Morgain's Revenge - Laura Anne Gilman [13]
Merlin continued, “And now, the gods above and below, with Marcher Lords causing trouble and threatening Arthur’s hold on the title of High King—the only thing that keeps those damned Romans out of our lands—and Morgain is stirring in her jealousy again. Why that woman cannot be content with the lot she was given in life I’ll never know. There’s no way I can leave here to search for Ailis, not even for a day. Arthur needs me by his side to give counsel, or to be seen giving counsel, or to warn off those who might otherwise interfere. That is my sworn vow, and I cannot break it.”
“But—” Newt began. Once again, Merlin wasn’t going to be able to help them. What good was an enchanter if he couldn’t fix things with a snap of his fingers or a wave of that birchwood wand he sometimes carried?
“But the thought of young Ailis in Morgain’s clutches is a matter of some concern, yes. I sent her from the safety of Camelot’s walls once before—with great reluctance, yes—because I knew that I would always be able to reach you three through her.”
“So it was you speaking to her!” Newt said in a burst of satisfaction.
“Of course it was, fool. Who else could it have been?”
Newt looked as though he wanted to respond, but stopped himself. Now was not the time to mention their—or Ailis’s—doubts about the voice.
“I don’t want to take on any new students—I can’t, until Nimue gets over whatever fit of pique she’s in—and I certainly don’t want to take on a girl-child right now. But Ailis has the ability, and I hate to see waste, so I gave her a push or two in the right direction when I could. None of that’s important now, boys, except that Morgain is no fool, and she will have seen what I saw.” He paused, took a breath, and calmed himself down. “And, knowing Morgain, she will find some way to use it to her own benefit.”
“So Ailis is in danger,” Gerard said. “But you have to stay here. To advise Arthur and keep him safe, in case he has to ride out to face the marcher lords.” Newt gave him a look, like he was stating the obvious, but Gerard wanted to make sure that there were no twitchy, slippery miscommunications here.
“And to keep Camelot safe while he is away, whatever my king decides.” Merlin nodded in response to Gerard’s words, his face suddenly bearing the weight of his countless decades. “Yes. In either case, I am not free right now to go after Morgain, drat her for bad timing. But if she is overconfident, not expecting immediate retaliation, then we have a chance for something sneaky, something with a chance of actually working.”
“She’s a sorceress,” Newt said in protest.
“Yes, she is. But the only people in the castle other than myself who have any real, practical, useful knowledge of Morgain’s magic and how to combat it are—”
“Us,” Gerard said, a heavy feeling settling into his chest. A practical knowledge of magic, maybe. But knowing how to combat it? He wasn’t so sure. Morgain was unlikely to allow them to simply leave, unharmed, the way she did the first time. Then she had been willing to let an opening gambit fail. Cross someone twice, Gerard knew, and they were even less likely to forgive.
“Us?” Newt repeated, his voice cracking the way Gerard’s used to when he was particularly upset or angry.
The enchanter nodded, grave-faced. “Yes, you.”
So much for Gerard’s dreams of traveling with the knights on their great Quest. Ailis was more important, of course, but it still hurt to know that—the king’s promise or no—if the Quest set off before they returned with Ailis it would leave without him.
Decisions, boy, he could hear Sir Rheynold saying. Every turn in life is a decision.
Newt swallowed hard, then nodded. “Right. Defeating a sorceress in her den. Done it once already, why not twice? Hey, maybe we can make it a yearly event, like one of your tourneys.” The joke didn’t even come close to being funny.
“We need to discuss this with Arthur, but quickly,” Merlin said, catching both their gazes to make sure they were listening. “And