by Rain Oxford
I knew what she was feeling; her throat was growing numb. Gaya’s dagger was laced with the sleeping curse poison. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.
“What’s wrong?” Gmork asked, confused and afraid.
Young Merlin was worried it might have been something contagious, so he tried to pull Gmork away, but Gmork held her close and refused to be moved. Sigrid’s eyes closed and her body became limp.
Gaya dived for the dagger she had dropped, but Young Merlin was faster and slammed his boot down on it. She bolted for the door just as Geir arrived with two guards. When Geir saw his wife, he went to her and let his guards handle Gaya. She didn’t fight them, but I didn’t know if it was because she knew she couldn’t beat them, or because they weren’t a threat at all.
Only then did I see Mazelina on the bed, unconscious with a cut and bruise on her forehead. She hadn’t missed the wedding on purpose.
The world started to change. “Don’t,” I said quickly. “I don’t want to see anymore.”
“As you wish.” We appeared at the creek again. “Gaya was imprisoned, only to escape a few days later. Gmork told his father he had learned about the tragedy curse and vowed to break the sleeping curse. Geir insisted marriage would not solve the problem, so Gmork might as well avoid the tragedy of being married to someone he did not love. Mazelina refused to marry Gmork after her step-mother nearly killed her. And thus began my friend’s spiral into darker and darker magic. The root of all anger is pain.”
“What about the poison?”
“While I was there, they had never learned the source of the poison. Either Gmork eventually did, or he kept some of the poison from the dagger. It stands to reason that he would keep it until he could discover the antidote. I just cannot believe his heart has become so dark that he would poison you with it.”
“To get the amulet. He’s going to kill Gaya.”
“That would be impossible, since this was hundreds of years ago.”
“He’ll find a way. That has to be the reason he wanted the amulet so badly.”
“Nevertheless, I did not bring you here to discuss Gmork. We have Gmork’s fur and can get the tears and apology. I need to know who you love so we can use their blood. Your brother? Kalyn? Your father?”
“That depends on what kind of love.”
“Any kind of love should do. A good indication is someone you would not want to be without them in your life.”
“Then I guess the person I love most is---”
* * *
Suddenly, I was on the floor of the pink cabin. Merlin groaned. I was back in the real world, able to see through his eyes but not communicate. “You have horrible timing,” he said as a loud knock shook the door again. It was what had woken him. He checked my body over to make sure I was still safe before telling the visitor to enter.
It was Hongo. “A glowing thing just appeared in the middle of the road and a sorcerer stepped out, demanding to know where his brother is.”
“That was quick.” Merlin stepped through the door, forcing Hongo out of the way so that Hongo couldn’t get inside. Thaddeus was standing in front of Mason’s mirror portal. “He is in here!” Merlin called.
Thad joined Merlin on the porch, went inside, and carefully picked up my body. Then he carried me outside and through the portal. I watched through Merlin’s eyes as he followed. We appeared in the magic room of Magnus’s castle, where Mason and Kalyn were waiting. Kalyn looked exhausted.
This was Merlin’s favorite of Magnus’s three magic rooms because it was the best stocked. The floor and wall were stone. A large round table in the middle of the room was covered in ingredients and tools, including books, bottles, and burners. Similar items filled the shelves, hung from hooks on the walls, and dangled from the chandelier above the table. In the south-west corner of the room was a small tree, where a black snake usually slumbered on the branches. The south wall was dominated by a large fireplace, a tall window spanned most of the northern wall, a bookshelf took up the entire east wall, and the heavy wooden door was on the west wall.
“What do we need?” Mason asked. Thaddeus pushed aside some of the clutter on the table and laid my body on the cleared spot.
They even had rainwater for potions, but when Merlin said we needed white rose petals, Mason blanched. “We are out of any rose petals.”
“Can’t you transform something into them?” Thad asked.
Mason rolled his eyes. “You are brilliant at many things, but making potions isn’t one of them. When burned, all things revert to the pure form. The rose petals would turn back into whatever I used.”
