by test
Normally, she would have had a lady’s maid to attend to all of her needs, but Collin seemed to be proving himself to be quite the substitute. She wouldn’t have been able to have a maid attend to her anyway, as most of the castle servants were scared away by Merlin. Merlin’s reputation preceded him, and even though he was perfectly harmless when it came to the castle help, their closed-minded mentality still held the belief that Merlin would curse them if they displeased him. So, to safeguard against such occurrences they steered clear of Merlin altogether.
She just hoped that Merlin had put a spell of some sort on her bedchamber so that no one would get wind of the fact that Collin, Lachlan and Merlin were all gathered in her bedchamber.
It would cause gossip to spread through Tintagel, and at the moment, she didn’t need wagging tongues as another thing to worry about. Though on the upside, if anyone saw Lachlan in his full leprechaun garb, they’d probably have a fit and faint dead away.
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After she finished dressing her hair, she reached for a gold brooch and fastened it at her bust line, while she put on some thick gold rings and bracelets. Satisfied at her appearance, she turned around then stared quizzically at Collin. He had backed away from her and the distance he’d put between them felt more than a little disconcerting. He wore a foreign expression, and though she furrowed her brow at it, she didn’t have the luxury of asking him about it. She had things to attend to. Firstly, she had to visit Sir Lancelot and Gawain.
“How is Gawain?” she asked, reaching to fasten her Elvin dagger Airell to her belt. She wouldn’t dare wear Anwyn with such company at Tintagel, but she was comforted by the knowledge that Anwyn was just a magical call away. By the look of things, she just might have to call upon her Elvin sword. Foreboding still hung in the air. She didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, but when it did happen it would have a large impact on her life as she knew it.
“Gawain is fine, but he hasn’t yet recovered the usage of his legs,” Merlin said cryptically. Molly sucked in her breath. She was just about to ask Merlin yet another question, when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock at her door. Seconds later, it was hurled open, and when she looked to her side for Collin and Merlin, she discovered that they had vanished. Trust them to do a disappearing act. She didn’t need to turn around to see who had entered her abode. The scent and feeling of the woman clung to everything she touched. She heaved a great sigh letting her arms drop to her side.
Why did she have to face this particular woman first thing in the morning? Her eyes rested on the spot where Merlin and Collin had once been. The next time they crossed paths she would be sure to give them an earful for abandoning her at such a crucial time.
Avalbane lifted her head and gave her a look of sympathy. Then she pushed herself to her feet, stretched, let out a great yawn and padded over to stand beside her. Grateful for the show of support, she reached down to rest her right hand on Avalbane’s head. Well, there was no sense in putting it off any longer. The woman standing behind her wasn’t going to disappear in a plume of smoke, like Merlin could.
“Good morrow, Gwen,” she said, turning to level her gaze at her stepmother.
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Chapter Nine
Molly had a horrid taste in her mouth and her tongue felt like it had been rubbed down with sandpaper. If only Gwen would leave her alone, she could conjure herself up a nice piping hot cup of tea. With milk, yes, that’s what she needed. Of course she’d be going against Merlin’s orders, but well…if she couldn’t conjure up something from the future in the privacy of her own bedroom then what was the point of having doors?
She stared intently at Gwen and sighed heavily. She was just about to ask Gwen what she wanted when the woman did something that shocked her and struck her momentarily speechless. Gwen closed the distance between them and threw her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
She gasped for air and almost slipped, as Gwen crushed her into her suffocating hug.
Patting Gwen on the back, she whispered: “Thanks. “
Then, after a few more agonizing minutes, in which Molly died a million deaths, Gwen released her, and stared at her with a soft expression in her normally guarded blue gaze. Molly tilted her head and placed her hand against her sore side. The pain where the black rider’s blade hit still smarted. It seemed like an echoed imprint that she feared would never go away.
“You nearly made me die of fright when you were battling that horrid dragon. “ Gwen moved to the side, and went to stare out of the window.
“You mean to say that you didn’t have your memory altered by Merlin? Do you still recall that it was a dragon shifter?” Molly ventured cautiously, as the skin on top of her scalp prickled with anxiety. Was it just her imagination or was the air in the room getting increasingly thin? She scratched Avalbane behind the ears, and let her familiar’s contented hum soothe her shattered nerves. Narrowing her gaze, she took a step away from Gwen. Something felt off.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt sure that all would be revealed to her in due course.
“Certainly not,” Gwen puffed out. Gwen thrust her chest out, swelling herself to almost monumental proportions. “Merlin knows better than that. I know of all his hedonistic practices, even though I do not support them, or encourage them. Do you love the one that my ladies in waiting call the Black Knight?” Gwen’s tone was soft and yet the steel in her eyes when she glanced back at Molly, caused Molly to narrow her eyes in suspicion. What was going on?
‘Merlin, you sneaky little bastard, how could you do this to me?’ She strained her telepathic ear, but received no response. Either Merlin had decided to ignore her sarcastic remark, or he was otherwise occupied. Gwen just simply wasn’t making sense. Everything seemed out of place, somehow.
