Shades of Avalon (24 page)

“And when the time comes and your life on earth is over, you will come here together, and then you will share eternity.”

He took my mother’s hand and kissed it lovingly. I stifled another blast of emotion at the familiarity of his expression and the affinity when their eyes met. He looked at her the way I looked at Amanda, as though the universe was meaningless without her.

Amanda squeezed my hand and briefly turned her face toward my chest, laying a soft kiss directly over my heart. She reached up on her tiptoes, and I bent my knees so she could kiss my cheek. She winked when our eyes met. A silent moment only for the two of us.

It almost completely distracted me from the fleeting expressions crossing my father’s face. His eyes fixed on Caleb, his lips tight and tendons straining in his neck. At first I perceived it as anger toward Caleb, especially when the color deepened from his cheeks over his jawline. I didn’t understand. A momentary glance at Triona showed me she didn’t see—her focus had been distracted by Caleb.

His fingers flexed, still clasping my mother’s. Her lips parted in a soundless gasp. When I looked back to my father, his expression became something else. His eyes narrowed and his forehead creased. A sorrowful pity emanated from his dark eyes as he watched Caleb. My initial perception had been wrong. The anger wasn’t directed toward him as the pity so clearly was, but I still didn’t understand. Why pity? It seemed an odd reaction given the recently delivered good news. Before I could ask, they both composed themselves as Triona returned her attention to them.

“You fought beside Triona for a future together, and you were there with her when the Stone roared. In every sense that is important, you two are as joined as it is possible to be now. We are trusting you to take care of her.” My father swallowed hard, but I was sure I was the only one to hear the catch in his voice since no one else acknowledged it.

In the next moment, Caleb became upset about his brother, Seth, the one he killed to protect Triona. Caleb wanted to see him, and my mother stepped forward to reassure him. My father used the opportunity to pull me aside, though I kept hold of Amanda’s outstretched hand. He spoke in a whisper, rushing his words and inclining his head to me, indicating he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“Ben, this isn’t over. I wish to all the Gods it was, but Triona has another choice to make. Her wrong decision could change everything. Triona, Caleb, and others will pay a high price.”

“What should she do?”

He smiled sadly. “I don’t have that answer. Promise me you’ll always look out for Triona and Caleb. Her Guardian side is tied to him. Losing Caleb would be like losing a part of her soul.”

I nodded, unable to form words.

There the memory shattered as though made of glass. The next thing I recalled was returning to Tara. Nevertheless, I had a sense I remembered what I needed to. They understood the choices ahead of Triona and that something bad would happen to Caleb if she made the wrong one. Was that the reason my father instructed him to take care of Triona? Should he have stopped her? Should I? But how—I didn’t retain that memory of Tír na nÓg and neither of us knew ahead of time that taking John’s memory was the choice.

“What is it, Ben?” Amanda’s apprehensive eyes met mine.

Her hands cupped my jaw, forcing me to look at her when I tried to turn away.

“I remember,” I murmured.

“Pardon?” Guinevere pushed.

“I remember my parents and Tír na nÓg,” I said louder. “I remember what they told us.”

“Then you understand.” The voices shivered over the water.

Suddenly my tongue was arid and my throat raw. I understood all right. The Fáidh wanted to manipulate me with my own memories. Reminding me what would happen to Triona if he wasn’t returned safely, so I would press for a quick exchange with John. For some reason I couldn’t comprehend, they wanted Zeal to have him.

“Why now?” I asked at the top of my voice. “Why do you want to give into Zeal, when you took Arthur to stop him from falling into the hands of the Council?”

The water shimmered, the sound like tumbling glass. “It is only when we are tested that we achieve potential.”

Emma remained poised, her feet parted for balance, and her arrow ready to fly free at a moment notice. She coughed to gain our attention.

“What?”

“These guys are the priests and priestesses of Danu, right?”

I nodded, and Amanda tilted her head to listen.

