Savior of Avalon

Chapter Four

The silence in the car was steely as Thom drove through the Ohio border. Merlin, for whatever reason, was pissed at me like I was the one who was acting like a complete tool. I snorted a laugh under my breath and I could feel Merlin glaring daggers at the back of my head.

Thom—who seemed very uncomfortable with the fact Merlin and I absolutely hated each other—decided we should make a rest stop for food and bathroom breaks.

"Fine," Merlin and I chorused curtly.

There was a sour taste in my mouth at saying the same thing he did, but I swallowed it as we pulled into a Rest Area.

We all stepped out of the car. Thom, Merlin and I all stood in a semi-circle as, already every woman in the parking lot had her eyes on Merlin. If only they knew how much of a prick he was.

"I'll be gone a little while. Here." He handed me a ten dollar bill. "Get you and Merlin something from those vending machines." He jerked his chin to a small corner where two vending machines and a couple of soda machines sat. "Behave while I'm gone, will you?"

"I behave just fine," Merlin spoke up for the first time. "I believe you should tell the little girl to behave."

I snapped my head around and met his eyes, ready to lay into him, when Thom coughed loudly. I turned to meet his eyes and he held mine firmly before glaring over at Merlin.

"I mean it, you two." He turned his gaze back to me, holding my eyes seriously. "We won't find Nicole like this, Lucy. As much as I know you two don't get along, don't forget about your mother." He looked at Merlin. "And don't you forget that Lucinda is an important part of saving you and Camelot, Merlin."

Merlin turned his head away sharply, mumbling something under his breath.

I smiled thinly. "I'll be fine, Thom. Go."

He looked at me for a minute, gauging the expression on my face, before he took a deep breath and nodded, resting a hand on my shoulder. He turned and left, leaving me alone with Merlin.

I took a deep breath of my own and started toward the vending machines, saying nothing as I walked forward and away from Merlin. I got a couple of bags of chips, candy bars and sodas for the three of us and then I made my way back.

"Here." I handed Merlin his portion—a little roughly—then opened the passenger's door, placing the rest of it inside.

I was bent over in the car, putting snacks away when he spoke up.

"We should train," came Merlin's voice.

I turned to look at him only to find he wasn't looking at me, his eyes were averted and his cheeks were pink. If he had been a normal guy, I would've thought he had been checking me out, then was embarrassed about it and looked away before I could see him. Alas, Merlin was not a normal guy. I could only conclude his cheeks were so pink because of the cold and his eyes were averted because... well... he never looked at me.

"You want to teach me more magic?" I asked, straightening up and leaning against the open car door.

He cleared his throat and nodded once, still not looking at me.

"Alright." I looked at him suspiciously as I spoke slowly. He was always a man of a few words, but now he was acting weird.

He held out his hand and—after much deliberation—I finally took it. The world around us warped and faded away until we were back in the forest we had been in hours before. He dropped my hand immediately—almost as if it burned him—and took a few steps back.

Again, I looked at him suspiciously. I wondered if there was some LSD or meth in those pancakes he'd eaten this morning. He was acting so...odd. Even for him.

"Earlier today," he began, looking at me with those expressionless eyes, "I taught you how to use happiness to reflect your magic. But, what if you're angry. See, most people let anger cloud their minds, that makes their magic blind. But, if you can find a way to channel your anger, you can turn it into a weapon and not a weakness."

He closed his eyes, blue fire rose from his hands. He reared his arm back and shot the fire straight at a tree. The tree wobbled, then fell to the ground with a loud boom. My eyes grew wide as he looked at me, his expression completely relaxed.

"You try it now. Think of what makes you angry. Channel it, control it, then," he held his arms out, gesturing to the trees around us, "pick your target."

I held out one hand, palm up and thought of all the things that made me angry. I was angry that I couldn't save Mom. Every time I closed my eyes, her unconscious face appeared in my mind's eye. I was angry at the men who had taken her, angry that I was powerless. I was angry that I was supposed to be this great hero, and yet I had failed to save the one person who had saved me more times than I'd ever known. I was angry at Merlin. I hated his cutting remarks and his stupid perfect hair and his stupid, deep voice. I hated that he was so beautiful and yet so ugly. I hated that I had to rely on him to help me save my mother.

