The faster, lighter mecha were commanded to launch into the air and take down the air assault any way they could. This was done by pilots leaping high up and flying to the aircraft. They would try to grab ahold of the craft and rip its engines asunder or tear the wings off; anything to make it crash and cease its merciless attack. While some mecha were attacking thus, other rapid-fire aircraft zoomed in from behind and would pelt the mecha into submission or until it fell, exploding on the ground below.
On the ground, men in armor like Uther’s fought with power-blades or replicas of Vortigern’s massive propulsion gun. It seemed to be the only thing that would dent the Cantus beings’ armor. The body count sky-rocketed as the angry aliens tore through Camelot’s masses.
A lone speed-bike zoomed through the carnage, too fast to be stopped and too fast for human reflexes to be piloting it. Merlin raced away from the fight, keeping an eye on Calesvol, Uther’s new mecha, as he departed. There was only one way to end this fight before it was too late and that way lay trapped in a mountain far from the fight.
As he left the city around Pendragon, it became evident Cantus attacked everywhere, not just the city. Unlike what Hengist had said, he didn’t simply want revenge on Uther. He ravaged the entire planet out of rage for his lost brother. Above him in the sky, Listenoise glowed softly, not willing to dirty her hands in Uther’s war. Merlin had hoped that Pellinore would have come down and talk Uther out of the war, but it was clearly too late and Cantus had moved too fast.
Merlin reached as high on the mountain’s incline as the speed-bike would go and then had to run the rest of the way. His lungs were burning when he reached the white mecha and he stopped in his tracks to face someone else who had come to take the mecha.
“You’ve come to fetch this for your king. How loyal of such a trained dog,” Vivian sneered, her back was to him. “I won’t let you have it.”
Merlin tensed himself up and felt his insides begin to rev up for whatever may come at him. “Do not get in my way, Vivian. You don’t know half of what is going on here. If you try to stop me, I will not think twice about tearing you apart.”
She faced him now. “See what the humans have done to you? Made you their little soldier; their little assassin and slave. You are better than them, Merlin. Look at Uther’s selfishness and his pride. His lust has led these people here. Let Camelot burn.”
With cautious steps, Merlin began to circle around her. He reached under his robes and took out his two-part stave and screwed it together. “Unlike you, I have hope for these people.” He was between her and Excalibur now. She let her arms fall when she saw his staff.
“Beautiful,” she said. “From Avalon, I see. I’m not going to fight you, Merlin. You are my brother from Avalon. I’d rather return to my resting place under that lake. Uther has yet to dig that up, but he’s emptied it for sure. I will stay there until these humans have burnt themselves out and taken all of our mutant brothers and sisters with them.” She waved her arm and began to walk away. “Can you at least promise me one thing, Merlin, as your sister?”
He waited in silence neither consenting or refusing, his hand gripped tightly around the silver staff.
“Return Excalibur here when you are finished with this human war. Then, if your faith survives, return Uther to the man you want him to be. Guide him. Your faith in man is your greatest strength, but it may kill you. Remember that.”
He noted that she didn’t ask for the Avalon circle to be saved if it should come to that. This gave him hope in her. Perhaps she would not bear this hatred for mankind all her life, but she was right about one thing: his faith was perhaps blind.
“You have my word that Uther will not even set foot in Excalibur, Vivian, and it shall return here. But one day, I will bring his son here to take it up once more. That child…”
She waved her hand to silence him. “I know your beliefs; I’ve listened to them every time and I still think you’re foolish. Do what you will.”
In an instant, she was gone. Merlin wanted to take a moment and think over what she had said, but Camelot was burning and in need of saving. He faced Excalibur, touched it with his hand and his staff, and channeled his Avalon powers into them. With a spark and a glow, Excalibur stood up.
“Follow me,” he said to the mecha.
22
Aftermath
The battlefield had turned rabid while he had been gone. Bodies of Cantus and Camelot littered the earth and mecha were toppled over with burning aircraft. At first, Merlin couldn’t hear the battle, but then he realized the constant noise around him. The fight had grown smaller as the sun had set. The orange glowing autumn had vanished and a cold night had come.
From his perch on Excalibur’s shoulder, he could see farther than the others on the ground. It seemed that machine combat had lost out to physical as the living creatures fought hand-to-hand and with power-blades rather than guns and projectile weapons. In the distance, a small circle had formed around a tall, armored creature and a man in red armor. Uther and Hengist had at least met in battle.
“There,” Merlin said to Excalibur. “Go to Uther!”
He had fully
