Sword of Darkness (25 page)

For the first time, Seren saw pity in Elaine’s eyes as she looked at Garafyn. “I don’t know,” Elaine said charitably. “You look pretty good as far as gargoyles go.”

“Yeah, right. I make a pass at you…”

“And I start chiseling off vital parts of your anatomy.”

“Exactly.”

Lifting the cowl of his black tunic, Blaise cracked open the door to look out into the hallway. “All right, children,” he whispered over his shoulder. “Let’s stay together and try to remain inconspicious.”

Seren lifted the cowl to her cloak at the same time Elaine did. They made sure to keep their faces lowered and hidden by the hood.

They looked at Garafyn, who stared back unblinkingly. He’d dissolved his clothes so that now all he wore was a small gray loincloth. “What?”

“Are you going to walk around like that?” Elaine asked.

“Oh yeah, like a gargoyle in a cloak wouldn’t stand out in this place. Trust me, no one’s going to look at me. Hell, Morgen can’t even tell us apart.” As if to prove his point, he ambled out of the room first. “Besides, I’m not walking around in an ensign’s
Star Trek
uniform. Those guys always get killed.”

Shaking her head at the surly beast, Seren followed with Elaine and Blaise just behind her.

The castle was eerily quiet. No one was about. It was as if the entire place had been deserted for some reason.

“Is this normal?” Elaine asked.

Garafyn snorted. “The creepy factor, aye. The quiet part, no.” He glanced about nervously. “Where is everyone?”

No sooner had he spoken than a loud roar went up at the end of the hallway.

“Something’s happening in the great hall.” Blaise led them toward the noise. When they reached the end of the hallway, he opened the large oak door a tiny degree before he squeezed through it.

One by one, they followed suit until they were all inside the great hall where they could see a large crowd, staring at the center of the room.

Seren couldn’t see much due to her short height and the fact that she didn’t dare lift her head for fear of losing her cowl. But as they made their way through the crowd, she realized that she could probably be naked and no one would notice her. Everyone’s attention was focused on whatever was happening in the center area.

“What’s going on?” she whispered to Blaise.

“I’m not sure.” He continued to move through the mass that was busy shouting unintelligible words.

All of a sudden, Blaise stopped short. Seren collided with him. She looked up to see his face drained of color while he stared over the heads of the onlookers.

Standing up on her tiptoes, she turned to see what held him captivated and felt her own heart sink at what she saw.

At first she didn’t recognize the body on the floor. Wearing only a pair of ragged and torn black breeches, the poor soul had been beaten and whipped until he barely appeared human. Swollen welts and bruises distorted every part of him. But as he lifted his head, she recognized Kerrigan even though both of his eyes appeared to be swollen shut.

Even Elaine cursed under her breath.

“Get up!” Morgen shouted at him before she kicked him in the ribs. “Fight, you worthless dog.”

Seren saw red as her powers flowed through her. Infuriated, she pushed her way through the crowd, even though Blaise was trying to hold her back.

Unable to take it, she paused at the edge of the
crowd with Blaise still attempting to pull her back out of sight. She shrugged off his grip and pushed him away.

Morgen shook her head at the sight of Kerrigan before she turned away from him and manifested a sword in her hand. “Masden?” she said to one of her demon knights. “Care to be the once and future king?”

With an evil laugh, he took the sword from Morgen’s hand.

Kerrigan forced himself to his feet even though his arm was broken from Maddor’s “gentle” touch. Every part of his body ached, but he refused to die on the ground like a beggar. Morgen might have returned him to the life of a slave, but he wasn’t going to die like one.

He held his broken arm to his side as he faced the knight who’d once been human. Now there was no humanity to be found in the beast that faced him. Masden was all too eager to end his life.

Morgen sneered at Kerrigan. “Look, the slave is trying to be kingly.” She moved to stand before him. “But once rubbish, always rubbish.”

Kerrigan snarled at her. “Fuck you.”

She backhanded him.

Kerrigan laughed at the blow he couldn’t even feel over the rest of the pain of his body.

Hissing, Morgen drew back and turned to face Masden. “Kill him.”