“You and Triona are the last in the royal bloodline of Danu, right?”

I nodded again, aware of Guinevere waiting impatiently nearby. Her fists trembled by her side, and her body stiffened.

Emma rolled her eyes dramatically and shook her head in exasperation. “Well, doesn’t that make you, like, the boss of their church or something? Can’t you make them tell you?”

Amanda’s lips curved up on one side, and she shrugged. “I think she has a point, babe.”

“Try,” Guinevere ground out. Her shoulders rose and fell as she released a breath. “Please,” she added in a gentler tone.

I stared at the water pillar, lifting my chin. What the heck? It was worth a try. “Tell me what we should do,” I ordered in my most official voice.

The water pulsed higher, voices murmuring at once and unmistakably at odds. I raised my arms, once again holding Emma and Amanda back. They’d followed me here after all. Both of them appeared to possess the same innate instinct to push forward into the thick of trouble, whenever and wherever they could find it.

“Hand over the Stone.” The voices echoed the words grudgingly, as though some purposely wanted to distort the sounds and make it difficult for us to discern.

“Didn’t everyone already know that?” Amanda groaned.

They don’t know it means handing over John.

“Wait!” Guinevere spun toward us and stomped across the grass. Her blank expression told me nothing about her thoughts, but her cheeks flushed deep crimson, and her heart raced along like a speeding train. She sucked in a deep breath and then another. “I have a request.” She paused to steady herself, closing her eyes and lowering her head in a sort of submissive manner, but I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t something I ever expected from her. “Our stories tell us only one can possess the Riastradh at any given time. If this is true, Arthur can’t be a danger anymore. Please, tell them to let him go.”

I blinked rapidly, unsure if I was hearing her correctly. Did Guinevere really just ask me to demand the release of King Arthur from Avalon?

Amanda and Emma watched me expectantly with wide, excited eyes. Guinevere’s sincerity was unmistakable. The flush spread down as far as the dip in her collarbone at the base of her throat, and her bottom lip trembled. Even with a sword strapped to her side, she appeared vulnerable and young. Emotionally exposed in a way I hadn’t seen before.

However, this was King Arthur,
the
King Arthur. Mortals weren’t meant to hold power over life and death. On the other hand, Arthur was taken alive.

“Don’t the legends say Arthur will return when his people need him?” Emma offered helpfully. “John and I are his people. Ben, I think we can use all the help we can get, can’t we?”

“Do it.” Amanda spoke out against my hesitation. She shouldered Emma aside and edged Guinevere out of the way until she stood directly in front of me. Her nose scrunched up a moment as she took both my hands.

Amanda sighed and peered up at me from under thick curling eyelashes. She wore no makeup tonight, not that she needed it anyway. She looked beautiful. I recalled a night a few years before when she had stood in front of me, bold but insecure about my intentions. She had kissed me anyway. I saw that same hopeful anticipation in her brown eyes now.

“If it was me, you wouldn’t hesitate. If it was you, I wouldn’t. Do it, Ben. He doesn’t belong there with the dead. He should be here with her.” Amanda’s head flicked in Guinevere’s direction.

I beamed, consumed by pride and confident Amanda would never steer me to a wrong decision. I wriggled my fingers out of her grip and scooped a few short hairs behind her ear. I cupped her chin and carefully, with the reverence she deserved, leaned in and touched my lips to hers. Amanda responded and pressed the length of her body toward mine for a split second before she retreated with a winning smile.

“I have no idea what my blood can do,” I conceded.

“What?” Amanda tilted her head, intrigued.

“Oh, nothing much. Just something the crazy, old coot Merlin said.”

I left the three of them and approached the edge of the lake, careful not to slip on the mud.
Nothing says regal confidence like sliding on my ass
. I planted my feet and threw my shoulders back, expanding my chest. I had no idea how to do this. Did I simply ask, or was there a specific command? I decided to wing it and hope.

