My Merlin AwakeningBook 2, My Merlin Series

Priya Ardis

Ink Lion Books

My Merlin AwakeningBook 2, My Merlin Series

Rise of the Fisher King

Table Of ContentsPrologueCHAPTER 1 – HOMECHAPTER 2 – THE WORLD BECKONSCHAPTER 3 – CROSSROADSCHAPTER 4 – A HAUNTED HOUSECHAPTER 5 – NYMPH’S LURECHAPTER 6 – CHOICESCHAPTER 7 – THE ATTACKCHAPTER 8 – ATHENSCHAPTER 9 – A DARK DANCECHAPTER 10 – GHOST CITYCHAPTER 11 – HOLDING ONCHAPTER 12 – THE PILLARS OF HERCULESCHAPTER 13 – MERMAIDSCHAPTER 14 – CHAMPIONCHAPTER 15 – THE LONG DARKCHAPTER 16 – THE LIONCHAPTER 17 – THE WHITE BULLCHAPTER 18 – TIGER, TIGERCHAPTER 19 – SACRIFICECHAPTER 20 – AWAKENINGEVER MY MERLINAbout the AuthorAuthor’s Note

My Merlin Awakening. Copyright © 2012 by Priyanka Ardis. Cover art by ClaudiaMcKinney, Phatpuppy Art. Cover photo by Y. Sjøv ik . Cover model is J. Mathisen. Cover

design by Kat Balwin, Ink Lion Books.

A ll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded,reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval

system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without theauthor's express written permission. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book

v ia the Internet or v ia any other means without permission is prohibited.

This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people or real locations are usedfictitiously . Any references to historical events are used fictitiously . Characters, names,organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's

imagination or used fictitiously . Any resemblance to actual incidents or persons iscoincidental.

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various

products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. Thepublication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the

trademark owners.

Published by: Ink Lion Books, LLC

http://inklionbooks.com

Visit the author website:http://www.priyaardis.com

ISBN-13: 978-0-9848339-1-7

ISBN-10: 0984833919

Version 2012.06.16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A big sloppy thank you to the readers who have encouragedme to write the second installment of this series. When I went outwith the first book, I wasn’t sure what to expect and to find thosewho enjoy the Merlin stories has been a true blessing.

There are also a great many who have worked in thebackground to make this book happen. I would like to thank myeditors—Teri “The Editing Fairy” G. for her wonderful polish andWes M. for his pointed insight in refining the story. I would like tothank my brilliant cover designer, Kat B. at Ink Lion Books, andfabulous cover artist Claudia M. at Phatpuppy Art.

Thank you to my family and friends for their incrediblesupport. It means everything.

Finally, to the Brontes, may they forever haunt the Moors!

Prologue

PROLOGUE Everything I had worked for, planned, schemed and

generally manipulated into being I saw coming together. The futurewas upon me.

My name is Merlin.Arthur stood on top of a small hill, surrounded by a hundred

or so knights in chainmail, a flutter of brightly gowned nobles, and a

mass of commoners in plain brown and gray. He pulled Excaliburfrom the stone.

It was what the crowd had been waiting for, yet they stillgasped when it happened. The sword had been sitting outside thecastle of Camelot under a great, white oak tree for so long it hadpassed into legend. It had been all but forgotten by the kingdom. Aman had occasionally tried his hand to pull out the glimmering metal,if only for its monetary value as much as its mystery, but no one hadever succeeded. Until today.

The prince had, just hours after the death of King Uther,pulled the sword from its resting place—and the fate of the wholekingdom changed in an instant.

The burdensome gloom that had settled in the air gave wayto a burgeoning sense of expectation. The fever of it shone in theeyes of everyone from the kingdom’s most faithful knights down tothe smallest child. Under a banner of crimson red and gloriouswhite, they all watched their new king with awe.

Their savior had arrived.Finally, one commoner shouted out a cheer, the first volley of

an erupting wave. Within moments, the whole square echoed with aferocious sound of victory.

I pulled my hood around me and sank back into the trees.The kingdom would know about me soon enough.

“So it is done.” A shadowy figure came through the clearing.I turned to look behind me. With whisper-soft footfalls,

Vivane, or Vane, as he’d long ago dubbed himself, crushed leaveswith such precise movements of his jerkin boots that they could onlyemit silent screams. Most creatures rarely got a chance to emitmore around Vane. But it was not this that bothered me. It was acertain coldness in my brother’s gaze, which disturbed me my entirelife.

Vane stopped just beside me. “Why do you stand in theshadows? We no longer need to hide our magic. Our time hascome.”

“Will come. Arthur has promised to integrate us back into thekingdom, but nothing happens overnight,” I corrected him.

“Are you sure he is not too old?”“Arthur is but twenty-eight. He has plenty of years left,” I

said to convince myself as much as him.“That’s not what I meant.”“I realize this.” He was referring to whether Arthur was too

old to change.In the square, the commoners who’d been watching at a safe

distance started to approach their new king with eager faces. Itdidn’t take long for the knights of Camelot to also come out of theirstupor, forming a barrier around Arthur. They started to shepherdhim back inside the main castle keep. A young boy broke throughthe barrier of knights. One knight rushed to catch the boy. Arthurheld up a hand to stay the knight. He kneeled down on one knee tospeak to the excited lad.

The kindness of the action rekindled my hope. I looked atVane. “He will bring us out of the shadows. You will see. He is thebridge between us.”

“The bridge? You have no idea what that actually means, doyou?”

I ground my teeth. Nothing with Vane was ever easy. It hadbeen like that since we were children. He always had to have thelast word. “The Lady said we would not know the future until thesword had been lifted. Whoever removes it determines the courseof our future.”

Vane snorted. “And since you’ve had no visions beyondwhat happened today, you’re forced to take her word for it.”

I put a hand on the weathered trunk of a thick tree. Its roughedges scraped my fingers. I could feel the power under its coarseexterior. “She promised us a greater destiny. She wouldn’t lie aboutthat.”

“You put too much faith in her.”I twisted to face him. “Then why did you help me with

Arthur? Without you, he would have never have had the skill to pullout the sword. He would not have passed the trial.”

Vane didn’t answer. His attention fixed on Arthur and movedjust to the right of the new king. A young woman, dressed in a fine

gown, was being escorted away from the crowd. Vane frowned.“Who is she?”

I almost groaned. “Guinevere.”“Really?”“His betrothed.” I added quickly, “She’s very much devoted

to him.”Vane raised a brow. “You sound as if you know her well.”“As a friend,” I said with measure.“I sense a hint of disappointment.”Against my will, my jaw clenched. I felt power surging inside

me. My eyes must have flashed—I was told it was a terrifying sightto see a man’s eyes glow with a blue radiance—but Vane’s onlyreaction was a smug expression.

I sighed and the power subsided instantly. Vane was the onlyone who could make me lose control so easily. I asked again, “Whydid you help me with Arthur?”

Vane’s lips curled up into a slow smile. “That should beobvious, Merlin. I want to change my destiny and as a friend of theking, I can do just that.”

CHAPTER 1 - HOME

CHAPTER 1HOME

I was tired of being real. All I wanted to do was put on a

smile and fake it until my teeth hurt. I wanted to go back to a timewhen everything was simple. I wanted to go back to that personwho didn’t need to question everything, who didn’t have to fight forevery inch of space, who didn’t have to remember to breathe. Iwanted to go back to just being the nice girl. I wanted to go back tobeing me. If only I knew what “me” meant anymore.

A lacrosse ball whacked me on the head. I turned to glare atthe perpetrator.

“Wake up, DuLac!” Vane yelled from the sidelines.I gnashed my teeth and rubbed my head. The score was ten

to two—not in our favor. Possibly the reason our new coach mayhave been so pissed.

Vane, or Dr. Vivane Northe, had joined the staff of Acton-Concord High School during the winter break. He’d taken over theposition left by Ms. Bedevere, my European History teacher,who’d not only gotten married during Christmas vacation, but wasnow expecting a kid. Her new husband was our Physics teacher, ashort energetic man, and apparently, not shooting blanks. Really, itwas possible to know too much about your teachers.

I glared at Vane. He wore navy blue sweatpants, a woolcap, and a matching blue hoodie. I had on thin windbreaker pants,no jacket, and no warm cap. The cap was my fault. It was sitting inmy gym bag inside the heated locker room. Of course, Vanerefused to let me go back inside to retrieve it. All in all, I preferredto be curled up in bed with a book, rather than standing in themiddle of a field on a bone-chilling winter day in Concord,Massachusetts, clutching an icy lacrosse stick.

Vane smirked back at me as if he knew exactly what I wasthinking and had zero sympathy. “Stop daydreaming and pick upthe pace, Ryan.”

