Part 6/?_Merlin/Dresden Files/Sherlock Holmes_with a bit of AOSjade_dragonessSeptember 23 2010, 05:28:57 UTC
Merlin shook his head, “I’m not entirely certain.”
“And where does Murphy come into the picture? You called her an anchor.”
“To prevent history from being irrevocably changed we need to find anchors. People who would not exist without Uther also existing. And your Lady Murphy is the only one who can be one.”
“Because of her destiny?” I asked, skeptically.
“Yes. Her very life will have an impact on not just this time but also upon hundreds of generations to come,” said Merlin, solemnly.
I blinked in astonishment. Then I could help but grin. “That sounds like Murphy. She‘s saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“She is important,” agreed Merlin. “If she never exists. It would affect not just her life but the lives of thousands and thousands yet to be born.”
“How many more of these anchors do you need to keep Mordred from erasing Uther?” I asked. I sighed in relief as I came upon the traffic light that would let me turn into Murphy’s neighborhood.
“One more after this,” cut in Arthur.
Merlin nodded, “The spell called for four individuals. One per cardinal point.”
“That explains your little trip 250 years in to the future. That’s why you went there. Whose blood did you take?” I couldn’t help but to ask. How many descendants could Arthur Pendragon have running around, after all?
Arthur and Merlin exchanged a look.
“It isn‘t any of your concern,” said Arthur, pointedly.
“Aw, come on,” I grumbled.
“He was a captain of a ship, and helped to save the world. That‘s all I can tell you,” said Merlin. “You shouldn‘t have too much knowledge of days to come.”
I frowned, and parked the car. “You guys do,” I complained.
“Yes, but we make the rules,” said Arthur, arrogantly.
I scowled at him.
Merlin rolled his eyes. “You‘re being a prat again.”
“What I am is impatient, and suspicious,” said Arthur, darkly. He looked around the quiet surrounding houses with a suspicious eye. “Last time, those knights found us in less than two days. We have already been here for over one. And the only weapon we have to stop them is Excalibur, since your magic is pretty much useless, Merlin.”
Merlin joined me in scowling at Arthur.
“I can see why you call him a prat,” I said to Merlin.
“Hey!” complained Arthur.
We moved out of the car. I made sure to grab my blasting rod and my gun. I did fervently wish that I had stopped to pick up one of the swords from my apartment. Even if I couldn’t wield a Sword of the Cross. There was no reason that Murphy couldn’t.
And if Excalibur worked on those knights. Then Fidelacchius should too. I had recognized the hilt of Amoracchius at Arthur’s hip.
I left Merlin and Arthur bickering in the kind of familiar tone that only came from living with someone for a long time and went to knock on Murphy’s door. I had the feeling I would have a lot of explaining to do. It wasn’t everyday I showed up with two young men wearing what looked like Ren Faire outfits at Murphy’s doorstep.
Okay, so with my life, it was just every other day. *-*-*-*
Part 7a/?_Merlin/Dresden Files/Sherlock Holmes_with a bit of AOSjade_dragonessSeptember 26 2010, 08:30:15 UTC
Murphy took the news of the arrival of Merlin and Arthur on her door surprisingly well.
I thought there would have been at least a little surprise at finding out that your great-great-who-really-knew-how-many-times-great ancestor was King freaking Arthur. I still was having a hard time wrapping my head around it and I wasn’t the one with the direct lineage.
“Only you Harry, make my life this interesting,” said Murphy, sarcasm shading her voice.
“I had nothing to do with this,” I told her, defensively. “It‘s not my fault!”
She rolled her blue eyes at me in exasperation before turning to where Merlin sat across from her. “What exactly do you need?” she asked Merlin.
“Only a handful of your blood, Lady Murphy,” said Merlin, earnestly.
She shot me a questioning look.
“It‘s okay Murph,” I said, knowing exactly what she was thinking. You don’t get to learn about magic the way that Murphy had without knowing you don’t give you blood away without being damn sure of what it was going to be used for. This is one of the reasons she’s always been the one to make sure that any of my blood or tissue samples that I ended giving up in hospitals where always completely destroyed.
Like I said. She’s got my back.
“Okay, let me get my first aid kit,” she said.
I shifted on the sofa, trying not to dislodge the girly lace doilies.
“She‘s taking it well,” observed Arthur, from where he stood. He was near the living room window, keeping an eye on the neighborhood.
“It takes more than a little time travel to rattle Murphy,” I said. “She can handle a lot.”
“They‘re here!” yelled Arthur, making me and Merlin jump in surprise.
The crash of breaking glass sounded from where Murphy had gone to find the kit.
