air buzzed with its intensity quivering against his skin. His legs jerked of their own accord, spasming into cramps so bad that he fell to the ground, screaming. The grass blurred behind the tears streaming down his face. He gasped as he rolled, his hands clutching his aching calves. Skittles lifted his head for a moment, staring at his master, then lowered his mouth to tear another mouthful of grass from the soil. His tail swished lazily at a fly, and he moved off a couple of paces, following his nose to greener pasture. He was still saddled, reins hanging loosely where Merlin had dropped them as he’d tumbled from the saddle.
Merlin had sensed the presence of magic long before he had exited the canyon, but it had been gentle, like the soft smell of baking bread. The magic had called to him, luring him with soft caresses that pulled at his core. More seductive than anything he had ever experienced before, the siren call had him riding out of the canyon without an ounce of caution. He now regretted that error.
“My, my. Now what do we have here?” A pair of polished boots swam into view, sized to fit the feet of a woman. “A boy wizard bound by the elements of Avalon. How wonderful!”
The boot shoved Merlin on the shoulder, rolling him onto his back. He clutched his knees to his chest, blinking through his tears up at Simone as she leaned over him. The magic of the elements raged through him, searing his soul. He struggled to gain mastery over their rampage through his body and mind.
“You see, Merlin, how the elements serve me? Did you really think that you could invade my home and there would not be consequences? The lake and the caves, all that you see, are mine. I am magic. I command the elements, the very foundations of magic.”
“You’re wrong! Magic cannot be bound,” gasped Merlin. “It is free to be used, but then it must be returned to the elements. You cannot master it. You cannot control it. You can only call it to your use.” Merlin rolled over pushed up on his knees. He would not grovel before this woman. He would meet her on his feet and do what he had come to do, reason with her.
Simone laughed. “And what would you know about the elements? You are nothing but a child. It is the Druids who have worshiped the elements, who have bound themselves to the power. It is my people who have maintained their connection with the magical realm. Perhaps you think you are better than me? Stronger in magic?”
A cold smile accompanied the raising of her right hand. The palm glowed and a thin bolt of fire leapt from her fingers and smacked into Merlin’s chest, sizzling as it spread. His shirt caught fire. Merlin screamed as the flames scorched him, burning through the cloth to sear flesh. He fell to the ground once again and rolled away from the sorceress, rolling and rolling to smother the flames.
“It will not work, Merlin,” called Simone. “This kind of flame cannot be extinguished by conventional means. It is a flame conceived by magic, the magic inherent to a dragon. That which is wrought by magic can only be defeated by magic.”
Merlin screamed as the flames dug into his flesh. The smell of burning hair filled his nostrils. Curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face, Merlin closed his eyes and willed the flames to cease. Deep within his chest, he felt a stirring, as his magic roared to life. He pulled on that link and commanded the element to cease its burning. The command burst from his mind and enveloped his body, oozing from his pores. The fire winked out as though suffocated, and the fire elements all around him cooled and calmed.
“Very good. So, you do have some basic control of your magic.” Simone walked around him, examining the damage caused by the flames. “You might even be able to control the magic, some day. In different times, I might even have taken you for an apprentice and taught you, but you have bound your fate to that of the Pendragons, and that makes you an enemy of my people.”
Merlin forced himself to stand, his shirt smoking slightly. He staggered, gasping in pain and clutching at his chest as his skin cracked. Blood ran in rivulets down his chest. He knew he was going into shock, that his injuries were such that they would render him unconscious before much longer. He had to either reason with Simone or take her captive before he lost the chance. Clutching his magic close, Merlin sought to bind Simone with flows of air. He imagined ropes binding her from top to bottom and pushed the spell at the sorceress.
Simone broke the spell with a casual flick of her hand, shattering its hold before it could settle around her. “Oh, you think you can play magic with me? My mother taught me from birth how to use magic. Your meager skills are no match for my upbringing. Here, let me show you.” Simone reversed the spell, and it slammed into Merlin before he could blink. Ropes wound painfully around his chest, eliciting a scream from his throat as his skin tore. The rivulets widened until his chest was glistening in blood. Simone tsked and stepped up to him, putting a finger under his chin and raising his face, to meet her eyes. Those pitiless dark orbs promised him no mercy.
