Merlin's Awakening (An Untimely Error Book 1)

by Tom Larcombe

  “I don't know that I can do much more. I'm getting low on energy again,” Merlin said.

  “That's a problem then, we have more fighters coming in from the front,” Johann said.

  Merlin sighed. He stretched out his awareness to those in back that were closing on the plane again.

  What else could I do that takes less power? Maybe their guns, he thought.

  His awareness sought out the armament on the Messerschmitts. He found the guns, and the ammunition that fed them, mounted above the engine.

  What did Gunter say about ammunition? A spark ignited it. Maybe I can destroy the ammunition with fire. If a spark ignites it then a small flame should work.

  Merlin created a tiny flame inside a round of ammunition. The round fired off but it was the only one destroyed.

  That didn't do much, perhaps a larger flame around a bunch of them, he thought.

  A small fire sprang up around the ammunition. Moments later rounds started cooking off. Round after round of ammunition fired. Merlin noticed the fire spreading and pulled his awareness away.

  Merlin watched with his eyes as the engine compartment of the fighter plane exploded. The plane plunged out of the sky in a ball of fire.

  Gunter's voice was tight and strained when he yelled.

  “I've radio contact. The planes in front of us are British. They were monitoring radio broadcasts and heard we were being pursued, so they sent an escort. They'll engage the Messerschmitts and one flight of them will escort us to the airstrip.”

  “First time I've ever been grateful to see a Spitfire,” Johann said.

  Nine of the British fighters passed the plane, engaging the remaining German fighters. The final three turned and took position in front, and to either side, of the Ju 88. The leading Spitfire waggled its wings as it settled into place.

  “Merlin?” Ernst asked.

  “Yes Ernst.”

  “Can I stop this now? I'm exhausted and my head is throbbing.”

  “Yes Ernst, I think we'll be safe now.”

  A loud clang and clatter caught Merlin's attention. He turned to look for the cause. Anguis was no longer attached to the electrical wire but lay on the floor beneath it. He was locked in the stretched out position Merlin last saw him in.

  “Oh, Anguis...”

  He reached out to scoop up the dragon but an arc of brilliant blue-white light shocked him when he got close. Determined, he reached out again. As his hands closed on the tiny dragon, intense heat seared his palms. But he gathered Anguis up and held the dragon to his chest. The dragon remained rigid throughout the process.

  Merlin sent his senses out to check and found that the shield patching the damaged wing was still intact.

  {Anguis?} Merlin sent.

  There was no reply.

  Tears streamed down the old wizard's face for the second time in a day. He settled into his seat, clutching the rigid dragon to his torso.

  “Merlin?” Johann asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Don't take this wrong but why did you offer an option to not destroy the fighters? At the airfield, you destroyed everyone.”

  Merlin sagged against the back off his chair, exhausted.

  Why is he asking this now? Doesn't he realize the price we've paid? Does he think more should have died so that we could be free? I'll answer him, but he may not like it, or even understand it, Merlin thought.

  “At the airfield the troops were all SS as far as I could tell. They fired on what were apparently unarmed people. There was no return fire and they continued to shoot. They killed Dieter, despite his being unarmed. The pilots were simply following orders and they knew we could fight back. In my estimation, the troops at the airfield were evil, or at least doing evil. The pilots were not.”

  Merlin paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before he continued.

  “I've had far more than my share of killing in the past. I try to avoid it now whenever possible. When my rage is upon me, controlling me, I still kill. I know that and I'm resigned to it. Long ago I resolved to keep my rage in check and only release it for what I consider the best of reasons.”

  “Good,” Johann said.

  In the relative silence that made up the rest of the trip, Merlin wondered just what Johann meant by that comment.

  * * *

  Chapter 24

  The Spitfires escorted the JU 88 to the Attlebridge airfield. When they were close enough for a visual sighting of the airstrip, the Spitfires waggled their wings and broke off to fly to their own base.

  Johann took great care in landing the plane. It was riddled with bullet holes despite Merlin's efforts to shield it. The plane held up to the landing and a man with a flag ran out onto the runway and guided it into a nearby hangar.

  Once inside Johann shut down the engines.

  “We've made it, now what?” Johann asked.

  “Now we go outside and talk to those who are offering us sanctuary. But first I should break the connection between you and Anselm,” Merlin said.

  It took only the tiniest bit of power to break the connection between the two. Once it was broken, Johann's body sat up in back.

  “Are you alright Johann?” Merlin asked.

  Johann nodded and worked his mouth several times.

  “Dry mouth and a few cramps but otherwise well.”

  “Anselm?”

  “I feel as though I've had a sleep full of nightmares. The kind where you know you slept but you got no rest.”

  “Not entirely unexpected. Feel happy that the price was so small for you,” Merlin said.

  He glanced at the unyielding body of the tiny dragon, still in his grasp. He turned to make his way to the door and saw Gunter. A stream of red ran down his leg, a cord was tied around his thigh, and Gunter lurched with each step.

  “Gunter, stop. What are you doing? Let me take care of that for you.”

  “I heard you say you were out of power so I simply applied a tourniquet.”

