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I could barely see him for tears. As Merlin he’d suffered so much, including bouts of madness caused by his loneliness and the powers he wielded which he struggled to understand. Eventually he’d found his purpose in guiding Arthur, and he’d found love with Nimue. Now they’d both gone from his life, and having been imprisoned in a stone tomb for all those centuries, he was now destined to be alone again for another three hundred years. Not only that, but he had to carry the burden of everything he knew. He would know what would happen to Meri, to Laragh and Ashen, to Roden, to we three Pendragon children, to Keresen…
How could he bear it? And why should he have to? If I thought my load was a heavy one, I thought Emrick’s was far greater. Destiny had been cruel to him. He deserved peace.
‘Don’t look so sad, my boy,’ he said, giving me an understanding smile. ‘When you return home you’ll find me there waiting for you. Give me a hug because I’m sure I’ll be ready for one.’
I spluttered, half laughing, half crying, and nodded. ‘I will,’ I promised.
‘When will you both leave?’ Wren asked.
‘Oh, I’ll stay around for another week or so,’ Emrick promised. ‘I need to make sure that you’ve told me everything I need to know, so it will give you the chance to double check you haven’t missed anything. Don’t worry,’ he added with a mischievous grin, ‘I’ll keep well out of the way of you newlyweds. Well, for a couple of days at least.’
Wren blushed and Phoenix turned to me.
‘And what about you, Wulfram?’
My silence must have told them everything they needed to know.
‘So soon?’ Wren cried. ‘Really?’
‘I’ve been away for eight days,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe it’s only been that long, to be honest. It feels like weeks. Even so, it’s long enough. I need to get back. I need to show them all that I have the sword, and we must find those keys. I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you but…’
‘I know, we understand,’ Phoenix said.
I got to my feet, and they followed suit. We all hugged each other, overwhelmed with emotion.
‘Don’t forget,’ I said, ‘August 1700. You must write the instructions for Meri, Phoenix. She needs to know who to invite to the island to hear the reading of her will, and whatever you do, don’t forget that scared solicitor from Gerrenporth.’
‘I won’t,’ he promised. ‘I won’t let you down.’
‘I know you won’t.’ I gazed round at them all—three people I loved dearly. ‘None of you will. And I’ll do my very best not to let you down either. Goodbye. I love you. All of you.’
‘We love you,’ they called.
I heard Emrick add, ‘I’ll see you soon, Wulfram. Well, you’ll seemesoon anyway. Don’t forget that hug!’
Then I thought about my own time and their voices faded away.
I would never hear the voices of my sister and brother-in-law again.
Chapter 55
Trinity
When Wulfram finally finished telling us his story there was a long, hushed silence. If everyone else felt the way I did right then, there were an awful lot of shocked people in that room.
I could hardly take it all in, and I put my head in my hands, trying to make sense of everything I’d heard.
‘Romy…’ Keely was the first to speak, but her voice was barely a whisper. ‘Romy was Wren Tremayne. All that time!’
‘And Blaise was Phoenix,’ Celeste said. ‘I had an inkling when he called out to me before he left but I couldn’t quite believe it.Astra inclinant, sed non obligant. The stars incline us, but they do not bind us. Oh, Blaise.’
‘Everything was meant to happen the way it did,’ Star said, gazing down at a sleeping Seren. ‘All of it. Blaise arriving in Castle Clair from 1669. Meeting Celeste. Having his magic removed by Hector. Building a new life with Simon in Cumbria. Meeting Romy… It was his destiny all along. He had to go through all that to become Phoenix Tremayne.’
‘The greatest leader the High Council of Witches has ever had,’ Jethro murmured. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘Castor,’ Sky said tearfully, ‘you realise what this means?’
Castor was doing his best not to show any emotion, but he was failing dismally.
