Chapter 4
Darius couldn't stop laughing on his horse when Merlin recounted the conversation minus the part about what he'd said about the farmer finding someone to carry on after him, and spluttered every now and then as he did so, and slapped the armor on his thigh.
“Boy, you're quite the joker. Perhaps knight is the wrong calling for you.”
Miles past on the path with barely any incident. Darius had said it would take two days at least to reach Ahtor, where, if they were lucky, they'd be put in the service of King Aron, but it was going to be risky. King Aron's men would know that Darius had fought for the other side, but there was nowhere else to go. With no coin and no allies, there wasn't a choice.
Dusk came fast, and they stopped, with Merlin collecting wood for the camp fire and Darius complaining about his still lack of ale, not to mention food.
“I could eat anything.” Darius said, looking over at the horse and wondering about it for a brief second, before dismissing the idea.
“I'll go see if I can find a hare or something else.” Merlin said, standing up.
“And how are you going to catch it? With your bare hands?” Darius asked.
“It's worth a try, better than starving and sitting on our hands.”
Darius shrugged, happy for even the hope of some food.
“Be careful though, we're now in northern territory.”
Merlin passed through the undergrowth, as quietly as he could and located a rabbits warren. Positioning himself above it with his hand just above, yet out of sight if a rabbit emerged, he waited. Time passed with nothing happening, except the rustling of leaves in the distance, as some other small animals began to explore the dark surface of the forest floor.
Merlin must have drifted off, as suddenly in his minds eye he saw a rabbit coming up a dark tunnel and just tentatively letting its head emerge. Without missing a beat, Merlin brought his hand down and clasped it. To his surprise, he felt the ears of a hare in-between them, struggling for release. Pulling it up to look at it, Merlin was amazed. His eyes had been closed. But he knew what he'd seen, and right there in front of him was the wriggling truth of it.
Hurrying back, he arrived and proudly held the rabbit up for Darius to see. Darius clapped his hands together,
“Boy, you continue to surprise me. But why's it still alive?”
Merlin looked at the rabbit,
“I don't think I can do it.”
“And you want to be a knight? But you can't even kill a rabbit.” Darius rolled his eyes, “give it over 'ere then, needs want what needs must.”
Darius cut the head of the rabbit of swiftly, and began to skin it.
The smell of cooking meat filled their nostrils within minutes, and hinted that the origin of it, was soon to fill their stomachs.
Darius began to tell him about king Aron,
“He and his brother, Morvan, rule these lands. But if the truth be told, I don't know if he's any better than King Rakellian,” Darius huffed, “but we'll soon find out I'm sure.”
“Will he make me a knight do you think?” Merlin asked, imagining how he'd feel if they day came.
Darius look surprised,
“Not if you can't fight, he won't!”
“Will you teach me?”
“I suppose I'll have to, won't I?”
Darius was secretly looking forward to that. He'd never taught anyone before, and the thought of passing on all the things he'd learned gave a him a warm glow inside, as he turned over to sleep and told Merlin to do the same.
“First thing in the morning we'll get to it, and see if that scrawny frame of yours is good for anything other than stealing and catching rabbits.” Darius grinned to himself, with his face facing away from Merlin.
...
Merlin felt the slight kick of a boot in his side.
“Come on you lazy bugger! Time to get off your backside and 'play' knight.”
Merlin tried to cover his eyes from the dawn sun, and then Darius noticed something,
“My God boy, why are you sweating so? What were you doing last night?”
Merlin sat up wiping the sweat off his forehead. It was no surprise to him, he always greeted morning with sweat dripping off him, but he knew better than to tell Darius of his dreams.
“I've always been like this, it's nothing.”
“Well, in any case, while you've been lazing around, I've already been out to find you a stick you can use as a sword. It's about the right size for you. Here you are.”
Darius tossed the stick at Merlin, forcing him to catch it clumsily.
“Right then! First lesson, grip the sword like this.”
Darius showed Merlin the classical grip and then what he called “the crazy bastard” grip. A one handed grip that allowed the wielding of two weapons, as the heavy sword would be strapped to one hand with some leather cord, while the other was free to grab, strike or take up another implement of pain.
“But for now, because you're such a green beginner and all, we'll just concentrate on the basic grip and strikes. I just wanted you to know how truly dangerous I can be.”
Merlin raised his eyebrows as Darius got into his guard stance,
“Follow me, there's a good lad!”
Merlin mimicked Darius' each move. The stances, the strikes and the parries. He didn't really understand them, but after an hour, he could do them on command.
