Warriors of Camelot

Chapter 15: The Secrets of Magic

"Execution?" echoed Arthur, who didn't know whether or not  he should act surprised.  After all, this wasn't the first time that his father had inflicted such a punishment upon someone who he suspected was magical.

Needless to say, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Until now,  Arthur realised  hadn't just how cruel his father really was in his pursuit to rid Camelot of all magical inhabitants. 

"Are you serious?" he asked Gwen, who immediately nodded in reply. 

"I overheard the guards talking about it earlier," she explained. "Apparently your father believes that Raven was sent to corrupt everyone in Camelot."

Morgana felt the fire raging fiercely within her. "How can he be so sure of that?" she demanded. 

She stopped short as a thought suddenly hit her. 

"You mean- he thinks that Raven was responsible for that storm?" she  suggested. 

"I believe so."

Merlin frowned slightly. He remembered witnessing large, ominous clouds blotting out the blue sky whilst he was assisting Gaius with preparing Morgana's sleeping draughts that very afternoon. There had been several flashes of lighting accompanied by heavy rain and a distant rumble of thunder,  but it was all over in the blink of an eye. To tell you the truth, Merlin had started to wonder if he'd only imagined the storm. 

Before he could say as much to his companions,  Raven declared involuntarily: "The king was right about some of the things that he said, but not everything ."

Everyone stared at her in astonishment. 

Merlin caught his breath. "What do you mean?"

"The storm that you witnessed earlier was created using magic," Raven explained; "but it wasn't my magic. I would never deliberately create a storm to hurt my enemies or indeed anyone. Only a powerful sorcerer who's heart was purely evil would dare to do such a thing."

It took a moment or so before the truth sank in. 

"Nevar did it!" Morgana exclaimed. None  of her companions could confess that they didn't feel shocked like she did. 

Raven nodded sadly in reply. 

"When Uther stole my staff of power, Nevar felt my magic weaken," she explained. "He attempted to invade Camelot by casting a storm over the great city so that he could harness its power. But-" she added; "-his evil sorcery alone was not powerful enough to overcome the great city."

Her eyes darkened with concern. "It will only be a matter of time before Nevar regains his strength and attempts to pass into the citadel again. Camelot may be safe for now, but next time, we might not be so lucky. "

This news was greeted with a deadly silence that lasted for sometime.  Eventually, Morgana couldn't stand the tension any longer.

"Well, what we do something about it?" she demanded. "We are the Warriors of Camelot and it is our duty to protect the city!"

"You already have, Morgana," Raven replied patiently. "By answering my call, you all took your first steps in becoming Warriors of Camelot. Gwen took the second step by leading you to me. "

Morgana stared at her maidservant in astonishment and admiration. Obviously there was just more to this maidservant than it met the eye! 

"There's something that I don't understand," Merlin confessed. "How did you find Raven after she'd been imprisoned here?"

Gwen blinked in surprise as though she was coming out of a trance. Evidently, she hadn't expected to be such a question. 

"I'd just bid my lady goodnight and was on my way home," she recalled. "Whilst passing the dungeon, I heard Raven calling out to me. No-one seemed to hear her, so I followed her cries to the dungeons."

Arthur narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How did you find the passage?" 

Gwen shook her head as though she was trying to clear it. 

"I can't remember," she admitted. "Raven was still calling to me, but it wasn't clear where I should go next."

She pondered over the matter at hand for a moment or so. "My feather must have brushed against the wall because the passage appeared out of nowhere."

"Like magic?" Morgana suggested breathlessly. 

"Yes," interjected Raven. "It was the magic of your feather that led you to me, Guinevere," she  revealed. 

Gwen stared down at the golden feather in amazement. Who would have thought that such a simple object could be so powerful?

"And now that we've find you, you're going to leave you alone!" Morgana told Raven firmly. 

Gwen appeared to be deep in thought. At last she came to decision.  

"I will come back in the morning with some food and water." 

Arthur nodded in approval. If they were going to survive an attack from an unknown enemy, then Raven would need all the strength she could master. There was still the problem of her execution, though...

"I will speak to my father about delaying the execution. I can't promise that it will do much, but..."

"Well, surely it's worth a try!" protested Morgana. 

Merlin nodded firmly in agreement. "If we don't help Raven, then how can we save Camelot?" he pointed out. "We need her as much as she needs us!" 

Arthur stared at Merlin in astonishment. Manservants were expected to be loyal and submissive, but Merlin was full of surprises. At first, Arthur had been annoyed by his father's decision to throw the two boys together, but right now, he felt secretly glad that Merlin would be accompanying him on this quest. 

"There's one thing that you must do for me," Raven pleaded. 

Gwen bobbed an impulsive curtsey. 

"What is your command, Raven?" 

She smiled appreciatively, but only for a moment or so. A matter of seconds passed before her face grew serious once again. 

"No one word of this quest should be spoken to anyone outside of our little group, or the kingdom will surely perish."

"We won't let that happen!" vowed Morgana. Her eyes were bright with determination. Morgana had always felt drawn towards people who needed assistance, and her desire to help Raven was no exception. 

"Thank you. Now you must all return to the castle. I will summon you if I have news of Nevar's whereabouts."

"We will be ready," Arthur promised her. "You have asked us for your help, Raven and we will do whatever it takes to protected the kingdom- even if it means going against my father..." he added grimly.

With these words, Arthur bowed to Raven before  heading towards the steps. One by one, his companions followed their leader.

Eventually, Gwen caught up with Arthur and managed to grabbed his arm. Her face was illuminated by glowing candlelight and Arthur could see that her gentle brown eyes were dark with concern. 

"Do you think we can do it?" she asked him anxiously. 

Before Arthur could reply, Merlin  gave his friend an encouragingly nod. "I know we can!"

Morgana was nodding too, though Gwen thought that her mistress still looked a bit doubtful.

 Arthur's gaze seemed to fall past his manservant and towards the stairway. 

"I hope that you're right..."