  “I've enough left to stop the bleeding at the very least. Stand still a moment.”

  Merlin used the last bits of his power to examine the wound, push out the inevitable pieces of matter that littered it, seal the skin, and start the wound itself healing.

  “That will help. I couldn't take care of it all but you should be fine in a few days.”

  “I apologize Merlin. Ever since the fight at the airstrip I was frightened of you. That's the other reason I didn't ask you to heal me. But I heard your answer to Johann. Your power is frightening, fortunately the man behind it is less so,” Gunter said.

  “Accepted, now let's go greet our benefactors.”

  Merlin swung the door open and found himself looking down at a squad full of men, all carrying rifles pointed at the door of the aircraft.

  “There's a problem here,” Merlin said.

  The British squad leader motioned for Merlin to jump down to the ground. He did so. One after another the rest of the men on the aircraft came out as well. Gunter dropped his pistol in the airplane before exiting, not wanting to excite the armed squad greeting them. Ernst assisted Gunter down while the armed men looked nervous.

  * * *

  “Weiss jemand von euch sprechen Deutsch?” (Do any of you speak German?) Merlin said.

  “Do any of you speak English?” the British squad leader asked.

  Merlin looked about. Johann and Gunter held their hands raised to either side of their shoulders. Ernst had copied them, although Merlin saw the silver feather in his grip. Anselm had one hand up with Rein perched on the other arm. The owl stared at Anselm as though making sure he was himself again.

  Merlin's hands were both in front of him, cradling Anguis.

  “Kein English,” (No English) Johann said.

  “Kein Deutsch,” (No German) the British leader replied.

  “Wenn ich die Energie, die ich lernen kann ihre Sprache,” (If I had the energy I could learn their language) Merlin said.

  Gunter caught Merlin's attention.
He looked at his pocket and mouthed the words 'Sonne kristall' (sun crystal).

  Merlin slowly moved one of his hands off of Anguis and reached towards Gunter's pocket. He caught the eye of the British leader and made sure the man saw him moving.

  Merlin slowly drew the sun crystal out of Gunter's pocket. The leader saw it and his face eased. He barked an order.

  “Stand down!”

  and the squad lowered their rifles.

  As the British squad leader sent a runner off, Merlin delved into the mind of the closest British soldier, seeking the language center.

  He could see with his eyes that the soldiers' attention was captured by the sun crystal. Regretfully, he tapped it for its power, the glow fading as he drained it.

  “What happened to it?” one of the soldiers asked.

  Merlin heard him through the headache his casting caused.

  “Regretfully, I had to drain the power from it to learn your language,” Merlin replied.

  “You speak English? I thought your friend there claimed you didn't,” The British squad leader said.

  “I did not speak it at that time. I used the power from the crystal to learn it. I do not understand our reception. I was told we should fly here to escape from the SS.”

  The British leader looked at Merlin as though he were mad but Merlin was used to that from those who didn't believe in magic. The leader continued the conversation, ignoring Merlin's claim.

  “I didn't hear anything about that. But we did have someone show up earlier today, telling us to inform him if anything strange happened. I just sent a runner for him.”

  “Then perhaps we should wait for him to arrive before we do anything else?” Merlin asked.

  The British squad leader nodded agreement. Several minutes later, during which Merlin's headache eased, the runner returned leading a portly man in a suit coat and tie.

  “What's going on here? Your man told me you needed me?”

  “Sir, you asked to be informed if anything strange occurred.”

  “Go on.”

  The British squad leader gestured towards Merlin.

  “This man's group claimed to speak no English. He pulled a glowing crystal from his pocket, it dimmed and went out, and then he started speaking our language. I thought that strange enough to send a runner for you.”

  “Where did they come from?”

  “The plane in front of you. They landed and we were under orders to escort a German plane landing today directly into a hangar. I assumed it was a previously captured plane until we saw the damage on it when it landed.”

  “So a German plane, showing combat damage, landing here wasn't strange enough to inform me? You're fortunate that the group in front of you was peaceful. I doubt your squad would have been very happy otherwise.”

  “There are only five of them sir, and unarmed. You impugn my men.”

  The man in the suit shook his head.

  “You there, are you in charge here?” he asked Merlin.

  “Yes, if anyone could be said to be in charge of this group.”

  “What would you have done had these men become violent.”

  “Shielded the bullets as best as I could while their rifles were wrest from their hands and sent to the ceiling.”

  The British squad leader openly scoffed at Merlin's statement.

  “These men don't know what we're about here, they're new. Could you possibly demonstrate the second half of your statement for them? They need to learn what they'll be dealing with on a regular basis,” the man in the suit said.

  Merlin turned towards Ernst.

  {Ernst, can you use the feather to lift their rifles out of their hands? I doubt anyone will try to hold on even if they realize what's happening.}

  Ernst didn't reply but Merlin could feel the fear that he used as his power source. Ernst converted the emotion to energy before he fed it to the feather. Curses came from the squad as, simultaneously, all of their rifles shot upwards. None of them managed to maintain their grip, even knowing what was supposed to happen.