My hand grew hot, so hot, I opened my eyes to see what was going on. There was a gold flame dancing in the palm of my hands. It wasn't like the light—warm and filled with love—it was bold, dangerous, beautiful in its own way.

"Now, control it," came Merlin's strangely calming voice. "Control it don't let it control you."

I took a deep breath and the more control I had over it, the more the flame seemed to listen to me. Rising when I told it to and lowering.

"Now, pick a target, Sibyl."

I reared my arm back, eyes focused on a tree in front of me. The flame shot from my hand and crashed into the tree. But, unlike with Merlin, the tree didn't break off and fall to the ground. It shattered, bits of bark and leaves and gold flame raining around us.

Merlin held up a hand and we were safely tucked inside of a strong blue shield, little bits of branches and leaves bouncing harmlessly on the shield. Merlin was looking at me with clear surprise in his eyes.

We said nothing, but I could hear what was unspoken between us: no magic had ever shattered a tree before. Not ever.

☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪

We drove for a long time, only making a few stops along the way. By the time we had crossed through the border of Illinois, it was late. The sun had long since fallen over the horizon and we were all exhausted.

Thom pulled over at a decent looking Days Inn and before long, we had checked into room with two beds adjacent to each other, a bathroom in the far right corner of the room, a wide window which Thom quickly closed and a small desk and chair.

"You take the bed, Lucy," Thom was saying as he pulled the sheets and a pillow off of one of the beds. "I'll take the floor."

"Thom, that's—"

"I was a knight, you know? It goes against the knight code to let a woman sleep on the floor."

I smiled and nodded, pulling off my shoes. Merlin had already gotten into bed and was fast asleep. It was clear that being in this world without magic and teaching me magic was taking more out of him than he was showing.

As we all lay down to go to sleep, the one face I saw was my mother's. Her face, unconscious and her voice weakly telling me to run, to escape. She had been protecting me for so long and I hadn't known, I had taken her for granted.

I closed my eyes for sleep, vowing that when I saw her again—when I saved her—she would be proud of me.The silence in the car was steely as Thom drove through the Ohio border. Merlin, for whatever reason, was pissed at me like I was the one who was acting like a complete tool. I snorted a laugh under my breath and I could feel Merlin glaring daggers at the back of my head.

Thom—who seemed very uncomfortable with the fact Merlin and I absolutely hated each other—decided we should make a rest stop for food and bathroom breaks.

"Fine," Merlin and I chorused curtly.

There was a sour taste in my mouth at saying the same thing he did, but I swallowed it as we pulled into a Rest Area.

We all stepped out of the car. Thom, Merlin and I all stood in a semi-circle as, already every woman in the parking lot had her eyes on Merlin. If only they knew how much of a prick he was.

"I'll be gone a little while. Here." He handed me a ten dollar bill. "Get you and Merlin something from those vending machines." He jerked his chin to a small corner where two vending machines and a couple of soda machines sat. "Behave while I'm gone, will you?"

"I behave just fine," Merlin spoke up for the first time. "I believe you should tell the little girl to behave."

I snapped my head around and met his eyes, ready to lay into him, when Thom coughed loudly. I turned to meet his eyes and he held mine firmly before glaring over at Merlin.

"I mean it, you two." He turned his gaze back to me, holding my eyes seriously. "We won't find Nicole like this, Lucy. As much as I know you two don't get along, don't forget about your mother." He looked at Merlin. "And don't you forget that Lucinda is an important part of saving you and Camelot, Merlin."

Merlin turned his head away sharply, mumbling something under his breath.

I smiled thinly. "I'll be fine, Thom. Go."

He looked at me for a minute, gauging the expression on my face, before he took a deep breath and nodded, resting a hand on my shoulder. He turned and left, leaving me alone with Merlin.

I took a deep breath of my own and started toward the vending machines, saying nothing as I walked forward and away from Merlin. I got a couple of bags of chips, candy bars and sodas for the three of us and then I made my way back.

"Here." I handed Merlin his portion—a little roughly—then opened the passenger's door, placing the rest of it inside.

I was bent over in the car, putting snacks away when he spoke up.

