Chapter 15.

The group of friends reached the pool of Nemathon. An eerie green glow shone from the pool, highlighting the room and mixing with the faint blue colour emanating from Tiannia. Everyone remained silent as they neared the pool. Arthur glanced at Merlin as if he was going to ask Merlin how the pool glowed but Merlin just shook his head. Arthur nodded and kept silent. They neared the edge of the pool and looked down into the glowing depths. In the water there was a whole bunch of faces all swimming around in the pool. But they weren't normal faces. These faces were silver in colour and were transparent a soft humming noise was coming from the pool. Attached to the head was not a normal body but a long tail, shaped like a tadpole's tail. "Whoa!!!" Arthur and Merlin muttered.

"This is the pool of Nemathon only certain members of the Sidhe have ever laid eyes on it. Inside are projects certain Sidhe are given to work with until that day when they are old enough to host." Tiannia said. "You three are the first non Sidhe to ever set eyes on them before they are adults."

"What are they?! What's host?!!!" Arthur said the panic clear in his voice.

"They are souls of the Cainrhod. Cainrhod are spirits of Sidhe children. When they host they latch onto the nearest living being they can find, draining its life force." Tiannia said. Arthur who had been about to reach down into the pool to pick up one of the Cainrhod instantly recoiled away and stood, clearing his throat awkwardly a look of disgust on his face. "Rhowch wybod i ni ddangos i ni beth yn y dyfodol. Nawr dangoswch tynged hyn." Tiannia called out. The souls in the pool span round faster and faster until they were just blurred shapes. In the pool they could see Tawni stood in front of a large tear in the worlds somewhere in the tower. Camelot standing mighty and tall. And a whole bunch of shadowed figures. The image flickered once before fading. Tiannia sighed. "We've been trying to train the Cainrhod to show futures or at least tell it. But as you can see, without much success."

The pool of Nemathon started to glow and hum again. One of the Cainrhod started to make its way up out of the pool and towards Arthur's feet. Arthur shuffled back away from it and fell into Merlin and both of them fell to the floor, pulling Tawni down with them. The Cainrhod still continued to make its way towards as if sensing a possible host to suck a life force from. "Don't touch it!!! Didn't you listen?!!!" Tiannia cried as Arthur went to kick it away.

"This clotpole never listens to anyone." Merlin muttered. A loud 'slap' echoed around the dark hall as Arthur slapped Merlin around the back of his head. "Ow!" Merlin groaned rubbing his head. "What happened to building a kingdom that's fair and just, where everyone's respected regardless of rank?"

"Whatever gave you the idea that I said that?! Honestly Merlin you do talk some utter nonsense." Arthur said, shaking his head. "Can you just get rid of this thing though?" Arthur added glancing uncomfortably at the Cainrhod that was still making its way nearer to them.

"Oh alright." Tiannia said. "Yr wyf yn anfon yn ôl i'r lle rydych yn dod." The Cainrhod was lifted high into the air by the spell and dropped back into the pool of Nemathon. "Let's go." Merlin said, getting to his feet.

"Erm. Merlin? I'm the one who gives the orders remember?!" Arthur said also standing.

"Well seeing as neither of you know where we actually need to be going. I, Merlin and Tiannia will lead as we will be able to sense the power of the tear when we get near to it. Okay?" Tawni snapped. Arthur and Merlin nodded, not wanting to anger her any more than they already had.

They set off down the hallway the humming noise from pool silencing more and more as they headed down other corridors and into other rooms. "Feel anything yet?" Arthur said.

"No. And it's more sensing than actually feeling." Merlin said.

"Sense is not a word I normally associate with you Merlin." Arthur said with a smirk. Merlin sighed a shook his head, his eyes darting around for the slightest sign of the tear. "I can feel it. It should be straight ahe… whoa!!!" Merlin exclaimed as he caught sight of the huge tear in the catacomb in front of them, even Arthur's mouth dropped open in shock. Merlin and Arthur had seen a tear between the curl of two worlds before at the Isle of the Blessed but it did not compare to the one they saw in front of them. This tear was about ten times bigger than the one they had faced on the Isle of the Blessed and it looked ten times more deadly.

"I'll walk into it and sacrifice myself." Arthur said over the loud buzzing of magic. They walked ever nearer to the tear. There was a loud honking noise. "What was that?!" Merlin yelled in fear.

"Don't be such a girl Merlin." Arthur snapped, drawing his sword and moving nearer to the veil. "Come out. Come out. Wherever you are?!" Arthur riled, suddenly a huge lorry flew out from inside the veil with a loud honking noise. "Wha- LOOK OUT!!!!!" Arthur yelled diving to the floor as the lorry flew above him. Just audible over the noise of the lorry Arthur heard the others dive on the floor. He looked back and saw the lorry flying from the catacombs. "It's getting out of control. If we don't stop it soon we could all be trapped here forever and you will never get home Arthur Pendragon. And you too Just Merlin." Tiannia said. Merlin sighed as he moved over to Tawni and Tiannia. "And how would we do that? What use is a king-knight, two sorcerers and a Sidhe inside a mortal body?!" he complained.

"Must more use than you would ever realise." Tiannia said. Merlin nodded.

"Wait. I've just realised something!" Arthur quipped.

"And what would that be dollophead?" Merlin retorted.

"The weird witch. The one…the Erm… god damn it!! What in the realm of Camelot is her name?!!" Arthur muttered.

"You mean the Cailleac." Tawni said.

"Yes that's the one. If a tear in the veil between the two worlds has been created why is Mrs Creepy-a-lot not here?!" Arthur answered.

"She is only needed when the Dorocha are summoned at the Isle of the Blessed. We do not speak of her here." Tiannia spat, there was obviously some deep hatred between the Sidhe, Cailleac and the Dorocha. Arthur didn't push the matter any further. Tawni, Merlin and Tiannia felt drawn to the tear, the three of them could feel the power of the tear deep inside them radiating through every sense. "Caewch y llen rhwng y byd. Y boen a'r loes wedi cael ei achosi. Caewch nawr." Tawni, Tiannia and Merlin said. They stood watching the tear but nothing happen. "What was that supposed to do?! Pointless if you ask me!" Arthur exclaimed.

"If you can do any better. I'd like to see it." Merlin snapped Tawni and Tiannia turned to glare at him. Arthur raised his hands in submission which he would never do but seeing as he was faced with three annoyed sorcerers without a sword it was a choice between being spelled into different pieces or submission, Arthur would rather choose the latter. “What do we do now?” Arthur asked.

“Return home and think of a new plan.” Merlin replied.