《A mage in time》


 Prologue

    It was a dark and rainy night when the man walked across the field. No one noticed him, as they were all too busy clearing the field of the dead. He looked around at all the carnage, wishing not for the first time that he could¡¯ve done something to prevent this atrocity. He kept walking as he didn¡¯t have much time to do what needed to be done. He had told the King that he had a plan that could help stop the invading army, though the chances of success were about equal to what they were already. He made it to the cliff face and, looking around, made sure no one was watching as he cast a spell to reveal an opening in the cliff. Looking around one more time, the man walked in.


    The cave had no lights and there was very little light coming from the opening, not wanting to waste his magic he moved carefully forward without casting anything to help him see. The tunnel of the cave went on for about one hundred feet before it took a ninety-degree turn to the left. Following the tunnel, the man finally came to a cavern with faintly glowing blue lights. It was the giant runic room, a place of great power that could enhance a mages power a hundred-fold. The man walked carefully coming to a set of stairs and climbing them to stand before the rune.


    He had never been to the runic room before though he had heard about it from some of the master mages in the guild. They had told of great spells being cast and of the miracles that they were able to perform. The man didn¡¯t know if any of them were true or not though he could feel the power that pulsed beneath his feet. Taking a deep breath, he stepped onto the rune and walked to the center of it. Closing his eyes, he felt the power start to flow up into his body and he knew that he would be able to cast spells of unimaginable power.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The spell he was about to cast was one that he had stumbled upon one time while looking through the guild¡¯s library. It was an ancient and powerful spell that he knew couldn¡¯t be brought to the light of day. Though now he was glad he had studied it. It was a spell that would search through time and space to find a hero that would be able to help stop the invading force. With the power of the rune, he thought he would be able to find a very powerful being. He just hoped that they would arrive in time.


    The man began to focus his power and concentrate on the spell, using his own magic first to push into the spell he then tapped into the power of the rune. His magic was like a jug of water being poured into the spell while the rune¡¯s power was like a raging river, crashing into him and almost bowling him over. He gritted his teeth and concentrated, directing the flow into the spell, making it more powerful every second. After what felt like years, the man began closing off the power of the rune for the final step of the spell.


    With the power that the man needed in the spell, he cast it. The spell released, knocking the man out, and spreading through time and space. Calling to beings of immense power to come and help the caster. When the man woke up, there was not one being, however, three, standing before him looking around. Smiling, the man got up and directed the beings to where they were needed the most.

 Chapter 1

    The alarm clock buzzed for the third time, calling for Andrew to wake up. Slowly he lifted his hand and slammed it down on the clock, silencing it for the third time. Groaning, he rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, seeing that it was still dark out, he wondered again why he kept this job. Rolling out of bed with no motivation what so ever, he turned his alarm clock off and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work.


    Andrew didn¡¯t consider himself anything above average. He was six feet tall with a husky build, meaning he wasn¡¯t fat though he did have some meat on his bones. With his light brown hair and hazel eyes, he seemed just like your average twenty-two-year-old, working a dead-end job. He couldn¡¯t even grow a beard to help him look more rugged. As he got out of the shower, he looked in the mirror and wondered to himself what he was doing with his life.


    As he got to work, he just sat in his car, looking at the building that had become his life for the last two years. Sighing he got out of his car and walked towards the building. He looked around as he walked and saw a couple other people going towards the doors as well. There was Charlotte who was a crass woman yet was nice to him and one of the better ones he worked with. Then there was Diane, who he joked around with and teased some though it was all in good fun. Those two were some of the few that made this job worthwhile.


    As he was looking around he also noticed Katie, she was one of the younger people, like him, that worked the early morning shift. She was cute with shoulder length brunette hair, blue eyes that were always smiling and a sense of humor that matched his own. She was what he thought he was looking for in a girlfriend. The only problem was that he couldn¡¯t talk to her outside of work or anything to do with going out. Though Charlotte and Diane would always tease him about how he should ask her out.


    The first part of the shift went by as normal, unloading trucks, stocking shelves, joking and laughing with the rest of the crew. After break though while Andrew was working in the back stockroom by himself, something washed over him, making him black out and just stand there for five minutes or so. Shaking his head, he looked around and not seeing anything out of the ordinary got back to work. As he working he was debating with himself about whether he should ask Katie out or not, trying to work himself up enough so that could. At the end of his shift he finally decided to ask her out. Walking out of the stockroom he looked around for her though didn¡¯t see her.


    ¡°Hey Char, have you seen Katie?¡± Andrew asked as he spied Charlotte.


    ¡°Oooo, finally going to ask her out, huh?¡± Charlotte asks back.


    ¡°Well I had thought about it.¡± Andrew says as he blushes slightly.


    ¡°Haha, well I think she just went to go clock out, so you might be able to catch her in the break room, if you hurry.¡± She says as she gives him a wink.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Andrew says as he takes off towards the break room.


    Andrew gets to the break room and walks in, looking for Katie. Not seeing her, he walks to where the lockers are and see her getting her stuff out. Taking a deep breath, he walks up to her.


    ¡°Hey Katie, done for the day?¡± Andrew asks as his heart is hammering in his chest.


    ¡°Yeah, they were all done on the floor and most of the back was finished as well so they said I could leave a little early.¡± Katie says as she turns towards Andrew and smiles.


    ¡°Lucky. I still have a bit left before I get to leave today, though I¡¯m really glad it¡¯s finally Friday.¡± He says as he chuckles a bit. ¡°Anyways, I was just thinking, I don¡¯t have any plans for this weekend so I thought maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe what?¡±


    ¡°Well maybe you¡¯d¡­ uh¡­ like to go see a movie or grab a drink or something?¡± He asks as he tries not to blush too badly.


    Katie lets out a soft laugh and smiles. ¡°Well Andrew I actually don¡¯t have any plans, so I would like that.¡±


    ¡°Really? I mean, how about tonight at 8, meet at the theater?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sounds good. I gotta get going though as my mom needs me to take her to the doctor, so I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡± Katie says as she turns and starts to leave.


    ¡°Okay, yeah, I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    As Katie¡¯s leaving she turns around and says with a wink, ¡°oh by the way, it¡¯s about time you asked me out.¡±


    Andrew just stands there with his mouth open and stares, thinking how the heck he was so clueless.


    After work that afternoon, Andrew decides to take a nap, as he wants to be prepared to stay out late. As he¡¯s laying down on his couch he has a vision of what looks to be a cabin of some sorts with nothing around except some fields. It only lasts a moment though before he finally succumbs to sleep.


    When Andrew roused from his sleep, he reached for his covers, except felt grass under his hand instead. He propped himself up on his elbow to look around. He was in the middle of nowhere, sitting in a wide-open clearing of grass. To his right there was what looked to a downward slope but other than that there seemed to be nothing around him but grass. Since everything else looked to be flat, he decided to head towards the slope to the right. As he started walking, a light appeared. He stopped, as it got closer he could see that it was attached to a staff, and that staff was carried by someone. he didn¡¯t feel afraid or scared as the person holding the staff came closer and he saw that it was an old man. Andrew thought the old man looked like Gandalf, since he had a white beard that hung down to his waist.


