Merlin

Gwendydd – sister

Morgenau – brother

Morial – brother

Morien – brother

Mordaf – brother – Naci’s father

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This time as we came out of the portal at an alarming speed I was actually trying to turn us. With a smile I saw that I had made it as we both landed with a hard thud. Naci was on top of me with a shocked look on her face. The force of the landing with her weight on top of that knocked the wind out of me.

“TOMAN!” I heard her shout as the pain started to spread throughout my body. She wasn’t heavy that was for sure though the added speed we had hit the ground made it feel as if she were a ton.

Touching her face I whispered, “I’ll be right soon. Be ready we aren’t that far from him. I’m afraid we had to exit far too soon.”

With that I felt the darkness take me as I entered the gray dreamscape. Steeling myself up I knew he’d be there soon enough. A moment later I felt a presence behind me. “So you bastard seed, you came after all.” I was reaching out even as he was approaching. I could feel that he was seriously hurt. I saw his eyebrows go up as he stared at me. “So you pushed too much. HA! Such a new mage mistake. Wait! You have managed to heal part of it? That’s impossible! Ah. I see it’s a part of the wild magic.”

“I can see that you are also seriously weakened. You hardly have the energy to come through time. You should give up, before I get serious. Believe me you won’t survive if I do.” I told Rigal.

“I doubt you can hurt me. Not as weak as I can feel you are. I’ll offer you the same deal as before, I’ll come there kill you then use that little whore of yours. After I have used her for a while I’ll kill her quick.” Rigal said as he sneered at me.

“I’ll offer you one better Rigal,” I sneered back at him. “You leave us alone and I won’t kill you, simple really. Though if you do still insist chasing us, I can guarantee that what you’ve felt before now will be nothing. I’ll make damn sure you’re dead this time!”

“Big words bastard seed if you had that much power, you’d have ended me before now.” Rigal spit back at me.

“I may be many things though unlike you I am a fair person. This is the last time I will hold back on you. Come for us again and all bets are off!” I told Rigal rather forcefully.

“I doubt…” Rigal started then his eyes got large as his mouth dropped open. I had a hand out in front of me twisting the image of him as hard as I could.

Drawing closer I told Rigal, “I am far more powerful than this Rigal. Give up and live, keep on and I’ll make sure it’s your last!” With that I ripped at his image then disappeared.

I awoke in a puddle of my own sweat with Naci sitting beside me with a look of almost desperation on her face. “Toman! Thank the great power you have awoken! I was worried that I had injured you far worse than I had at first thought. Husband I set out as many of the alarms as I remember you setting. I am sorry that I did not remember all of them.” Here she bowed her head as I thought I saw tears falling from her eyes.

Reaching over I gently caressed her face causing her face to suddenly snap up. Again I saw a strange look in her eyes as she sighed. Reaching out I felt all that she had done. My eyes went wide as I nodded; she had placed ALL the strongest alarms that I usually did.

“You did far better than I thought you had.” I told her as her face showed shock. “In fact you only missed one a very good job I have to say. You are a far better student and listener than any that I have seen in a good while.”

Launching herself at me she again almost took the both of us to the ground as she was hugging me with increasing force. Then she stopped pulling slightly back looking deep into my eyes as she pressed her lips to mine! I was almost thrown back by the amount of energy that passed between the both of us.

Then in a whisper she spoke into my ear. “I am so proud to be your partner and mate. I just hope that when we do have children I can make you as proud. You will make a powerful, wonderful father. As I hope to be as well a wife and mother. Again you have honored me with your praise, thank you!” Pulling back she hugged me again then arose to finish with the meal she was preparing.

I could only sit there in almost total shock. I shook my head as I tried to bring myself out of it. Again I thought back to what I had asked Pops, this had to be a spell! Yes I thought a spell! Though I couldn’t even begin to fathom where the magic to power a spell this strong came from.

Shaking my head I started to go through all the remedies that I had learned from my brief time with Merlin. Oh yeah mother had imparted a few to me also. Father, well… the one I had used was his though as I remember he couldn’t go as far as I had. It was such a shame that you couldn’t use it more than once every two weeks.

So here I was going through every one of those remedies. I had a few from mother though they were only superficial. A few I learned from Merlin that would do the trick though getting all the ingredients was difficult. True I could do it though they’d know almost immediately. Most of the ingredients would have to be drawn from the magic dimension.

Sighing I shook my head as I started in on a few that mother had shown me. I guess healing a part of it was better than letting it heal naturally. Sighing again I started in on the first two.

Almost an hour later I felt a presence near me. I had been having a hard time making what I was working on. It seemed I poured far too much power into the creation of each thing. Frustrated I looked up to see Naci studying what I had been doing.

Naci nodded then told me, “Husband you are trying to make these things. You have to let them make their selves through you.”

I looked at her as if she were crazy, “Make their selves through me? Ok I have never heard that before. Please explain.”

“It’s simple, you think of what you want to make then, you go to the next. If you are strong enough as we both know you are then they will appear while you are thinking of the next thing. It is a technique I use when I was making meals for pa pa.” Naci looked at my face with a look of disbelief on it. “Please husband, this is a very low power exercise, you are trying to push ALL your power into it. Please for me? Try it?”