"We should train," came Merlin's voice.

I turned to look at him only to find he wasn't looking at me, his eyes were averted and his cheeks were pink. If he had been a normal guy, I would've thought he had been checking me out, then was embarrassed about it and looked away before I could see him. Alas, Merlin was not a normal guy. I could only conclude his cheeks were so pink because of the cold and his eyes were averted because... well... he never looked at me.

"You want to teach me more magic?" I asked, straightening up and leaning against the open car door.

He cleared his throat and nodded once, still not looking at me.

"Alright." I looked at him suspiciously as I spoke slowly. He was always a man of a few words, but now he was acting weird.

He held out his hand and—after much deliberation—I finally took it. The world around us warped and faded away until we were back in the forest we had been in hours before. He dropped my hand immediately—almost as if it burned him—and took a few steps back.

Again, I looked at him suspiciously. I wondered if there was some LSD or meth in those pancakes he'd eaten this morning. He was acting so...odd. Even for him.

"Earlier today," he began, looking at me with those expressionless eyes, "I taught you how to use happiness to reflect your magic. But, what if you're angry. See, most people let anger cloud their minds, that makes their magic blind. But, if you can find a way to channel your anger, you can turn it into a weapon and not a weakness."

He closed his eyes, blue fire rose from his hands. He reared his arm back and shot the fire straight at a tree. The tree wobbled, then fell to the ground with a loud boom. My eyes grew wide as he looked at me, his expression completely relaxed.

"You try it now. Think of what makes you angry. Channel it, control it, then," he held his arms out, gesturing to the trees around us, "pick your target."

I held out one hand, palm up and thought of all the things that made me angry. I was angry that I couldn't save Mom. Everytime I closed my eyes, her unconscious face appeared in my mind's eye. I was angry at the men who had taken her, angry that I was powerless. I was angry that I was supposed to be this great hero, and yet I had failed to save the one person who had saved me more times than I'd ever known. I was angry at Merlin. I hated his cutting remarks and his stupid perfect hair and his stupid, deep voice. I hated that he was so beautiful and yet so ugly. I hated that I had to rely on him to help me save my mother.

My hand grew hot, so hot, I opened my eyes to see what was going on. There was a gold flame dancing in the palm of my hands. It wasn't like the light—warm and filled with love—it was bold, dangerous, beautiful in its own way.

"Now, control it," came Merlin's strangely calming voice. "Control it don't let it control you."

I took a deep breath and the more control I had over it, the more the flame seemed to listen to me. Rising when I told it to and lowering.

"Now, pick a target, Sibyl."

I reared my arm back, eyes focused on a tree in front of me. The flame shot from my hand and crashed into the tree. But, unlike with Merlin, the tree didn't break off and fall to the ground. It shattered, bits of bark and leaves and gold flame raining around us.

Merlin held up a hand and we were safely tucked inside of a strong blue shield, little bits of branches and leaves bouncing harmlessly on the shield. Merlin was looking at me with clear surprise in his eyes.

We said nothing, but I could hear what was unspoken between us: no magic had ever shattered a tree before. Not ever.

☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪

We drove for a long time, only making a few stops along the way. By the time we had crossed through the border of Illinois, it was late. The sun had long since fallen over the horizon and we were all exhausted.

Thom pulled over at a decent looking Days Inn and before long, we had checked into room with two beds adjacent to each other, a bathroom in the far right corner of the room, a wide window which Thom quickly closed and a small desk and chair.

"You take the bed, Lucy," Thom was saying as he pulled the sheets and a pillow off of one of the beds. "I'll take the floor."

"Thom, that's—"

"I was a knight, you know? It goes against the knight code to let a woman sleep on the floor."

I smiled and nodded, pulling off my shoes. Merlin had already gotten into bed and was fast asleep. It was clear that being in this world without magic and teaching me magic was taking more out of him than he was showing.

As we all lay down to go to sleep, the one face I saw was my mother's. Her face, unconscious and her voice weakly telling me to run, to escape. She had been protecting me for so long and I hadn't known, I had taken her for granted.

I closed my eyes for sleep, vowing that when I saw her again—when I saved her—she would be proud of me.