Legendary (18 page)

Galahad’s handsome face could have been carved from stone as his next words pushed through his clenched teeth. “What did she tell you?”

“She said you were trapped by the Sidhe and that you lost the Grail of Power.” Aliana didn’t want to repeat the rest of Titania’s words for fear she’d upset him more.

“After Lancelot and Merlin left, guarding both the Grail and Arthur fell to me. Somehow, a small gargoyle got past Merlin’s barriers and my traps and stole the Grail.” Galahad met Arthur’s gaze with his chin held high. “I set new traps after realizing the flaw in the protection, and then I left the hollow to get the Grail back, trusting that the magic and the new traps would be enough to protect you, sire.”

Arthur nodded but didn’t say anything. Galahad looked away into the forest, continuing. “I was led into the Sidhe’s trap. They took me back to that tower, intending to force me to reveal the location of the hidden hollow, but Lord Daggerhorne found me and we tried to escape. I was fighting my way out when they trapped me in that amber stone. We were all so arrogant, thinking that we were justified in our reasons to abandon our duty.”

Galahad stepped ahead of them, turning to face his king. “I beg your forgiveness for my failure, sire. I should have stopped them from leaving. I offer you no excuse for my failings. I only hope that you will give me a chance to atone for my mistakes.”

In the time that she had known him, Galahad had never been so open, so exposed, so unconfident in himself or his actions. Seeing him humble himself in front of Arthur, the band around her heart cracked.

Arthur shook his head. “Galahad, you take too much on yourself. Titania’s twisted way of thinking is not mine. Lancelot and Merlin made their own decisions. It is not a reflection upon you. And the Sidhe are masters of trickery. No one, not even you, could face them alone and prevail.” Arthur placed his hands on Galahad’s shoulders. “I do not blame you for anything! We will retrieve the Grail and find a way to reunite the knights. We will defeat Mordrid and reclaim everything we have lost.”

Galahad nodded, relief in his small smile. But his gaze dropped to the forest floor as Aliana took up her place at his side.
I think he’s afraid his friends may be dead.
Slipping her GPS into her pocket, she took Galahad’s hand. “Come on, let’s get going so we can get back to the city and figure out our next move.”

His deep blue eyes stared at their connected hands before jumping to her face. Confidence slowly returned to his smile, and she released his hand, looking to Arthur, who watched them with a guarded gaze.

They walked in heavy silence for a few moments before Dagg broke it. “How are we going to find the others?”

Aliana held back a sigh. She had hoped to avoid this part of the conversation until they’d reached her flat. She was mentally exhausted and feeling a bit defeated—so much had changed, and so much of what she thought she knew was wrong. “Four of them died and we don’t know what happened to Lancelot and Merlin after they left. How could either of them still be alive?” she asked.

“Queen Titania bound our lives to the king’s,” Galahad said. “We have to believe they still live.”

Arthur placed a hand on Galahad’s shoulder. “We’ll find Merlin and Lancelot. I know they are out there. I believe all of our brothers are. The Fae queen had many ends in sight when she helped us.”

Dagg jumped from Aliana’s shoulder. “You should tell us more about the modern world, Aliana. There are many things we are going to need to know.”

This was a topic she could handle. For the next hour, she filled them in. They marveled at her stories about all the new places and countries that had been discovered and were amazed that she was from a faraway place called South Carolina. She explained to them modern governments and technology. Arthur seemed to catch on quickly, surprising Aliana with his almost instant understanding of the changes.

“Wait till you see how people travel now! Cars, planes, trains. It’s all so wonderful and so much faster than riding horses.”

“You do not seem to have a fondness for riding horses.” Galahad’s words were teasing.

Heat pooled in Aliana’s stomach and flowed to her cheeks as she thought of their flight together on Belle. “Yeah, well, I agree with Sherlock Holmes’ sentiments—they are hazardous at both ends and cunning in the middle.”

