Claiming Excalibur

by LH Nicole

  “Aliana?” Dagg called, drawing her attention away from the jeweled curves.

  She gasped and jumped with an alarming realization, accidentally knocking over a vial of bath oils. It shattered loudly on the hard floor. “Oh, my stars, Dagg!”

  The silver Dragon was instantly through the door, his eyes glowing purple as he looked around frantically. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to get to the guys!” She let the pendant drop and dashed into the bedroom, grabbing her pack and pulling on a pair of tall boots. She rushed to the door with Dagg right beside her. The marble door slid open to reveal Lacy and Freya. Lacy had already changed into an outfit similar to Aliana’s but in lighter colors.

  Aliana turned to Freya. “What’s the fastest way to the entrance?”

  Without asking questions, the Fae led the trio to the end of the hall and into another elevator.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s got you spazzing out, Lia?” Lacy asked.

  “I think I figured out a part of the Excalibur poem!” she said as the elevator stopped.

  “You what?” Dagg asked, incredulous. Freya led them down an unfamiliar hall.

  “Which part?” Lacy asked.

  The knights came into sight. “Guys! I’ve got to show you something!” Aliana called, dashing to them.

  Arthur folded the map he and the guys had been looking over.

  “What’s wrong?” Leo asked, but his eyes immediately flicked past Aliana to Freya.

  Aliana held up her pendant and quoted, “Let jeweled curves guide thy Destined quest.” The guys frowned, none of them seeming to grasp her logic. Aliana removed the pendant from around her neck and held it up for the guys to see. “The jewels line up exactly like the marks we’ve made on the map!”

  “Could it really be that simple?” Owen asked, awed.

  “Arthur, give me the map.” Aliana studied it, committing the arrangement to her memory. “Dagg I have an idea, but I need your help.” The Dragon nodded, seeing in her mind what she wanted him to do. Opening herself to the powers swirling all around them, Aliana visualized the paper map like a picture hanging on a gallery wall. She heard the audible gasps through the spiraling, bubbling magic, but ignored them and overlaid a larger image of her mother’s necklace onto the map.

  “Keep visualizing the map,” Dagg’s voice whispered, guiding her. “But set it to the back of your mind, like you do for the shields.”

  It sounded so simple, but it was way harder to actually do. Determined, she cocooned the magic that projected the images and moved it to the back of her mind.

  “Aliana?” Lacy asked. Aliana opened her eyes and smiled when she saw the holographic map still hanging in the air.

  “That is smashing, cousin!” Owen beamed.

  “Can anyone besides us see this?” Arthur asked, his eyes glittering with pride.

  “No.” She pointed to the pink diamond in the bottom left corner. It covered a small X on the map. “That’s the portal we used to come here.”

  “That’s where Oberon attacked us.” Galahad indicated a tiny emerald near the center of the map.

  “That’s Notien.” Arthur’s eyes were on the sapphire near the top left border. “And that’s where the queen said we must go next.” He gestured to a yellow diamond nestled within the circle at the center of the map.

  “Then what are the other two?” Lacy asked, her eyes dancing across the two remaining jewels.

  “If I may,” Freya interrupted, stepping closer. Her arm brushed Leo’s as the knight made room for her. “That,” she said, pointing to the ruby in the bottom right corner. “Is the location of the Ruined Kingdom.”

  Arthur’s golden eyes turned almost molten. He studied the point as if it would show him his kingdom if he stared hard enough. But the slight frown on his lips gave away his apprehension. Aliana took his hand, squeezing it.

  “Then what about the pearl?” Percy asked. “What do we think that represents?”

  “Excalibur?” Aliana suggested. “But if it is, and this necklace really shows us what we’re supposed to be doing here, where is Silzik?”

  “Maybe Excalibur is in the Ruined Kingdom,” Lacy offered. “The poem did say it had returned from whence it came.”

  “But Excalibur didn’t come from Camelot.” Arthur gripped the sword strapped at his waist.

  Footsteps and laughter floated down the hall. “We should go,” Galahad suggested. “We can discuss this on the way.”