I wanted to take the ball and hit him in the face, but I didn’t. Iwasn’t the sort… Unfortunately. My name is Arriane MorganneBrittany DuLac—you can imagine why I chose to go by Ryaninstead. I turned back to face the girls on the other team and forcedmyself to concentrate.

I was a little shocked to realize I didn’t even know howmany girls were playing. Vane had divided the lacrosse team for thescrimmage. My side wore practice jerseys of blue and yellow, theother team wearing red and black. Another girl on my teamgrabbed the ball and started weaving through the opposition towardthe goal. I ran, keeping just behind her, but kept to the outside.

Bitterly harsh wind that chilled New England at this time ofyear slapped against our backs with relentless persistence. Moundsof untouched snow sat at the edges of the lacrosse field. But here, inthe middle of the field, enough snow had been cleared to revealsludgy mud and crunchy grass. This snow looked about asattractive as the black-tarred stuff that lined the edges of the roadsall over town. The romance of Christmas had worn off. We weredeep into February, and we faced several more months of sheercold.

Obviously, Vane was into torture. It was the only explanationfor making the team practice outside in the middle of winter. Howhad I wound up dating such a psycho?

Not that Vane was the only mental case out today. On thefield next to us, the boys’ football coach, not to be outdone by thegirls’ coach, had also thrown his players into the frosty milieu. I saw

my brother Grey’s brown hair bobbing around in the throng of boysin sweatpants and muscle-clinging spandex thermal shirts.

“Get to the front, DuLac!” Vane yelled, jogging parallel to uson the sidelines. “Move your ass!”

Beside me, a girl giggled at Vane’s harassment. My eyesnarrowed. Ramanajan. Newly up from junior-varsity, she’d takenover the vacant spot Alexa left… which would have been okay, hadshe not played it so well. I wanted time to miss Alexa. I wasn’tready to just move on.

My sister deserved to be mourned.Anger proved to be the impetus that forced my tired legs to

battle against an invisible enemy of lady winter. My lungs stretchedin my chest until it hurt, but somehow, I pushed and pulled myselfahead of my team. I still stayed on the outside. The other teamblocked the goal with a solid defense line. Ramanajan, a slender girlwith long, black braids, had the ball in her lacrosse stick and ran inplace as she tried to find a hole.

Without ever glancing my way, she lobbed the ball straight atme. A linebacker of a girl tried to intercept the ball, but I edged herout, using my shoulder to block as I leaped up and raised mylacrosse stick. The ball landed with a solid thwack into the net ofmy stick.

I had a good shot at the goal. Another teammate jumped upand down, waving her stick in the air. She was a little closer to thegoal, but stood at an odd angle. It was a risk, but I hooked the stickand shot the ball forward to her. She caught it and sent it flying tothe goal. We all held our breaths. The ball slammed into the top ofthe post. Luckily, it went down instead of out and sailed into thegoal.

On the sidelines, Vane blew the whistle. Scrimmage wasover.

Ramanajan ran up to me and bumped shoulders.I forced a smile.“Good call, Ryan. Just like I watched you and Alexa play—”

Ramanajan cut off when my smile faltered. She sobered. “Sorry. Ishouldn’t have said… well, good pass, Ryan.” Quickly, she walkedaway from me to high-five a few of the other girls.

I stared out at the quiet field. I blinked hard to restrain thesuffusion of emotion that hovered just behind my eyelids. Thelinebacker girl whom I’d blocked to get to the goal thumped myback. “We all miss her, DuLac.”

“Thanks, Christine,” I said. I glanced at Vane, who was stillon the sideline just behind us. The team surrounded him. I couldn’thear what they were saying to him, but I heard the exclamationpoints. Vane made a reply, which caused the girls to squeal withlaughter. Ramanajan put a hand on his bicep and squeezed. Myeyes narrowed.

“Ugh,” Christine said. “How are we ever going to get throughthe season when all they want to do is drool over Coach 007?”

I grimaced. Between his British accent, lean-muscledphysique, and deadly-but-hot looks, Vane did have a Bond-esquequality to which no one seemed immune.

Christine hit my back with another hard slap. “Come on, let’sget inside before we turn into ice. Oh, I ordered those foam boardslike you wanted.”

“Good,” I said. “Who knew prom would be so much work?”Christine was on the planning committee with me.

She grinned. “I put in my vote for you.”

I groaned. I really didn’t want to be prom queen. I didn’twant to be any sort of queen. A picture of a sword embedded instone flashed in my mind, and the irony of the statement didn’tescape me. I started walking slowly back toward the gym with her.

“Bowler, DuLac, hang on.” Vane came up behind us with therest of the team in tow. “Bowler, take this back to the lockerroom.” He handed Christine a bulky duffel bag.

She grunted at its unexpected weight, but gave Vane abeatific smile that bordered on simpering. “You know my name?”

He gave her a brief nod. Her smile widened.I winced.A gust of frosty wind spurred us to hurry.Vane grabbed me. “DuLac, let’s chat.”Chat. British-speak for “Stand still while I yell at you.”“Yes, Coach,” I said between clenched teeth.The girls who had been heading quickly towards the gym

slowed to a crawl and looked at me curiously.Vane’s lips curved up into a cold smile. “What was that?

You had a clear shot at the goal. Why didn’t you take it?”My feet turned inward. I chewed my lip. “We’re here to

practice, right? How can the rest of the team do that if I’m taking allthe shots?”

Vane leaned his face down to mine. The top of my head onlyreached his shoulders. His breath hot in my face, he growled, “Youaren’t taking all the shots. You’re not taking any of them. That’s theproblem. You are their leader, DuLac. Act like one.”

I didn’t reply. I wasn’t sure what to say. What could I saythat he would understand? I had been trained by Vane to be aleader, a champion, but I didn’t feel like one. I had just gotten

lucky.Vane continued, “Play like you did today, DuLac, and I will

bench you. There are plenty of others ready to take your spot if youcan’t straighten up.”

I huffed. “I did fine in our last game.”“Fine isn’t good enough for co-captain. We lost the game.”“Twelve to eleven,” I said.We must have been talking loudly because the other girls

stopped pretending to be going back to the gym and haltedcompletely. Ramanajan and Christine turned around to look atVane and me first. The rest of the team followed their lead.

I shot him an angry look. “We’re adjusting. We lost ourcaptain. Remember? You haven’t picked a new one. Our old coachwould have it straightened out by now.”

“Ramanajan!” Vane barked.The slender girl jumped slightly.“Congratulations, you’ve made captain.” Vane looked at her.

She beamed a wide smile at him. He looked at the rest of the team.They returned his gaze like a pack of abused dogs—eager to pleasewith a dash of fear.

“I know it’s difficult losing a team member and your coachalmost at the same time, but we can’t dwell on that. You are varsity.Many of you are graduating. To have a chance at scholarships, youneed to keep your eyes on the target. Playing here is not just aboutwinning a few games. This is about your future. Show them you’rethe champions you’ve already proven yourselves be. We were firstplace in our division last term. There is no reason why we can’t doit again… if you can keep focused.” Vane rounded on me. “Whatdo you say, DuLac?”

“I’ll try,” I mumbled.“Coach is right,” Ramanajan said quickly. “We can’t lose if

we can just figure out how to work together again. As your captain,I promise you I won’t rest until that is so.”

Vane gave her a brisk nod. “Good.”I shivered as another blast of arctic air raced across the open

field and leveled us.“Everyone inside,” Vane said.The team didn’t need more prompting. Arms linked, they

huddled together against the cold and ran inside. I followed. Vanedidn’t stop me again as I half expected him to. I turned around toglance at him.

He stood looking out across the empty field with a pensiveexpression, his dark-blonde eyebrows furrowed. I had the feelinghe wasn’t thinking about lacrosse. I had to resist the urge to walkover and put a hand against the hard cheekbones of his face. Ishook my head. When it came to Vane, I was more pathetic thatanyone else on the team.

***It took me a few minutes to shower after practice. The other

girls were still congratulating Ramanajan when I hurried out of thelocker room. I was the first to get to History. The basement roomreminded me of a dungeon. Cheap plywood desk-and-chaircombos took up most of the space. A thin teacher’s desk lookedbarren at the front. Most of the room was bereft of any decoration.High windows surrounded the top of the classroom, letting in a bitof sun, but not enough to lighten the dreary interior.

The classroom filled quickly as students rushed to beat thebell. There were usually one or two who hung around just outside in

the hallway until the bell forced them in, but not this class. Everyonesat and waited for the teacher.

A couple of people peeked in from the hallway. They wereteachers on their off period. The sharp ring of the bell sounded. Wewaited. No one was particularly surprised that our teacher was late.I heard footsteps pound down the corridor, then a titter of voicesfrom the lingering teachers in the hall before Vane entered theclassroom.

