by Tom Larcombe
Gunter leaned over to Merlin and spoke in a whisper.
“I see your eyes on this barmaid. I must warn you. They've actually kept me here because I reported that you and I got along well. My superiors suggested I bring you here tonight. They're looking for some means to control you. With a new barmaid serving us, I have my suspicions.”
Merlin nodded and replied in a soft voice.
“My thanks again then. You could be in trouble for informing me, no?”
Gunter nodded as he spoke in a normal volume, his eyes flickering towards the barmaid who hovered within earshot.
“Honestly, if you're interested simply ask her if she'd like to spend some time upstairs.”
Merlin understood the multiple messages Gunter conveyed. When the barmaid delivered their drinks Merlin stopped her.
“Miss, I was wondering if you might like to spend some time upstairs?”
“Please, call me Anelie. Give me a few minutes to get another server here and I'd be pleased to do so,” she replied.
Anelie departed into the kitchen area and in the few moments she was gone, Merlin spoke to Gunter.
“Better the evil you know, and can keep an eye on, than the one that you don't even suspect and cannot beware of.”
“Many of the tales about you claimed that you were a wise man. Until now I didn't realize that extended beyond folk wisdom,” Gunter replied.
Anelie left the kitchen and approached their table.
“When you're the wizard of a powerful king and suspected by all of whatever unexplained ills occur, you learn to watch others as closely as you watch your own words and actions,” Merlin said softly.
Anelie held a hand out to Merlin, who accepted it gratefully. He stood and the two of them headed for the stairs.
“Enjoy yourself Merlin. Take what pleasure you may while you can,” Gunter said.
* * *
Merlin sat on the edge of the bed, watching intently as Anelie slipped off her clothes.
“You'll forgive me if I watch you, I hope. It's been a very long time since I've seen a naked woman. Yet at the same time it seems to me as though it were only last week.”
“That's quite alright. I find it flattering that I can hold your whole attention simply by undressing.”
“I was unsure how well my body would function after thirteen hundred years. I can now say that its reactions seem unimpeded by the passage of time,” Merlin said.
“Then come to me. You can show me.”
Merlin's spirits sank. As Gunter intimated, Anelie was not truly a barmaid. Whether she was a member of the military or some other sort of agent didn't matter. He tugged gently on his beard.
If she weren't informed about me she would at least have shaken her head, or more likely reacted as though I were a madman, at my mention of the amount of time passed. She's been placed here for some reason regarding me. Perhaps she's the hook they intend to use, he thought.
Merlin went to her as requested.
* * *
Gunter was waiting at the table when Merlin returned downstairs. Although Merlin was slightly perked up, both in attitude and energy levels, he hadn't gotten as much out of it as he normally would since he knew that his partner was there with an ulterior motive.
“Gunter, you were correct. I must thank you for letting me know,” Merlin said
As Anelie moved out of earshot, he continued in a softer voice.
“You were correct in your guess. At least there's no other reason I can think of that she would ignore my saying thirteen hundred years had passed since my last sexual encounter.”
Gunter nodded.
“I feared as much. Let's not talk about this any more for now.”
“A wise suggestion, perhaps on the walk home when it would be more difficult for anyone to listen to us.”
Merlin ordered himself another beer. A different, and far more friendly, barmaid filled his order.
He took a deep drink and ended up coughing.
“I thought that beer might not have changed so much. Evidently I was wrong. There are noticeably more bubbles in this than I remember beer having. Although the actual taste is quite good.”
“They do serve a very good beer here.”
Merlin quickly finished his drink and called for another. He kept watch and Anelie seemed to always be visible somewhere but not doing any work. She noticed him watching and smiled what was intended to be a warm smile at him.
Knowing what I do, that smile looks more like the one a hunter would give his prey as he stalked it than anything else, Merlin thought.
After he and Gunter each put away another two beers, they left the bar. Once they were out of earshot, Merlin spoke.
“Gunter, why so morose?”
“That bar is supposed to be a relaxation spot for the military. By placing someone there to go after you, my superiors have violated an unwritten agreement. All that's beside the fact that they're obviously trying to find something that will give them control over you. That isn't the way we Germans should do things.”
“It matters little to me. The woman was not one I would be enamored with, even if I didn't know she was only pretending.”
“That isn't the point. Things are being done in the German army that simply shouldn't be done. Do you remember when I said that I didn't want live in submission to those who live a life of strife?”
Merlin nodded.
“Well, I also don't want to be, or have my country be, the one who lives a life of strife while forcing others to submit. It seems that my country is leaning that way, or at least those in charge of it are.”
“I don't have an answer for you there but I do have a question. Is there anything you can do about it?”
“Not on a large scale, but on a small scale, yes. Such as warning you.”
“Then since you're doing everything you can about it I would suggest that you don't allow it to affect you. Well, at least not visibly. Most of the officers in your military appear to be the type that would cause problems for you if they knew your thoughts.”
