Sword of Darkness

by Kinley MacGregor

Kerrigan nodded as he closed the door to make sure that Seren couldn't overhear them. "You promise me that you'll personally protect her and I'll give you the sword in trade."

  Brea still looked less than convinced of his sincerity. "There's a ‘but' in there, I sense it."

  The god was astute, which given his status and birth wasn't all that surprising. "I want your word that when my child is old enough, the sword will be released to him or her."

  "That's it?"

  Kerrigan nodded.

  Disbelief darkened Brea's brow as if he were still having trouble believing that his hearing wasn't defective. "You would trust my word?"

  Kerrigan found that hard to believe, too. But he had no choice in this. It was the best he could offer for Seren and their child. "If you swear by the goddess Danu, aye. I know you'll have no choice except to stand by it."

  Brea scowled at him. He moved closer as if he sensed something out of the ordinary. "What has changed about you?"

  Kerrigan stepped away from him, uncomfortable with the intensity of the god's attention. "What are you talking about?"

  The god cocked his head as if he were studying an unknown object. "You are not what you were when I first tried to take Caliburn from you in Joyous Gard."

  Those words set fire to his temper. He didn't like knowing that his emotions were so obvious to another. He didn't want anyone else to know of his weakness for a small slip of a woman who should mean nothing to him.

  And yet she meant everything.

  "Don't be a fool. Nothing about me has changed. I am as I was."

  Brea's frown only increased. To his surprise, the god hesitated at his offer. "If I take Caliburn, you realize you will be mortal again. You will bleed."

  "I know."

  "Morgen will kill you for the battles you two have fought."

  Kerrigan clenched his teeth. There the god was wrong. Morgen was far too vindictive for that. She wouldn't kill him. She would do her damnedest to make him wish and beg for death.

  That was one satisfaction he would never give her.

  But he didn't say that to Brea. Instead, he faced the god man to man. "Give us your word that you'll take her to Avalon and make sure that none there harm her or the baby."

  For once, Brea didn't argue. "You have my word."

  "On the blood of Danu."

  "On the blood of Danu." Brea held his hand out. "Now give me the sword."

  Kerrigan shook his head. He couldn't do that. Not yet. "If I do, Seren will know something is amiss the instant she sees me without the sword on. Take her, and I will give it to you once she's safely hidden within the walls of Avalon."

  Brea scoffed. "Do you think for one minute that I trust you, demon? Especially after all you have done in the past?"

  "I give you my word."

  Brea curled his lip. "That's as worthless as your life."

  He couldn't fault the god for those words. Brea was right. "Seren won't go with you if she suspects anything."

  Brea stepped back, then held his palm up toward the sky. A light flashed an instant before another sword appeared in his hand. It was made of brightly polished steel with a leather-wrapped handle and a dragon's-eye stone set in the hilt.

  Kerrigan scowled at it. If he didn't know better, he'd swear it was Caliburn.

  "It has no powers," Brea said as he held the sword out toward him. "But she won't know that unless she touches it."

  It was a good plan, and for once he had nothing more to add to it.

  Sighing, Kerrigan inclined his head before he unbuckled Caliburn. He could hear the sword screaming in his head. Hear it begging him not to let it go. I am yours…We belong to each other.

  For centuries the two of them had been together…

  It was all he'd ever had to call his own. All that had ever really mattered to him. The power. The strength. This sword had made him king. It had turned a boy into a man.

  In all his life, this sword was the only thing that had ever taken care of him.

  Kerrigan held Caliburn tight in his fist as the power of it consumed him. So long as he held this sword, no one could touch him. No one could harm him.

  He was letting go of everything.

  Don't be stupid…

  He looked at the tinted windows, knowing that Seren couldn't see him. But she was in there, and he was the only one who could protect her from Morgen.

  The sword or his mouse…

  Cursing, he handed the sword to Brea even though it burned his hand to do so.

  The look of shock on the god's face was truly priceless. He stared at the sword in his hand as if he half expected it to vanish. "You really let go of it."

