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“Y—yeah. Sure. That works.” How bad were the elementals before the Iron Crystal that everybody was terrified of them? Well, Gwendidhave scary burny superpowers and was walking along with a guy threatening their whole town. She supposed that would make her a major threat to people who had limited or no magic of their own.
Her brain skipped like a record on that sentence. It was amazing how normal it was all becoming to her in such a short period of time. But she supposed that was to be expected when she had to adjust to so much all at once. Dragons, fire powers, living armor, demons, and Arthurian knights.
“I ask that you stay here under guard.” The man clicked his tongue, turning his horse around. He didn’t wait for her to reply as he rode off into the village, likely to gather up what she had listed.
The soldiers were all staring at them in various shades of fear. It was strange having people afraid of her—she wasn’t sure she liked it. She consoled herself by scratching Eod on the head between the ears. He sat down at her side and leaned up against her thigh.
Dogs made everything better.
Merlin was getting antsy, pacing around behind her, making the soldiers more nervous by the second. When minutes stretched by, she sat on a nearby wooden fence to wait. It was maybe a half hour later that the first man returned, holding the reins of a mare. Saddlebags, and rolled-up stuff that was probably a tent and some blankets, were all tied to the animal.
“Here,” the soldier said. He stayed a few steps away from them, clearly not wanting to get too close.
“Wow, thank you.” Gwen smiled. It was nice not to have the soldiers turn on them and attack them. Or betray their trust. She patted the neck of the mare, who snorted and nudged her, wondering if she had food. “Soon, honey.”
“Please, go.” The soldiers stood aside, clearing the road out of the village.
“We should set them ablaze now,” Merlin commented to her quietly. “Teach them a lesson for their rudeness.”
“They aren’t being rude, they’re terrified.” She rolled her eyes and climbed onto the horse’s back. She didn’t even bother offering Merlin the horse instead. Screw him. He could walk.
Clicking her tongue, she pulled on the reins of the mare to turn her around. As they passed the soldiers, she smiled again. “Thank you all again. I’m sorry for any hardship this has caused.”
They all stared at her blankly, as if the words were foreign to them.
Merlin walked beside the horse, mumbling to himself as they headed out of the little collection of homes and back into the woods. It felt nice to be out of the open, and without men with spears and swords staring them down.
Eod was happily running ahead of them, sniffing at every blade of grass. Gwen realized that the dog had probably never smelled spring before in his entire life. How many people had been born on Avalon, only knowing gray skies and eternal fall?
She’d ask Merlin why everybody hated elementals, but she was pretty damn sure she knew. He’d just proven it to her. First, they seemed to think of themselves as gods and conducted themselves accordingly. They likely rampaged through people’s homes and villages without any thought for the people they were hurting.
And two, if Mordred had been telling her the truth, elementals were always fighting and probably making more of a mess of things in the process.
She wondered if Lancelot was okay, wherever he was. She assumed the Crystal had released him when it had cracked and released all the magic. She could use a friendly face and a smile. Well, okay, besides Eod’s. A friendly face and a smile that understood English.
Merlin was terrible company. Though at least he had gone silent and stopped berating her and complaining.
Suddenly…she was thinking of Mordred again. Part of her wished he was there, even though she knew how very, very poorly that would go. Her heart ached as she replayed in her mind the look of betrayal on his face. She hadn’t wanted to do it.
But the Crystal waswrong.There had to be another way to let the magic of Avalon stay free without the elementals ruining everything. And that looped her back to Grinn, who wanted his power back in large part so he could try to conquer the island again.
Could she really go home, knowing she was responsible for suffering and death? Once she got back, this would all turn into a strange dream. Part of her might always wonder what had become of everyone, but she’d be safe. It wouldn’t be her problem. Avalon wasn’t her responsibility. Right?
Why did it feel like she was just trying to convince herself and failing?
“So, who are you?” She decided she had to break the silence. She was just getting sucked into sad thoughts. “Clearly, you’re not Merlin. So, what’s your real name?”
“No.”
“Your real name isno?”She blinked.
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “I am not going to tell you my name. It still isn’t safe for you to know.”
“Who the fuck am I gonna tell? The dog?”
“Everyone we meet.” He grunted. “It will make things complicated. So, no. You can keep calling me by that idiotic name for now.”
“You suck.”
