Chapter 26: The Wizard
Starfox5
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Chapter 26: The Wizard
Glastonbury Tor, January 20th, 2017
The room James Lake Jr entered was dusty. Really dusty. Several tables filled the room. The largest stood in the centre, almost three yards long and one and a half yards wide, and cups and beakers and exotic tools were spread on its top - Jim could see that much even with the thick coating of dust obscuring the details.
There was a picture on the wall, also covered in dust. And glowing crystals, encased in metal this time and spread out so the whole room was evenly illuminated. There was even a fireplace - no, a forge; there was an anvil - in a corner. This was… a workshop.
"A wizard's workshop!" he heard Blinky exclaim.
Turning, Jim saw that the others had arrived.
"Someone needs to call their cleaning service," the Slayer commented, looking around.
"Buffy! Show some respect - this might be Merlin's workshop!" Mr Giles said.
"Oh!" Willow made a beeline for the shelves. "The books must be priceless!"
"And protected by spells, I wager," Blinky commented, "since they have lasted through centuries without anyone caring for them. Trust me, that takes magic."
"Oh." Willow stopped up in front of the closest shelf. "That would make sense, I suppose."
"Although Merlin's workshop was in Camelot, as far as I know," Blinky went on, walking around. "This… well, if this is the Gate to Avalon, it might belong to any wizard."
"Or it might be Merlin's secret real workshop, where he worked what he didn't want anyone to know," Willow speculated. "After all, the Scythe was hidden here as well."
Blinky beamed at her. "Quite a reasonable theory. That would indeed fit his character, as far as I knew him - and while I only met him a few times, and under pressing circumstances, I was his contemporary."
"So…" The Slayer looked around. "He used the Scythe's secret location to hide his own stuff? Sounds kind of… sneaky."
"Oh, Merlin was very cunning!" Blinky said. "He had great magical powers, but he was valued for his wisdom and intelligence more than for his magic. Although that might have been a result of him adapting to the general hostility amongst humans towards magic at the time."
"Right." The Slayer nodded. "So… is there anything we could use here?"
"The books!" Willow stared at them.
"Which might be cursed," Mr Giles cautioned. But he was looking at the tomes with the same hungry expression, Jim found.
"Well," Jim said, "there's also the second door here." He pointed forward.
"Another Trollhunter only door? This is so unfair! This was the Slayer cave!"
"I suggest we explore the entire area before we allow ourselves to become distracted by potentially cursed books," Blinky said.
"Seconded!" the Slayer agreed. "If we let Willow and Giles alone here, we won't ever get them out."
And Blinky seemed to be of half a mind to join them, Jim suspected. "Yes. Let's check the rest out. There might be a connection to Avalon."
"This is supposed to be the Gate to Avalon," the Slayer commented.
"The gate is supposed to be here - but this cave or tunnel might not be related to it," Mr Giles replied.
"But the Guardian said she founded Avalon. Although she didn't say what it is."
Jim suppressed the urge to shake his head and opened the next door. Which revealed another dimly lit tunnel. He quickly made his way through it - and entered a huge cavern, lit only by a giant crystal set in, or growing out of, the ceiling. And right below it, in the centre of the green beam of light shining down from the crystal, was a stone slab with a body.
Jim drew a hissing breath. The body was covered in dust and cobwebs, but it seemed to be a man. "Merlin…" he whispered.
"Merlin's Tomb!" Blinky whispered, a little more loudly, behind him.
"That's Merlin?" the Slayer asked.
"I recognise his robes," Blinky said, taking a hesitant step forward. "Though he was wearing armour last I saw him."
Jim took the lead, slowly approaching the stone slab. "Why didn't they put him into a coffin? Or one of those Egyptian thingies."
"Sarcophagus, Buffy."
"Thanks, Willow."
"His apprentice must have left him like this. Or he was sent away, and Merlin lay down here to die," Blinky said. "He might not have wanted to have anyone see him die - or handle his body."
"That sounds paranoid," the Slayer commented.
"As the foremost wizard of his age - or any age - he had good reason for such measures." Blinky shook his head. "What would more ruthless mages have done with access to his workshop - or his body?"
"Ew."
Jim cocked his head to the side and studied the figure under the dust. "Whatever he did, it preserved his body." Merlin looked like he was merely asleep - Jim could see no sign of decay. Just a coat of dust. Like on a forgotten mannequin in the attic. He shook his head. This wasn't right.
"Indeed. It might have been a necromantic ritual to stop decay," Mr Giles said.
Before he could help himself, Jim reached out to brush away the dust on the body's face. The cobwebs crumbled under his touch.
"Master Jim!"
"Watch out!"
Jim shook his head again. "We shouldn't let him like this, gathering dust. At the least, we should…" Dust him? That sounded far too profane for the occasion. "...clean him up."
He reached out again and brushed more dust away.
"Well, good luck trying to get that out of his beard," the Slayer said.
"Buffy! Show some respect!"
"I'm just saying - getting dust out of your hair is harder than it looks! I should know!"
"Buffy! Willow!" Mr Giles spoke up. "Please behave."
"Alright. I'm just… I'm feeling a little antsy," the Slayer said.
"Is your Slay-dar pinging?" Willow asked.
"No, no. I'm just… I'm feeling… energised, and I want to do something."
"Hm. That could be the Scythe, I presume," Mr Giles said. "It is said to empower the Slayer."
But Jim felt full of energy himself. He looked up, at the glowing crystal. Then down at Merlin's body. It was like a spotlight. But the dust...
He gasped. The cobwebs he had brushed aside had landed on the body's chest - and they were moving.
No.
The chest was moving.
"He's… he's alive!" Jim blurted out. Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time, was alive. The wizard who had created the Trollhunter. This was...
"What?" The Slayer was at his side in a second, Scythe raised. "Alive?" She cocked her head. "Yes… I can hear his heart beating. Although very, very slowly."
"How can he be alive?" Willow whispered.
"According to some legends, Merlin had demon ancestry," Mr Giles said.
"Demon?" The Slayer sniffed the air, then sneezed. "He doesn't smell like a demon."
"I never heard about that," Blinky said. "I doubt that Arthur would have tolerated a demon at his court."
"It might have been added after his disappearance and apparent death to disparage his reputation."
"Whatever," the Slayer shook her head. "What do we do about it?"
"We…" Jim looked up at the crystal, then down at Merlin. "We should leave him here. I think the light is healing him. Or keeping him alive."
"Magic!" Willow breathed. "Magic that kept him alive for centuries!"
"It kept him from dying from a mortal wound!" Blinky stared with all six eyes wide open.
"It's marvellous. The knowledge and magic this must have taken…" Mr Giles shook his head.
"And your blathering presence has just disturbed the fine balance needed for my spell to work."
Jim gasped and jumped back a yard.
"Dear Lord!"
"Oh, my God!"
"Great Gorka Morka!"
"He's alive!"
Merlin had opened his eyes and was glaring at the Slayer. "Barely, yes. No thanks to you."
"What?"
The wizard slowly sat up with a soft groan, one hand poking his own stomach. "You've brought the Scythe into my tomb, disrupting my carefully wrought magics. What possessed you to do so?"
"What? I didn't disrupt anything!" the Slayer protested. "Did I?"
"At least it seems my wound has been sufficiently healed so I will not be needing this tomb for its original purpose any time soon. Unless, of course, your foolishness has not limited itself to stumbling around in places you were not meant to enter." He scoffed, wincing a little. "I would ask how you managed to enter my tomb in the first place, but the answer's plain as day." Merlin glared at Jim. "Trollhunter. You must have broken into my workshop. Why did you do this?"
"Uh…" Jim blinked. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to enter. I just… I saw the door, and…" He shrugged. "Sorry."
"Didn't my apprentice tell your predecessors that my tomb was to be sealed?" Merlin's glare shifted to Blink. "I remember you."
"Yes. I, ah, was at the battle of Killahead Bridge," Blinky told him.
"Stumbling around, were you? Yes, you were." Merlin groaned again, then shifted around and turned so his legs dangled from the stone slab. "And yet, you survived where many others, many of them your betters, died."
"Ah… I fought as well as I could."
"You could have hardly fought worse, as I recall." The wizard scoffed. "The Trollhunter and the Slayer, in the same room. I didn't see this coming. If I had, I would never have allowed the Guardian to hide the Scythe so close to my workshop."