“Simone, we can work this out. I know about your nephew. I know what happened at Affalon Ford, and about the abbey abuse. I understand why you wish revenge. I would feel the same way. But innocent people are dying. This must stop. A war between the king and the Druid people is not a way to live. The hatred must stop.”
“Oh, and these words come from the king? Uther will admit his crimes and offer repayment? He will punish the church for their crimes, for their sick pleasures? He offers his head in recompense?” Her eyes narrowed.
“No, but Arthur does. He sent me to apologize on behalf of his father. He wishes to establish a relationship with the Druid people. He is not an evil man.”
“Yet his father sits on the throne. Arthur’s words are useless. He has no power. I am sorry, Merlin, but Uther must be made to suffer. The attacks on the village were a warm up act for what will come. Tonight, at the banquet, I intend to snatch Arthur from his father’s side and make him pay. A life for a life, you see? That is Druid justice. I will see Uther destroyed by the loss of his sole heir.” She dropped Merlin’s chin and turned away.
“No, do not harm Arthur,” shouted Merlin. “He is not your enemy! He would help you. Please, Simone, turn away from this anger. Seek peace.”
“Peace?” she roared, spinning back to him. “Peace?” she hissed. “The only peace for me will be in seeing justice served. I promise, once Arthur is dead, I will cease my attacks. But not before.” She walked away a few paces, back to Merlin. “I cannot have you following me. But what to do with you?” She glanced back over her shoulder, considering Merlin. “You have too much magic to waste.” She paused, considering him, then snapped her fingers. “I know. I have thought of a better purpose for you. You might say it is your destiny.”
She walked down to the water’s edge, gazing out over the lake. A few scraggly trees dotted the shore, struggling to survive in the meager soil. In the cliff at the far end of the lake, the entrances to caves could be seen. Swallows swooped in and out of the dark, silent openings.
“I could use a few more trees around the lake,” she mused. “Yes, that will do nicely.” She spun around and pointed her hands at Merlin. His feet left the ground and he floated over to her. “I will transform you into a great tree of Avalon. Here you will live out your days knowing only what a tree knows.” Merlin’s eyes widened in alarm. “You want to learn what it means to be a Druid? This is what the control of elemental magic means. The bone dragon transformation is only a small taste of what it means to be a sorceress of the first order. I have no idea if this will kill you first, so if I were you, I’d hold on to whatever life force you can. These transformations are painful. If you want to live, you will have to want it more than you have ever wanted anything. It is of the mind, you see.”
“Simone, stop! Please, we can talk this out, there is still—” Merlin’s voice cut off as the spell hit him, wrenching his mind from his body. He could hear screaming, and knew distantly, that it was his own. His body ripped, his skin undulating like the shockwaves of a stone tossed into a still pond. His bones elongated, stretched, cracking and pulling apart. Pain such as he had never felt before ripped through his body and his soul. His mind screeched, scrambling, trying to retain a sense of self, of Merlin. But the concept of himself as an entity, of his reality, was thinning, spinning away into a vortex of transformation so elemental, as to be unintelligent. With the last of his waning energy, Merlin wrapped a protective shell around his mind, around his essence, around his spirit, and tucked the nut away, wrapping it in layers of magic. Light burst from every pore of his being, and he began to glow as the base elements that made him human were consumed by the magic. Darkness descended as the light of the maelstrom burnt itself out and his essence was compressed into a seedling, sprouting out of the soil at the side of the silent lake.
Simone knelt down beside the seedling. “I should probably step on you, right now, Merlin.” She tipped the toe of her boot back, poising it over the two bright leaves that struggled for sunlight on the thin stem. She lowered the boot, placing it on the ground beside the seedling. “But this amuses me. Grow well while I am away.”
Simone stood then walked away, smiling. She was half way to the canyon fissure when she transformed into the bone dragon. She shook out her wings, turned once more to look at the seedling, then launched herself into the air, circling twice before winging her way toward Camelot.