Chapter Four (Cont'd)

   Morgan Le Fay rummaged through Merlin's belongings for over an hour. She found much that was interesting but nothing she could use.
   The small house was cozy, all warm earth-tones and soft throw-rugs. The library was the largest room, teeming with books full of numbers and compounds and plants.
   Morgan was not surprised to find that Merlin had so many books. He'd always had a large collection. However, she was intrigued by the pages. They were made of the same strange material as the "bills" Bonny had given her; the same strange material as in the "Book of Lists" she'd encountered at the shrine. They felt crisp, not at all like Celtic parchment or Roman vellum -- both of which were made from prepared animal skin.
   Some of the books, Morgan understood; others, made no sense. Her comprehension in this new language was dependent upon those concepts she already knew. Morgan surmised that Merlin's magical abilities were beginning to emerge. But she wasn't worried. In his youth, he would be no match for her.
   "Yoo hoo!" a voice called from the open front door.
   Startled, Morgan's magic rose to her protection.
   "Yoo hoo, anybody home?" Mrs. Fitz-Gardner called. She was a plump woman habitually dressed in pink. "Mr. Mer -- Oh!" Mrs. Fitz-Gardner stopped when she saw Morgan.
   Not feeling any threat coming from the woman, Morgan Le Fay relaxed.
   "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Mrs. Fitz-Gardner said. "It's just that I noticed your cans weren't out."
   "Cans?" repeated Morgan.
   Mrs. Fitz-Gardner noticed Morgan's delicate and unusual accent. "Tomorrow's garbage day," she continued more loudly and slowly, assuming she was speaking to someone just learning English, "if you don't put them out, you'll be stuck with your garbage until next week."