Merlin woke up soon after Percival knocked Arthur out. Momentarily, his vision was blurry, but it cleared up. The color in his face also returned.
"What happened?" he asked Gaius.
"You just collapsed," Gaius explained. "Are you all right?"
Guinevere appeared next to the two men. She was holding a cup of water in her hand. Kneeling, she handed it to Merlin.
"Thank you," he said. He chugged the water in one gulp. Why did he feel so thirsty all of a sudden? "It was weird," Merlin admitted. "I suddenly felt drained. Where's Arthur?"
"Percival gave him another bop on the head," said Guinevere.
Gaius clutched Merlin's shoulder. He placed his other hand to his forehead to check for a fever, but Merlin didn't have one. "Interesting. You don't have a fever."
"I feel fine now. Honestly," Merlin said with a smile. He rose to his feet, glancing from Gwen and Gaius to the knights.
Gaius sighed. Crossing his arms, he said, "Merlin, I think for the safety of you, Gwen, the knights, and the rest of the royal court, we should probably lock Arthur up in his room for the day. At least until we can figure out the spell. You took one look at him and fell."
Lock Arthur up? He definitely would disapprove of that. Then again, Gaius did have a point. It wasn't safe for him to stay out in public. With this in mind, Merlin tossed Arthur's arm over his shoulders and escorted him to his chambers.
Guinevere wanted to follow, but Gaius didn't let her. It was too risky to send more than one person to the king's chambers right now. Besides, Merlin was Arthur's best friend.
He tossed him onto his bed. Gaius gave Arthur a sleeping draft before Merlin left so he wouldn't wake up any time soon. He tried to hold back a laugh when the king snored just like he did during the feast.
Once he made sure Arthur was nice and comfortable, Merlin stepped outside. He closed the door behind him, locking it. Sighing, he leaned his back up against it. Merlin was starting to feel drained again. Why, though? He couldn't be getting sick, could he?
With his thoughts all scrambled up inside his head, Merlin started down the hallway. Suddenly, though, he felt a presence. It was eerie and cold, as if a ghost were in the hall with him. Merlin froze on his tracks. He was in the far west wing of the castle. It was dark here, with very few torches and windows. How did Merlin wind up here? He thought he was going back to Gaius's. Something must have led him here. The presence only increased as he wandered further down the hall. Merlin picked a torch off the wall to help light his way. Where was he? He didn't recognize this section of the palace.
There was a single, wooden door at the end of the hallway. Wood was peeling from its frame. Yet, the presence was coming from the other side of it. With Merlin being Merlin, he was curious. He stopped behind the door and lifted his fists, giving it a gentle knock. Nobody answered. Eventually, Merlin just opened the door. He poked his head inside to a dark room and whispered, "Hello?"
It was cold in here. Merlin could barely make out the forms of torn curtains. Wherever he was, it was disgustingly messy.
Slowly and carefully, Merlin stumbled into the room. He ended up knocking over tables and books because he couldn't see where he was going. Startled, the young man froze. He waited for something to ambush him, but nothing did. The room was extremely cluttered, so it was hard to find his way through it. The closer Merlin approached a corner, the more drained he felt.
He rubbed sweat from his forehead, asking, "Who's there?" when something shuffled. He held his torch higher above his head while he went to investigate. Once he felt ready, he leaped into the corner where the shuffling came from. "Got ya!" However, there was nothing there.
***
"Merlin, can you do me a favor and use magic to pull a few books off my bookshelf?" Gaius asked Merlin when he returned from the secret room.
"Magic?" Merlin asked. "But why? You're always so strict about when I should and should not use it."
Gaius, who was holding a book in his hand, nodded. "I know, but this is crucial to my research. You're my guinea pig. Come now. We've not a minute to lose."
Inhaling, Merlin puffed out his cheeks. He headed to Gaius's bookshelf and was soon standing under it. His eyes scanned it up and down.
Behind, Gaius curiously scratched his chin.
