by Rain Oxford
“Is that why we lost half the staff? I thought the cook was married.”
“Yes, she was. Anyway, I planned a romantic dinner with Nimue, so make sure no one disturbs us.” He went back down the stairs. Before following him, Quinn nudged the bottle just a little further away from the edge.
Once the door closed behind them, I sighed and Asiago let go of the amulet. “We need to get the recipe for that potion. We can do the reverse of it when we get home.” I let the invisibility spell over our stuff fall and it felt like a huge weight off my chest. It was creepy, but the potion kept our bodies invisible. I certainly didn’t want to try full invisibility over both of us for so long.
We went downstairs to check the books. Each of us got a pile and sat down on the floor. I took the amulet off and we both wrapped it around our wrists so we could understand the words.
“That’s odd,” I said, realizing there was a design painted in black on the floor. I stood up and climbed several steps to see the design better. Recognizing it, I gawked. “That’s a portal.”
“Well, we already know he’s a wizard. Do you know where it leads?”
“No. I only know the one Merlin taught me to get here and the one we used to banish my brothers to a magic-less world.” I sat back down and opened another book, determined to focus on helping Merlin.
Once we had scanned through those books, we put them back and grabbed another set. This went on for the rest of the night.
* * *
It was completely black, there wasn’t enough space, I couldn’t breathe, and the only thing I could hear was the whispering. I was both asleep and awake at the same time. For the first time, the whispers felt more like words than a sinister hissing.
* * *
“Ayden!”
I jerked awake, startled and confused as to where I was. I felt lost, trapped, and suffocated. “What’s going on?”
Asiago looked enthusiastic, which was an odd expression on a necromancer. “I found the potion!”
“Potion?” The words seeped very slowly into my brain. All at once, everything came back to me. I had fallen asleep looking for the potion Gmork had used so we could reverse it. Our invisibility potions had also worn off overnight. “Oh! That’s great!”
“Well, I’m almost certain. The only thing is that it is supposed to come out white and I’m pretty sure the potion upstairs was dark.”
“I don’t think it was.”
He shoved the book into my hands and started running upstairs to check. I picked up the Siren and put it back around my neck, then checked out the page Asiago had the book open to. It was all handwritten and so old that even the Siren had trouble translating it. There was a description of the potion and then a very detailed list of instructions and incantations.
“You’re right,” Asiago called. “It’s definitely---” his words were cut off with a loud crash.
“Are you okay?”
“Well… I’m alive. At least I will be until you get up here.”
I groaned and ran up the stairs to find that Asiago had tripped over an old broom. The potion in his hand had smashed against the stone floor. Fortunately, there wasn’t any blood on his hands, although he had scraped his knees really badly.
“I didn’t mean to,” he grunted, trying and failing to sit up.
I took his arm and pulled him up. “I can’t be mad at you when you found the potion. It would have taken me forever. We have until sunset, so you’re just going to have to remake it.” I started searching the room until I found three empty, red, glass bottles that looked just like the previous one. Then I found a very small cauldron, mortar, and pestle.
Asiago gaped at me. “I can’t do it! I’m not a sorcerer, and that ring I was given is completely dead.”
“But it’s sorcery, and I said I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to make the potion that curses Merlin!”
“Didn’t Merlin say we would all die if it doesn’t happen? You’d be saving his life.” He shrugged. “I mean, I’m okay if you don’t want to. I always wanted to die by being sacrificed to some malevolent deity, but I’m not that hard to please. As long as it’s painful and unique…”
“We aren’t going to die!” I took off the Siren and handed both the amulet and the book to him. “Gather the ingredients. I’ll get the equipment ready.” He disappeared down the stairs and I got to work. First, I found a few pails of water and rinsed out the cauldron, mortar, and pestle, because I didn’t want Nimue drinking the residue of some other potion. Then I went down to the first level to gather my bag, wand, and staff. After a lot of searching, I found a small pit built into a table with fire sticks and a metal grate to sit the cauldron on.