“Ah, you’re all here,” Vane said, as if it were a surprise.I glanced around the packed room. When Ms. Bedevere

was teaching Advanced Placement European History, despite itbeing the only Euro-History class, barely half the room had beenfull. Now, every desk had a student and I knew there was a waitinglist of several students if a space opened up. The majority of theclass was, of course, girls. And by the way they stared at Vane withsuch intense concentration, I doubted if a space was going to openup anytime soon.

Vane slammed his bag down on the floor beside theteacher’s desk. With white chalk, he wrote “Ancient Greece” onthe blank chalkboard. He asked without turning, “Who’s done theirreading?”

Almost every single hand in the classroom went up.I forced myself to lower mine. I glanced behind me at Grey

and raised a brow at my brother’s taciturn expression. Grey andthree of his buddies sat in the back. Grey’s hand was not up, but hisbuddies had raised theirs. They were the only boys left. Many of theother boys who had originally been in the class had, over the month,disappeared bit by bit, transferring to other classes as theirgirlfriends persuaded them to give up their space. Since my brother

didn’t have a girlfriend, and didn’t seem inclined to get one anytimesoon, he held on. He also wanted to keep a close eye on Vane.

Vane turned around. His eyes fixed on Grey. “Don’t like theGreeks, Ragnar?”

“Aren’t we supposed to be on World War I or something?The AP tests aren’t that far away. Ms. Bedevere already coveredthis.”

“Indeed, she did. However, when I gave you the pop quizlast week, it seems that none of you were able to answer anyquestions in this area. Hence, we shall be going back to addressthese holes. And I expect you to complete your assignments, notjust question them.” He leveled Grey with a sardonic look. “Youmay do that once you’ve actually built up a basic foundation.” Vaneglanced at the class.

They all watched him with alert eyes.“Who can tell me the date of the great volcanic eruption on

the Greek island of Thera?”A wheezy girl in the front coughed and stuck her hand up in

the air. She beat the twenty other girls whose hands were also heldhigh.

Vane looked at me. “Well, DuLac?”If I could have sunk any lower into my seat I would have, but

showing weakness in front of Vane wasn’t an option. “Theestimated date was said to be somewhere between 1630 BC and1600 BC, about thirty-five hundred years ago.”

Vane blinked. He clearly was not expecting me to actuallyknow the dates. I don’t know why, but it surprised him that I had,in fact, read the assignment. Total flakes didn’t get elected studentpresident. Plus, I happened to be a history nerd. Why else would I

be interested in a guy born in the year 519?I met Vane’s steady gaze. He didn’t seem at all out of place

in our time despite being cryogenically frozen in a cave for morethan fifteen hundred years. The staff of Acton-Concord was startledwhen the new lacrosse coach took over a history class. Thecombination of razor-sharp wit (completely real) and his credentials(completely fake) had won them over in the end.

“What is the date estimate based on?” Vane asked.“Carbon dating of an olive tree found under the lava flow.”“What city was on Thera?”“Akrotiri, a Minoan settlement,” I said.“What did the eruption also cause?”I opened my mouth to answer.Vane raised a brow. “Clearly you’ve read your assignment,

DuLac. Shall we allow someone else to answer?”My cheeks heating, I glared at Vane. Of course, I couldn’t

come up with anything cuttingly clever on the spot. Some peoplehad that ability, not I.

Ramanajan, who sat behind me, cleared her throat. “Theeruption was so large, a tsunami hundreds of feet high devastatedthe northern coast of the island of Crete, the center of the Minoancivilization about sixty-eight miles away. The Minoans neverrecovered from the eruption. In less than fifty or so years, theirstrongholds fell and the Greek city-states such as Athens, Sparta,and Argos came into power.”

Vane nodded. Coming around his desk, he sat on the edgeand stared at the class for a minute. He didn’t say anything, but Ifound myself holding my breath in anticipation. “One event thatchanged the world as we know it. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

How everything we know, even the way we live, can change in theblink of an eye?”

He didn’t look at me, but I knew his words were directedstraight at me.

The class stared back at him. The whole world had literallytrembled when a giant stone holding King Arthur’s sword suddenlypoofed into existence, crashing into the middle of London. Thenews had labeled it the “Total Tremor.” Several months later, noone could explain the appearance of the sword. Nor could anyonescientifically figure out how a rock, only the size of pickup truck,created an impact wave that caused the whole world to experiencethe tremor.

It did change the world. Just the appearance of KingArthur’s sword had caused a storm of excitement, speculation, andfear. No one wanted to say the “M” word.

“M” was for magic.Two girls in front of me turned their heads and gave me a

pitying look. I looked down at my desk.“M” was for Merlin. “M” was for Matt.Matt Emrys, my sort-of-ex-boyfriend who was formerly

considered the hottest guy at Acton-Concord High, had gone offthe deep end and declared on international news that he wasMerlin. After his announcement, Matt had apparently been cartedaway in a straightjacket. People also thought it hilarious that Greyand I had supposedly both stood in line to try to pull the swordfrom the stone, along with all the other crazies. What we’d actuallydone had been a lot crazier than they could have imagined.

Vane grabbed some papers on his desk and shuffled throughthem. “However while we wait for the world to change, I have your

quizzes from last time. From the marks, I can tell that many of youhave already left for mid-winter break.” Uncrossing long, lean legs,he started passing out the quizzes. A few of the girls actually giggledin excitement when he handed them their papers.

Vane came up to my desk. Without looking up, I lifted myhand, palm up, for him to drop the quiz onto. His fingers grazed mypalm. He laid the paper down on the desk instead. I stared at thepaper. I refused to give in to the urge to look at him.

Vane chuckled softly. “Decent showing, DuLac. You’re theonly one who managed to answer the date of King Arthur’s deathcorrectly.”

I couldn’t help it. I raised my eyes to meet his dark brownones. “It hasn’t been proven that he actually existed.”

Hazel-brown irises deepened. “Hasn’t it?”“The sword and the stone falling out of nowhere proved that

part of the legend existed. So why not King Arthur?” the wheezygirl from the front said. “And someone even pulled the sword.”

“Pulling the sword didn’t make him king…” I started.“No,” she said. “But if one piece of the legend is true, it

makes you question the rest.”“You think Emrys is really Merlin?” Grey asked from the

back of the room.“Grey,” one of the girls sitting beside him hissed as she

slapped a bicep. “Don’t talk about him. It’ll upset Mr. Northe—”Vane interjected smoothly. “My brother has allowed this

mystery to overwhelm him, but I assure you he’s receiving all thehelp he needs. He’s always been a little… delicate.”

Delicate. I debated kicking Vane in the shin.Taking a cue from Vane’s playbook, for once, careful and

plotting Matt had done the unthinkable. He exposed magic to acrowd of reporters in the middle of a press announcement. Thewhole thing had been covered up—sort of. All digital and analogrecordings of the news feed had been altered to show Mattsupposedly doing magic. The reporters in the media room who hadactually seen Matt do magic also had their memories “fixed.” Thatleft one last group of people who saw the news broadcast. Thenumber was surprisingly small, but considering that I didn’t knowanyone who actually watched a TV show when it came on, Isuppose it wasn’t too much of a stretch.

For once, Matt had done something reckless. Somethingonly Vane would have dared. So, naturally, Vane wanted to dismissit like it meant nothing. I crumpled the quiz I held in my hand.

Vane raised a sardonic brow. “Careful, DuLac, you’ll needto know those questions for the test.” He looked at the rest of thestudents. “I know it’s second semester, but you have decided totake an Advanced Placement class and the test will cover all thisand more.” He patted my head. “I want to make sure you realizeyour full potential.”

Clenching my teeth, I resisted growling at him.With a Cheshire cat smile, Vane walked off toward another

student. The rest of the class was filled with more discussion onGreek facts and mythology. For a direct descendant of the ancientRomans, it seemed odd that Vane was spending so much time onGreece. For the first time since I’d gotten there, a shiver went upmy spine. Vane was up to something.

And that usually meant someone was about to die.***

Fifteen minutes after the first lunch, the hallways stood

abandoned. Anyone who didn’t have first lunch sat in homeroom,still in class. I was in Independent Projects. Only open to a selectset of students, the class let you explore a profession under thementorship of an expert in the field from the community. A fewstudents sat in an empty classroom. Large windows took up onewall. The Independent Projects classroom was one of the nicestrooms in the whole school, meaning, it actually opened up to therare bit of sunlight when it graced the city. Eight circular tables tookup the classroom. Each table had five or six plastic, bucket-styleseats. After the first five minutes, the other students started filing outuntil Grey and I were the only ones left. Independent Projectsallowed you to leave campus for a whole two hours to do research.It had to be the number one reason why everyone took the class.Also, the teacher only showed up on Mondays to check up on us.