Kerrigan held his ground as the man came forward with his sword raised. If he had a sword, he’d at least make the bastard pay somewhat for
his death. As it was, there was nothing he could do except run, and he wasn’t about to give Morgen and the others the satisfaction of laughing at his cowardice.

There for a time he had been a king. He would die with his honor intact.

He braced himself for the fatal sword strike.

Just as Masden reached him, Kerrigan saw a flash an instant before the killing blow was deflected from his body. Out of nowhere, another figure wrapped in a black cloak appeared with a sword.

With the skill of a trained knight, the small form twisted around and forced Masden back with attack after attack.

Who would dare defend him?

Stunned, Kerrigan couldn’t understand what was happening until the cowl fell back from the combatant and he saw the long blond braid. Saw the determined face of what to him was the most beautiful woman in the world. Love and joy welled up inside him as he looked upon the impossible.

“Seren?”

She didn’t respond as she drove the knight back toward Morgen, who was now laughing.

“Oh, this is rich,” Morgen snarled. “Look what has returned of her own free will to our company.” Her eyes were light with triumph. “Big mistake, little girl.
Big
mistake.”

With one fell swing, Seren killed her challenger, then turned on Morgen with a glare. “Shut up, bitch. I’ve had enough of you.”

Morgen gaped an instant before she shrieked. Throwing her hands out, she shot a blast at Seren, which his little mouse deflected without effort. The blast headed into the wall, above the hearth, where it left a large, black, smoldering hole.

That only increased Morgen’s anger.

One minute she was before Seren and in the next, she was directly behind Kerrigan.

Seren turned about to see where Morgen had gone. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the dagger in Morgen’s hand.

“You want him, whore? You can have him…dead.” Quicker than anyone could move, Morgen cut his throat and shoved him away from her.

Kerrigan fell straight to the floor.

Everything seemed to slow down as Seren flashed herself to Kerrigan’s side. He lay on the floor with one hand against the vicious cut on his neck that had come close to decapitating him as blood rushed from the wound, over his hand.

“God’s mercy,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes. “Nay!”

Morgen reached for her. The instant she did, Seren threw the evil queen back against the wall as the demon took over her body entirely. There was nothing human left inside. Nothing even humane.

A wave burst through the room, knocking everyone, even Morgen, off their feet.

Her heart breaking, Seren fell to her knees beside Kerrigan, whose face was pale.

“Kerrigan,” she whispered, her voice its normal tone.

He couldn’t speak from the damage done to his throat. He reached his bloodied hand toward her face, then fell back as his eyes turned dull.

Kerrigan was dead.

Seren screamed out in pain as her grief shook her to the core of her soul. The demon cried out in anger, demanding vengeance. And the two coalesced into a swirling maelstrom reminiscent of a tornado as it ripped through the room. Demons, gargoyles, and Adoni went flying.

“Seren! Stop!” She recognized Blaise’s voice, but it did nothing to lessen her pain or her resolve.

Throwing her head back, Seren called out to the darkest powers for something she knew she had no right to ask.

Yet it was something she had to do.

She would not let Morgen win. Not this time. The bitch had done enough harm in her lifetime. For once the good side would win.

Her eyes rolled back in her head as ancient, forbidden power roiled through her. Primordial and cold, it chilled her through and through as she gathered Kerrigan into her arms and placed Caliburn over him.

“
Atiera gara tuawaha ethra verus tiera.
” She didn’t know where the words or power came from, but she whispered them over and over again as dragon’s breath swept through the room and covered them all.

She cupped Kerrigan’s cold cheek in her hand. “In the whisper of the ancient stone and in the mist that belongs to the dragons, my breath is
your breath. My heart is your heart and my life is your life.”

With those words spoken, she leaned over him and gently placed her lips to his. As soon as they touched, she felt the tremor of power pass from her to Kerrigan’s lifeless body.

With her tears falling down her cheeks, she pulled back expectantly.

Only to be disappointed as nothing happened.

“Nay!” she screamed as more power surged through her. She wanted him back.

Then slowly…painfully slowly, she watched as Kerrigan’s lips returned to their normal hue. The color continued on from his mouth, over the rest of him, healing each injury as it passed until he was once again the handsome man who had given her his life.