    The old man stopped about three feet in front of Andrew and he could see the old man looking him over. It was then that he noticed he was naked, though the old man didn¡¯t seem to care. The old man then looked at Andrew and said something in a strange language that he didn¡¯t understand nor did it sound familiar. Looking at the old man funny, Andrew figured he was asking him something, though what it was, he had no idea, so he just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. The old man nodded and handed Andrew a robe, like his own, and then turned around and started walking back the way he came. Andrew looked at the robe, then to the old man, and then back to the robe, he shrugged and pulled the robe on and followed the old man.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Andrew caught up to the old man easily and they walked down the slope in silence. Andrew was looking around at where they were when a light caught his eye. They were walking in the general direction of it, so he guessed it was the old man¡¯s house. The old man lead Andrew to the door and as he opened the door, a scent like none other wafted out of the house. It was a mix of burning wood, lavender, bread and so many others, he couldn¡¯t even guess. The old man walked into the house and Andrew followed him in, he extinguished the light he was carrying, then went to the fireplace, stoked the fire and put a kettle on. He then turned towards Andrew and pointed at the table. Andrew sat down and watched the old man move around the house, getting cups and other things from the cupboards. When the water was boiling, he poured water into two cups and then sat down opposite of Andrew.


    They sat in silence as they drank their tea, it seemed like the old man was just waiting for something to happen. Before Andrew realized it, he had finished the tea and was feeling a little light headed. That¡¯s when the old man stood up and walked around the table and stood right beside him. The old man reached his hands out and put them on Andrew¡¯s head, on his temples, then he closed his eyes. After a moment, Andrew¡¯s head started to swirl and he felt a strange sensation, like his head was rubber and something was being pushed into it, that¡¯s when he blacked out.


    Andrew woke up in a bed and was still wearing the robe, but his head was feeling better. Andrew looked around the room he was in, it was sparsely furnished, the bed, a desk and chair and a dresser the only furniture he could see. There was a fire smoldering in the fireplace, filling the room with just enough heat to be comfortable. As he opened the door, the scent of fresh bread wafted in, making him realize how hungry he was. He walked out the door and into a hallway, to his left was some stairs going down and to his right the hallway extended for as far as he could see, with doors alternating on each side. He figured the stairs would lead down to the kitchen where he first entered the house. When the kitchen came into view, sitting at the table was the old man, two men who looked to be in their fifties, a boy who looked to be about seventeen and two women who looked to be in their mid to late twenties. They all turned to look at Andrew and it made him stop on the bottom step. Feeling very self-conscious, he averted his eyes and made his way slowly to the only empty chair at the end of the table, between the boy and one of the women. He looked around the table at the people and from their expressions he took it that there were mixed feelings about him being there.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good of you to join us finally.¡± The old man said with a smile.


    Andrew was startled when the old man spoke, and he could understand him.


    ¡°Yes, we needed some new blood around here.¡± The man, sitting to the right of the old man, said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.


    Andrew was still confused by the whole situation and so just stared blankly around the table, trying to think of something to say.


    ¡°So, what is your name?¡± The woman, sitting to the left of the old man, asked as she smiled at Andrew.


    ¡°Umm¡­Merlin.¡± Andrew replied, laughing in his head. He didn¡¯t know why he picked that name, but at that moment he wasn¡¯t too concerned.


    ¡°Welcome to the house, Merlin.¡± The same woman said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you all go about your chores while Merlin has something to eat and I explain things to him.¡± The old man said.


    As the others, all stood up and went outside, the woman who was sitting next to Andrew looked back at him before she went through the door.


    ¡°I suppose you have quite a few questions for me.¡± The old man said. ¡°But first help yourself to some food, you¡¯ve been out for a while, and I¡¯ll explain some things to you.¡±


    Andrew nodded his head and looked around at the food on the table. He helped himself to some of the bread, cheese, the rest of the eggs, meat and fruit, leaving the wine alone, since he wasn¡¯t a big drinker. After he piled the food onto his plate and started eating, the old man started to talk.


    ¡°First off, my name is Ferdinand, but you can just call me Ferd. Next the others that were here are the other members of the house. The two older men were apprentices of mine but are now their own man. The one who sat on my right was George and the one next to him was Herald. The other three are my current apprentices. The boy is Arthur, the woman that sat on my left is Natalie and the one that was next to you is Azura.¡± The old man, Ferd, explained. ¡°As to what this house is, it¡¯s many things, though for the most part it¡¯s a haven for people like us.¡±


    People like us? Andrew thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s a place to practice and hone our skills, it¡¯s a place to study and experiment and it¡¯s a place to call home.¡± Ferd said as he looked around like he was remembering something. ¡°People come here from all over the place, it¡¯s no secret it¡¯s here, but they usually don¡¯t sleep in the field naked while making the journey.¡±


    Andrew looked up at him at that ¡°I wasn¡¯t in the field when I went to sleep.¡± To which Ferd gave him a curious look.


    ¡°Where did you go to sleep at then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°In my bed at my place.¡± Andrew said but didn¡¯t elaborate on where exactly that was.


    ¡°Hmmm, curious.¡± Ferd said as he stroked his beard.


    As Ferd pondered on what Andrew had said, Andrew took the opportunity to ask his first question. ¡°When you said, people like us, what did you mean?¡±


    Ferd stopped what he was doing and looked at Andrew. ¡°What I meant by that was, people who can do magic.¡± He kept looking at him curiously, like he was trying to figure him out.


    ¡°So how do people know if they can do magic, then?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°Well the house only calls those who can do magic, so if you¡¯re here, then you can do magic.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve never felt any magic before in my life.¡± Andrew said.


    ¡°You need not feel it to have it. Some people don¡¯t come into their magic until very late in their life, while others come into it when they hit puberty. It all just depends on the person.¡±


    Andrew¡¯s heart was pounding and his stomach was a breeding ground for butterflies. ¡°So how do I get home then?¡± He asked rather loudly.


    ¡°I will take you on as an apprentice and train you to use your magic safely and once your training is complete, you should be able to go home safely.¡±


    ¡°But how will I get home?¡± Andrew asked again. His mind going to his family and friends, would they even miss him while he was here? Would they even know he was gone?


    ¡°Well you¡¯d go back the same way you came, I would suppose.¡± Ferd said, looking concerned. ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    Andrew looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯m not from here.¡±


    ¡°When do you come from then?¡± Ferd asked, with a little gleam in his eye.


    ¡°I imagine it would be considered the future, though how far, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Ferd nodded his head. ¡°Hmmm, if that is true, you should keep it to yourself. At least for now.¡± He looked up at Andrew and said, ¡°and I will do all I can to help you get home.¡±


    It figures I¡¯d be transported to the past the same day I work the nerve up to ask a girl out.

 Chapter 2

    So, I figured I better start writing things down, as I don¡¯t even know if this is a dream or not. Yesterday I was working at my local Target store and today, I learned that magic is not only real, or at least was, but that I can use it. Though it won¡¯t help me much as I doubt I will ever get back to my own time. From the look on Ferd¡¯s face, I gather that time magic isn¡¯t easy or that anyone can even do it. That part saddens me, but the part that I¡¯m excited for is to be able to learn magic. I can¡¯t help but wonder what lies ahead of me once I can master it.


    Ferd showed Andrew, Merlin, around the premises for the rest of the day, but all he felt was a numbness inside of him. Oh, sure, there was plenty to see and be excited about and if things had been different he was sure he would have loved it, but at that moment, all he could think about was home. He wondered if time would move on without him. Would people notice he was gone? Would he still exist in the future? Just give it a while, he thought to himself, things will look better.


    After Ferd showed Merlin around, he spent the rest of the day in the room where he had woken up, laying on the bed and crying on and off. He didn¡¯t eat supper, but sometime at night, he had heard a knock on the door. When his stomach wouldn¡¯t stop growling, he gave in and got up to sneak to the kitchen. There in front of the door was a tray with some food on it. Whoever knocked must have left it here for me, he thought.