I had my laptop open and typed away on a brochure I wascreating. My project was to open a small exhibit at a local museum.We all had to come up with a project that related to what we werestudying. Okay, my project was a little over-the-top, since I’dactually convinced a museum to showcase my exhibit, but youdidn’t get to be student president by being an under-achiever.Anyway, one of the guys was shooting an actual commercial for asmall clothing store. I had to top that.

Grey was coming up with a portfolio analysis of aninvestment company. Grey’s mentor was a VP at Ragnar Bank, abank owned by Grey’s mom—my adopted mom—who could writea portfolio analysis in her sleep. My mentor happened to be Dr.Vivane Northe. Vane. A.k.a., everything in vain. Nothing withoutpain… I could go on.

Grey shut his laptop and put it into his backpack.

“You’re done?” I asked in surprise. We sat on the sametable across from each other. “Didn’t you just start?”

“I’m meeting Joey and a couple of other guys at thesandwich shop.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “We have to make apresentation on everything we’ve done next class.”

Grey snorted. “Mrs. Morris slotted ten minutes for each ofus. I can spew bull for at least fifteen.” He slung his backpack on hisshoulder and got up. “Don’t worry, sis, I’ll come out just fine. Ialways do.” He smiled a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Sincewe’d gotten back from London—where he’d almost died—Greyhadn’t been the same.

I said, “Have you talked to Gia? She’s left like a zillionmessages.”

Grey gripped the back of the chair he’d been sitting on.“She’s at Avalon Prep. I’m in Massachusetts. It’s just not a goodtime for us… to talk.”

“Well, can you tell her that?” Geez, boys could be suchjerks.

He looked down at his feet. “I will. I will.”Guy-speak for, “I plan to keep avoiding her until she gives

up.”“Later.” Grey rushed out before I could harass him any

further.I pulled up a picture on my laptop of Grey, Alexa, and me

from six months ago. Alexa sat in the middle with her arms aroundboth Grey and me. Grey’s air of casual arrogance matched his easyfootball captain-looks. Alexa’s classical face beamed with a smilethat could have launched a thousand ships. I stood slightly off to the

side with a forced smile and a full set of white teeth. I wrinkled mynose at the stiff image of myself. I hated taking pictures.

“Smell something unpleasant?”I jumped, startled, as Vane’s voice broke through my

reverie.

CHAPTER 2 - THE WORLD BECKONS

CHAPTER 2THE WORLD BECKONS

“What?” I said.He pulled out a bucket-seat that looked like it was meant for

a five-year-old and dropped into it. The chair strained a bit, butheld him. He flicked my nose with a finger. “You’re adorable whenyou’re upset.”

I scowled and shut the laptop. “I see something upsettingright now.”

Vane’s lips tightened to suppress a smile. “Why so hostile,love?”

“You whacked me on the head with a ball!”“You deserved it.”“I didn’t like it,” I said.“That’s the first real reaction I’ve gotten from you in a month,

except when I have my tongue down your throat.”I gave him an irritated look. “You’re the worst mentor in the

world. You haven’t helped me with anything.”“I called the witch museum for you,” he said.With his usual perverse sense of humor, he had me

researching the witch trials. I was one of the select few in the worldwho knew that wizards were real. After all, one sat in front of meright now, and I found the whole history of the trials disturbing.Exactly what Vane had been hoping, I was sure. He loved anyhistory that portrayed the downtrodden and persecuted life ofwizards, conveniently overlooking how disgustingly wealthy many oftoday’s wizards had become.

He continued, “I set up the venue for your exhibit. The rest isin your hands. Besides if I try to help, you’ll tell me all my ideaswere complete shite. You hate it when things aren’t exactly how

you want.”“When things aren’t right,” I corrected him.“Exactly,” he said smugly.I narrowed my eyes. “Sounds convenient… for you.”“Sounds as if this is going to be a long conversation.” Vane

made a circle with his hand. A faint red light surrounded us, forminga nearly invisible bubble.

“What are you doing?” I hissed. “What if someone seesyou?”

“You can talk as loudly as you want now.” He rocked backin the tiny plastic chair, lifting the front two legs off the ground. “Thebubble doesn’t allow anyone outside to hear anything inside.They’re only going to hear some mumbling.”

I glanced at the open door and the faint red light betweenthat veiled us. “I don’t know.”

Vane waved his hand. The door closed shut. “Happy?” Thelegs of Vane’s chair slammed down. He yanked me out of my chairand onto his lap.

I let out a surprised squeal. “Have you lost your mind?”Vane nuzzled my neck. “Definitely. You are gorgeous.”“The door has a window.” I pushed away from him, even as

my fingers dug into muscled shoulders, wanting to pull him closer.“You’ll get fired if anyone finds out about us!”

“So many rules in this century,” he muttered. “Tell me whywe’re here again? The Council asked you to return to AvalonPrep.”

The Wizard Council’s base operated out of AvalonPreparatory School. I muttered, “I’m not a wizard. I don’t belongthere.”

“You’ve proven yourself more than is necessary.” He pulledme closer to him and said softly into my ear, “You belonganywhere.”

I jerked my head up to look at him. His eyes were filled withsuch naked sincerity that I had to lower mine. My heart melted justa little. I stared off into space. Finally, I said, “I needed to comehome.”

He tucked a stray, dark-blonde strand of hair behind myear. “Hence, we came. But we’ve been here for over a month andyou don’t seem satisfied. You’re distracted. Not just out on thefield, but all the time. What is going on?”

“I’m fine.” Unconsciously, I touched the red gemstone amuletI wore around my neck. The one Matt had given me.

Vane’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what is distracting you? Mybrother?”

“What? No—” I bit my lip. “Maybe. I was just wondering ifhe was all right.”

“He’s fine,” Vane said. “My brother can take care ofhimself.”

Vane’s fingers tangled in my hair as he yanked me close.“Forget about him,” he said harshly.

Steely arms wrapped around me. I leaned into him,burrowing into his chest. His warmth seeped into my skin. Thetension in my shoulders eased bit-by-bit the more heat I drew. Ilifted my head. Our lips were barely inches apart. I swallowed.What was I doing with Vane? Could I really handle him? He wasolder… in more ways than just age. Being with him was thrilling andterrifying at the same time. I tried not to be overwhelmed. I turnedaway.

“How about if we go see a movie tonight?”After a pause, he said, “You know we can’t. It’s not safe for

you.”“It’s just a movie. Nothing is going to happen if we take one

night off.”“I can’t be seen out with you.”“You’re a wizard. You can figure out a way. Disguise

yourself somehow.” The window showed a sky painted with moodyshades of grey. My words came from deep down in my throat. “Iwant to go on a real date.”

“We’ve been on a date.”I scowled. “Making out on the couch doesn’t count.”Vane’s lips curved up. “It’s safer than going out.”I didn’t think so. I pushed away from him and sat back in

my chair. “No one is coming after me.”Vane looked at me like I was idiot. “Of course, they are.”“No one even knows I am here.”He snorted. “The gargoyles almost burned down your house.

Believe me, they know where you are.”If I thought a tantrum would have worked with Vane, I

would have thrown one. Instead, I crossed my arms and stuck myjaw out. “I’m going out tonight, Coach—whether you like it or not.The Council charged you to protect me, not to jail me.”

“I’m not here because they asked,” he said.I sniffed. “You won’t even let me go to a coffee shop. All I

do is school, house, school, house… repeat. It’s ridiculous. I. Am.Done.”

“You’re exaggerating. You’ve been to several games,” hereminded me.

“You rushed me into a van after each one! I didn’t even getto hang out with the team afterwards. I may as well be locked in adungeon with the amount of freedom I have.”

“If I were to lock you up in a dungeon, I guarantee youwould not be bored,” Vane said softly.

Bedroom eyes beckoned me. Trying not to blush, I stood up.“Besides, you’re more of the tower type,” Vane commented.

“I don’t see why you’re complaining. I did get you a pint of icecream.”

I jumped up and stomped my foot. “It’s not funny! Can’t wejust pretend to be normal for one night?”

He looked at me for a long minute. “As you wish. But we goonly where I say.”

I blinked. Had he actually given in… for once? “Therebetter be popcorn.”

I broke off with a gasp as the amulet around my necksuddenly started burning. It seemed to tighten like a noose on me.Making choking sounds, I tried to pry it away, but it wouldn’tmove.

“Ryan!” Vane stood.The world trembled around me. The room shook just as it

had done during the Total Tremor. Vane grabbed me by the waistand steadied me. He yelled past the noise of the shaking room.“Matt is having a strong vision. Allow yourself to see it. Shut youreyes.”

I stared into Vane’s hazel eyes. I held onto them for as longas I could. Then, drawing a deep breath with effort, I did as he said.

In the dark, the first thing I sensed was the smell of woodand earth—Matt. I was seeing what he saw through the amulet.

Matt had presented a number of enchanted amulets and rings to meand others in a select group of students at Avalon Prep. Almostimmediately, I’d been drawn to this one. Called The Dragon’sEye, a large ruby gemstone sat embedded in a dull gold pendant. The matching golden chain was thick and more like a rope than thelight chains I was used to. I wouldn’t have normally gone forsomething so medieval looking, but this one had struck me. Theconnection had been so strong that I’d wanted to gouge out theeyes of my friend, Gia, when she had grabbed it first.

Later, I found out that the amulet had been made by Mattand formed a special connection between us—a connection thatlinked our thoughts.

Images flooded my mind.An ocean. Just off the coast of a tropical island. The

water boiled, creating burping bubbles of steam. A hugeexplosion of smoke burst like a geyser out of the water. Redfire and lava spewed out the sides of a tornado of smoke.

The scene shifted. Another ocean. No land anywhere insight. A curvy billow of smoke spewed up for miles in the sky.

Again, the scene changed to a barren chain of islands.The whole land mass rumbled as three smoke stacks blew outof the ocean and from various places on the islands. Franticwaves in the ocean pulled and pushed in a violent tug-of-war.In one slingshot movement, the water pulled back and thenreleased, unleashing a wall of water that rose and rose until Icould swear it touched the sky.

I opened my eyes with a snap. “Tsunami.”Everything in the room had moved just a bit. My laptop

hovered close to the edge of the desk. I turned to Vane with wide

eyes. “What happened? Another tremor?”“I don’t know.” Vane sat me down. The plastic chair

groaned as I dropped onto it. Vane flipped my laptop open. With afew clicks, he pulled up a news site.

BREAKING NEWS, it declared in bright red letters.Vane clicked on a video.A news report played. A clean-shaven reporter in a tidy suit

clutched an iPad and spoke from a news desk. “It happened herejust moments ago and reports confirm that it seems to havehappened everywhere—another tremor spanning the entire globe.Many are asking if it is the Total Tremor again. However, this oneseems to have been on a much smaller scale. Not much damagefrom what we have heard, so far. Just a rattling. The bigger questionis what caused it…”

Vane paused the video stream. “This is what you saw?”“No.” I rubbed my forehead. “I saw erupting volcanoes on

the ocean. Five of them. They seemed to be in different places allover the world. Then, I saw a tsunami building on the ocean.”

Vane’s gaze sharpened. “Merlin had a vision about theocean?”

“Where else would you have a tsunami?” I grabbed thelaptop from Vane. I punched up the term “underwater volcano” in asearch engine. I clicked on a news clip about one that caused atsunami. South Asia. 2004. Images of the hundred-foot high tsunamiI’d seen in my head played out on the news clip. The news clipchanged to show the aftermath—scene after scene of destroyedvillages and homeless people followed.

“This is what’s coming, but what I saw is going to be muchworse.” My eyes swam with tears.

Vane cursed. Reaching out, he caught my shoulders andsteadied me. “Why can’t he shut this out from you like he’s shut meout?”

Vane and Matt’s powers were connected. At one point,Vane had been able to talk to me through the amulet. Once Mattfound out, he’d blocked Vane, but for some reason, he hadn’tblocked me. Well, I suspected the reason. I refused to verbalizeit… even in my head. I could never tell Vane. Truthfully, I was gladMatt had shut him out. He was intense enough to have as aboyfriend. I didn’t need him in my head too.

“I’ll be fine.” I straightened away from him and reached formy cellphone. “We should call the emergency services. Warnthem.”

Vane yanked the phone away. “And tell them what? Thatyou had a vision? Actually you didn’t have a vision. You sawMerlin’s vision. They will hang up on you without a second thought.With all the alert systems they have in place telling them thateverything is fine, the regulars won’t pay attention to you.”

“I’ve got to do something!” I said.“No, you have to calm down and think. We need help

figuring this out.”Vane tapped on the touchscreen of my cellphone and dialed

a number. I saw the number on the screen, but I didn’t recognize it.It didn’t pick up as any of my contacts. The number connected.

“Marilynn?” He put the phone to his ear. “What does theCouncil know about tsunamis?”

***The rest of the school day went by in a blur. Everyone

seemed to be on autopilot, even the teachers. Most of them

checked news updates, blatantly ignoring the no cellphone rule. Yet,everything seemed to have quieted after the small tremor.

Grey and I drove home together. The main street of Concordseemed unusually abandoned as I drove the car we shared aroundthe turnabout and onto the small street that led to the woodedsuburbs just past Walden Pond. The cold February sky of grey andblue highlighted the blackened snow that sat in the gutters of theroad. At least, the air flowing in from outside smelled of wet pineand dewy wood.

I turned at a small gravel opening off the road, marked by astumpy mailbox. The Land Rover thundered downhill. Aboutmidway, another Land Rover pulled out from behind a hidden lane,blocking our path. I rolled down my window and waved. Withoutacknowledgement, the other Land Rover reversed and disappearedback into the hidden lane, giving the okay to proceed.

Bodyguards or sentries? I didn’t know exactly what to callthem. Wizard-goons seemed too impolite for someone risking theirlife for you. Besides the physical checks of who was entering thewoods, Vane and Sylvia had also set up an invisible perimeter todetect any magic.

I cast a speculative look at Grey, who sat hunkered down inthe passenger seat. It wasn’t like him to give me a chance to drive,but today he hadn’t even put up a token protest. The tremor hadbrought back too many memories. We emerged from the lane into acircular courtyard in front of Ragnar Manor, my home.

The hundred-year-old manor boasted gorgeous archedwindows, several balconies, and even a pointy turret. Stonegargoyle rainspouts stuck out at the edges of the house. Ironic,since actual gargoyles nearly burned down the house a few months

ago.I pulled to a stop near a broken fountain in the middle of the

courtyard. It used to have a gargoyle statue that expelled waterfrom its mouth. The gargoyle statue had been crushed when Grey’sCorvette slammed into it… the day the sword and the stone fell outof nowhere. The day Alexa died. The day everything changed forus.

I stared at the fountain. It didn’t surprise me that Sylviahadn’t fixed it. I doubted she ever would.

“It’s starting again, isn’t it?” Grey said.I pushed a button and the Land Rover’s engine switched off.

“It never stopped, Grey.”Grey continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “The tremor today

wasn’t a coincidence. It all goes back to Arthur’s sword.”“Did you think pulling the sword from the stone was the end?

There’s a reason it showed up in the first place.”“Yes, and I know the reason,” Grey muttered as he flung

open the door. He jumped down and turned to look at me. “It’s ajoke, Ry. And the joke is on us. Someone with a nasty sense ofhumor dropped it in the middle of the world so they could watch usas we all tried to kill ourselves to get to it. The sad thing is—that’sexactly what we did.”

Grey slammed the car door and headed into the manor. Iwatched him climb up the short steps to double front doors. Thedoors were a masterpiece. Wrought iron with an intricate leafdesign on frosted glass. They were new. The old doors had burneddown in a volley of fireballs. That day, I left the manor not knowingif I’d ever come back.

On that day the sword and the stone first appeared in

London and I learned about magic. I learned that Matt—the newboy at school I’d been crushing on—was a wizard. I also learnedabout gargoyles. They wanted to kill Grey and me because wewere Candidates. Apparently, out of everyone in the world, only afew of us had the potential to actually pull the sword. Candidatesalso had the greatest potential, therefore, to die.

The Wizard Council sent Matt and Vane out to recruit andtrain Candidates in hopes of improving their chances of survival; butmore in the hopes that the victorious sword-bearer would alignthemselves with the wizards. The gargoyles had taken a differentapproach. To ensure their success, they decided to kill everyCandidate who was not a gargoyle.

Only it hadn’t been Grey or me whom they killed in their firstattack. The image of a girl with impossibly bright eyes, a broadsmile, and snarky wit hung in the thin veil that separates day fromfalling night. Alexa.

The roar of another engine sounded as another black SUVpulled into the driveway. Its bright headlights pierced through thelingering bit of memory. I opened the driver’s side and jumpeddown from the Land Rover.

I put my hand up to block the glare of headlights that shoneinto my eyes. The passenger side opened and a shadowy figurestepped down.

My heart gave an uncomfortable leap. The amulet on myneck warmed against my will.

Soft rays of fading daylight shone down on the wavy mane ofbrown hair making a russet halo around the head of a boy. He hada lean face, inky lashes, and eyes too old for someone I knew to beonly eighteen.

He still wore a black biker jacket. I remembered thesensation of my cheek against the back of that slick syntheticleather, and the sensation of flying as his Ducati took the opencurves of the road.

Matt. The amulet gave a silent sigh. My pulse raced so out ofcontrol I was afraid it would explode.

Matt’s perfect mouth curved up in an uncertain smile. Hisburden-filled shoulders straightened. He took a step toward me andthen another… until he stood just a few feet in front. The lastdeclaration he’d made to me hung between us. The L. word. Theone that had nothing to do with like.

All I had to do was take a step back toward him.

CHAPTER 3 - CROSSROADS

CHAPTER 3CROSSROADS

“Ryan?” Matt started, paused, then, started again. “Is Sylvia

inside? I need to speak with her.”I blinked. After all he’d put me through. After not seeing

each other for two months that’s all he had to say to me?“Not all, but it is a start,” his voice whispered inside my

head.I almost jumped. I touched the amulet that connected us. The

only time I’d heard Matt in my head was the last time I’d seen him.After months of reflecting on that last time, I’d concluded that it justmade me… angry.

“Get out of my head, Matt!”“As you wish,” he demurred.My fingers curled into a fist. To shut out what wasn’t meant

to be. It was his choice for us not to be together and I had movedon.

The lights of the SUV shut off. Vane stepped down from thedriver’s seat. He walked forward, past the front of the car andreached me in a few steps. For a second, he stood right beside hisbrother. Only a bit of daylight remained.

The resemblance of their faces and matching length of theirframes made the brothers seem eerily similar, but that’s where thesimilarity ended. Vane’s hazel brown eyes glittered despite thedark. Matt’s amber ones sank into the night like a dying ember.Vane’s broad shoulders moved with loose grace. Matt’s lean onesheld tight and still. Despite the shadows, they both flickered sharpand true, even if Vane’s torch burned a bit too bright to hold. Thetiger next to the lion, Vane pounced forward and placed himselfdirectly in line between Matt and me.

Vane said, “Aren’t you going to invite us in?”“Since when do you wait for an invitation?” I arched a brow.

“Why did you call Matt?”“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Matt said dryly.Vane smirked. “I didn’t call. The Council did.”Five other SUVs burst out of the wooded lane and sped

onto the driveway. I tensed. Vane put himself between the SUVsand me.

“It’s alright. I think you’ll like these visitors.” Matt touchedmy shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to see such a vision. It can be…disturbing.”

The destruction I’d seen had been more than disturbing. Itwas terrifying. My gaze lowered. “I don’t know how you live withthem.”

“It helps to have someone share it, for once,” he said softly.“But I would rather not have burdened you. I’m just glad I wasclose enough to come quickly.”

I frowned. “You were coming here?”Matt said evasively, “I happened to be in the area.”The SUVs squealed to a stop beside Vane’s. Several men

dressed in uniforms of slacks, black t-shirts, and long wool coatsgot out. I recognized many of them as guardian wizards who’dprotected the Candidates until we got to the Council. Two teenagewizards jumped out of the last SUV next to the broken fountain—ared-haired girl in punk goth clothes and a skinny, black-haired boywith glasses.

I let out a squeal of delight and ran to greet them. “Gia!Blake!”

Gia laughed and met me halfway. She caught me up in a tight

hug. “I’ve missed you!”I touched her long red hair. “You grew it out.” I’d only ever

seen her with short, spiky hair. Now long curls softened the angularbones of her face. “It looks good.”

She gave a small, self-conscious smile. “I needed a change.”I understood that. After a night of battling a thousand or so

gargoyles, the dawn looked different. I turned to Blake andattacked him next. He returned my enthusiastic hug with anawkwardly stiff one.

“Er, happy to see you too, Ryan,” he said with a heavyBritish accent.

Gia rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you left me with just stiff-upper-lip here for company. It is so boring at Avalon Prep withoutyou.”

Vane had found Gia in Hong Kong and brought her toAvalon Prep in much the same manner as Matt had brought me.We had both been accepted as Candidates that day. I had no ideawhere she was actually from. She never talked about her past, andfrom what little I knew about it, I wasn’t sure how to ask.

Gia looked up at the curved gables of Ragnar Manor andwhistled. “Nice place, DuLac. A little creepy but… nice.”

I searched her face. “Actually it’s Grey’s family’s house.”Her expression dimmed. “Yes, Grey.” She glanced inside a

huge bay window that took up half of one side of the house. “Is heinside?”

I nodded. “What are you doing here? What about school?”“School is on break for a week and the Council wanted us

—”Blake cleared his throat. He glanced at Matt, who remained

at the edge of the driveway. “Maybe we should allow MasterEmrys to explain.”

“Should we go inside?” Matt said. “I need to discuss a fewthings with Sylvia first.”

An elder guardian, Clarence, with a craggy face and a stern,militant expression marched up. The other guardians fanned outbehind him.

I was surprised when Clarence faced me first and bent hishead in acknowledgement. “Ms. DuLac,” he said before his eyesslid over Vane to Matt. “Master Emrys, shall we start preparing? Ihave twenty more guardians arriving here within the next hour.”

“Twenty more?” I glanced at the two brothers as theywalked closer. “What is going on?”

Vane shrugged. “Ask him. He’s the wise one.”I turned on Matt. “What have you done now?”Beside me, I heard Blake exhale a shocked breath. It

amazed me that he still placed Matt up on a pedestal.Matt colored. “Let’s go inside. Sylvia and Grey need to hear

this also. It will be easier to deal with all the questions at once.”“Or you could tell me now.” I shouted the words in my

head, locking eyes with Matt.He returned a bland look. “Didn’t you want me out of your

head?”“Uh,” Gia said. “Do you want to warn your family we’re

here?”Warn Grey? My heart twisted at the plea in her eyes. I

nodded and crossed to a short stack of steps that led up to the frontdoor. Behind me, I heard Matt order Clarence to “Proceed with thepreparations.”

What preparations? I seethed as I entered the manor’smarble foyer. I went into a beautiful living room with mammothwindows on two sidewalls, overlooking the courtyard in the frontand advertising a panoramic of the woods in the back. A gianthearth dominated the middle wall.

The walls gleamed with fresh paint. Couches, armchairs, andend tables all sparkled with newness. While the manor had survivedthe fire, its interiors had not been so lucky. Before the fire, themanor had been stuffed with antique wooden furniture that scores ofRagnars had collected over time. I called it “Cabin-in-the-woods”chic. Alexa had called it “Pastoral-passé.” After the fire, Sylvia hadupdated everything to suit her. At least one good thing had comeout of the disaster.

Sitting on the couch, feet up on a marble coffee table, Greyate popcorn and held a controller. A shooter game played on asixty-five inch, flat screen TV.

I pushed his feet off the coffee table. “Do you have any ideawhat’s going on outside?”

“Huh?” Grey mumbled, as he fired loudly at a few charactersonscreen.

“Is Sylvia home yet?”“Mom was worried after the tremor,” he said between plays.

“Wanted to make sure we were okay. Think she’s in the kitchen.”I grabbed the controller from him and pointed out the front

window. A crowd of guardians climbed the manor walls and trees,scouting for hiding places.

Grey sat up straighter. “What the…?”Vane strode into the living room. “Hollow Hill Three. I’ve

been waiting for this one. Thought it wasn’t supposed to come out

for another month though.”“Mom got it early from a friend,” Grey said.“How many spells did she have to sell to pull that off?” Vane

plopped down on the couch beside Grey and took his controller.Grey protested, “Hey!”Matt walked into the room.“Emrys,” Grey looked at him in dismay. “The Council let you

go free?”I kicked Grey in the shin.“What?” he muttered. “Thought they would’ve caged golden

boy after the stunt he pulled.”“They wouldn’t have been able to hold me,” Matt said

arrogantly.“Grey, there’s something I need to tell you—” I faltered.

He’d been so aloof, so removed since we’d gotten back. I wasn’ttoo sure how he was going to react to her actually being here.

“My brother brought a few friends,” Vane said. “Includingyour girlfriend, Ragnar.”

“Vane!” I scowled at him.“Better to cauterize the wound than to let it fester, love.”“Gia’s here?” Grey jumped up. He shot me a furious look.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Where is she?”“Waiting for you outside,” Matt said.Grey hurriedly exited the room.“That’s the most movement I’ve seen out of him in months,”

Vane commented before restarting the video game. Sitting down, helounged back into the couch.

I stared at him. Ugh. He would drive me to murder. How didguys do that? Lethal one minute and the next completely lethargic. I

turned my annoyance on Matt instead. “Why are you really here?”Matt drew what looked like an old knife out of his biker

jacket. He held it out and commanded, “Aayat.”The knife expanded and elongated into a broadsword. The

last rays of the fading sun fell onto the sword, allowing dull gold onthe hilt to sparkle. The gray steel blade shone with a hint of blue inthe light. The gemstone of my amulet warmed against the bare skinof my neck. The Dragon’s Eye awoke in the presence of KingArthur’s sword.

“Excalibur.” I stared at the sword. It hung in the air, silentand waiting. Then, a whisper fluttered along the lobes of my ears.The sword beckoned me to it. I felt its pull.

I swayed towards it.An image of a rooftop full of an assortment of people—

wizards, gargoyles, and regulars—popped into my mind. They kneltdown to the sword. They knelt down to me.

I drew back.Vane looked up from the video game. “You brought it.

Why? It’s too dangerous to let it out of the protection of theCouncil.”

“To remind her what she’s left behind.” Matt’s eyes fixed onme. He’d been watching my every reaction. “It’s time to comehome, Ryan. You need to return to Avalon Prep.”

I forced myself to look away from the sword. I walked awayfrom it once and I could do it again. No one knew how hard thathad been, no one except maybe Matt. He knew about power, thecrushing mantle of responsibility. My eyes locked onto his darkones. An understanding shone there, but also a hint of severity.

My resentment flared. He would always put the needs of the

sword first, not me. Why did I have to keep reminding myself ofthat?

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I am home, MasterMerlin. Remember, you already claimed the sword as yours.”

“I remember what I said.” Matt’s eyes deepened withunexpressed emotion. “I said it to the world. Not to you. It is notmine and we both know that. The Council wants you to return.They feel it’s important that you train properly with Excalibur andthey want the other students to be trained along with you.”

“They want all the Candidates trained?” Vane remarked.“Interesting.”

Matt gave him a pained look. “They want you to return also.To train them.”

“Makes sense. I am the best,” Vane said.I resisted an urge to roll my eyes.Vane glanced at me. “However, I have already been spoken

for. I go where she goes.”My lips started to curve up.“Of course, I think she should go back,” Vane concluded.

“She’s just hiding here.”My jaw dropped down. Matt gave me a smug look.I walked to the front window. Outside, Grey and Gia stood a

good two feet apart. Grey held himself stiffly while Gia looked likeshe was trying not to cry. Blake looked like he wished he wereanywhere else. He turned his head and saw me. He said somethingto the other two before he practically ran into the manor.

I turned back to Matt. “I’m not going back so that Vane cantrain a replacement for me.”

“Backups,” Vane corrected.

Blake stumbled into the living room and halted near theopening.

Matt sighed. “The sword does not change allegiances easily.Whatever the Council thinks it can accomplish, I don’t see how itcould hurt to have your friends trained.”

“Are you going to teach us again too?” I asked. Inpreparation for our attempt to pull the sword, we’d done physicaltraining with Vane and magical defense with Matt. Since the wizardsmade their money by selling magic, anyone out there (magic,regular, or gargoyle) could be armed. The amulet and charms Matthad given us allowed a non-magic person, a regular, to ward off amagical attack.

Matt shook his head. “I’ve a few things to do.”“Second Member duties?” I asked.Second Member was the title of the operations head of the

Council. They oversaw implementation of all the policies theCouncil set, and essentially, ran the wizard world. Only the FirstMember ranked higher. The First Member concentrated on creatingpolicy and usually didn’t get involved with day-to-day affairs.

The loud staccato of machine gun fire sounded from thespeakers as Vane shot ten people in graphic color on the screen.He informed me cheerfully, “The Council removed him as SecondMember.”

Matt waved a hand and the TV turned off.Vane made a sound of dissension. “Dullard.”Matt’s expression remained blank, but he didn’t fool me. He

couldn’t have liked being replaced. He had so many plans. He’dbeen working on a system to regulate the sale of magic, to make theworld safer from its current state of indiscriminate distribution that

turned a blind eye to its abuses.I asked, “Who was appointed Second Member then?”“Councilmember Thorton,” Blake answered.“Not that prig,” Vane groaned.I agreed. Thorton had no love for regulars—anyone who

wasn’t supernaturnal. But then neither had Vane. Vane had alwaystried his best to keep Candidates who were not wizards out ofAvalon Prep. He’d come around though, after we proved we couldhold our own. I had forced him to.

Sylvia walked into the living room, still in her work suit withher dark hair tied back tightly. She saw Vane first and smiledbrightly. “I’m so glad to see you. I found this delicious recipe Iknow you’ll just adore—”

Then, she spotted Matt. High heels wobbled to a suddenhalt. Her face paled. She came to stand beside me, as if she wereready to jump in to defend me against Matt. I suppressed a smile.My adoption by the Ragnars may have been official for only fivedays but we’d already become a family.

Vane noticed her protective stance and smirked at me. Irolled my eyes. Like the rest of the wizard world, Sylvia, whileawed by Matt, simply adored Vane. She’d been wary when he firstshowed up at the manor, but after one conversation, he and shewere chattering away like two best friends. Matt told me once thatVane’s wizard super-power was talking. It didn’t sound like muchof a super-power until you saw it in action. Vane could get prettymuch whatever he wanted just by being charming. It was a goodthing he rarely bothered to be charming.

“Master Emrys,” Sylvia said deferentially, because protocoldemanded it. The last time she’d seen Matt, a sledgehammer had

slammed her life and she still blamed Matt for it. Sylvia glanced outthe front window. Clarence and another guardian were scatteredaround the manor. “Is everything alright?”

“Of course,” Matt said easily. “However, I need to speakwith you. The Council would have me discuss a few matters. I’vecome up with a system to regulate the selling of magic, but I coulduse your input.”

“Oh,” Sylvia said with pleased surprise. “Of course, I’d behappy to contribute whatever I can.”

Ragnar Bank’s largest commodity was magic. The Ragnarshad been brokering magic ever since they settled in Boston, in the1800s. Sylvia showed Matt out of the living room. They went downthe short hallway to her office and I heard the door shut.

I shot Vane a look. “If he’s not Second Member any longer,why is he still heading up the regulation?”

Vane rose up from the sofa. He crossed to where I stoodnear the door that led to the hallway. He whispered, “Zrnoti.”

A faint wind slithered around us, sped down the hallway, andcrashed into the office doorway. There it died with a loud bang.

“Any idea why my brother would put a privacy spell on theoffice?” Vane looked at Blake.

Blake shrugged. “I only volunteered to come here and seeRyan and convince her to come back.”

“Nothing else has been going on?” I said.Grey and Gia walked into the living room. Both seemed

composed, although they stood a safe distance apart from eachother.

“What’s going on?” Gia asked.“I was asking Blake what Matt has been up to while I’ve

been gone,” I explained.“You mean other than moping around campus because Ryan

isn’t there?” she said.I felt my cheeks heat. Vane made a sound of disgust. “Focus,

Cornwall.”“Master Emrys and the Council had been having a non-stop

session for awhile,” Blake said. “Then he left to travel—”“Where and when, Emerson?” Vane prompted impatiently.I elbowed him. “Be nice.”“It doesn’t work well for me,” he said.I rolled my eyes. The statement was unfortunately true. He

would never be nice, but he’d never let me down either. “Wheredid Matt go, Blake?”

“I don’t know. I only know it was out of the country.”Gia spoke up. “I wanted to switch into more advanced

classes so I went to speak to Marilynn…” Gia made a face. I couldunderstand why. Marilynn was a school administrator, actually theschool administrator. While the Council ran the school, Marilynnhandled all of its myriad details. She hated me because I’d datedMatt, and hated Gia by association.

Gia continued, “Merlin had her arrange the travel and shesaid the flight from Heathrow was only twenty minutes. But nowthat I think about it, I don’t think she wanted to say much in front ofme. She was pretty dodgy about the whole thing.”

“Dodgy is apt.” Vane took hold of my shoulders andpositioned me so I faced the doorway to the office. “We need tohear what is going on inside that office. I can’t break through thebubble. Merlin’s magic is too powerful, but you have ears I don’t.”

“She does?” asked Blake.

“The—” I started to explain.“They have a special connection,” Vane said.Blake said, “I thought they only went on a couple of dates

—”Gia giggled. “Yes, dates.”Blake colored. “Oh.”Grey made an annoyed sound. “Watch what you’re saying

about my sister, Vane.”Everyone already suspected the term “we went on a couple

of dates” translated to “we spent the night not sleeping a couple oftimes.” I sputtered, “Matt and I did n-not—”

“Right.” Gia winked and sent Vane a gleeful glance.I glared at Gia. She was not a Vane fan. I got that. Did she

have to go out of her way to antagonize him?Vane’s hands tightened on my shoulders painfully. He didn’t

like the idea of putting Matt and me in the same sentence, much lessa bed. He pulled me into the hallway away from the others, sayingloudly, “We can use your connection to do a spell.”

I frowned at him in confusion. He shook his head in silentmessage and I finally got it. I hadn’t told my friends or Grey aboutMatt and the mind-reading abilities of the amulet. Not because Iwas trying to hide it; it had yet to come up. I didn’t know why Vaneseemed to want to keep it secret. Before I could ask why, Vanemouthed, “Trust me.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, “Just try listening with theamulet, DuLac.”

