Arthur pants, looking around at everyone. “I—I… it wasn’t me. I didn’t do it.”
He licks his lips, balls his fists. Then his eyes turn piercing as he whips around to look at everyone. “Uther broke his back,” Arthur exclaims. “Falling down the stairs on the way here.” He points his fingers at everyone. “Kay and Mordred, move his body down the stairs now!”
Kay and Mordred stare at him.
“Did you hear me?” Arthur demands.
Mordred looks to Uther’s body then to Arthur. “But the King is…”
Arthur marches to Mordred. He strikes Mordred across the face. “You speak high treason, Mordred?” Arthur demands and then looks around at everyone. “Do you all choose to challenge me?”
Mordred gets on his knees. “Your Highness. But the laws…”
“Mordred,” Arthur warns, his voice dark. He shudders as he blinks rapidly. For a second, his eyes look red. “Help me or I’ll lose it.”
The words strike something in Mordred. He promptly gets up and turns to the others. “Do as the King says.”
He joins Kay to lift up Uther’s body.
“Agravain,” Arthur says. “Page Guinevere and the medics immediately. Morgan le Fay is to be treated.”
“But, sir, Guinevere is not allowed…”
“NOW!”
Agravain gets out his pager.
Next, Arthur looks at Merlin who is getting up and looking about him in shock. Arthur points at him. “You! Once you’ve recovered, which I hope is right about now, prepare the release of King Uther’s death with Public Relations.”
Merlin stares at Arthur dumbly. “But I am no longer Maven.”
“Your resignation never happened,” Arthur says. “Do you understand?”
Merlin swallows and eyes the Maven badge on the ground. Then he turns to me. Horror fills his eyes.
“Morgan!”
Agravain uncuffs my burnt wrists. I groan from the painful contact, catching sight of my raw skin.
The medics rush in with confusion.
“The King,” one of them says, tears streaming.
“Get Le Fay treatment,” Arthur orders.
My body sears with pain as they pull me onto a stretcher. I scream. The stone ceiling looms above me. Someone comes into view. Mordred. He looks down at me, pale. He holds my wrist. His touch is searing, full of dangerous magic. I suck in a breath, realizing through his touch that he’s contemplating finishing me off right then and there.
Merlin comes into view and puts his hand on Mordred’s shoulder.
“We have work to do,” Merlin says with a dangerous tone.
Mordred ignores him and leans close to my face. “What have you done? You turned the Prince into a monster.” He drops to a whisper. “This isn’t over. I will save the world from Pendragons.”
Mordred lets go of my wrist. Mordred knows something deeper than I do. I saw the fear in his eyes when he looked at Arthur. The Luminaries, for whatever reason, are afraid of the boy prince who is now the king.
I’m carried away. I fight to keep my lungs moving as his words linger in my mind. Arthur is not a monster. I try not to think of all the instances of his violence. Knocking Vivian out. Throwing back Agravain. Finally, his father. His actions would appear violent to others. But Arthur just doesn’t know how to control his emotions, let alone his magic. He isn’t intentionally ruthless. He’s been through too many terrors and wanted to protect me.
As they carry me, I hear Arthur sobbing hysterically with remorse. “Father!”
Though Uther may not have been a good father, he was still Arthur’s father—and judging by Arthur’s hysterics, the loss must be painful, regardless of whether he truly loved him or not.
I didn’t want to drag anyone down with me. I sincerely believed that I wouldn’t when I packed those backpacks before the kidnapping. I was just one girl without a whole lot of friends, no romance, and one father for family.
I dragged the entire country down.
Will I live?
And if I do… what happens next?
Chapter 19
I’m in a white room. A television plays in the corner. I hear a clatter of footsteps. Pain continues to ripple through me and I want to thrash, but the more I move, the worse the pain gets.
“What’s going on?” a familiar voice cries.
Guinevere.
“By the order of Prince… I mean, King Arthur, you must heal Morgan le Fay,” Agravain says.
Guinevere gasps. “What? But…”
“King Arthur reminds us that to disobey him is high treason.”
Guinevere appears above me. Her face small and white. She’s lost so much weight. Tears stream out of her emerald eyes. She holds on to my burnt hand. I scream.
“Oh, Morgan,” she weeps. “I’m sorry it hurts. I can only heal through touch.”
She closes her eyes.
Minutes pass. The television abruptly switches from a fashion show and broadcasts the news of tragedy that King Uther slipped on his way to watch the scheduled execution.
Guinevere’s eyes flutter open. The outside dims. Lights are turned out in every building. From the Grail Room, Relic Keepers sing the King’s funeral song, “Pendragon’s Death Chorus.” A haunting and overwhelming crash of voices merging together. The smell of myrrh incense seeps into the room.
“No,” Guinevere cries. “King Uther. Oh, no.”