“This should be it,” Asiago said, bringing up the last batch of ingredients.
He handed me the book and amulet. When I read through it, I sighed. This was not going to be easy. “I hate this.”
“I know. Are you certain you have to?” Asiago asked.
“I don’t know what a paradox is, but I trust Merlin that it’s bad. If I never met Merlin, I don’t know where I would be now. Probably dead.”
With my wand, I lit a fire under the cauldron and started adding the ingredients. We were very lucky that Gmork was so organized and had labeled everything. I added two bottles of bitter ale, which were labeled as a pint each. It was enough that I didn’t have to worry about adding water. Then I added a handful of nightshade, a gold coin, three cobwebs, a small handful of powdered wolf stone (from a fresh grave), a medium pinch of powdered wolf’s fang, and a large pinch each of blue lotus, yarrow root, powdered wolf’s heart, powdered lapis lazuli, powdered black moonstone, and powdered white moonstone. I mixed all ingredients together with my wand, allowing my magic to seep into it, and brought it to a simmer.
As the book instructed, I let it simmer for thirty-three heartbeats. It was a good thing I could count. Reluctantly, I pulled the dress of a young child out of a leather sack, opened a large crystal bottle, and strained the mixture through the dress into the bottle. The potion was a light brown color.
There was also a large jar of graveyard dirt that I had to dump out in front of the window. I set the crystal bottle in the dirt. “It has to sit here until the potion turns white as the full moon. Or… maybe it says it has to be done under the full moon. Let’s hope that’s not right.”
“What if we run out of time?”
“I don’t know.” The final step was to repeat the incantation three times. “Oh, no. The last sentence of the incantation is illegible. Part of some of the words are still there, but not enough for the amulet to translate it.”
“I thought Merlin taught you magic. Can’t you just add something?”
“I don’t know. It can’t be worse than leaving something out. I’ve got an idea. Even though he’s a wolf, Merlin is wise and kind.” I found a quill pen and some ink to rewrite the last sentence so that I didn’t say it wrong when I was repeating it.
Urge, pain, overwhelming flame
Growing tail, pointed ear and sharp fang
Blood rush, growling rage
Burning power, the wolf’s hour
Fur, claw and muzzle clad
Before the blood moon’s
Invisible red glowing sand
Muzzle, black nose, furry chest
Pierce me, and manifest
You now become what you truly are.
“What kind of magic is that?”
“Merlin’s kind of magic.”
“Something occurred to me,” Asiago said.
I nodded. “You were thinking that they said the curse was supposed to make him vicious, but Merlin isn’t vicious.”
“How did you know?”
“I was thinking the same thing. I know we put our intention into the potions, so mine wouldn’t be as evil as Gmork’s… but why didn’t Gmork’s potion make him vicious?”
“Maybe Nimue is too pure of heart. Maybe she affected the potion.”
That made more sense than my theory. I pu
t the book in my bag so that we could reverse the curse later and started looking for any more books I could use. When it was getting very close to sunset, the potion finally started to change. “It’s turning white!”
Unfortunately, it was turning very slowly, and we were running out of time. Everything was cleaned up and ready, I just had to pour the potion into the red bottles. “That’s white enough,” Asiago said.
“Not yet. It’s still changing.”
“Quinn is already late. We’re going to get caught.”
“Just wait until it’s done.”
The sun was completely below the horizon and I heard a shout from one of the servants outside. We didn’t have any more time. I grabbed the crystal bottle and started to pour the potion into the smaller bottles.
Just as I put the lids on them and slipped the two extra bottles into my bag, I heard the door open. “Oh, no.” I waved my wand over us. Make us and everything we touch invisible!
Chapter 17
Fortunately, the spell worked, but we had to scramble to get everything back to the way it was supposed to be. I could hear the footsteps. When Quinn’s head popped up over the top of the stairs, I dropped to the floor to reach my bag and staff at the same time.
