by Tom Larcombe
Merlin's Target
An Untimely Error #3
Tom Larcombe
Text copyright © 2014, Tom Larcombe
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
* * *
Chapter 1
“Merlin, I think I'm pregnant,” Nimue said.
Merlin stopped at the top of the stairs leading to the porch. He stared at Nimue.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Not entirely, but I can't think of anything else it might be.”
Merlin's foot came crashing down on the porch as he tried to climb the stairs he had already climbed.
“I think maybe I should sit down,” he said.
Nimue nodded, her concern for Merlin evident in her face.
He sank into the chair beside Nimue and looked at her.
“How did it happen?”
“Well Merlin, when a man and a woman love each other very much, they do something called—”
Merlin's sputtering interrupted Nimue.
“You know what I mean!”
Nimue laughed gently.
“Of course I do, but if I knew how it happened don't you think I would have said something?”
Merlin's confusion was heightened by Anguis speaking to his mind.
{I get a child of my very own to play with?}
Merlin groaned. Nimue tried to keep from smiling but failed miserably.
“No Anguis, not right away at least,” she said. “You'll have to be very careful for a year or more before you can play with the child. Assuming we actually have one.”
“Anguis is broadcasting now?” Merlin asked.
“I guess, I haven't heard him do it before but I think you and I got the same message that time.”
Merlin, who was wearing the shape-shifting dragon as a bishop's mantle, felt the dragon begin to vibrate all over his shoulders and upper torso. The raspy buzzing sound of metal on metal that accompanied the shaking was Anguis' laughter. Despite the sensations it caused it was somehow more soothing than irritating.
Not the way I ever planned to have a child, Merlin thought. When I first envisioned having children, Great Britain didn't even exist yet. Finding out I'm to be a father while on a military base in the middle of a war is disconcerting, if thrilling. But knowing that my wife and future child are in danger from the war as well is intolerable.
He sat in silence for a few moments before he turned to Nimue.
“I think we need to go speak with Praesagium. He was the one that determined you were tainted with dragon blood. I'm wondering if that might have had something to do with your failures when you tried to get pregnant before. If there are changes that occur in the body...”
“I see where you're going with that. If you and I both changed that way from the blood then maybe someone who hadn't been changed couldn't get me pregnant, but you could because you experienced a similar change,” Nimue said.
“Exactly. Praesagium is the only one that I know of with extensive knowledge about the Tainted, so I think we might need to ask him a few questions.”
“But do we care that much?” Nimue asked. “If I'm pregnant, isn't that all that matters?”
“It matters a great deal. If you're pregnant now, what if we want our child to have siblings? Wouldn't it be better to know what to expect?”
Nimue nodded.
“Definitely. I wasn't thinking ahead that far.”
“Plus, it would be good to know if someone who is Tainted and pregnant needs to take any special precautions or not.”
“Okay, I agree. We should go talk to Praesagium.”
* * *
“I don't see why you can't have the time off if you want. But if you'd rather, you can go speak with Praesagium without taking leave. We haven't been keeping in touch with him as well as we should,” John said.
“I won't turn that down,” Merlin replied, “We can certainly ask him about anything you need while we're there.”
“I'll get you a list of what we want to know about his activities. I can have it in a day or two.”
“Good. Let me know when you have it. We'd prefer to talk to him as soon as we can, just in case there's something about a Tainted being pregnant that we're unaware of. I'd rather Nimue and my child remain healthy.”
“Congratulations also, if she's right. It's good to see new life being created after all the death in this war.”
“Thank you John, let me know when you have your list ready.”
Merlin left John's office and headed back to the cottage he and Nimue called home. He didn't have any other responsibilities today. The rest of his research group was out testing his most recent ideas. As little as he liked it, Merlin wasn't allowed to go on many of the trips where his ideas were being put into practice. John had apologized profusely about it but after Merlin's success in bringing the remaining dragons to the Allied side of the war, John's superiors had declared that Merlin was not to put himself in any danger whatsoever without approval from well up the chain of command. They considered him a valuable resource that shouldn't be risked without much deliberation.
Merlin paused in the yard of the cottage. The glow from the lightning tree permeated the area and he allowed himself a moment to luxuriate in it. The inner warmth, and power, that the light generated in him always made him feel better, at least for a brief time. He glanced around the yard and took in the three dragons in human form that lounged in the light. He also saw Verruckt. The Dverger was finally spending most of his time above ground again. Verruckt noticed Merlin's gaze and waved a greeting to him. Merlin nodded in return before entering the cottage.
“Nimue? We have permission to go. As a matter of fact, John's making it an assignment. He says they haven't stayed in contact with Praesagium well enough and is making a list of things for us to go through about the coastal defense up there. I'm not sure that isn't just an excuse to let us go there without taking leave, but I won't argue about it.”
