Warriors of Camelot

Chapter 23: No Way Out

Merlin's heart was thumping madly as he stared up at the approaching creature. Seconds later, it seemed to stop beating altogether. 

 Behind the first creature lurked at least ten more. They were spread out in a diamond formation, with  each one standing two or three paces away from the creature standing in front . Now, they were striding purposefully forwards, heading straight towards Merlin.

Breathing hard, Merlin stole a nervous glance over his shoulder. The creatures were closing on him fast. He had to do something, otherwise he would surely be imprisoned in the woods forever and then all hopes of saving Raven would vanish into thin air.

Vanish into thin air...Of course! That was the answer!

Filled with new hope, Merlin carefully placed the staff down on the ground beside him. Presently, he  stood up, dusted himself down and stretched out a hand towards the approaching creatures. Taking a deep breath, he allowed that warm sensation that he had known all his life to seep through his veins. Mind you, he took great care to mutter his spell under his breath. After all, he had no idea how strong the creatures' hearing was and he didn't want to take any risks- not when he was getting so close to snatching victory  for himself.

"Cume thoden."

At the sound of his voice, a rushing wind whipped up out of nowhere. With expert control, Merlin guided the wind towards his enemy and held his breath. 

Oblivious to the approaching danger, the formidable creatures etched even closer. The tornado tumbled across their path- and, in the blink of an eye, every single one of them vanished! Their terrible roars echoed across the clearing, sending a cascade of orange and yellow leaves spiralling into the air. With its work now complete, the tornado vanished just as suddenly as it had arrived and the Forest of Balor became silent once more. 

Merlin could hardly believe his luck.  In fact it hadn't been for the staff which lay on the ground by his side, then he would have guessed that what had just happened was nothing more than an exciting dream.  Any minute now, he would wake up to find himself back in  Gaius' chambers.

For a moment, he simply stood there, allowing the leaves to fall lightly back to earth all around him. The silence was suddenly broken by another rustle, which forced Merlin back to the present moment. Even though the danger had passed, he knew that it wasn't safe to be out in the Forests of Balor on his own. Besides, Gaius needed him- and Raven too, for that matter. 

Knowing that time was of the essence, Merlin set about gathering the herbs that Gaius had requested. Eventually, he added a final sprig of wolf's bane to his basket and stood up to survey the forest. As far as he could see, there were no signs of any further dangers, but that wasn't going to stop Merlin getting back to Camelot as quickly as possible. 

Instinctively, he bent down to pick up the staff. As far as Merlin was concerned, it wasn't safe to leave a magical object lying in the forest where anyone could lay their hands on it. No. It was much better if Merlin took the staff back to Camelot and kept it somewhere safe in Gaius' chambers until he could find its rightful owner. 

Tucking the staff safely underneath his right arm, Merlin stole a final glance over his shoulder at the mystical Forest of Balor, before finally setting off on his long journey back to Camelot.

 Behind him, the Forests Of Balor lay quiet and still. Every creature and, indeed, every tree, seemed to be holding its breath, waiting. It would only be a matter of time before the next spell was cast.