    Merlin woke up some time later, he felt a little better now, after having cried and had some time to think about what happened to him. The dresser was filled with different colored robes, but were the same style as the one he was wearing. The same sight as the day before greeted him as he walked into the kitchen.


    ¡°Good Morning, All.¡± Merlin said.


    ¡°And good morning, to you as well, Merlin. I see you seem to be feeling better today.¡± Natalie said, smiling.


    ¡°I am, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°George, Herald, you two know what to do. Natalie, take Arthur and go practice in the west field. Azura you have your chores to finish and then you can go practice in the North field.¡± Ferd said, giving out instructions to the others.


    They all got up and left, Azura looked back before leaving again. Merlin wondered what her deal was. Merlin thought about how it was weird that this would happen to him but as he thought about it his went on a downward spiral, thinking it¡¯s only the second day and he¡¯s already acting happy. Shouldn¡¯t I feel sad longer, for leaving everyone I¡¯ve ever known? Worrying never did anyone any good, and come on, you get to learn magic. Real magic. How awesome is that?


    ¡°I will take you to the East field and we will start the basics today, if you are up for it.¡± Ferd said.


    ¡°I¡¯m up for it.¡± Merlin said and quickly finished his food.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± Ferd said and he got up and waited for him.


    Merlin stood up and followed Ferd out the door, and they walked out into the beautiful sunshine. Merlin took a better look around that day, with new eyes seeing the opportunities unfold and imagining what he would be able to do, eventually.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m going to start you off with the basics, seeing as how you don¡¯t even feel your magic.¡± Ferd closed his eyes for a moment and then right behind him the grass parted and stone rose, shaping itself into a chair. When it was done, he opened his eyes and sat down, he gestured for Merlin to do the same. Merlin looked behind him and saw another chair exactly like Ferd¡¯s, He couldn¡¯t help but touch it to make sure it was solid before he sat down. ¡°Now I want you to close your eyes, try to empty your mind of thoughts and breathe slowly.¡±


    Merlin closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly and tried to clear his mind. All he could hear was his breathing and heart pounding in his ears.


    ¡°Once you have your mind clear, look inside yourself and try to feel the power within you.¡±


    Merlin tried to feel whatever power may be there, but all he could feel was his own body. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, he shook his arms out and tried to crack his neck. Come on, you can do this, he thought. He relaxed his body and closed his eyes, sitting back he looked inside himself for the power. He had to have sat there for hours before he heard someone walking up to them. He opened his eyes and realized that the sun was getting low and that it was Ferd that was walking towards him.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you back with us, you were gone for quite some time.¡± Ferd said and handed Merlin a plate and then a mug.


    Merlin tried to talk but his throat was dry as a desert, he quickly took a drink of whatever was in the mug and felt the liquid wash away the dust and dryness. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Merlin asked once he could.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been unresponsive for almost two days now.¡± Ferd said as he sat down on the chair. ¡°That¡¯s most unusual for someone who hasn¡¯t felt their power before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember feeling any power or anything inside me either.¡±


    ¡°You must have found it somehow, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have been immersed for so long.¡±


    Merlin looked off into the horizon and tried to remember what happened when he was looking inside himself, but it was like a dream, just on the edge of his mind but slipping away each time he reached for it.


    ¡°Come on, we should get back to the house so you can rest properly.¡± Ferd said


    ¡°Why did you say that it was unusual for someone to stay inside themselves for so long, if they hadn¡¯t touched their power before?¡± Merlin asked as he caught up with Ferd.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not unusual for people new to their magic to stay inside themselves for periods of time. What is unusual is that you did it for two days. The longest I¡¯ve seen anyone stay in before this was about six hours. See when someone hasn¡¯t touched their magic before, they obviously have to find it first, which takes time. So most people will spend hours a day looking inside. Some find it their first try, while others don¡¯t find it for a week or two. Then once they find it, they have to figure out how to access it at will, which takes more time. Then they must figure out how to shape it, or cast a spell. So, it¡¯s all about time and patience, but while you search I can still teach you theories for everything.¡±


    ¡°So then where does that leave me?¡± Merlin asked. ¡°Since I was inside for so long but I can¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    Ferd looked at Merlin, ¡°right now, I¡¯m not exactly sure. Do you feel like you¡¯ve gained any knowledge about your magic?¡±


    Merlin thought about that but it seemed like all his thoughts about magic were like oil, just slipping right through the cracks in his mind. ¡°No, but I feel like I learned something, though what that was I¡¯m not exactly sure.¡±


    They reached the house shortly after their conversation. Natalie was working outside, sitting on the edge of a round pool, washing clothes. She had long black hair and brown eyes that seemed to take in everything and showed a lot of compassion. She was only about five foot four, but she carried herself with a lot of confidence. She turned towards us as we got closer and waved at us. Arthur was cutting wood, just beyond the pool where Natalie was. He wasn¡¯t much taller than her, only about five foot six, but he still had a few years to grow. He had long brown hair that covered his ears and hung down and almost covered his eyes. He didn¡¯t look muscular but from the way he swung the axe, I could tell he was strong. He did look kind of lanky but I figured he still was growing. He had quite a bit of wood stacked up that was ready to be brought into the house and to the lean to.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Ferd and Merlin walked over to the well and washed up before heading into the house. George and Herald were sitting in two chairs in front of the fireplace, napping. Merlin didn¡¯t like either one of them, and he got the feeling they didn¡¯t like him. George was the taller of the two, at about five foot ten. He had blond hair with a short, almost military type, haircut and moustache. On his face was a scar, just below his left eye, that ran down to his neck. It wasn¡¯t puckered or nasty looking, it gave him an almost roguish look, that he wouldn¡¯t have doubted a lot of women would find beddable. Herald on the other hand, had longer reddish hair, he was in between Natalie and Arthur for height, about five foot five, but he was stockier, with wide shoulders and a bigger belly, he looked like he did as little work around the house as possible. Though Merlin imagined he was stronger than he looked.


    Azura was in the kitchen, cooking supper, Merlin imagined it was her that had prepared the platter that Ferd had given him. She had shoulder length chestnut hair, with green eyes and she moved around the kitchen with the grace of a dancer, her five foot eight-inch frame flowing from one position to the next as easily as water falls from a cliff, Merlin was easily enchanted with her dance that he couldn¡¯t help but stare.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stare too long, my boy.¡± Ferd whispered in my ear.


    Merlin jumped a bit at Ferd¡¯s words, he hadn¡¯t noticed him standing so close to him. ¡°Umm¡­I¡­wasn¡¯t¡­staring¡­¡± Merlin slowly said as his eyes kept watching Azura move.


    ¡°Sureee you weren¡¯t. You should see the collection of frogs she has in her room. They all used to be young men.¡± Ferd said with a smirk as he walked away, heading for the stairs.


    ¡°Wait! What did you say?¡± Merlin exclaimed as he blinked the enchantment away and looked for Ferd.


    With his commotion, Merlin had inadvertently drawn the attention of Azura. He slowly turned and saw that she had stopped what she was doing and was looking at him funnily. ¡°Umm, sorry about that. Do you need any help?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Well since you asked, you can take the bucket out to the well and bring in some water and put it over the fire.¡± She said as she turned away.


    As she turned away, Merlin caught a hint of a smirk on her lips. Merlin grabbed the bucket and went outside, walking to the well, Natalie called him.


    ¡°So, Azura put you to work, did she?¡± Natalie said with a smile.


    ¡°I volunteered.¡± Merlin answered


    ¡°Oh, so she caught you staring then, huh.¡± Natalie said with a little laugh.


