Microsoft Word - LadyPendragon (14 page)

Darting out into the hall, she brushed past Sir Gawain. His cheeks blossomed with even more color, and he sidestepped her. Then, without missing a beat, he fell into step behind her.

She had made it. Freedom! Her thoughts ran cold, as the coldness of the stone slab flooring finally hit her. Why could she feel the cold? Where had her moccasins gone to? She stared down at her bare feet and chewed on her lower lip. Had she done something wrong in the summoning spell? Doubtful. She’d never been the best pupil when it came to learning spells that didn’t pertain to fighting, but this was simply ridiculous!

‘You cannot have anything from the future brought into the past. It could dilute the timeline. ’ Merlin’s telepathic voice whispered against her mind. ‘Do not disappoint me again, Molly. There is much at stake here and we cannot do anything to jeopardize what must be. ’

“Oh, f…fiddlesticks,” she muttered, wincing when the soft padding of her foot hit a rough stone. Her teeth nearly rattled before she quickly clamped her mouth shut. Her movements were slowed considerably because she was so sluggish, and she made her way to the steps as if she were a tortoise. She nearly slipped and fell, when suddenly out of nowhere, Sir Gawain appeared, and caught her elbow. She fell against him, and had to bite down on her lip again to keep from shooting her mouth off. She had to hand it to Gawain; he did have a remarkable sense of timing.

She smiled gratefully up at him, and then was startled nearly out of her wits when Galahad emerged on her other side.

“You are most certainly your father’s daughter,” he muttered. Her jaw dropped at the sight of a boyish grin splitting across his normally ultra-serious features.

“You should smile more,” she observed. “It becomes you greatly. “ At her compliment, Galahad’s cheeks blushed ever so slightly. She caught a glimpse of her Aunt Morgause as they cautiously made their way to the stairwell. Sir Gawain walked on her open side, since there was no such thing as a railing, and Galahad walked on her other side. They were both doing a bang up job of making sure that she didn’t slip and embarrass herself. But what the hell, at this point in time, it wouldn’t have made much difference. As soon as she stepped down into the hall, looking like a wayward wood nymph, the tongues would start wagging. She didn’t really care what anyone thought about her, but the rumors might reflect badly on her father.

The low stilted murmuring that had filled the hall died out completely as Sir Kai caught sight of her, and dropped his goblet of wine. The clattering sound it created echoed off the walls.

Each and every one of Arthur’s knights stood up and inclined their heads respectfully in her direction. Her gaze instinctively met Arthur’s. Reproach glittered in his eyes, but he stood up as well and inclined his head to her in a gesture of respect. She smiled. Her father was many things but he had never been a fool. She was glad to see that he was wise enough to realize that he had to save face, and act as if her sailing down into Ehangwen dressed in her nightgown and wrapped with a blanket was nothing out of the ordinary.

To her credit, Queen Gwen looked as if a smirk played at the corners of her mouth.

Could it be that her state of undress actually amused Gwen? Oh, perish the thought. She had never seen Gwen laugh, and yet, at the moment, Gwen seemed perilously close to the brink of busting a gut. The seat next to her father had remained empty, showing that even though she was ill, a place of respect was still held for his only child. Her heart thrummed. Why couldn’t Collin be here to see her now? Missing him wasn’t something she’d expected. But she did. She missed him terribly. She hadn’t known him for long…but she felt as if she’d known him for more than one lifetime.

LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 58

Arthur put his hand out to her and she quickened her pace. She let out a loud gasp when she stumbled over a rut in the flooring. Galahad skillfully righted her and kept her from falling face first on the floor.

“All hail, Princess Mary,” her father declared. His powerful voice reverberated off the walls. Everyone in the great hall either bowed or curtsied. When she passed by Sir Aries she caught him murmuring that she had a lot of pluck and courage. She smiled softly at his compliment. It seemed like an age had passed before she reached the King’s table. Placing her hand in his, she met his eyes. A proud gleam sparkled within their vibrant depths. She swept her gaze around the room. She stopped biting her lip when her eyes found no trace of her wayward magic. At least her rioting emotions were under control, for now.

