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And then she saw it.
A thread, glowing and translucent, connected her and Grinn. She stared at it for a moment in awe, unsure of what to make of it. It was both real and not—if she stared directly at it, it disappeared. But out of the corner of her eye, she could make it out. The magic that bound them.
Grinn snatched it in his hands and yanked, and Gwen felt a terrible, searing pain in her chest.
It hurt so much she couldn’t even make a noise. She just fell back to her knees. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t breathe.
Grinn broke the thread.
Something felt like it had been torn out of her spine.
She blacked out from the agony.
* * *
Mordred rode to Gwendolyn as fast as he could. Caliburn was no longer of any concern to him—it was as good as dust, its magic drained by the demon. But whatever Grinn had done, he was certain it must have killed the young woman.
He dismounted the horse and rushed to her side, ignoring the laughter coming from the monster only a dozen feet away.
Crouching, he vanished one of his gauntlets to search for a pulse.Please, by the Ancients—please—let her be alive!
He let out a rush of breath in relief as he found it. Faint, but present. Standing, he summoned his own sword, one he had not used in thousands of years. It was an enormous broadsword, rusted and neglected, the blade jagged and broken off at the tip. It was not as powerful as Caliburn. But it would be plenty enough to murder the treacherous demon.
He turned to face his foe and paused.
Fire arched from the demon’s mane, and his mouth was a glowing forge of embers, causing the air to steam as it curled from his maw. The grass beneath the demon was already blackened and burned from his presence.
Mordred had not had the time to notice that the flame had been missing from Grinn a few moments prior. Glancing back down at Gwendolyn, he noticed her hair was no longer the color of fire—but a chestnut brown.
No longer an elemental.
But human.
All at once, it became clear to him what had happened. Somehow, by some means, they had been bound together. Gwendolyn’s fire was not her own but had belonged to thedemon.Rage and betrayal ripped at him, nearly turning his stomach.
This was her secret.
This was what she had been hiding.
He faced the demon. The danger had not yet been dealt with. There was still a war to win. “You are whole, I see.”
“Indeed!” Grinn looked overjoyed. He stood up on his hind legs, his sunken ribcage glowing with fire from within, as if his bones were molten rock. He truly was a nightmare from hell itself. “That issucha relief! Can you imagine having to live tied to that idiot girl?” He huffed and dropped back down to all fours with a thud. “One would truly have to be a fool to desire such a thing.”
Mordred did not bother justifying the insult with a reply. He took a step toward the demon, holding his sword at the ready. “Then why not settle this between us once and for all?”
Grinn chuckled, and took a few steps back, the grass beneath his feet instantly charring and crumbling to, well, ash. “I think not. That was hardly pleasant for me either. No, prince. We shall not fight this day. I will go lick my wounds before I end you once and for all.”
Mordred sneered beneath his helmet. “You always were a coward.”
“Is it cowardly to know when one will lose? Hardly.” The demon laughed, more smoke rising from between his broken teeth. His one good eye blazed. “I will look forward to the day when I can finally crush your skull in my fist.”
Before Mordred could force the matter and attack, Grinn disappeared in a swirl of fire. Snarling in unspent anger, Mordred forced himself to breathe. Gwendolyn was injured and unconscious. Andhuman.The demon had fled.
Lancelot and the elementals were still warring with his own soldiers.
There was still a battle to be won. He would deal with Gwendolyn and her secrets when the dust had settled, and the bodies were accounted for.
Whistling, he called Eod over. “Protect Gwendolyn.” He pointed at the young woman on the ground. “Stay.”