    Merling groaned and pulled the bucket up and poured the water into the other one to bring inside. I¡¯m never going to hear the end of this from her. He thought as went inside. He turned and headed towards his room, stealing one quick glance at her before ascending the stairs. Sitting at the desk, putting his head into his hands and thinking about the last few days. How could I have spent two days meditating and not remember any of it? Where is my magic located? Why do George and Herald dislike me? Why do I dislike them? What¡¯s Azura¡¯s story? He shook his head at the last question, that should be the last thing on your mind. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that, he was in a new land, in a new time and yet he was still thinking about women.


    Merlin leaned back in the chair and blew out a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes and turned inwards. At first, he didn¡¯t feel anything except his heart hammering in his chest and blood rushing through his ears. He cleared his mind of those distractions and kept looking inward, starting at his feet, he slowly examined them, feeling for any sign of his magic, nothing. He slowly moved up his right leg, reaching his hip, he slowly started back down the left leg. He reached his foot, still finding nothing, he moved up to his groin area, smothering a laugh at the thought, but checking it anyways, he didn¡¯t find anything. He slowly moved back and forth, up his abdomen, searching for anything. As he reached his heart, he faintly felt a slight pull. he stopped and remained there, moving ever so slightly back the way he had come, until he felt the pull again.


    The feeling was like when he would drop suddenly going down a hill. His stomach felt like it was being pushed up into his throat and being dropped lower into my body. The feeling wasn¡¯t very strong though but he could still feel it. he figured he had found his magic, but wanting to be thorough, he continued to search. Back and forth he went, the rest of the way up his chest and onto his neck. He started looking at his jaw and wasn¡¯t very hopeful as there wasn¡¯t much left and he had already found his magic, but he kept going, back and forth, up into his head, when he reached the middle of his head, he felt the same feeling when he was over his heart. he kept moving, slowly, and felt the feeling get slightly stronger, moving past the spot it started to get weaker so he moved back to it.


    Coming out of his meditation, he opened his eyes and sat up, looking around, I wonder how long I was out for this time? Just then he heard a knock on his door, followed by Natalie¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hey Merlin, are you going to come down for supper anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m coming right now.¡± He answered.


    Merlin went downstairs and everyone was already at the table. they all seemed to have their own seats. It was quiet as they all ate the food was delicious, as usual. Merlin wondered where Azura learned to cook like this.


    The days continued, as Ferd kept training Merlin in how to access and control his magic. After a few weeks, Merlin had learned plenty of theory with Ferd, but when he tried to feel his magic when he was with Ferd for some reason, it always failed.


    Now, Andrew was never good at performing in front of other people, he had hated public speaking in school and could never talk to girls without anxiety creeping up. But Andrew wanted Merlin to be everything that he wasn¡¯t, though that didn¡¯t stop his body from foiling his attempts. Merlin attributed his not being able to access his magic in front of Ferd to his anxiety, as he felt it creep up every time Ferd wanted him to try something practical. Merlin knew he could do it, he¡¯d been in touch with both points of his magic for two weeks now, and when he was in his room he could do the practical spells. But when he was with Ferd they just wouldn¡¯t work.


    That only made Merlin want to practice more on his own. He was practicing every free moment he had alone. He started out small, just getting used to feeling his magic. Then starting with some of the more basic spells Ferd was teaching him, those only took him a couple days to figure out. By the end of the first week he was making things float, throwing things across the room, all that fun stuff. By the end of the second week, he had started being able to do some small things around Ferd, though nothing like what he was doing when he was alone.


    ¡°Very good, Merlin.¡± Ferd congratulated, when the stone Merlin was making float stayed aloft for a whole ten seconds.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but I know I can do better.¡± Merlin said as he let go of the magic holding the stone.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get there, don¡¯t worry. Everyone just takes their own time in figuring things out. Arthur took three months to be able to do what you just did. Natalie took one month, while Azura was able to do it in just six days.¡±


    ¡°Six days, is that good?¡± Merlin asked. He had figured she was good with magic, heck they all seemed to be. ¡°Does that make her really good then?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. I¡¯ve known people who did it in a shorter amount of time that were no better than mere street performers when they left. I¡¯ve also known people who took months to learn it and end up being very gifted. She just has a natural talent for magic is all.¡±


    After he said that, Merlin started to wonder if he was a natural at magic. It did only take him three days to figure out how to do this, it just took him longer to be able to do it in front of Ferd. He continued to practice, as it was still before mid-day, and it seemed like with every successful attempt he did in front of Ferd, his confidence went up just a little also.


    Ferd told him, the more he worked his magic, the stronger it would get. Merlin just wished he wouldn¡¯t feel so out of shape from seemingly doing nothing. After he had successfully held a golf ball sized stone for five minutes, Ferd had him lift a bigger stone for five minutes. Then he had him lift a bigger one, and so it went until he was lifting a basketball sized stone for a minute. With all the lifting and no breaks between stones, Merlin was tired.


    ¡°So why don¡¯t I get any breaks between stones?¡± Merlin asked, in between sips of water.


    ¡°If you took a break between each stone, you wouldn¡¯t be working your magic as much.¡± Ferd said as he created a chair and sat down. ¡°If you use your magic continuously until you almost run out, then when you regain your energy, you¡¯ll be able to go for longer or do more powerful magic. While if you stop for more than a minute to rest, after each stone, then your energy will replenish and you will only gain a little bit more energy in which to feed your spells.¡±


    So now that Merlin knew how to become stronger, he was going to start some supplemental training on his own. he decided then, that if he couldn¡¯t make it back home, he wanted to be strong enough to be able to protect himself and those in need, if he could. ¡°So how long does it take to regain energy to be able to start the process over again?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the person usually. The more experienced and powerful they are, their energy will replenish faster, but they¡¯ll usually have a larger pool. Where someone like yourself, or Arthur, while inexperienced, will replenish a little slower, but also have a smaller pool to refill.¡±


    Merlin thought about that for a moment, and it made sense. I wonder if he refers to the energy as mana at all? He thought to himself. He stood back up, took a deep breath and looked inside himself at his magic. Even though he couldn¡¯t see a number or any sort of read-out, he could feel how much magic he had and how fast it was refilling. Opening his eyes, he looked around the field and couldn¡¯t believe it had only been about a month ago that he was in the future and that magic was just a myth.

 Chapter 3

    I¡¯ve been here a while now, almost a month, and as I keep learning about magic theory with Ferd and some practical magic with Arthur, Natalie and Azura I can¡¯t help but feel like this is where I belong. I know I should be sad that I got yanked back here by something, but I always felt like I never fit in, in that world. Along with the practice of magic, I¡¯ve been learning how to use a sword with Arthur. It¡¯s a lot more complex and tiring than it looks. I thought I was strong back where I came from, but I¡¯m like a kitten compared to Arthur. It is fun to learn though and if I must stay in this time for the rest of my life, I think it will be a valuable lesson.


    After that first month of successful training, the days flew by as Ferd had Merlin lifting bigger stones and having him master the basics. Merlin got to know Natalie, Arthur and Azura better also, though George and Herald kept their distance, they still didn¡¯t seem to like him. Occasionally, he would go train with Azura or Natalie, and try things that they came up with for spells.


    Natalie came up with ways to manipulate nature, so she would eventually be able to grow food faster, or be able to sense an animal¡¯s emotions. She taught Merlin the theory behind her spells, and helped him practice. To begin with Merlin couldn¡¯t make anything grow, but eventually, as with Ferd, he started to get the hang of it. Though it was nowhere near what Natalie could do. Merlin did it when he was alone in his room, so he kept it a secret at how well he was doing and how fast he was catching up with her.


