City of Fear

Chapter 9

A/N - Fluffy: Look at us! Three days, and we updated! Whoo hoo! We should get a metal.

Queue: You know what, I actually agree with you on that. But what I'm worried about is if the suspense isn't settling in for all our readers. You know, a good chapter is like an aged cheese. It's. . . aged.

Fluffy: I left cheese out for three days one time. It wasn't pretty.

Queue: . . .You know what? You might have a point, there.

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Merlin shuffled his feet nervously, for once confident that John and Sherlock were thinking the same thing as he was as they exchanged uncertain glances. Despite Ace's confidence that this powerful and respected figure would help them, Merlin didn't share it. He'd already experienced a close enough call when his magic was almost witnessed by John in the streets, and he didn't want his secret to be exposed now if he had to save them from whatever strange man was about to open the door.

There was the sound of creaking hinges, and the door opened a few inches. Merlin bit the inside of his cheek.

"Hello?" An elderly woman stood in the doorway, looking the men over. Merlin frowned.

The woman had short, thin hair. Half was golden-brown and the other half was grey. The ends of it turned up around her ears like it was trying to be curly. The face that it framed was loose-skinned and long. Her smile mostly showed her top row of teeth, and her eyebrows seemed to be constantly raised.

Merlin noticed that despite the cane she held in her hand, she stood tall; at least as tall as Merlin was.

"Who are you three? To what do I owe the pleasure?" She squinted at Sherlock, stepping closer towards him, setting her cane against the wall. "Fred? Is that you? My, it's been so—Oh, pardon me, Fred has brown eyes. I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met." She said it as if she were unsure.

Sherlock, for the first time Merlin had ever seen him, looked baffled. "We—we, um. . ." He cleared his throat. "I am Sherlock Holmes, and these are my companions, John and Merlin. We come from Camelot searching for a chimera. We were told this is where the one person who has the respect of everyone in the city lives?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say everyone," the lady waved a hand. "Rowan and Henry always were a handful, tearing up the petunias, hogging the blackberries—but they've gotten better-"

"Hey!"

Merlin whipped around, tensing when he saw a rough-looking, muscular young man approaching them with his hands held behind his back. Merlin saw Sherlock stiffen and John's hand drift towards his sword.

"Speak of the devil! Rowan!" the lady grabbed her cane and shoved past them, looking the strange man over. To Merlin's utter shock, he pulled out flowers from behind his back, presenting her with a roughly assembled bouquet.

"Do you like them?" Rowan asked eagerly.

"Oh, they're wonderful, dear, that's so sweet of you!" she gushed, taking the flowers from him as he looked down at his feet. "Are you still coming over for tea at sunset?"

"Me an' the guys, yeah," he confirmed.

"Wonderful! See you then!" the lady turned back to Sherlock. Sherlock blinked, and Merlin's eyes were wide as they were all struck with the same realization at the same time.

"Who are you?" Merlin heard himself ask.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself! How rude of me; I'm Lady Hudson." She pushed open her door. "Would you care to join me for some tea?"