  Kerrigan didn't say anything as he snatched the fake sword from Brea's other hand and fastened it around his hips. "She's not to know of this. Ever."

  Brea didn't respond. He merely continued to stare at Caliburn as if it were an apparition.

  If only it were. The absence Kerrigan felt inside him at the loss of Caliburn was a pain more profound than any he'd ever felt before. It was as if a vital part of himself had been lost. And it took all his will not to take it back.

  But he couldn't, and he knew it.

  Without looking at Brea, Kerrigan brushed past the god and headed back into the RV.

  He entered it at the same time one of the Adoni manifested by the driver's seat. Anger tore through him as he unsheathed his fake sword. The male Adoni lunged at him. Kerrigan hissed as the Adoni caught him a blow to the lips that cut them. For the first time in centuries he felt the sting of the blow, tasted the salt of his own blood.

  His eyes flaming, he drove his sword through the Adoni's body, then pulled it free.

  "We haven't much time," he said to Seren and Blaise as he approached them. "If we're not moving, they can find us."

  He noted the way Blaise stared in disbelief at his cut lip, but luckily Seren didn't understand that part of the sword's power.

  Wiping the blood away, Kerrigan pulled Seren to her feet. "You have to go with Brea now." He met Blaise's frown. "I need you to go with her as well and protect her."

  "Nay," Seren said quickly as she stopped in the middle of the RV and refused to go farther. "I'll go with Brea, but I'd rather Blaise go with you to get the loom in case something happens and you need him."

  Kerrigan started to argue, but knew better. They didn't have time to waste. Besides, Blaise would make this easier. He'd be able to send the necklace and loom back with the mandrake to Avalon.

  Nodding, he ushered Seren down the narrow aisle to the door and out to the side of the road where Brea was waiting. Luckily the god had the sword hidden from their sight.

  Kerrigan let out a relieved breath as he moved her to stand before Brea.

  Seren felt her heart sink as Kerrigan released her hand. There was something not right in this. Something she couldn't name. It was as if an air of hopelessness engulfed him.

  What was he planning?

  "You will be careful?" she asked, cupping his face in her hands so that she could feel the prickle of his whiskers against her palms. Even so, he avoided looking straight at her.

  "Aye. I will be careful."

  "Promise?"

  That succeeded in making him look at her. "I promise."

  She took a moment to study the dark red embers of his eyes, the bit of shadow on his cheeks. Her knight was the most handsome man to ever live.

  "I shall be counting the minutes until your return."

  The dark sadness returned to his eyes. "As will I."

  She pulled him into her arms. He held her in a gentle embrace that warmed her through and through.

  Then he tightened his arms and pulled away. "You must go now, Seren."

  But she didn't want to. She never wanted to let go of this man. Reluctantly, she started to pull away, only to have Kerrigan capture her lips in a stinging kiss. She moaned at the taste of him, at the way he held on to her as if he never wanted to release her.

  Groaning, he pulled away again, t
hen wrapped her in his arms and leaned his cheek against her head. His arms tightened an instant before he stepped away. "I shall see you anon." Even as he spoke the words, he held her hand tightly in his.

  Her heart pounded at the thought of being without him for even a moment. She handed him her necklace so that he would be able to join her in Avalon with the loom. "Anon. Quickly."

  He nodded, and as he released her hand, a horrible premonition went through her. She opened her mouth to speak of it when two more Adoni appeared.

  "Take care of her," Kerrigan snarled to Brea as he turned to fight them.

  "Wait," Seren said, but it was too late. The god had already touched her arm.

  Her last sight of Kerrigan was of him engaging the two Adoni warriors.

  The next thing she knew, she was on a peaceful beach with a bright sun above her. Seren squinted against the glare as she looked out over the clearest, bluest ocean she'd ever seen. Gulls cawed over her head while the water lapped gently against snow white sand. Land jutted out to her right, forming a sheer cliff that rose up high toward the sun.

  On top of the cliff was a golden castle glinting in the daylight. It was beautiful. Mesmerizing. There was a lush, green forest that separated her stretch of beach from the castle on the cliff.

