He chuckled and tightened his grip. “You’re pleased to see me then?”
I tipped my head back to look at him. His eyes were just as I remembered them, as endlessly blue as the sky above, the dark lashes almost too long to be fair.
His hair was longer, curling around the neck of his t-shirt, the curls as wild as ever in the light breeze.
“I’ve tried, every night, to dream of you, but it’s just that – a dream.”
He released me and took my hand, leading me over to sit at the edge of the cliff. We sat too close, dangerously close, our feet dangling over the edge, but I didn’t care. I plucked a pebble from the rough edge and dropped it, watching it tumble over and over until it disappeared into the water far below us.
“It takes a lot of magic for Merlin to send me here,” Lance said, tugging my attention back to him. “More than he has. Nimue helps him, but he can’t do it often, and not for long.”
“Why tonight?” Not that I wasn’t pleased to see him, but it seemed strange. I’d wanted him to come to me every night, what made this one so special?
“Arthur may not be able to speak to you anymore, but you are still connected, however faintly. He could tell something was wrong. That something was bothering you.”
“It’s the dragon.” There was no point mincing my words, I didn’t have time for that.
From Lance’s lack of reaction I guessed they already knew as much. His eyes widened though in sudden understanding.
“You need my ring.”
“How did you – “
“I know what powers the Last Dragon has. My ring is probably the only thing powerful enough to see through his enchantments.”
“We figured as much. But where do I find it? Lance, is it really at Joyous Gard?”
Lance shook his head quickly. “No, there has to be another way.”
“But-“
“Cariad, you cannot go to Dolorous Gard. It’s too dangerous.”
“But the ring is there?”
For a moment I thought he was going to refuse to tell me, but finally he nodded.
“It was in my vault last I knew, deep beneath the castle itself.”
“So it should still be there.” I couldn’t help the note of excitement that crept into my voice.
Lance’s fingers found mine in the grass. “Please, Cara. You can’t go to Dolorous Gard. The curse was broken whilst I was master of the castle, but now I’m gone the curse has returned.”
“Tell me the story.” I had to know the truth of it before I could decide for myself.
He sighed and lay back, pulling me down onto the grass beside him. I rolled on to my stomach, leaning on my elbows so I could look down at him as he spoke. He kept his eyes fixed on the glorious sky overhead, one hand plucking at the grass by his hip. He hated telling stories of his past; he knew I hated to be reminded of the life he’d already lived. But as much as both of us tried to ignore it, his past mattered, it helped shape our future.
“I never meant to stop at Dolorous Gard. I was returning from another quest at the time and I was supposed to be heading straight home to Camelot. Even I had heard the dark stories of the Gard, and I planned to give it a wide berth. Too many knights had died there. But my squire and I were forced to stop for the night by bad weather, close to the Gard in a small tavern.”
He closed his eyes as he spoke and I revelled in the chance to watch the play of emotions across his face. I wondered how clearly he saw it all still. It was a memory from another lifetime. Did he still smell it and hear it all as clearly?
“The inn was crowded that night, but my name and renown as one of Arthur’s knights allowed me to secure a room for the night – although, I think it might have been the innkeeper’s personal quarters. I got food for me and my squire and we joined everyone in the common room. Perhaps if we hadn’t the next morning I would have headed back to Camelot and the legend of Dolorous Gard would be very different.”
He cracked open one eye to smile at me, and I couldn’t help it. I closed the space between us and kissed him. It didn’t matter that it was just a vision. The feel of his lips on mine was as warm and perfect as I remembered. He let out a soft noise against my lips and tugged me down against him, his hands stroking down to the small of my back. Our kisses became slow and lingering.
Abruptly, he pushed me back. “Did you want to hear the story or not?”
I was tempted to say no, if it would mean I could spend the remainder of the vision kissing Lance, but I couldn’t. “Tell me.”
“Keep your lips to yourself and I will.” He grinned, pulled me in for one last kiss then pushed me back. “That night at the inn the men in the common room were all talking about Dolorous Gard. One of them had just come from there, and seen the latest attempt, and failure. The men were discussing how there was no knight alive who could break the curse.” He paused. “I’ll admit. It was arrogance that made me join the conversation. After all, how could they believe there was no knight alive who could break the curse when I was sat right there.”
“You were an arrogant little git weren’t you?”
He grinned up at me. “I still am a lot of the time. You’ve got to understand though; I was a legend in my own time. They called me the perfect knight – flawless. And yet here was a challenge that they didn’t believe even I was capable of. No one ever doubted me.”
“So you couldn’t walk away after that.”
“You know me too well. I knew there and then that I had to attempt to take the Gard. Even though I was afraid I would die trying. I was confident, but even I was afraid of the stories about that place.
“When we arrived a day later at the castle it was noon, but the castle was shrouded in darkness, like night itself was wrapped around it. The curse created it – a blanket of mist and shadow. I could have turned back then. I should have done, if I’d had any sense. But I was too proud.” His face twisted with bitterness. “I was always too damn proud.”