They all broke out laughing. Aliana was happy that she could get their minds away from their tragedies. In that moment, she decided that she was going to do everything she could to show both men how much happiness and beauty the modern world had to offer. They had been so young to carry so much responsibility! She was determined that they would experience fun and play, even while they fulfilled the prophecy.

More than halfway through the forest, Aliana felt a ping of uneasiness slide down her spine. She looked at the surrounding trees, but didn’t see anything that might be a threat. Dagg shifted on her shoulder, feeling her tension. “What is wrong?” he rumbled into her ear.

Arthur and Galahad stopped, hands on their swords, as they corralled her between them. Their trained eyes saw what she hadn’t. “Stay behind us,” Galahad ordered, his eyes still searching the trees as he handed Aliana her pack. She held the bag loosely in her hand, ready to ditch it if she had to.

“Do you see them, Galahad?” Arthur’s voice was quiet.

“I count three on my side, sire.”

“I have three over here.” Both men drew their swords.

The sound of the blades cutting the air sent chills down Aliana’s spine. Dagg leaped from her shoulder, his gray wings carrying him soundlessly through the air as her warriors took up their attack positions. She was scared. Not only of what was out there, but because the forest surrounding them didn’t leave much room to move if this turned into a battle.

“Whatever you do, do not leave our side,” Arthur cautioned.

Six towering creatures melted out from the shadows of the forest. They surrounded the trio on two sides, their long, sharp swords held in front of them. Their black armor was dented and scratched as if they had seen too many battles, too much death. Hatred and evil rolled off them in waves, making the air thick. But what terrified Aliana the most was the total darkness behind the helmets where there should have been eyes.

The black knights were even more terrifying in person than they had been in her dream. The one standing in front of Arthur took a step forward. A horrific red glow lit its helmet from within. Aliana’s blood halted as the black knight’s choppy, metallic voice rang out. “So the Destined One has finally come forth.” Its hellish, red gaze fixed on her. Her hands trembled worse than they had when she’d been trapped in that forgotten room, but she took a deep breath, trying to think past the fear.

“Mordrid,” Galahad snarled, his eyes furious as he studied the enemies surrounding them.

Dagg circled them from above, waiting to attack, his amethyst eyes burning bright.

“Very good, Galahad, nice to know your time with the Sidhe hasn’t dulled your memory,” Mordrid’s voice taunted through the monstrous black knight.

Neither Galahad nor Arthur answered. The black knights shifted closer. From above her came a loud, angry growl from Dagg, surprising Aliana.

“Hand over the Destined One and we can all be on our way,” Mordrid said.

“That will never happen, demon.” Arthur raised his new sword.

“You will give her—”

Dagg let loose streams of Dragon fire, cutting off the evil knight. Arthur and Galahad sprang forward with thunderous battle cries. Everything happened so quickly after that, and Aliana had a hard time keeping up. Galahad battled his opponents back, thrusting and slashing as the demons tried to get past him. Two of them charged Galahad, creating a small opening for the third to slip by. Aliana dropped her bag, shifting on the balls of her feet, ready to put all her martial arts training to use. But she didn’t have to. Dagg rained down more fire, blocking the thing’s path as Galahad stepped forward and cleaved the black monster’s head clean off. The helmet soared through the air, knocking into a nearby tree.

Aliana gagged as the putrid smell of decomposing flesh filled the air. The armor fell to the ground in pieces, like a marionette cut from its wires.

Arthur fought off two more black knights as the leader held back. He was studying them, Aliana realized, looking for their weaknesses. Arthur fought with a combination of efficient, quick parries and hard blows, confusing the black knights. He cut off the sword arm of the nearest knight, and the empty armor fell uselessly to the ground.

The leader stepped in, drawing Arthur’s attention from the mutilated creature. Dagg swooped down, spitting purple balls of magic at the leader while Aliana watched the maimed knight retrieve his sword. As soon as he grabbed it, the knight charged through the small opening his fall had created—heading straight for her.