"Sir… do you require assistance?" Mr Giles spoke up. "I'm Rupert Giles. I'm…"
"...her Watcher, I presume." Merlin cut him off. "Unless you are a master wizard, I doubt you could assist me with anything. And a master wizard would never have let those children roam around in my workshop, risking limb and life."
"What?" Jim gasped again.
"Boy!" Merlin glared at him. "Did you expect my workshop - my resting place and eventual tomb - to be unguarded? It's only your presence that prevented my defences from obliterating your intrepid group of tomb raiders. Or, rather, the presence of your amulet."
Jim grimaced. As did the Slayer. But he hadn't known that!
"I did think it was going a little too well, actually," Willow said. "Historically, tombs and laboratories of practitioners of magic have been guarded with traps and curses."
Jim glared at her. Couldn't she have mentioned that before?
"Which would be one and the same," Merlin replied. "But yes. I did not expect the Trollhunter to join forces with the Slayer. Or that the Trollhunter wasn't aware that my workshop was to remain sealed."
"Uh… his training wasn't… we're working on it, the fault is entirely mine, though we were pressed for time, so we focused on the more practical aspects," Blinky said.
Merlin scoffed and stood. His legs wobbled for a moment, prompting another groan, but he didn't sit back down. "And him being human didn't help, I suppose. You probably had to teach him basic troll etiquette."
Jim clenched his teeth. That wasn't his fault nor Blinky's!
"Master Jim being chosen was a surprise," Blinky said. "But a very welcome surprise. He has proved his mettle and spirit time and again."
"Of course. My amulet would hardly have chosen a craven, would it?" Merlin scoffed again. "Have people forgotten about me, to doubt my work?"
"No! You're known as the greatest wizard of all time!" Willow said. "Although most think you are a legend, not a real wizard."
"Most people think the earth is flat. That doesn't affect it."
"Most people have no idea that magic is real," Mr Giles said. "The population explosion…"
"Yes, yes. A contingency plan we thought of centuries ago, to prevent the growing number of humans from waking up the Old Ones by their fear of them and demons and magic in general." Merlin made a wave with his hand. "Now, where did my useless apprentice put my armour and staff?"
Jim had to struggle a little to keep from frowning at the old man's attitude.
Buffy Summers narrowed her eyes at the rude old geezer. That was supposed to be the greatest wizard of all time? Well, he certainly had the greatest ego she had ever seen. It was even bigger than Cordelia's!
"Ah, I don't know, Master Merlin," Blinky said. "We haven't seen your apprentice since you and he left together after the battle. The Battle of Killahead Bridge."
"Since I spent the last few centuries here, it certainly couldn't have been after any other battle, could it?" Merlin scoffed. "Now, my staff… You haven't seen it, or you would've shown a reaction. Which means it wasn't stored in my workshop, through which you entered this room and disturbed my recovery."
Buffy clenched her teeth so she wouldn't offer to help the man get back to being in a coma. But… "Didn't you give your apprentice specific orders what to do with it?"
The old man glared at her. "No. My staff has a mind of its own - the result of a thousand years' worth of magic being wielded through it. It will be nearby, ready for me to use it. And given the deplorable state of my body, I certainly could use a walking stick."
Buffy had some doubts about this - it sounded a little too convenient as an explanation for having misplaced his staff.
Willow, on the other hand, looked impressed. "A sentient or semi-sapient staff? Oh!"
"Why are you surprised? It would be a surprise if a wizard's staff didn't grow with its wielder. If you don't wield enough power for that, you aren't powerful enough to forge one in the first place," Merlin told her.
Blinky moved towards him and offered his arm. The old man grabbed it without saying thanks, looking around. "So, where would it be? Hidden, obviously, but close."
"Maybe your apprentice took it," Buffy suggested with her best fake smile.
"Hisridoux? Stealing my staff? He would have known better. He isn't the brightest lad in the world, but repeated failures have taught him not to court disaster any more, even though it took him far too long."
"I can see how your attitude inspired the fiercest loyalty," Buffy told him. "Who wouldn't follow your orders to the letter if you were praising them like this?"
Merlin glared at her. "I am far too old to bother with pretty lies that only will lead to an apprentice overestimating their talent and getting themselves killed. Trust me, I've seen it before."
Death would probably be preferable to suffer that attitude for long, in Buffy's opinion.
"Sir, we haven't noticed a staff on our way in," Giles added.
"I already deduced that, boy."
Boy? He was calling Giles 'boy?'? Buffy wasn't sure if she should be amused by this - or insulted; Gles was her Watcher, after all.
"Ah. Clever." Merlin stopped moving and stared up at the ceiling.
"Clever?" Willow asked, but the wizard ignored her.
Merlin raised his free hand and closed his eyes. A moment later, Buffy heard stones grinding against each other - and when she looked up, she saw dust glittering in the crystal's eerie light as it fell from the ceiling. And…
...there was a staff sliding out of the rock! And floating.
"Oh!" Willow stared.
"The Staff of Avalon!" Blinky announced when the thing floated into Merlin's hand.
"Yes, yes, my staff," Merlin confirmed. "There's no need to act surprised - I did announce this, didn't I?"
Buffy could see the staff glow with green light, but it quickly grew dimmer. Though Merlin released Blinky and straightened with a deep sigh."
"Oh! Did the staff absorb some of the healing energy from the crystal? Which you just absorbed?" Willow asked.
The old man turned to look at her, his eyes widening for a moment in apparent surprise. "Precisely. You seem to possess, if not a talent for magic, then a keener intellect than seems the norm amongst your group."
"Willow is a powerful witch and a genius!" Buffy told the rude old wizard. Her bestie could probably take the guy. At least right now - Merlin didn't look like he would break in two if you elbowed him, but he still looked weak. Which, of course, could be an act. But Buffy didn't think so - Merlin struck her as the kind of guy who wanted to impress everyone with his power.
"A witch? Without a staff? A hedgewitch, perhaps?" Merlin asked in the same tone Cordelia used to talk about Sears.
Willow pouted in return. "That's a rather disparaging attitude! There's nothing wrong with alternate magical traditions - not every practitioner needs to wield a staff! That's pretty cliched."
"Not everyone has to compensate for something," Buffy added with a smirk.
"Buffy!" Giles sounded shocked.
Merlin, though, seemed amused for a moment. "Staffs are used because they are proven to work."
"In your tradition, maybe. Others such as Wicca do not use staffs," Willow retorted.
"Yes. And you can't just walk around with a staff these days without people wondering what a weirdo you might be," Buffy said. "Unless you're hiking, of course."
"Claire uses a staff," Jim spoke up.
"Oh, yes," Blinky chimed in. "The Shadow Staff. She has saved all of us several times with it."
Merlin gasped. "The Shadow Staff? And this 'Claire' wields it?" He took a step towards Jim. "Where is she?"
James Lake Jr took a step back, recoiling slightly from Merlin. The old wizard suddenly looked… very intense. Dangerous. "Claire?" he replied, trying to buy time. Something was wrong here.
"She's home, in Arcadia Oaks, although she's currently staying in the Shadow Realm with the families of the Trollhunter, the Slayer and their allies."
Apparently, Blinky hadn't noticed anything wrong. Jim clenched his teeth.
"She's with your families? Who is this Claire? How did you meet?"
"She's…" Jim straightened. "She's my girlfriend. We met at school!"
"Your girlfriend? I see." Merlin looked rather grim.
"Hey, Mr Wizard!" the Slayer cut in. "What's with the sudden Inquisition? Claire's a nice girl."
"The Shadow Staff is not something a 'nice girl' wields."
"Hey! She took it from Angor Rot - she has earned it!" Jim protested. Claire hadn't done anything wrong!
Merlin scoffed. "Angor Rot? And how did he lay his hands on Morgana's staff?"
"Morgana?" The Slayer looked puzzled. "Arthur's sister?"
"And my former student," Merlin said. "As well as my greatest enemy. She gave me the wound that almost ended me." He put his hand on his stomach. "I thought I had sealed her staff with her, but it seems I was mistaken. Or something worse is afoot."
"Morgana has not made an appearance since you defeated her at the Battle of Killahead Bridge, Master Wizard," Blinky told him.
"Or she merely wasn't seen. Or recognised."
Wait! Was Merlin implying what Jim thought he was?
"What? Do you think she's free and working in the shadows or something?" Willow asked.
