Shades of Avalon (47 page)

He trailed off, but I understood where he’d been headed. “It was self-defense. They’d have killed all of us if they could have.”

“And Zeal…was that self-defense?” He lifted haunted golden eyes, peering at me from under thick curling eyelashes. Deep frown lines cut into his smooth skin.

“Yes,” I responded decisively and kneeled too. “You know it was.”

John shook his head and raised a hand to his hair, stopping short of combing it through. Archú, back in dog form, padded over with his head and tail drooping. The animal whined and nudged Merlin’s leg with his nose, whining again when there was no response. I ran my fingers through the shaggy fur along his spine in a pointless attempt at comfort.

Tentatively, I pulled Merlin from the basin by his shoulders and laid him on the stones. “How are you otherwise?” I asked John, hopeful that avoiding scrutiny would help him feel less ill at ease. Merlin’s eyes were open, fixed and dilated, so I placed my hand on his face, gently guiding them to close to the world for the last time. “Rest easy now, old man. Thank you.”

“I feel weird.”

“Weird?” I arched a brow.

He pursed his lips a moment. “Do you remember the first time you drove a car?”

I nodded.

“Do you remember how strange it seemed being in control of a machine so powerful, knowing it was something outside of yourself? I think I could swim an ocean without breaking a sweat, and I’m afraid to touch anything.”

I sat back on my heels with stones digging into my knees. “Can you control it?”

John shrugged. “I don’t know yet, but I’m hoping we won’t need my talents again anytime soon so I can learn.”

“Why did he do it?”

John pushed himself up, or at least I presumed he did. One second he was kneeling in front of me, and in the same instant, he was standing as though time didn’t exist.

I puffed out my cheeks and exhaled.
That’s going to take some getting used to.

“I don’t know why. At the Brier, he promised to get me away from Zeal if getting Caleb back came to an exchange, but he didn’t say how. I think Merlin knew more about what would happen than he let on. I’m convinced of it. Perhaps he didn’t see another way to save us. We switched places when he took me from the house. I don’t know where I found the strength to hold still and not scream until the sun came up. I couldn’t help him.”

“He didn’t want to be helped,” Guinevere said, coming up behind us with her arm around Arthur’s waist. Her amber eyes were bloodshot from crying, and her cheeks were blotched with a pale blush. Archú pressed against her side, and she absently stroked the hound’s head. “He may not have looked it, but Emrys was old, probably the oldest Guardian who ever lived. His days were numbered before he was sentenced to the cave, and his mind was already letting go. He told me he couldn’t save Arthur, but he’d save John if he could.”

Arthur pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

She continued. “I apologize for lying. Emrys convinced me we needed Zeal to think he was unbeatable. Arthur knew nothing of this, dishonesty is not in his nature. At the masquerade, I had to be sure Zeal wouldn’t see the truth in Arthur’s face, so I tried to convince him to come with me. I never believed he would.”

“So you weren’t a double agent when you came to us?”

Guinevere’s brow furrowed. “Of course not, though he really did try to win me over, promising me a place ruling by his side. He just appeared in my room, but it wasn’t really him. It was some kind of mirage. I was under no illusion about what he wanted—he wanted Excalibur so I would never try to use it against him.

“It was after Camelot, before you released Arthur, and you already doubted my loyalty and my motives…” She looked at me. “Don’t pretend you didn’t. So, I wasn’t sure you’d even believe me. I went to Emrys for advice first, and he told me we might be able to use it to our advantage if Zeal thought you would be without Excalibur when we finally faced him. He said you’d never agree, that you wouldn’t trust me to be in contact with Zeal, so I should keep it a secret. And I wasn’t a double agent. Zeal never told me anything useable against him. If he had, I probably wouldn’t have believed it, but I would have told you.” Her eyes met John’s. “I’m glad he’s gone. Thank you.”

John shifted uncomfortably and kicked a pebble near his shoe.

“Eila and Joshua should be here any time,” I told them, saving John from having to give an awkward response.

“Good, we need to clean up and get out of here,” Caleb said.

Lewis had to remain in the hospital for three days, and he’d need a few weeks to recuperate before he could return to work. Amanda and I stayed on in Dublin while the others returned to the Brier to regroup. Andrew too, since he had nowhere else to go. As it turned out, his parents had been curators of the Council’s vast array of art and disappeared immediately after Tara. Samuel suspected they were already dead at the hands of Zeal in an attempt to retain some of the wealth he controlled in his previous position of power.

He and Lucien, probably their predecessors too, killed indiscriminately. They had created a lost generation. Without the foundation of a true history, we were coming to maturity in an era of upheaval, knowing nothing about our potential. Who knew how many more were out there.

Added to the financial benefits of killing his parents, Andrew’s unique gift meant he must have been a valuable commodity in Zeal’s eyes. Annice and Samuel promised to help him find out what had happened to his parents and to track down any other family who might still live. In the meantime, it wasn’t hard to understand why they took him under their wing. While they couldn’t help their adopted son, Seth, after he was corrupted by Council teachings, they hoped to help Andrew. Despite my initial wariness, I trusted Samuel, and Eila confirmed Andrew had been truthful.