Reacting on instinct, Aliana jumped back, turning and taking off running. Adrenaline surged as she ducked around a large tree, trying to circle back to her protectors, but the knight cut her off and Aliana realized now what a huge mistake she had made.

The utter silence of the knight frightened her as much as his sword did, but she pushed fear aside, determined to get away. The demon rushed forward, his blade swinging in a wide arc. Aliana bent backward as the sword cut through the air, swinging inches above her arched body. The knight stumbled from his own momentum, and Aliana straightened, taking off toward Galahad. She skidded to a halt, nearly knocking into the one-armed knight, who had somehow gotten ahead of her.

The beast attacked, and the only thing she could do was dodge and weave, avoiding the blade that was very much intended to cut her into pieces. Her heart pounded, her breath choppy and heaving, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep this up.

A strategy formed as she ducked another blow. If she didn’t time this just right, she was done for. Stepping in line with the remaining arm just as the knight brought the sword down, Aliana launched into a back flip, kicking her feet into the monster’s forearm. The force from the unconventional and unexpected blow knocked the blade from his hand, sending it clattering to the ground. Landing in a crouch, Aliana kicked her foot out, sweeping the black knight’s legs from under him and sending the monster tumbling to the ground.

She sprang up, sprinting past the fallen knight and back toward her friends, but the cold, armored hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her off her feet. Wildly, she kicked at her captor, desperate to break free. She grabbed a rock the size of her fist and threw it at the knight, loosening his iron grip enough for her to kick free. She scrambled back, colliding with a tree. She was trapped. The knight was back on his feet, sword raised high, ready to deliver the final blow. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt sweat trickle down her face.
This can’t be it!

At the sound of metal clashing with metal, Aliana’s eyes snapped open. Another sword had blocked the black knight’s blade from striking her down. The second sword parried the knight’s, and with one swift stroke, the black knight’s helmet rolled to the ground with the empty armor falling seconds after.

Eyes wide, Aliana stared up at her dark-haired rescuer.

“Forgive my interference, but it looked like you needed a hand.” Pale green eyes met hers as the tall, olive-skinned warrior offered her his hand. He’d been in her dream!

Barely aware of it, she took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. “You’re Lancelot! But how?” Her mouth hung open in shock. She was beginning to realize that the dream had actually been a very real vision.

Smirking, he placed two fingers under her chin, clicking her mouth closed. “We need to rejoin the king, my lady.” With Aliana’s hand still gripped in his, Lancelot pulled her toward Arthur and Galahad. A giant of a man with spiky, blond hair fell in on her other side.

Arthur and Galahad stood back to back, surrounded on all sides, but they fought on while Dagg dive-bombed the enemies with magic attacks.

“Perhaps we should even the odds,” Lancelot said to his large friend. The behemoth struck the nearest black knight from behind, knocking it aside, as Lancelot dragged Aliana into the small space between Arthur and Galahad.

“Lancelot, Percival!” Galahad spared a quick look of surprise when the black knights he was fighting fell back a few steps.

Aliana’s warriors moved together like they had never been separated. The four closed ranks around her, and Dagg circled closely above.

“They do not touch Aliana,” Arthur ordered. As one, the four men attacked. Three of the four remaining black knights fell to rotting pieces at their feet.

“This isn’t over! I will have her one way or the other!” Mordrid cried as Arthur cut the head from the last standing black knight.

“Are you all right?” Galahad asked, turning to Aliana and sheathing his sword.

She nodded, grateful that the cool breeze was sweeping away the odor of decay left behind by the rotting demons. Lancelot was exactly like she remembered from her dream, shorter than his three friends but still a few inches taller than her. Unlike Galahad and Arthur, Lancelot had a lean build and compact strength. His thin lips turned up in a smile as he bowed to his king.

“Sire, words cannot say how happy I am to see you.” His voice had a smooth, cultured, British accent.