Thad blushed. “Oh. I forgot about that. What things am I brilliant at?”
Merlin sighed. “Focus, children. Mason and Kalyn, go in search of rose petals. Thaddeus, go find Sven and convince him to come here to apologize to Ayden.”
“Why did I get the hard job?”
“Because you and he are sorcerers; you will understand what it takes to convince him.”
“Mason should go with me.”
“First of all, Mason is a wizard, so Sven is less likely to agree to help if Mason is there. Second, I rather doubt anything would get done if you two go anywhere alone together.” Mason and Thaddeus both blushed, and Merlin muttered something I didn’t think I was supposed to hear. “And before you ask, Kalyn cannot go to Sven because he will not be able to apologize if all of his teeth have been knocked out.”
Kalyn blushed. When they left to complete their assignments, Merlin gathered the remaining ingredients. As carefully as he could with paws, he found bottles of sea salt and pepper and set them next to the jar of rainwater on the table. There was plenty of window sill dust, but gathering it was difficult. He ended up tearing a strip from one of Thaddeus’s shirts to wipe up the dust. By then, Mason and Kalyn had returned with a dozen white roses.
Mason poured a little of the rainwater in a bowl, along with the salt, pepper, dust, and rose petals. Next, he added some of Gmork’s hairs. “Now we need the tears of a person who would shed them over his loss and the blood of someone he loves,” Merlin said.
“Blood is easy, but I can’t cry on command,” Mason said.
“I can’t, either,” Kalyn said.
“They do not have to be tears of sadness as long as you would cry if he died.”
“I would, but he’s not dead,” Kalyn said.
“Then picture Ayden dead, because if someone does not do this, he will be!” With that, Merlin stormed off.
I was shocked. I had seen him upset and angry before, but not like this. He hated that he couldn’t create tears. He wanted to try anyway, but he knew he couldn’t afford to make mistakes. Wolf tears were not shed in sadness, only when something was irritating their eyes, and it wasn’t as liquid as a person’s tear.
Before Merlin got far, he sensed the presence of a sorcerer, so he rushed back to the magic room, where Thaddeus had appeared with Sven. Sven was a slender man with white-blond hair and gold eyes. The white hair was odd for a sorcerer, but he was also an elementalist, one of the rarest of magic users. He could control the elements.
And he hated me.
“How did Thaddeus convince you to come here?” Merlin asked.
“I was against it, but he is quite persuasive. I’ll just say that he owes me a favor someday.”
Mason narrowed his eyes in warning. “What kind of favor?” He was very protective of his friends.
I wasn’t surprised. My brother had a knack for persuading people to do things. It even worked on our older brothers, which was something I could never do.
“What do I have to do?” Sven asked.
“Apologize to Ayden.”
Sven narrowed his eyes. “I was hoping Thaddeus was joking about that.”
“Ayden is unconscious. He won’t even hear you,” Thad said.
A small, tiny part of me was excited that I would hear it.
“I hate him, and if I don’t do this, he will never wake.”
&nbs
p; “He saved your wife,” Kalyn said. “Anyone else would have used her against you.”
After a moment, Sven nodded. “Ayden, I’m sorry I pretended to be your friend while I was working for Ilvera to thwart you.” The contents of the bowl suddenly glowed blue for a moment. Without another word, Sven disappeared.
“Now we have to get someone to cry,” Merlin said.
Thad shook his head. “I can’t. Sorcerers are taught not to cry.”
Merlin rolled his eyes.
“Kalyn, how sympathetic are you?” Thad asked, picking up and empty bottle.
She shrugged. “More than a sorceress, less than a witch. Why?”
“And you care for Ayden?” When she nodded, he took her arm. “I can make you cry.” Then he led her out of the room. Before the door shut behind him, I heard, “When Ayden was three, he accidentally wandered into Bevras’s room.”
He was telling her about the horrible moments of my childhood.
“While he is doing that, we need the blood of someone he loves.”