For a little bit longer, Merlin did nothing. He was nervous. Finally, though, he said an enchantment under his breath. His eyes again glowed golden-yellow. He managed to use his magic to pull a few books off the shelf, but he could not hold them for long. Only a minute later, they fell to the floor (one or two of them hit Merlin on his head). The impact knocked him onto his backside. He took deep breaths, but was sweating profusely. Using magic never took this much out of him.
"Hm, I thought so," Gaius said. He flipped through his book.
"What?" Merlin questioned. He and the alchemist met eyes.
"There is a Death Lion loose in Camelot," Gaius explained.
***
"The Death Lion is a creature of magic that is conjured from the Old Religion," Gaius told Merlin a little bit later. "It hails from the Other World." He was pacing back and forth behind his apprentice, who was sitting at his table.
He had another cup of water in his hand.
"It takes a very skilled sorcerer to tame one," Gaius continued. He set his book down in front of Merlin so that he could examine it. He had turned to a page that showed a scary-looking, yet beautiful beast. The upper half of its body was covered in lion fur, and its lower half had rough, scaly skin. Its face was lion-like with incredibly powerful fangs, and it also had a lion's tail. Behind its ears and mane, it sported a vast array of sharp antlers. Two more pairs of antlers grew out on each side of its cheeks.
Just looking at it, Merlin shivered. "That's a Death Lion?" And he thought the Lamia was scary. The Death Lion looked like it came straight out of Hell.
"Yes," Gaius said. "They're related to the Gryphon, but they're not the same species. For example, Death Lions don't have wings. They feed on organs. When it catches its prey, it rips its innards out. They are extremely resilient and violent."
"What does this have to do with Arthur and me?" Merlin wanted to know.
Gaius sat across from him so it would be easier to explain such a creature. "Since the Death Lion is a Spirit Creature, it can possess its host. It lures them to its den and kills them. As soon as it does, it feasts. However, it also has the power to rid anyone who practices magic of their abilities. The only way for it to succeed is if a magical being has an encounter with the Death Lion itself."
"So, let me get this straight," Merlin said. "The Death Lion is stripping me of my magic?"
"It seems that way, yes," Gaius admitted. "What happened with the books proved it."
"But how?" Merlin asked. "I've never had an encounter with one!"
"I beg to differ."
Merlin gave Gaius a funny look, but then his mind returned to the secret room. He remembered hearing something in there. Could that have been the Death Lion's spirit?
Gaius continued his explanation. "Merlin, you said that since this morning, Arthur's been acting extremely hostile. He threw you across his room, hit Gwen, and almost killed Gwaine. You also mentioned that his eyes glowed red before you knocked him out. My point is, I believe the Death Lion has possessed him. He's trying to lure him to his doom."
"Which is most likely Morgana," Merlin added. "I told you, Gaius! I told you that I found it odd she hasn't attacked in two weeks. She was planning this all along! But did you listen to me? No!"
"I was wrong to doubt you. I'm sorry," Gaius apologized.
Merlin sarcastically scoffed. He shook out his head, saying, "Whatever. How does one defeat a Death Lion?"
"See, that's just it," Gaius said. "It can't be defeated by magic."
Merlin lifted his eyebrows as he tried to let the message sink in. "But it's a magical being."
Gaius nodded. "True, but it's a different kind of magical being. There is only one way to defeat it."
"Which is?"
Gaius went completely silent. This did not help Merlin's anxiety.
"Which is?" he asked again. "Do I have to kill Arthur?"
Shaking his head, Gaius answered, "Not exactly, but you do need to free the monster's spirit from his body."
"How do I do that?"
Again, Gaius said nothing. This was something he wanted Merlin to figure out himself. He was young and intelligent. It wouldn't take him long.
Merlin, though, was sure that another adventure was just around the corner. He's always wanted to return to the Perilous Lands. Nevertheless, whatever happened, Merlin knew that this quest would change him and Arthur Pendragon forever.