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Death, destruction, and revenge.
There was the demon’s weakness—hatred. And hatred made opponents passionate but sloppy. It had been Lancelot’s downfall. Perhaps Mordred could use that to his advantage. To find some way to feign weakness to draw the monster out.
But how?
Shutting his eyes, he let his mind turn over and over on the thought, attempting to concoct a scheme. Nothing came to mind that he could see panning out. The demon was clever and would see through any rudimentary ruse. No, the danger to Mordred had to be real.
Letting out a ragged sigh, he realized what he needed to do to draw the demon out.
First, he would need to speak with Galahad.
For any matters involving Zoe the Gossamer Lady must be brought to his attention.
It was only fair, after all.
If this does not kill me, it may work.
And if it does kill me, this world is no longer my concern.
He laughed behind his helm. Either way, I win.
FIVE
Gwen’s thoughts were a million miles away as she walked alongside Doc and went to the “heart of all of Avalon’s magic” or whatever Doc had mentioned. He was right. It didn’t really matter where it was specifically. She tried to pretend they were just on a grand hike through the countryside, seeing all of its natural wonders.
But it was hard not to feel terrible. Even if the day was shaping up to be a beautiful one, her mood was in sharp contrast to the chirping of birds and the gentle rays of sunlight streaming through the trees. Doc was humming to himself as they walked, seemingly content to leave her to her sulking.
She wanted to run to Mordred and tell him that she understood now why he wanted to send her away. Maybe, if Avalon didn’t melt her fucking face, she could have that chance. But that only worked if she had enough power to defend herself from the likes of Grinn and Lady Thorn.
There was no telling what the magic of Avalon would do to her.
The likelihood that I get killed during this stupid stunt is high. Mordred thinks I’m safe on Earth. I suppose that’s for the best.
Eod was also none the wiser to her turmoil. He was all too happy tromping through the underbrush, chasing squirrels and sniffing every single plant he came along, to really notice. Even his usual cheeriness wasn’t enough to break her foul mood.
Luckily, she wasn’t allowed to sulk for long. Doc took a sharp left turn and struck off into the woods. “This way.”
“Are we close?” She was partially curious. She was also nervous.
“Yeah. The heart of all of Avalon’s magic is just over here.” He hopped over a fallen log as he led the way. “You know, you have to want this for it to work. If you’re unsure, nothing will happen.”
“I need to be able to protect myself, it isn’t about wanting.” She sighed.
“Then you need to convince yourself you want it. There’s a thousand ways to protect yourself, kid. If you don’t talk to the island seriously, it won’t take you seriously either. What I’m trying to say is you have a choice to make, kid.” Doc glanced at her over his shoulder. “That this path is yours to walk, nobody else’s. Mordred’s not here to force anything on you. Neither is Grinn. You get to pick.”
She nodded. That was both a relief and a pain in the ass. She hated being jerked around by Mordred and Grinn. But at the same point in time, it took the pressure off her own choices. Welcome to being an adult, I guess.
Doc stopped on the edge of the forest, right as it turned into a field. Just on the edge of the long grass was a boulder that about reached up to her shoulder. “Here we are.”
“What?” She looked around. “Seriously? This is it? This is the heart of Avalon’s magic?”
He shrugged. “What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know, like…something epic. A cave, a pool of glowing blood or something—I don’t know.” She scratched the back of her neck. “It’s just a rock. Not an even terribly big one either.”
Doc smiled at her as if she were a three-year-old who had just tried to tell him how the world worked. “Magic isn’t always about pomp and circumstance. Especially not when Avalon is involved.”
Walking up to the rock, she poked it. Yep, felt just like a rock. A normal rock. “What do I do now?”