“That depends on what you mean by love,” Mason said. “He loves a lot of people. He has friends all over the place.”
“The stronger the love, the better the cure will work.”
“You know him better than anyone.”
“Thaddeus has spent---”
“Thad might have known him longer, but you are closer to him,” Mason said. “They shared a traumatic childhood during which they both did what they had to in order to survive. I know Ayden loves his brother, but I think he most loves his best friend, and that’s you.”
I felt Merlin’s doubt. For someone who pushed me to see the value in myself, he was really bad at taking his own advice.
Fortunately, Mason didn’t give Merlin time to argue. Mason grabbed a dagger off the shelf. “Now, do you want me to do it, or Thad? I can’t say it’ll hurt any less if I do it, but I bet I’ll enjoy it less.”
By the time Mason added some of Merlin’s blood to the mixture, Thaddeus and Kalyn returned. Kalyn’s cheeks and eyes were slightly puffy and pink. Even though it was for my sake, I wanted to scold Thad for upsetting her.
He poured the vial of Kalyn’s tears into the mixture and stirred it with a stirring stick. Mason pulled out his wand and set fire to it. As the liquid burned and Thad continued stirring it, Merlin recited the incantation. “In the names of my ancestors, gods, and myself, I call upon thee, oh creatures of Earth and Water. Come forth, cleanse Ayden of all dark and foreign magicks, and restore him to balance, health, and awareness. As I will, so be it.”
When the liquid was reduced to a thick paste, the flames died. They gave it a little time to cool before Mason slathered it on my cut. Everyone held their breath.
I suddenly felt pain fill my head and body. It was agonizing, like when my mother placed the raven’s curse on me. Fortunately, it was over quickly.
I was back in my body… but I couldn’t open my eyes. I wasn’t asleep; I was aware of my slow breath and my beating heart. I felt Merlin’s paw on my hand. I just couldn’t open my eyes, and when I tried to speak, I couldn’t move my mouth. Even my fingers and toes ignored my command.
“How long is it supposed to take?” Kalyn asked.
“It should be instantaneous,” Merlin said, worry on the edge of his voice.
“I’m here, Merlin. I can’t move, though,” I said in his mind.
There was no response.
“Merlin, answer me! I’m here!”
Kalyn grabbed my other hand and squeezed it. “Ayden, if you can hear me, wake up.”
I tried with everything in my power to call her name. I couldn’t even budge my lips. This was worse than being able to see them and not communicate. I was trapped. I had to figure out a way to dreamwalk. I had to do something. Merlin, please hear me. You have to hear me. Somebody hear me!
“Something must have gone wrong,” Mason said. “Maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe we just have to give it time.”
“Maybe Sven’s apology wasn’t sincere,” Thad said.
“Ayden, wake up!” Kalyn ordered.
I wished I could, but I wasn’t asleep. What went wrong? Merlin couldn’t have made a mistake. Am I not strong enough? I should have fought this curse harder. I still can. Someone give me my wand. If only I knew what went wrong.
“Gmork’s fur…” Merlin said. The others fell silent. “That was what went wrong. Fur is hair, but Gmork and the wolf are two different beings. It was not the wolf who cursed him, so the wolf’s fur is not enough to bring Ayden back.”
“No!” Kalyn shouted. Sadness overcame the worry in her tone. She realized what that meant. “There has to be another way to save him!”
“The only way would be to break the curse over Gmork. Ayden created the curse, but Nimue intentionally inflicted it on Gmork. It is possible that her death will cause him to become a man again.”
“I’ll do it,” Kalyn volunteered immediately.
“I’ll help,” Thad agreed.
“You can’t kill an innocent woman because it might break a curse,” Mason argued.
I couldn’t feel Merlin’s thoughts. It was lonely in my head without his constant presence and voice. “I know you can’t hear me, but I’m sorry you even had to say that.” I wondered if this was what Sigrid had to suffer through. I wondered how long I would be trapped this way before they ended it so that Merlin could be free.
