Chapter 8

Lauren groaned, tossing back and forth, sweat drenching him in his dark dream. He was standing in the corner of Merlin’s bedroom. Merlin was in bed asleep, before him stood a dark figure holding an open book. The figure chanted, his words indiscernible. Full moon light came through the open window and blanketed Merlin.

Merlin grimaced in his sleep. The man reached out his arm and with his thumb made a cross on Merlin’s forehead with what looked like blood. He stood silently pleading for the man to lean over so he could see his face.

The figure leaned back and chanted some more, but he still could not understand the words. The man shut the book and laid it on the bed beside Merlin. He could see the title Grimoire to the Dark. He knew it important to remember that.

Then from the cross on Merlin’s head, came a thin wavy stream of a greenish transparent light. The man leaned over, opened his mouth, and sucked in the greenish vapor. It took less than a second.

He gasped at the sight. The man quickly looked to where he stood. He was tall, sandy colored hair, eyes of ice, Lauren didn’t recognize him. Instantly the man wiped the mark from Merlin’s head, grabbed the book, opened a portal and jumped through. He woke up.

He jumped from the bed and woke his brothers shouting. “Merlin, we have tae get tae Merlin.” The men jumped up in a frenzy from their cots in the library. “What! Where? Who?” They all shouted.

“Hurry! I’ll tell you, after we get Merlin.”

They raced through the library and to the small room Merlin stayed in. There was no moonlight, the tapestry covered the window keeping out the chilly spring weather. He settled down. “It hasna happened yet. Good. How long do we have? Merlin wake! We must talk now.”

Merlin rubbed his eyes. “Can’t an old man get any sleep? Can’t this wait until morning?” Throwing his legs over the side of the bed he tugged down the edge of his night shirt. White hair sticking out, he looked at the boys and said. “You know at a decent hour when most men talk.”

“Nae, I had a dream. We need tae talk now!”

Merlin grunted. “To the library then. I’ll call for drink and we’ll see what this is about.”

After everyone had a strong brew in front of them, torches lit with plenty of light, sitting at the long library table, they all looked at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“I’m telling you Merlin, he sucked a green light oot of you. He had a book he chanted from. It was titled Grimoire to the Dark. He put blood on your head in the shape of a cross, sucked in this greenish light that came from your head oot the center of the cross, it scared me, and I made a noise, then he saw me. He wiped your head, grabbed the book, and believe it or not he opened a portal and jumped through.”

Merlin’s face drastically paled. “Only I can open a portal. I mean there’s stationary portals, but to create one, that is something only a wizard can do. Unless a mage did it, but they have a spell they conjure. Did this person say anything before opening the portal?”

“Nae, just waved his arm and it appeared.”

“Then it’s a wizard, it has to be. But I’m the only wizard left. My brother was the only other wizard I know of, but I killed him long, long ago.”

“You never mentioned a brother, Merlin,” said Conall.

“He was the essence of evil. Did you say Grimoire to the Dark?” Merlin asked as he got to his feet not really needing an answer. “Seamus, my brother, the worst wizard ever born, must have been returned. If this is the case, we are in a lot of trouble. I think I understand now. It’s not just the inner earth that Drakkor is after. It is Drakkor and Seamus together, Seamus is after outer earth. If that happens all good would be destroyed and that means everything good.”

“What was Seamus doing tae you while in bed?”

“I’m not sure, but I know where we can find some answers. You see the book you speak about belonged to my brother. Since his death no one has seen it. No one knows where it is. But…” he said as he walked away from them toward a wall. “…We do have help.”

Chanting and holding out his hands toward the rock wall, they watched, as his words got stronger the rocks appeared to dissipate, and then disappear altogether. In a small dark cavern of the rock wall, Merlin inserted his hands and withdrew a large thick book. Old, brown covered leather with simple words on the front, “Grimoire to the Light.” Once the book left its hiding place, Merlin repeated the incantation in reverse, the opening closed, and the wall became solid.