  Aliana released the map magic, and Leo kneeled down and gathered up the paper version. Galahad held up her pendant and slipped it over her head, letting it settle around her neck again. Smiling, she peeked out of the corner of her eye and caught Arthur watching the two of them, his indifferent mask firmly in place.

  “Time to move, ladies and gents,” Percy said, wrapping his arm around Lacy.

  “Thanks again, Freya, for everything.” Before the little Fae could move, Aliana hugged her.

  “You—you’re most welcome,” the girl answered when Aliana pulled back.

  “Will we see you again, lass?” Leo asked quietly as the others started toward the arching wood doorway.

  Aliana glanced over her shoulder, grinning. Of all the knights, Leo was the quietest. It was nice to see him make a move, no matter how small. Stopping to wait for them, Aliana eavesdropped on their conversation, anxious to hear the Fae’s reply.

  “I…I hope…I would like that,” she stammered, her face flushing a purple tint again.

  Leo glanced at Aliana and for the first time, she saw him blush. He whispered something to Freya then smiled down at her and rejoined the group. Waving to their new friend, they left Titania’s palace and made their way through the city, led by Dagg and Arthur. Aliana had her camera out, snapping pictures of the palace and surrounding village.

  They walked for hours, following the map in Arthur’s hand and debating about where Excalibur could be, why Titania wanted them to take this path, and if they still even needed to find Silzik.

  “When we stop for the night, can we have Dagg look at you?” Aliana asked Galahad quietly.

  He hesitated but nodded. The Dragon fell back by them. “Arthur says we should be close to the place,” Dagg said.

  It was still dark, and Aliana couldn’t help but notice that the night seemed to stretch and stretch here. She started to worry about how much time was passing back at home while they were here. She desperately wanted to know how Wade was doing and if Dawn had discovered anything new about Merlin and his secrets.

  Twenty minutes later, they reached the resting stop and marveled at what appeared to be an old, broken temple. It glowed in the light from the stars above, and an undercurrent of some kind flowed through the earth beneath the ruin and in the cold, stone walls. After setting up camp in the open center of the ruin, Aliana pulled her white knight and Dagg into a room she and Lacy had found earlier when they’d helped the guys check to be sure they were alone.

  “Sit down,” Dagg told Galahad, pointing to a large chunk of stone wall.

  “How is this going to work?” the knight asked, following his instruction. Dagg settled in Galahad’s lap and stretched up on his back legs, his claws resting on the knight’s temples.

  “I need you to relax and think about the times you felt yourself spinning out of control.” Galahad closed his eyes.

  Dagg started to glow a faint purple-silver that slowly spread to Galahad. Aliana tapped her foot anxiously as the minutes stretched. It gave her time to worry that something terrible had been done to Galahad. What if this wasn’t something that could be fixed? Her knight was the strongest person she’d ever known, and she knew he’d do everything possible to control his emotions, but what if it wasn’t enough?

  “Aliana,” Dagg called.

  “What?” She kneeled next to them, and Dagg leaped from Galahad’s lap to hover over them. “I want you to try to see what you can pick up.”

  Aliana frowned. “Why?”

  Dagg glanced at Galahad th
en back to her. “I have to be sure of what I believe is there.”

  She took Dagg’s place in Galahad’s lap. His arms instantly wrapped around her, holding her to him as she leaned her forehead against his and touched his temples.

  “Think back again, Galahad,” Dagg instructed. Her white knight’s intense, swirling blue eyes held hers for an eternity before closing again. His hold on her waist tightened.

  “Seek into his memories, Aliana. See what he does, then look past it for something deeper.”

  15

  There’s more going on under the surface of Galahad’s rampant temper. Owen and I suspected at first that the stress of the constant threat from Mordrid and Morgana was the cause, but now my mate and I fear we may be contending against multiple players. We’d just touched on this possibility when Aliana walked up with Freya. There’s an almost magnetic feeling that draws me to the Fae lass, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. But what chance would I have with a vibrant, elegant, enchanting Fae?

