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“Very long story,” Rod said, patting him on the shoulder, “and it’s probably for the best that you don’t remember it.”
“Now, I believe we should take this fight to the next level,” Merlin said. “I’ll need a couple of volunteers to remain here with Roger.”
A couple of former frogs stepped forward, grinning like they knew they were going to enjoy this. “Perhaps you should stay, as well,” Philip said to Kenneth.
Kenneth shook his head. “No. If you’re engaging in a final confrontation with these people, I want to be a part of it.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to take me with you?” I asked. “I might be useful.”
“There will be enough of us using the spell that I believe we can carry you,” Merlin said, “though I’m afraid we won’t have enough power to take a second immune.”
Trish held a hand up in a warding-off gesture. “I’m totally good with that. I’ll hang here. I might be useful on this front. And if I happen to accidentally kick this guy a time or two while he’s down, well, some things just can’t be helped.”
“We’d better hurry. I already sent some of the former frogs to the top,” I said.
Owen and Rod got me between them, each holding one of my hands. I was relieved to see that Owen already looked a lot more like his usual self, though more casually dressed than he usually was on a workday.
The magical people recited the spell in unison, and then I felt my stomach drop away as Roger’s office vanished. A blink of an eye and another jerking sensation later and we were in a place that looked a lot less like a modern office building and more like a supervillain’s lair might have looked in the Middle Ages.
The walls were rough stone, giving the impression that this space had been carved into a mountain rather than built. Torches set into the walls cast flickering shadows. I couldn’t tell if there were any other light sources, but it did seem to me like the room was a little lighter than it should have been in the middle, even as the torches left deep shadows along the walls.
The middle of this room was filled with a large round table—magical people loved their Camelot imagery—only instead of being a gathering of equals with no one person at the head, which was supposed to be the point of the Round Table, there was a very obvious throne at the table, with all the other chairs being lesser.
The man who’d run the big meeting sat in that throne, and I’d have said he looked unhappy, but that was only because he wasn’t exactly smiling. Really, it was hard to read his face. Possibly smug, if he knew something we didn’t know and we’d actually walked into a trap. Someone in his situation—surrounded by his former prisoners and with the most powerful wizard ever invading—should have looked more afraid. He merely looked like we were going to make him late for his tee time.
“Merlin,” the man said. “I had a feeling you’d be here eventually.”
Merlin walked toward him, frowning like he was trying to place the face of someone who seemed vaguely familiar, though out of context. He finally said, “Mordred? I see you’ve grown up.”
Mordred—Really? Mordred? I couldn’t help but think—laughed. “Up and old, I’m afraid. You don’t seem to have aged a moment. Hibernation must have been good for you. You owe me a favor.”
“And you’re looking remarkably good for your age. I should have known you were behind all this. It does seem to be your style.”
One of the former frogs rushed forward. He was dressed in clothing that fit the room pretty well, which meant he had to have been a frog for a very long time. “Mordred! But you’re dead!”
Mordred smiled. “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated—I’ve always wanted to say that. Yes, I fell on the battlefield, no thanks to Arthur, but I wasn’t quite dead, and I had friends who came to my aid and brought me here.” He gestured at the room around us. “It’s a magical place of healing and life, and as long as I stay here, I don’t age. What you see here”—he indicated his face and silver hair—“is the result of short forays into the outside world over the centuries. Those minutes do add up over time, alas.”
“You betrayed us!” the medieval frog shouted.
“But I didn’t kill you. I deserve some credit for that. Unlike some people, I deal humanely with my enemies. I’m sure we lost a frog or two who escaped at a bad time and didn’t cope well with the outside world, but otherwise, we took good care of our captives.”
“I’m not sure I consider being made to spend a century as a frog to be humane treatment,” Philip muttered.
Mordred must have heard him, for he smiled and said, “But look at you now. The spell could have been broken at any time. It’s not my fault that you weren’t able to persuade a young lady to kiss you until recently.”
“You’re the one who’s been pulling the strings of the Collegium all along,” Merlin said, getting the conversation back on track.
“It’s gone by many names over the centuries, starting with the Knights of the Round Table. I merely twisted it to serve my own ends. But enough about the past. The present is what’s important. I take it you’ve already dealt with that fool Roger.”
“That fool was on the verge of ousting you and taking over your organization.”
“He merely thought he was. That book i
s a trap. It allows me to eliminate those who are too ambitious by ultimately bringing them straight to me, after they do quite a bit of work that benefits my organization. He was right on schedule.” Now he finally frowned, looking truly displeased rather than mildly amused. “But it seems that he also opened the door for you. That wasn’t planned, but I may let him live, depending on today’s outcome, of course. How did you manage to use his work to get to me?”
I hid behind Owen, not wanting the credit right now. “Oh, we have our sources,” Merlin said. “You’re not the only person who can get people on the inside or turn people. Now, what’s this about trying to get rid of me? Again?”
“You’ve been a thorn in my side from the day we met,” Mordred said.