"A wizard is tied to his staff," Merlin told her. "It matters not whether they actually have the staff in their possession - they are still its master. To break such a bond and make the staff your own requires immense strength." He scoffed. "That's why I wasn't worried about the staff of Avalon - the odds of anyone being able to truly wrest it from me, to sever my ties to it, are infinitesimally low. My apprentice most certainly couldn't have done it."
Jim narrowed his eyes. "Well, Angor Rot was using the Shadow Staff, and Claire has been using it ever since she took it from him in battle."
"Using the staff doesn't mean she masters it. Quite the contrary," Merlin retorted.
Jim really didn't like the wizard's attitude. "You don't even know her!" He was acting as if Claire was… wrong or something.
"But I do know Morgana. I must see this girl. And the staff. Too much is at stake."
"You're right about that," the Slayer spoke up again. "But wrong about the girl."
"Really?" The old man turned to glare at her. "And you would correct me?"
"Well, yes. Morgana's not the problem. Glory is." The Slayer nodded.
"Glorificus. A hell-god banished to our dimension by his former co-rulers of his home dimension," Mr Giles added. "He's…"
"I am aware of Glorificus's nature," Merlin cut him off. "And while he's a formidable opponent, Morgana is far more dangerous."
"What? We've got two skanks trying to end the world?" the Slayer blurted out.
"Sir, I think you might underestimate the threat Glorificus represents," Mr Giles said. "He seeks to return to his home dimension and is willing to break the dimensional barriers separating Earth from hell - all the hell dimensions - in the process."
"Yes, yes, but in order to do so, he would need the Key, and the Key is protected by the Order of Dagon. Glorificus would have to…" Merlin trailed off, apparently reading their expressions. "The Order of Dagon has fallen?"
Mr Giles winced. "As far as we know, yes. They sent the Key to the Slayer for protection."
The Slayer nodded. "Yeah. I found the last one of them, and he told me before he died."
For the first time, Merlin looked shocked. "This is… How could this have happened? The Order was formed specifically to oppose Glorificus and stood firm for millennia!"
"Well, it looks like your information isn't up to date," Willow said, then winced a little, as if she were surprised at her own comment.
Merlin snorted. "It seems a lot of things have changed drastically while I was recovering - and not for the better. Nevertheless, I must see this 'Claire'. The threat that Morgana poses cannot be ignored. And this girl is the key."
The Slayer winced at that, Jim noticed. He was scowling himself - Claire was his friend. His girlfriend. She had...
"The Fair Claire has proven herself as an invaluable ally," Blinky told Merlin.
Yes, that. Jim nodded.
"It wouldn't be the first time Morgana used subterfuge to attack her enemies from within," Merlin retorted.
"Wait… do you think Claire is working for Morgana?" Jim gaped at the wizard.
Merlin raised his eyebrows at him in return. "I would have thought that was obvious. Do I have to spell out everything as if I am talking to a simpleton?"
"Claire would never work for Morgana!" Jim protested.
"She is, in the best case, dealing with forces beyond her comprehension."
"And in the worst case?" the Slayer asked. With a toothy smile, she added: "And keep it simple!"
Merlin scowled at her. "In the worst case? She is Morgana."
Jim gasped. Merlin… he couldn't be serious!"
"That's impossible!" he blurted out. "Claire isn't Morgana!" He would've noticed.
"Oh? So you're the expert on Morgana, now?"
"No! But I know Claire!"
"Really? Boy, how long do you have known her? A year? Two years?" Merlin scoffed. "And I am not talking about looking at her half-hidden behind a corner or daydreaming about her. I mean being her friend. Spending every day with her. Knowing how to brew her favourite tea and what cut of meat she favours. How she laughs when she means it and how she laughs if she's merely being polite." The old wizard was looming above Jim. "Do you know her as I have known Morgana?"
Jim gritted his teeth. "I know her!" he spat back.
"Then you're a fool. I knew Morgana like that - and I was fooling myself. I didn't know her at all. I didn't fathom the depths she would sink to achieve her goals."
"But…" Jim trailed off. Repeating that he knew Claire would make him sound stupid. But he knew her! Claire wasn't Morgana! She couldn't be!"
"Oh, get real!" The Slayer scoffed. "You think an ages-old witch could act as a Californian teenager? Good enough to fool everyone? Hell, Giles's been living in California for years and still has trouble understanding us. Can you imagine him trying to pose as a teenager?"
"Without band candy, at least," Willow added.
Mr Giles frowned at both. "I have to point out that it's not as much the difference in maturity, but the difference in upbringing. I am quite capable of understanding British teenagers."
"Your midlife crisis will be fun," the Slayer shot back.
"I thought that was why he bought his new car?" Willow grinned.
Mr Giles opened his mouth, then closed it and started polishing his glasses. Jim half-expected the Slayer and Willow to high-five each other based on their grins.
"Are you quite finished with your pointless antics? We have to deal with a potential threat to the world entire."
The Slayer turned back to glare at Merlin. "We're not going to let you terrorise a girl because you've been traumatised by your lover or something!"
"Morgana wasn't my lover! She was my student."
"As television has taught me, one thing doesn't exclude the other," the Slayer shot back.
Merlin didn't ask what television was, Jim noticed. But he couldn't know about modern technology, having slept for centuries. So, was this just him saving face and refusing to admit his ignorance?
"Anyway, we're not going to let you go all Spanish Inquisition on Claire," the Slayer added.
"You have no idea how dangerous the Shadow Staff is, girl," Merlin told her. "Using it is like juggling with poisonous blades while drinking ale."
"I bet I could do that all day!" the Slayer told him. "Unless it's demon beer."
Blinky cleared his throat. "While I am convinced that the Fair Claire hasn't been possessed or influenced, Master Merlin is the most experienced wizard amongst us and has the most extensive personal knowledge about Morgana. I don't think we should dismiss his concerns out of hand."
Jim glared at Blinky. Claire wasn't Morgana! Or mind-controlled. He would've noticed.
"Thank you." Merlin nodded at Blinky. "At least someone isn't blinded by their youthful fancies."
"Hey!" That was going too far, Merlin or not. Jim glared at him. "You can't just dismiss our experience like that!"
"Yes!" Willow nodded. "I bet you don't know anything about modern teenagers! We've changed since your time. Society has changed! Technology has changed! It's an entire new world!"
"That's what the Egyptians thought. And then the Greeks and the Romans. After them, the Christians talked about a new era." Merlin scoffed. "But did the people change? No! Beneath their different clothes and fashions, they were all the same. Ruled by passions, wilfully blinding themselves rather than facing reality, they made the same mistakes humans have been making since time immemorial."
"Well, it's clear you haven't changed at all," the Slayer shot back. "You're like every old geezer, ever, complaining about us!"
Jim nodded. "You can't just assume we act the same as the people you've known."
"I've known so many people in my long life, I doubt anything you do would be a surprise." Merlin gave him a very dismissive look.
Jim clenched his teeth again. Merlin was wrong about Claire. Jim knew it - and he would prove it.
"Now, let's leave my workshop before more uninvited guests stumble in thanks to your clumsy meddling. And then make haste to this Arcadia Oaks."
"You don't even know where it is!" Jim protested.
"But evidently, you do, since you've travelled from your home to this place. Unless you got lost on the way, which I wouldn't exclude as a possibility, mind you, you should be easily able to lead me back." Merlin raised his staff, and a greenish bolt shot out of it, hitting the crystal above them. A moment later, light washed over it, and the crystal stopped glowing.
Which plunged the entire room or cave into darkness for a moment until everyone used their flashlights.
"Couldn't you have waited until we were out of the room?" the Slayer complained.
"If a dark room inconveniences you, you must be a very weak Slayer."
"Weak?"
"Enough prattling. Let's go! We have no time to waste."
"Prattling?" The Slayer complained. "We're not going to simply follow that fossilised geezer, are we?"
Jim wanted to agree, but as Merlin swept past them, he looked around. Except for the Slayer, none of the others seemed willing to contradict Merlin.
"We do not have a lot of time to spare," Mr Giles said. "And we recovered the Scythe, so the goal of this trip was achieved."
"We also recovered a recovering jerk," the Slayer protested.
"But… he's Merlin!" Blinky said. "The most powerful wizard of all time."
"And he knows about Glory!" Willow pointed out.
But the wizard also thought that Claire was controlled or possessed by Morgana. Or that Claire was Morgana, however that was supposed to have worked out. Jim snorted - he'd rather believe that Claire was a changeling, and he had seen her handle a Gaggletack!
