Merlin: The Loneliest Hour

Chapter 11: Agravaine's plan goes wrong

Chapter 11: Agravaine's plan goes wrong

Gaius' eyes went wide as he saw in the dark outlines of six guards and Lord Agravaine standing just on the other side of the clearing.

"Gaius!" cried out Arthur's uncle as casually as if they were crossing path in a corridor.  "We've been expecting you! Where have you been?"

All that the physician could do was to stare back as Agravaine gave the order to light torches and look for the Four Elemental Stones.  Gaius had expected that Lord Agravaine would be alone. The fact that he had brought guards with him was going to make matters more difficult.  He had hoped to be able to persuade Agravaine that he had made a mistake, that his assumptions about the Stones were wrong. He hadn't expected a fight being just an old man with only feeble magical abilities.  Agravaine, on the other hand, was a knight of the realm and an heir to the throne. The guards were sworn to protect him and Gaius knew, since Arthur had trained his men so well, that they would not hesitate to take him out especially if the physician, no matter how old, was caught doing magic.

 
"Come on, Gaius! Do not look so put out!" said the uncle as he took a few steps into the clearing.  "You knew this day would come. This was always meant to be the final step of the Great Purge. You should be glad that you've lived long enough to see this."

Gaius tried to remain calm.  "How did you know that the Stones were in Ealdor, Sire?" he asked bluntly.

"I didn't," replied the knight.  "I merely mentioned that I knew the name of the village.  You, my friend, assumed the rest all on your own. All that I had to do was to follow your lead."

Gaius felt his stomach tighten with shame.  With all his years of experience, he had still been manipulated like a youngster, and by a noble too.  He had often been the witness of trickery and deceit among those of royal blood, but to be at the center of such a plot was more disarming than he would have thought.   

"We have found the first stone, Sire!"

Two of the guards were bent over a heap of earth and moss.  Agravaine immediately rushed to their side and kneeled on the grass.  He started to brush the rock clean with his glove. Gaius knew right away from the level of agitation that he had indeed found one of the Stones.

Fine, the physician thought grimly.  He may have found the Elemental Stones, but he still needs to spill magical blood.

The guards were running around the clearing now and with Lord Agravaine at the lead.  With their gloves and the tip of their swords, they were unearthing the four stones; this mostly meant to pull branches and clean out the dirt and moss that had build up over the years.  Four rocks, the size of small stools, were now visible under the glow of the torches. They were standing in the precise directions of North, East, South and West just as Gaius remembered, but other than that they did not bear any special markings.  To the casual farmer or traveler stopping in this clearing, these stones were quite plain. One had to know their secret to guess their importance. And from the way Agravaine was beaming when he came striding towards the physician, it was clear that he knew, as Gaius did, the power had he just uncovered.

"This is incredible!" he cried out, throwing his arms in the air.  "Up until now, the Four Elemental Stones were just a legend, something my father would talk about around a family dinner.  To see the Stones with my own eyes... It is like something out of a dream!"

"Have you thought of the consequences, my Lord?" Gaius asked sternly.  "What about all of those lives that you are about to destroy?"

The change in Agravaine's face was almost instantaneous.  "And what has magic ever brought to this kingdom? What has magic ever done for my family?  For Ygraine?  What you call magic, I call pain and despair.  The world will be a better place without witches, dark creatures and evil curses."