“Murphy!” I yelled. I jumped to my feet and made a beeline to the kitchen.
Merlin and Arthur followed at my heels.
There I saw a sight that nearly made my heart stop. A knight, covered head to toe in rusting dark mail, swinging at Murphy with a broadsword that was nearly as long as Murphy.
Murphy’s aikido skills were coming through as she neatly ducked the swing and grabbed an arm to send the knight slamming into the wall. But there was another knight coming right up behind her.
“Murphy! Duck!” I yelled and aimed my blasting rod, but next to me Merlin already had his hand up, with his palm toward the knight. His eyes glowed.
The knight stiffened and jerked back into the backyard like he’d been yanked back by a large invisible hand. He took the third and fourth knight that were right behind him.
“That’s not going to stop them. We need to leave,” said Arthur. He stabbed firmly at the knight that Murphy had knocked out. Then to make sure it was dead, he decapitated the thing. Fortunately for Murphy’s kitchen, as an undead killing machine, it didn’t exactly have a working heart to pump blood all over the place. “This place is hardly defensive.”
Murphy nodded sharply. “Follow me to my car. I‘m not trusting our lives on your rusted tin bucket, Harry.”
“The Blue Beetle is not rusting,” I complained, insulted. Rust was about the only thing that wasn’t happening to my car. Everything else practically had, including magical monsters.
We followed her quickly to her garage door and into her car. I sat in the backseat out of mostly futile hope that it would keep me from affecting the engine. This was a fairly new car. Murphy needed to get one after a bomb had take out the old one. She wouldn’t be happy with me if I broke it.
From my vantage I could see a long cut against Murphy’s neck. Blood flowed down in tiny trails down her neck.
“Are you okay?” I asked Murphy.
“Yeah, I nearly didn‘t duck in time,” said Murphy grimly.
“Jesus, Murphy, I‘m sorry,” I shuddered.
She shook hear head so her blonde hair swept out of her eyes. “I hate to say it. But I’m pretty used to it. Though you could have told me that I would need my gun when you showed up.” She arched her eyebrows at me.
I grimaced. “Yeah.”
“What were does things?”
“Undead knights,” I said. Then I had a thought. “Merlin, what about Murphy‘s neighbors? If those knights are still out there innocent bystanders could be in danger.”
“And where does Murphy come into the picture? You called her an anchor.”
“To prevent history from being irrevocably changed we need to find anchors. People who would not exist without Uther also existing. And your Lady Murphy is the only one who can be one.”
“Because of her destiny?” I asked, skeptically.
“Yes. Her very life will have an impact on not just this time but also upon hundreds of generations to come,” said Merlin, solemnly.
I blinked in astonishment. Then I could help but grin. “That sounds like Murphy. She‘s saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“She is important,” agreed Merlin. “If she never exists. It would affect not just her life but the lives of thousands and thousands yet to be born.”
“How many more of these anchors do you need to keep Mordred from erasing Uther?” I asked. I sighed in relief as I came upon the traffic light that would let me turn into Murphy’s neighborhood.
“One more after this,” cut in Arthur.
Merlin nodded, “The spell called for four individuals. One per cardinal point.”
“That explains your little trip 250 years in to the future. That’s why you went there. Whose blood did you take?” I couldn’t help but to ask. How many descendants could Arthur Pendragon have running around, after all?
Arthur and Merlin exchanged a look.
“It isn‘t any of your concern,” said Arthur, pointedly.
“Aw, come on,” I grumbled.
“He was a captain of a ship, and helped to save the world. That‘s all I can tell you,” said Merlin. “You shouldn‘t have too much knowledge of days to come.”
I frowned, and parked the car. “You guys do,” I complained.
“Yes, but we make the rules,” said Arthur, arrogantly.
I scowled at him.
Merlin rolled his eyes. “You‘re being a prat again.”
“What I am is impatient, and suspicious,” said Arthur, darkly. He looked around the quiet surrounding houses with a suspicious eye. “Last time, those knights found us in less than two days. We have already been here for over one. And the only weapon we have to stop them is Excalibur, since your magic is pretty much useless, Merlin.”
Merlin joined me in scowling at Arthur.
“I can see why you call him a prat,” I said to Merlin.
“Hey!” complained Arthur.
We moved out of the car. I made sure to grab my blasting rod and my gun. I did fervently wish that I had stopped to pick up one of the swords from my apartment. Even if I couldn’t wield a Sword of the Cross. There was no reason that Murphy couldn’t.
And if Excalibur worked on those knights. Then Fidelacchius should too. I had recognized the hilt of Amoracchius at Arthur’s hip.