"And he knows nothing about the modern world! Cars will shock him! Women's lib will shock him! Airplanes will... " The Slayer blinked. "You know what? You're right! Let's go."
"If you presume I will be amazed by what paltry progress humanity has achieved during my sleep, I fear you will be disappointed," Merlin's dry voice sounded from the door to the workshop. "Your attitudes and behaviour show that not much, if any, progress was achieved in the most important area. Humans are still the same quarrelsome people with petty concerns I am intimately familiar with."
"Were we just insulted? I'm pretty sure we were insulted!" the Slayer blurted out. "You're no prize, either!" she snapped - but she was headed to the workshop as well.
Jim sighed and followed the others.
They found Merlin… floating pieces of armour out of a chest Jim hadn't noticed the first time into a bag.
"You gonna recycle that?" the Slayer asked. "Metal shouldn't go into the landfill."
"My armour is still entirely functional," the wizard replied without even looking at her.
"But you were dealt a near-fatal blow," Jim objected.
"Which was the result of a magic spell that went through the armour," Merlin told him. "Quite a clever, if predictable, attack by my former student."
"So, the armour's useless against magic?"
"It was less than optimal for repelling certain spells but otherwise will serve quite well."
For all that he apparently had been outsmarted by Morgana, Merlin's ego certainly hadn't suffered even a scratch. Or, Jim thought with a wince, this was him humbled.
"Are you taking your books?" Willow asked.
"I've already selected the books I'll need," Merlin replied. "The rest is sealed here. Now, how are we going to travel to the new world? I do not assume it'll be by ship. Did you fly? Or sidestepped the distance through a magical realm?"
"We took the Gyre, Master Merlin," Blinky told him. "A network of tunnels connecting most troll settlements across the world which allows us to travel to any point on earth, or close to, in a few hours."
"That does sound quite convenient." The old man looked impressed, Jim realised. "I gather that this has allowed the trolls to form a united realm despite the physical distance, then."
"Err…" Blinky winced. "It has allowed us to tighten our ties to other communities, yes."
"And yet, you are still divided amongst yourselves." Merlin shook his head. "Truly, nothing important has changed in my absence."
"A lot has changed!" Willow protested. "Democracy has spread over the globe! We aren't beholden to kings or nobles any more!"
"Democracy? That Greek concept?" Merlin scoffed. "They never understood that while a single man can be wise, a mob will never show the slightest sign of intelligence. As the Romans showed, it doesn't last."
"Hey! It has lasted centuries!" Willow glared at him. "And compared to being led by some inbred noble because the moron has been born a prince, democracy has been proven to be a lot better as a governing system!" She blinked. "And we can get rid of bad leaders without a revolution!"
"You are subject to the whim of the people, which changes more often than the wind and is as fickle."
"We've still done better than any kingdom!"
"So you claim. And yet, the world is facing not merely one lethal threat, but two - or more."
"With all due respect, Master Merlin, but not even having an advisor as wise as you kept King Arthur from declaring a crusade against magic that almost doomed the world," Blinky spoke up. He flinched when Merlin glared at him but stood his ground.
After a moment, Merlin chuckled. "Point. I should have handled that much better. But what's done is done. And now we have to deal with two urgent threats, so I suggest we make haste to your Gyre."
"We need to inform the Council that we've accomplished our mission," Mr Giles said, "but we can do that over the phone, I think. Otherwise, I agree, albeit I'm not looking forward to the ride back."
Neither was Jim - and not just because the trip would be like being stuck on a rollercoaster for hours. No, the sooner they were home, the sooner Merlin would accost Claire.
And that wouldn't end well, Jim was sure. It never did when people were convinced they knew best no matter what.
Outside Camelot, January 21st, 2017
"Camelot."
The old geezer sounded… well, almost as if he had feelings. Buffy Summers suppressed a snort. This wasn't the time to get back at the guy. Even though it looked as if he was staring at an empty field next to a cliff. Of course the wizard could see through the magic thingie that fooled everyone else.
"It still stands as you left it," Blinky said. "The seal is holding - we regularly check."
"Of course the seal is holding; I cast it to last an eternity."
She rolled her eyes. Arrogant much?
"It is remarkable that none has detected it - none who didn't know its location beforehand," Giles said.
Could Giles sound any more like a fanboy? Wait! Buffy frowned. Had that been a subtle dig at the wizard? Reminding him that the trolls could still see the castle?
Judging by Merlin's frown, the answer was 'yes'. "Absent wiping the minds of every troll from the area, this was unavoidable. The magic was cast on the location, and, therefore, its effect applies to the area. A fresh apprentice would know that."
"Oh!" Willow tilted her head. "That means the human survivors of the battle, and the residents who were driven from the castle, still knew where it stood but couldn't return, and their descendants were prevented from learning about the location? So, if all the trolls who lived at the time of the Battle of Killahead Bridge died out, none would ever be able to find Camelot again? Except for you, I mean."
The wizard looked at her with a frown. "And my apprentice. And Morgana."
"So… if we weren't following Blinky, we wouldn't have been able to find it? And we won't be able to find it without his - or your - help?" Willow asked.
"Yes."
"So, it's affecting our minds. And yet, we could mark its location on a map and on a GPS," Willow went on. "So, is it a spell that makes us leave the area? It must be, or someone would've stumbled into it - literally - since then. The cliff is a great spot for pictures; Instagram would be full of this mystery by now. But how would the spell spare us when we're with Blinky? Is it a very subtle influence? Could we overcome it with sufficient willpower?"
Oh! Buffy grinned. If there was one thing she was good at, apart from fighting and accessorising, it was being stubborn.
Merlin was staring at Willow now as if she had two heads. Well, she was smart enough for two very smart people. Or more. "It seems your education in magic wasn't as rudimentary as the first impression you made caused me to assume."
That compliment was so backhanded, it came around full circle.
Willow frowned in return. "That's the fault of your prejudices! Just because I don't follow your tradition with your phallic symbol staff doesn't mean I'm ignorant!"
The wizard scoffed. "So you claim. Yet, a few clever ideas are no replacement for knowledge and experience. Shouldn't your master have impressed this on you?"
"I don't have a master!" Willow retorted.
Now Merlin rolled his eyes openly. "Your teacher, then."
"I don't have a teacher, either." Willow pouted, then grew serious. "Not since…" She trailed off with a glance at Giles. Who was looking at the empty cliffside as if he could see Camelot. Buffy sighed.
Merlin nodded. "They died, then. And what did you do? Looked for another teacher? Begged for some scraps of knowledge from established wizards?"
"I studied on my own!" Willow was annoyed now, Buffy saw. "And I did well!"
Merlin scoffed. "Unless you had access to the Library of Alexandria - which burned centuries before Camelot fell - or the archives of Shangri-La, which require more wisdom and humility to access than you have shown so far, or were close to your Mastery, which I doubt was the case, you are fooling yourself."
"With all due respect, Sir," Giles spoke up, "you don't know Willow. Judging her based on your prejudices and lack of knowledge does not suit you."
"Yes!" Buffy chimed in. "Willow's saved us all more than once! And she's been working hard for years!"
"Years? It takes decades to gain sufficient skill at magic to be more of a threat to your enemies than to yourself."
"But Master Wizard, I thought Morgana was King Arthur's sister - and I remember the time he was crowned, still a child," Blinky said. "She couldn't have had centuries of experience, yet she almost bested you, didn't she?"
"I was her teacher, and she was a unique case," Merlin replied. "She had so much power and talent, she took years for what others took decades. And yet, without other factors, I would have vanquished her at the Battle of Killahead Bridge."
"Other factors?" Giles asked.
"There, she showed more power than I had ever seen - unnatural power. Possibly demonic in nature; I couldn't analyse them before I was forced to deal with her."
"Demonic power?" Buffy snarled. She could deal with demons. And not in the witchy kind of dealing.
"That would seem to be the most obvious source of power."
"Apart from Gaia and the various other goddesses," Willow said.
Merlin scoffed again. "Calling upon gods is merely a crutch at best, at worst a way to fool yourself. A wizard knows that they, and only they, are the source of their power."
"Did you just insult my religion? I mean, one of my religions?" Willow spat.
Blinky cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should table this discussion and take the Gyre back to Trollmarket?"
That sounded like a good idea. If Willow got going about religion, they'd be here until morning. Or longer.
