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Lancelot sheathed his sword. “You will join us then? I am surprised. You despise warfare.”
Enin shut his eyes. “The demon and the prince must both be stopped.”
“The prince must go first.” Lancelot was glad to have another ally. “The demon cannot be felled as it stands without taking an innocent life. Not without Mordred’s death preceding it.”
Enin nodded and asked for no explanation. “Very well. The prince dies first.” Without another word, he took two steps away and disappeared into a swirl of leaves that drifted away in the wind.
Lancelot sighed. Elementals. The older, the stranger, it seemed.The older, the more removed from their humanity. If that creature was ever human.He wondered if he would become so esoteric in his old age.
Heh.
Like he would ever survive long enough to find out.
“I fear it is time for us to depart.” He clicked his tongue, his silver horse trotting from the underbrush. “We have an army to raise. And precious little time to do it.”
* * *
Gwen had decided she was going to braid the strands of hay in the corner of the room into intricate patterns. She had nothing else to do, being locked in a cell on her own.
When the door opened, she jolted in surprise, nervous for a split second that it was going to be one of the knights. Or worse, Mordred himself. But it was none of the above. She blinked. “Maewenn?”
“Aye, the one and only.” The cook was being let in by the rusted, half-finished guard with the detached and floating arm. She was carrying a tray of food. Nothing elaborate, but Gwen was hungry enough that she couldn’t complain. The guard let her in, and Maewenn bustled into the cell and handed her the tray. “Oh, my poor dear. Are you all right? Look at you.”
“I’m okay.” Gwen smiled half-heartedly back at the cook and took the tray. Bread, cheese, some cured meat. Breakfast of champions. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Maewenn sighed. “It’s all I reallycando. That bastard Mordred…I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
“At least I’m not dead.”
“That rusty fool—if he thought killing you would solve anything, I’d smack him around the head.”
Gwen glanced nervously at the half-finished guard.
“Him? Pah.” Maewenn waved a hand at the soldier in question. “I can run my mouth around him all I like. He’s mute—never been able to say a word, that one. Mordred only keeps him around out of sympathy, I think. He was the first of us, you see. It’s like—it’s like baking. The first attempt at a new recipe always comes out a bit odd.”
“Oh.” Gwen frowned. That explained the guard’s half-finished and neglected appearance. He was just a prototype. Somehow that made her sad, especially seeing how dismissive Maewenn was of him. She picked up a piece of cheese and broke it in half before eating some of it. She really was starving.
“I hope he lets you out of here soon. I’m sure he will. I don’t think he can stay mad at you for long.” Maewenn was clearly trying her best to sound hopeful, though the way she was wringing of her hands in front of her told Gwen otherwise.
“Is…is Eod all right?”
“The mutt has been sniffing and barking and running in circles trying to find you. But he’s quite fine, trust me.” Maewenn chuckled quietly. “He’ll scratch a hole through that door as soon as he figures out where you’ve gone. Not like Mordred to hurt an animal.”
That was a relief. “And Lancelot?”
“Couldn’t say. I will tell you that five knights left here. And five came back—with you and a dog.” Maewenn sighed. “No sign of Lancelot or pieces of him, for better or worse.”
Gwen nodded. That was hopefully a good thing? She assumed they’d bring back his corpse if he was dead. Or a prisoner if he wasn’t. “I hope he’s okay.”
“Me too. He’s a cad, that one, but means well.” Maewenn’s shoulders fell with a quiet clink. “I do not know how everyone gets out of this in one piece.”
“Neither do I.” She stared down at her tray of food. “I shouldn’t have ever tried to destroy the Crystal.”
“Don’t think like that, dear. No, you did the right thing. You had the bravery to stand up to Mordred. He’s too set in his ways—been at this for far too long. He needed someone to hold up the mirror to his actions. This chaos has been a long time in the making.”
“Thanks.” Gwen smiled but wasn’t really feeling it. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I didn’t know what had happened to you and the others.”
“Oh, it was a right awful day, let me tell you! I was standing in the kitchen, minding my own business, and all of a sudden, all the pots and pans were falling and flying about, and—”
