Merlin

Oh, A

And it was not enough!

I looked out on the battlefield shimmering in the heat haze of a midday sun. So still… so still… and silent – save for the croak of the circling birds; for already the carrion crows were flocking, picking at the eyes of the dead. In this I knew the stark reality of war: all men, friend and foe alike, are food for the scavenging beasts.

I saw Lord Death moving among the tumbled corpses, rubbing his fleshless hands and gri

Well done, Myrddin. Such a handsome harvest; I am pleased, my son.

My horror could not be contained. Dark mist rose up before my eyes; the voices of the dead filled my ears with cries of sharp accusation. The bloody earth mocked me; sky and sun jeered. The wind laughed. I fled the field, seeking refuge in Celyddon's deep, black heart. I fled to the nameless hills, to the rock-bound mountains, to this barren outcrop with its cave and spring.

And here, A

Death! You have taken all the others, why have you not taken me?

THIRTEEN

I raised my head and looked out across the night-filled valleys. The storm had passed, and the stars shone brightly. The air was scented with pine and heather, and from the forest below came the bark of a hunting wolf – a single short cry in the darkness.

At my feet Wolf pricked her ears; her golden eyes flicked to mine, but she did not move. The small fire A

'Do you hate me now, A

He did not answer, but picked up a bowl and ladled stew into it and offered it out to me. 'I can hate no man,' he replied gently, offering me the bowl. 'And this is not a time for judgement.' He broke one of the little loaves he had made and handed it to me. 'We will eat now, and you will feel better.'

We ate together in silence. The food was good, and I did feel better. The fire warmed me, and the stew – how long had it been since I had meat in my stomach? – soon made me drowsy. I sopped the last of my broth with the bread and stuffed that into my mouth, then laid the bowl aside and drew my cloak around me.

'Sleep now, Myrddin,' A

It seemed only an instant, but when I opened my eyes again the new-risen sun flamed the high peaks, and larksong fell golden from the sky. A

'So, you are still here,' I observed, pouring water into my bowl and lifting the bowl to my mouth.

'I am,' he nodded.

'I am not going back with you," I told him bluntly.

'That will be your decision, Myrddin.'

'Then you are wasting your time. I will not leave this place.'

'As you have said. But I tell you I have not come to take you away from here.'

What did he want from me? 'Then why have you come?'

To save you, Myrddin.'

'Do I look in need of saving?'

'Your work is not finished,' he replied. 'In the world of men, affairs continue apace, and darkness covers nigh all. It has even reached these shores. Yes, the Great Darkness men have feared is here; it has gained a foothold on the Island of the Mighty.'

I glared at him, for his words disturbed me more than I liked. 'What do you expect me to do about it?'

'I tell you merely what is.' A

'Who are you, A

He smiled gently. 'I have told you, Myrddin. I am your friend.'

Then he rose and stepped to the cave entrance. 'Come with me now.'

'Where?' I demanded suspiciously.

'There is a stream in the glen below -'

'Yes?'

'We must go there.'

That was all he said. He turned and started down the trail. I watched him go for a moment, and decided that I would not go. But he stopped, turned, and beckoned me. I rose and followed.

The stream was not large, but it was ru

My clothing, as he generously called it, was little more than a filth-crusted loincloth. It fell from me as I shrugged it off. 'I have already been baptized,' I said.

'I know,' replied A

'I can wash myself.' I drew back.

'Na, na, I know, I know. But come, let me do it for you this once.'

I stepped into the cold water; my flesh prickled and I began shivering. A

He washed my arms and chest, then turned me to scrub my back. 'Sit,' he commanded, and I sat down on a nearby rock while he washed my legs and my nasty, matted hair and beard.

All this he did quickly and cheerfully, as if it were his life's chief fulfilment. I allowed him to do it, thinking it strange to be washed like this – me a grown man, being washed by another grown man.

But it did not feel strange. It felt comforting; more, it felt appropriate. This, I imagined, was how the emperors of the east came to their thrones.

Oh, it was good to be clean. Clean! How long had it been? How long?

He washed my hair and then, to my surprise – although nothing about A

When he finished he laved water over me with the bowl and then said, 'Arise, Myrddin, and go forth to meet the day.'

I stood, water streaming from me, feeling the sickness of all the sick years, the years of waste and grief and death flow away. I stood, and that sick skin sloughed from me and I was clean once more, clean and in my right mind.

I stepped from the rock pool and picked up my cloak, though loth was I to put on that filthy thing again.

A

Well, perhaps he was right. The sun was bright and warm – still, it would not always be so. The mountains were cold at night; I would need it then. I stooped to pick it up again. 'Leave it,' he said.

And he turned to point down the trail. 'See,' he said, 'one comes who will dress you in clothes appropriate to your rank.'

I looked where he was pointing and, heaven bless me, I did see a lone figure toiling up the track, leading two saddled horses.

'Who is it?' I turned to A

'Someone whose love has carried you further than you will ever know.' His words seared into my heart, but his glance did not condemn me. 'He comes, and I must go.'

'Stay, friend.' I put out my hand to him.

'I have done what I came to do.'

'Will we meet again?'

He held his head to one side for a moment, as if appraising me. 'No, I think that will not be necessary.'