    Azura on the other hand had come up with different variations of battle magic. She could create multiple fireballs, creating a trebuchet type effect with them. She also could create larger than average shields for bigger groups and the best one of all was that she could create a poisonous gas that she could direct how she wanted, though she said she could only move it slowly and not that far, but she was still thinking of ways to expand her knowledge. She taught Merlin some of the things she had found out but she said the best stuff was for herself, which was fine by him, as most of the stuff he could probably figure out, eventually. As with Natalie¡¯s spells, he practiced Azura¡¯s spells in the privacy of his room, when he had spare time.


    Before Merlin knew it, six months had gone by from that first session. And over the last couple months Natalie, Azura, Arthur and Merlin started training together more often. He had become a lot better with Ferd¡¯s training and was getting better with Natalie and Azura¡¯s also. He was surprised by how much of a natural he was at wielding magic, not only had he surpassed both Natalie and Azura, but he had put his own twists on their spells as well. Of course, he would never come out and let them know that he was that good, He did like to keep an ace up his sleeve, just in case. Plus, that would ruin his fun when they all trained together.


    Then, late one night, Merlin was awoken by something, going to his door and cracking it open, he heard a crash coming from the kitchen. He opened the door and snuck down the hall to the stairs, slowly creeping down the stairs. He saw Ferd pacing around the kitchen, pieces of a cup lay on the floor by the door and there was another cup on the table.


    ¡°You might as well come down here, instead of sneaking around.¡± Ferd said as he continued to pace.


    Merlin sighed and got made his way down the stairs. ¡°How did you know I was there?¡± He asked as he cleaned up the shattered cup. Even though he had magic now, sometimes it was just nice to do things by hand.


    ¡°Please, you think I can¡¯t detect you with magic?¡± He stopped and turned towards Merlin. ¡°Why were you peeping anyways?¡±


    ¡°Something woke me up and when I cracked my door open, I heard a crash, and so I came to see what it was.¡± Merlin said as he sat down at the table. ¡°Why did you throw the cup at the door?¡±


    ¡°I got some troubling news.¡± Ferd said, and before Merlin could ask anything else he turned, walked up the stairs and disappeared.


    Merlin was just about to get up and go back to bed, when he heard someone coming down the stairs, it was Azura. She was dressed in nothing but her night gown, Merlin had never seen her wearing it before and he couldn¡¯t help but stare, before he remembered who it was he was staring at.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t know anyone was up.¡± She said as she walked to the fire and put the kettle on. ¡°How long have you been up?¡± she asked as got out some tea and a cup.


    ¡°Not too long.¡± Merlin said, as he watched her prepare her tea.


    ¡°What brings you down in the middle of the night then.¡± She asks as she waits for the water.


    ¡°Oh, umm¡­ something, ah, woke me, um, up, and then I, ah, heard a crash, um, so I came to, ah, check it out.¡± I stammered out, letting out a deep breath.


    ¡°I thought I heard a crash also?¡± She said


    ¡°Oh, uh, Ferd threw a cup at the door. He said he got some troubling news and then he went back up-stairs.¡±


    ¡°Really, did he say what the news was?¡±


    ¡°No, he just said it was troubling, then left.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, it must¡¯ve been pretty bad for Ferd to lose his temper like that. I¡¯ve known him for years and have only seen him act like that a few times.¡±


    The Kettle started to whistle then, Azura got up and walked over to the fire, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but stare at her as she walked. When she got to the kettle she bent over and picked it up, his eyes got wide as he realized she knew he was staring. Oh, shit! he thought as she stood up, and he quickly looked away, just as she turned around and came back to the table, a little smirk on her lips.


    Merlin¡¯s heart was hammering in his chest as she sat back down, he could feel his palms sweating. When we trained together, I didn¡¯t feel this way, why would this happen to me now? He wiped his hands on his pants and swallowed the lump in his throat. ¡°So, uh, do you usually have tea in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°On occasion.¡± She said as she stirred her tea.


    After coming here and training for the last few months, Merlin has come to know Natalie well and Arthur and him have become good friends, but Azura has usually been guarded about herself. Oh, sure, she¡¯ll be playful and cheerful while they train but he still didn¡¯t know much about her. So, he figured since it¡¯s just the two of them there, why not talk to her.


    ¡°Where did you call home, before this?¡± Merlin blurted out, before he could think if it was a good or bad question.


    She looked at him before answering, it felt like she was trying to decide what and how much to tell him. ¡°There¡¯s a city to the North, about a month¡¯s walk from here, where I grew up.¡±


    She looked sad, the memories must be painful, Merlin thought.


    ¡°My father was a baker and my mother was a seamstress. Myself, along with my three older brothers and older sister, would help them out. We weren¡¯t rich by any means but we always had enough for food on the table and clothing on our backs. My siblings and I would go to school for part of every day, learning how to read and write and do numbers, since we needed to know that to help our parents, and it would be useful for later in life also.¡± She stopped talking and looked past me, like she was reliving a moment. ¡°Everything was going great; my elder sister was to be married soon and all my brothers were courting beautiful women from wealthier families and I was helping my parents around the shops. I wouldn¡¯t have changed anything about it, but of course, nothing can last forever.¡±


    Merlin¡¯s heart went out to her as she told him that last part, and without thinking about it, he reached across the table and put his hands on hers. He knew how strong she was and he wouldn¡¯t want to go up against her in a fight, but when he put his hands on hers, her hands looked so tiny and frail, and yet she didn¡¯t pull her hands away.


    She took a breath and then continued. ¡°Two weeks before my sister¡¯s wedding, a man came into our shop, he was filthy and smelled really bad, I had a bad feeling as soon as I laid eyes on him. But my father never turned anyone away, he was a good man like that. The man went up and bought a loaf of bread, but when my father went to put the money in the money chest, the man reached in his coat, pulled out a long knife and stabbed my father in the chest. I couldn¡¯t breathe as the man pulled the knife from my father¡¯s chest, my father¡¯s body falling to the floor, making a loud thump. That thump drew my mother from the other room, and as soon as she came out of the doorway, the man lunged and stabbed her in the stomach, then pulled the knife out and stabbed her again, and again, repeatedly, until he and my mother were covered in her blood. He let her body fall to the floor and then turned his eyes on me, wiping the blood on his dirty jacket he advanced, smiling while he did. I didn¡¯t know what to do, I couldn¡¯t breathe, I couldn¡¯t scream, I couldn¡¯t move. But when he got to within arm¡¯s length of me, my body took over and magic seemed to flow out of me, wrapping the man up and tearing him to pieces. Bit by bit, I saw him dissolve into nothing, and when he was gone, the magic stopped and the knife fell, sticking point first into the wooden floor. I fell to my knees, not knowing what had just happened, I was weak and felt like vomiting, but I gathered my thoughts and looked around the shop. My father lying dead behind the counter, my mother dead in the doorway with blood all over her, and the knife that killed them both was sticking in the floor, with myself as the only other person in the shop. I knew how it would look and so I climbed to my feet and made my way to my room. I gathered my most precious possessions, some extra clothes and some food and then snuck out of the shop. I was a couple blocks away when I heard, a shrill piercing scream, it had to have been my sister, I thought as I looked back the way I had come and knew I could never go back.¡± When she was done, she pulled her hands from mine and finished her tea. A tear ran down her cheek as she stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you. I couldn¡¯t imagine what it was like going through that.¡± Merlin said, trying to comfort her but feeling like it was falling way short.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it happened years ago.¡± She said, turning back towards me. ¡°Besides, I have a new family now.¡± She smiled and went upstairs.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Merlin said and got up and walked towards the stairs, coming up beside her. ¡°I know this may sound stupid, but would you like some company, for a little bit longer?¡±


    She smiled sadly and said, ¡°not at the moment, Merlin, but thank you for the offer. However, I will walk you to your room.¡±


    They climbed the stairs together and she walked him to his room, which, unfortunately, was the first one on the right. They said goodnight and she turned to go back to her room. As she walked away, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but watch her as she disappeared down the hallway. Thinking of what had happened tonight, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Azura being the last thing on his mind.