  ~Leo

  ALIANA WATCHED THE HORRIBLE BATTLE SCENES replay. She felt Galahad’s determination to protect her and his intense dread at the thought of her being hurt. But she also felt his pride when she fought back. The scene changed, and she was back on the bridge at the Sidhe’s keep. She saw herself mesmerized by the monsters, lost in their magic. She felt heat rising and panic blooming. The scene changed again and again, and each time the red hot anger grew stronger whenever she was in danger. When Galahad remembered seeing her at Mordrid’s mercy, his rage nearly took over, only easing when she was back in his arms after escaping the black magic.

  The scene shifted, and she saw herself being thrown into the bench at the park. The fury ignited again. It raged the worst when the scene changed to Oberon’s attack. The instant those vines circled her, the frenzy flared and then broke as the Elf king’s ghostly white hand circled Aliana’s throat. Searing, all-consuming rage took over. He lost control and attacked in a blind ferocity. All that mattered was getting her away from the power hungry king.

  Gasping as his fury burned hotter and hotter, Aliana jerked her mind away from the memories and was immediately swallowed by another of her knight’s thoughts. This time she was surrounded by nothing but safety while the guys battled Mordrid and his armies. She watched through some kind of magical looking glass and felt his relief and satisfaction at knowing she was far away from any danger. Shocked by his overwhelming desire for the scene, Aliana pulled back.

  An icy sensation flowed over her as she slipped back into her own mind. She tried to push away the iciness and lingering red hot emotion, clutching at Galahad and shaking from the sudden change. “You can’t,” she breathed moments later. “You can’t ever do that!” She peered into Galahad’s blazing blue eyes.

  “I can’t help wanting you protected at all times, Aliana. You can’t fault me for that.”

  “You have to know that if you ever do that, if you ever lock me away against my will…we’ll be done.” Galahad went rigid, his arms tightened around her almost to the point of pain. “I mean it.” She let him see her determination.

  “No,” he insisted, one hand leaving her waist to circle the back of her neck. “You don’t get to end us because I want to keep you safe.”

  “If you ever break my trust like that, if you take away my chance to protect the people I love, I will.”

  The sparks of their bond flared, and for the first time they warred through her instead of offering comfort and security and love. Unable to stand it, she pushed at his chest until he let her slide from his lap. But as she walked a distance away, trying to gather her storming emotions, she felt him follow her, like a shadow at her back.

  “Setting aside your own feelings for a moment,” Dagg said to her, “what did you feel surrounding the memories?”

  “Darkness,” she whispered, fighting tears while she turned to face Galahad. “And rage so strong it’s blinding. And I felt coldness.” Her eyes didn’t leave Galahad’s. She wanted him to understand the truth in her next words. “Magic. And it’s very closely tied to whatever gives you your strength and speed.”

  Galahad’s silence was almost mutinous. The pair didn’t take their eyes from each other’s.

  “That’s what I saw, too,” Dagg confirmed.

  “Didn’t we think the magic that trapped Galahad and Arthur heightened their natural traits?” Aliana finally looked away from Galahad.

  “Yes,” the Dragon said.

  “Maybe Morgana knew that, and that’s what she was talking about when she asked him if he was having trouble containing himself.”

  “I…” Galahad said reluctantly, “have lived most of my life with the fear of losing people I love. If the Sidhe’s magic did strengthen that anxiety—or whatever you want to call it—can we stop it?”

  “We may be able to dull the effects by creating a magical seal within you, yes,” Dagg said. “But it won’t get rid of the need. You’ll have to focus on keeping calm and not breaking the seal when you feel the rage coming on.”

  Galahad nodded. His eyes were on Aliana, but his words were directed at both her and the Dragon. “I’ll do what you think best.” He warily took Aliana’s hand in his, almost like he was afraid she’d pull away from him. When she didn’t, he said, “I don’t want to lose you and what we have because of magic.”

  Gulping down her relief, Aliana went into his arms.

  “Then Aliana can build the seal.”

  She looked to the little Dragon, confused. “How do I do it?”

  Dagg smiled and said, “You build it just like you did your own shields. It’s the same concept.”

