Chapter 15

Merlin’s Family

Merlin
Gwendydd - sister
Morgenau - brother
Morial - brother
Morien - brother
Mordaf - brother - Naci’s father

This time, as we came out of the portal at an alarming speed, I was trying to turn us. With a smile, I saw I had made it as we both landed with a hard thud. Naci was on top of me with a shocked look on her face. The force of the landing with her weight on top of that knocked the wind out of me.

“TOMAN!” I heard her shout as the pain started to spread throughout my body. She wasn’t heavy, that was for sure, though the added speed we had hit the ground made it feel like she was a ton.

Touching her face, I whispered, “I’ll be right soon. Be ready. We aren’t that far from him. I’m afraid we had to exit far too soon.”

With that, I felt the darkness take me as I entered the gray dreamscape. Steeling myself up, I knew he’d be there soon enough. A moment later, I felt a presence behind me. “So you bastard seed, you came after all.” I was reaching out even as he was approaching. I could feel that he was seriously hurt. I saw his eyebrows go up as he stared at me. “So you pushed too much. HA! Such a new mage mistake. Wait! Have you managed to heal part of it? That’s impossible! Ah. I see it’s a part of the wild magic.”

“I can see that you are also seriously weakened. You hardly have the energy to come through time. You should give up before I get serious. You won’t survive if I do.” I told Rigal.

“I doubt you can hurt me. You are not as weak as I can feel. I’ll offer you the same deal as before; I’ll come there, kill you, then use that little whore of yours. After I have used her for a while, I’ll kill her quick.” Rigal said as he sneered at me.

“I’ll offer you one better, Rigal,” I sneered back at him. “You leave us alone, and I won’t kill you, simple. Though if you still insist on chasing us, I can guarantee that what you’ve felt before now will be nothing. I’ll make damn sure you’re dead this time!”

“Big words, bastard seed. If you had that much power, you’d have ended me before now.” Rigal spit back at me.

“I may be many things though, unlike you, I am fair. This is the last time I will hold back on you. Come for us again, and all bets are off!” I told Rigal rather forcefully.

“I doubt...” Rigal started, his eyes got large, and his mouth dropped open. I had a hand out in front of me, twisting the image of him as hard as I could.

Drawing closer, I told Rigal, “I am far more powerful than this Rigal. Give up and live, keep on, and I’ll ensure it’s your last!” With that, I ripped at his image and then disappeared.

I awoke in a puddle of my sweat with Naci sitting beside me with a look of almost desperation on her face. “Toman! Thank the great power you have awoken! I was worried that I had injured you far worse than I had at first thought. Husband, I set out as many alarms as I remember you setting. I am sorry that I did not remember all of them.” She bowed her head, and I thought I saw tears falling from her eyes.

Reaching over, I gently caressed her face, causing her face to suddenly snap up. Again, I saw a strange look in her eyes as she sighed. Reaching out, I felt all that she had done. My eyes widened as I nodded; she had placed ALL the strongest alarms I usually did.

“You did far better than I thought you had,” I told her as her face showed shock. “You only missed one. A very good job, I have to say. You are a far better student and listener than any I have seen in a while.”

Launching herself at me, she again almost took the both of us to the ground as she was hugging me with increasing force. Then she stopped pulling slightly back, looking deep into my eyes as she pressed her lips to mine! I was almost thrown back by the energy that passed between us.

Then, in a whisper, she spoke into my ear. “I am so proud to be your partner and mate. I just hope that when we do have children, I can make you proud. You will make a powerful, wonderful father, as I hope to be, as well as a wife and mother. Again, you have honored me with your praise. Thank you!” Pulling back, she hugged me again and then arose to finish the meal she was preparing.

I could only sit there in almost total shock. I shook my head as I tried to bring myself out of it. Again, I thought back to what I had asked Pops; this had to be a spell! Yes, I thought a spell! Though I couldn’t even begin to fathom where the magic to power a spell this strong came from.