Why would Gwen be concerned about matters of the heart? Moreover, why would her stepmother be concerned about her matters of the heart? Gwen had never showed any interest in Molly’s love life before, and now that she did display some concern it triggered warning bells in the back of Molly’s mind. Something told her to run while the getting was good. But for some reason, she couldn’t seem to make her feet follow any of her mental commands. Avalbane let out a soft growl in the back of her throat. The hair on Avalbane’s head had begun to stand at LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 72
attention. Molly relaxed a little. Having her suspicions confirmed by her familiar made her feel a bit more at ease. She watched Gwen cross the distance to her dressing table.
Swallowing thickly, she noticed the Celtic Love Knot on her jewelry case glowed. Evil was afoot. Gwen moved away from the jewelry box, and Molly pretended to be absorbed with scratching Avalbane’s head. Her hand shook, and Avalbane pierced her with a serious stare.
“If you do not love him, you need not marry him, as is planned. I shall support you, and we shall both go to Arthur together. I am certain that I will be able to convince your father to allow you to flee to Glastonbury. That way, Collin’s father, King Fergus Mor of Dalriada, shall not break the fragile peace treaty he has signed with Arthur. “
Molly could not believe what she was hearing. She knew that her stepmother was suggesting she cloister herself in an ancient nunnery but she still could not fathom such a ridiculous thought.
Had the woman lost all of her wits? And why in the world had she suggested marriage?
Gwen would know that Arthur would never think lightly of any marriage proposal made toward his daughter. She might be as daft as a Danleigh Pixie, but Gwen knew how much Arthur loved her. Gwen had done many things, but she’d always understand the place that Molly held in Arthur’s heart.
“Lady Gwen, might I remind you that I have old faerie magic running through my blood?” She knew that Gwen probably wouldn’t answer her question. And yet she was not prepared for the mottled color that had suddenly crossed Gwen’s features.
“I do this for your
own happiness,” she cried, rushing toward her, as her long black gown swished across the stone flooring. “I can not bear watching you enter into a marriage with a man that you do not want or desire. Your ungrateful attitude strikes me to the quick!” Gwen’s eyes almost seemed wild. Molly licked her lips. She cleared her throat and darted her gaze toward her door. She needed help. The woman in front of her had to be another shape shifter. Gwen would never behave so erratically.
Underneath her prickly attitude the real Gwen had a good heart. A pure heart. There was nothing pure about the woman that stood before her. Panic festered in her heart.
Avalbane let out a low growl that slightly resembled a whimper, and Molly darted her eyes toward her loyal wolfhound. The hound’s ears were perked, and she had lifted herself up upon her haunches. If her familiar had become alarmed, then things would not go down well.
“I have not said that I do not want or desire, Prince Collin,” Molly began, though her attention had been diverted by Avalbane’s low growl of warning. So, she wasn’t losing her mind. If she’d only suspected Avalbane’s distrust before, she now knew that her familiar was just as alarmed by Gwen’s behavior as she was. “Mayhap, what you are speaking of concerns your feelings toward my father and not the worries you have for me. I assure you dearest Gwen, that I can take care of myself. Have you forgotten that I am your sworn protector? I shall overcome whatever challenge is thrown in my path including Prince Collin. “ She raised her one eyebrow, as she tried to discern how Collin had suddenly become a Prince. In truth, Collin had always been a Prince, but he would never be a Prince of a mortal realm. Adria had married the Elvin Prince of Ardara. But Molly hadn’t told him about his Elvin lineage, though someone else might have. Did Collin know of his birthright? She didn’t know what Merlin had revealed to him.
He just might know at this very moment that he was Adria’s grandson. That would be a hard bit of information to digest, especially since his ‘grandmother’ was a young girl of eighteen.
Molly bit her lip, and then moved past Gwen. Something smelt strange, and it hung in the air LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 73
like bad incense. She held her arm out for Gwen to stay back. Surprisingly, Gwen obliged, and moved back even further toward the canopied bed. Her mind felt as soggy as a wet sponge…everything had become so confusing!
Avalbane leapt toward her and stood with her hairs bristling on her back. Molly cast a confused glance down at her faithful hound and was just about to draw her sword, when the looming threat of danger suddenly passed. Perplexed, she moved toward the door and had just reached to open it, when something prickly sank into her shoulder.
“Forgive me,” Gwen murmured in her silkily sweet voice, just as confusion rioted through Molly.
Her magic was being manipulated by whatever drug Gwen had put into her system. She was trying to lash out with her power, even as she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Worse yet, she could not seem to summon the strength necessary to call Anwyn to her side. Avalbane was whimpering again, but as Molly stared down at the imposing beast, her heart fell.
Avalbane was sprawled out on the floor. Obviously, she had fallen prey to Gwen’s treachery as well.
“Why?” she managed to stammer out, as she slumped to the floor. This hadn’t happened in her other timeline. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. How could a shape shifter impregnate the shields her Light Bearers had erected around Camelot?
