Page 34 of An Enchanted Knight

Sabrina nudged Gwen’s shoulder with her own. “Yeah, I know. I would love to do a photo shoot. This guy is beyond words. I see a lot of great-looking men on a regular basis, but never someone like him. He just takes your breath away.” She groaned. “Oh the money he could make with that face.”

Gavin came over after nodding in deference to Edith. “Are ye ready to go?” He gave Sabrina a curious look, his handsome face frowning at how intently she watched him. No doubt she was picturing him in many different settings, her photographer’s brain humming. “Are ye an enchantress as well?”

“Oh no, I mean, well, I haven’t practiced. I help Gwen do research.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“Perhaps you can help another one of us leave the enchantment.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and cocked his head to the side. “I do not feel anything; perhaps, I am not the knight you can help.”

Sabrina’s lips parted, her breathing coming in short pants. She shoved his hand away. “Yeah, well I don’t feel anything either.”

Gavin turned to Gwen, “You must be prepared. As soon as we arrive, Padraig will be waiting for us. He will take you to the keep.”

“What about you?” Gwen asked, as he wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t reply.

“Close yer eyes, Gwyneth.”

She peeked from under his arm at her sister. “See you soon.”

At once, the air seemed to change, and she felt as if she were on a merry-go-round. A merry-go-round on steroids, spinning so fast she could only see blurs of different colors flash past. Her stomach heaved and she gagged, shutting her eyes and clutching desperately onto Gavin’s large body.

She felt his warm breath in her ear as he spoke. “I told ye to keep yer eyes closed.”

Solid ground finally. They slammed to a stop so fast that Gwen barely was able to stumble a couple of steps before she threw up. She bent over, holding on to a tree waiting for the dizziness to stop. A moan caught her attention, Gavin writhed on the ground, his teeth clenched, tears pouring down his face. He seemed to be in agony. A dark-haired male bent over him placing his hands on both shoulders.

She shuddered. He looked to be dying. “What’s happening to him?”

The dark-haired man, who had to be Niall, the healer, didn’t reply. He looked over at a younger male who stood by her and nodded. The young male smiled at her. “He’ll be all right in a few secs, but we have to go.” He held his hand out to her. “I’m Padraig.”

As soon as Gwen touched his hand, they moved through space again. This time she kept her eyes tightly shut.

“You can open your eyes now,” Padraig told her.

She’d pictured the knights’ keep many times when Tristan had described it to her. The large stone fortress loomed before them. Behind it, the sky was purple, with two large suns shining down, casting violet and pinkish rays. Dashing inside, they entered a large room. The room was simply furnished, with pieces fashioned from earlier times, probably from their time. A large table surrounded by six beautifully carved chairs filled the center of the room. Against one wall, an enormous fireplace was flanked by two bookcases overspilling with books. Across from the fireplace stood a large sideboard with only a chess set on top. There were no wall decorations, the only warmth provided by animal skins strewn about.

A sleek male sat at the table, his cool eyes studying her. Padraig nodded towards him. “That’s Liam.”

“Hello.” Gwen didn’t move, still waiting for her uneasy stomach to settle.

“Hello Gwyneth. Welcome.” Liam’s accent reminded her he was English.

Liam jumped to his feet when Niall appeared, an unconscious Gavin over his shoulder. Although Niall was also a large man, he wasn’t as large as Gavin. It impressed her, how easily he carried Gavin out of the room and up a stairway, Liam following right behind them.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Should we go see if we can help?” Gwen asked Padraig, who watched Niall go upstairs, the still unconscious Gavin over his shoulder.

“Niall will take care of him,” Padraig replied, his expression troubled. “Gavin had to leap twice to get to you. It’s painful enough for us to leap once.”

“You and Niall don’t seem affected.”

“We stayed here, in the same realm. He had to leap far to avoid the watchdogs outside, then again to your world. We expected this.” Padraig went to the bookcases and pulled out several books. “Come on; let’s get to work on Tristan’s rescue.”

Gwen followed him to the table. “I don’t have any idea how to help you. I’ve never done anything like this before.” She hated to ask, but felt compelled to. “What do you think is happening to Tristan?”

Padraig didn’t look up. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his lips together, probably trying to figure out how to word his response. “Meliot will not hesitate to use any means necessary to inflict pain. About a hundred years back, for a long period he threw us into his dungeons. His torture regime is creative to say the least.”

Anger flashed in the young knight’s eyes, darkening them. It was obvious that recalling his time there still affected him. “The sooner we’re able to get to Tristan, the better. I can guarantee you, he’s not having a good time of it.”

Gwen pulled her spell book out of her satchel. It slipped out of her hands, landing on the table, falling open. Both leaned in to read the spell on the page. It was a vanishing spell. Padraig grinned. “I see how that can work.”