Merlin stared at the bread, though he didn’t seem to be looking at it. “It’s not resolved. I just met this friend down there, thought it would be fun to come up here for a bit, I guess. I didn’t think that much about it.”

Medea laughed and put her hand on Merlin’s. “Of course you didn’t.” She turned to Justice. “He’s very smart but not a big thinker. Most powerful student they’d seen come through sorcery school, they said, but just…not one to apply himself to anything.”

She squeezed Merlin’s hand and smiled at him indulgently. “But that’s why you’re Mummy’s favorite. Picky eater or you’d be dead like your brothers!”

With that said, she left the room.

Justice turned to Merlin. “What? Your brothers are dead? Picky eater? And you’re telling me your family isn’t evil?”

Merlin pinched a corner off the bread and took a bite. “I never said they were angels. They’re complicated. And…it’s a good idea to let her eat the food first.”

“Christ.”

Merlin looked around wildly. “Where?”

This was fucking with his head. Justice put his hand on Merlin’s shoulder to get his attention back. “Nowhere. It’s just an expression. Hey, so why didn’t you tell your mother why we’re really up here?”

He shrugged. “Instinct.”

Justice nodded. “What about your uncle? Why would he want to see you?”

“That’s what I’ve been wondering.”

Oh. So it wasn’t heartburn over Justice not being his boyfriend; Merlin was puzzling the situation out. Of course. And here Justice thought Merlin was the self-centered one. “You two don’t get along?”

“I don’t know if we get along or not. I never spent much time with him. Everyone gives my mom kind of a wide berth. Particularly her siblings.” He gave a half grin and then nudged the bread over to Justice. “Eat.”

Justice started to spread butter on his bread, but Merlin gently reached over and took the knife away. “Didn’t see her eat the butter.”

“Right.” Justice took a slice of bread and ate it plain.

“But I didn’t just want to come up here to escape ZoCOS. Mayor Bottom was asking about my family, and I have the feeling someone was involved. I guess I have my answer.”

They shared a long silence as they internalized the meaning. Justice took another slice of bread. He wasn’t hungry anymore, but he felt like he needed to do something.

Merlin just stared at his water as if it held answers.

“So what’s our next play? We wait here for your uncle? Question him?” That seemed the obvious answer, but no one had said it, and Justice wanted to be sure they were on the same page.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Merlin shook his head as if breaking from a spell. “I can wait here for him.”

“We can wait for him.” Justice gave him a meaningful look and then glanced above. It was a huge house; surely there was a guest room he could occupy.

Merlin frowned. “Oh. Well. Hm. This…maybe isn’t the safest situation for you. My mother is the least of a wide variety of things that could kill you here.”

“What?” Now Justice was paranoid, looking over his shoulder. “Are there other people here?”

“No.” Merlin took a drink of water that seemed far too casual. “The house itself is tricky. Lots of magical objects and curiosities.”

“I won’t touch anything.”

Merlin’s brows furrowed deeper. “Some objects compel weaker minds to touch them.”

“Weaker minds! I have a very strong mind, thank you very much! Besides, I don’t know how to leave. I’d probably just fall from the sky. You think that’s better than risking I touch something?” Justice pushed the bread away. God, he was just accepting magic now, accepting all this. It was wearing him out, and he just wanted to rest.

“I’d take you down. I don’t think you’d fall anyway. I don’t know what would happen, actually. I’ve never brought a Gray up here.” Merlin tapped his fingers to his lips. “You know, I’m not even sure it’s possible. I guess it is since I did it, but that…is curious that you were able to follow me.”

Merlin’s eyes widened for a moment, as if he’d had an interesting thought but he wasn’t going to share it. He looked slyly at Justice but then shook his head like he didn’t believe it.

Justice sighed. “Look, man. I’m exhausted. My whole worldview has just been expanded beyond what I can comprehend, and I just need some sleep and time to process. You dodge things in the house. Take me to a guest room, man. Something.”

Merlin furrowed his brows while he looked up as if the answers may be there. Hey, magical house. Maybe they were. “We have guest rooms for magical folk. I don’t know how that would work…”

For a Gray, got it.

He couldn’t imagine the horrors that might lurk in the guest room, but Justice was pretty sure he could be trusted to avoid them as long as they weren’t under the covers. But whatever. He was desperate now.

“What about your room?” Justice’s face flushed. That sounded really forward and presumptuous. Merlin’s perked brow and pointed look didn’t help. “I just mean… I could stay by you. For safety.”

“Safety. Right.” Merlin looked suspicious; then a strange hungry look passed over his face, and he averted his gaze. “I guess that makes sense.”

Had Justice just talked his way into staying with Merlin in his room? Guilt about his relationship status with Lewis took over any stray feelings of lust that may have started to crop up. Merlin was a handsome man. And apparently he was gay. But even though Merlin didn’t appear to be seeing anyone, Justice was. Sort of.

And here Justice was, not even on Earth, talking his way into another man’s bedroom. Lewis was in their apartment. Locked up. A zombie, waiting for Justice to come up with a cure so they could go forward with their lives.

Merlin shrugged. “I suppose it would waste time taking you back down to Earth. Sauron might come back in the meantime, and I’d miss him. Who knows what is going on down there; we left it a mess. There’s probably a warrant for our arrest. Or something. Whatever they do on cop shows. It’s probably not good. I guess you should stay here.”

That was true. Justice wouldn’t do Lewis or anyone much good if he was arrested, though he didn’t know what he’d be arrested for. He didn’t know which end was up now; Sauron was their only lead. He needed to stay.

“Yeah.”

Merlin stood. “All right, you can stay in my room. Come on."

Whatever else Merlin joked about, he wasn’t kidding about the manor being tricky. As they walked, a set of stairs appeared, and Justice turned to walk up them only to be stopped by Merlin’s hand on his shoulder pulling him back. There was a breeze in front of him, which, once Justice was pulled back, he realized was a large guillotine blade that would’ve sliced him in half.

It made Justice wary of the second set of stairs, which Merlin assured him was really there. However, as they started up, Merlin had to slap Justice’s hand from the banisters, which slithered away once Justice focused on them.

At the top of the stairs, Merlin walked in front of him, placing Justice’s hands on Merlin’s waist. “Do not let go. I don’t care what happens.”

At first Justice was uncomfortable. Touching another man’s waist seemed wrong, though probably because he couldn’t help but feel some physical interest in the closeness it provoked. However, as they walked by knickknacks, including a small cluster of porcelain gargoyles with glittering eyes that followed him, he realized that Merlin just wanted to be able to grab Justice’s hands quickly.

As a lit candle started to nearly hypnotize Justice into walking toward it, he curled his fingers in Merlin’s belt loops.

The hallway seemed to be miles long. They had been walking a good ten minutes with temptation after temptation, including a buffet table with all of Justice’s favorite foods. The scent of grilled meat still hung in his nostrils, though he was pretty sure they were too far from the table for that to be real.

Finally Merlin stopped in front of a door. It looked like every other door, but Merlin hadn’t stalled along the way, never showed even a moment’s hesitation. Even so, Justice felt a jolt of panic. “This isn’t right. This isn’t the right door!”

When he released Merlin’s waist, Justice started to fall. He felt as if he was dropping off the edge of Mount Olympus, lost in space. All the walking, making it up here, all was lost. He was going to die as soon as he hit the earth. His arms and legs flailed, seeking purchase of something, anything. But he’d gone blind. All around him was blackness, nothing but free-falling.

~~This series will continue in daily increments through the end of March 2026. After that, it will be once a week on Tuesdays~~