Glastonbury Tor, January 20th, 2017
The room James Lake Jr entered was dusty. Really dusty. Several tables filled the room. The largest stood in the centre, almost three yards long and one and a half yards wide, and cups and beakers and exotic tools were spread on its top - Jim could see that much even with the thick coating of dust obscuring the details.
There was a picture on the wall, also covered in dust. And glowing crystals, encased in metal this time and spread out so the whole room was evenly illuminated. There was even a fireplace - no, a forge; there was an anvil - in a corner. This was… a workshop.
"A wizard's workshop!" he heard Blinky exclaim.
Turning, Jim saw that the others had arrived.
"Someone needs to call their cleaning service," the Slayer commented, looking around.
"Buffy! Show some respect - this might be Merlin's workshop!" Mr Giles said.
"Oh!" Willow made a beeline for the shelves. "The books must be priceless!"
"And protected by spells, I wager," Blinky commented, "since they have lasted through centuries without anyone caring for them. Trust me, that takes magic."
"Oh." Willow stopped up in front of the closest shelf. "That would make sense, I suppose."
"Although Merlin's workshop was in Camelot, as far as I know," Blinky went on, walking around. "This… well, if this is the Gate to Avalon, it might belong to any wizard."
"Or it might be Merlin's secret real workshop, where he worked what he didn't want anyone to know," Willow speculated. "After all, the Scythe was hidden here as well."
Blinky beamed at her. "Quite a reasonable theory. That would indeed fit his character, as far as I knew him - and while I only met him a few times, and under pressing circumstances, I was his contemporary."
"So…" The Slayer looked around. "He used the Scythe's secret location to hide his own stuff? Sounds kind of… sneaky."
"Oh, Merlin was very cunning!" Blinky said. "He had great magical powers, but he was valued for his wisdom and intelligence more than for his magic. Although that might have been a result of him adapting to the general hostility amongst humans towards magic at the time."
"Right." The Slayer nodded. "So… is there anything we could use here?"
"The books!" Willow stared at them.
"Which might be cursed," Mr Giles cautioned. But he was looking at the tomes with the same hungry expression, Jim found.
"Well," Jim said, "there's also the second door here." He pointed forward.
"Another Trollhunter only door? This is so unfair! This was the Slayer cave!"
"I suggest we explore the entire area before we allow ourselves to become distracted by potentially cursed books," Blinky said.
"Seconded!" the Slayer agreed. "If we let Willow and Giles alone here, we won't ever get them out."
And Blinky seemed to be of half a mind to join them, Jim suspected. "Yes. Let's check the rest out. There might be a connection to Avalon."
"This is supposed to be the Gate to Avalon," the Slayer commented.
"The gate is supposed to be here - but this cave or tunnel might not be related to it," Mr Giles replied.
"But the Guardian said she founded Avalon. Although she didn't say what it is."
Jim suppressed the urge to shake his head and opened the next door. Which revealed another dimly lit tunnel. He quickly made his way through it - and entered a huge cavern, lit only by a giant crystal set in, or growing out of, the ceiling. And right below it, in the centre of the green beam of light shining down from the crystal, was a stone slab with a body.
Jim drew a hissing breath. The body was covered in dust and cobwebs, but it seemed to be a man. "Merlin…" he whispered.
"Merlin's Tomb!" Blinky whispered, a little more loudly, behind him.
"That's Merlin?" the Slayer asked.
"I recognise his robes," Blinky said, taking a hesitant step forward. "Though he was wearing armour last I saw him."
Jim took the lead, slowly approaching the stone slab. "Why didn't they put him into a coffin? Or one of those Egyptian thingies."
"Sarcophagus, Buffy."
"Thanks, Willow."
"His apprentice must have left him like this. Or he was sent away, and Merlin lay down here to die," Blinky said. "He might not have wanted to have anyone see him die - or handle his body."
"That sounds paranoid," the Slayer commented.
"As the foremost wizard of his age - or any age - he had good reason for such measures." Blinky shook his head. "What would more ruthless mages have done with access to his workshop - or his body?"
"Ew."
Jim cocked his head to the side and studied the figure under the dust. "Whatever he did, it preserved his body." Merlin looked like he was merely asleep - Jim could see no sign of decay. Just a coat of dust. Like on a forgotten mannequin in the attic. He shook his head. This wasn't right.
"Indeed. It might have been a necromantic ritual to stop decay," Mr Giles said.
Before he could help himself, Jim reached out to brush away the dust on the body's face. The cobwebs crumbled under his touch.
"Master Jim!"
"Watch out!"
Jim shook his head again. "We shouldn't let him like this, gathering dust. At the least, we should…" Dust him? That sounded far too profane for the occasion. "...clean him up."
He reached out again and brushed more dust away.
"Well, good luck trying to get that out of his beard," the Slayer said.
"Buffy! Show some respect!"
"I'm just saying - getting dust out of your hair is harder than it looks! I should know!"
"Buffy! Willow!" Mr Giles spoke up. "Please behave."
"Alright. I'm just… I'm feeling a little antsy," the Slayer said.
"Is your Slay-dar pinging?" Willow asked.
"No, no. I'm just… I'm feeling… energised, and I want to do something."
"Hm. That could be the Scythe, I presume," Mr Giles said. "It is said to empower the Slayer."
But Jim felt full of energy himself. He looked up, at the glowing crystal. Then down at Merlin's body. It was like a spotlight. But the dust...
He gasped. The cobwebs he had brushed aside had landed on the body's chest - and they were moving.
No.
The chest was moving.
"He's… he's alive!" Jim blurted out. Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time, was alive. The wizard who had created the Trollhunter. This was...
"What?" The Slayer was at his side in a second, Scythe raised. "Alive?" She cocked her head. "Yes… I can hear his heart beating. Although very, very slowly."
"How can he be alive?" Willow whispered.
"According to some legends, Merlin had demon ancestry," Mr Giles said.
"Demon?" The Slayer sniffed the air, then sneezed. "He doesn't smell like a demon."
"I never heard about that," Blinky said. "I doubt that Arthur would have tolerated a demon at his court."
"It might have been added after his disappearance and apparent death to disparage his reputation."
"Whatever," the Slayer shook her head. "What do we do about it?"
"We…" Jim looked up at the crystal, then down at Merlin. "We should leave him here. I think the light is healing him. Or keeping him alive."
"Magic!" Willow breathed. "Magic that kept him alive for centuries!"
"It kept him from dying from a mortal wound!" Blinky stared with all six eyes wide open.
"It's marvellous. The knowledge and magic this must have taken…" Mr Giles shook his head.
"And your blathering presence has just disturbed the fine balance needed for my spell to work."
Jim gasped and jumped back a yard.
"Dear Lord!"
"Oh, my God!"
"Great Gorka Morka!"
"He's alive!"
Merlin had opened his eyes and was glaring at the Slayer. "Barely, yes. No thanks to you."
"What?"
The wizard slowly sat up with a soft groan, one hand poking his own stomach. "You've brought the Scythe into my tomb, disrupting my carefully wrought magics. What possessed you to do so?"
"What? I didn't disrupt anything!" the Slayer protested. "Did I?"
"At least it seems my wound has been sufficiently healed so I will not be needing this tomb for its original purpose any time soon. Unless, of course, your foolishness has not limited itself to stumbling around in places you were not meant to enter." He scoffed, wincing a little. "I would ask how you managed to enter my tomb in the first place, but the answer's plain as day." Merlin glared at Jim. "Trollhunter. You must have broken into my workshop. Why did you do this?"
"Uh…" Jim blinked. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to enter. I just… I saw the door, and…" He shrugged. "Sorry."
"Didn't my apprentice tell your predecessors that my tomb was to be sealed?" Merlin's glare shifted to Blink. "I remember you."
"Yes. I, ah, was at the battle of Killahead Bridge," Blinky told him.
"Stumbling around, were you? Yes, you were." Merlin groaned again, then shifted around and turned so his legs dangled from the stone slab. "And yet, you survived where many others, many of them your betters, died."
"Ah… I fought as well as I could."
"You could have hardly fought worse, as I recall." The wizard scoffed. "The Trollhunter and the Slayer, in the same room. I didn't see this coming. If I had, I would never have allowed the Guardian to hide the Scythe so close to my workshop."
