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Merlin looked around his library. Something changed. It was the same as before but the books were gone and was replaced by empty spaces. Morgana was splendidly dressed in a green velvet dress. Her beautiful porcelain face beamed at him. Her red hair spilled around her creamy white shoulders.
“What did you do with my books of magic?” Merlin said.
“Oh, I have them. I have had them for years, old man,” Morgana said.
“So, why did you let me read this?” He said, but he already knew the answer.
“You should know by now, Merlin that I placed a trap for you as soon as you entered this place.”
Merlin didn't feel the tendrils of magic as he entered his library. He thought it was the power of this place, but now he knew better. Morgana had learnt a lot while he was trapped in the arcane crystal. He focused and felt the trap. It was a time trap.
The more he stayed in here the more time was moving backwards. It was a masterful spell. Yet, he knew he could get out of here but it would impede him from getting back to Lazarus and the Alpha Mages. And then it would be too late.
Morgana smiled. “You could have rule the universe with me, but you casted this spirit spell over me. I haven't felt anything in a long time.”
She seductively turned her body around to him. She said while batting her eyes, “You missed me. You want me.”
“No, you're more a beast than a human. I don't want what you have become.”
She smiled at him and Merlin felt the heat of lust come over him.
He shouldn't feel this until he realized she was distracting him. She was using magic to seduce him.
“Stop!” He said, “why are you doing this? You already trapped me.”
Morgana smiled. “It’s never over between us. You were my first love.”
“I don't think you ever love me. You only love yourself. You used me for your sinister plans. I will get out of this and kill you.”
“You can try. I’ll have Excalibur and have all the power of the Alpha mages. It was you who showed me the way,” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You don't remember,” Morgana said.
Merlin did recall. He started all this by contacting the Elves and the Magical races by trying to find a way out of his magical crystal imprisonment. He knew he needed a group of magical Alpha mages that would learn all the elements. The elves tested humans who could have the gift to learn the power. Yet, Morgana perverted his original idea. She was the one who engineer everything that happened before and after the Breaking of the Bastions. Morgana knew Lazarus and the other Alpha Mages had the gift of elemental magic. She was looking for a wizard who could learn the cosmos’s element. The cosmos magic was how she would steal Excalibur’s and the Alpha wizards power. She was masterful. Merlin was dumbfounded for a few seconds.
Morgana nodded and started to fade from the room. “Come and get me an old man. I will be waiting for you.”
Merlin blasted her with a fireball but the spell harmlessly moved passed her and hit a table. He shook his head. This was not going to help. Shaking his head, he snuffed out the burning table with a wave of his hand.
He needed to think. This was the way it had always been between her and Merlin. This fight was between themselves. He would be the one who would finally kill her with the help of Lazarus. Closing his eyes, he tried to contact Lazarus. But Morgana used something to shield his communications.
The room that he was in was quickly disintegrating into old dirt and stone. He needed to slow down the time lapse. If he didn’t stop the trap, he could be stuck in here forever.
***
LAZARUS AND THE ALPHA Mages were standing in the main HQ room of the Illuminati. Grump was there staring at the screens in front of them while Illuminati personal were busily working on their computers. He saw a large ship entering Earth’s atmosphere. It was headed toward Western Europe. Also on a smaller screen was Captain Marlena.
Krump said, “Duke Grendel had contacted us at 0600 hours and he is taking heavy fire from the Vvong ships in space. He is stationed by Saturn’s rings. Sorry, I don't have a visual on him.”
Captain Marlena didn't flinch. She had a mask of determination on her face. Lazarus knew she wanted to fight in space with her dad. But she was trapped like everybody on Earth.
Krump continued. “According to Duke Grendel's report, this ship was moving to Earth is also part of a larger space armada orbiting our planet.”
Lazarus said, “Do we know where this ship is headed?”
“It is slowing down by England,” Krump said.
Lazarus instantly knew where it was headed. He said, “Stonehenge. The ship is going to Stonehenge.”
Krump said, “Are you sure? The ship is still moving very fast.”
“Yes, I'm sure.”
“Lazarus, what do you want from us?” Krump said.
“Nothing. Defend Earth.”
Krump said, “Captain Marlena, thank you for sending some pilots. We have more than enough jet fighters. What do you think we should do?”
Captain Marlena said, “Lazarus, I feel better if we follow you. I check my sensors on board my ship and seems all the Vvong vessels are following the Queen ship. The final battle will be there.”
Lazarus shook his head. “Krump, you contacted the U.N.? Do they have any pilots to help you?”
“Yes, they are all here in the Atlantis base,” Krump explained, “We will be launching ships when you leave. How do you want to travel?”
Lazarus wanted to conserve all the Alpha Mages power. Yet, he wanted to create a giant dragon to battle the Vvong, but he felt the final battle will not be fought with powerful creatures. It would be with magic and it would involve Merlin. Looking at his friends and the new Illuminati comrades, they didn’t ask him about Merlin. They had fought countless battles without the great wizard, Merlin.
Lazarus said, “I will go with Captain Marlena but before we leave. I want to talk to everybody. Is there a way to do that?”
Krump said, “Yes, whenever you ready? I will transmit your speech to everybody here and also the U.N.”