He walked over and handed the book to Cameron. “This is my book. Seamus was guardian of the Grimoire to the Dark, and I, Grimoire to the Light. We are the guardians of these books. Books we were entrusted with but not use. Mine was given to me to take care of by Junius of the Plelins, the Ayriris Light Angels Court. Seamus was given his by Kahn of the Akuphis from the Dark Angel’s Court. Together these books can create or destroy worlds.

“After the Armathian War almost destroyed both earths, the factions of light and dark made peace, and split what was once one grimoire, apart making them two, with the intention they never again be used together. We were warned that if they were, we’d face execution, and as the last two living wizards, extinction. These grimoires will not work alone, one feeds on the other. However, there could be a problem.” Merlin frowned scratching his bearded chin.

“I know much of what Grimoire to the Light contains, not every incantation, or spell, but quite a bit. I would have to assume Seamus knows Grimoire to the Dark in the same way. But we would have to have access to both to understand the whole.”

Lauren cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t these courts be warned?”

“Not yet, we don’t know enough, or even what the grimoires have to do with it. I really don’t want them coming down on me when I don’t know anything for sure yet. See what you can find out in those books, Cameron. Discuss it with Lauren, see if it mentions anything about what you saw. If what you saw is what I think. My brother was ingesting my ether, part of my soul.

“And with it my memories and knowledge, if he succeeds, we’re doomed. Through my memories, he could garner important information from this book, but not only that. He’s been gone a long time. The knowledge of all he’s missed will go to him the instant he ingests my ether. If he’s working with Drakkor they have a plan. He won’t look like the Seamus I knew and probably goes by a different name.

“Someone had to find the magic, find his body and bones, and do an extensive spell to have him reborn. It calls for blood sacrifice. And not just any blood. The spell requires a newborn baby’s body. And it takes a God to be involved, a Dark God. If that is the case, we are looking at trouble with a capital T. If I remember the spell right, at the exact moment of death, blood is poured from the body, the soul of the baby is released, allowing the other spirit to enter, then the God brings the body back to life.

“The baby would then have been raised as his parents’ own, with them never knowing it is really Seamus inhabiting their son. Horrible, dark spell. One that should never be used.” Merlin frowned.

“I believe that Drakkor is responsible for the spell and is the one who helped bring him back. It takes three to speak the incantation. I don’t know who the third person would have been. If they have plans together, I need to find out exactly what they are. We need to get busy. If I appear sick, you’ll know it’s happened to me. I won’t have any memory of it. Tell me again everything you saw Lauren, maybe we can figure the time frame.”

“Weel. I noticed it was fairly warm. You had the tapestries pulled back from the windows. There was a full bright moon letting light through.”

“Hmm,” mumbled Merlin. “Full moon was two nights past. It will take twenty-eight moons to be full again. Late spring now, in the time until the next full moon, it could be that warm. I would say that is the time we have to stop him. Tell me exactly how he looked, maybe I know him.”

After Lauren described him in detail, Merlin said, “Hmm he seems familiar to me. I have a hunch, but I must speak to someone first, then see Ian. Conall you will move inside my room with me. I’ll have a bed brought in. If Seamus comes, he’ll be cloaked and no one else will see him, but you should be able to see him with your powers of seeing what’s not there. If we can’t stop him before that, maybe you can.

“Cameron read all you can of the grimoire then discuss it with Lauren. Help me figure this out. Dougal my master mage, if something happens and I can’t counteract his magic, I will need you to be ready to do it for me. Know the spells well and get anything you need for them ready. Lauren anything you see in dreams or otherwise, no matter how insignificant, tell me and the others right away.

“The angels are coming to meet with me today. We will tell them what we’ve talked about. Maybe they will have some ideas. I wish the God of Light and the God of Dark would come to our aid, but as with all Gods they won’t interfere with free will. It’s just their way. Oh well… It’s almost light and I need to go.” With a swirl of his arm, Merlin was dressed in his long garments, he threw open a portal, and disappeared.