For a second, her grief is abstract to me since I’ve just witnessed King Uther’s cold ruthlessness. But to Guinevere, and most citizens, King Uther was their dear leader, always portrayed as being benevolent.
Her body wracks with sobs as she closes her eyes and tries her best to focus on healing me. I can hear doctors crying in the hallway.
Songs continue to swell outside. A gloomy lullaby as I fade away into twilight.
The white hospital ceiling is above me again. Machines measuring my heartbeat hum next to me. There’s the smell of chemicals. Out the window, the sun is shining. There are green leaves swaying by the window. Flowers are peeking out. Spring. “Pendragon’s Death Chorus” is still going.
I weep.
I’m alive. Somehow, I’m here to see another day.
I inspect my hands that were once raw—now pristine as fresh snow. I haven’t seen my hands look so normal in a long time.
Guinevere has quite a gift.
Soft footsteps come close to me.
“Morgan,” Guinevere says.
She sits on the bed. She doesn’t wear her usual smile. Her eyes are heavy and swollen.
“You healed me,” I say. “Thank you.”
“You must thank the King,” Guinevere says. “He allowed me to heal you.”
“Arthur,” I say with disbelief. “A king. I can’t believe this.”
Guinevere closes her eyes, shoulders slumping. “He just turned fifteen. I’m afraid…” She fights back tears. “Our king is fifteen years old.”
She breaks into a sob, hiding her face. I touch her arm to comfort her. She flinches. Is she afraid of me? I draw my hand back.
“Gwen,” I say. “Do you wonder why I kidnapped him?”
She wipes away her tears and flips her wavy hair back. “No, but I have a bit of an advantage over others regarding that judgment. The night of the Maven Ceremony, I sensed you were suffering, but I didn’t sense evil. I never got that impression from you. I knew that whatever your reason was, it wasn’t malicious. That was all that mattered.” She turns to me and places her hand on mine. “But we shouldn’t discuss it now. I’m glad you’re alive. A miracle. But somehow it feels as if I struck a bargain with Pendragon the First with my prayers in the Grail Room. As if I traded the King’s life for yours.”
“Nonsense,” I say. “Life is… life is chaos.” I swallow and study the ceiling. My mind wanders to Lancelot and Merlin. What are they doing now? What is Arthur doing? The best way for me to find out is to see them again. I take a breath.
“Do you know what’s going to happen to me?”
Guinevere shakes her head. “No, I don’t know what’s ahead.”
She looks emptily into space. The whole country must share her feeling now. The United Kingdom is vulnerable and lost. There isn’t a lot of time to be confused, though. Arthur will need more protection without his powerful father around and to be bravely introduced to the world.
I wince as I try to push myself off the bed. Guinevere helps me up. Once I’m able to sit, I take her hands in mine.
“We can be brave and face the new era,” I say. “Together.”
Guinevere smiles a little. The song of spring birds mixes in with “Pendragon’s Death Chorus.” Life and death blending together. The dawn’s light spills over us.
Life pushing at death—winning, just a little bit.
To be continued…
About the Author
Realm Lovejoy is an American writer and an artist. She grew up in both Washington State and the Japanese Alps of Nagano, Japan. Currently she lives in Seattle and works as an artist in the video game industry. Her novels include: Clan, Henge (Le Fay Series), and Sword (Le Fay Series).
You can find out more about her and her book at www.realmlovejoy.com
Acknowledgements
First of all, thank you, readers of the Le Fay Series, for picking up the second book. You are all my number one inspiration for publishing. I appreciate every word you send me, every review you write, and every time you recommend the series to someone. This series lives—and will continue to live—because of you. I hope you will stay with Morgan le Fay until her journey ends. (The third book is already in progress!)
Huge thanks to my husband, Joe Pedersen, for encouraging me the past five years as I drafted the series. He accompanied me on my research journey to the UK, going to Glastonbury (some say it used to be Avalon), and we went to the creepiest lake ever called Dozmary Pool (some say it’s the lake Arthur threw his sword into). For photos, please find my blog at www.realmlovejoy.com
Thanks to my agent, Jessica Regel, who believed in the story and encouraged me to turn Le Fay into a series.
Thank you to super lawyer Scarlett Hunter, who provided me with advice for the courtroom scenes, giving me insight on courtroom procedures.
Big thanks to my amazing editing team: Jen Rees, Taryn Albright, Christine Florie, Josette Haddad, Ruth Hoffman, and Sara and Crystalle at Anne Victory. My editors have a strong understanding of Morgan le Fay’s story, and they continue to help me make the series the best it can be.
Thank you to Guido Henkel for formatting the ebook version of Sword.
Last but not least, thanks to all my family and friends who are so kind and continually show their support for the series! Your words strengthen me and I’m grateful for each of you.
Table of Contents
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05
Chapter 06
Chapter 07
Chapter 08
Chapter 09
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Sword Page 18