    When he woke up the next morning, everything that happened last night felt like a dream. His mind seemed foggy as he made his way to the wash basin. After throwing on a new robe, he made his way downstairs, and everything seemed normal. Ferd was sitting at the head of the table with the guys on one side and the ladies on the other, he took his usual seat at the foot of the table. Everything may have seemed normal, but even I could tell things weren¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t unusual for George and Herald to leave before the rest of us, especially Merlin. Arthur and Natalie went off to do their training.


    ¡°Azura, Merlin will train with you today. Make sure to give him a good workout.¡± Ferd said just before he went upstairs.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s different.¡± Merlin said, as he stared up the stairs after Ferd. Ferd is the one that had trained him for the last six month, and when he had spare time he would train with Arthur and the girls. ¡°He must still be upset about last night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding, I¡¯ve never seen him like this before either.¡± Azura said as she turned away from the stairs and started heading towards the door. ¡°Come on though, we better get going.¡±


    They walked outside and were totally alone, as George and Herald were already off doing whatever it is they did and Natalie and Arthur were off in one of the fields already doing their own training. Azura turned and started heading towards the field she usually used to train, which was bigger than the one Ferd and myself usually used. As we were walking, he thought he heard an explosion, of course around here, explosions weren¡¯t uncommon, but this one sounded different for some reason. Azura didn¡¯t mention it so he figured that she either didn¡¯t hear it or she just figured it was one of the others training. As they walked Merlin couldn¡¯t help but think about George and Herald and why they disliked him and what they always did while the rest of them were training.


    ¡°Hey Azura, what¡¯s the deal with George and Herald?¡± Merlin asked.


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What do they do all day? What¡¯s their story? Why do they hate me? Stuff like that.¡±


    Azura kept walking but looked like she was trying to think of the right thing to say. Finally, after a few moments of silence she spoke.


    ¡°Well you know that they were both apprentices of Ferd¡¯s, many years ago, they left for a while but eventually came back. Well, from what I¡¯ve heard, there was a third man that trained with them, his name was Bartholomew, Bart for short. He was a few years older than either of those two, so he was like the leader of their little pack, but they all acted like they were brothers. Anyways, after he completed his training, he left the house and went into the world to travel or what not. George and Herald were happy for Bart, but at the same time they were sad to see him leave. Anyways, a few years later, after George and Herald were done with their own training and they were excited to go out into the world. By that time Ferd had a few more, apprentices but they were younger than George and Herald so they didn¡¯t know them that well. Natalie was also there at this time, though she was just a little girl. A few weeks after George and Herald had left, Bart showed up at the house, but he was different. Natalie says she remembers his eyes the most, they were bright red with black pupils, that seemed to stare into your soul and fill it with despair. He also seemed to have a black aura around him, that moved on its own. One of the oldest apprentices at the time was the first to see Bart, and he sent the younger ones back to the house to get Ferd and to hide. I¡¯m told he fought bravely but didn¡¯t last long, as he was nowhere near Bart¡¯s level. But that apprentice had slowed him down just enough for the younger ones to get to the house and tell Ferd, who immediately sent the kids away to a hiding place, except for Natalie, who was hiding in a cupboard. Ferd was in too big of a rush to notice that she hadn¡¯t gone with the others, cause just after he closed the portal to the hiding place, Bart kicked in the door. Natalie says she doesn¡¯t remember what they talked about, but my guess is, is that they were just talking too quietly for her to hear them. Anyways, she said that Bart attacked Ferd and they fought, Magic and Dark Magic flying around the house, she just curled up tighter and hoped that nothing dangerous hit her. When she looked back out again, they were both gone, but there was a hole where the door had been and crashes and loud bangs coming from outside. So, she didn¡¯t see what happened during the battle outside, but when it finally quieted down, she slowly uncurled and snuck to the door, and looked outside. She saw Ferd standing some ways away from Bart, who was lying on the ground, unmoving. She thought Ferd had killed him, but as she got closer she could see him breathing. When Ferd turned around to see who was coming he was surprised to see it was Natalie, but he quickly took her back inside and set her at the table and told her not to move until he came back. He then went outside and lifted Bart¡¯s body, opened a portal and disappeared. Not long after, Ferd reappeared and opened a portal to the hiding place where his other apprentices were, who were all worried about Natalie and Ferd. Natalie said he told them most of what happened but never said what he had done with Bart. A few weeks later George and Herald came back, hearing what happened with Bart and they wanted to know where he was but Ferd wouldn¡¯t tell them. After that, George and Herald stayed away for years, not even showing up for gatherings. Finally, they came back, seeming like they had forgiven Ferd, but they kept their distance. They go off to their own little place, past the fields, and do whatever it is they do. Some of the apprentices have ventured off to sneak a peek at what they¡¯re doing but they always come back empty handed or hog tied but with no memory of where they had been.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So they¡¯ve been here for how many years and have been going off and doing their own thing for that long, and yet nobody knows what they¡¯re up to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically I guess.¡±


    ¡°That just smells like trouble brewing.¡± Merlin felt uneasy knowing what he knew now, but they had just got to the field, so he let it drop.


    Training with Azura wasn¡¯t like training with Ferd. Ferd was more theoretical, having Merlin learn the basics behind spells and magic and slowly working on mastering the spells. Though, little did he know, that Merlin had already mastered more spells than what he led Ferd to believe. While Azura was more of a hands-on type of teacher.


    Now, if you would have known Andrew before all this, you would know that he would be out of breath by the time he walked up one flight of stairs, so what happened next is something of an accomplishment for him.


    They had barely stepped onto the field when Azura turned and threw a fireball at Merlin. It wasn¡¯t very powerful but it still would¡¯ve stung if it hit him. Merlin stepped to the side and let it pass by, feeling the heat of it under his shirt. He turned and faced Azura, who already had a fireball ready in each hand.


    ¡°Now that I have you to myself, let¡¯s see what the old man has been teaching you.¡±


    Azura threw the first fireball low, which Merlin jumped over and almost face planted right into the second one she threw, but he twisted his body to the left, letting the fireball pass by him. He landed on the ground and then rolled up onto his feet. He took a moment to appreciate what had just happened, and almost got burned again, but luckily over the last six months his reflexes have grown faster, and he dropped to the ground. Rolling to his right he felt the heat of fireball after fireball crashing into the ground where he had been a moment before. He finally rolled up onto his feet and put up a shield that she could see, letting a fireball hit it.


    ¡°Ah, so you do have shields.¡± Azura said.