I stroked his stubble covered jaw with one finger and his face relaxed. “Anyway, when I approached the castle I was met by a knight in black armour, who told me that none could gain entrance. I demanded and he refused. He said that the Copper Knight, the lord of Dolorous Gard, would allow no man to enter, unless he was able to defeat ten men at the first gate, ten men at the second gate, and then face him in final combat at the last gate. According to the Fey who had placed the curse, only the greatest knight who lived could enter. I firmly believed that was me. But it was one hell of a challenge. Ten against one in close quarters. Even I wasn’t sure I had that strength in me. But there was no way I could turn back.”
He paused and smiled at me. “I will spare you all the gory details. All you need to know is that I did succeed. Though it wasn’t easy, and by the time I reached the last gate I was bleeding in about ten different places and at the end of my strength. It was there that I discovered what no knight had gotten close enough to discover before. The Copper Knight was a wraith.”
I shivered at the word, even though the sun was warm. I still had nightmares about them.
“It was the soul of the old lord of the castle – locked in his dead body by the power of the curse. By then I had no choice but to fight him. Though I had no hope of winning. You cannot win against something that cannot die.”
“Then how?”
“The Copper Knight may have been bound by a curse, but he was still a knight, and he was also bound by the knightly code. The Fey had left a loophole, though I doubt they realised it. They had not specified that the knight who reached the Copper Knight had to kill him, only defeat him in battle. I fought him, and when I scored a blow that would have killed a mortal man he yielded, and Dolorous Gard was mine. It was only then that I discovered the true nature of the curse. All of it, the Copper Knight, the knights on the gate, was to guard a girl. A girl whom the king of the Fair Folk had fallen in love with, and swore no mortal man would ever possess. The Copper Knight had once been her father. But the King had forgotte
n the life spans of mortal men, and the girl was long dead – the castle bore nothing but her bones. The curse had lingered on long after her death. The Copper Knight, her father, with what tiny part of his soul had remained to him, wanted nothing more than for a knight to succeed in taking the castle so they could do exactly what I did. Bury the poor girl. The curse was broken and I took the castle as my own. With the curse lifted I made it a place of wonder and beauty as it had once been and renamed it Joyous Gard.
“On my death, however, the curse came back. It was only lifted as long as I made the castle my home. I had not killed the Copper Knight – only defeated him.”
The story was over, but I didn’t speak for a long time. I could feel Lance’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t look at him. When I finally spoke I addressed the grass in front of me.
“You know I’m going to go anyway?”
Lance sighed and pulled me into his arms. “I know.”
I let him hold me for a long time, giving myself just a little while to wrap myself in his strength before I would have to leave him again.
It was hard to believe it was just a vision. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek, the rise and fall of his chest. His skin was warm to the touch and lying there in the grass I traced my fingers over the outline of his abs under the thin t-shirt, sliding my hand up over his chest to stroke the line of his collarbone.
He shivered under my touch, but when he spoke it was with barely controlled anger.
“This isn’t fair.”
“I know.” My fingers continued their gentle exploration, stroking over the stubble on his jaw until they reached his lips. He kissed my fingertips and opened his eyes.
“We’ll find a way, Cariad. I promise you. Merlin and Nimue are working on it. But I need you to be careful. I know better than to tell you not to do anything, but just promise me you’ll listen to Wyn and Percy? They know what they’re doing.”
“I know they do.” I smiled up at him. “I let them take the lead against the ogre. At first.”
He closed his eyes. “You fought an ogre?” His tone was one of forced calm.
I couldn’t help smirking. “It was fine.”
He rolled onto his side and pulled me close, stroking my hair back from my cheeks. “I love you, Cara Pendragon – please try to stay alive.”
I drew his head down to mine and kissed him. He kissed me back, deepening it until I was almost gasping for breath. I knotted my fingers into the back of his t-shirt, trying to eliminate any last inch of space between us. His hands tangled in my hair and for that brief moment it was hard to know where I ended and he started.
At last he pulled back an inch, resting his forehead against mine.
“It’s time.”
“No.” I didn’t want to be weak, but I couldn’t help the way my voice broke. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see him slowly fade away. He pressed his lips back against mine in one final kiss.
When I opened my eyes again moments later I was alone in my room. The tears would have come then, if not for the lingering feeling of his lips on mine, and the scent of him that filled the room, as though he’d really been there. They were enough to sustain me. To keep me strong.
Chapter Ten
“The ring is in Dolorous Gard.”
I didn’t bother with a greeting of any kind as I swung into the car waiting for me at the end of the road on Monday morning.
Wyn glanced at me in the rear-view mirror, but Percy spun round in his seat.
“You’re sure? How do you know?”
“Lance,” I replied simply.
“Another vision?”
I nodded at Wyn’s reflection. “He told me the story of how he took the castle as well. But he seems certain the ring will still be there.”
Wyn pulled away from the curb without looking. Behind us a horn blared, but Wyn ignored it. “Of course it will still be there. When Lancelot died the old curse returned. I heard dozens of stories in those last few years of men who tried to break it, but none succeeded. The castle was abandoned to the wraiths that haunt it. It’ll be nothing but a mouldering ruin by now. But no doubt the wraiths are still there.”