“I understand that but... it's difficult. I've always respected the military, joining it was what I always wanted. Now I find that there's a canker at its center. Did you know that they tossed Johann in jail, simply for talking about his missions? Not the more secret ones, just the ones where he landed in broad daylight at the airfield. Like when he brought us here.”
“No, I hadn't known that. I'm sorry if I was part of the cause. If there's something I can do, for either Johann or yourself, please let me know. Aside from advice I don't know what else I can do right now. I'm still getting used to things myself.”
“Speaking of that, you said that they were leaving you alone. From what I've been told, they're trying to allow you some time to adjust. I don't think they'll give you much longer though. The rest of what I've heard says that they'll ask you to teach a handful of students and possibly work with some artifacts they believe to be magical.”
“Those are things I can do. I might even find that I enjoy teaching, I have in the past.”
“Some of the men they want you to teach are unpleasant, downright cruel in several cases. I brought most of them here and can tell you that some have a rudimentary grasp of their powers. They were using them to blackmail those in their home villages. A couple are from the army itself and I've heard rumors about some of the things they did to their units as well. Don't let your guard down around your students.”
“Some things never change. I've dealt with their types in the past. I'll heed your warning but I'll need to ask what I can do to discipline these students if necessary.”
“There are a few that are good people. At least they were when I brought them here. Who knows what they're like now after being quartered with the others for months.”
“If they were good, they will still be good. I'll support those as I can. I'll also repeat myself: if there is anything I can do to make things easier for you, let me know. I'll be glad to help. I am very
much in your debt.”
“No Merlin, you aren't. You've helped me see some of the things that I'd intentionally blinded myself to before. I'd say we're already even.”
They arrived at the gates of the compound and, once inside, bid each other good night. Merlin returned to his cottage and spent several hours in deep thought before falling asleep.
* * *
Chapter 7
Merlin woke to a knock on his door.
“Yes? What? Oh, come in.”
The door opened to admit a soldier.
“Your presence is required by Herr Schreiber.”
“What time is it? Oh, never mind. Give me a moment to dress and make myself presentable.”
A short while later Merlin followed the soldier to Herr Schreiber's office. The solider rapped on the door.
“Merlin is here as requested sir.”
“Send him in.”
The soldier held the door open as Merlin passed through. Herr Schreiber's face was even paler than it was several days earlier. As the soldier closed the door, Herr Schreiber was caught by a fit of coughing.
After their last meeting Merlin spent some time carefully thinking over his situation. He decided that he needed to know what game was being played here. His best guess was that cooperative, respectful behavior would yield the quickest results. When Herr Schreiber's coughing fit was over, Merlin spoke.
“Sir, you requested to see me?”
“Yes, yes, we have some duties for you to take up.”
“I would be grateful to take on some duties sir. I'm not used to simply sitting around with little to do.”
“Well, we wanted to give you a while to adjust but time is now of the essence and we need to get some of our plans underway. You seem to be the best person to help implement those plans.”
“Thank you sir, what duties will I be assigned?”
“We have seven men who we believe are capable of becoming wizards. We would like you to teach them what you can. Gunter told us that you can give them a solid grounding in the basics and perhaps show them how to further their powers on their own. Is that correct?”
“I can teach them the basics. I can also give suggestions for how to further their powers but I cannot guarantee that my suggestions will work. The methods to do so are different for nearly every individual.”
“Good, we'll introduce you to the students later on today then. The second duty is nearly as important. We have a number of artifacts that register on the detector you saw the last time you were here. We need to know more about them and what they do. We're hoping you can help us with that.”
“It's possible. I'll need to spend some time with each item individually though.”
“That can be arranged. Now we have one problem as well.”
“A problem sir?”
“Evidently you made an unauthorized trip out of the compound last night.”
“I wasn't informed that I needed to stay in the compound sir.”
“It's alright. I know that it wasn't your own idea.”
Is Gunter going to be punished for bringing me along as they ordered him to? I hope not, Merlin thought.
“Gunter asked me if I was restricted to the compound before inviting me sir.”
“He did say that and he isn't in any trouble over it. It would be a problem were you to continue such jaunts though. I understand you hit it off rather well with one of the barmaids there?”
He looked at a sheet of paper.
“Anelie, I believe her name is? If you like, we can arrange for her to receive a stipend and live here with you. We believe in keeping our top assets happy and, from the reports we've been given, you're going to be our top asset in anything regarding the occult.”
“Respectfully sir, she isn't quite my type. While she is attractive, my actions were more along the order of testing certain bodily functions after my long sleep.”
Herr Schreiber's face twitched.
“She isn't, is she? Well then Merlin, what exactly is your type?”