"Sir… do you require assistance?" Mr Giles spoke up. "I'm Rupert Giles. I'm…"
"...her Watcher, I presume." Merlin cut him off. "Unless you are a master wizard, I doubt you could assist me with anything. And a master wizard would never have let those children roam around in my workshop, risking limb and life."
"What?" Jim gasped again.
"Boy!" Merlin glared at him. "Did you expect my workshop - my resting place and eventual tomb - to be unguarded? It's only your presence that prevented my defences from obliterating your intrepid group of tomb raiders. Or, rather, the presence of your amulet."
Jim grimaced. As did the Slayer. But he hadn't known that!
"I did think it was going a little too well, actually," Willow said. "Historically, tombs and laboratories of practitioners of magic have been guarded with traps and curses."
Jim glared at her. Couldn't she have mentioned that before?
"Which would be one and the same," Merlin replied. "But yes. I did not expect the Trollhunter to join forces with the Slayer. Or that the Trollhunter wasn't aware that my workshop was to remain sealed."
"Uh… his training wasn't… we're working on it, the fault is entirely mine, though we were pressed for time, so we focused on the more practical aspects," Blinky said.
Merlin scoffed and stood. His legs wobbled for a moment, prompting another groan, but he didn't sit back down. "And him being human didn't help, I suppose. You probably had to teach him basic troll etiquette."
Jim clenched his teeth. That wasn't his fault nor Blinky's!
"Master Jim being chosen was a surprise," Blinky said. "But a very welcome surprise. He has proved his mettle and spirit time and again."
"Of course. My amulet would hardly have chosen a craven, would it?" Merlin scoffed again. "Have people forgotten about me, to doubt my work?"
"No! You're known as the greatest wizard of all time!" Willow said. "Although most think you are a legend, not a real wizard."
"Most people think the earth is flat. That doesn't affect it."
"Most people have no idea that magic is real," Mr Giles said. "The population explosion…"
"Yes, yes. A contingency plan we thought of centuries ago, to prevent the growing number of humans from waking up the Old Ones by their fear of them and demons and magic in general." Merlin made a wave with his hand. "Now, where did my useless apprentice put my armour and staff?"
Jim had to struggle a little to keep from frowning at the old man's attitude.
*****
Buffy Summers narrowed her eyes at the rude old geezer. That was supposed to be the greatest wizard of all time? Well, he certainly had the greatest ego she had ever seen. It was even bigger than Cordelia's!
"Ah, I don't know, Master Merlin," Blinky said. "We haven't seen your apprentice since you and he left together after the battle. The Battle of Killahead Bridge."
"Since I spent the last few centuries here, it certainly couldn't have been after any other battle, could it?" Merlin scoffed. "Now, my staff… You haven't seen it, or you would've shown a reaction. Which means it wasn't stored in my workshop, through which you entered this room and disturbed my recovery."
Buffy clenched her teeth so she wouldn't offer to help the man get back to being in a coma. But… "Didn't you give your apprentice specific orders what to do with it?"
The old man glared at her. "No. My staff has a mind of its own - the result of a thousand years' worth of magic being wielded through it. It will be nearby, ready for me to use it. And given the deplorable state of my body, I certainly could use a walking stick."
Buffy had some doubts about this - it sounded a little too convenient as an explanation for having misplaced his staff.
Willow, on the other hand, looked impressed. "A sentient or semi-sapient staff? Oh!"
"Why are you surprised? It would be a surprise if a wizard's staff didn't grow with its wielder. If you don't wield enough power for that, you aren't powerful enough to forge one in the first place," Merlin told her.
Blinky moved towards him and offered his arm. The old man grabbed it without saying thanks, looking around. "So, where would it be? Hidden, obviously, but close."
"Maybe your apprentice took it," Buffy suggested with her best fake smile.
"Hisridoux? Stealing my staff? He would have known better. He isn't the brightest lad in the world, but repeated failures have taught him not to court disaster any more, even though it took him far too long."
"I can see how your attitude inspired the fiercest loyalty," Buffy told him. "Who wouldn't follow your orders to the letter if you were praising them like this?"
Merlin glared at her. "I am far too old to bother with pretty lies that only will lead to an apprentice overestimating their talent and getting themselves killed. Trust me, I've seen it before."
Death would probably be preferable to suffer that attitude for long, in Buffy's opinion.
"Sir, we haven't noticed a staff on our way in," Giles added.
"I already deduced that, boy."
Boy? He was calling Giles 'boy?'? Buffy wasn't sure if she should be amused by this - or insulted; Gles was her Watcher, after all.
"Ah. Clever." Merlin stopped moving and stared up at the ceiling.
"Clever?" Willow asked, but the wizard ignored her.
Merlin raised his free hand and closed his eyes. A moment later, Buffy heard stones grinding against each other - and when she looked up, she saw dust glittering in the crystal's eerie light as it fell from the ceiling. And…
...there was a staff sliding out of the rock! And floating.
"Oh!" Willow stared.
"The Staff of Avalon!" Blinky announced when the thing floated into Merlin's hand.
"Yes, yes, my staff," Merlin confirmed. "There's no need to act surprised - I did announce this, didn't I?"
Buffy could see the staff glow with green light, but it quickly grew dimmer. Though Merlin released Blinky and straightened with a deep sigh."
"Oh! Did the staff absorb some of the healing energy from the crystal? Which you just absorbed?" Willow asked.
The old man turned to look at her, his eyes widening for a moment in apparent surprise. "Precisely. You seem to possess, if not a talent for magic, then a keener intellect than seems the norm amongst your group."
"Willow is a powerful witch and a genius!" Buffy told the rude old wizard. Her bestie could probably take the guy. At least right now - Merlin didn't look like he would break in two if you elbowed him, but he still looked weak. Which, of course, could be an act. But Buffy didn't think so - Merlin struck her as the kind of guy who wanted to impress everyone with his power.
"A witch? Without a staff? A hedgewitch, perhaps?" Merlin asked in the same tone Cordelia used to talk about Sears.
Willow pouted in return. "That's a rather disparaging attitude! There's nothing wrong with alternate magical traditions - not every practitioner needs to wield a staff! That's pretty cliched."
"Not everyone has to compensate for something," Buffy added with a smirk.
"Buffy!" Giles sounded shocked.
Merlin, though, seemed amused for a moment. "Staffs are used because they are proven to work."
"In your tradition, maybe. Others such as Wicca do not use staffs," Willow retorted.
"Yes. And you can't just walk around with a staff these days without people wondering what a weirdo you might be," Buffy said. "Unless you're hiking, of course."
"Claire uses a staff," Jim spoke up.
"Oh, yes," Blinky chimed in. "The Shadow Staff. She has saved all of us several times with it."
Merlin gasped. "The Shadow Staff? And this 'Claire' wields it?" He took a step towards Jim. "Where is she?"
*****
James Lake Jr took a step back, recoiling slightly from Merlin. The old wizard suddenly looked… very intense. Dangerous. "Claire?" he replied, trying to buy time. Something was wrong here.
"She's home, in Arcadia Oaks, although she's currently staying in the Shadow Realm with the families of the Trollhunter, the Slayer and their allies."
Apparently, Blinky hadn't noticed anything wrong. Jim clenched his teeth.
"She's with your families? Who is this Claire? How did you meet?"
"She's…" Jim straightened. "She's my girlfriend. We met at school!"
"Your girlfriend? I see." Merlin looked rather grim.
"Hey, Mr Wizard!" the Slayer cut in. "What's with the sudden Inquisition? Claire's a nice girl."
"The Shadow Staff is not something a 'nice girl' wields."
"Hey! She took it from Angor Rot - she has earned it!" Jim protested. Claire hadn't done anything wrong!
Merlin scoffed. "Angor Rot? And how did he lay his hands on Morgana's staff?"
"Morgana?" The Slayer looked puzzled. "Arthur's sister?"
"And my former student," Merlin said. "As well as my greatest enemy. She gave me the wound that almost ended me." He put his hand on his stomach. "I thought I had sealed her staff with her, but it seems I was mistaken. Or something worse is afoot."
"Morgana has not made an appearance since you defeated her at the Battle of Killahead Bridge, Master Wizard," Blinky told him.
"Or she merely wasn't seen. Or recognised."
Wait! Was Merlin implying what Jim thought he was?
"What? Do you think she's free and working in the shadows or something?" Willow asked.