Although the sound made the small wizard glance up, we were already invisible, so he didn’t know what made the sound. I held my breath as he approached the table, very narrowly avoiding my arm, which was stretched out to reach my bag. I looked up and watched Quinn pick up the potion and study it. Finally, when I felt like my lungs were going to combust, the man turned. I took a chance, let go of my staff, and yanked my arm back before he could step on it. Luckily, he didn’t see the staff appear. As soon as he took a couple steps away, I touched my staff again and it vanished.
Once he disappeared down the stairs, I breathed. I only got up when I heard the door close. “We made it,” I whispered. Knowing I had to reserve my magic, I let the invisibility spell drop and got out two bottles of the invisibility potion.
“We need to get out of here.”
“No, there’s something I need to do first.”
“We got what we need.”
“Yes, but Nimue betrayed Merlin. I need to see if Gmork did something to make her do it or if she is really that rotten. Give me the Siren.” He did and I put it on. “You can stay here, where you’re safe. I will go to Nimue’s room and spy on her, just until Merlin gets cursed.”
Asiago sighed. “Don’t blame me when Merlin finds out. I’m going to sneak into the kitchen and try to get some food.” He opened the lid of his invisibility potion and drank it down. I did the same. As soon as we faded, I used my wand to make our clothes and my stuff invisible.
It wasn’t difficult to find my way back to Nimue’s room. As soon as I rounded the corner, however, I saw Gmork and Quinn speaking outside her room. I started to duck before I remembered that they couldn’t see me.
“Here is the potion, as you requested.”
“Good. After I make her drink it, I will leave so that Merlin is not suspicious when he gets here. Once he changes, he will try to escape. He will be powerless, but you must not kill him. He is mine to kill.”
“So we just let him go?”
“Of course not. Once he enters this room, put up a magical ward so that no one can open the castle doors.”
“Why does there need to be magic over the doors if he can’t open them with paws?”
“Because he will be very strong and could break down the door. I will make a dramatic entrance as soon as he is trapped.” Quinn nodded and ran off to do his job. Gmork barged into Nimue’s room, leaving the door slightly open. “Good evening, my love.”
“Just leave me alone, Gmork. I refuse to eat with you.”
“I think you are about to change your mind. We have just caught and imprisoned Merlin.”
“What?! Let him go! Don’t hurt him!”
“I would be happy to let him go. All you have to do is drink this potion that will make you fall desperately in love with me. Once you are all mine, he will be free to go.”
“Please… don’t make me do this. I know you weren’t always like this. What happened to you to make you so hateful? You were my friend.”
“I already told you; I got tired of losing everything and everyone important to me. Even Merlin left, and he was my friend long before you were ever born. Then I met an old enemy of his and learned what my ‘friend’ was really like. Merlin is jealous of my power. He even learned the secret to immortality and tried to keep it to himself. I know better now, though. I know I am the only one I can trust.”
“Merlin is forgiving. He will---”
“Stop begging,” Gmork snapped. “There will be plenty of time for that later. Drink the potion or Merlin will be dead before I walk out of this room.”
I couldn’t see them through the gap, in the door, but the long silence was ominous. I knew what she was doing. “There. I still hate you. Now release Merlin.”
Gmork just laughed evilly. “Give it time.” I heard him walk back to the door and I ducked out of the way. “And, just between you and me, I never had Merlin captured. He is on his way up to rescue you now. Good luck.”
He passed by me, only to stop a few steps away, turn, and stare right at me. He scowled, as if he was trying very hard to see me. Once again, I held my breath. Finally, he turned and walked away. I snuck into Nimue’s room through her still-open door. The woman was sitting on her bed with a mixture of shock, horror, and delight on her face.
