“Well, well, well... The mouse fell into the trap,” the robust male voice I had heard at the pub echoed once more inside my mind and made me jump. In the dim light, the figure of a man running toward me was the last thing I saw before I passed out.
“WHAT THE HECK IS THAT with me fainting?” I yelled at myself once I opened my eyes again. “And where the freaking fart am I now?”
It was a dungeon. I was locked in a freaking dungeon. Again.
“Mordred, you bastard! Is that you?”
No answer. How did they make me faint without me being aware of it happening? That had never happened before. It was so scary. Whoever had done that to me must have been immensely powerful. The thought made me feel frightened. Not because I was afraid to confront whoever was behind this attack, but mainly because I did not know what and who was behind it.
“Where is Arthur when you need him the most?”
Arthur knew more than he had revealed to me. He thought that this was the best way to protect me, but I was stronger than he thought I was. The lack of knowledge was killing me.
I looked at the dungeon door. It was made of iron bars. “Some say the telepathic people have the power to bend iron bars with their mind,” I thought. “Maybe I can do that too. Or maybe I do not, otherwise, why would they lock me in a cell with iron bars as a door? Have they underestimated me? I do not blame them. They tested me and I failed. They came close to me and I did not even sense them. They made me faint twice and I did not resist. So maybe they know better than Arthur and me. But I won’t know if they’re right if I don’t try.”
I fixed my gaze on the center of the dungeon door. I focused so hard on the iron bars until my eyes started burning and I got a headache. And then the miracle happened. With a squeaking noise, the bars got bent and a large hole appeared in the middle of the door. It was time to leave that pothole like a boss.
“Believe in yourself when no one believes in you,” I told myself as I rushed into the dim corridor.
Running like hell, I reached a stone staircase and started climbing fast. I did not stop running even when I entered a vast chamber empty of furniture. Carved wood columns were the only decoration. A heavy wooden chandelier with dozens of candles was hanging from the ceiling. A huge iron gate was visible in the distance. And then, I heard them.
A turmoil of thoughts suddenly erupted into my head, accompanied by a shrill sound that caused me so much pain that I unconsciously bent down, with the weight of my body collapsing onto my knees. I placed my hands on my ears in a desperate effort to block the horrific sound out of my mind, although I knew it would have little effect. It was like a vortex of thoughts was swirling in a mist of contradicting emotions. A strong wind blew abruptly behind my back and got my hair fly into the air. Beads of sweat poured over my forehead as I realized that Arthur was in that castle and he was in trouble.
A loud “bang” made my heart race like a crazy horse. The entire castle was shaking, glasses were broken in an eerie crunching sound. Another loud “bang” was this time accompanied by Arthur’s voice.
“Arthur!” I shouted and ran toward the chamber the noise was coming from. It was so dark that I could not see much. I took a deep breath and rushed into the room that resembled a battleground. Arthur and Dindrane were engaged in a life and death fight against a group of Black Sword Fighters.
A bright light flashed the space as Arthur pulled his dagger out of his pocket to defend himself from a huge black-clad man’s knife attacks. Arthur stayed still until his opponent got closer to him, and then with a quick move, he ducked and grasped him by the knees. Once Arthur rammed his dagger into his opponent’s neck, the man’s body was scorched down and disintegrated into a pile of black ashes.
My man’s fighting partner flipped a glowing dagger in her hand and stabbed her opponent in the middle of his chest. His body instantly caught fire and within seconds he was burned down until all that left of him was a pile of dark ashes on the pavement.
I let a cry out when I saw a female Black Sword Rider trying to backstab Arthur. With a quick move, he turned around and wrapped his arm around her jaw. Trying to defend herself, the woman attempted a thrust at Arthur’s chest right at the moment Arthur rammed his dagger into her.
“Don’t do that - it’s pointless,” a female voice whispered in my mind.
A few seconds passed before Arthur realized that I was staring at him. Having felt the weight of my gaze, he looked at me, making my pulse race. That was a mistake.
A black-clad woman, whose voice I had heard, came flying straight at him, and stabbed him in the chest.
ARTHUR LOST HIS BALANCE and collapsed. His dagger was still flashing in his hand. “Oh, my Gosh,” I cried and ran through ashes and dust to get to him.
“Go away! Hide!” The words came out of his mouth with a struggle.
I knelt down beside him and took his hand in my hands while Dindrane was literally kicking ashes. Under any other circumstances, I would have admired her immensely, I would have asked her autograph - honestly.
“I got stabbed in the chest.” He started coughing uncontrollably.
“I know. But it has happened before. And nothing happened to you. You’ll get through this time, too,” I said.
I brushed his messy hair with my fingers and swiped a bead of sweat that rolled down from his forehead. “You aren’t going to die,” I whispered. “This time I know what I need to do.”
His body shivered on my lap.
“This is not the end,” I said. “Give me your ring.”
I got Arthur’s ring and put it on my finger. The ring was a way to break Merlin’s spell on me. No one had told me what those rings were used for; I had to figure it out myself after hours of observation and stalking my wizard professors.
