Guardian (26 page)

At last we reached the end of the street and stepped off the road into the grass. Ian finally let go of my arm.

“What was that all about? Why did you go back into that pub? Did you hear what that boob-laden bitch said?”

He glanced at me and grinned. “She was boob-laden? I didn’t notice.”

“Right!” I shook my head, grinning.

I had to nearly run to keep up with him. “Wait, slow down! Where are we going?”

He stopped and waited for me to catch up. “Merlin’s cave, where else.”

“Oh! Okay.” I thought about this for a minute. “Wait a minute…how do you know where it is?”

“I asked the boob-laden lass.”

“Oh. Okay.” I thought about this for another minute. Then I grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at me. “I thought you didn’t notice she had big boobs.”

His grin widened and he grabbed me around the waist. “I didn’t. I’m just taking your word for it. I trust you implicitly.” Then he kissed me soundly on the lips. I melted into him, feeling my toes curl up in my soft, leather slippers.

He lifted his lips after a knee melting moment and swiped his tongue over the tip of my nose. “Mmm. A man could get drunk kissing you…literally.” He turned away, heading uphill.

I shivered with delight and fell into step beside him as we ascended the grassy hill, toward a rocky ledge high above the village. I shook my head. “Merlin? Why are they visiting Merlin?”

“Most likely to get his book of prophesies. Maybe the book has something they need.”

I nodded. “Could be, I guess.”

The ground where we walked was rising steadily higher, toward the grey cragginess of the rock face above. Where before our feet had sunk into lush, green grass, they now pounded against hard, rocky earth, spotted here and there with tough, brownish scrub.

The dark entrance to the cave was about thirty yards ahead.

When we got within ten yards of the cave, it was like we’d passed from one dimension to another. All color leeched from the area. The air was suddenly damp and cold and the bright light of day dimmed into dusk. Dark clouds roiled in the sky high above our heads. A silvery mist swirled around our feet, leaving behind a cold, prickly sensation that made me feel as if I would jump out of my skin at the slightest provocation.

“He’s placed a repelling ward on the area.”

I nodded. “It’s a good one. I’m thinking of going back to face that poker.”

Ian chuckled.

I wrapped my arms around myself and plodded forward. I figured I could take the buxom bitch in a fight.

Unless she smothered me with her chest.

When the cave face was ten feet away Ian stopped. I stood beside him shivering. His gaze was fixed firmly on the cave opening.

Something shimmered there, indistinct as shadow.

The shadow lengthened and pulsed forward, coalescing into a tall man, wrapped in torn and dirty robes, whose long fingers fluttered before him as he took shuffling steps toward us. The man’s long, deeply creased face emerged from between the strands of a thick, dirty, yellow-white beard, which was plaited across the top with tiny, imperfect braids. Thinning yellow-white hair wisped around him and touched his wide, bony shoulders.

I looked up into his grey, craggy face and gave a surprised gasp.

Merlin was blind.

His eyes were bluish white and unfocused.

He looked so old and feeble I wondered that he’d been able to create such a powerful repelling spell.

“What business have ye here?”

His voice was vibrant and strong, putting the lie to my impression of age and weakness.

I stepped forward. “Are ye Merlin, the wizard?”

The man’s sightless eyes fixed on me and I shivered. I could almost feel him probing inside my mind. I forced myself to stand still under the onslaught.

After a long moment he dipped his chin in acknowledgement of my question. “I be him.”

“We have business with ye, wizard.” Ian took my elbow and stepped forward.

I prayed he knew what he was doing.

Chapter F
ifteen

The Wizard’s Cave

M
erlin stared in our direction for a long moment, his filmy, bluish-white eyes focused unerringly on our faces. I could feel Ian’s aura rising around us and squeezed my arm over his fingers in warning.

Finally Merlin gave us the slightest of nods and turned back toward the mouth of his cave. “Follow.”

He disappeared into the unnatural darkness just beyond the edge of the cave mouth and I looked at Ian. He looked grim and his aura burned bright orange around him. He appeared ready for anything as we stepped through that ragged, rock opening.

Well…almost anything.

We blinked and reached for our weapons.

Deep, rich laughter rolled across the brightly lit space between us and…Merlin?

The wizard stood tall, straight, and youthfully vibrant before us.

His long beard was a bright, clean white, braided into hundreds of fine, perfectly molded braids. The hair on his head was also a bright, healthy white, and flowed over broad shoulders like silk, down to his waist.

Though his hair was white, any illusion of age ended there. The face beneath was a healthy golden brown, sun kissed, and unlined, the chin pointed, and the nose long and slightly crooked. It was the face of a young and vibrant man.

His robes were silver, touched with gold at the neck and hem, and bound about the middle with a gold, chain belt. He stood amidst a vibrant purple aura that spread throughout the room, engulfing us and fairly vibrating the rock walls with its intensity.

The room literally pulsed with power.

An interested, clear, and slightly smug, purple gaze pinned us to the spot. “Welcome, children. To the great Wizard’s cave.”

Ian’s fingers on my elbow tightened. I glanced at him and he was frowning. His aura had been pushed back to the point where it was only a pale outline of his body. “What game do you play, wizard? Remove your magic from my powers.”

Merlin’s response was laughter. Deep, vibrant, tones of amusement boomed around us, enhanced by the power throbbing through the cave. “Your powers have no life in Merlin’s cave faery. You may leave if you like. Makes no matter to me.” Merlin turned away from us and reached for a frosty, metal pitcher sitting on a gleaming table of some kind of reddish wood. He poured himself a mug of the yellow brew, which sparkled jauntily on the air as it passed from pitcher to mug.

