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“An oath that was broken long ago, when you joined the others in betraying me.” Mordred did not intend to let so much bitterness seep into his voice. He thought he was accustomed to being alone—he thought he was accustomed to the emptiness of betrayal. Or at least certainly he should no longer care about the events of the far-distant past. Yet here he was. Wrong on all counts. “And do not act as though this was some manner of kindness on my part—it was a bargain, as I said.”
“Perhaps.” Galahad sighed. “You tend to find a way to blame your kindness upon rational choices. I do not think you made this deal with Zoe simply for your own ends. I think you needed an excuse.”
It was Mordred’s turn to be surprised, if a little annoyed. “Read into this act what you will. I have kept you imprisoned to my service against your will for centuries.”
“Yes. You have. A punishment that I do not believe fully suited the crime if I am to be honest.” Galahad smirked.
“You have no longer any reason to spare me your opinions in full.”
Galahad shook his head. “I never did any such thing.”
“And that is another reason for why I have freed you.” Mordred felt the crushing exhaustion bear down on him even harder. “For you are the closest thing to a friend that I have, as pathetic as that may be. I tire of not knowing who to trust. And with my own death fast approaching, I find myself with no patience for it.”
The creases at the edges of Galahad’s eyes deepened as he frowned at Mordred. “I still do not know why you agreed to stand trial.”
“Because there is no other way. Because it is the honorable thing to do.” Mordred pushed up from the rock with greater effort than before, grunting as he did. “I need to rest. If you are there when I face the demon, I will be grateful. If you are not, I will understand.”
Galahad sat there in silence, watching Mordred in equal parts confusion, happiness, and grief. “I…”
“At the very least, go see her, will you?” Mordred walked into his tent. “You know where I am bound.”
Galahad did not respond. Mordred suspected that was for the best. He knew the Knight in Gold would be gone when he awoke in the morning. The simple question would be—would he return?
Was the Knight in Gold truly his friend? Or was his loyalty only to Zoe? Mordred did not know if his shaky alliance with the Gossamer Lady would hold. And if it did not…
Mordred knew who Galahad would choose.
For he would do precisely the same.
Vanishing his armor and stripping off his clothing, save for his britches, he collapsed onto the cot. Sleep would come for him quickly—that was the one small benefit to expending his power in such a way.
And with sleep, perchance, would come Gwendolyn and the peace of her embrace.
Even if he could count on two hands the times they had left to share together.
Do not think of such things.
Be grateful for what you were given.
For there is only one thing that separates me from the demon Grinn.
And it is that I can still allow myself to love.
THIRTEEN
“Are you all right?”
Gwen knew it was a stupid question, even before she asked it.
They were standing in the ruins of Camelot. Though, they were no longer ruins. And she suspected this was before it wound up on Avalon.
The castle was humbler than she would have expected. It reminded her a great deal of Mordred’s keep, although less…spooky was probably the right word for it. Mordred had an aesthetic that didn’t exactly make the place inviting, to say the least.
But Camelot felt warm—like a home. There was a table in the center of the great hall with eight seats, all made of wood, and all fairly similar. She knew who they were for because they were all seated. All save Mordred, who was watching the scene, his bladed fingers fidgeting.
Lancelot, Galahad, Percival, Bors, Gawain, Tristan, and Arthur himself. They were all human—save for Galahad, of course. And they were playing a game of dice. Wooden disks were being used for currency, much like a game of poker.
They were all chatting and laughing. Lancelot reached over and slapped Galahad on the back, and the tall, older fae merely shook his head and chuckled.