“Right then,” Darius rubbed his forearm across his brow, “now I am going to attack you. Hard.”
Merlin felt his stomach turn.
“Parry one!” Darius shouted as he ran toward Merlin with his broadsword in a downward striking movement, with a devilish laugh.
To his own surprise, Merlin instantly brought the stick up into the right position.
Darius began to strike across Merlin's body,
“Parry two!”
Merlin again, blocked it. With Darius stopping just before his blade made contact.
“No bad, not bad at all. We may make a knight of you yet.”
Darius saw that what Merlin was lacking in strength, he made up for in speed and agility.
“Now, attack me.” Ordered Darius.
Merlin didn't want to. The look of that blade Darius was now wielding with gusto and a devil-may-care-look in his eyes, told Merlin it was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Aren't you hungry Darius, don't you think we should eat.”
Darius put his guard down and leaned on the sword for a moment,
“Come on boy, don't be a coward, what would that girly of yours think if she saw you now? Think she'd be impressed?”
Merlin felt a spark inside him grow, a spark that ignited an ember that would go on to become a furnace in future years. Taking a swing a Darius, Darius hopped backward to avoid it easily.
“What was that, trying to swat a fly are you?”
Merlin's eyes narrowed as he held the stick in a high guard position, and then rushed in to attack Darius again, who then simply side stepped and tapped him on the back of his head with the flat of his blade,
“Dead. Again.”
Merlin tried to attack Darius' knees, but Darius spun the stick around in Merlin's hands with his sword and then sent it flying into the air.
“You need more commitment in your attack, that's not Excalibur you're wielding you know, it's not going to do the work for you!”
Merlin stopped for a moment, and asked,
“What's Excalibur?”
“Oh, never mind about that, just some fool cock-and-bull legend about a sword with special powers.”
Merlin walked toward Darius and Darius saw that same look in Merlin's eyes he'd had before when something ignited his curiosity, and knew a long conversation – something which Darius wasn't much given to – was coming,
“It exists?”
“No, it doesn't! But try telling that to the idiot king Rekellian if what I've heard is true; that's why he's trying to take over the whole land, the legend says that whoever possess Excalibur is t
he rightful King of the land. So I ask you boy, if you take over the whole land, what do you need that damn sword for?”
Merlin shook his head.
“They say the bearer of the sword cannot be defeated, that the blade can cut through metal,” Darius swung his sword in mocking exaggeration, “and any wounds the owner the sword has, will be healed... it'll probably make you invisible too!”
“It'll make you invisible?”
“No, I don't know. If it can do all of these impossible things, then it might just as well be able to. It's just a story!” Darius emphasized, with his arms spread in front of Merlin, “much better to spend your time learning to use a real sword.”
Merlin scratched his head, and thought if such a sword did exist, it would be the answer to everything, and what's more, if he possessed it, then no harm could ever come to Carmane or anyone else who he cared about.
“Where is it?”
“Where is what?” Darius asked, about to get into stance again.
“Excalibur, where is it?”
“It's nowhere,” Darius sighed, “I just told you, it doesn't exist!”
“But if there is a story about it, there must be some truth to it.”
Darius looked up to the sky,
“There are stories of dragons too, but you haven't seen one of them about lately, have you?”
Merlin had to admit, he hadn't, but it didn't mean they didn't exist somewhere.
“Let's eat, I'm starved.” Darius said, giving up and sheathing his sword.
“You're always starved.” Retorted Merlin, following him and sitting down to eat the rest of the meat they'd cooked the previous night, with Darius leaning his back up against a tree.
“Less of your wit young lad!” Darius admonished.
As Merlin ate, and Darius licked the meat juice off his fingers, Merlin, concentrated on polishing off the bone with some remaining morsels still on it, and then heard Darius speak,
“Merlin.”
Merlin didn't look up, he just murmured that he'd heard Darius.
“ Oh Merlin!” Darius sang, trying to get his attention once more.
Merlin finally looked up, the bone still hanging out of his mouth.
Darius was sat there frozen, and with a blade to his neck, held by an arm that was reaching around from the back of the tree...
###
If you want to be one of the first to find out what happens next, then sign up here
Thanks for buying this book and look out of part two of 'Merlin – The Legacy – Rise of the Dark' coming soon, and if you like this book, please consider leaving a review.
LukeGasiden Twitter
Bulletin List
[email protected] Luke Gasiden's Blog
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends