ready to jump in should I need to.
Humming in agreement, Merrin clears his throat and takes a small step forward. “As you know, the magicians have fought for the humans in the war against the elves for centuries.” The elves shift uncomfortably at the reminder of the war and that they are in the presence of elf killers. I can’t help but notice Vaeril takes a step closer to the other two elves, automatically going to protect those more vulnerable than him, and I wonder if he even realises he’s doing it.
“In the last decade, we have been petitioning with the king to withdraw. Using our magic in this way felt wrong when there were so many other ways to utilise magic for good,” Merrin continues, looking over at me, and my heart constricts painfully in my chest. Merrin is too good for this world. Hope blooms inside me. Is what he says possible?
“Why would the goddess have given us the capacity to heal and create if she only wanted us to use our powers to destroy?” I feel like he’s talking to me directly, and he speaks with such passion that I can tell this isn’t the first time he’s said this. Surprise flashes through me, and I realise it’s coming from Vaeril’s bond. Looking over at the elf, I see he’s wearing a blank mask, but he can’t hide his feelings from me—the magician has surprised him.
“When Grayson had the vision of Clarissa and came to us, we knew things were changing. I started to do some research. In our travels, we discovered a plague on the lands, a darkness. It reeked of dark magic, and when we traced it back, we believed it was coming from the queen.”
As Merrin talks, I watch Grayson, reaching for him through the bond. He’s careful not to let it show, but I feel his surprise as I gently tug on our connection. Trying not to look at me, he scans the clearing, and I feel his hopefulness. This meeting was going better than he expected. That was worrying, what had he expected? Returning my attention to Merrin, I nod my head at his explanation and how they tracked the darkness back to the queen.
“Some of us believed it was the elves rallying to attack us.” He shoots a quick look at Pierre, then a radiant smile crosses his face. “But the Mother appeared to us and showed us a vision.” His expression quickly changes to one of sadness. “To receive a vision is a great honour, but…” He pauses, gazing over at the elves with sympathy in his eyes. “In that vision, we witnessed elves being harmed by the queen.” I can see why they chose Merrin to share this part of the story. Had it been anyone else, the elves could have said that the mages were making it up, trying to make the elves seem evil, but his truth magic fills the clearing. Also, the fact he genuinely seems to be struggling with what he witnessed is obvious. “She was harming her own people and turning them into…” He trails off, lacking the word, but I know exactly what he’s describing.
“Forsaken,” I whisper. The attention of the clearing turns to me, but I keep my eyes on Merrin, who is nodding slowly.
“That is a good name for them.” Taking a deep breath, he glances back at his fellow high mages before turning to the elves. “Our king is responsible for numerous atrocities, and it was a shock to realise then that our king was no better than the queen. We thought long and hard about why the goddess would show us that vision. Was she exposing how evil the queen was and saying she needed to be stopped?” He pauses and seems to brace himself, as if he knows what he’s about to say next is going to be unpopular. “That’s when I had a thought. Perhaps the queen’s people were just as innocent as ours were.” My eyes grow wide, and there’s a loud snort from Pierre, but otherwise, the snakelike mage stays silent. I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing. I never thought the magicians would see past their hatred so easily. Having Merrin on our side will help hugely with convincing the rest of the mages, his gift of truth making them look past their prejudice. Perhaps this really can work.
“There are good and bad humans, just as I am sure there are good and bad