Chapter 3

"Ready?" greeted Lancelot in Jacob's room sometime after the morning meal.

"For what?" replied Jacob.

"To meet Merlin."

"Merlin?"

"Do you not remember the King's request for you to visit with Merlin?"

Jacob remembered. He hoped everybody else had forgotten.

"Hey, uh ... Lance dude? I was thinking that like I don't want to really meet this Merlin dude. Since we're both wizards, what's there to say to each other, you know? I thought I'd just stay in my room and chill. If you want to send that girl over again that would be way cool."

"Are you refusing to see Merlin?"

"Not refusing, okay? Just..."

Lancelot cut in. "Good because you are a wizard and not the King. There are enough problems with one wizard who thinks he is royalty."

Arguing would do Jacob no good. "I was just playing."

It was obvious Lancelot didn't believe Jacob. "This way."

Jacob talked as they walked through the cold stone corridors of the castle. It was a rat maze. How did anyone find their way to anywhere? There were probably people wandering for years.

"Hey, Lance ... um ... like sir," he rephrased on-the-fly. "You know last night you sent the girl..."

"Did she please you?" the knight inquired.

"Did she ever!" raved Jacob. "Like she was the best I ever did it with, dude!"

Lancelot chuckled and said, "So she was a good fuck."

"Oh, yeah, so tonight..."

Lancelot broke in. "The king was pleased with your wizard demonstration. You will continue to partake of the king's pleasurable treasures."

"That's great. Alison and I really hit it off."

"Alison?"

"You know, the girl you sent me. We really connected and I don't just mean by, you know, fucking."

"Stonn is in charge of the king's harem. I am sure whoever is sent to you tonight will equally satisfy your manly desires."

Variety appealed to Jacob. It was a man's way, but there was something about Alison that was unexplainably desirable.

"Yeah," he said casually, "I guess like Guin is not the only girl you are fucking."

Jacob was instantly pinned against the wall by the knight's strong hand around his neck.

Lancelot forcefully said in a whisper, "You will not speak of such things within the walls of this castle or anywhere else."

"Sorry! Sorry! I was likely totally stupid!"

Lancelot pulled his hand away. The knight laughed at the cowering wizard. He was a strange creature.

They made their way to the far side of the castle.

"In there," pointed Lancelot at the dark doorway.

"Aren't you coming?" It sure sounded like he wasn't.

"We do not really like each other. None of the knights like him," he explained. "Besides he does not like unexpected guests."

"Is he expecting me?" said Jacob agitated.

"You are a wizard. What do you have to worry about?"

"But..."

Lancelot slapped Jacob hard on the back. "I have a rendezvous with ... a friend. What we were not talking about. If you have trouble finding your way back, ask a guard."

Jacob watched Lancelot leave. What if he couldn't find a guard? With a deep sigh, he entered the passageway. He heard a voice then a second voice. He stopped.

"Sometimes," a man said angrily, "I think you intend to make yourself the King instead. The people will never accept a wizard as their king."

"You are delusional, Mordred," said Merlin. "You will be king."

Mordred? Jacob met the man last night. Mordred was a knight!

"You have waited too long," complained Mordred. "There is a new wizard in the castle."

"Do you think I have not heard?

"He made fire."

"Fire? Bah! He is merely an apprentice."

"You cannot make fire come from a small stick. The King will replace you with this new wizard."

"Do not vex me," said Merlin. "I will handle this wizard and then King Arthur. You will be king, Mordred. Mark my words."

Jacob was about to back away and leave when he felt a tickling. He looked down. A large spider was crawling on his left arm.

He cried out frightfully as he brushed the hairy creature to the ground.

"Who's there?" shouted Mordred.

Footsteps closed in on Jacob and the knight appeared.

Jacob said with a light, uneasy laugh, "I was startled by a spider and here I am a wizard, you know."

"You are a wizard?" Merlin asked as he appeared from the shadows of the passageway. The man was much too young to be accomplished.

"Yeah, that's me, Jacob. I'm a wizard." He said it too excitedly but he couldn't help it. He was scared by what he overheard. "See?"

He displayed his lighter. With a deft flick, he produced flame. Mordred looked at the fire with wonder just like he did last night. Merlin was surprised by the little magic stick. He reconsidered his evaluation. This Jacob appeared to be accomplished after all, yet there was something odd about him. Something was not right. Merlin decided to reserve final judgment.

"The King wanted me to say 'hi'," Jacob said. "Hi." It sounded stupid the instant it was out of his lips. He would trade just about anything to be with his beach buds right now.

"Come," commanded Merlin. "You must show me your fire making."

"Uh..." He wanted to go back to his room. He wanted to be with Alison.

Mordred pointed. Jacob reluctantly followed Merlin with the knight following right behind. They entered a living area which no doubt was Merlin's. They headed through another door on the other side and into a chamber filled with clay pots, jars, and pans. There were cloth bags along the walls. It was Merlin's laboratory.

Merlin poured a small amount of liquid from one pot into a pan. He took a small amount of powder from a bag. He tossed the powder into the liquid.

Bang! A billow of smoke floated up.

"Whoa-ho!" Jacob said impressed. His eyes followed the smoke exiting through an opening in the ceiling.

Merlin furrowed his brow. This was a very peculiar wizard.

"As wizards," Merlin stated, "it is best to make a dramatic entrance."

"That will sure do the trick," said Jacob. "Pow! Poof! There you are!"

"Would you like to try it?"

"Can I?" Wait until he told his friends! Well, at least wait until he told Alison. Jacob forgot the danger he felt earlier. This was cool!

Merlin poured a little more liquid into the pan than he did last time.

"Hold out your hand," he said as he held up the bag. "Use both hands."

Jacob cupped both hands while still awkwardly holding the lighter.

"Mordred will hold the fire stick for you," Merlin said.

Jacob handed it over without thinking. He was single-minded. Mordred was fascinated by how the object felt in his hand. It was a strange material.

Merlin poured powder into Jacob's hands. Like the liquid, it was a little more than last time. Jacob stepped up to the pan and dropped the powder.

BOOM! The explosion was much louder

"Whoa, Duuuuude!" said Jacob thrilled. Smoke filled the room. He turned around but couldn't see a thing. "Merlin? Mordred?"

He ran forward and bumped into a chair. He kept his balance as he stumbled back into Merlin's main room.

"Show me how this works," Merlin demanded when Jacob appeared.

"Give it back!" yelled Jacob. He only gave it to Mordred to hold. Mordred shouldn't have given it to Merlin.