Mordred 12.3

Merlin laughed and then his right hand reached for his forehead. He pulled away at the skin and peeled it as if it was the shedding of the skin of the serpent. The skin pulled back and revealed the true face of the imposter. It was the face of Seth that was seen there with half the face covered by the scales of the slither type and the other, the pink shades of the human’s facial on its right. His eyes were narrow slits with the eyeballs that were narrow in width and lengthen from eye lids. His nose was partially configured with the right side that resembled only a narrow open appendage. It was his mouth that was human like but the twin forked tongue deformed its design.

“You were good, Guardian but now you are better.” Seth then revealed spoke up. “I heard of your coming from the others, and sent the witches to meet you. Only the witches knew the correct paths to take to avoid the Elves.”

I looked at Seth. He was one of the gifted and was once Merlin’s student but he was discarded when he pledged his crafts towards the serpent spirits. When Merlin discovered that he had the young lad thrown out of the Academy. His words hurt the young lad who was then trying to find himself. It was also rumoured that Merlin feared Seth may one day be his nemesis.

“You who sides with the Serpents be as well be killed or be banished from the land.” It was an undeclared war between the Council and the named Serpent followers. They ranked with the renegades but when captured. Their punishment was more than harsh. They were not sent to any imprisonment but staked out while their skins were removed by the daggers. 

I have battled the Serpents before as Guardian then in the other dimension, but we never had a conclusive battle for they were spirited away by their Gods.

“Free us for we seek only the answers to our queries and you posed no such answers that we desired.” I told Seth. “I am no more a Guardian but one like the others. I only seek Berlin.”

“Berlin? I am at grief to your quest.” Seth replied. “I was banished here when Merlin captured me. He did not skin me like the others. He had me delivered here but he did me his own deformed justice. He castrated me so that I will not sire anymore of my own kinds.”

“Merlin told me that my kind shall die with me.” Seth hissed out his last words.

“Why then bring us here if it was Merlin you want. And why saved us from the wrath of the Elves.” I asked back. “I am no follower of Merlin myself.”

“Yes, we heard too. You were here with us at New Salem and yet you left once again to be a Guardian. You delivered some of our followers in a merciless manner. You gave them deliverance than pain of an eternity. This we also knew. At the tavern we were told of your battle with the Dark Queen and how you escaped. When you reached the Divide, we knew too. We were surprised at your deliverance but once here, we knew you seek only the one we sought too.”

“Merlin.” Seth ended his words with the hissing tone. “You seek him who is dead.”

“Yet you impersonated him? Why?” I snapped back. “If he was truly dead then you will not be him to see me.  You also suspected that he could alive. You lured me here to see for you need to know why I seek him.”

“Guardian, you were always the wiser one. You had us killed to avoid our life long pain, and you believed not in his death too.” Seth hissed out his laughter. “You are ever right. Who could kill Merlin if not himself?”

“There was one who could do it.” I replied. “Berlin is his nemesis. He is here in the Divide.”

“And he who is the enemy of my enemy should be my friend.” Seth hissed out. “Believe in me. Berlin is not our friend. Am I not right, my leader?”

From the folds of the flesh, a figure stood out to greet us.

“Mordred, it had been a long time.” I looked towards the new arrival and smiled.

“The New Leader of the Serpent Movement had arrived. You are also the enemy.” I spoke up...