“Now, I need you to trust me,” I said as I placed his head carefully on the floor.
My heartbeat sped up and my hand trembled when I turned the white round stone of the ring two times right and one time left clockwise.
My lips parted as I watched the time getting frozen.
Arthur was still lying down, his eyes closed, and his face peaceful. Dindrane was having a hard time fighting against two Time Hoppers, one male and one female, in slow motion.
What if I was not able to save him? I bit my lip and continued staring at him.
Suddenly, Arthur opened his eyes and winked at me.
“Did it work?” I asked breathlessly.
“It worked,” he answered, and a broad smile appeared on his face.
With a quick move, he jumped up on his feet. The adrenaline rush was still at a high level in my body. I looked down at myself. My shirt was stretched, my hands were trembling hard.
“You feeling good?” I asked nervously.
A wheezing sound coming from the other side of the room made us turn our heads. Everything happened so fast and with such an amazing accuracy like it was well orchestrated by a supreme force.
“Now watch me!” I shouted and started turning the ring stone again.
Arthur used his dagger as a spear as I raised my fist with the Time Hopper rings in the air. A glowing white light erupted from the rings, passed through my body, and ended to the edge of the dagger. An enormous otherworldly power possessed my body. The cosmic vastness accommodated my tiny human body and little explosions of knowledge shook my soul. My long loud cry stopped when all our opponents evaporated. Their swords and their rings dropped down as the time sped up again in a haze of golden mist.
I let my arms fall exhausted and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I was tired that I did not sense Dindrane coming toward me. When I opened my eyes again, she was in front of me. She knelt and lowered her head.
“Well done, sis. Well done.”
CHAPTER 15
*
“Here we are.”
With my hand raised to block the sun, I looked at Arthur who stood in front of a vaulted limestone gate with a wide welcoming smile on his face.
Amazed by
the beauty of the sand-colored structure, I followed him across the domed passageway, which led to a less impressive gateway decorated by a pointed wooden arch.
Arthur took my hand and I let him lead me through a maze made of narrow streets that gave her the sense that nothing had changed in the city since the Middle Ages. Plain limestone walls rose around us, dropping their shadows on the clinker brick alleys, creating a claustrophobic feel. All streets seemed to lead to nowhere; I felt as if we were trapped and there would be no escape in case of danger.
He stopped walking and turned towards me.
“I have a secret to share with you. Something no one else knows.” His eyes sparkled as he smiled broadly. “A few days ago, I found this sword. To be more precise, the Lady of the Lake gave it to me. She said she gave me the sword for exchange for a later boon. I do not know what that means. So, this is what I want now; to find out what this sword is about. What about you? What is it that you want?”
“I want to be a full fledge Time Hopper.” I frowned.
“It’s a dangerous job, and I don’t want you to get yourself exposed to any kind of danger again.”
“But it is not your decision to make.”
“Okay, being a full fledge Time Hopper requires extreme physical condition. You’ll need to practice hard and train in martial arts.”
“I took a few singlestick classes at Vulgate.”
“Singlestick? Sherlock Holmes called, he wants his singlestick back,” he burst out laughing.
“Hey, don’t laugh at my stick.”
“Okay, don’t get pissed off. But you must admit, it’s quite old-fashioned.”
“Which is coming very much in fashion again, thank you very much. I could show you some moves, but I don’t have my stick with me.”
“You don’t need one,” Arthur said, and with an unexpected movement, he grabbed my waist with both hands and pushed me down onto the ground.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked as he got on top of me and pinned my hands over my belly.
“You are a crazy bastard. Let me go!” I sounded pissed, but I was not pissed at all.
“You said you want to become an operative Time Hopper. So, an operative Time Hopper you are. Act as one,” he said as he locked my legs between his thighs.
I tried to get free of his strong grip, but it was in vain; he was pushing my down with all the strength in his muscled body.
“Are you really doing this in the middle of the road?” I could hardly breathe.
“It’s the middle of nowhere; an empty, isolated alley in an ancient city. No one passes by from here. You are a field agent; these things happen to you all the time, no matter the place.” He grinned.
“You are freaking crazy indeed.” I suppressed a naughty smile.
“Stop talking and start fighting,” he said, pushing my down with his chest.
“I’m trying.” I was suffocating under the weight of his toned body.
“Try harder,” he whispered in my ear. His face was now so close to mine that their noses almost touched. My heart was pounding out of my chest and tried to take a deep breath to make my heart rates slow down. I felt his heart beating fast too. The way he was looking at me was so intense, surprisingly intense, as he had never seen me before. I tried to utter a word, but not a single noise came out of my mouth. The heat of his breath fanned across my skin.
“This ... This is wrong. We ... We shouldn’t be doing this,” he stammered as he drew his head away from mine. Avoiding my gaze, he helped me get back on her feet. Hands shaking, I dusted her clothes off and combed my disheveled red hair with my fingers.
“Come on, let’s go home,” he said softly and took my hand in his hand gently.