"A wizard is tied to his staff," Merlin told her. "It matters not whether they actually have the staff in their possession - they are still its master. To break such a bond and make the staff your own requires immense strength." He scoffed. "That's why I wasn't worried about the staff of Avalon - the odds of anyone being able to truly wrest it from me, to sever my ties to it, are infinitesimally low. My apprentice most certainly couldn't have done it."
Jim narrowed his eyes. "Well, Angor Rot was using the Shadow Staff, and Claire has been using it ever since she took it from him in battle."
"Using the staff doesn't mean she masters it. Quite the contrary," Merlin retorted.
Jim really didn't like the wizard's attitude. "You don't even know her!" He was acting as if Claire was… wrong or something.
"But I do know Morgana. I must see this girl. And the staff. Too much is at stake."
"You're right about that," the Slayer spoke up again. "But wrong about the girl."
"Really?" The old man turned to glare at her. "And you would correct me?"
"Well, yes. Morgana's not the problem. Glory is." The Slayer nodded.
"Glorificus. A hell-god banished to our dimension by his former co-rulers of his home dimension," Mr Giles added. "He's…"
"I am aware of Glorificus's nature," Merlin cut him off. "And while he's a formidable opponent, Morgana is far more dangerous."
"What? We've got two skanks trying to end the world?" the Slayer blurted out.
"Sir, I think you might underestimate the threat Glorificus represents," Mr Giles said. "He seeks to return to his home dimension and is willing to break the dimensional barriers separating Earth from hell - all the hell dimensions - in the process."
"Yes, yes, but in order to do so, he would need the Key, and the Key is protected by the Order of Dagon. Glorificus would have to…" Merlin trailed off, apparently reading their expressions. "The Order of Dagon has fallen?"
Mr Giles winced. "As far as we know, yes. They sent the Key to the Slayer for protection."
The Slayer nodded. "Yeah. I found the last one of them, and he told me before he died."
For the first time, Merlin looked shocked. "This is… How could this have happened? The Order was formed specifically to oppose Glorificus and stood firm for millennia!"
"Well, it looks like your information isn't up to date," Willow said, then winced a little, as if she were surprised at her own comment.
Merlin snorted. "It seems a lot of things have changed drastically while I was recovering - and not for the better. Nevertheless, I must see this 'Claire'. The threat that Morgana poses cannot be ignored. And this girl is the key."
The Slayer winced at that, Jim noticed. He was scowling himself - Claire was his friend. His girlfriend. She had...
"The Fair Claire has proven herself as an invaluable ally," Blinky told Merlin.
Yes, that. Jim nodded.
"It wouldn't be the first time Morgana used subterfuge to attack her enemies from within," Merlin retorted.
"Wait… do you think Claire is working for Morgana?" Jim gaped at the wizard.
Merlin raised his eyebrows at him in return. "I would have thought that was obvious. Do I have to spell out everything as if I am talking to a simpleton?"
"Claire would never work for Morgana!" Jim protested.
"She is, in the best case, dealing with forces beyond her comprehension."
"And in the worst case?" the Slayer asked. With a toothy smile, she added: "And keep it simple!"
Merlin scowled at her. "In the worst case? She is Morgana."
Jim gasped. Merlin… he couldn't be serious!"
"That's impossible!" he blurted out. "Claire isn't Morgana!" He would've noticed.
"Oh? So you're the expert on Morgana, now?"
"No! But I know Claire!"
"Really? Boy, how long do you have known her? A year? Two years?" Merlin scoffed. "And I am not talking about looking at her half-hidden behind a corner or daydreaming about her. I mean being her friend. Spending every day with her. Knowing how to brew her favourite tea and what cut of meat she favours. How she laughs when she means it and how she laughs if she's merely being polite." The old wizard was looming above Jim. "Do you know her as I have known Morgana?"
Jim gritted his teeth. "I know her!" he spat back.
"Then you're a fool. I knew Morgana like that - and I was fooling myself. I didn't know her at all. I didn't fathom the depths she would sink to achieve her goals."
"But…" Jim trailed off. Repeating that he knew Claire would make him sound stupid. But he knew her! Claire wasn't Morgana! She couldn't be!"
"Oh, get real!" The Slayer scoffed. "You think an ages-old witch could act as a Californian teenager? Good enough to fool everyone? Hell, Giles's been living in California for years and still has trouble understanding us. Can you imagine him trying to pose as a teenager?"
"Without band candy, at least," Willow added.
Mr Giles frowned at both. "I have to point out that it's not as much the difference in maturity, but the difference in upbringing. I am quite capable of understanding British teenagers."
"Your midlife crisis will be fun," the Slayer shot back.
"I thought that was why he bought his new car?" Willow grinned.
Mr Giles opened his mouth, then closed it and started polishing his glasses. Jim half-expected the Slayer and Willow to high-five each other based on their grins.
"Are you quite finished with your pointless antics? We have to deal with a potential threat to the world entire."
The Slayer turned back to glare at Merlin. "We're not going to let you terrorise a girl because you've been traumatised by your lover or something!"
"Morgana wasn't my lover! She was my student."
"As television has taught me, one thing doesn't exclude the other," the Slayer shot back.
Merlin didn't ask what television was, Jim noticed. But he couldn't know about modern technology, having slept for centuries. So, was this just him saving face and refusing to admit his ignorance?
"Anyway, we're not going to let you go all Spanish Inquisition on Claire," the Slayer added.
"You have no idea how dangerous the Shadow Staff is, girl," Merlin told her. "Using it is like juggling with poisonous blades while drinking ale."
"I bet I could do that all day!" the Slayer told him. "Unless it's demon beer."
Blinky cleared his throat. "While I am convinced that the Fair Claire hasn't been possessed or influenced, Master Merlin is the most experienced wizard amongst us and has the most extensive personal knowledge about Morgana. I don't think we should dismiss his concerns out of hand."
Jim glared at Blinky. Claire wasn't Morgana! Or mind-controlled. He would've noticed.
"Thank you." Merlin nodded at Blinky. "At least someone isn't blinded by their youthful fancies."
"Hey!" That was going too far, Merlin or not. Jim glared at him. "You can't just dismiss our experience like that!"
"Yes!" Willow nodded. "I bet you don't know anything about modern teenagers! We've changed since your time. Society has changed! Technology has changed! It's an entire new world!"
"That's what the Egyptians thought. And then the Greeks and the Romans. After them, the Christians talked about a new era." Merlin scoffed. "But did the people change? No! Beneath their different clothes and fashions, they were all the same. Ruled by passions, wilfully blinding themselves rather than facing reality, they made the same mistakes humans have been making since time immemorial."
"Well, it's clear you haven't changed at all," the Slayer shot back. "You're like every old geezer, ever, complaining about us!"
Jim nodded. "You can't just assume we act the same as the people you've known."
"I've known so many people in my long life, I doubt anything you do would be a surprise." Merlin gave him a very dismissive look.
Jim clenched his teeth again. Merlin was wrong about Claire. Jim knew it - and he would prove it.
"Now, let's leave my workshop before more uninvited guests stumble in thanks to your clumsy meddling. And then make haste to this Arcadia Oaks."
"You don't even know where it is!" Jim protested.
"But evidently, you do, since you've travelled from your home to this place. Unless you got lost on the way, which I wouldn't exclude as a possibility, mind you, you should be easily able to lead me back." Merlin raised his staff, and a greenish bolt shot out of it, hitting the crystal above them. A moment later, light washed over it, and the crystal stopped glowing.
Which plunged the entire room or cave into darkness for a moment until everyone used their flashlights.
"Couldn't you have waited until we were out of the room?" the Slayer complained.
"If a dark room inconveniences you, you must be a very weak Slayer."
"Weak?"
"Enough prattling. Let's go! We have no time to waste."
"Prattling?" The Slayer complained. "We're not going to simply follow that fossilised geezer, are we?"
Jim wanted to agree, but as Merlin swept past them, he looked around. Except for the Slayer, none of the others seemed willing to contradict Merlin.
"We do not have a lot of time to spare," Mr Giles said. "And we recovered the Scythe, so the goal of this trip was achieved."
"We also recovered a recovering jerk," the Slayer protested.
"But… he's Merlin!" Blinky said. "The most powerful wizard of all time."
"And he knows about Glory!" Willow pointed out.
But the wizard also thought that Claire was controlled or possessed by Morgana. Or that Claire was Morgana, however that was supposed to have worked out. Jim snorted - he'd rather believe that Claire was a changeling, and he had seen her handle a Gaggletack!