I wanted to say something. Instead, I stepped out of the doorway when I heard footsteps. A moment later, Merlin entered. Although I knew it was him, he was not as he described. He was about as tall as my father and had the same lean, athletic build, but his face was not as severe. His hair was mostly medium brown, with some strands light as gold and others almost black. It somewhat resembled his fur. His eyes, however, were the same exact gold color as his wolf eyes.
“Merlin!” Nimue exclaimed, running to him and hugging him. “How could you risk coming here? How did you even get in?” They pulled apart. When he leaned forward to kiss her, she put her hand on his chest to stop him.
“I came to save you. Did you really think I would leave you in Gmork’s hands?”
“He’s too dangerous!”
“I can handle him. We should leave now.”
“How did you get in the castle?”
“I convinced the dragon to let me in. After that, it was easy. I will find you, wherever you are, and I will always save you. I love you.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I love you, too.”
It was physically painful not to shout when she looked up into his eyes and kissed him. It only took a moment before he stepped back and clutched his chest. Merlin’s expression was only surprised until he stumbled backwards into Nimue’s vanity, and then his face tightened in pain.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Nimue asked worriedly.
“My chest feels tight. I feel dizzy.” Then he suddenly fell to his knees with a pained gasp. Sweat soaked his hair and shirt.
“Merlin!”
“Get… back,” he said, gruffly. I heard what sounded like bones snapping before he shouted in pain. His clothes tore and his body reshaped into the wolf form I was familiar with. Fur sprout all over his body and his half-formed paws grew sharp claws. Nimue reached out for him and I reacted instinctively. At the same time Merlin snapped wildly at her, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, causing her to trip.
Merlin curled in and clawed at his abdomen as if he could tear away the pain. Nimue kept calling his name desperately. When Merlin finally opened his eyes, they were glowing red. There was nothing I could do when he charged her, only to get caught in his shredded clothing and land beside her. I could see the inner struggle as part of him tried to bite her and the other part tried to save her.
Eventually, his wolf body settled down and he opened his eyes. This time, they were their normal gold. Before
Nimue could act, Merlin scrambled to his feet and backed away. It was weird because I could see it in his eyes that he was yelling something, but I couldn’t hear anything. As I expected, Merlin turned and scrambled out the door, flipping and flopping all over the floor in his effort to figure out how to run on four legs.
Nimue didn’t try to stop him. Instead, she picked up something shiny on the floor and studied it. It was a gold ring with a large black stone on it. Clearly in shock, she stood up and went out onto the balcony. “I suppose you’re wondering what just happened,” Quinn said, suddenly standing in the bedroom doorway.
“How did…?”
Quinn smirked. “That potion my master gave you was no love potion. It made it so that when you kissed Merlin, he would change into a wolf. Not just any wolf, either. He has no magic, which means he---”
“He can be killed. You made him mortal.”
“No. You made him mortal.”
“Turn him back.”
“There is no turning him back. I was supposed to catch him for my master, but he slipped through my fingers. We were surprised he was in control of himself, as we expected him to kill you. It hardly matters; if he doesn’t give into bloodlust, he’ll come back for you, and we’ll be ready when he does.”
“Please, no!”
“Continue begging all you want. It won’t change anything, I just like hearing it.”
“Just leave me alone.”
“As you wish. Merlin will return for you and we will be ready. I wonder if he’ll kill you. Perhaps I should let him reach you before I kill him. My master will be angry, but at least you’ll be out of my way. If he is in control of himself, I’ll just have to kill you myself and make it look like he did it before I kill him.”
Before Nimue could say anything, Quinn left and shut the door behind him.
What makes her betray Merlin? She obviously loves him right now.
While I was thinking about what Gmork and Quinn said, Nimue had gone out on the balcony. Before I even realized what she was doing, Nimue climbed up on the rail and jumped. I rushed out onto the balcony, shocked and horrified, but instead of a bloody mess, I saw Nimue standing in a bed of flowers. Merlin had trained her in magic.