“I would guess Anelie is in her mid-twenties. I prefer my women older and more mature, perhaps a decade older than her. The more intelligent the woman the better. While I am by no means immune to beauty, it isn't important to me. So long as a woman is mature, intelligent, and actually wants to spend her time with me, I tend to be happy.”
“You don't ask much, do you?”
“Sorry sir, you asked. I answered truthfully.”
Herr Schreiber began to cough again, doubling over. He straightened up again once he finished.
“Sir, I can perhaps help with your cough if you would like.”
“The doctors tell me there is nothing to be done about it.”
“I am not a doctor, I am a healer. I find there is a great difference between the two.”
“Well then, let's call this another test. I read Gunter's report on your efforts at the aid station and you seemed successful there.”
“May I approach you and place my hand on your chest? That seems to be where the cough is originating.”
Herr Schreiber leaned back in his chair.
“You may.”
Merlin placed his hand on Herr Schreiber's chest. A thread of his mind entered and searched for the cause of the cough. He found it immediately and withdrew his hand.
“Sir, your lungs have scarring in them similar to a burn. They aren't from a burn, just something similar to one.”
“Very good Merlin, you are correct. There is nothing to be done for it. The scars were inflicted by a gas that sears internal tissue. There was an unfortunate accident when I was leading a research team that was working on the gas.”
“That isn't true sir, that nothing can be done. If you don't mind a bit of extra coughing that will clear the remnants of the scar tissue, I can do something about it. I may not be able to restore your lungs to their original state but I can certainly improve them from their current condition.”
Herr Schreiber's face showed the first true interest Merlin had seen on it.
“You can improve my condition? Don't lie to me now, you'll be sorry if you do.”
“I believe that I can improve it. I've worked with similar issues from internal burn scars.”
“What do you need to do?”
“Have us uninterrupted here for perhaps half an hour. I'll need to enter a trance state, similar to meditation. You will simply need to sit still. There may be some discomfort but less than it appears you feel during a fit of coughing. I need to remain undisturbed as I work though so you'll need to keep still regardless of any discomfort.”
“Can you do it now? With each and every breath I feel flames burning my throat and lungs and it's been getting worse recently.”
“Yes sir, I can. Would you care to inform your secretary not to disturb us until you tell him otherwise?”
His answer was to rise and walk to the door. A quick, muffled conversation followed and when Herr Schreiber shut the door, he set the deadbolt on it as well. He sat back down in his chair and gestured to Merlin.
“Please, do what you can. I'll stay still. I'm certain that whatever you do will not be worse than the things I've already experienced.”
Merlin brought another chair over and sat next to Herr Schreiber. As his hand returned to the skin of the man's chest Merlin split off as much of his awareness as he could manage.
The scar tissue in the lungs was hard and rough. Merlin worked through it, loosening it. As the damaged tissue loosened it began to flake away. Once an entire section was removed, he could sense the new tissue under it, tender and soft. He encouraged the circulation to the exposed area and began to work on the next section. Over and over he repeated his actions until he was too drained to continue.
Merlin sagged in his chair when his full awareness returned to his body.
I feel as though I've just done an entire week's chores in under an hour, he thought.
“You can move now. I'm done for the moment, I've no energy left.”
He
rr Schreiber took a deep breath. The expectant look on his face dissolved into an actual smile when no cough materialized.
“Merlin, I've no words. Wait, yes I do. There are many an intelligent and handsome widow in this country due to the war. I shall find you women of your type until there is one that you will accept.”
“That isn't necessary sir.”
“No it isn't, nor was your healing of me necessary. All you needed to do was say nothing and I would've been none the wiser. I'm simply returning the favor since I despise being in debt.”
“Then thank you sir. May I be dismissed? I need to eat and sleep if I'm to regain my energy.”
“Yes you may. I'll postpone your meeting with the students until after dinner to give you some time to recharge.”
“I had one question regarding that. If discipline is necessary, what should I do? Do you want me to call the guards, handle it myself, or what?”
“I see you've heard about some of your prospective students. If you can handle disciplining them without killing them, then do so. Otherwise call the guards.”
“Thank you for clarifying that sir, may I leave now?”
“Dismissed Merlin, and thank you.”
* * *
Merlin spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon resting. When he woke from his afternoon nap he examined his burned hand. The skin was pink and tender. Because of his stretches the fingers were still flexible. A day or two more and it should be back to normal.
The rest wasn't enough to fully restore him but now he only felt as though he'd done hard labor for a day as opposed to a week. When he finished his dinner a soldier approached him.
“Sir, I'm to escort you to your class. Herr Schreiber has myself and one other guard stationed outside the room in case you need us.”
“Thank you. Give me a minute to finish here and you can show me where it is.”
Merlin followed the soldier through the labyrinthine passages of the castle. As they started to walk down a hallway, he could feel the strength of the ward on the door at the far end.
“This is the area, isn't it?”