  “Can you do it now, without weakening yourself?” Galahad asked, the dread in his eyes morphing into intense concern.

  Aliana glanced at the small gauntlet on her right hand. “With this new magic, I think I can, yes.”

  “Then do it,” her knight requested.

  It was almost an hour later when they returned to the camp. Leo and Owen lounged around a large fire, roasting several small animals on spits. Aliana suppressed a shudder though she was grateful to have food she could at least somewhat identify, unlike what they’d eaten at the Fae party.

  “How did it go?” Lacy asked in a whisper when Aliana sat down next to her.

  Aliana’s eyes followed Galahad as he and Dagg went over to Arthur. “It was magic causing his problem, but I think we’ve contained it. It’s not completely gone, but as long as Galahad can keep himself under control, he should be fine.”

  Lacy nodded, relief plain in her blue eyes. “I’m glad.”

  Aliana’s fingers twisted together. She felt—not anxious—but something close to it, as if she had a restless need that just wouldn’t go away. “Do you want to do a little more exploring with me? I think I’m still a little hyped up with this new magic. I need to walk it off.”

  Lacy smiled. “I don’t think the food will be ready for a bit, and it’ll be nice to have some girl time together. I know why Dawn stayed behind and I’m grateful to her for it, but I wish she was here.”

  “Me too.” Aliana reached into her bag. “So let’s take a bit of this particular adventure back for her.” She pulled her camera and speed flash from the bag. Grinning, the girls stood and headed toward the opposite side of the ruin toward a hall they’d checked out earlier.

  “Where are you two going?” Arthur called. Galahad and the rest of the guys also watched them.

  “We’re just going to explore the ruin a bit,” Lacy assured them. “We won’t go far. The eagles will stay in the nest.”

  “We’ll be all right, guys. Remember, I have some nifty new powers, too.” Aliana held up her right hand with the ruby glove.

  “We’ve already secured the structure,” Leo said, shrugging.

  Percy came over and gave Lacy a peck on her lips. “Don’t go too far. Stay in shoutin’ distance.”

  Galahad’s eyes found hers and he walked over. “Don’t be gone for long.” He was making an ef
fort to give her space and not let his fear overpower him.

  “Thanks.” She stretched onto her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek.

  Lacy and Aliana dashed down the hall. After a few minutes they lost the light from the fires in the main room, so Aliana summoned a bright, pink ball.

  “I can’t believe Galahad let us go!” Lacy said. “I thought for sure he’d insist on coming with.”

  The corner of Aliana’s mouth turned up. “I think if there had been a real chance of trouble, he would’ve insisted on coming.” She held up her camera, taking several shots of the ghostly hall.

  Lacy played “lost girl” model for Aliana as they roamed, but when the blonde turned a corner, she gasped, “Lia look at this!”

  Aliana rounded the corner and stopped dead, her mouth falling open before she recovered from her surprise enough to snap dozens of pictures of the floor-to-ceiling mural Lacy had discovered. At least it would’ve been floor-to-ceiling if the roof of the room and the base of the wall weren’t crumbled. Summoning more balls of bubbly light, Aliana spread them across the wall, banishing the spider webs and shadows that hid small parts of the mural.

  “Arthur, Galahad, come quick!” Aliana yelled, knowing they were close enough to the campsite to be heard through the echoing stone halls.

  The knights were there in seconds, swords drawn. Dagg’s eyes glowed with his magic.

  “Really?” Aliana’s brow rose in disbelief as they sheathed their blades.

  “What’s all this?” Owen asked.

  “I don’t know,” Aliana said and looked at her guardian. “Dagg?”

  The little gray Dragon hovered in front of the wall, his glowing eyes studying the mural. The seven of them crowded the wall, careful not to touch it. The whole thing looked like it might crumble at the slightest disturbance. The image was of ten different sized orbs with a long line running through them like a string of pearls. Below the largest orb was what appeared to be a small box, or maybe it was a large gemstone, cupped in a pair of delicate hands. It seemed as though the box was taking in and giving out rays of magic.