She settled into her throne-like chair, and then waved away a serving wench when she tried to pour her wine. She didn’t need anything to muddle her head this eve. Besides, she already had a headache and if she drank any of that wine it would only intensify. She smiled at her father, and then raised the goblet of water to her lips. She sipped at it and winced at the odd taste. It would take her a while to get used to it again. A humming noise met her ears. She met her Aunt Morgause’s eyes. Pure hatred reflected back at her. Caught off guard, she shakily placed her goblet down onto the table. It fell onto its side and she righted it before anyone could notice. Her father looked at her with a question in his eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and tried to give him a reassuring smile. He followed her gaze to Morgause. Then full understanding passed across his face. His fingers tightened around his goblet. Her heart thundered. He couldn’t lose his control.

‘Father, leave it. It’s nothing. I can handle this on my own. ’

Her father’s eyes glittered. He never had liked it when she’d used telepathy to correspond with him. But no anger lit his eyes, only desperation. Her heart sank. Arthur knew that his hands were tied in this matter. He had to wait for the right moment to strike against Morgause and that moment was not now.

“Arthur, my brother, you should teach your daughter to have some sense of decorum.

She is not a young lass anymore; she needs to behave in a manner befitting her high station in society. “ Morgause’s snide voice caused everyone to shift in their seats. Molly’s stomach tightened. Morgause gave Molly a smug smile that nearly curdled Molly’s blood.

She wanted to strangle her aunt. She had to breathe very deeply in order to maintain her composure. She knew that she had to stay silent, until she could think of something to say that wouldn’t feed the already ignited fire.

Glancing sideways at her father, she noticed the corner of his mouth twitching. He strengthened his grasp on his silver, jewel-encrusted goblet. He raised it slowly to his lips, while he leveled his gaze at Morgause.

“The way that my daughter dresses is none of your concern. She has been ill, she can hardly be expected to drape herself in fine brocade, silk, and gold,” he said, as Gwen hid a smile behind her uplifted hand. Molly had known that Gwen held no fondness for Morgause but she hadn’t been aware of the depth of Gwen’s dislike.

“When she is my wife, I shall make her behave. She will learn to curb her tongue or suffer the consequences,” Mordred’s voice boomed through the hall. All of her father’s knights gasped angrily, and her father let out an outraged roar. He stood up, and had Excalibur drawn and pressed against Mordred’s throat before Molly could even blink. She was in a state of shock the like of which she had never suffered. She blinked again, and then met Gwen’s horrified stare. When had her father learned to move with such swiftness? Her foggy brain cleared when LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 59

she closed her eyes. How could she have forgotten? Her father was the chosen one. Of course, he could move with the swiftness of an Elf. Her mouth went dry and she had to slurp down the rest of her water before she let out a dry cough.

Molly put her hand on Gawain’s arm and caught his gaze. Her cousin thankfully, had taken the seat on her left, and he patted her hand as he whispered, “I do not believe that my uncle will kill my brother. My King has more wisdom than all of us combined, he shall not make the wrong decision. “

Molly bit her lower lip, and carefully studied her father. “I wouldn’t bet your life on that, Gawain. Sometimes the purest rage can outweigh the sagest wisdom. “

Rage coursed through Arthur. The depth of his emotions rolled off of him and nearly buried her in their intensity. She may have been physically injured but her magical abilities were working quite well. So well in fact, that they could make an appearance any minute now. If her father thought he had trouble now, what kind of commotion would erupt if she accidentally turned Mordred into the snake in the grass that he was? The atmosphere was tense and Lot’s knights had their hands on the hilts of their swords, as did her father’s knights. She stared over at Adria, and then she heard Adria’s voice in her mind.

‘We must cease this at once!’ Adria insisted. Molly nodded. Her heart continued to thump against her ribcage. She did her best to call upon her last vestiges of strength. She stood up, and reached out for her father’s sword arm.

“Pray do not kill him, Father,” she implored. Her wavering voice carried through out Ehangwen. A triumphant smile painted Mordred’s face and traveled up to his eyes. Arthur reluctantly pulled Excalibur away from his neck. “For he is not worth it,” she added, almost smiling at Mordred’s look of fury.