“Because, my dear, you have been corrupted. I shall ensure that you are brought to the side that you were always meant for. “
“Whatever do you mean?” Her heart pounded and her blood raced in her ears. Her throat constricted painfully, and though she fought falling unconscious, she knew that it would consume her soon.
Molly finally noticed something that she should have seen earlier. As Gwen bent down to smile maniacally at her, her long sleeve fell back to reveal an odd looking tattoo on the inside of her wrist. Groggily, she dragged her gaze to Gwen’s chest. Gwen always had some form of cross nestled between her breasts. Gwen thought that it protected her against the pagan magic that permeated Tintagel. But this Gwen wore nothing around her neck. Swallowing thickly, and feeling as if she were going to throw up all over the place, Molly’s muddled brain finally comprehended something that she should have noticed straightaway. If the woman standing before her wasn’t a shape shifter, and she wasn’t her Lady Gwen, then what or who was she?
“You’re not my Lady Gwen. I had thought you were possessed or that you were a shifter but this…” she stammered, though the pains in her head nearly made her groan aloud. “But if you’re not Lady Gwen, then who the hell are you?” She stared at the carbon copy of Gwen and struggled to wrap her head around it.
“I’m her evil twin, Lady Gwynne. “ The look-alike Gwen supplied, just as Molly fell into a troubled darkness.
* * * *
Molly awoke with a pulsing pain at the back of her head. By the feeling of things, she was in the back of a horse drawn cart, and every muscle in her body cried out in agony. The cart moved at an incredibly fast pace, no doubt speeding them away from Tintagel. She tried to open her eyes but found that the pain pounding in her head was too great. Sunlight seared her eyeballs, and she gasped, quickly shutting her eyes. Her stomach churned, and she felt as if she were going to throw up at any moment.
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Her hands and feet were securely bound. She tried to fight the bonds, but only managed to cut her wrists in the unsuccessful attempt. Every time the cart hit a rut or groove in the rugged trail, her teeth smashed together and the pulsing pain in her head became worse. Now, she knew why she liked the 21st century so much. They had all of the modern conveniences that made life so simple.
She concentrated intently, and tried to summon her magic, but whatever form of poison had been injected into her was still effectively suppressing her powers. She wanted to know how Gwen’s twin sister had smuggled her out of Tintagel. How had the madwoman managed to whisk her past her father’s Knights, and Lady Knights, without anyone trying to stop her? It was a conundrum that she didn’t even want to consider under the circumstances. She had never been this helpless before in her life.
She bit down on her lip to suppress the moan about to rip out of her, when she heard the muffled voices from the driver’s seat of the cart.
“We will never get away with this,” the one man said in a strange language. If she had not been magically enchanted to understand different languages in the future, he would have just been speaking gibberish. It was a damn good thing she was here on the second time around—
Merlin had fought against enchanting them to understand foreign languages, he had insisted that they learn a new language the old-fashioned way.
“Cease your constant prattling, and keep those filthy beasts moving. We must reach Dragon’s Fire Cliff by dusk. We are expected. If we keep my master waiting, you will not like what he will have in store for you. “
Molly was exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to just let herself drift back to sleep, but she couldn’t. She had to dredge up an inkling of strength from somewhere and save herself. Why was it that when she truly needed someone to assist her, that someone never seemed to show up? It was a niggling quandary that never seemed to be answered. She was sick of being alone.
They suddenly hit a particularly jarring rut in the road and Molly went rolling to the other side of the cart where she slammed into something rock solid, and warm. Avalbane. She nearly said the word aloud, and her heart was beating so rapidly that she found it difficult to breathe.
Gwynne had successfully eluded everyone at Tintagel, by pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. She knew for a fact that Gwen had no real talent for white magic so that could mean only one thing. Her twin would not have the talent for it either. The only way she could be using any sort of magic would be if she was dabbling in the dark arts, and was no doubt aligned with Lord Cardan. If as Gwynne admitted,
she and Gwen were identical twins, how could one have a pure-as-driven-snow heart while the other one had a heart as black as coal?
Dread sliced through Molly’s being, as cold worked its way through her blood. She tried to sit up, but found that she was too sluggish to even wink. She was in a bad way. She closed her eyes, and prayed for help. For some reason, the only face that kept popping into her head was Collin’s. She could see him plain as day with his heart-stopping smile, windblown raven waves, and those eyes that said so much with just one magical sparkle.
Dear Lord, she needed to get a grip.
Avalbane hadn’t awakened yet, because she was emitting no sound whatsoever. That meant that she wouldn’t have any help getting away from their captors.
‘Wake up my friend, you must wake up!’ At her telepathic urging, Avalbane twitched.
Her heart soared. If Avalbane woke up, then maybe her job would become a bit easier.
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She strained her ears, and shook her head. She’d thought she’d heard the faint thundering of hoof beats in the distance, but that would be wishful thinking. Then again, one had to hold on to hope. She’d been alone for far too long. She hadn’t truly relied on someone for a very long time. True, she had been Adria’s fighting partner, but in those days, it had always been she that had ridden to the rescue. When Adria required it, and that wasn’t very often, she’d been the knight in shining armor.
