Page 12 of The Dragon Ring
He shook his head. “Not I. But the man I serve is of the royal line and with your help may yet be king. His bracelet has protected you all these years, and his ring brought you here.”
Where I had no intention of staying. Bloody cheek, really. Taking it upon himself to bring me here. To kidnap me. That was what it was. I’d been kidnapped in time.
“Well, who is he, then? And you– what’s your name? You have to tell me. I’ve got a right to know who’s abducted me.”
His lips curled in a smile. “Me? I’m unimportant, other than for the fact that it’s through me you’re here. I’m no one, but I’ve watched and waited for you to grow into the woman I knew you’d become. Waited until this very day. I am Merlin, advisor to Prince Arthur Pendragon, son of the High King. And this is his fortress.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
“Your name isMerlin?” I repeated, sounding as incredulous as I felt.
He nodded. The two grizzled men beside him must have taken my words as disbelief. “Aye,” one of them growled. “He’s Merlin all right.” The second one nodded his head and so did Corwyn.
“TheMerlin?” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was such a surprise, I forgot to be afraid.
“You’ve heard of me?”
I nodded.
He looked even more puzzled. “How? Did Abbot Jerome mention me?”
“Everyone’s heard of Merlin,” I said, without thinking, and then wished I hadn’t.
He seized upon my words. “Everyone? What do you mean?”
I shook my head. In for a penny. It couldn’t do any harm telling him. “Back where I’ve come from everyone knows who Merlin was…is. And King Arthur.”
Corwyn and the two grizzled men looked puzzled now. Was Merlin the only person who knew the truth of where I’d come from? He must have noticed their expressions.
“Bors,” he said, addressing the man on his right. “Take Corwyn and his men to stable their ponies, then bring them back to the Hall to eat. They’ll have to ride back tomorrow. It’s late now and too far for them to return safely by nightfall.” He turned to the other man. “Garth, can you fetch Cottia, and tell her that the lady has arrived, and the warm clothing I asked her to have ready is required.”
The two men departed, taking Corwyn with them. Only the boy remained, still basting the spitted deer.
A silence settled on the hall. It stretched into minutes. The boy kept his eyes fixed on his task, but I could guess his ears were flapping.
“Your hands feel warmer,” Merlin said at last.
I snatched them from his grasp. I was feeling warmer all over, standing this close to the fire. “I’ve got a lot of questions I need answers to,” I said.
“I’m sure you have. I’ll try to answer them as best I can. But first you must have dry clothes and food.”
“Are you telling me this place is Camelot?” I asked, not wanting him to dodge the questions welling up in my head.
“Where?”
“Camelot. King Arthur’s castle.”
“His what?”
“His castle.” I searched for another word. “His fortress.”
He shook his head. “This is Din Cadan. The High King, Prince Arthur’s father, named it for his older son, Prince Cadwy. And Prince Arthur is not in line to be king. Yet. He is the younger son. When Uthyr Pendragon dies, Cadwy should follow him.”
Uthyr Pendragon, legendary father of King Arthur. Wouldn’t my own father be crowing with delight.
“Well, in my time everyone knows aboutKingArthur,” I said. “And no one’s ever heard of King Cadwy.”
One of the double doors at the end of the hall opened, and a woman came staggering in, hastened on her way by a gust of rain that rattled against the wood of the doors. She was short and stout with wispy grey hair for the most part hidden beneath a voluminous hooded cloak. From beneath it, she drew out a bundle and came hurrying up the hall.
