"Kill him… or don't?"
With the ring and the book secured, Rowan returned to Drake Stone and studied the man's sweat-soaked face. Drake was terrified, but not wicked. He'd inherited Morgana's legacy by accident, not ambition. Until recently, he'd used scraps of magic for stage performances and money, nothing more.
Left alone, he wasn't much of a threat.
But Rowan couldn't afford loose ends.
Even without the ring, Drake's raw magic could still be siphoned. If Horvath ever broke free, he could drain Drake dry to fuel Morgana's release. That outcome was unacceptable.
Morgana wasn't an enemy Rowan could gamble with. In the original history, she'd only been destroyed through a perfect storm of magic and technology. One mistake, one delay, and the world burned.
No. Morgana would not be released until Rowan was strong enough to crush her outright.
Ideally, she'd talk first.
Resurrection magic that could raise long-dead archmages was too valuable to ignore.
Rowan made his decision.
He released the binding spell and sent a kitchen knife floating to Drake's throat.
"Live or die," Rowan said calmly. "Choose."
Drake collapsed to his knees. "I want to live! Please! I'll do anything!"
"Good. One condition," Rowan replied. "You'll be gone for a while. Months. Maybe a year. When I say you're done, you come back alive."
Drake nodded frantically. "One condition, ten, a hundred. Take my money, everything. Just don't kill me."
He meant it.
The ring could be remade. The book hadn't been opened in years. Fame and wealth could be rebuilt. None of that mattered if he was dead.
"I don't want your money," Rowan said. "I'm taking you."
He produced a small box and expanded its interior with spatial magic.
"You'll teach me every spell from the Book of Morgana that you know. When I'm finished, you go free."
Drake didn't hesitate. "Yes. Yes. I swear."
Rowan allowed him time to pack essentials, cancel his schedule with a convenient excuse, then sealed him inside the box and stored it away.
Only then did Rowan cast another tracking spell.
"David Stewart."
A golden arrow appeared.
Rowan spread his wings and took off.
If the reincarnation of Merlin was found early, everything else would fall into place. Balthazar and Horvath would come to him eventually. And when they did, Rowan intended to be ready.
The arrow led him to an aging six-story apartment building. Inside, a boy slept peacefully.
"Still dormant," Rowan murmured.
He slipped inside through the window and landed beside the bed. After a moment's thought, he gently tapped the boy's forehead and projected his voice directly into his mind.
"Wake up."
David stirred. "Who… who's calling me?"
He opened his eyes.
A panda stared back.
"…I'm dreaming," David muttered.
"No," Rowan replied evenly. "You're awake."
Five seconds passed. David inhaled sharply, about to scream.
A wordless spell stole the sound from his voice.
Rowan waited until the panic ebbed, then released it. "I'm not here to hurt you. I need your help."
"My help?" David pressed himself into the corner of the bed. "Did you escape from the zoo or something?"
"In a manner of speaking," Rowan said, pulling up a chair. "Do you know what a druid is?"
"From games," David said weakly. "But I can't use magic."
"I can," Rowan replied. "This form is the result of druidic magic gone wrong. I need help breaking it."
David shook his head. "I don't know how. I can't do magic."
"You can," Rowan said gently. "You're Merlin reborn."
He lifted the ancient dragon ring from the table and placed it into David's trembling hand.
The ring pulsed faintly, as if waking up.