Stars exploded in front of her and she nearly lost her footing. Her head was pounding, and she fought the pain and dizziness, as blackness assailed her. She was still conscious and yet, she could not see a damn thing. She fought the urge to use her magic.

She shuddered. Even though blackness continued to meet her eyes she still heard her father quickly sheathe Excalibur. He reached for her arm, and she felt Gawain’s steadying hand on her other side. A shiver ran down her back, as she shakily settled back into her chair. She took a long tremulous breath. Why wasn’t her vision returning? She wouldn’t panic. She’d had blackouts before but they had never lasted this long. She tapped her fingers against the table.

Her lips trembled. If she were anywhere else she’d have already let out one hell of a frustrated scream. Suffocation threatened to overwhelm her.

Silence engulfed Ehangwen again, and she could almost taste the negativity that draped the vibrant hall of her father’s castle. Her stomach rolled. Nausea tore at her.

Suddenly, her vision cleared. Small starry specks still lingered in her line of sight. A grand knight dressed in the finest Elvin armor, stepped out from the swirling white mist. She inclined her head and squinted her eyes when he drew an Elvin sword from its scabbard. A white light surrounded him, and she could see his jet-black hair peeking out from under his gleaming helmet. Then she noticed his intense green eyes and her breath caught in her throat.

Time stopped. Her heart stopped. She reached out for him with her heart, and she could have sworn that he answered her, when she heard Merlin’s strong vibrant voice reverberate in her mind.

‘Not now, Merlin!’ Why couldn’t he just let her have her glorious daydream?

‘Snap out of it, lass,’ his mental voice hummed within her head. She groggily tore her gaze away from the majestic knight riding toward her. Suddenly, she was back in Ehangwen, LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 60

and she could actually see the people that were seated at the numerous tables. She nearly retched at the bitter taste that filled her mouth. She raised her hand without even thinking and watched blurrily as the woman next to her aunt was thrown from her chair, by invisible hands. Her invisible hands. Her breath came in a short rapid pattern. The scent of evil reeked in the air. It was enough to cause her to throw up.

Exclamations of shock and horror echoed through the hall. Molly slammed her hands down on the table. The jarring noise shocked everyone in the hall. Molly stood up and began bearing down upon the woman. Her father looked stunned. She could feel his eyes boring into her back, as the rest of the members of her Order stood up and flanked her sides.

Someone was weaving dark sorcery, and they had the gall to do it in her domain! Her father’s kingdom had the protection of white magic. To be infiltrated by dark magic was almost too much to bear. She set her mouth in a grim line. Daggers pierced out of her eyes. She couldn’t fool herself any longer. She had let her secret magical identity out, but considering the circumstances it could hardly be helped.

White magic pulsed out of every corner of her body. A blue glowing shield shimmered around her.

She came down upon the woman she had knocked from her chair, and finding physical strength that she hadn’t realized she possessed, she grasped onto the woman’s arm and hauled her to her feet. The woman began sputtering even as her eyes lit with malice.

“Get out!” Molly commanded. Her voice caused the goblets to wobble on the tables.

The woman’s eyes continued to fill with fury, and her Aunt Morgause came to intervene.

Morgause reached out for Molly but Morganna pushed her away, and stood protectively in front of her.

“Touch Molly, Morgause, and I swear I will make your hair go completely white,” she threatened. Morgause let out a terrified shriek and pressed her hand to her russet tresses.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Morgause said incredulously, as the rest of the Order watched the exchange with a certain amount of interest.

“Have you ever known me to go back on my threats or promises?” Morganna demanded, tapping her foot against the stone floor. Molly dragged in a lungful of air. She still felt lousy. If she didn’t get the evil woman out of her father’s hall soon, she’d drop in a heap on the floor and then she’d be the brunt of everyone’s jokes.

“You are not welcome here,” Molly continued, eyeing the woman she held up and down.

She feared her physical strength would leave her soon. She fought against the extreme urge to just allow her knees to buckle and sink to the stone floor. The shot of adrenaline that had coursed through her body seconds before slowly ebbed away. She was so tired!