  "This is Avalon?" she asked Brea.

  "Aye."

  "It looks like heaven." Her voice was scant more than a whisper. How she wished Kerrigan were here to see it. It was so much prettier than Camelot.

  This looked like the place where King Arthur would have held his court.

  Brea smiled at her. "Not entirely. Nothing is ever perfect. But this is close and you will be very happy here." He held his hand out to her. "Come, child."

  She followed him up the beach toward the castle. As they drew near the forest, an incredibly striking blond woman appeared before them. The woman wore a white gown that was trimmed with gold. The weave of the fabric was flawless. It reminded Seren of a perfect field of snow.

  There was an air of unmistakable kindness to this newcomer. It bled from every part of her. Just being in her presence filled Seren with warmth.

  "Brea," she said in greeting. "I see you found our wayward steward."

  "Not exactly. Rather she found me." He paused. "Aquila Penmerlin, meet Seren."

  The woman smiled sweetly. "Call me Merlin, Seren. Most people do."

  Before Seren could respond, the smile faded, to be replaced by a peculiar frown as Merlin looked back at Brea. She rubbed her arms as if something chilled her. "You have Caliburn?"

  Seren's heart stopped at her words. "Nay. Caliburn is with Kerrigan. Isn't it?"

  Brea looked a bit sheepish before he shook his head. The air around him glowed an instant before Kerrigan's sword appeared in his hand.

  Seren's jaw went slack as she recognized the weapon.

  The god handed it not to Merlin, but to Seren. "I have a feeling you'll need this one day."

  She refused to take it. "How did you come by this?"

  "Kerrigan gave it to me in exchange for my bringing you here. He wanted me to make sure that the sword went to your child."

  Pain tore through her as her premonition now made sense. "He's not coming back."

  There was no sympathy in Brea's eyes. "He would have had to come here in order to bring the loom to you, but I'm thinking it's why he allowed Blaise to go with him. Instead of Kerrigan bringing you the loom, Blaise will."

  Seren grabbed his arm as her rage mounted at her own foolishness. Damn Kerrigan for this! "Take me to him. Now!"

  Brea pried her hand from his arm. "I can't. I promised Kerrigan that I would bring you here, and I have to stand by my word."

  She turned toward Merlin. "Can you send me to him?"

  Unlike Brea, Merlin's blue eyes were dark with sympathy. It was obvious the woman felt compassion for her. "I'm afraid I can't, Seren. I'm sorry. I don't know where he is. Kerrigan is too powerful for me to track."

  Seren closed her eyes as a wave of hopeless despair claimed her. And in that moment, she hated Kerrigan. How could he just abandon her like this? Abandon their child?

  He hadn't even tried to join her. He'd merely handed her off to the Celtic god and left her to her own end.

  Stung by his actions, she took the sword in both of her hands. She could feel the hum of its power. Feel it cooing to her. But for once she was in control of it.

  Because I have Kerrigan's blood…

  It had to be. There was no other reason that the sword was so calm to her now.

  "I can't believe he relinquished it," Merlin said in a low, reverent tone to Brea.

  "I can." Seren knew a part of Kerrigan that no one else did. It was a part he never showed to the world.

  It was the part of him that she loved. Nay, that wasn't true. She loved all of him. Even that nasty, grousing part that growled.

  And somehow, she was going to find him again…and then she was going to kill him.

  Kerrigan drew a deep breath as they finished off the Adoni and dissolved the RV from the side of the road.

  "The traveling had been a good thought," Blaise said as he folded his arms over his chest.

  Kerrigan felt his jaw tic from his anger. "While it lasted. Damn Morgen and her persistence." That bitch would never leave him in peace. Not while Seren held so much power within her.

  "So how are you going to get Seren back?"

  Kerrigan didn't answer.

  Blaise narrowed his violet eyes on him. "You are going to get her back…Right?"

  He made sure to keep his features blank. "She's better off in Avalon."

  "Yeah, but what about gaining control of the Table? You can't do that without her."