The news channels reported the mysterious return of the Cauldron to Knowth with still no explanation for its disappearance. The ballroom of the country estate had been returned to its former glory.

Once Lewis was well enough to travel, we joined the others too. The first point of business was a decision to reform a Council. Despite Zeal’s lunacy, he had a point that our people couldn’t go from strict leadership to their own devices. Without rules, we’d have chaos, especially now that more humans knew about us than ever before. We needed leaders to turn to for guidance. In time, Triona and I’d take more of a role, but for now, Samuel, Eila, and Joshua would act in our place. With Joshua’s organizational skill and Eila and Samuel’s experience, they were the perfect choices. She and Joshua left almost immediately for the house in Oxford to set the plans in motion.

John’s control of his speed and strength improved, and workers returned to the Brier. We made our arrangements to return home too. Triona and Caleb were eager to return to their home in Ireland. Amanda had a business to return to, and I needed to fill in for Lewis until he was ready to get back to work. Before doing that, there was one more thing to take care of.

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Arthur asked Guinevere, his expression serious.

She pressed her palm to his cheek and ran it down to rest over his heart. “What do you think? It’s time.”

We were back at the Crag Lough, standing in the place where Guinevere had lost Arthur so long ago. The remaining temporary residents of the Brier had accompanied us this time. The new moon and cloud-filled sky left us bathed in darkness by the inky blackness of the water. Spring had chased the chill from the air. Regardless, Amanda fitted herself to my side and ran her thumb in circles on my lower spine. The gentle warmth of her soaked though my skin and sent bursts of electricity tingling along my nerves. Chaste touches were a lot more frequent now. We no longer took a moment for granted.

A short distance away from us, Caleb kept a protective arm around Triona. The revelation John was meant to be in Triona’s life seemed to have stirred up old jealousies for him. He handled it better than I expected him to, and I saw them potentially becoming friends one day in the future…but not yet.

I smirked when my eye caught sight of John watching Emma sharing a private joke with Andrew. Archú circled the two, pushing between them as though a large, hairy chaperone, keeping them at a safe distance. Emma touched her red streak of hair, and her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek. John’s lips pressed together, and he scowled when he saw my expression.

Carmel and Lewis stayed near Samuel and Annice watching quietly, unsure what to expect. I had filled them in about the Fáidh, but experience had taught them knowing and seeing were very different.

Guinevere drew Excalibur from the scabbard at her hip and slipped her hand from Arthur’s. The blade came to life, recognizing her touch. She took one deep breath, and her shoulders rose as if pulled up by an invisible force she couldn’t fight against. Dressed in yoga pants and long T-shirt dipping over her shoulder, Guinevere wore her long hair in a French braid. She appeared young and vulnerable as she hesitated beside the water. She snatched a glimpse at Arthur over her shoulder, searching for reassurance.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said in a low voice.

Her eyebrows pulled down, and she frowned, steeling her nerves. Without another pause, she treaded to the water’s edge and slammed the tip of Excalibur into the ground where water lapped around the metal. She whispered words I didn’t understand, and after a moment she pulled the sword out, spraying droplets of water into the air.

The reaction of the Fáidh was instantaneous this time, and a funnel of water whooshed into the air as though forced by a blast of air from underground. It cascaded down like a circular curtain of black liquid crystals and danced over the surface.

“Why do you call us forth, young warrior?” The tinkling glass voices asked and shimmered as the tumbling water pirouetted.

“I wish to be released,” Guinevere said.

“Your choice was freely made.”

“Based on mistruths,” Guinevere reminded them. She had taken Excalibur back because she had needed to live so Arthur could have her place in the Otherworld. At the time she hadn’t known his place there had already been assured because of how close he came to the Riastradh. His unbreakable bond to the Tuatha Dé Danann had ensured he’d join them in Tír na nÓg.

Water sprouted high into the night air and tumbled down like a wave of silk. The voices argued among themselves, every now and then emitting the wind chime sounds.

Triona broke away from Caleb and approached the water, chin up and confident. “Do you know who I am?”

The voices grew louder and echoed like a thousand voices mumbling acquiescence at once. The spray narrowed in circumference, sending ripples outward over the surface of the lake.

“Queen.”

“Good.” Triona smirked. “And as your queen, I order you to remove the sword, Excalibur, from this world.”

The water widened once more as we waited for a response. The protracted interval did nothing to inspire confidence. Triona grimaced in frustration and opened her mouth to speak again.

“Your petition is beyond our power,” the voices cut her off.

“I command you,” Triona pushed, her cheeks reddened at the surprise rebuff.

We talked about this before we came here. After what happened with Arthur, we were sure they couldn’t refuse. If we had no way to destroy Excalibur, we wanted it somewhere no one else could theoretically get their hands on it either.

“Not even you cannot command this.”