Knight Life by Peter David

and there, seated in a large easy chair, was a boy who looked far too old for his skin. His feet dangled several inches above the ground; his hands were interlaced behind his head. He had a smile on his lips that was not mirrored in his eyes. He looked straight at her as he said, “Hello, Morgan. You’re looking well-preserved these days.”
    Â Â Â Â  She inclined her head in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Merlin. You’re too kind.”
    Â Â Â Â  “I know.” He studied her for a moment. “You’re not surprised to see me?”
    Â Â Â Â  In truth she was very disconcerted. It had not occurredto her that Merlin’s power would be so great that he would detect her attempts to find him; that he would turn the tables back on her, apparently without effort. He did not seem to have undertaken any conjuration. He had simply commandeered her equipment. Could his power really have grown so? Was everything so effortless for him now? If it were true, he would be far more than formidable. He would be invincible.
    Â Â Â Â  All of this passed through her mind in a moment, and then she said, “No. I’m not at all surprised. Your overwhelming ego would only allow you to perform some such stunt as this.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Ah, how well you know me,” sighed Merlin, sounding almost pleased by it.
    Â Â Â Â  “I knew Merlin the man, not Merlin the tot,” she said airily. “I had thought the legends exaggerated. I see now they were not. You do indeed age backward.”
    Â Â Â Â  He nodded. “Just so. And, intriguingly enough, I become more powerful as well. It’s quite a combination, Morgan: the energy and drive of youth combined with the wisdom and skill of an older man. An unbeatable combination, wouldn’t you say?”
    Â Â Â Â  She leaned back, uncaring of her nudity. Her long hair hung discreetly over her breasts. “You would certainly say so, Merlin. Then again, there’s always the chance that you will wind up being tripped up by your staggering sense of overconfidence. I will admit I’m impressed. Magic wards were placed all around the cave in which you were imprisoned long centuries ago. How did you get through them? Even at the height of your power—”
    Â Â Â Â  “Remember what I taught you, Morgan. Wards are nothing more than mystic prison bars. These were small enough to contain any man. However, sliding between the ward bars in a child’s body was quite simple, really.”
    Â Â Â Â  “So you simply allowed time to take its course. Since you’re long lived, it took centuries for you to reach this point … but ultimately, reach it you did.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Quite true.” Merlin slid forward, alighting on his feet, and came “closer” to the screen. “And I’m sure you realize that I subsequently arranged for Arthur’s release.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Time off for good behavior, no doubt.”
    Â Â Â Â  This time Merlin did not even try to smile. “Now listen carefully, Morgan. I did not have to contact you this way. I can assure you that mystically you would never have found us. However, before too long Arthur is going to be in the newspapers. Rather than give you the satisfaction of locating us, I decided to expend the smallest aspect of my power to issue you a warning.”
    Â Â Â Â  She raised an arched eyebrow. “Warning, is it?”
    Â Â Â Â  “It is. Arthur will be running for mayor of New York City. As I said, you would undoubtedly read of this in the newspapers, for Arthur is destined to be quite a controversial candidate. I would not wish you to think for even a moment that we were living in fear of your discovering us. So I give you our city of operations ahead of time, secure in the knowledge that there is not a damned thing you can do to deter