He held the mug toward us, lifting an eyebrow in question. We shook our heads and he smiled.

It wasn’t a particularly nice smile.

Merlin lowered himself into a chair and waved a hand toward two others at the long, gleaming table. “Sit, faery.” He looked at me and cocked his head. “Spirit?”

I nodded, stepping forward. I had to wrench my arm from Ian’s determined grasp but I moved toward the wizard with as much confidence as I could muster. “Wizard Merlin.” I bowed slightly, finally remembering my Court manners. “I am Warrior Monad, Nuria. It is an honor to meet you finally. I’ve heard stories of you from as early as I can remember.”

Merlin grinned at me and indicated the chair nearest him. I sat and he looked me over. His startling purple gaze hesitated on the metal band at my wrist and he frowned. “What devilry is this?” He reached over and touched the band and I heard a small snick as the lock apparently disengaged and the bracelet fell free. I gasped.

Behind me, I heard the swish of metal against leather as Ian pulled his sword free from its scabbard.

Merlin looked up, unconcerned, but his face took on an appraising aspect and one, snowy white eyebrow lifted. “You have secrets, faery.”

I turned to Ian and watched his face lose some of its color. He lowered the sword as if he had forgotten he held it.

Merlin took my hand. “What can this humble wizard do for you child?”

I rubbed my wrist and grinned at him. “I think you may already have done it.”

He laughed that booming laughter again and sat back in his chair. “You have surprising enemies.”

I cocked my head at him and opened my mouth. But Ian was suddenly there, leaning toward the wizard with a dark, angry face. “What plotting have ye been about, wizard? What plans have ye made?”

Merlin fixed Ian with a look that would have made a lesser creature take a step back. But Ian was a warrior in every way, and he didn’t back down. “Replace your weapon, faery or you will be expelled from my cave.”

Ian sneered. “By whom, old man…you?” Ian laughed and the two men locked gazes.

The air flickered around Ian and his aura started to thicken. Somehow he was managing to build it, even under the oppression of Merlin’s formidable magic.

I reached out and touched Ian’s arm. “Let me speak to him, Ian.”

At first Ian refused to look away from the wizard to acknowledge me. But finally his chocolate brown gaze slid to me. I watched anger and stubbornness fight with reason on his handsome face but finally, he gave me the slightest of nods. He took one step back but didn’t take a seat. He placed the tip of his sword on the rock floor between his wide spread legs and leaned both hands on the faery wrought handle, peering intently at Merlin as if daring him to move.

Merlin chuckled and shook his head, sipping from his mug. Then he turned to me, dismissing Ian completely. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like some of this ambrosia, Monad Nuria? ‘Tis my own special brew.”

I must have paled on the word because I heard a reluctant chuckle burst from Ian. “Nuria doesn’t do well with ambrosia, wizard.”

I glared at him and then turned back to Merlin.”No thank you, great one. I would ask you a couple of questions if I may?”

He smiled at me and lowered his chin in acquiescence.

I leaned forward, placing my elbows on the gleaming table. “We pursue an elf and a faery who have dishonest plans. What we believe they are planning will cast all of the worlds into chaos, and disrupt the order of things for decades to come.”

Merlin nodded for me to continue, but didn’t look particularly surprised by my words.

“We have been conscripted to stop them. But to do so we must discover whom they follow. It is in that effort that we followed them here. To you.” I let my words cast their own insinuation.

From the slight widening of Merlin’s eyes I knew I’d hit my mark. He glanced at Ian. “Does Queen Tana know of this quest, faery?”

Ian nodded. “I undertake this effort with her blessing.”

Merlin narrowed his startling purple gaze on Ian and cocked his head. “And Faerydae too, I presume.”

I gasped.

Ian stared hard at the old wizard for several beats and then gave a reluctant grin. “Well done, old man.”

Merlin’s purple gaze held renewed interest. He stood and walked across the room, toward a large book, sitting upon a stand. The book was open and the yellowed pages were covered in dark scrawls, which were illegible from where I sat.

He stopped in front of the book and began turning pages, mumbling to himself.

Ian finally took a seat next to me.

We waited and watched the old wizard.

After a few moments he appeared to have found what he was looking for. His long finger slid down a page as he read the dark script written there. As he reached the end of the page he frowned, staring at the yellowed paper with his finger still resting on the last word.

Finally he looked up at Ian. “I thought I remembered something of a half-breed creature.

Ian stiffened but Merlin didn’t seem to notice. He closed the book and retraced his steps back to the table, lowering himself to the chair and sipping his sparkling ambrosia before speaking again. “I wrote of this in my prophesies, many, many years ago.”

“Could these creatures we follow have been coming for your book?”

Merlin’s eyes lifted to me. “My book?” He glanced toward the enormous, obviously well-aged tome. “Nay, the book holds no value to such as they.”

I frowned. “Are you sure?”

His eyes fixed on Ian again, filled with thought.

“Did you see them or not, old wizard?” Ian seemed less patient than usual. I had to wonder why.

Merlin studied him for a moment longer and then seemed to come to some conclusion, which he didn’t share with us. He nodded. “Aye. I spoke with the two you mentioned. Just this morn.”

“What did they want?”

He shrugged. “Whatever it was I’ll never know. Before they could come to the purpose of their visit, they suddenly looked up to the sky, and said they had to go.”

Ian frowned. “That’s it? They didn’t even ask you anything before they left?”

Merlin frowned. “Indeed it was strange. I agree. But that is what happened, angry Elfaery.”

I choked on the laughter that bubbled up and Merlin turned to me, winking conspiratorially.

Ian glared at both of us. “What of the angel?”