by Daniel Diehl
“Why destroy everything on the planet?”
“Food. Given enough time they would reduce every living thing to ashes to consume its energy. They are, quite literally, planet killers.”
“Not cool. Not cool at all.” Jason started to feel distinctly queasy for the second time that night. “But how did you get involved in this mess?”
“I approached the Church and tried to make them understand it was their duty to help defeat this terrible enemy.”
“And did they listen to you?” Jason edged forward on his seat, elbows on his knees, as if closer proximity to Merlin would help him understand.
Merlin let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “In a way. They were well aware of the nature of the threat. You see, not only was the Church aware that the dragons had come out of the sky, but they were convinced that a human, a woman, in fact, would be in league with them.”
“Morgana?”
“Morgana.”
“But how did they know that?” Jason leaned closer, absorbing every detail of Merlin’s dialogue.
“Revelations, again. In the seventeenth chapter is says: ‘...And I saw a woman sat upon a scarlet colored beast. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth’.”
Excited now, Jason remembered something from his perfunctory Bible studies. “That’s the Whore of Babylon. Right?”
“Exactly. And the leaders of the Church also believed it was describing Morgana.”
“So what did they do about it?”
Again Merlin chuckled. “Took the easy way out. It’s what they do, you know. They wouldn’t get their hands dirty, so they needed someone to do their dirty work for them, someone to bring them proof of Morgana’s involvement with the dragons.”
“So?”
Suddenly Merlin leaned forward, trapping Jason with his electric blue eyes. “So they sent me to deal with the whole mess. They said it was my duty as a priest and my destiny.”
“So you raided her library looking for evidence?”
“Correct.”
“And you must have found what you were looking for.”
“Oh, yes. More information than you could possibly imagine or believe.”
At this point, Jason thought he could probably believe anything. “And it gave you the information to stop the dragon attacks. Right?”
“Correct. I managed to close the hole in the sky. But it has taken all of my energy for all these centuries to keep the portal shut while I tried to find a way to close it permanently. And that’s why I am so afraid they might come back now.”
“At least, you must have felt pretty good about it at the time. I mean, stopping an entire army of dragons and all.”
“Maybe, for a few days, but her thugs hunted me down like a wild animal. It took years of running and hiding to decipher Morgana’s books. And all that time I was simultaneously developing the sphere so I could hide long enough to figure out how to defeat the dragons permanently.” He sighed with a weariness born of centuries of isolation, worry and fear. “I had no idea it would take so long...so very, very long.”
It seemed redundant, but for his own peace of mind Jason felt compelled to ask the question again. “And you’re sure she’s still out there? Morgana, I mean.”
“She is definitely still out there. I don’t know where, but she is still alive and in touch with the world around her. She was always good at manipulating people and events to suit her own ends. After all these years she must have accumulated a vast amount of power and wealth, and I am absolutely certain she is just as ruthless and cruel as she was the last time I saw her.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve followed her in my scrying crystal and I watch her moving through time, shaping events of cruelty designed to topple governments and hurt people in the most horrible ways imaginable. Things like wars, genocide, the whole litany of man’s inhumanity to man. But when she discovers I’m out in the open, she will concentrate all her efforts in one direction - my destruction. Then she will open the gate and it will start all over again; the fires, the killing, the death. Only this time it will be a thousand times worse than before. I can’t let that happen. We can’t let that happen.”
While Merlin talked, Jason had wandered toward the window again. It was almost dawn. The rain had stopped and the first feeble rays of the September sun crept weakly across an ash gray sky. For almost everyone in the world beyond this room, today would be just like every other day. But for Jason, today was going to be very different and he was sickeningly unsure if any day in the future would ever be the same again. Finally, he turned and looked at Merlin. “We have to tell somebody; warn them. I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you, but who would we tell? The police? The government? Who would believe us?”
“Probably nobody.”
“Absolutely. And even if they did, they would lock us up.”
“To keep us from going public.”
“Historically, people in positions power do not take well to troublemakers. Besides, if by some miracle the governments of the world believed us, the military would use their weapons against the dragons. In the end, those charged with stopping the dragons would become their unwitting allies.”
“So what the hell do we do?”
“I think we should get some sleep.” Then, his smile broadening, he added “Even wizards have to sleep, you know.”
“Right. You can have the bed. I’ll take the couch. I guess my bones are a lot younger than yours.”
Chapter Seven
Even though Merlin was no longer invading his dreams, Jason’s sleep was far from restful. Images of fire breathing dragons and bloody, ancient battles kept him tossing and turning until sheer exhaustion finally pitched him into oblivion. By the time he awoke, it was midafternoon. From the bedroom came the sound of tuneless humming above the steady clicking of computer keys. Stumbling across the living room, Jason peeked around the corner. “You up already?” he asked.
Turning the desk chair a hundred and eighty degrees toward the door, Merlin’s smiling face beamed back at him. “When you get to be as old as I am you don’t need much sleep. How was your night?”
