Defeating the Darkness (A Merlin Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Merlin stared past Arthur at the base of the tree, where the first few inches of bark sprung up from the ground were tinted blue with light from below.

"Merlin?"

"Oh, yeah. Yes, I agree." Merlin tore his eyes away from the tree and looked at Arthur, who seemed too distracted to notice his odd behavior.

"So you think it might not be here too?" Arthur said quietly, looking down at his food.

"What? I... uh, maybe, it could be here, or not, I... I dunno..." Merlin swallowed nervously, unsure of what to do. He could tell Arthur about the rock and risk the king taking it from him before he could use it, or he could get it himself and use it before Arthur knew he even had it.

Merlin's eyes darted back to the king, who was sadly swirling his food around in the bowl with a wooden spoon.

"Arthur, you should eat."

"Not hungry."

Merlin distractedly stood up, eyes locked on the blue glow. "Right. Well, eat it anyway. You're gonna need your strength."

"For what?" Arthur frustratedly threw his bowl to the ground. "This de industria petram probably isn't even here, I've just led us on a pointless journey..."

Merlin ignored Arthur's groaning and walked toward the tree, trying to make it look like he was randomly wandering over there. He leaned against the trunk's stiff bark, pretending to nonchalantly eat from his bowl while using his heel to kick up dirt to cover the bluish glow coming from the ground.

Arthur trudged over to Merlin and handed him the rest of his dinner. "Here, you can have this. I'm going to keep looking." The king stalked off into the field and began kicking over shredded chest plates, looking beneath them halfheartedly.

Merlin walked over towards the knights, glancing back quickly to ensure the de industria petram was sufficiently covered.

The knights gratefully presented Merlin with their dirty bowls to wash and joined Arthur in the fields.

Merlin hauled the dishes to a thin stream, trickling a few yards behind where the horses were stationed. He knelt down beside it and started washing furiously, anxious to come up with a plan. He felt bad thinking that he would take the rock and use it without even showing Arthur, who was so invested in this plan and depending on it to work by his own hand. Merlin knew it felt like a responsibility to Arthur that he used it, but Merlin wouldn't allow that to happen.

After a few minutes of self-debate, Merlin decided he would just get the de industria petram out of the ground first and see it for himself, then decide what to do once he found it and assessed its magical power.

Merlin quickly finished up washing the bowls and stowed them back in the horses' packs. Then he hurried back to the tree and looked around. The knights were scattered across the wide plain, bent over and squinting. Arthur was kneeling next to a particularly large rock and was digging around it, his knees dug into the ground and caked with dirt. Once Merlin was confident no one was watching him, he dropped to the ground and furiously tore up the dirt at the base of the tree.

Merlin was up to his wrists in the earth when his fingernails scratched a hard surface. His heart rate doubled as his hands worked harder, feeling for the edges of the rock and prying it up out of the ground. He looked up to make sure he was still unwatched; and when he saw everyone still concentrating hard on their search in the field, pried the rock up and out of the ground.

Merlin spun around so he was standing behind the tree, shrouded from the others, and looked at what he was holding.

The de industria petram was almost exactly as pictured in the old, yellowing book in Gaius' stacks; circular, and the size of his fist. The rock was also noticeably warm, like it had been sitting in a pile of hot coals only moments before Merlin had snatched it up. It was giving off an extremely bright blue aura that was so strong Merlin could practically feel the magic coming from it, and he knew he had to hide it before someone else sensed it too. Arthur had started talking from behind him in the field.

Merlin felt up his clothes, trying to find a pocket big enough to stuff the de industria petram into. There was nothing, and he started to hear Arthur's voice getting louder, closer... Merlin frantically searched for a hiding place, and then—

"I don't know where it could be, we've literally scoured every inch of this place, and if we haven't found it yet, I don't know if it's even here— Merlin!"

Merlin's eyes shot up to see an incredulous Arthur looking at the rock in his hands, shooting off bright blue rays of light. "Merlin, is that— you found it?" Arthur grinned widely. Merlin said nothing; should he act now?

The other knights were crowding around now, emitting exclamations of relief.

Arthur reached out for the de industria petram but Merlin quickly stepped back. "No, you're not going to—"

"What do you mean, I'm not going to... Merlin, give it here." Arthur swiped his arm out again but Merlin dodged it.

It was now or never.

He clutched the rock and poured his magic into it, allowing his energy to be accessed as he pictured Morgana.

At exactly the same moment, Arthur's hand landed on the rock but when he tried to pull it out of Merlin's grasp, he couldn't. His fingers were stuck on top of Merlin's, and Arthur quickly locked eyes with his servant before he felt a strong surge of power being extracted from him like a punch in the gut. He felt tired... he sleepily tried to think of Morgana getting hurt, of his energy being used towards her pain. Arthur's vision went black; he couldn't see Merlin anymore, and felt so tired...

____________________________________________

Hope you guys like it so far! I feel like this chapter was written kinda badly but oh well, I haven't updated in like a week so I wanted to do it quickly. Let me know your thoughts in the comments:)