We walked hurriedly towards the ancient city’s exit. The streets were still empty, and the quietness wasn’t comforting in that awkward moment. I decided to break the silence.
“Do you want to talk about what just happened?”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“What is that you think is wrong?”
“Because I am cursed. At least I think I am. I have heard rumors about me, about who my parents were, about a cause that I am supposed to fight for. The truth is that I do not know who I really am. I do not know who my parents were. I was abandoned at the Academy when I was a baby. No one ever told the truth about my family. I only know that Merlin is fond of me and that he let me live in the underground apartment because he cares about me as if I were his own son. The apartment and the sword are the only things I own, and I am not sure they belong to me. Because of whom I am, I feel that any woman who is with me is in incredible danger.”
“Nothing wrong with a little bit of danger. I do not think you are a dangerous person. And you cannot always take care of the others. You are not responsible for those who are around you.”
He was still holding my hand firmly when we reached the ancient city gates.
We walked quickly under the rain and I tried hard to keep pace with his speed; he was still holding my hand tightly. We stayed silent all the way back home, and that gave me time to process what had just happened on that empty alley.
When I got to my room, I looked at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. The blush had faded away, but she was still bothered about what I had experienced the last few days; attacks, training, flirting.
“Too many thoughts to process at once,” I thought.
So, I decided not to process anything. For once, I would let life to happen with me.
Que sera, sera!
I opened the closet and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans. After I put them on, I paired them with a black and white cropped tee and a pair of black old school sneakers.
It was uniform-free Sunday.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
The door to our bedroom opened with a smooth sound and Arthur appeared with a tray in his hands.
“I thought you’re hungry and I made you an egg sandwich.” He placed the tray on the table and drew the chair and invited me to sit down.
“Enjoy,” he said as I placed the plate on the table.
“It’s delicious,” I said and filled my mouth with a huge bite.
His fingertips slid on the scratched surface of the table before he answered. “Is there anything you aren’t telling me?”
“I love you?” I said innocently and he laughed.
He put his hand in his pocket. “Do you remember these?” He was holding three golden rings adorned with a red stone.
“I do.” I swallowed hard.
“They are identical to the rings the Time Hoppers that had attacked us wore.” He placed the golden rings with the red gem on the table.
“What does that mean to us?” I asked.
“Probably nothing,” he tried to comfort me, but I knew that he was lying. “However, I want you to be extra careful when you’re wandering around alone, especially at night. If you notice anything alarming, please let me know.”
“I’m sure no one is after me.”
He leaned closer to me and softly kissed my forehead. “Please be careful.”
He protectively tucked an unruly silver curl behind my ear. It was obvious what was on his mind. My arms held on tight onto his neck and when our eyes met, a ripple of excitement shot through my body as he sucked on my lower lip. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would jump out of my chest. His gaze at me was so intense that it took my breath away. Drops of sweat rolled down my nape and my breasts moved up and down when his cold lips touched mine. He kissed my skin from my ear to my neck. My heart pounded faster as he gently removed my cropped top and I shuddered when his hand cupped my breast. A small cry escaped my mouth as his hand moved between my legs. Hands shaking, I unbuttoned his shirt and caressed his bare chest.
My face was flushed. I brushed his hair with my fingers and swiped a bead of sweat that rolled down from his forehead as we became one body.
“I cannot stay away from you, Gwen,” he said softly.
&
nbsp; I SQUEAKED AND STRUGGLED against Arthur’s grip. A small cry came out of my mouth, as he tightened his grip on my neck. The bastard smiled cunningly. With the press of his thumb, my muscles started shaking, forcing me to sink to my knees. Still smirking, he leaned forward, and hissed in my ear, “Do you surrender?”
“Never!”
My arms held on tight onto his neck and when our eyes met, a ripple of excitement shot through my body. As he sucked on my lower lip, my legs wrapped around his hips. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would jump out of my chest. The water in the bathtub we were in was now cold. I looked at him. His cheeks were flushed, his breath erratic.
“It’s cold,” I said and hastily got out of the bathtub and wrapped my body in a soft beige towel. He followed me naked and started to comb my wet hair with his fingers. I looked at myself in the mirror. What kind of dream was this?
“Do you still believe that I am the Sorceress?”
“It does not matter,” Arthur whispered softly in my ear. “Just be who you really are. A kindhearted person with a powerful mind who can dominate every Time Hopper’s mind.”
He placed his hand low on my back possessively. I lifted my eyes to his face; he was mesmerizing in his beauty. My heart pounded hard in my chest as he lightly brushed his mouth against mine.
“I’m feeling so happy that I want to bake a cake,” I said smiling.
“You do not know how to bake,” he said before he kissed me hard.
I wanted to bake a Sicilian chocolate love cake so badly. What Arthur did not know was that it would be his test for my love. If he loved my cake, that would mean that he loved me, too.
Suddenly, white lightning strikes appeared out of nowhere in our bathroom and Dindrane came from inside the swirl.
“Get your clothes on. Merlin is going to be missing soon,” she demanded.
The Cursed Sword Page 10
