Merlin & Nimue
Caves are dark, damp, cold, lonely places. This cave was cramped as well, barely enough room for the man to rest on his side without touching the pool of water that took up most of the floor space. He had lost track of how long he had been here. The knowledge of what had transpired in his absence washed away the last of his desire to escape. His will broken, he gave himself over to his fate, gave himself to the cold floor of the cave and slept.
“Merlin.”
At first he thought it was a dream, or a hallucination brought on by lack of nourishment. The water in the cave was clean enough to drink, but he could not last forever without food. His magic had sustained him this long, but his strength was waning quickly.
“Merlin.”
No, he was sure he heard his name. With some effort he opened his eyes. The light had been unexpected but welcome until he realized who was there. He let his eyes close again and, with a great deal of effort, swallowed.
“You’re late, Lady,” he croaked.
“Yes,” the Lady said. “I could not prevent Arthur’s death, but I can prevent yours.”
“Let me die,” Merlin implored. “Or kill me now. My work is undone. My life is over.”
“No, Merlin,” the Lady replied. “There is still work to be done, work which only you can accomplish.”
“I am weak, and I am trapped in this cave. I can accomplish nothing.”
“I can grant you your freedom, restore your strength, and set you on the path of your new quest.”
Merlin opened his eyes again. “What quest?”
The Lady glowed brightly in the darkness of the cave, causing Merlin to squint. “The quest for the fate of Magic, Merlin.”
Merlin’s stomach clenched. “What do you mean?”
“There will be others, Merlin. Men and women who wield magic. None will have all the power that you possess. Nevertheless, they will have it.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Without purpose, the magic these fledgling magicians wield will be wild, uncontrolled, erratic and dangerous. Those who have the gift will be outcast, wandering the world without purpose or direction. Someone must lead them, Merlin. They must be taught how to control the magic, how to contain their power, how best to apply their gifts.”
Merlin thought about this for a moment. “Why does it have to be me?”
The light in the cave dimmed. “Who else do you know who can teach them?”
The answer hit Merlin hard. He swallowed again, painfully. “Nimue.”
“You know as well as I what will happen if she is allowed to determine the future of magic.”
Merlin didn’t have to conjure a vision of the future to imagine the chaos of a world where Nimue was given free reign over how magic was approached, taught and used. The more he thought about it, the more he knew what he must do.
“Grant me strength and freedom. I will do what must be done.”
At long last, it was done.
Merlin closed the door to his chambers and slid the bolt home. He was dressed in rags and covered with filth. The journey home had been long and nervous. As he leaned against the door, he opened his eyes slowly and checked the box he held to his chest. Yes, it was still there, intact. He and his precious cargo had survived the journey.
He let out a long breath of relief. Assured of his privacy, he let himself fall to his knees and wept.
Eventually he recovered enough to make his way to the bath. He disrobed and conjured a warm water to fill the bath and entered slowly, allowing the soothing warmth to ease into his muscles. He relaxed and rested while the water did its work, pulling the grime and muck from his skin and hair which had grown to ridiculous lengths. He looked more like a barbarian than a wizard, a fact he had used to his advantage. After some time he left the bath, clean as he’d ever been. He made his way to the wardrobe and put on a comfortable robe, then, after retrieving his prize, made his way to his meditation room.
With a wave of his hand, the incense burned. He took his place in the center of the room, went down on his knees, sat on his feet, closed his eyes, and meditated.
“Merlin!”
Merlin smiled in spite of himself. He was surprised she had come this quickly. He opened his eyes to see the specter he was expecting.
“You’re early!” he said jovially. “I wasn’t expecting you for…”
“Merlin! What have you done?”
Merlin considered his guest thoughtfully. “I told you, Nimue, Magic has a price. The more powerful the Magic, the more dire the price.”
“Murderer!”
Merlin sighed. “You know very well it was you that killed that woman. You kept the flesh alive, but you forced out her soul so you could inhabit her body.”
“It was you who killed the flesh…”
“And it was you who killed the soul!” Merlin interrupted. “You know as well as I what the price is for the death of a soul.”
Nimue’s ghost was silent for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. It is only a matter of time before I find another suitable host, and when I do, my vengeance will be terrible, Merlin. Mark my words.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be inhabiting any more bodies for a long, long time,” Merlin said, a grin forming on lips. He took the box in his hands and lifted it up for Nimue to see.
“That’s… that’s impossible…”
“No, Nimue,” Merlin said, looking at her from over the top of the box. “Back when I was in love with you, I wanted to teach you everything. When I finally saw what you really were, it was too late to save myself, but I was wise enough at least to keep some of the deeper magic from you.”
Nimue’s face writhed in horror. “You’ve bound me in a ghostly prison!”
“It’s more than that, I’m afraid,” Merlin said as he set the box down. “I have set an enchantment on this box which holds the heart that you ripped from your body and set into the chest of the woman whose soul you condemned to oblivion. You can only commune with the one who possesses the box. Nobody else can see you, hear you, feel you, or in any way detect your presence. Even the most powerful wizard will say that you are gone, lost to the worlds beyond. You are banished, Nimue, and if there was power enough to send you where you deserve to be I would have done that, too.”
“No!” Nimue cried in desperation. “This can not be! Merlin! Set me free! I beg you!”
Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head. “You have proven that you cannot be trusted, Nimue. I cannot let you roam freely in this world. The chaos and evil you have brought must be contained. Now, speak no more until I desire an audience hence.”
“Merlin? Merlin! Merlin!”
Merlin waved his hand over the box, and she was gone. It was over. Merlin took a deep breath and let it out. He stood and placed the box on a marble column he had created for this very day. He stood admiring it for a few moments, then turned to leave the room.
“There, now that’s done, I can get on with the work at hand.”
