“I see a Cantus being,” she chirped.
In an instant, the image cleared as her sharp eyes followed the being. Her mind could calculate when it would vanish and where it would reappear, making tracking it a simple flow.
“How is it doing that?” Uther asked.
“Cantus beings build armor around their bodies that are inner-focused dematerializers. This lets the armor aim inside itself, fracture the body in it, and then the outer armor transports it to a new location.”
“How does the armor follow?” Ector asked. “If it happens from the inside?”
“Mirror technology,” she said simply. But the others didn’t understand.
“Never mind, Nimueh. Can you lock on to fire?” Uther asked.
She pushed the glasses up off her face and crossed her arms. “You don’t want to do that. Pellinore told me that if you do, a war will start. He said a good king does not make war; he only defends in times of other people’s wars.”
Pausing, Uther watched the screen again. The Cantus being didn’t harm anything. It simply flew around the horizon. Perhaps looking for a weak spot. Yes, that seemed rational. He could just kill it and perhaps no one would know.
“It may be an organic probe,” Ector said cautiously. “You know, just checking things out. To see what we are, scout out our defenses. Maybe.”
Now he had to think. There was no way of knowing. The thing could be trouble or it could be gone in a matter of hours. But it was in his atmosphere, in his airspace. Technically, this counted as an invasion whether it thought so or not. Camelot needed to be protected.
***
The screaming came from Igrain and the tiny life force that had fallen from her womb to the grass.
Tears drenching her face, Igrain looked down at the small human baby in her arms. Joy and gladness filled her aching chest at the sight of it breathing and that it had all of its prospective limbs, fingers, and toes. But its veins were pulsing a dark purple and the baby panted ceaselessly. Clutching it, she struggled to stand.
“What’s wrong with him?” she pleaded with Merlin. “Look at him.”
But Merlin smiled, a strange expression to be on the somber Avalonian’s face. “He’s fantastic, what do you mean? Look, he’s healthy and has a great mixture of Avalon and human DNA.”
“Avalonian?” she gasped.
Merlin looked at her through his brows as his head tilted down towards the baby. “How? It must be from you or the fa…” he stopped himself. Igrain had hardly any Avalonian work done. She was practically clean. It had to have been from the father. From Uther disguised as Galois with more Avalon in him than human.
“Perhaps from contact with Excalibur?” he guessed stupidly. Igrain frowned menacingly. Her teeth gnashed as she deepened her scowl. She shook trying to hold back her crying
“What did Pellinore mean by Uther’s heir?” She saw him put up defenses before he even spoke. “Damn it, Merlin, tell me!”
Then it happened. She convulsed and began to choke. Her arms fell limp and the baby tumbled from her grip. Merlin quickly caught it and held it awkwardly at arm’s length while catching Igrain as well. Her veins bulged on the sides of her head and blood continued to pulse out of her. She hadn’t stopped bleeding.
Behind them, Excalibur glowed and red Mist began to leak out. The com unit on her wrist beeped. The name on it took Merlin by surprise: Morgause. It was more than fate that she would reach out to her mother now.
“Igrain, we have to move. The mecha activated because of your son and the power surge after all this time has caused a leak in the Mist engine. I can’t explain it now, but I think it’s poisoned you. We have to move!” He hauled her up as she coughed for air. “It’s a fast poison. I’m so sorry.” Struggling against her dead weight, he trudged as far away and as quickly as possible from the defective mecha. “We’ll get that fixed; I promise.”
“I feel weird,” she moaned. “Tired too.”
With no breath left for conversation, Merlin ambled down the mountainside to safety and reached the transport. He set the baby down and lifted Igrain up to get her inside.
“We’ll go home and fix you up, I promise,” he said again. “Hold on.”
If she had had more Avalonian in her, there may have been a chance. As he saw it now, Igrain had but moments to make it back. If he could hurry and get her into the Avalon hospital, she might be saved. If only a very slim chance.
When she was safely tucked inside, he jumped back out for the baby, but stopped in his tracks when he landed at the feet of a monster-sized Cantus being. He looked up and then rose slowly, his eyes never leaving that of the beings.
“I, Cantus, smell king on this one,” it said in a voice distorted by its armor. “It even looks like your Uther.”
Merlin didn’t move. “What do you want, Cantus? We have no quarrel with you.”
“But you do! I am Bruin of Cantus XII, scout and loyal subject of Hengist, and your Uther murdered Horsa, my comrade and brother in arms.” He drew himself up to a staggering seven and a half feet, dwarfing Merlin in front of him. The baby rested on the ground between them, simpering.
“And what have you come here for? Revenge? Give me the baby. He’s done nothing wrong.”
Bruin laughed again in that dark, distorted way. Merlin noticed the metallic wings on his back which must have been for flying. They were attached to him by his armor, which plated every inch of his muscled body, including his long, twitching tail.
“This thing is the next Uther and cannot live. None of you murderers can live!” He made a grab for