“When do we leave?” Nimue asked.
“John said he'd have the list in a day or two and we could leave right after that,” Merlin replied.
“Good, your question about whether there were any special precautions to take regarding Tainted pregnancies has me nervous.”
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you nervous. I was just pointing out how little we know. My best guess is that the pregnancy will progress just like a normal one. But better to be cautious about it.”
* * *
The following two days passed quickly. Once again John provided them with documentation to hasten their trip on the rails. When they arrived in Gaerwen, Brenda and Gwyddon were waiting for them at the station.
Merlin cocked his head at the Welsh wizards.
“Did you know we were coming?” he asked.
“Praesagium told us what day to expect you and this was one of only two trains arriving today,” Brenda said.
“I guess we won't have to arrange transportation to get to him then,” Me
rlin said.
“No, we'll drive you out there tomorrow morning,” Gwyddon said. “For tonight you'll guest in our house, we have enough room for all three of you.”
Merlin and Nimue thanked them for their offer with Gunter adding in his own thanks as well.
After an enjoyable evening, Merlin and Nimue spoke as they got ready for bed.
“She's settled down quite a bit,” Nimue said.
“I think marriage agrees with her. I guess that a lot of her rudeness last time was a result of her relationship. But I'm sure she still has a temper if she's crossed. Did you notice her fidgeting with her ring all evening? If you're feeling kind you might want to ask her about it tomorrow, I bet you'll get an earful,” Merlin said.
“No, I hadn't noticed. I'll mention it on the drive.”
Merlin was sure that tomorrow would be a long day. He wanted to get John's list taken care of before he asked Praesagium any other questions. He and Nimue would then feel free to ask about their own situation, and that could prove to be a lengthy conversation.
In the morning Gwyddon brought out his automobile. Brenda, as she had in the past, used her transmutation spell to change water into petrol and fill the fuel tank. Conversation was stifled for the first part of the drive. Brenda needed time to recover from her energy expenditure and Gwyddon was focused on the road. When Brenda finally recovered, she chatted with Nimue and Merlin.
“How is Grigor? I was so used to seeing him with the two of you before that I was taken aback to see you without him,” Merlin said.
“He's off with some young hussy, young enough to be his many times great granddaughter. I swear, she's only in her sixties. They look like quite the comical couple though, him ancient and her looking like she's in her late twenties.”
Gunter looked crestfallen that he wasn't going to be able to spend more time with the older wizard.
Good for Grigor, Merlin thought, although I'm not about to say anything to Brenda about it.
Nimue edged the topic away from Grigor and eventually asked about Brenda's ring. Brenda gushed on and on about it and how Grigor had made it specially for her. Merlin relaxed in his seat and let the conversation flow around him. He wasn't in the mood for small talk since he was more worried about Nimue than he'd revealed to her.
When they arrived in Praesagium's village, Gwyddon slowed the automobile to avoid injuring any of the multitude of children that crowded the area. Anguis throbbed around Merlin, pressing and releasing with excitement. Before the dragon could ask, Merlin told him to go ahead and play. Anguis slithered off of Merlin's shoulders and out of the car before taking on his dragon form.
The young dragon was now nearly the size of a small pony. He'd been eating well on the base. If there was one thing the war created in abundance, it was scrap. Some of it could be melted down and reused, but not all of it. John had arranged for many of the unusable pieces to be delivered to the airbase where Anguis, and several of the other smaller dragons, devoured it.
Merlin got out of the car and heard the children calling out to Anguis. Apparently several of them recognized him from his last visit, despite the dragon's growth. Nimue rebuffed his offer of a hand to assist her out of the car, but Brenda accepted gratefully.
“Praesagium told us he'd meet you in the pub,” Gwyddon said.
Merlin and Nimue looked to the public house where they'd first met the soothsaying dragon. It looked empty at this time of day but they knew from experience that it would be packed in the evening.
They entered the pub, with Gunter following, and found Praesagium in his human form.
“Come in, have a seat,” the dragon said.
He walked to a table with four mugs of beer in hand.
“Congratulations,” Praesagium said, “You've discovered that some of the Tainted are fertile with one another.”
“So I definitely am pregnant?” Nimue asked.
“Yes, you are.”
“Before we get to that,” Merlin said, “We need to run through some questions with you about the defenses up here.”
“Bother that. Do you have a list?”
Merlin nodded.
“Give it to me then, I'll write out the answers tonight while you sleep.”
Merlin handed over the sheet of paper containing John's questions.
“Now, you wanted to ask me questions about this pregnancy?”
“Yes,” Merlin and Nimue answered together.
