Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 79

Merlin had led the group to a cave along the ridge. A cave in which they'd encountered a shirtless man that attacked them with a dagger, the four knights disarming and disabling him easily.

They'd split up, Merlin and Gwaine going one way and Leon, Percival and Elyan going another.

The trio had stumbled across Agravaine standing over Gaius' unconscious body with a knife.

The uncle to the king had claimed to have followed them, trying to help save Gaius. The men had believed the words he'd spouted but were still sceptical.

As per their agreement and with the persuasion of Agravaine, the trio of knights then proceeded to rescue Gaius and make their way back to Camelot, the old healer in need of healing as Gwaine and Merlin continued to look for Miriam, only to run into Morgana.

With a blast of magic, she knocked both men off their feet, Gwaine being knocked unconscious as his head hit the stone wall while Merlin was merely winded as he hit the floor.

"You really are a thorn in my side, aren't you?" Morgana asked with a smug grin on her face as she twisted her knife in her hands. "When will you learn not to meddle with things you couldn't possibly understand?"

And she threw the knife, her magic holding it at Merlin's throat as he backed into the wall.

"You dragged my little sister into this. I won't stop meddling until you're defeated," Merlin spat, but Morgana's grin only grew.

"It's difficult, isn't it? When there are so many different and painful ways for me to finally be rid of you."

"I don't care what you do to me. I want to know what you've done to Mira and Gaius!"

The sorceress chuckled.

"Well, Gaius had some information I needed. The whereabouts of the sorcerer Emrys. If he gave it to me willingly, his suffering would not be prolonged. But if he did not... And as for Miriam, well I assumed anything Gaius knew, his little apprentice would as well. So I personally asked her if she did. She refused to tell me so she suffered a different, yet equally as painful, fate as Gaius. Plus it was a little take at revenge seeing as Arthur wants that commoner to sit on my throne!"

"If you've harmed them -"

"Why are we discussing his fate when it's time to decide yours?" Morgana asked as she interrupted him. "Not whether you're going to die alone here in this godforsaken place. That's going to happen anyway. But how? And precisely, how painfully."

Merlin was still breathing heavily, pushing himself as far from the knife as possible as another man walked into the robe, dressed in purple robes and wielding a staff.

"Alator. This is Merlin," Morgana introduced, unaware of the look of realisation that crossed over the priest's face. "He's just a serving boy, but he's the most troublesome serving boy I've ever known. I take it your time with Gaius was fruitful?"

The man turned to her.

"Gaius told me everything," he answered and Merlin's heart sank, magic rumbling inside him, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"So you know who Emrys is?"

"Indeed I do."

Alator then walked over to Merlin, kneeling at his side as Morgana looked at the priest as if desperately trying to will the name from his lips.

"Not only do I know who Emrys is, I know exactly where he is. And," he drawled, Morgana's breath holding in suspense. "I know who Emerie is."

"Then tell me," Morgana ordered, Merlin now fearing for his sister's life even more.