    ¡°Haha, of course I do, but why expend the energy when I can dodge your attacks?¡±


    ¡°So, you think you¡¯re good enough to dodge all my attacks, huh?¡±


    That had him a little worried, and rightly so, as just after she said that, six mini fireballs formed in a circle by her. They started spinning in a circle, which made them look like a full circle of flames, and she threw them at him. She created another circle, and another after that, sending each one towards him, and at different heights, so she was literally making him jump through flaming hoops. he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that in his head. He stopped laughing just after getting his hair singed by one of the fire circles. Not really wanting to tip his hand in how well he has gotten with the spells he¡¯s been working on, he purposefully stumbled a bit, threw up a shield and fell into one of the circles she threw at him. Landing on the ground, he quickly rolled to his right before climbing to his feet. She seemed to be sweating by this time, but not enough to have worn her out just yet. He looked around for something to use and saw some small rocks on the ground. Picking them up, he took one in his right hand, cocked his arm back, and let the magic flow as he launched the stone at her. He put enough magic behind the stone to make it sting if it hit her but not enough to kill. As expected, it just hit her shield and shattered.


    ¡°Oh, come now, you can do better than that.¡± She said as she threw another blazing circle at him.


    Merlin could do better than that, he knew that, but he wanted to play around with her a bit beforehand. He dodged the last blazing circle and he figured her shield was all the way around her, so no use trying to get a rock to sling shot into her back from behind. Looking down at her feet, he had an idea. Taking the small rocks in his hands he started throwing them at her, not wasting too much magic on them, but just enough that she would notice but not care about them. While doing that, Merlin sent his magic through his feet and into the ground. Not being able to move would be a big challenge since Azura was still firing off her circles, but she wasn¡¯t moving either, luckily. Merlin sent his magic underground to just below where Azura was standing, and pumping just a bit more magic to that point, Merlin let it explode, forming the blast to make an upwards pointing cone, but not enough to hurt Azura.


    The look on Azura¡¯s face was priceless as she flew ten feet into the air and landed, hard on her backside, the dirt falling on top of her. She laid there a moment, Merlin thinking she had been hurt but it was just her pride that was bruised. As Azura started to get up, Merlin started walking cautiously towards her, not wanting to let his guard down, he kept his shields up. As Azura got up she was rubbing her butt, she would have a nice bruise tomorrow. The look she gave him was one that stopped him dead in his tracks. He knew he¡¯d have his own bruises tomorrow, as Azura stood up and started walking towards him.


    Merlin took the beating that Azura dished out, but he got in a few more surprises himself, but by the time they left the field, they were both sore, bruised, bleeding and out of breath. The field itself didn¡¯t look much better. Merlin felt like he had gained a small amount of respect from Azura that day and as they walked back to the house, they weren¡¯t just friends or apprentices, they were comrades. They had tested each other¡¯s mettle and neither of them found the other wanting.


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Natalie exclaimed as she saw Merlin and Azura approach the well. ¡°What the hell happened to you two?¡± Getting out some towels she went over to them and helped them clean up.


    ¡°Well, Ferd told me to take Merlin and train him some today.¡± Azura said


    Merlin laughed. ¡°Ah, training? That¡¯s what you call that?¡±


    ¡°Well I did have to see at what level you were at.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen what level I¡¯m at from when we play around with Natalie and Arthur.¡± Merlin soaked a cloth and held it to his face, soaking the blood that was caked on.


    ¡°Oh, please! That¡¯s not training, that¡¯s just us having fun. Today though, we showed each other what we could do without holding back, much.¡± Azura said smirking at Merlin.


    ¡°You two look like this from training?¡± Natalie asked as she poured water over Azura, so she could wash her hair out.


    ¡°We were just tossing spells back and forth at first, but then the mad man there blew me up.¡± Azura said, flinging water at Merlin.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t blow you up.¡± Merlin said as he dried his hands. ¡°You just happened to be standing on the spot that I did blow up.¡± He smirked.


    ¡°You blew her up?¡± Arthur asked as he came over to investigate what was going on.


    Merlin laughed. ¡°Looks like that won¡¯t be going away anytime soon.¡±


    Azura smirked as she put her hair up. ¡°Come on you funny people, I¡¯m hungry, and Merlin owes me a dinner.¡±


    Merlin just shook his head and followed the girls. Arthur caught up with him and asked. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°We just made a little bet while we were training. She thinks she won, but with the beating she took, I¡¯m not going to argue.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really beat her that good?¡±


    ¡°Well, she definitely wasn¡¯t expecting it.¡±


    Merlin and Arthur made it to the house then and Merlin started getting supper ready. It was still early in the evening, but George and Herald weren¡¯t back yet, which nobody seemed to mind. Taking what limited knowledge of cooking he had, and cutting it down to what could be made here, Merlin decided that it would just be easiest to make a stew. Though he did want to make a pizza for everyone, once he had some more time.


    Now, since the time that Merlin had gotten to the house, George and Herald hadn¡¯t missed a meal once. Neither had Ferd. So, to have all three of them miss this supper, was odd, to say the least. Merlin¡¯s cooking wasn¡¯t nearly as good as Azura¡¯s but no one complained and there were no left over¡¯s either.


    Once supper was done and the dishes were cleaned, the four of them sat down in front of the fire and shared stories. Arthur told everyone of the time that he had found a pool of clear cool water in a cave somewhere, and witnessed a water nymph. It sounded fascinating to Merlin, but the girls scoffed at the notion that nymphs existed.


    Natalie told us of the one and only time that she had ever seen a dragon. She had gone on a trip with Ferd to a small town and somehow had gotten lost one day. She wandered the woods, trying to use her magic to find Ferd but it kept leading her deeper into the woods, rather than out of them. When she came upon a clearing and in the clearing, there was a small boar with an arrow sticking out of it. She said she made her way to the boar and took the arrow out of it, using her magic to slow the bleeding and eventually heal the wound. Once she was done, the boar rested and she could barely move herself, so she laid down next to the boar and slept. She awoke to a squeal, looking around she saw a massive boar, stomping its hoof at her. The boar charged but before it got too close, a woman, that seemed to be glowing, stepped out from the woods and stepping between her and the boar put her hand up. The boar stopped in its tracks and stomped its hoof. The woman turned towards Natalie and gestured to the little boar. Natalie shook the little one awake and turned it towards the bigger one, both leaving the clearing soon after.


    ¡°That was a very kind thing you did for that little one.¡± The woman spoke.


    ¡°It was hurt, so I helped it.¡± Natalie replied.


    ¡°For that, they thank you very much.¡± The woman said, and touched Natalie¡¯s arm.


    Natalie said that ever since the woman touched her, she had been able to better commune with plants and animals.


    After that, I had to wonder if dragons really were big scaly reptiles that breathed fire. Maybe they were just beings that were more enlightened than humans.


    Next Azura told us about the time she wandered out past the fields. She told us how there was nothing but sand and hills as far as the eye could see. She had brought with a water skin but within hours, it was dry. And when she thought she would get a reprieve at night, it turned out that it got as cold as a mountain stream at night there. She remembered falling asleep but not how she ended up back in her bed.


    Natalie and Arthur had heard that story a few times, and they still couldn¡¯t believe that a place that was so hot could get so cold at night, but neither one of them really wanted to test the theory either.


    When it was Merlin¡¯s turn to share a story, he thought briefly about telling them where, or when, he was from. They all were becoming close friends, and after today¡¯s training with Azura, he felt closer to them than ever, but there was just something nagging at the back of his mind so, he decided not to reveal that, just yet. So, he just pulled one of his memories that wouldn¡¯t give anything away, but hopefully would entertain the others a bit.


    Merlin told them about a time when he was younger, that his parent took him to see some fish feeding pens. There were about a dozen pens and you had to walk across a dock of sorts to get to where the pens were. At first, Merlin recalled, he could only see a few fish in each pen, but then the person working the pens took some corn and tossed it into a pen, and it turned into a frothing swirling feeding frenzy as it seemed like every fish came to get some corn. It was interesting to watch, and he noted, that it would¡¯ve been fun to throw a line in there.