I was still looking at her as if she’d lost her mind, though I didn’t have anything to lose. Shrugging, I looked at her and nodded. Looking at the list I thought of the first item, everything about it then stopped. Thinking of the second item I was amazed when I saw that the first had appeared beside me.

Almost an hour later I had all that I needed then started on the first two concoctions. Shaking my head I couldn’t believe that doing this as simple as I had that it was actually working. Mixing everything I was further shocked when I saw that everything was as pure as it was. Looking over at Naci in disbelief I saw her nod her head yes.

Swallowing the first a few moments later I felt it slowly creep into my system. Then to my surprise I felt it keep going reaching almost all the way to the tear. What the hell was going on? As far as I knew these were only superficial healing agents. Shaking my head I was waiting to take the second even as I was reading up on the others that I was going to try.

Then it seemed another odd thing happened, a great many things suddenly became clear. Looking over at Naci again I was starting to clearly see what was going on with her for the first time in the almost year we’d known each other. Shaking my head I was amazed. I was seeing things for the first time of the year for the both of us.

Then just as suddenly it vanished from my grasp, still I was looking at Naci with my mouth dropping open. By the great power of the universe, Naci was in love with me! Still in shock I could only stare at her as I tried to open my mouth to speak.

Naci seemed to feel my distress as she came to my side. “Toman, husband? Are you alright? You look almost as if you have seen another ghost.” Then Naci appeared to become scared when I didn’t answer. Shaking me she almost shouted. “Husband! Look at me!”

Turning to stare at the frightened look in her eyes I again tried to speak. “I used this cure my mother told me of. I saw things that were made much clear, though it made things also more unclear. I saw that you lo…. you lo…”

Naci was looking at me more astounded now than frightened as she saw what I had made and taken. “Ah! You made the clarity potion. This has opened much of you up for further healing. Though it also opens up your senses ten times as much.” Naci cocked her head to the side as she intensely looked at me. “Tell me what did you see when you looked at me Toman?”

I shook my head as I tried to clamp my mouth shut. Then I was answering though I had no desire to. “I saw deep emotion in you; at first as without the potion I didn’t recognize it. Then it was all clear to me, you love me though I have to ask why? That I couldn’t see no matter how hard I looked.”

Naci blushed as she seemed to be debating what she would say. Then she surprised me by asking a question. “Before I answer that, let me ask you, how do you feel about me? Honestly?”

I wasn’t sure I could answer that question as I was thinking about it. Then like before my mouth opened and I was talking. “I’m not sure Naci, I have felt such hatred, mistrust toward me for so long it is hard to put it into words. For all you have done for me I am feeling more than a feeling of thanks. At one time I thought I was feeling the beginnings of love. Now? I am so unsure. I do know that if I lose you I might not be able to go on though I know I’d have to.”

Naci was still staring at me with an intense look then I saw that there were tears starting to form in her eyes. “As I told you before Toman, husband though you aren’t feeling the same as I, you are feeling. For now I accept that you want me with you. I hope that you will feel love soon, I will do all I can to truly be your partner. Then after all this I hope we can be a family.”

Still in shock a bit I stared at Naci. “What is this compulsion I am feeling?” I asked her.

Naci seemed confused a moment then she nodded. “The clarity potion has a double effect. It makes things far easier for healing and understanding what is going on around one. It also makes decisions far easier as it can open the mind all the way. It will also compel one in a way to answer as fully as one can.”

I was nodding as she was explaining all this to me. Thanks to the potion I was better able to understand better. Though as I was finding out holding on to that was far harder than I thought it would be. Even as I was thinking about it, it seemed as if all the understanding I had just had was slowly slipping away.

Damn I thought I finally had a true understanding into the mind of her and here it was slowly fading. Suddenly I felt Naci beside me as I hadn’t moved a muscle as of yet. “It is alright husband. You aren’t meant to know everything that you are now. You will remember part of it as will I. We aren’t meant to know all of it, like you I can feel a bit of it fading.”

I turned to see her with her hand outstretched then I saw that the both of us were glowing. Looking inward I felt what she was doing as I added to what she had already done. Neither of us might not be able to retain all of it but we were going for as much as we could.

A little less than a half an hour later we both were sitting to eat what Naci had prepared. Looking I figured it was time that Naci should have a say in what we were doing now. If she were going to risk her life now as I felt we would be from now on her input was more than needed.

“I was thinking Naci,” I started after we’d finished eating. “With both of us at risk in this. I think it’s about time that we BOTH started to plan. Now that you are part of this family it seems only fair to you. Especially if what I heard about your uncle is true.”

Naci turned a questioning look toward me, “my uncle?” She asked.

“Yes,” I said grimly. “He was found deceased in my old home. I suspect that Ukobach was behind it. It would take one as powerful to catch Merlin that unaware though.” here I was thinking about it. “I don’t really see how just Ukobach alone could have done this.”

Naci was nodding her head though I could see that she was more upset about the news than she was letting on. Then to my surprise I saw her face twist into a mask of rage. “Thank you husband. We need as great plans as we can get to defeat this blight that has fallen across this and the magic dimension.”

