The arrival of two mysterious strangers to Camelot marks the dawning of a new threat to the great kingdom. Will Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Morgana find the courage to answer the call? Can they help their new friends to defeat a deadly foe and prove...
With a stifled gasp, Morgana instantly disappeared back into her hiding place. There was nothing more she could do, other than shut her eyes tight and wait for the storm to break...
She felt the shadow close in on her. From unbearably close by, someone gasped.
"Morgana, what are you doing here?"
Insistently her heart jolted. She knew that voice!
Hardly daring to breath, Morgana slowly opened her eyes. A wide smile lit up her face when she finally lay eyes on the mysterious stalker.
"I could ask you the very same question, Arthur Pendragon!"
Morgana strolled boldly out of her hiding place. By now, her eyes were alight with a new tensing glint which was enhanced all the more by the glowing make-shift torch in Arthur's hand.
"Do you really want to know the reason why I'm here?" she taunted, spotting a chance for a good tease.
"Oh, come on!" Arthur protested. It was hard enough being woken up in the dead of night, with no servant to wait on you, but being teased by a girl was far worse than any night-time disturbance!
Suddenly, he stiffened. From somewhere in the distance came a strange, deep note.
It was the very same sound that had pulled Arthur from his bed.
"Did you hear that?"
At first, and for some reason best known to herself, Morgana could only manage a nod in reply. "Did you?"
"Of course I did!" Arthur retorted.
As if on cue, the sound suddenly started up again. Both figures turned sharply round when they heard it.
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"What was it?" By now, Morgana's voice was barely above a whisper, as though she was afraid what might happen if she dared to talk any louder.
Arthur hesitated, unsure of how best he could deceive Morgana (and himself) into believing that he knew what exactly had made the sound. To tell the truth, Arthur thought that he knew what the source of the noise, since he'd heard similar sounds many times before now, when he'd been hunting in the forests that surrounded Camelot.
It was a hunter's horn. But why would some castle resident be blowing a hunter's horn from the safety of Camelot's castle walls at this time of night?
As much as he wished to assure Morgana that this strange sound was nothing to worry about, Arthur wasn't certain if he believed this fact himself.
Generally, Arthur was a confident, arrogant prince who always knew what to do in a crisis. This silent, wary figure was a stranger to Morgana and in all honesty, she wasn't sure if she liked this new side to Arthur's personality or not. Right now, it seemed as though it was Morgana and not Arthur who knew exactly what to do.
"Where do you think it's coming from?" she wondered aloud.
As yet another blast echoed from an unknown location, Arthur scanned the nearby corridor. Ahead, the passage forked in two directions. His gaze rested upon a dingy, desolate passageway, which seemed to lead right and deeper still into the castle dungeons. Dim torches, which were situated in alcoves that had been purposefully carved into the walls, provided their only light source.
"Let's try this way."
Arthur was all ready to lead Morgana into the darkness, but a shout from behind the royal pair put a stop to all their current plans.
"Arthur! My lady!"
Startled, they turned around just in time to catch sight of a figure who'd suddenly appeared from around the poorly lit corner. Even in the dim glow cast by the flickering torchlight, his face was instantly recognisable.
"Merlin!"
Arthur's face insistently darkened with rage. Why did his manservant have to ruin everything?
"What are you doing here at this time of night?" Arthur demanded through gritted teeth.
"I could have asked you exactly the same thing!" Merlin retorted, temporarily stunning Arthur with his sudden burst of confidence.
"Sssh!" hissed Morgana in a warning manner.
Arthur and Merlin insistently ceased their futile arguing. There it was again- the same deep, elongated note.
"Now that's something you don't expect to hear at this time of night," Merlin remarked casually.
Morgana and Arthur stared at him in astonishment. It took just five seconds before the truth dawned on Arthur.
"Wait! Merlin- you heard it too?"
"Yes, sire," he replied meekly. "I-" he hesitated for a moment, not knowing if he should tell the truth or not.
"I was running an errand for Gaius when I heard the noise. I- I think it led me here."
Morgana nodded, understanding exactly what Merlin meant.
"Well, it woke me up!" Arthur explained rather indignantly. "I thought that I'd better come down here and put a stop to it."
"And I couldn't sleep," Morgana chimed in quickly. "I left my chambers to get some fresh air and the noise led me here."
Merlin nodded sympathetically in reply. He knew all too well about Morgana's nightmares- much more than would ever let anyone except for Gaius know.
"What do you think it is, Arthur?" Morgana questioned him.
Arthur frowned again, as though he was deep in thought. Surely it would be better with the others what his first thoughts were about this mysterious sound? After all, there may be some truth in them.
"If I didn't know better..." he began slowly, "...I'd say that it was a hunter's horn."
Merlin stared at him with a look of pure horror edged on his face.
"How is that possible?" he protested angrily.
"I don't know!" Arthur replied. Clearly he was very frustrated that his explanation had not been taken well.
Arthur stopped abruptly when he heard Morgana gasp.
Two dark shapes loomed on the rocky wall behind them- and their presence was accompanied by the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps...
