AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Maybe if we all stick up for him,’ Harley mused. ‘Maybe if we can get Emrick and Mum to stick up for him, too. I mean, they seemed to be on his side at breakfast, didn’t they? Emrick seemed to feel sorry for him. Surely, Hector will listen to us if we all gang together?’
‘Given Celeste’s history with Blaise?’ I asked doubtfully.
We sat, the three of us, mulling the problem over.
‘Hector does seem to listen to Emrick, though,’ Keely said thoughtfully. ‘And I’m sure I could get Lowen to put in a word, too.’
‘And Killian,’ Harley added.
‘But what if it’s not just down to Hector?’ I asked. ‘What if this involves a whole bunch of Guardians, and they make the decision to send John away to another new life? Could Hector disobey them? Somehow, I doubt it.’
‘Well, we have to try,’ Keely said firmly. ‘If Harley can defy the gods to marry the man she loves, you can defy a few old Guardians!’
I spluttered with laughter and hurriedly wiped my face on a piece of tissue Harley handed to me.
‘Don’t let them hear you talk about them like that,’ I warned. ‘Who knows where we’d all end up?’ I looked from one to the other of them. ‘Anyway,’ I said, ‘it’s lovely to see you two are friends again. I was worried about you.’
‘Oh…’ Keely looked shamefaced. ‘I’m so sorry about that ridiculous scene. I’ve already apologised to Harley. The truth is, I’m scared, and when I’m scared I lash out. I suppose I was so quick to defend Lowen because…’
Her voice trailed off and she nibbled her thumbnail.
‘Go on,’ I encouraged gently. ‘You can tell us anything. No judgement.’
‘Well, the fact is, I suppose I defended him because I felt guilty. You see, I’m having my doubts about him. Not who he is now,’ she added hastily. ‘And don’t think for one moment that I don’t love him to pieces, because I really do. But it’s when he gets his magic back. I’m afraid he won’t be Lowen any longer. And the thing we can’t get away from is that he’s a Pendragon, and Pendragons go one way or the other. What if he’s more Mordred than Arthur? What then?’
‘That’s a reasonable fear to have,’ Harley said. ‘But Excalibur was given to Lowen for a reason. And when he finds the Sword of Feidhlim—’
‘Ifhe finds the sword,’ Keely reminded her. ‘If it doesn’t think he’s worthy he won’t find it, and then we’ll know he’s more Mordred, won’t we?’
‘But he won’t reclaim his magic until he’s found his sword,’ I pointed out. ‘So either way, you’re safe. If the sword doesn’t trust him it will remain hidden from him and Lowen will remain Lowen.’
‘But,’ Harley added, ‘I really don’t think that will happen. Emrick said Excalibur wouldn’t have been given to him if whoever had it didn’t believe in Lowen one hundred per cent. And besides, we know he finds the sword and becomes the Great Guardian because Killian’s parents met him all those years ago, remember?’
‘But can destiny be changed?’ Keely asked with a shiver. ‘What if something goes wrong? What if something happens to turn him to the dark side? What if—’
‘Oh, Keely.’ I sighed. ‘You could tie yourself up in knots thinking like that. We have to trust in something, don’t we? Everything’s such a mess right now and I feel lost and confused and heartbroken. I must keep the faith in someone, and it seems to me that Wulfram Pendragon is my best option. He’s going to make everything okay; I just know it.’
Keely’s blue eyes glittered with tears. ‘Oh, thank you, Romy,’ she murmured, squeezing my hand. ‘That’s just what I wanted to hear.’
‘I want to say sorry to you, too, Keely,’ Harley said, sounding slightly embarrassed. ‘I never meant to lump Lowen in with the other Pendragons, you know. You do know I have every faith in him really, don’t you?’
Keely smiled. ‘Yeah, I know. Thank you.’
‘I guess the truth is, I’ve got my own worries about Killian,’ Harley confessed.
We both looked at her in surprise.
‘But you’ve just got back from your honeymoon,’ I said. ‘Shouldn’t it be all sweetness and light right now?’
Keely wrinkled her nose. ‘Don’t tell me he was a letdown in bed? That would be such a disappointment, especially given who he is. What he is. I mean, if a god can’t satisfy you between the sheets, who can?’
‘Oh, Keely!’ Harley laughed, and I nudged our youngest sister, thinking only Keely would say something like that. ‘It wasn’t that! No, that was perfect, trust me. It’s the other stuff. I think I’m only just starting to realise how different life as the wife of a Shining One is going to be.’
‘What do you mean? Did something happen?’ I asked.
Harley plucked nervously at a thread on her jeans. ‘We had a wonderful time,’ she said. ‘We were in a stunning hotel in Bermuda, can you believe? Honestly, it was gorgeous, and we had an amazing five days there.’
‘Lucky you,’ Keely said enviously. ‘So what went wrong?’
