by Rain Oxford
“Of course not.” He gestured to the elevator and I stepped in. When the door closed, a chill ran down my spine. “Merlin, why can’t you hear me?”
Chapter 20
Merlin
Ayden had created the wolf curse to prevent a paradox and because of that, I was not a mindless beast, as the original curse intended. That was not to say the curse had no mental effect on me. I felt the wolf’s instincts in the back of my mind constantly. Under normal circumstances, it was a normal wolf. However, under pressure, the wolf became aggressive and wanted nothing more than to fight. Furthermore, this was when I most wanted to let him have control. It would be easy to let him fight my enemies and then blame him for the consequences.
Except I was afraid he wouldn’t stop at our enemies.
When they took Ayden, the wolf didn’t care who the enemy was. He wanted to attack everyone. It wasn’t that the wolf cared about Ayden; he was just feeding off my own anger. He bit and tore at every patch of skin and limb he could reach until the driver smashed me over the head with a club. Then everything was dark.
* * *
I woke with a stabbing headache and sat up. I was in a room similar to Seza’s, with a large screen, a glass coffee table, and a leather couch. However, the shelves beside the screen were empty and the view from the window was different. I was on the couch. A moment later, the driver of the car entered.
“I’m sorry I had to knock you out, but you would have gotten yourself killed.”
“I could have saved Ayden.”
“Or you could have been killed.”
“Then now that I am awake, we will go and save him.”
He shook his head. “They probably took him knowing they could draw you out. You need to stay here where you’re safe.”
“I am not staying here while Ayden is in danger.”
“We will talk with our leader and decide what to do. If you need me in the meantime, my name is Koh.” Without another word, he left through a lift.
I paced the room, looking for a way out. I had enough magic from my mental bond with Ayden to dreamwalk, but knowing where he was when I couldn’t get to him was pointless. Of course, it occurred to me that he would attempt it, so I forced myself to take a nap. Alas, it was fruitless.
I had been in worse situations many times, but I usually had magic to fall back on. This was going to take manipulation.
* * *
A man entered the room with a plate of canned fish. “Good evening. I’m Fen. Are you feeling better?” he asked.
I bristled. My anger wasn’t a weakness. “I do not like to be held prisoner.”
“You’re not a prisoner. We just want to make sure you stay safe.”
I heard dishonesty in his tone. “Do you know where Ayden is?”
“He is probably being tortured by the Honlon. Fortunately, Seza hadn’t told him much.”
“If you really want to destroy the dragons, you need Ayden, not me.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Ayden knows dragons better than anyone,” I lied. “His family raises dragons.”
He grinned. “Really? Maybe he will be useful to us. Very well. We will find him.”
“I can find him.”
“No.” He started to leave.
“Wait.” He stopped. “I can help. You want to create a portal, right? I know how.”
“A mechanical portal?”
“Yes.”
“And you would help us?”
“Ayden and I will need a way to escape.”
He frowned, unsure whether I could be trusted. Finally, the desire for power won. “Alright. I will show you to the portal.”
I followed him into the lift. When the doors closed, it went up until the doors opened to the roof. It was a massive space. In the middle was the metal frame of a circular portal that was nine feet in diameter. To the north of it was a five-foot-wide, three-foot-deep control board, covered in gages, switches, and knobs.
A dozen men dressed in red and black leather meandered around, trying to figure out how to make it work. Clearly, none of them were men of science. At the four corners of the roof were nine-foot-tall metal towers. An electrical net was spread over the roof, connecting each tower.
“Protection from dragons,” Fen explained. “It will protect you and us from dragons while we work.”
The inventive side of me wanted to get to work immediately. I knew better, though; I had to draw this out long enough to find Ayden.
* * *
I was familiar with the technology, and quickly saw many problems. “What is your power source?”
“Diamond. Why? Isn’t that what the dragons use?”
I laughed. “If they do, then their portals are as useless as yours. You need quartz crystal. Diamonds do not have the same magical properties as crystals. It must be naturally formed, clear, and have six sides. I will need someone to etch sigils into the sides according to my direction. Can you get it?”
“It’ll be difficult, but we’ll get it done.”
“I also need an air compressor and a few dozen more objects. You will need to write them down because they must be exact measurements. Furthermore, your wiring is off. I can direct someone on how to do it right, but my paws are useless.”
I actually enjoyed it. Normally I disliked technology because I felt like it disconnected people from reality and each other. However, after several years of living on Caldaca without it, I rather missed it. I was surprised I even remembered how to use it. Considering how much Ayden enjoyed the cars and was fascinated by plastic, I figured he would enjoy learning about it as well.
As soon as Fen left, I instructed the man who was leading the portal construction on how to fix the wires. Zar was an old man, yet much younger than me, with regular black hair and intelligent gray eyes. He was a lot more serious than most of the people I had met in the Bahong. While I was behind the control panel, instructing Zar, I heard a woman’s voice. It was only with curiosity that this drew my interest, since I hadn’t seen or heard about a woman since my arrival on Raksel.
“Are we going to make it on time?” the woman asked.