Merlin looked to Nimue and gestured for her to continue.
“Yes, we do,” she said, “Merlin feared that a pregnancy by one of the Tainted might be different from a regular pregnancy.”
“There are several dangers to it. Mostly to the child. You'll need to focus on giving the unborn child a trickle of energy a couple of times a day. At least you do if you want them to achieve their full potential.”
Nimue nodded.
“What else?” she asked.
“Do not drain your energy levels too low by using magic. The general use of it is fine, just don't use enough to drain your levels badly or it could cause complications.”
“Is there anything else I should keep in mind?”
“I'll get to the other things in a moment. There is a danger to you, unassociated with the pregnancy but exacerbated by it somehow. I have been unable to see the danger clearly, it's almost as though someone is blocking my efforts, but I felt I should warn you.”
“Do you have any other details at all about that?” Merlin asked.
Praesagium shook his head.
“To my regret, I do not. I thought to aid you as you aided me and my kind. But I was unable to clarify the problem with any of my attempts. I simply know that Nimue will face a danger and it will be made greater by her pregnancy.”
The three spent the next several hours speaking of Tainted who had been pregnant. Praesagium gave them the information they sought, then he related anecdotes about previous Tainted couples he had known who had given birth.
Merlin made mental notes on all the advice they were given. Then he was made to understand, by the anecdotes, the potential problems that a child from him and Nimue was liable to cause. The overriding theme of Praesagium's stories was about the precociousness of the children of Tainted couples. They tended to be intelligent, mischievous, and come into their power early. That the child would be a wizard was not in doubt, according to Praesagium. With two wizard parents who were both Tainted, the child was liable to be very powerful and more than a handful to raise.
Somewhere during their conversation, Anguis entered the bar. He shifted enough to fit under the table, then lay there in contact with the wizards and the dragon.
When the bar began to see its normal patrons later in the evening, Praesagium put an end to the discussion.
“I'll write out the answers to these questions,” he said, waving the list in the air. “Then I'll bring them by in the morning. Will Anguis be spending the night with me?”
The hopeful look on the older dragon's face was obvious. Merlin looked at Anguis who nodded eagerly.
“Yes, he can. But please don't enhance him any further. He's still growing and developing new abilities from the last time,” Merlin said.
Praesagium nodded and led Anguis out into the dusk. Merlin and Nimue found the owner of the bar and arranged to use a room upstairs for the night. Gunter was left to his own devices.
* * *
The scenery outside the train window was dreary. Years of being on a war footing had left everything in the country run down and dirty.
“So, we know more than we did, but I don't think Praesagium told us everything he knows about the Tainted,” Merlin said.
“You don't? Why not?” Nimue replied.
“Well, every time I started asking questions not directly related to the pregnancy of someone who is Tainted, he steered the topic back towards pregnancy. I'm sure there's something else he's not telling us. I just wish I knew why.”
“Why do you think he would do that?”
/>
“I'm sure he thinks it's for our own good. Which is the worst kind of withholding information. I'd feel guilty bracing him about it since that would suggest that I believe I know better than he does. I think it would be bad form to challenge an ancient dragon in such a manner, not to mention potentially dangerous,” Merlin said.
“I can't imagine that he intends any harm by it and he's done so much for us already.”
Nimue is certainly a very different woman when pregnant, Merlin thought. She's willing to tolerate a great deal more than she would have before. I know better than to think she's gone soft though, that sharp tongue of hers still makes itself known from time to time.
“I don't think he does either, but I dislike working with incomplete information,” he said.
“You don't know for certain that there's something he wasn't telling us. If there is, he'll probably get around to it, eventually. I can't imagine time is as important to a dragon as it is to us, and I know our sense of time is very different from a non-Tainted wizard, never mind a non-wizard.”
“You may be right. We've only known him for the barest fraction of his lifetime. It may be a matter of trust or just something that doesn't seem urgent to him. I'd think that more likely if he hadn't seemed evasive on a few points.”
The rest of their return to Attlebridge air base was uneventful. After they arrived, they delivered John's information and returned to the cottage.
* * *
“Merlin, I'm not fragile. You don't need to keep hovering,” Nimue said, for the third time that day.
Merlin was at a loss. In all his years of life he'd never dealt with this particular situation before. He knew that Nimue hadn't either, which was why he was hovering.
“You're sure there's nothing I can do for you?” he asked.
“I'm sure... wait, you know what? There is something you can do for me.”
“What?” Merlin asked.
“Go outside for a while. Go tend the tree or get a beer at the pub. Just give me some time without you hovering over me.”
Merlin's face fell but he headed for the door as requested. When he arrived at the pub he was surprised to find Nigel there.
“What are you doing here in the middle of the day?” Nigel asked.
