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“Damn.” It was her turn to sigh. She was really hoping to meet the real Merlin. Maybe she still could, some day. Nobody knew what happened to him, but he was probablysuperdead. “So…you think a mage can help pry us apart?”
“I have no other bright ideas. I certainly do not wish to have you in possession of my power for any longer than I can help it.” He bared his teeth again, almost looking feral. “And I will not go back into that Crystal. I willnot.”
Frowning, she didn’t know what else to do. She had no other bright ideas either.
She couldn’t go back to Mordred. She couldn’t stay in the forest on her own. She couldn’t even stay separated from Merlin for too long without it hurting her, apparently.Great. Just fucking great.
Now, she was in a foul mood. Which was in stark contrast to the beautiful array of colors in every tree they passed. They hopped over a small brook that was glittering with more of those strange, shimmering fish.
Avalon really was a paradise.
And she wanted to scream.
A little while later, they came to a road. Merlin seemed to have no problem walking on the street, and it was definitely better for her bare feet. The knights would probably all be flying around on dragons, so she didn’t expect to find them on the road. Besides, it wasn’t like Merlin and Gwen had any other choice. They couldn’t trudge through the underbrush forever. “Hey—”
“Whatever it is, I don’t care.”
She glowered at the back of his head and tried to set him on fire with her mind. Unfortunately, it seemed she couldn’t.I hate all of this.
Her mood changed when she heard a bark from behind her.
Turning, she felt her heart lift. “Eod? Eod!”
The hound was galloping down the packed dirt surface, tongue hanging out of his mouth. He nearly tackled her as he hit her, jumping up to lick her face.
“Oh,great.” Merlin grunted. “The mutt.”
Eod barked at Merlin, his ears back.
“It’s okay, doggo.” Gwen petted Eod, kneeling to hug the animal. “It’s all right. He’s fine.” It was a lie. He wasn’t fine, and none of this was fine, but there wasn’t anything that was going to be done about it with barking.
Eod growled, not believing her at first. But as she kept petting him and quietly assuring him that the scary man wasn’t going to hurt them, he finally calmed down.
“I don’t like him either, but it is what it is.” She smiled at the dog. “I know, he’s mean and ugly, but he can’t help it. Well, he can’t help most of it.”
“Very funny.”
“Look, you’re super clear how much you hate me. I get to be an asshole back to you if you’re gonna be an asshole to me.” She shrugged and smiled at Merlin. “It’s only fair.”
Merlin rolled his good eye before turning to keep walking down the road. “The town isn’t far.”
“What do we do when we get there?”
“I told you. Steal supplies, burn the place down, then keep going.”
“Maybe we could justaskthem for help?” She didn’t like the idea of stealing, let alone burning the place down. Eod was trotting beside her with a stick in his mouth, the issue of the weird man entirely forgotten.
“No.”
She sighed.
When they reached the town, the sun was just starting to set, lighting up the clouds with an array of purples, pinks, reds, and golds. Avalon wasgorgeous, no way around it. She smiled. It was peaceful.
Right until someone saw them. It was a young woman with long, multi-colored hair the tones of a peacock. And if Gwen wasn’t mistaken, her hair was actually made of feathers. The basket of vegetables she was carrying fell to the ground at her feet, scattering its contents. Her eyes flew wide and then ran screaming into the town. “Guards!Guards!”
“Oh, great.” She slapped a hand over her eyes.
Merlin snarled. “Yes! Run in terror, puny mortal! Run from the elementals, for we have returned to ruin you all!”