“As long as Ayden doesn’t tell them anything.” I recognized Seza’s voice.
“We should save him. He could be useful, and we do owe Merlin.”
“He hasn’t fixed the portal yet. I’ll believe Fen that Merlin can do it when I see it. Then we’ll save Ayden. Then we can all get off this dead planet.”
“What about Erica?”
My ears perked.
“What next?” Zar asked, preventing me from hearing what Seza’s answer was.
I growled and said, “Plug the neutral wire in.”
“Which one is that?”
I pointed at it and focused my hearing on the woman and Seza.
“…by the end of the month,” Seza said. “We can’t wait that long. We need to leave the minute Merlin gets the portal ready. Do what you can to save Ayden.”
I worked until hunger and exhaustion caused me to lose focus. I was given fresh rat. Although it was not at all appetizing to me, the wolf was hungry and preferred it to fish. Then I returned to my room to get some sleep.
* * *
I didn’t sleep long, though. My dreams were full of nightmares. When I had tried to access my magic, Ayden saw my wolf, but what he didn’t know was that I wasn’t in it. I was near the wolf, unseen by him, in my real body… except I had no magic. I did, however, know what I had to do, and I knew it was impossible.
To get my magic back, I had to prove that I was not the beast. I had to stop the wolf from killing Ayden without magic or fangs. As a flesh-and-blood, mortal man, I had to fight the wolf.
After a few hours, I needed to get away from my own thoughts, so I decided to learn more about Erica. Since I didn’t want to wait around until someone discovered I was awake, I howled. Koh entered a couple of minutes later. “Yes?”
“I want to talk to Seza.”
“There will be plenty of time for that later
.”
“The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I can get back to work on the portal.”
That was all he needed to convince him. We got in the elevator and he took me to the bottom floor, where Seza and a pretty woman in a red dress were talking. They stopped when they saw us. “How are you, Merlin?” Seza asked insincerely.
“The portal is going well. I need to know who your leader is.”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does. Who is your leader?”
“Zar,” he lied.
I nodded smoothly, as if I believed him. “Very well. That satisfied my curiosity.” Koh gestured that I get back in the lift. “Before we return to duty, I have to use the little boy’s bush.”
“Excuse me?”
“I am sorry. That was not very clear. Point me to the nearest flowers that need watered.”
“Oh. Fine. We’ll go outside, but you’d better not be planning to run.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I followed him outside and started sniffing around. The stench of petrol and bodily fluids burned my nose, but my focus was on my hearing. Even when the glass door closed, I would still be able to hear Seza and the woman.
“Do you think he knows about Erica?” the woman asked.
“I don’t know. She hates him enough that I expect the feeling is mutual. For now, we won’t tell anyone that she is in charge.”
“Would you just go already?” Koh snapped.
Normally, I wouldn’t dream of doing something so vulgar, but he had knocked me out and I owed it to him. “If you insist.” I peed on him.
* * *
Back on the roof, I continued fixing the portal, but with a new intention. I was making it for Ayden and me. Getting him here unharmed… that plan was going to have to wait. I couldn’t let Bahong have a working portal, especially with Erica in charge, so I had to make sure it was destroyed as soon as Ayden and I used it.
I had to wait many hours for my chance. It didn’t escape my notice that the sun never rose, and I wondered if it was perpetually nighttime. Finally, the portal was ready. The date and location had to be entered into the control board, but it was otherwise ready to turn on and warm up.
They didn’t leave me entirely alone on the roof, though. I had to take my chance when there were only three. One was Zar and another was Koh. I hadn’t bothered to learn the third man’s name. While they were discussing food, I opened the cabinet to the control box and found the wires powering the dragon trap.
“Merlin, can you hear me?”
I heard Ayden’s voice and felt immense relief… and dread. It meant he was close. I had to make sure he didn’t get caught, but if I told him, I knew he would try even harder to save me. I hoped that by not answering, he would assume I wasn’t near and pass the building without harm. I hated doing it to him, but I needed a few more minutes to prepare before I could deal with the next step.
I had to use magic to cut the wires, because doing it with my claws would have taken forever and electrocuted me. This used up all of my reserves. Still, I felt the current in the air change as the trap was disarmed.
“Hey! What are you doing in there?” Koh barked.
I did my best to look innocent as I turned away from it. “Rechecking the wires.” Obviously, the excuse didn’t work, because he pulled a strange weapon on me that looked halfway between a ray gun and a crossbow.
“You can’t shoot him,” Zar said. “He’s helping us.”
“He’s up to something. I know it. Check the control box and make sure he didn’t tamper with it. I don’t want to end up in the middle of space or the ocean.”
Zar did as he was told, and I was worried that he would see what I had done. If nothing else, the cut wires should have been a dead giveaway. “No, it’s perfect.”
“Of course it is,” I said. “I hope to escape through it as well, as soon as Ayden is safe.”
“Merlin, why can’t you hear me?” He was in the building.
Unfortunately, Koh didn’t lower his gun. I stayed quiet again. I had no doubt that Koh wanted to shoot me; he was just looking for an excuse. Thus, I wouldn’t tell Ayden I was here. I didn’t want him to be devastated knowing I was so close. As long as he stayed out of it, he was… somewhat safe.