I left Merlin and Arthur bickering in the kind of familiar tone that only came from living with someone for a long time and went to knock on Murphy’s door. I had the feeling I would have a lot of explaining to do. It wasn’t everyday I showed up with two young men wearing what looked like Ren Faire outfits at Murphy’s doorstep.
Okay, so with my life, it was just every other day.
*-*-*-*
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I thought there would have been at least a little surprise at finding out that your great-great-who-really-knew-how-many-times-great ancestor was King freaking Arthur. I still was having a hard time wrapping my head around it and I wasn’t the one with the direct lineage.
“Only you Harry, make my life this interesting,” said Murphy, sarcasm shading her voice.
“I had nothing to do with this,” I told her, defensively. “It‘s not my fault!”
She rolled her blue eyes at me in exasperation before turning to where Merlin sat across from her. “What exactly do you need?” she asked Merlin.
“Only a handful of your blood, Lady Murphy,” said Merlin, earnestly.
She shot me a questioning look.
“It‘s okay Murph,” I said, knowing exactly what she was thinking. You don’t get to learn about magic the way that Murphy had without knowing you don’t give you blood away without being damn sure of what it was going to be used for. This is one of the reasons she’s always been the one to make sure that any of my blood or tissue samples that I ended giving up in hospitals where always completely destroyed.
Like I said. She’s got my back.
“Okay, let me get my first aid kit,” she said.
I shifted on the sofa, trying not to dislodge the girly lace doilies.
“She‘s taking it well,” observed Arthur, from where he stood. He was near the living room window, keeping an eye on the neighborhood.
“It takes more than a little time travel to rattle Murphy,” I said. “She can handle a lot.”
“They‘re here!” yelled Arthur, making me and Merlin jump in surprise.
The crash of breaking glass sounded from where Murphy had gone to find the kit.
“Murphy!” I yelled. I jumped to my feet and made a beeline to the kitchen.
Merlin and Arthur followed at my heels.
There I saw a sight that nearly made my heart stop. A knight, covered head to toe in rusting dark mail, swinging at Murphy with a broadsword that was nearly as long as Murphy.
Murphy’s aikido skills were coming through as she neatly ducked the swing and grabbed an arm to send the knight slamming into the wall. But there was another knight coming right up behind her.
“Murphy! Duck!” I yelled and aimed my blasting rod, but next to me Merlin already had his hand up, with his palm toward the knight. His eyes glowed.
The knight stiffened and jerked back into the backyard like he’d been yanked back by a large invisible hand. He took the third and fourth knight that were right behind him.
“That’s not going to stop them. We need to leave,” said Arthur. He stabbed firmly at the knight that Murphy had knocked out. Then to make sure it was dead, he decapitated the thing. Fortunately for Murphy’s kitchen, as an undead killing machine, it didn’t exactly have a working heart to pump blood all over the place. “This place is hardly defensive.”
Murphy nodded sharply. “Follow me to my car. I‘m not trusting our lives on your rusted tin bucket, Harry.”
“The Blue Beetle is not rusting,” I complained, insulted. Rust was about the only thing that wasn’t happening to my car. Everything else practically had, including magical monsters.
We followed her quickly to her garage door and into her car. I sat in the backseat out of mostly futile hope that it would keep me from affecting the engine. This was a fairly new car. Murphy needed to get one after a bomb had take out the old one. She wouldn’t be happy with me if I broke it.
From my vantage I could see a long cut against Murphy’s neck. Blood flowed down in tiny trails down her neck.
“Are you okay?” I asked Murphy.
“Yeah, I nearly didn‘t duck in time,” said Murphy grimly.
“Jesus, Murphy, I‘m sorry,” I shuddered.
She shook hear head so her blonde hair swept out of her eyes. “I hate to say it. But I’m pretty used to it. Though you could have told me that I would need my gun when you showed up.” She arched her eyebrows at me.
I grimaced. “Yeah.”
“What were does things?”
“Undead knights,” I said. Then I had a thought. “Merlin, what about Murphy‘s neighbors? If those knights are still out there innocent bystanders could be in danger.”
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“Mostly?” I repeated in unison with Murph.
Merlin and Arthur both grimaced. Oh, yeah. That made me feel better.
“The spell that Mordred used to send them after us is tied to our blood,” explained Merlin.
“Aw crap,” I said. I rubbed my forehead to try to tease out a headache I could feel gathering. “They‘ll be going after Murphy too?”
“At least until we head for the next anchor,” said Merlin.
“Then you should take my blood now,” said Murphy, sensibly. “The sooner you can move on the safer the rest of us will be.”
“Agreed,” said Arthur, and he pulled out a slim dagger from somewhere. He handed it to Merlin. “Here, make yourself useful.”
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