I couldn’t think that way. Kalyn would hate me if she knew. As long as I was alive, there was a chance… assuming I didn’t go mad before I was freed. I made my magic fight the curse. While it did respond, it was sluggish and weak. At this rate, it would take months to do what normally took a moment. Nevertheless, I had to try.
“Mason and Thaddeus, you two search the library for information on sleeping curses,” Merlin said.
“I can’t read that well,” Thad said. “Mason has been teaching me, but it’s a slow process.”
“That is why I am sending both of you. Kalyn, fly to the Kalika islands, in the Moaning Mountains. You will find the Rynorm family. Explain the situation to them, to the dragons, to anyone that will listen. If you cannot get their help, go to Ademora and find the Romanus kingdom. Yuri Romanus will definitely help. If he cannot… go somewhere else. Ayden has allies all over the world. Find someone.”
“I will. Ayden, please hold on until then.” I felt her lips on mine and my magic flared inside me to meet hers. It was like my energy recognized something in hers that I didn’t understand. The curse broke on contact with her magic.
I suddenly sat up, drawing a deep, gasping breath, and my eyes snapped open.
Mason screamed and grabbed onto Thaddeus’s arms. Kalyn instantly hugged me tight enough that I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t want to stop her. Thad and Merlin just gaped at me in shock.
When Kalyn let me go, I needed a few moments to catch my breath.
“Did the cure work? Was it just slow?” Thad asked.
I shook my head. “I was trapped in my body without being able to move or speak. I don’t understand what broke the curse exactly, unless Kalyn is a much better curse breaker than me.” I looked at Merlin, who shook his head.
“I think we just saw an example of your world’s magic against my world’s magic, and mine lost. It was not Kalyn’s magic or our cure that woke you but Kalyn herself.”
Kalyn smiled. “You must really like me if you woke just because I asked you to.”
“That was not my point, but never mind,” Merlin said. “Seriously. The naivety in this house… it could be a monastery.”
Thad cleared his throat. “Those two are the only naïve ones here.”
“Are you sure?” Mason asked Thad. “I think you need a reading lesson.”
“Now that you mention it, I really do.”
“Why would you need to read right now?” I asked. “This was really hard on me.”
“It was really hard on all of us. Reading is very… stress-relieving,” Mason said.
“Well,
I agree with that,” I said. They left quickly. “I just don’t see why they would be so concerned about reading when I almost died.”
“People deal with stress in different ways. I think it is more about their relief that you are safe and sound again,” Merlin said. “Since there is nothing here to drink that reduces stress, I will retire to my room for a while.” He left.
“I thought it was a good thing that I’m awake, but no one wants to be in the same room as me now,” I said.
Kalyn sat beside me on the table. “I do. I think they don’t want you to see how much the curse scared them. They just need some time to tell themselves that everything is okay. You’ve nearly lost Merlin before, so you should understand.”
I nodded. “I hated that feeling. I could hear what you were saying, but I couldn’t tell you I was alive.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Just don’t let it happen again. You’re supposed to be my hero, remember?”
“You believed me when you didn’t even remember me,” I said.
“I am a good judge of character. I will always trust you.”
* * *
Despite all the sleeping my body did, I was exhausted. However, every time I closed my eyes longer than to blink, I was afraid I would never be able to open them again. This caused me to stay up all day. I read books standing up to keep myself awake. When that stopped working, I asked Kalyn to spar with me. She was a master at the sword, enough to face a seasoned warrior, but I was almost too tired to swing a sword. She humored me for a while until I gave up.
We sat in the grass, eating fruit and bread, while I told her what was wrong. She told me not to worry and that she would wake me up if I couldn’t wake myself. That night, she slept next to me. We talked about the most interesting places she traveled to and where she wanted to go now that she knew her family was safe.
Shortly after she fell asleep, I followed.
* * *
The next morning, we all ate breakfast together. The mood was better and I had woken just fine. “We should go after Gmork,” I said. Kalyn nodded.
“Not so fast,” Merlin argued. “I should go alone. I should try to talk some sense into him.”
