hand. Guinevere lifted her chin warily as Amanda wiped the blood away.
“Thank you,” Guinevere whispered, her tone verging on surprised.
My chest tightened for her unexpectedly because I knew without doubt this woman had been alone a long time and wasn’t accustomed to even the simplest of kindnesses. I wondered if that was the reason for the sharpness in her persona. Perhaps she wasn’t used to being around people. How sad for a person to become so used to protecting themselves that they simply didn’t know how to be unguarded anymore? There was a very real possibility of any one of us being in her position. If we didn’t get Caleb back—if we failed to find Zeal before he corrupted a whole generation of Guardians against humans—any one of us could lose everything and end up alone.
Emma returned a few moments later and took her seat again. I had to give it to her—the girl took all of this in stride. Amanda finished helping Guinevere and then returned to the seat beside me.
“Please go on if you can?” Triona prompted Guinevere.
“Yes. As far as the Council members were concerned, I didn’t exist. It was only Emrys who had discovered me, and he wasn’t about to advertise my existence because he had his own agenda. Although, I didn’t know what it was back then. As long as we were careful, they believed the story of Excalibur was a fairy tale, a parlor trick from Emrys. This was important since it kept the Council from trying to get their hands on it. It was a minor corruption of the truth. For a time I was happy, and I trusted Emrys wanted the best for the kingdom.” She hesitated and looked down again.
I couldn’t imagine this woman ever passing for ordinary. She was far too beautiful.
“Arthur wasn’t my soul mate as you know them, but I loved him no less. He was a good man, marrow deep. Despite Emrys’s constant whispering in his ear, Arthur relied on his own conscience. He and his men lived by a code—honor, loyalty to Camelot, and integrity in everything they did. At the time, many men were nothing short of mercenaries and easily swayed to a cause for a few pieces of coin. I fought by Arthur’s side in battles against those who would undermine his rule.
“Emrys was old and restless, his mind became splintered, and some days he made no sense at all. He wanted unity at any cost and was never content. He always wanted more from Arthur, and I suppose it was inevitable we would come to the attention of the other Council members. Eventually they came for him. Arthur and I were caught up in the fight.”
“Arthur laid down Excalibur to assist one of his injured men. One of the Council members took his chance and grabbed it.” Guinevere sucked in a breath. She grimaced, her expression echoing the distress of her memories. She lifted the glass of water and drank deeply.
I glanced over to Triona. The shake of her head was almost imperceptible, advising against rushing the story. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, concentrating on the discomfort to distract from my impatience.
“Arthur picked up a spear to defend himself. It happened so fast, and I watched helplessly from a short distance away. The spear pierced his attacker’s abdomen. He was so determined to kill Arthur and destroy Emrys that he impaled himself on the spear and pushed himself along its length. The spear ripped him open, tearing his heart. Mordred struck Arthur’s abdomen and a deadly blow to his head. Arthur was barely alive when Mordred fell and released Excalibur once more. The legendary King Arthur was mortally wounded, struck down by his own sword.”
“So Mordred wasn’t Arthur’s brother or nephew?” Emma asked.
“No. Mordred was a Council member as was Morrígan. After Arthur…the Council hunted Emrys and imprisoned him using the same magic used to lock Excalibur in stone, leaving him powerless to escape. I fled. Morrígan had seen Excalibur with her own eyes and had no reason to think the stories of its
“Thank you,” Guinevere whispered, her tone verging on surprised.
My chest tightened for her unexpectedly because I knew without doubt this woman had been alone a long time and wasn’t accustomed to even the simplest of kindnesses. I wondered if that was the reason for the sharpness in her persona. Perhaps she wasn’t used to being around people. How sad for a person to become so used to protecting themselves that they simply didn’t know how to be unguarded anymore? There was a very real possibility of any one of us being in her position. If we didn’t get Caleb back—if we failed to find Zeal before he corrupted a whole generation of Guardians against humans—any one of us could lose everything and end up alone.
Emma returned a few moments later and took her seat again. I had to give it to her—the girl took all of this in stride. Amanda finished helping Guinevere and then returned to the seat beside me.
“Please go on if you can?” Triona prompted Guinevere.
“Yes. As far as the Council members were concerned, I didn’t exist. It was only Emrys who had discovered me, and he wasn’t about to advertise my existence because he had his own agenda. Although, I didn’t know what it was back then. As long as we were careful, they believed the story of Excalibur was a fairy tale, a parlor trick from Emrys. This was important since it kept the Council from trying to get their hands on it. It was a minor corruption of the truth. For a time I was happy, and I trusted Emrys wanted the best for the kingdom.” She hesitated and looked down again.
I couldn’t imagine this woman ever passing for ordinary. She was far too beautiful.
“Arthur wasn’t my soul mate as you know them, but I loved him no less. He was a good man, marrow deep. Despite Emrys’s constant whispering in his ear, Arthur relied on his own conscience. He and his men lived by a code—honor, loyalty to Camelot, and integrity in everything they did. At the time, many men were nothing short of mercenaries and easily swayed to a cause for a few pieces of coin. I fought by Arthur’s side in battles against those who would undermine his rule.
“Emrys was old and restless, his mind became splintered, and some days he made no sense at all. He wanted unity at any cost and was never content. He always wanted more from Arthur, and I suppose it was inevitable we would come to the attention of the other Council members. Eventually they came for him. Arthur and I were caught up in the fight.”
“Arthur laid down Excalibur to assist one of his injured men. One of the Council members took his chance and grabbed it.” Guinevere sucked in a breath. She grimaced, her expression echoing the distress of her memories. She lifted the glass of water and drank deeply.
I glanced over to Triona. The shake of her head was almost imperceptible, advising against rushing the story. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, concentrating on the discomfort to distract from my impatience.
“Arthur picked up a spear to defend himself. It happened so fast, and I watched helplessly from a short distance away. The spear pierced his attacker’s abdomen. He was so determined to kill Arthur and destroy Emrys that he impaled himself on the spear and pushed himself along its length. The spear ripped him open, tearing his heart. Mordred struck Arthur’s abdomen and a deadly blow to his head. Arthur was barely alive when Mordred fell and released Excalibur once more. The legendary King Arthur was mortally wounded, struck down by his own sword.”
“So Mordred wasn’t Arthur’s brother or nephew?” Emma asked.
“No. Mordred was a Council member as was Morrígan. After Arthur…the Council hunted Emrys and imprisoned him using the same magic used to lock Excalibur in stone, leaving him powerless to escape. I fled. Morrígan had seen Excalibur with her own eyes and had no reason to think the stories of its
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