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More silence. She let out a sigh. “Please. I’ll give you anything you want.”
A dark shadow passed over her. Blinking her eyes open, she expected to see Doc looming over her, mocking her for her idiotic plea.
But it wasn’t Doc.
It wasn’t even a person or an animal that had made the sun go dark.
It was a black and terrible cloud, swirling high above the trees.
And getting closer.
It was a tornado.
“Oh fuck!”
She scrambled up as fast as she could to try to run away. But it was too little, too late.
Her feet left the ground as the sudden wind yanked her upside down as the world around her went black.
Gwen screamed.
Mordred stepped into the glade that the Gossamer Lady called home, her small, thatched cottage by the treeline as quaint as it ever had been. The pond in the center was shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. It was, by all accounts, a serene and beautiful place.
He vanished his armor as he approached—even dismissing his gauntlets. It struck him as interesting that it took active focus now for him to appear truly human. He had become so accustomed to his metal hands that it was an effort to keep them flesh and bone.
But he had not come to threaten Zoe. He had come to broker a bargain with the elemental. And anything that could be construed as a weapon, he wished to discard.
He had ridden through the night and most of the day to arrive at her home, leaving behind his army and all his knights. He would not have the looming presence of his forces influencing her either.
“Hello, prince.” Zoe shimmered into existence, hovering over the small pond, her butterfly wings spread. “Have you come to punish me for my involvement with Lancelot’s uprising?”
“No, Gossamer Lady. I have not.”
A thin dark eyebrow arched up in disbelief.
He shook his head. “I know how I am perceived. I expected there to be backlash after the Crystal shattered and you were all freed. I do not blame you for thinking I am a tyrant.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “Then why have you come, and done so alone?”
“I have a favor to ask of you.” He braced himself for her laughter and quick dismissal. But instead, she studied him silently, waiting for him to explain. “I seek the destruction of the demon, Grinn.”
“Yes. I know this.” Her sheer clothing floated in the air around her as though caught in a drifting stream. “You wish for me to stand against him at your side?”
“Not quite.” He took in a breath and left it out in a huff. This was the point of no return. It was beyond dangerous to put his life in her hands. But there was no other way. “He is hiding. Waiting for the chance to strike when I am weakened or vulnerable. I must be near death. I wish to force his hand and allow him to believe I am so without it being true. And I will need your help to accomplish this task.”
“Interesting.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “An illusion will not work. He is clever and will see through such a ruse.”
“Precisely. Which is why the danger must be real—or at least perceived to be real.” He straightened his shoulders. “I…wish to place my life in your hands, Gossamer Lady.”
Her magenta eyes flew wide. She stared at him in shock.
“The magic that binds your love to me—I wish to replicate it. I will create a crystal that allows you to tap into the spell that I will embed into my own flesh.” He clenched his fists and relaxed it. “Using the smaller crystal, you will be able to harm me however you wish.”
Zoe floated to the shore, her bare feet touching the grass as she landed and folded her wings at her back. “Why would you do this, when you know I desire nothing more than to have my Galahad returned to me? Killing you would accomplish this.”
“Because you know that Galahad would not go along with such a self-interested act.” He smirked. “He is too damnably good.”
She chuckled, nodding. “Yes. He would see such an act as dishonorable. You are quite right. Then—tell me, why should I interfere now? The demon has yet to do anything wrong.”