The water moved, and I imagined liquid eyes watching me. Butterflies tumbled in my stomach. I rubbed my palm across it in a vain attempt to allay the movement. It didn’t work and my apprehension grew. I framed the words in my mind as Emma nodded, straining the bowstring a little more. I took the action as assurance she had my back. She was just a kid and yet probably braver than me.

“You wish to entreat us, Blood of Danu?” Ripples spread out across the glassy surface of the lake from the base of the pillar. If I wasn’t mistaken, the tone of the voices verged on arrogance.

“No,” I boomed. “I don’t entreat you. I am Benjamin Alexander Pryor. I am the last born in the bloodline of Dagda and descendant of the goddess, Danu. I command you to return the human known as Arthur Pendragon to this world immediately.”

The ripples intensified, and the voices began to argue among themselves again, fluctuating between whispers and high-pitched screeches so loud I had to shield my ears. I held my ground, even when water started to spurt from the top of the pillar and fell like dense rain over us.

“Ben,” Amanda called.

I hardly heard her over the noise of the Fáidh. “I am Benjamin Alexander Pryor. I am the last born in the bloodline of Dagda and descendant of the goddess, Danu. I command you to return the human known as Arthur Pendragon to this world immediately,” I repeated louder, shouting into the building din.

The pillar turned, slowly at first, and then faster and faster until the air around it oscillated and the ground shook. Rocks from the cliff face tumbled into the lake. I widened my stance for balance, struggling to keep my eyes open against the onslaught of wind and water attempting to drag me forward. On instinct, my nails extended and my body dropped into a crouch. A part of me feared I’d made a huge mistake after all. I got the impression the Fáidh weren’t partial to being told what to do. How could I fight water?

“Move back,” I bellowed over my shoulder, knowing it was a matter of time before Amanda bounded to my side. “Don’t come any closer.”

Without warning everything went very still and quiet…dead quiet, the kind of nothingness that left room only for thumping hearts and strained breathing. A barely perceptible shimmer remained over the pillar.

This can’t be good
.

“They are coming,” the voices cautioned in unison.

In the next second, the pillar crashed downward as though whatever invisible force holding it up vanished.

“Get down!” I spun, sliding on the wet grass, and sprang in the direction of the others as a wall of cold water descended on us.

A few moments later, I groaned and pushed myself to my knees, sopping wet in a puddle of slimy mud.

“You okay?” Amanda asked, spluttering water. Her short hair was matted to her face and thick sludge smothered her clothes too. I nodded to Amanda as she pulled Emma to her feet.

Emma’s black makeup smeared over her cheeks, so with her bow in hand she looked like a fallen, masked superhero. As soon as Amanda let go, Emma went back to her knees, squelching her hands through the mess. She smiled and yanked out her arrow, wiping it on her already filthy jeans.

Guinevere sat on the ground cross-legged, squeezing excess water from her braid. Streaks of dirt lined her face and neck.

I staggered to my feet and went to her. “I guess I can’t tell the Fáidh what to do after all.”

Guinevere tilted her head back to look up at me. Despite her amber eyes shining with disappointment, she attempted a weary smile. “You tried, and you will always hold my gratitude for it. Thank you.”

“We should probably get out of here,” Amanda advised.

I held my hand out to Guinevere. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her gaze moved from my face to my offered hand. Hesitantly she reached out. Her cold, wet skin glided over mine, and I tugged her to her feet.

“Thank you,” she said again and sighed.

Emma tapped Amanda’s shoulder, her eyes fixed ahead of her. “Hey, guys.”

“Huh?” Amanda said.

Emma lifted her arm and pointed, bringing our attention to the water. Her eyebrows arched in astonishment. “We still have company.”

Chapter 18

Arthur Pendragon

T
HERE
D
IDN’T
A
PPEAR
to be an unlit light bulb on the property when our two cars got back. We drove straight into the garage—a converted stable near the main house. Still cold and filthy, stinking of sheep manure and lake water, we made our way inside the house.