Jason only screwed up his face and shrugged in response.
“That’s what I thought. It didn’t sound very good from in here.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you up.”
“Don’t worry about me, Jason.” Leaning back in the chair, Merlin folded his hands in his lap. “Look,” he began, “if we’re going to get through this, you have to learn to remain calm. I understand that won’t be easy, given what you now know, but it is essential that we are both at our best.”
Jason nodded and attempted a wan smile. “Ok.” Then he added, “I think I’m going to get a shower. Then we can talk some more.”
“A what?”
“A shower. You know, like, a shower.”
Merlin only stared blankly.
“Oh, my God. You don’t know what a shower is, do you? How can you know how to run a computer and not know what a shower is?”
Merlin drew a deep breath before responding. “As I explained, thanks to my scrying glass, I have been able to keep up on general trends through the passing centuries. But specific knowledge of your day-to-day world only came to me through your thoughts; evidently you spend more time thinking about operating your computer than this shower thing. So educate me. What, precisely, is a shower?”
Without saying a word, Jason took Merlin’s hand in his and led him toward the bathroom and pointed toward the ancient, claw-foot tub surrounded by plastic curtains.
“I assumed that was where you bathed, was I wrong?”
“No, you were right. But nobody bathes any more. Not modern people, anyway. Here I�
��ll show you.”
After explaining how the shower worked, Jason handed Merlin a fresh towel, adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature and left the room. Minutes later, the sound of a rich tenor voice singing in some ancient, unknown language came floating into the little kitchen where Jason busied himself making coffee. He smiled thinly to himself, shaking his head. Evidently some things didn’t change from millennia to millennia.
When Merlin stepped into the kitchen twenty minutes later his hair and beard were as fluffy and milky white as Santa Claus’s and an ear-to-ear grin was the only thing the old man was wearing.
“Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I feel five hundred years younger.” He said, the smile never leaving his face.
Jason almost choked on a mouthful of hot coffee, in a vain attempt to hold back a laugh. “Would you like some clean clothes to put on? You can’t go around like that all day.”
“I hadn’t thought about it, actually. I probably do look a bit obvious.” he said. Peering down at his skinny, pink body and spindly legs, he looked back up at Jason and grinned again.
“You must feel better.” Jason said, squeezing past Merlin, heading back toward the bedroom. “Here, let’s find something for you to wear. You’re lucky; we’re almost the same size. Tomorrow I’ll go out and get you some clothes.” Throwing open his closet, Jason said “Here. Pick out anything you want. I’m going to get a shower; then we can talk.”
When he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Jason found Merlin curled up in a corner of the couch staring intently at the television. He was wearing a blue-gray tracksuit. The word “Adidas” on the left breast was nearly obscured by the flowing beard and hair. For a moment, Jason could only stand and shake his head. It was one of the most incongruous sights he had ever seen.
Twisting his head around, Merlin greeted him by pointing toward the television and asking “Does it amuse your culture to watch people humiliate themselves in public?”
Jason burst out laughing. It seemed like the first time he had laughed in weeks and it was a catharsis he desperately needed. When he finally stopped laughing, he said “Let’s get some food. What would you like?”
“What is a Pizza Hut? They were talking about it on the television. They looked interesting and I think I’d like to try one.”
“Sure. I’ll call out and have a pizza delivered.”
“They bring your food?” Merlin asked, watching Jason cross the room, switch off the television, and pick up the phone.
“Oh, yeah, great thing, home delivery.”
While they waited for the pizza, Jason sat opposite Merlin in the small room’s only comfortable chair. “So what do we do now?” he asked.
“It’s too late to do anything today, so I suggest we rest and marshal our energy.”
Keyed up as he was, Jason knew Merlin was right. “So, I guess you’ll be staying here with me then?”
“It would certainly make things easier.” And then, almost as an afterthought, he added “I don’t want to be in your way, but I really have nowhere else to go, you know.”
“No, it’s ok. I guess if I have to play superhero I can handle a roommate for a while. You can have the bedroom. The computer is already in there so you can use it as much as you want. I’ll sleep here on the couch and I can borrow a laptop from the department if I need one.”
“Thank you. That way I can make the most efficient use of my time. Once I figure out how to start rebuilding my sphere there will be a great deal of work to do. I already know we need outside help. You don’t happen to know a scientist who might have a laboratory I could use?”
“I don’t know any scientists, period, and there are a lot of different kinds of laboratories.” Then, almost as an afterthought, “What kind of ingredients do you need for the sphere; eye of newt and tongue of frog?”
Ignoring Jason’s joking reference to witch’s brew, Merlin thought for a moment before answering.
“I’m not sure. Science is so vastly different now. There seem to be hundreds of specialized disciplines.” Merlin tugged at his beard, leaning his head back in thought. “If we can find someone with the right equipment we can cut the process to a fraction of the time it took me. I can spend tomorrow on the computer while you’re in class. Once I figure out exactly what kind of scientist we need, you’ll have to help me find the right person.”