Still, he didn’t move.

“Kerrigan?” she choked, cupping his face in both of her hands. “Come back to me.”

Suddenly, he drew a deep breath before he opened his eyes to look up at her. Instead of their normal black hue, they were a bright, crystal blue—the same color they had been when he was human.

Seren choked on her happiness as she let out a small cry. Thunder and lightning crackled and boomed through the room. Thrilled that he was alive, she threw herself over him and held him tight.

Kerrigan was dazed. He couldn’t move for several heartbeats as he held Seren in his arms. Over and over he saw in his mind Morgen killing him.

He felt the stinging bite of the knife….

But there was no pain in him now. He could feel nothing more than Seren holding him close. Feel her hot tears on his skin as his love for her coursed through him.

Stunned, he looked about the hall that was no longer in black and gray. There was color now, along with lightning.

“Little mouse?”

She pulled back to kiss him soundly. He’d never tasted anything better than her lips. Her passion set fire to him as she pulled back with a delighted laugh.

And it was then he knew he wasn’t what he’d been before. He felt hungry, and not just for the woman who’d saved him. He wanted food. Real food.

He was human again…

But he could still feel his Merlin’s powers. They hadn’t been taken from him.

“You’re warm,” Seren said as she laid her hand to his lips. A slow smile spread across her face.

Before he could respond, the color faded from the room as a shriek rang out.

Morgen came to her feet, her eyes glowing red. “Do you think you can compete with me?”

Manifesting his armor back onto his body, Kerrigan came to his feet barely before Morgen began raining lightning on top of them. He deflected her blows.

To his complete shock, Elaine jumped out of the crowd to fire two arrows at Morgen, who caught them in her hand before she tossed them back at Elaine. Elaine dodged one, but just as the other
was about to embed itself in her heart, a blast averted it harmlessly away.

Her features startled, Elaine looked to see Kerrigan holding the arrow. She inclined her head to him in gratitude.

Kerrigan dropped the arrow to the floor as he faced the queen of the fey. “You can’t defeat us, Morgen,” he said between clenched teeth.

“Oh, but I can. The minute the three of you try to leave here…you’re mine. I’ll be able to kill you.”

Seren sent a blast toward Morgen. She deflected it.

“How do we end this?” Seren asked him.

It was Morgen who answered. “We end this when you drop that brat, then I will have the power I need to kill you both.”

“She’s right,” Kerrigan said under his breath.

Seren looked up at Kerrigan. “Is there really nothing we can do?”

“I’m working on it, but I haven’t any unique ideas at the moment.”

Suddenly a loud, thunderous clap started. It sounded like a thousand wings flapping. The shutters flew open as gargoyle after gargoyle flew into the room to circle it.

Kerrigan and Seren braced themselves to fight as Blaise and Elaine joined them. Back to back they stood, prepared to defend against the stone invaders.

However, they didn’t attack. Instead the gargoyles surrounded Morgen, who blasted three of
them to gravel before she was overwhelmed by them.

“What are you doing?” she screamed.

“We are protecting you, my queen.”

Seren gaped at the sound of Garafyn’s voice. He flew away from Morgen to land beside them. Winking at her, he looked back at his men. “Whatever you do, legion, don’t let anyone blast Morgen. You must protect our queen from the evil Lords of Avalon. Help her.”

Morgen cursed. “Get away from me. Damn you! Off,” she screamed out. “Adoni, get the gargoyles off me.”

Her court ran to help their queen.

Garafyn gathered their group together. “Okay, Blaise, now would be a damned good time to get us out of here before the Adoni attack us, too.”

“What about the other gargoyles?” Elaine asked.

“Those are the real gargoyles. My legion isn’t here. I’m not that vicious. Let her destroy the boxes of rocks. But we gotta go. C’mon, there’s only two more weeks left on my Greyhound pass. I gots to get out of here.”

The Adoni and Morgen were blasting through the gargoyles.

“Maddor!” Morgen screamed. “Grab the Merlin.”

Seren looked up as the mandrake moved toward them with determined strides.

She felt his hand on her arm, pulling at her…