  "What do I need with a table? I can't even eat."

  Blaise looked even more confused. "What? Did the Adoni knock something loose in your head when they hit you? You know? World domination. Power. Wealth. Hello? Who are you and what have you done with my master?"

  Before Kerrigan could answer, four more Adoni came through the portal.

  "Oh, lay off, you bitch," Kerrigan snarled as he caught the first Adoni with an elbow to his nose. He was getting really tired of this fight.

  Another caught him about the stomach and threw him to the ground. Kerrigan grunted in pain as the weight of the beast damned near crushed him. He could feel his ribs starting to break. Bending his leg, he kicked the Adoni off and let out a relieved bellow once the weight was free of him.

  Blaise was fighting another.

  Kerrigan unsheathed his sword and engaged the Adoni. He caught one through the shoulder, but as he was pulling back, the other sliced his arm.

  He turned with a hiss to drive his sword through his attacker, before he spun about to finish off the other.

  Seeing the blood that coated him, the last two Adoni vanished instantly.

  Blaise cocked his head. "Why did they…" His voice trailed off as he saw the bleeding wound on his arm. "I wasn't imagining that earlier, was I? You are bleeding."

  Kerrigan let out a long, tired breath. There was no need to corroborate the obvious. "We need to get out of here before they return with more. I'm sure they're reporting to Morgen even now that I was wounded."

  Blaise stared at him in disbelief. "Are you insane? Do you know what would happen to you if Morgen caught you now?"

  "Believe me, I know." It was the stuff of nightmares and children's stories.

  Blaise held his arm out to him. "We need to go get that loom before they find it."

  Nodding, Kerrigan did something he'd never done before. He reached out and took Blaise's outstretched arm so that he could use his magic and return them to Seren's time.

  They flashed into an empty alleyway behind her weaver's shop. Kerrigan took a moment to return his armor to a fashion more suited to this time period so as not to raise any suspicions. Likewise Blaise adjusted his clothing to a pair of brown breeches and a dark blue surcoat.

  They didn't speak as they made their way around to the fro
nt of the store. Kerrigan paused as he saw a young boy rush past him, into the building to squeal at the women who were working, before he bounded up a wooden staircase to disappear.

  Robert. He remembered Seren telling him about the boy who belonged to the store's owners. And she had liked the lad a great deal.

  Strange emotions curled through him as he opened the door and entered with Blaise one step behind him.

  The store was rather small. There were four women off to his left who were working quietly on their looms. Even from this distance, he would see how worn their hands were…just like Seren's. His gaze lingered beside an attractive brunette where there was an obvious vacant loom before the window.

  Seren's place. That was where she'd spent so many years, working for the owners of this shop. That was the window where she would watch people drift by outside as her entire life was spent slaving away for others.

  But for Damé Fortune, she'd still be here now, just like her friends. There was even the half-finished cloth she must have been working on before he'd taken her.

  "May I help you, my lord?"

  He turned at the sound of an older woman's voice to find the shopkeeper's wife. "Mistress Maude?"

  She looked surprised that he knew her name. "Aye, my lord? Do I know you?"

  "Nay, goodwife. I've come here to collect an old loom that belongs to Seren of York."

  The old woman's eyes flared angrily at the name. "There's nothing here that belonged to that bit of rub—"

  Her words were choked off as Kerrigan took her by the throat and squeezed tight. His rage took hold, but he made sure to keep his eyes dark and not let them flicker red. "Careful who you insult, old woman. Her name is Seren and you will not defame that name. Understand me?"

  Gasping for air, she nodded her head.

  Kerrigan released her.

  "So much for my thinking you'd changed," Blaise said under his breath in twentieth-century English so that the woman couldn't understand him.

  Kerrigan didn't respond to Blaise while he glared at the woman who was rubbing her bruised throat. "I want Seren's possessions and I want them now."

  Still coughing, the woman stumbled against the apprentice who was closest to her. When she spoke, her voice was thick and deep. "Get up, you lazy cur, and get His Lordship whatever he wants."