Jason couldn’t remember having met any scientists and hadn’t even thought about going to class. Only now did he realize he was living two very separate lives: one as a student and the other helping a wizard save mankind from fire breathing dragons. He didn’t know if he was up to this. Across the room, Merlin sensed his turmoil.
“Try not to think about it, Jason. We just have to do each day’s task as it comes up. No one can expect any more of themselves than that.”
While Jason thought this over, trying to keep down the panic, the doorbell rang. Merlin looked up, his intense, blue eyes darting around the room searching for the source of the buzzing noise.
“That must be the pizza guy. I’ll be right back.” Jason was glad for the interruption. It brought his mind back to the mundane world and kept him from dwelling on the frightening turn his life had suddenly taken. To keep from thinking about too much at once, Jason concentrated on explaining pizza and Coke to Merlin. “No plate, just pick up a wedge and start eating from the point.”
“Well” Jason finally said as Merlin was stuffing the last bit of crust from the first piece into his mouth “What do you think?”
“Mmph. Odd. Interesting, but odd.” he mumbled around a full mouth. “I believe I need to have another serving before I pass final judgment.” After a few seconds he leaned forward to pick another slice from the greasy cardboard box. Raising it toward his mouth, he looked at Jason, winked, and said, “Just to make sure.”
The meal, which should have revived him, only made Jason realize how exhausted he was. He had only been up for four hours and already he wanted to go back to bed, but if he sacked out now he would be awake in a few hours and another night’s sleep would be ruined. As his mind idled, he thought of Beverley. How long had it been since he saw her? Was it only last night? Saturday, Sunday. Today is Sunday. God, it seems a lot longer than that. Jason flipped open his phone, looking at it as though he wasn’t sure what to do next. Dialing Beverley’s number he wondered what to say if she asked what he was doing. The conversation was aimless and slightly strained: after he promised to see her the next day he hung up the phone, went back to the living room and fell asleep in the chair.
On Monday Jason went to classes as usual, but while his body occupied a seat, his mind kept wandering. It was not until he entered the refectory to buy lunch that he ran into Beverley. She walked up behind him as he stood at the coat rack, taking off his jacket.
“Hi, ya.” she said quietly.
Jason turned so quickly Beverley thought she had frightened him. Responding to her confusion he tried to gloss over his jumpiness. “Oh. Hi.” He reached out and put a single arm around her, giving her a lop-sided hug. “How ya doin’?”
“I’m fine. The question is; how are you? You sounded really strange last night on the phone. Are you coming down with something? You need to take better care of yourself.”
Yep. Take care of myself, take care of Merlin the sorcerer, and about a million dragons. No problem, Jason thought to himself. Out loud, he said “I’ve been really busy getting ready...” Think fast, Jason. “Umm...my grandfather is coming for a visit in a few days and I’ve been trying to get my apartment clean...and what with the reception and then the mess in the lab. I guess it’s just getting to me a little.”
“Oh, how nice. Do I get to meet him?”
“Who?”
“Your grandfather. You just said he was coming for a visit.”
Only now did Jason realize what he had said. Well, at least if everyone thought Merlin was his grandfather it would explain why he was wandering around with the old man.
“Sure
. No problem. Once he’s settled in we can all get together. But I didn’t come to talk family. I came to see you and have some lunch. Come on. Let’s eat. I’m starved,” he said, realizing that he really was hungry.
On their way to the cafeteria line, Beverley asked. “Is he very old?”
“Is who old?”
“I’m sorry. I was still thinking about your grandfather. Is he really old?”
“No. He doesn’t look a day over five hundred.” For some odd reason Beverley couldn’t quite understand, Jason’s eyes grew just slightly larger when he said this. Then he added, “But he’s in really great shape for his age.” She cocked her head to one side, but when Jason broke out in a big grin, she laughed and snuggled her head against his chest, rubbing a hand across the small of his back.
“I’ll have to get him something.” She said, pulling back breaking the comfortable contact with Jason’s chest.
“What do you mean, ‘get him something’?”
“You know some silly little thing to remember his trip to England. A souvenir. People always like souvenirs better when they get them as gifts instead of picking them up in a tourist shop.”
“Don’t worry about it. I think he’s spent a whole lot of time in England over the years.”
“Was he here during the war?”
“Right. Yep. The War. Definitely.” All the wars. In fact, just about every war there has ever been. He smiled and gave her a small, reassuring squeeze but Beverley couldn’t help thinking there was more going on here than she was being told. Finally she decided it was probably just some odd family situation that was none of her business.
After his early afternoon class with Carver Daniels, Jason walked out of King’s Manor to get some air. He hoped the bustle on the street would help clear his head. The day was clear and crisp with a light breeze rustling through the trees and bushes behind him. Had it been nice all day? He hadn’t even noticed. Jumping when he heard his name spoken almost at his shoulder, Jason turned around, to see Merlin staring at him, his eyes shining. He was wearing his long gray robe and goatskin vest.