Shaking my head, I went through all the remedies I had learned from my brief time with Merlin. Oh yeah, Mother had imparted a few to me also. Father, well ... the one I had used was his, though as I remember, he couldn’t go as far as I had. It was a shame that you couldn’t use it more than once every two weeks.

So here I was, going through every one of those remedies. I had a few from my mother, though they were only superficial. A few I learned from Merlin that would do the trick, though getting all the ingredients was difficult. True, I could do it, though they’d know almost immediately. Most of the ingredients would have to be drawn from the magic dimension.

Sighing, I shook my head and started on a few Mother had shown me. I guess healing a part of it was better than letting it heal naturally. Sighing again, I started on the first two.

Almost an hour later, I felt a presence near me. I had been having a hard time making what I was working on. It seemed I poured far too much power into the creation of each thing. Frustrated, I saw Naci studying what I had been doing.

Naci nodded, then told me, “Husband, you are trying to make these things. You have to let them make their selves through you.”

I looked at her as if she were crazy, “Make their selves through me? Ok, I have never heard that before. Please explain.”

“It’s simple: think of what you want to make, then go to the next. If you are strong enough, as we both know you are,, they will appear while you think of the next thing. It is a technique I use when making meals for Pa.” Naci looked at my face with a look of disbelief. “Please, husband, this is a very low-power exercise; you are trying to push ALL your power into it. Please, for me? Try it?”

I still looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, though I had nothing to lose. Shrugging, I looked at her and nodded. Looking at the list, I thought of the first item, but everything about it then stopped. Thinking of the second item, I was amazed when I saw that the first one had appeared beside me.

Almost an hour later, I had all I needed, then started on the first two concoctions. Shaking my head, I couldn’t believe that doing this as simply as I had was working. Mixing everything, I was further shocked when I saw that everything was as pure as it was. Looking over at Naci in disbelief, I saw her nod yes.

Swallowing the first a few moments later, I felt it slowly creep into my system. Then, to my surprise, I felt it keep going, reaching almost to the tear. What the hell was going on? As far as I knew, these were only superficial healing agents. Shaking my head, I waited for a second, even as I was reading up on the others I would try.

Then, it seemed another odd thing had happened, and many things suddenly became clear. Looking over at Naci again, I was starting to see what was going on with her for the first time in the almost year we’d known each other. Shaking my head, I was amazed. I saw things for the first time in the year for both of us.

Then, just as suddenly, it vanished from my grasp, and I was looking at Naci with my mouth dropping open. By the great power of the universe, Naci was in love with me! Still in shock, I could only stare at her as I tried to open my mouth to speak.

Naci seemed to feel my distress as she came to my side. “Toman, husband? Are you alright? You look almost as if you have seen another ghost.” Then Naci appeared to become scared when I didn’t answer. Shaking me, she almost shouted. “Husband! Look at me!”

Turning to stare at the frightened look in her eyes, I again tried to speak. “I used this cure my mother told me of. I saw things that were made much clearer, though it made things more unclear. I saw that you lo ... you lo...”

Naci looked at me, more shocked now than frightened, as she saw what I had made and taken. “Ah! You made the clarity potion. This has opened much of you up for further healing. Though it also opens up your senses ten times as much.” Naci cocked her head to the side as she intensely looked at me. “Tell me, what did you see when you looked at me, Toman?”

I shook my head as I tried to clamp my mouth shut. Then I answered, though I had no desire to. “I saw deep emotion in you; at first, as without the potion, I didn’t recognize it. Then it was all clear: you love me, though I must ask why. That I couldn’t see no matter how hard I looked.”

Naci blushed as she seemed to be debating what she would say. Then, she surprised me by asking a question. “Before I answer that, let me ask you, how do you feel about me? Honestly?”

I wasn’t sure I could answer that question as I was thinking about it. Then, like before, my mouth opened, and I was talking. “I’m not sure, Naci; I have felt such hatred and mistrust toward me for so long that it is hard to put it into words. I feel more than a feeling of thanks for all you have done for me. At one time, I thought I was feeling the beginning of love. Now? I am so unsure. If I lose you, I might not be able to continue, though I know I’d have to.”