Morgain's Revenge - Laura Anne Gilman [15]
Newt shrugged off Merlin’s question. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Merlin the truth, which was that the king had sighed and said, “Some day, that woman is going to get him into real trouble.”
“Insolent brat,” Merlin muttered at the boy’s silence, and Newt felt a grin start to form despite the tension of the moment. Ailis had said that Merlin was like a kettle; so long as it was letting off steam, everything was all right. It was when the kettle ran dry and silent that you had trouble.
Soon Merlin was pushing his way through the crowds of people waiting to see the king. When they were in the king’s presence, Gerard and Newt kneeled, and Merlin whispered something to the king. Next they were following Arthur out of the chamber and into his private study. It was all a blur. Newt tried not to stumble over his own feet or let anyone realize that a mere stable boy, still stinking of straw and sweat, was moving among them.
The king closed the door behind them, stopping at least one courtier from following them in. His heavy robes of state flowed around him as he moved. “All right, my Merlin. Tell me what I need to know that is so important that you drag me away from matters of war.”
Merlin was clearly used to doing just that. He held up his hand and began ticking points off, finger by finger.
“Morgain was spotted inside the castle. Morgain was doing some sort of magic within the castle. Morgain disappeared from the castle when she was discovered, and took with her a member of your household, the girl-child Ailis.”
“Ailis?” Arthur looked puzzled for a moment. Then his heavy-set brows relaxed as he placed the name. “The servant-girl who found the talismans with…these two youngsters. They’re the ones who saw Morgain?”
Merlin nodded.
Newt shifted uneasily, wondering if the king was going to blame them for bringing bad news. Or, worse, think they had made it up, eager for more attention the way younglings sometimes did. He hadn’t seen anything at all, but if Gerard said he had, then he had. And with Ailis missing…something was very wrong. “King Arthur has to believe—”
“He does,” Arthur said. Newt flushed a deep red, having just realized he had said that last thought out loud. “But there is a difference between believing, and acting on that belief.
“Why must my sister pester me so!” Arthur added in frustration. He began to pace back and forth in the small room. “Any other king would have had her killed the first time she stood against him. Does she think I am weak to push me so? I gave her everything I could, preserved her when others”—he glared at Merlin—“would have had her exiled, or worse. What drives her to such insanity?”
The king looked older than he had that morning listening to the Knights of the Round Table arguing, Gerard thought. That had been the face of the king among his loyal men. This was the face of the High King, the overlord of Britain, with all the pain and responsibility that came with the title.
“Sire,” Merlin began, but Arthur waved him off.
“I know, old fox, I know. We need to discover what she’s up to, and this is the perfect opportunity. But I need you here.”
“And I need to be here, sire.” Merlin’s voice was oddly humble, the way it only was when speaking to his king. “But these boys do not. And, perhaps, a guide to go with them, an older knight, to even the balance of their youth. Who can we send…”
“Caedor?” Arthur suggested, clearly running through the list of knights in his mind.
“Hmmm. Yes. Caedor. He’s a loyal dog, he is. That might be enough to turn the tide and ensure that whatever Morgain is planning, we are ready for it.”
Arthur turned and looked at the two teenagers, his brow furrowing as he considered them. “They did well enough when we needed them, yes,” he said slowly. “But the conditions were vastly different then. To send them up against Morgain directly…even stout hearts are no match for her. I know this all too well, and to my own loss.” It was as though Arthur had forgotten