I was nodding with her as I started. “Though you said I make better plans than you think you can, I disagree.” I held up my hand to quiet her as I continued. “I point out, case in point. When we went after the last council member you saw things that I missed, things that would have gotten the both of us killed. As for me I could care less, you Naci,” here I sighed. “I could not stand knowing that I was responsible for injury to you.”

Naci’s face softened as she reached to mine caressing it lovingly. “I will do all I can to prevent this husband. With what you taught me there aren’t many that can do me harm.”

“Not many Naci but there are still a few out there including Ukobach and his son Rigal. Rigal has no real power though the toys he employs do.” Turning toward Naci I looked her straight in the eyes, “I do not want to lose you Naci. No one has ever helped me like you do.” For a moment Naci’s fierce look of determination dominated her features.

Naci then looked deep into my eyes as she stated. “There is nothing too small for you that I won’t do husband. You just have to ask; though as you suggested before, I might have an idea. We have been sneaking around attacking them. What if we took the fight to them? In public, so that all can see just how the council and Ukobach really are. Yes I know it is dangerous.”

Naci it seemed expected me to reject her idea completely. Though the more I thought about it the more I liked it. Yes, expose the council for just the traitors that they were.

Looking over at Naci I started to nod agreement with her idea. “It is a good idea, the thing is we will need to plan a great deal for this. Even with the power we have they still outnumber us.”

Naci’s mouth was hanging open after I had said this. “We would need the element of surprise and perhaps several real diversions. That way I feel we’d be able to get close enough to pull this off.”

Again I was nodding affirmative as I seemed to be lost deep in thought. Again I saw out of the corner of my eye Naci was shocked with her mouth open. Reaching over I gently closed her mouth with my fingers, feeling her treble slightly as I made contact.

I felt what seemed like a small current run through me when I let go of her face. “I told you Naci, we are both in on this. Let me take this second potion then perhaps we can talk more.”

Naci arose as I took the second concoction turning it up. Looking at the ingredient list again I opened my eyes wide as I saw that I had missed an all important ingredient. Concentrating I realized that I wasn’t going to make it in time though I…

I started to cough as two herbs appeared in front of me. Quickly I stuffed one in my mouth as I was reaching for the first. I felt most of the bitterness fade even as I was reaching to put the second in my mouth. That’s when I felt my stomach start to roll and rumble. Shit I thought as : felt my stomach try to evacuate all that I had consumed.

Naci came running to me as I started to groan with the pain that the potion was causing. As she steadied me I felt her try to force a cup to my lips pouring something into my mouth though most of it ended up on my clothes.

“Toman, husband you have to slow down with these remedies. Some of them are rather bitter, some even poisonous if not prepared properly.

I looked up at her as I tried to nod agreement with her. Finally I stated, “Yes, I think that I just found that out. Thank you Naci for putting up with me trying to hurry as fast as I am. Thank you for not…” Then I felt what Naci had given me as it hit my stomach. The pain that both was causing wasn’t going to be good that was for sure. Then I groaned again as I felt the pain sky rocket then I felt the darkness take me. Damn it! Not now with Rigal as close as he is.

I don’t know how long I was out. I was afraid that as soon as I awoke I’d be a prisoner of Rigal. Afraid that Naci would be tied up being tortured by him. I felt myself power up even as I was again clawing my way to the surface. He might kill me when I awoke but I was going to make sure he didn’t survive either.

Snapping my eyes open I was enveloped within a powerful shield. Growling I was searching the area for the bastard Rigal. I was shocked when all I saw was a shocked and trembling Naci on the other side of the camp.

I quickly powered down seeing Naci sigh. I was about to open my mouth to explain to her when there was a deafening boom a distance off. Reaching in I felt where the tear was, and surprised that there was hardly anything there. Stretching out I felt my power start to expand. I was at half power when I felt Rigal start to move closer. Though it appeared to be attacking another area a good distance off.

I looked at Naci as she nodded, I could feel the false image she’d projected of another camp. Then to my shock I could feel several more. All of them felt more real than where we were at. I nodded I think we were far more ready than I had at first thought.

I was still powering up almost at seventy five percent when I nodded to Naci. Waving her hand the camp was gone as she moved to me, and then we both were in the portal. Behind me as the portal was closing I could hear Rigal screaming out in rage as he discovered that the second area was a fake also. ‘Good you ass,’ I thought, ‘chew on that for a while.’ You’d been fooled by a wild magic mage not even at HER full power yet! I knew he could tell it was her power as he was screaming far more than he should have been.

Slamming the portal shut collapsing it as we were going forward, I turned to Naci. “I want to bring you up more before we do this. When we stop I shouldn’t be too long healing. It appears that well over most of the tear is gone. Perhaps one or two days left. I warn you Naci this is going to be far harder than anything we’ve done. Are you ready for it?” I asked of her.

With a wide smile dominating her face she stated. “For you husband, for the justice that we are dealing out, I can withstand anything for you.” I nodded not knowing that she would hold herself to that in the coming years.