  The man in the suit turned to the British squad leader.

  “There, see? Be glad that they were peaceful. Also, next time? Anything out of the ordinary is strange.”

  He turned back to Merlin.

  “Jolly good. Thank you for the demonstration. Would you lower their weapons to them please?”

  Merlin glanced at Ernst.

  {Lower them down gently now.}

  The rifles slowly lowered to where the soldiers could reclaim them. Several of them glanced at their guns in fear, apparently afraid that the weapon would turn on them.

  “You and your men are dismissed. Thank you,” the man in the suit said.

  The British squad leader looked torn between relief and indignation but he chivvied his troops out of the hangar. As they were leaving, they passed another man entering.

  “What put that fear on their face Nigel? You been playing tricks on the troops again?”

  “John, why must you make such undignified accusations?” the man in the suit said.

  “Just because it gets your goat. You Brits are all too stuffy for my tastes.”

  Merlin was amazed when the man in the suit managed to infuse a single word with a combination of disgust, disdain, and a reluctant affection.

  “Americans.”

  John looked at the motley group in front of him. He singled Merlin out immediately.

  “I take it you're in charge here?”

  “As I told your friend, if there is a leader of this group I would be him.”

  “Then you must be Merlin. Nimue told me a great deal about you.”

  “Ah, you would be a member of the American occult branch then?”

  John shook his head.

  “We're supposed to be a secret. Don't say anything about that please. The answer is yes, and Nigel is from our British counterpart.”

  A broad grin spread across Merlin's face. He ignored John and Nigel entirely for a moment, looking down at Anguis.

  “Merlin?” John said.

  Merlin continued to stare at Anguis. He was sure the little dragon had shifted slightly in his hands. Anguis moved as Merlin stared at him, drawing in his extremities so he was in his normal shape. Merlin tried to speak to the little dragon.

  {Anguis?}

  His reply was a totally disoriented image. Anguis, expanding and shrinking, over and over.

  {Is there anything I can do to help?} Merlin sent.

  The image in his mind shifted, showing Merlin holding Anguis near his neck. Then it returned to the previous image.

  Merlin raised his hands and, in a flash, Anguis was back around his neck as a torque. The dragon's physical form was throbbing, akin to the image in Merlin's mind. The throbs slowed to match Merlin's pulse and, after a minute, a feeling of relief flooded Merlin's mind.

  {Better now?}

  {Soon.} Anguis sent.

  Merlin turned his attention back to John and Nigel. The two of them were staring at the torque around Merlin's neck.

  “Sorry, I thought him lost to us and was surprised when he moved. I wanted to see if there was anything he needed,” Merlin said.

  “Is that a dragon?”

  “Yes and no. It is a construct in the shape of one.”

  “You made that?” Nigel asked.

  “No, I liberated it from the Germans. It was made by Nimue, the person who contacted John regarding us.”

  “John, you have a wizard capable of feats like that?”

  “No, Nimue has been assisting the French resistance. She's a member of the Maquis and was known to some of our branch before the war began. She stayed in contact.”

  “Still, a wizard capable of that should be kept back from the front lines,” Nigel said.

  “You tell her that. I wouldn't dare.”

  Merlin chuckled.

  “I see she hasn't changed much over the past thirteen centuries.”

  John and Nigel returned their attention to Merlin.

/>   “Did you say thirteen centuries?” John asked.

  “She didn't tell you the whole story?”

  “No, just that a wizard named Merlin was trying to flee Germany and would be doing so in an aircraft.”

  “Well, I'll tell it to you but perhaps we could be somewhere other than this hangar? Also, do you speak German? None of my friends here understand English.”

  “Can't you give it to them like you did yourself?” Nigel asked.

  “Surely I could, if I had the energy for it. But my reserves are completely depleted. As the soldier said earlier, I needed to drain the energy from a sun crystal to learn it myself.”

  “We can help with that. Let's get your men settled and perhaps fed. Then, we'll see about getting you some energy and you can give your men the English language. After all of that, I want to hear your tale,” Nigel said.

  Merlin's stomach spoke to the idea, loud enough that Nigel and John both heard it.

  “I recognize that sound. Been expending a bit of energy, have we?” Nigel said.

  Merlin translated their plans for those who spoke no English. When the men agreed to the plan, Nigel and John led them out of the hangar to take care of their immediate needs.

  * * *

  Chapter 25

  Merlin and the men were shown to a barracks-style building. It was, he noted, not wired for electricity.

  “You'll have this all to yourselves for the moment. When you're settled and more comfortable, we'll decide what to do with all of you. If any of you have ideas about that, let us know and we'll see if we can accommodate them,” Nigel said.

  “What he means is, we'll find out what you're good for and work your butts off at it,” John added.

  Nigel turned to glare at John. When John noticed, he turned his head away from Nigel and winked in Merlin's direction.

  “If you'll follow me I'll show you the mess hall you'll use. It isn't quite a standard mess. This one is used by those people who don't fit into a normal ranking slot. You can make small talk with the others but don't ask them about their work. They wouldn't answer anyhow,” Nigel said.