Merlin shrugged and walked back to pick up his staff, then returned to his spot. Tristan showed him where the ship was located on the GPS device Duncan had given him. Then he asked Duncan to keep speaking—it didn’t matter about what; he just needed to focus on his voice for a few moments. He listened carefully, then laid his free hand on Arthur’s shoulder. He told everyone to be ready to cover their eyes and did the same. Murmuring words under his breath, the large crystal at the top of his staff began to pulse with a blue-white light, then exploded in a brilliant flash that lit up the cavern. As quickly as that, he and Arthur vanished from the cave. Within seconds, they reappeared on the deck of the Churchill.
As their feet settled on the rolling deck, Merlin and Arthur opened their eyes. They were astounded by the size of the ship and the number of men and pieces of equipment aboard, but they had little time to take it all in. As soon as they appeared, security officers surrounded them and ushered them directly to mission command. When the escorting officers reached the heavy door to command, they knocked—and it opened.
