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Mordred didn’t take his eyes off Zoe, but he didn’t move or speak.
Gwen’s mind scrambled for options—anything, anything she could latch onto to avoid the room turning into a slaughterhouse. “Zoe—can I ask a question?”
“Of course,” the Gossamer Lady replied.
“In Avalon…does the punishment suit the crime, with a trial like this? Death for death, and so on?”
Zoe paused for a moment, her brow furrowing. “Yes. Why?”
Mordred was watching the scene with interest, but he still stayed quiet. He truly looked the part of the dark lord. His molten, rust-colored eyes showed just the barest hint that he might be enjoying this.
“So…if Mordred is guilty of imprisoning people, then…shouldn’t he be imprisoned?” Gwen couldn’t help but let the hope leak into her voice.
Lady Thorn swore. Galahad sighed and shut his eyes, though his brow smoothed in the barest sign of relief, maybe.
Gwen was onto something. She kept herself from smiling. “Death isn’t a fair punishment. Imprisonment is. Eye for an eye.”
Zoe glanced to Galahad. The Knight in Gold simply nodded. It was Zoe’s turn to sigh. “It has fallen upon me to sentence him. And I…see the sense in your words.”
Lady Thorn swore again. “The bastard must pay for what he’s done!”
“And pay I shall,” Mordred snapped at Thorn. “Or would you rather admit to all in attendance that what you are here for is not justice but revenge?”
Thorn spat on the ground. “Bastard!”
“I am quite aware.” Mordred pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head. “I will retire to my keep, and there I shall remain. We are adjourned, and this farcical matter is concluded.”
“We are not done, prince,” Zoe insisted. “And you are not in charge here.”
“A poor prison.” An elemental by the wall spoke up. He looked like he was half lizard, half made out of water. “That is your home. No, you should be made to suffer as we did!”
“Yes—” Thorn took a step forward. “Precisely. We were not in chains. We were not languishing around our castles. We were being tortured—suffering every second in that terrible place. Eye for an eye, as the child said.” It was her turn to smile cruelly. “Eye for an eye.”
Mordred grimaced. “And how precisely do you propose such a thing take place?”
Thorn turned her attention to Zoe. “Put him in his own Iron Crystal. Make him suffer one year for every year we lost.”
This was going from terrible, to bad, to worse, very quickly. Gwen didn’t know what to do—she felt helpless. Like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. “Mordred,” she murmured. Though he was not paying attention to her.
He was staring a hole into Lady Thorn. “You wish to imprison me…within my own magic. And how, precisely, do you think that shall work?”
“You put yourself in. Willingly.” Thorn lifted her chin in defiance. “You have spoken about how sacrosanct our laws are. How much you value and respect them. Then you will obey them. Of your own volition.”
“And if I do not? Not even Zoe’s stolen power in the necklace can force me to do such a thing if I do not wish to do it.” Mordred’s jaw twitched. This wasn’t going how he wanted it, that much was very clear. “I defeated you all once before. Do not tempt me to do it again.”
“You see? How quickly he resorts to threats of violence.” Thorn laughed. “He is no better than any of us! But very well. You want more incentive, bastard prince? Commit yourself to the Crystal willingly—or the girl dies.”
Mordred clenched both fists. “She is innocent in all this. Harming her—” His words were seething in rage.
“She is not an elemental. She is not covered by our laws. We can do what we like.” Thorn’s lopsided yellow and black teeth were on full display as she grinned at Mordred in triumph. “And she cannot escape us all.”
The more time Gwen spent with elementals, the more and more she was starting to take Mordred’s side in things. She unfurled her wings and let herself ignite into flames. “Try me, you snaggle-toothed bitch.”
Mordred paused again for a stretch. “Very well.”
“What?” Gwen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You can’t possibly?—”
“I said very well.” Mordred turned to face Gwen; his expression drawn. His voice lowered so only she could hear him. “You are too young. Too inexperienced in your power. We cannot defeat them all, she is right. This is the only way forward.”