    ¡°What was the point of the pens?¡± Natalie asked while leaning forward.


    ¡°For breeding.¡± Merlin answered. ¡°They would take the females eggs and mix the male¡¯s sperm in with the eggs, to fertilize them, then they would put the eggs in a separate place where the babies wouldn¡¯t be able to escape once they hatch. Once the babies were grown just a bit, they would take them and try and repopulate that fish in lakes around the area or try and introduce them to a new lake.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that upset the balance of the lake though?¡±


    ¡°Not always. Sometimes the lake would be over fished or a predator fish would get in the lake and decimate the fish population. It all depended on the lake and what species of fish were found there to begin with.¡±


    ¡°That sounds interesting.¡± Natalie said as she sat back and pondered what Merlin had said.


    After that Merlin got up and left Arthur and Azura to chat, and Natalie to ponder. He went upstairs and was just about to go into his room when he stopped and listened.


    ¡°Commmmmme hereeeeeeee.¡± A ghostly voice whispered.


    Merlin felt a chill run down his back after he heard the whisper. He turned towards the stairs, but not seeing anyone he turned the other way and looked down the hall.


    ¡°Commmmmme hereeeeeeee.¡± The voice whispered again.


    Merlin gulped as he swallowed and asked. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°Commmmmme hereeeeeeee.¡± The voice whispered, sounding closer this time. ¡°Commmmmme hereeeeeeeeeeeeeee.¡±


    Merlin stared down the hall way, and even though every instinct told him not to go, he took a step towards the voice. Making his way down the hall, passing Arthur¡¯s, Natalie¡¯s, Azura¡¯s and even George and Herald¡¯s rooms. He¡¯d never been down the hall this far before, hell he never even knew that the hall went this far. But he kept walking, slowly putting one foot in front of the other. He stopped instantly, realizing that there were no more lights ahead of him, and looked around.


    ¡°Almosssssssssst thereeeeeeeeeee.¡± The voice whispered,


    Sounding like someone was standing right next to Merlin and whispering in his ear, Merlin whipped around, but didn¡¯t see anyone near him. He looked to where he had been heading, seeing nothing but black, and feeling his heart hammering in his chest, he took a deep breath and continued.


    Pushing forward, he made his way through the darkness, at first it was easy going but after about five feet, Merlin felt like he was slogging through water that was ankle deep. As he went deeper into the darkness the ¡°water¡± felt like it was rising, coming up to his knees then to his waist and finally just under his chest. He stopped, hesitating on whether to keep going, as he didn¡¯t know how high the ¡°water¡± went, but deciding that it couldn¡¯t be that much further, he pushed on. After five more feet, his foot finally broke through and felt like it was free of the ¡°water¡± so he stepped down and pulled himself free. He looked down, expecting to see his clothes soaking wet, but they were as dry as when he left the others.


    ¡°Verrrrrrrry Gooooooood.¡± The voice whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come this far, are you finally going to reveal yourself?¡± Merlin shouted into the darkness, sounding a lot more confident than he felt.


    ¡°Commmmmme finnnnnnd meeeeeee.¡±


    ¡°Where am I supposed to find you at?¡±


    Silence filled the darkness, but Merlin was determined to find the voice. Having been in the dark now for a few minutes, his eyes began to adjust and he could make out some shapes but nothing else. He tried to cast a light spell but when he released the magic, it just fizzled out. Trying again, the same thing happened.


    Looking around, Merlin spotted something on the wall. Moving towards it, with his hands out. He came to the wall and felt the object. Guessing it was a torch or sorts, he felt around the base of it and found a striker and flint. Not having used flint and steel much it took him a few minutes before he got a spark to land on the torch. Taking the torch and looking around where he was at, it looked like an old storage room, filled with junk.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Merlin said into the darkness. Sweeping the torch from side to side, looking for where the voice was coming from. He walked up to a barrel and looked inside, there was swords, axes and maces, filling the barrel. None of them caught his eye, so he moved on, coming up to a chest that reminded him of a pirate¡¯s chest. Opening the lid, he held the torch over the contents, feeling a slight pull on his magic as he did so. Tightening his grip on his magic, he felt the pull disappear, and he closed the lid. Walking around the round, he noticed that most, if not all the contents of the room, were in pristine condition. Stopping and thinking for a minute, he laughed, realizing that they had to be magical items. He stopped at that thought and decided that he better be careful, so as not to disturb something evil.


    ¡°Oh come on already!¡± A voice to Merlin¡¯s left said.


    Whipping around, Merlin held the torch out in front of him to try and see who had spoken. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Where are you? Show yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, nimrod.¡± The voice said.


    Merlin moved closer to a shelf that had knives and daggers on it, the light from the torch catching on one dagger in particular. It was tiny, if it wasn¡¯t for the shape, he would have called it a toothpick. The blade was a triangle shape, and it had a tiny cross guard, before the handle, which had a pink gem set in the very end. All in all, it was a beautiful dagger, but it was so tiny that he didn¡¯t think it would be of much use at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the size that matters, it¡¯s how you use it, you know.¡± The voice said, like it could see Merlin sizing up the dagger. ¡°Just pick me up and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Merlin reached his hand out for the dagger, but stopped when he was just an inch away from it. Thinking about the room and the pull on his magic earlier, he pulled his hand away and let out just a touch of magic towards the dagger. Feeling it through his magic was something very new to Merlin, since he hadn¡¯t dealt with any magical items before. The sense that he got from the dagger was that of a disobedient child, it wasn¡¯t malevolent, just mischievous. Though he could sense some good in it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you¡¯re that evil.¡± Merlin said, after he pulled his magic back in. ¡°So why are you here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long story.¡± The voice said, and Merlin got the impression that it was laughing. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Ferd doesn¡¯t like practical jokes as much as I do.¡±


    ¡°Well it must¡¯ve been one hell of a joke, if he stuck you in here with all these other cursed items.¡±


    ¡°I was young and stupid at the time and thought it would be funny. Apparently, almost killing a couple of apprentices, makes you evil, even if they didn¡¯t die and you didn¡¯t mean to have things go that far.¡±


    ¡°Well knowing Ferd, he takes protecting his apprentices pretty seriously.¡± Merlin said as he reached out and touched the tiny dagger. As soon as his hand touched the metal, he felt a connection form between him and the dagger. He picked it up and looked at it, watching as it grew to a normal sized dagger. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s nice.¡± Merlin said as he looked the bigger version over.


    ¡°Yes, the smaller size is nicer for carrying and hiding me, but the large and extra-large sizes are nice also. ¡°


    ¡°Extra-Large?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically a sword.¡±


    ¡°Very nice. How do you turn into the sword then?¡±


    ¡°Ummm, I¡¯m not exactly sure.¡± The voice said, sounding embarrassed.


    ¡°How do you not know?¡±


    ¡°Ferd put me in here not long after I was created, and as you can tell this place dampens magic, so I was never able to make the switch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± Merlin said as he walked back to where he found the torch. ¡°Well maybe we can figure out how to get you to become a sword together.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The voice said ¡°But how will we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try going out, the same way I came in. Through the water barrier thing.¡± Merlin said as he put the torch back, oriented himself with the barrier, and then capped the torch. Making his way towards the barrier with the dagger in one hand and the other out stretched, he felt the barrier as he came to it and then he pushed into it, feeling more resistance than before as he pushed the hand with the dagger into the barrier.