I glanced out of the window and frowned. “Where are we going?” We weren’t taking the usual route to school.
Wyn looked a little uncomfortable. “I promised Sam we’d pick her up this morning.”
My glowering at him only got a helpless shrug in response.
Percy laughed. “Come on, Cara. We’re knights. Chivalry is kind of what we do.”
I didn’t really mind, but it was fun to bust Wyn’s balls. It was strange though. There were feminists out there who would hate the way Wyn and Percy acted. But they didn’t do it because they thought us girls couldn’t do things for ourselves. They did it because it was the gentlemanly thing, because they believed women were worth treating well. I could hardly complain about that.
It only took a few extra minutes to collect Sam, but as we pulled into the school car park I only had eyes for one person.
Mackay was stood near the main steps, quietly controlling the flow of kids through the doors.
It was weird seeing him there when the last time I’d seen him he’d been in a secret cave full of conspiracies and secrets. I half expected him to look different somehow.
His eyes tracked the car as we pulled into a space. There was no flicker of expression in his eyes until Wyn stepped out of the front seat behind me. His eyes widened and then narrowed into a look of deep dislike.
“Why does Mackay hate you?”
I looked up over my shoulder at Wyn and he shrugged.
“I doubt any of the Order of Camelot likes me much. I spent a lot of years working to discredit them. The original Order that is.”
It was more than that, I was sure of it. Something in Mackay’s face suggested it was personal.
Wyn didn’t let me dwell on it though. “We need to talk about the Gard.”
“My place? After school?”
Wyn snorted. “Your Dad would kill me. He still thinks you ran away to be with me.”
“Only in your dreams,” I replied with a smirk. “Then somewhere else.”
“The park?” Sam came round the back of the car. “It’s a nice enough day and Cara and I can walk from here.”
I gave her a look but she ignored it. I still wasn’t sure about how much I should be letting her get involved.
Wyn also ignored me. “The park it is.”
Sam had been right about it not taking long for us to walk to the park. The route took us down three residential streets and then onto the little green space everyone called the park, though it was barely large enough for the name.
As we walked past plain little terraced houses and gardens I couldn’t help wondering about the people who lived there. Getting on with their day to day lives with no knowledge of magic, or the fair folk, or dragons.
I wasn’t sure if I envied them or not. Part of me thought it must be nice, but my life was certainly more exciting. Perhaps a little too exciting.
“You don’t really want me here, do you?”
I’d been completely lost in my own thoughts and I jumped a little at Sam’s voice. I’d almost forgotten she was there.
I hesitated for a second. “No. It’s not that exactly. I just don’t want you to get hurt. I didn’t choose all this, you know.”
“I know.” She smiled across at me, the same smile I’d seen every day until Anderson had ruined everything. The one that said, ‘we’re in this together’. “And I know it’s dangerous. But honestly, Cara, being with you, and Wyn and Percy, it makes me feel like I’m really alive. I can’t explain it any better than that.”
I smiled at the fire in her eyes. “Well, I’m glad. I kinda need another girl to keep those boys in line.”
The boys in question were waiting for us when we reached the park, sprawled under the hanging boughs of the huge Weeping Willow.
I really hoped there was still enough magic around to stop p
eople seeing the huge two-handed sword Wyn had balanced across his knees, sweeping rhythmically with a whet stone as he sharpened it. Obviously he trusted in the magic, but I wasn’t so confident.
We had almost reached them when another voice called out from behind us. Too many years of being the victim made me wince involuntarily as I turned and saw Anderson striding towards us. He must have been walking behind us the whole way there, but he’d obviously wanted to wait until we were far enough from school before causing any trouble.
His swaggering bravado in front of the cluster of rugby mates tagging along behind him suggested that he hadn’t seen Wyn or Percy, or if he had he didn’t realise they were with us.
“Honestly, Psycho, I can’t believe you’re still at school. You were practically foaming at the mouth the other day. You’re like one of those rabid dogs. Don’t they put them down?”
“Go to hell, Anderson.” I turned back around, not even wanting to engage with him.
He crossed the grass far quicker than I could and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me back to face him. It was the shoulder the ogre had dislocated, but I tried to hide the grimace of pain.
“You break my nose and you think that’s the end of it?”
I shook him off. “What’s the big deal? Worried it’s ruined your good looks? Trust me, there’s nothing to ruin, not when you’re as ugly as you are on the inside.” I wanted to just turn my back on him. Hell, part of me wanted to just run away, but I was done running.
“When did you get the smart mouth? Or are you just so crazy that you don’t have the sense to shut your damn mouth when you should?”
I almost smiled. Almost but not quite. I took a step closer to him, then another, dropping my voice until only he could hear me.
“I didn’t kill your sister, Anderson. And I didn’t lie. You know that, and that’s what scares you most. You’ve spent three years trying to convince everyone that I was crazy, because if you could convince them then maybe you’d start believing it yourself. If I could have saved your sister I would have. But I only see the future, I can’t change it. If you’d had a little faith in me then maybe you could have saved her yourself.”
The Forever Queen (Pendragon Book 2) Page 7