"And he knows nothing about the modern world! Cars will shock him! Women's lib will shock him! Airplanes will... " The Slayer blinked. "You know what? You're right! Let's go."
"If you presume I will be amazed by what paltry progress humanity has achieved during my sleep, I fear you will be disappointed," Merlin's dry voice sounded from the door to the workshop. "Your attitudes and behaviour show that not much, if any, progress was achieved in the most important area. Humans are still the same quarrelsome people with petty concerns I am intimately familiar with."
"Were we just insulted? I'm pretty sure we were insulted!" the Slayer blurted out. "You're no prize, either!" she snapped - but she was headed to the workshop as well.
Jim sighed and followed the others.
They found Merlin… floating pieces of armour out of a chest Jim hadn't noticed the first time into a bag.
"You gonna recycle that?" the Slayer asked. "Metal shouldn't go into the landfill."
"My armour is still entirely functional," the wizard replied without even looking at her.
"But you were dealt a near-fatal blow," Jim objected.
"Which was the result of a magic spell that went through the armour," Merlin told him. "Quite a clever, if predictable, attack by my former student."
"So, the armour's useless against magic?"
"It was less than optimal for repelling certain spells but otherwise will serve quite well."
For all that he apparently had been outsmarted by Morgana, Merlin's ego certainly hadn't suffered even a scratch. Or, Jim thought with a wince, this was him humbled.
"Are you taking your books?" Willow asked.
"I've already selected the books I'll need," Merlin replied. "The rest is sealed here. Now, how are we going to travel to the new world? I do not assume it'll be by ship. Did you fly? Or sidestepped the distance through a magical realm?"
"We took the Gyre, Master Merlin," Blinky told him. "A network of tunnels connecting most troll settlements across the world which allows us to travel to any point on earth, or close to, in a few hours."
"That does sound quite convenient." The old man looked impressed, Jim realised. "I gather that this has allowed the trolls to form a united realm despite the physical distance, then."
"Err…" Blinky winced. "It has allowed us to tighten our ties to other communities, yes."
"And yet, you are still divided amongst yourselves." Merlin shook his head. "Truly, nothing important has changed in my absence."
"A lot has changed!" Willow protested. "Democracy has spread over the globe! We aren't beholden to kings or nobles any more!"
"Democracy? That Greek concept?" Merlin scoffed. "They never understood that while a single man can be wise, a mob will never show the slightest sign of intelligence. As the Romans showed, it doesn't last."
"Hey! It has lasted centuries!" Willow glared at him. "And compared to being led by some inbred noble because the moron has been born a prince, democracy has been proven to be a lot better as a governing system!" She blinked. "And we can get rid of bad leaders without a revolution!"
"You are subject to the whim of the people, which changes more often than the wind and is as fickle."
"We've still done better than any kingdom!"
"So you claim. And yet, the world is facing not merely one lethal threat, but two - or more."
"With all due respect, Master Merlin, but not even having an advisor as wise as you kept King Arthur from declaring a crusade against magic that almost doomed the world," Blinky spoke up. He flinched when Merlin glared at him but stood his ground.
After a moment, Merlin chuckled. "Point. I should have handled that much better. But what's done is done. And now we have to deal with two urgent threats, so I suggest we make haste to your Gyre."
"We need to inform the Council that we've accomplished our mission," Mr Giles said, "but we can do that over the phone, I think. Otherwise, I agree, albeit I'm not looking forward to the ride back."
Neither was Jim - and not just because the trip would be like being stuck on a rollercoaster for hours. No, the sooner they were home, the sooner Merlin would accost Claire.
And that wouldn't end well, Jim was sure. It never did when people were convinced they knew best no matter what.
*****
Outside Camelot, January 21st, 2017
"Camelot."
The old geezer sounded… well, almost as if he had feelings. Buffy Summers suppressed a snort. This wasn't the time to get back at the guy. Even though it looked as if he was staring at an empty field next to a cliff. Of course the wizard could see through the magic thingie that fooled everyone else.
"It still stands as you left it," Blinky said. "The seal is holding - we regularly check."
"Of course the seal is holding; I cast it to last an eternity."
She rolled her eyes. Arrogant much?
"It is remarkable that none has detected it - none who didn't know its location beforehand," Giles said.
Could Giles sound any more like a fanboy? Wait! Buffy frowned. Had that been a subtle dig at the wizard? Reminding him that the trolls could still see the castle?
Judging by Merlin's frown, the answer was 'yes'. "Absent wiping the minds of every troll from the area, this was unavoidable. The magic was cast on the location, and, therefore, its effect applies to the area. A fresh apprentice would know that."
"Oh!" Willow tilted her head. "That means the human survivors of the battle, and the residents who were driven from the castle, still knew where it stood but couldn't return, and their descendants were prevented from learning about the location? So, if all the trolls who lived at the time of the Battle of Killahead Bridge died out, none would ever be able to find Camelot again? Except for you, I mean."
The wizard looked at her with a frown. "And my apprentice. And Morgana."
"So… if we weren't following Blinky, we wouldn't have been able to find it? And we won't be able to find it without his - or your - help?" Willow asked.
"Yes."
"So, it's affecting our minds. And yet, we could mark its location on a map and on a GPS," Willow went on. "So, is it a spell that makes us leave the area? It must be, or someone would've stumbled into it - literally - since then. The cliff is a great spot for pictures; Instagram would be full of this mystery by now. But how would the spell spare us when we're with Blinky? Is it a very subtle influence? Could we overcome it with sufficient willpower?"
Oh! Buffy grinned. If there was one thing she was good at, apart from fighting and accessorising, it was being stubborn.
Merlin was staring at Willow now as if she had two heads. Well, she was smart enough for two very smart people. Or more. "It seems your education in magic wasn't as rudimentary as the first impression you made caused me to assume."
That compliment was so backhanded, it came around full circle.
Willow frowned in return. "That's the fault of your prejudices! Just because I don't follow your tradition with your phallic symbol staff doesn't mean I'm ignorant!"
The wizard scoffed. "So you claim. Yet, a few clever ideas are no replacement for knowledge and experience. Shouldn't your master have impressed this on you?"
"I don't have a master!" Willow retorted.
Now Merlin rolled his eyes openly. "Your teacher, then."
"I don't have a teacher, either." Willow pouted, then grew serious. "Not since…" She trailed off with a glance at Giles. Who was looking at the empty cliffside as if he could see Camelot. Buffy sighed.
Merlin nodded. "They died, then. And what did you do? Looked for another teacher? Begged for some scraps of knowledge from established wizards?"
"I studied on my own!" Willow was annoyed now, Buffy saw. "And I did well!"
Merlin scoffed. "Unless you had access to the Library of Alexandria - which burned centuries before Camelot fell - or the archives of Shangri-La, which require more wisdom and humility to access than you have shown so far, or were close to your Mastery, which I doubt was the case, you are fooling yourself."
"With all due respect, Sir," Giles spoke up, "you don't know Willow. Judging her based on your prejudices and lack of knowledge does not suit you."
"Yes!" Buffy chimed in. "Willow's saved us all more than once! And she's been working hard for years!"
"Years? It takes decades to gain sufficient skill at magic to be more of a threat to your enemies than to yourself."
"But Master Wizard, I thought Morgana was King Arthur's sister - and I remember the time he was crowned, still a child," Blinky said. "She couldn't have had centuries of experience, yet she almost bested you, didn't she?"
"I was her teacher, and she was a unique case," Merlin replied. "She had so much power and talent, she took years for what others took decades. And yet, without other factors, I would have vanquished her at the Battle of Killahead Bridge."
"Other factors?" Giles asked.
"There, she showed more power than I had ever seen - unnatural power. Possibly demonic in nature; I couldn't analyse them before I was forced to deal with her."
"Demonic power?" Buffy snarled. She could deal with demons. And not in the witchy kind of dealing.
"That would seem to be the most obvious source of power."
"Apart from Gaia and the various other goddesses," Willow said.
Merlin scoffed again. "Calling upon gods is merely a crutch at best, at worst a way to fool yourself. A wizard knows that they, and only they, are the source of their power."
"Did you just insult my religion? I mean, one of my religions?" Willow spat.
Blinky cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should table this discussion and take the Gyre back to Trollmarket?"
That sounded like a good idea. If Willow got going about religion, they'd be here until morning. Or longer.
*****
