Fifth Founder, harry potter ✓

Chapter Fourteen - Off to Camelot [Part Three]

"He's getting hotter," Gwendolyn says.

Margarette and Gaius both rush over to Merlin. Margarette sits beside Gwendolyn as Gaius stays behind the woman. Merlin starts to mutter an incantation under his breath causing Gwendolyn to look up at Gaius and for Margarette's eyes to widen.

"What language is that?" Gwendolyn asks Gaius.

"None," Gaius tells her as Margarette takes over, "The fever's taken hold. None of those words are his own," Gaius grabs Merlin's hand and puts his fingers on the inside of his wrist, "His pulse is weaker."

Margarette passes the cloth back to Gwendolyn as she takes Merlin's hand and pulls up his sleeve where his skin is raised in a an oval.

"What is that?" Gwendolyn asks.

"That can't be right," Gaius mutters as he saw the mark, "The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage."

"What does that mean?" Gwendolyn drops the cloth into the pale of water as she looks up at Gaius.

"It means that my son is going to die sooner rather than later. It mean that Arthur has less time than we hoped," Margarette mutters under her breath as she scowled at the rash on her son's wrist.

Gaius walks back over to the book and Gwendolyn follows. He picks up a makeshift magnifying glass and holds it over the text, "It says here that once the rash appears, death will follow within two days."

"You said he had four days," Gwendolyn says.

"That was before we saw the rash, dear," Margarette says from her place besides Merlin, "A spell must be making the illness move faster."

"A spell?" Gwendolyn asks in shock.

"Yes, a spell dear, like witchcraft," Margarette nods.

Gaius nods in agreement and flipped the page, "It warns that the effect of the Mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the flowers preparation."

"But Bayards no sorcerer," Gwendolyn points out.

"No, he isn't," Gaius agrees.

"Then who did this?" Gwendolyn asks worried.

"It can't have been," Gaius says to himself after a moment, "She wouldn't dare come here. Unless...."

"Unless what?" Gwendolyn asks.

"What happened to that girl?" Gaius asks.

"You're not thinking what I think you are, are you?" Margarette asks in worry.

"What girl?" Gwendolyn asks Gaius.

Gaius looks back at Merlin and Margarette, "Just before Merlin burst into the hall, one of Bayard's serving girls took him outside."

"She had dark hair; very beautiful," Gwendolyn trails off with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Find her, quickly," Gaius orders Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn nods and runs out of the room as Gaius takes a seat next to Margarette, "Arthur," Merlin mutters before going back to incanting. Margarette looks back at Gaius in worry.

"It isn't who I think it is, correct," she pleads.

"I'm afraid so," Gaius empathizes.

They lap into a silence, Gaius watching Merlin's rash and Margarette cooling her sons fever. After a couple of minutes, Gwendolyn returns.

"Let me guess: she wasn't there," Gaius says.

"No one has seen her since the banquet," Gwendolyn nods, "Who is she?"