Witchers of Camelot

Marked

Merlin could feel the innkeeper and a few of his men staring daggers at the lot of them. 'Mind telling me why our generous host had suddenly turned not so generous'.

'Cuz I was gonna kill them'. Ciri quickly replied before stuffing her mouth with more mutton. She then chugged on some ale before stuffing herself once again. On the other end of the table, Lady Guinevere and the other knights were busy watching in amazement as  the huntress devour everything on their table.

'What?' Ciri finally realizing how everyone was staring at her. 'I've been hunting all night and I hadn't eaten any supper'. She continued to gleefully devour everything on her plate before finally finishing her meal with a small piece of bread. 

'What's wrong with the boy?' Arthur was the first to ask the question. 'The moment Merlin touched him, he fainted'.

Ciri's cheerful smile vanished. 'The child's been marked. I don't know who did it but, now, I have to protect them'. 

'Marked for what?'

'A Black Dog'. 

The knights laughed. Merlin, on the other hand, turned paled. 'Oh come on now. All this trouble for a dog. Why not just put the beast down and get everything over with?' asked Lancelot, still snickering. 

It was Merlin's turn to answer. 'The Black Dog is no mere beast. It is a demon. A being of pure malevolence. To be marked by one is to have your fate sealed in death'. 

The laughter died. 'Come now, Merlin. You don't really believe any of these nonsense, do you?' asked the knights, still trying to keep a gleeful tone. 

'I'm afraid so, lad. Black Dogs are demons known to prey on travellers and merchants. They are vicious and would stop at nothing to claim their prize. I know what I felt in that child. A cloak of darkness envelops him now'. 

'Then, let's hunt it down', claimed Arthur. 'Together, we've fought many unimaginable beasts. We've fought werewolves and it's like. With you here, surely we'd be able to slay this Black Dog'.

'Not this one, I'm afraid. All we can do now is find however cursed such an innocent boy and make sure they can never do so again'. Merlin's heart wrenched at the thought of the young child being dragged by the hell-beast. He'd seen many forms of evil in his long life but never had he seen anyone go to this extent.

Suddenly, Ciri spoke. 'That's where you're wrong, old man. There's a way to save the boy. I just need to find the right materials'. 

Merlin's eyes lit up. 'How? To remove an evil mark is impossible. No magic is powerful enough to do so'.

'That's true. Magic has always been a tricky subject for me. But my mother taught me you can always find ways around it'. 

Merlin looked at her, a seed of curiosity suddenly sprouting from his head. 'How long do we have before the beast takes him?'

'From what I've gathered, travelers who pass by from here suddenly disappear during the full moon which would be tomorrow night'.

Then, Lady Guinevere rose up. 'But the question still remains. Who would do such a thing to an innocent little boy? And why would they even think of doing so?'

'Just look around you, my lady'. Ciri pointed outside the window. The townsfolk walked around their business while children ran around the streets. In the distance, the forest peaked with its trees blocking further view. 'Look how peaceful this place is. Just yesterday, we had to fend of over a dozen wolves and yet no shepherds talk about dead sheep. No talks about building village walls to defend themselves from any beasts. Not even a whisper of any wolves'.

'What? Your saying the villagers are involved'.

Ciri replied. 'At least, one of them is. My bet is, by sacrificing a passerby, the Black Dog keeps this village safe from whatever comes out of that forest'. 

Lady Guinevere looked at them in horror. 'But to sacrifice a child?'

Ciri shrugged. 'I've seen people do worse for pettier reasons'.