And then the lift slid to a stop and the door opened. Ayden saw me an instant before he spotted Koh. He didn’t need to ask questions; he aimed his staff at Koh and shouted, “Kala!” Koh was thrown a good ten feet and showered with ice.
Fen automatically tried to grab Ayden, but the young sorcerer was even faster. He used his own bodyweight to sweep Fen’s feet out from under him with his staff. Then he ran to me. “What do I do?”
“Watch my back,” I said, getting to work on the control panel. It was difficult to do with paws, but it was quicker than trying to explain it to Ayden. Besides, he was doing a great job.
When he pointed his wand at Zar, Zar raised his hands up in surrender. “I just want out. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Ayden aimed his wand at the other man, who was reaching for Koh’s weapon. The portal hummed as it came to life. Light formed in the middle. “When the center turns to silver liquid, it will be ready. Call a dragon to help.”
“Why?”
“I set the portal for home. Someone has to destroy it behind us.”
“There are dragon traps.”
“I have disabled them.”
With a deep breath, Ayden raised his staff into the air. “Help me!” As if he was waiting for the call, it only took a few seconds for a deep red dragon to land next to the portal. “Óttadugr!”
“You know him?” I asked.
“We met at Honlon. Oh, by the way. The Honlon are the good guys. Bahong are trying to kill them and they’re run by Erica.”
“You two have accomplished a great feat today,” Óttadugr said. “In turn, I give you the power you need to defeat Erica Baltezore.”
He held out his paw and on the tip of one of his claws was a ring. I took it, but it obviously wouldn’t fit on me. It was a silver dragon with outstretched wings. Its tail would wrap around the finger twice to serve as the band. “What does it do?”
“Put it on as a man and it will disappear during your transformation. It will turn you into a dragon when you desire it.”
I gaped. “With dragon magic and fire?”
“And wings, yes. However, there is a price for such magic.”
My heart sank, but I wasn’t surprised. There was always a price.
“In your dragon form, you will have no memory of being a mortal. Your personality will depend on your purpose for shifting.”
“So if I shift because I need to fight someone…”
“Then you will be aggressive and fearless.”
“How will I turn back into myself if I forget who I am?”
“You must see your reflection. However, if you fall asleep or otherwise lose consciousness as a dragon, you will never be able to change back.”
“That is a terribly steep price.”
“It will require such a price to defeat Erica Baltezore.” I nodded.
“Merlin,” Ayden said, drawing my attention to the portal. It was now a pool of silver liquid, rippling in the wind. Ayden tossed his bag and staff inside and it took only a couple of seconds to disappear.
“Will you destroy the portal once we have gone?” I asked Óttadugr.
The dragon nodded. “Thank you,” Ayden said.
We both stepped over the metal rim of the portal at the same time that Zar shouted with surprise. Koh had gained consciousness just in time to shoot at me with his gun. He would have hit me dead in the head.
Instead, Ayden jumped in the way and got shot in the stomach.
* * *
We were home, and Ayden collapsed to the floor, clutching his wound from pain. Before I could tell him not to, he pulled out a three-inch-long, silver arrow. It was covered in a sticky black substance.
“I really have to stop getting poisoned,
” he said, his voice strained.
“It will take dragon magic to heal this,” Gmork said. I had been so distressed I hadn’t even realized he was there.
I ignored him because we didn’t have the time to get to a dragon. “There has to be a cure. You cannot die.” I put my paw on his hands. Blood was spreading across his shirt and he started shivering.
“It’s okay,” Ayden said weakly. “This is our chance to break your curse.”
“No. It should not be you. I have lived long enough. You are too innocent and young.”
“Dragon magic can save him,” Gmork said.
“No!” Ayden argued. “Merlin, you have to let me go. It’ll break the curse. You’ll have your life back. You’ll be able to save Nimue.”
“Not at the risk of your life. Switch with me.”
“Not enough…” His eyes slipped close.
I shook him, which probably wasn’t beneficial to his health. “Open your eyes!”
He didn’t. “Thank you for… being my friend.”
“I needed a friend as much as you did.”
“You can save him, Merlin,” Gmork said.
He was right, and I had no time to second guess myself. “Keep him alive until I can unlock my magic.”
Gmork waved his paw over Ayden’s head and whispered. His eyes glowed gold before he closed them. A moment later, Ayden took a deep breath, but he didn’t wake. “I can hold him for an hour at most. Once he is gone, he is gone for good.”
I nodded. “I won’t be late. Don’t let him die.” Clearing my mind and centering myself had never been more difficult in my life. The time limit only worsened the task. I had to be serene and quiet. And quick.
* * *
Once again, I faced the wolf. The wolf ignored me, snarling and preparing to lunge at Ayden. Before, I had felt fear because I couldn’t control him. This time, there was no fear or doubt. I would control him.
I picked up a large rock, and when the wolf prepared himself to chase Ayden, I threw the rock, hitting him squarely in the face. The wolf snarled.