“He’s going to know.”“Don’t be loud.” Vane gave me a little push closer to the

office door.

I gave him an irritated look. How was I supposed to be “notloud” while trying to read someone’s mind? Pushing the irritationaway, I closed my eyes.

It was like turning a key. In my mind, the office came throughwith crystal clarity. Sylvia sat behind the mammoth writing desk,separating her from Matt. As if she needed to place a barrierbetween them. Matt stood next to one of the large armchairs facingthe desk.

“He can’t come here!” Sylvia said, her face pale.“The Council received the message just yesterday. I rushed

back to them and then straight here. He will only agree to come toRagnar manor,” said Matt. “The gargoyle king has asked to see youspecifically, Sylvia, and I want you to agree.”

The walls of the spacious office seemed to shrink aroundSylvia. Trees knocked against a thick-paned window and eventhough it couldn’t have possibly allowed any of the winter chillinside, Sylvia shivered. She glanced at the picture of Alexa on herdesk, as well as the walls upon walls of leather-bound books thatappeared to have not been read in years. She avoided looking atMatt.

“I c-can’t,” she said. “You don’t understand.”“You must,” he said. “Rourke has promised to give us

something we desperately need in exchange for this meeting.Something I have been seeking ever since Excalibur was pulledfrom the stone. If you care at all about Grey and Ryan, you need toallow this. Their future—no, all our futures will be changed if you dothis.”

“That is what I’m afraid of,” Sylvia muttered.“I have a small army outside for your protection, but I doubt

we’ll need it.”“He won’t hurt me,” Sylvia said. “But I won’t risk Grey and

Ryan—”“No need to worry. I will have them taken out of here

tonight.”“Ryan doesn’t want to leave,” Sylvia said. “A lot has

happened. She needs time to recover and lick her wounds for abit.”

Matt rubbed his forehead. “There is no time left. It ran out assoon as the second tremor occurred.”

“If they find out about Rourke, they won’t go,” Sylvia said. “Once I tell Vane who is coming tomorrow, he won’t give

her a choice.”I’d heard enough. Seething with anger, I let go of Matt’s

mind. The link untethered with a loud snap. My eyes flew open.Footfalls sounded inside the office. “Whoops.”

Vane hissed at me, “I told you to be quiet.”The office doors flung open. Matt halted at the sight of me

standing in the hallway. His lips thinned in a strict line ofdisapproval. He looked over my shoulder at his brother. “Do youhave any idea what you’ve done?”

CHAPTER 4 – A HAUNTED HOUSE

CHAPTER 4A HAUNTED HOUSE

“What’s going on?” Grey asked.“The gargoyle king wants to see Sylvia and she’s going to let

him.”“What? I’m not letting that monster near her.” Grey rushed

toward the office to see his mother.Matt moved to let him by. He took a few steps into the hall.“How can you ask this?” I asked.“Rourke didn’t attack Alexa, you know that.”I was about to grumble, “They’re all the same,” when he beat

me to it.“They are not all the same. We need to find out why

Excalibur is here. He can tell us.” Matt took another step towardus. “I am not here on a whim. I was not removed as SecondMember. I asked to be released—for this reason. We need toknow why the sword has been sent to us. You saw my visiontoday. I’m trying to stop it.”

“You had a vision?” Blake asked. “Was it bad?”“Very bad,” I said. “What does it have to do with Rourke?”“I am hoping Rourke knows how we can stop it.”Vane moved to stand beside me. “You haven’t answered the

question. Why does Rourke want to come here?”“I don’t know,” Matt repeated impatiently. “I’ve agreed to

the meeting to find out.”I took a breath. “Is it because of me? Does he think he can

turn me into one of them?” A gargoyle. Just the thought left mehorrified. An old memory of a cold monster with protruding fangsand long claws jumped to the surface of my mind. Red blood onwhite stone tile. One of them had torn my mother apart and tried to

do the same to me.Vane squeezed my shoulder. “Just because you have some

remnant gargoyle genes, it doesn’t make you a gargoyle.”“You’re not one of those beasts,” Gia said fiercely.“Admittedly, while we do not know everything about them,

you have not shown any ability to turn,” Matt soothed. “I doubt youever will.”

Gargoyles looked like regular humans. It was only when theyturned that the true beast underneath became visible. My firstboyfriend, Morgan, had been a gargoyle. He’d been sent to find outif I was a Candidate and kill me if I was. He’d almost succeeded.

Sylvia walked out of the office. Grey followed at her heels.“Mom, you are being ridiculous. The gargoyles are monsters

—”Sylvia held up a hand. “Enough. If Master Emrys says we

must, then we must. I deal with gargoyles on a regular basis, Grey.”“What!” Grey exploded.Sylvia tapped her foot. “At the bank, Grey.” She gave me an

anxious look. “But I would like you two to be safe. Leave tonight.”Grey crossed his arms. “I am not leaving you alone.”I glanced at Sylvia. Her hands were fisted. She was digging

her nails into her palms so deeply that she’d have marks. But whatstruck me was that she didn’t look scared, she looked stressed.Out of the front windows, I watched the guardians scramble. Somehad taken positions in the trees. One stood half-visible on a trellisbeside the garage. I’d seen one climb up to the balcony above usand I had no doubt more hid in other crevices of the manor.

“Why does he want to meet now?” Vane continued to pressMatt.

Matt shrugged. “I received the message while traveling. Theywent to a bit of trouble to find me and the messenger who deliveredhis request hinted that there’s a compelling reason that the meethappen immediately. There has been no word from the gargoylessince Rourke was forced to concede Excalibur to us.” Matt’s eyesfixed on Sylvia. “My feeling is that he is in some sort of trouble.”

“Since when do we care if a gargoyle is in trouble?” Vanesneered. “It’s simple. If Ryan is here, then no gargoyle will be.”

Sylvia bit her lip in an oddly girly way. She was… nervous.For a second, I had a sense of her as a woman, not just a mother,and it startled me. She wanted to meet the king, I realized.

I made a decision. “Let me see the gargoyles and I’ll agree togo to England.”

***Both Matt and Vane gaped at me.“You would go back?” Matt said first.“After I meet with Rourke,” I clarified.Vane shook his head. “Unacceptable—”“It will have to be acceptable,” I snapped. “If Rourke knows

something about why Excalibur is here, then I deserve to know.” Isurveyed Grey, Gia, and Blake. “All the Candidates deserve toknow. If we don’t know why Excalibur matters, what is the point offurther training?” I walked up to Matt. His eyes flared with surprisewhen I reached into his jacket. Matt held himself stiffly as the backof my fingers skimmed his ribs while I groped through the garment. Idrew out the knife from an inside pocket.

I touched my amulet. The Dragon’s Eye glowed. The knifeelongated. The golden hilt of Excalibur winked at us. My handstrembled and I held it out to Blake, Grey, and Gia.

“The sword is ours. It’s our right.”***

Gia sat on my bed later that night in my room. “Do you reallythink whatever happens with Excalibur, it’s our right to know?”

I gave her a funny look.She colored. “I mean—Merlin must have a reason for not

telling us.”“You sound like Blake. Matt isn’t always right.” I flopped

down on the queen-sized bed next to her and lay back. Softwrinkles covered the white ceiling. “We’re just puppets to him andhe wants to stay the puppetmaster.”

“I’m sure he’d like to puppetmaster you,” she said tongue-in-cheek.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. “Funny.”“Of course, there’s Vane. Is it me or is he more cut than

when we were training every day?” She said the last part glumly,reluctant to give him any sort of compliment.

“He still trains everyday,” I said.“Does he?” Gia said, her voice heavy with implication. “Do

you train… together?”I threw another pillow at her. “Stop, please.” I got up on one

elbow and fixed her with a look. “What about Grey?”Gia pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. “What

about Grey? He’s been different since the rooftop. He’s shut meout so completely. It’s like he doesn’t want to feel anything.”

“I think we’re all different since the trial.” I flopped aroundon my stomach. French doors led out onto the balcony on the rightside of my room. Light had faded into darkness, but it was a clearnight. A cold moon anchored the abyss of the sky.

A brief knock sounded at the door behind us. Vane strodeinside.

“Leave,” he said to Gia.Gia sprang out of bed with an indignant expression. “You’re

not our trainer anymore, Vane. We don’t worship the ground youwalk on.”

“Virahyat,” Vane commanded.Gia blinked. Without another word, she walked out of the

room.I sat up on the bed. “What are you doing? You could have

just asked her to go.”“I don’t have time for niceties.”I sighed. “She already hates you enough. Where did you

send her?”“The spell will wear off before she leaves the house.” Vane

stalked forward until he reached the edge of the bed. “Give me onereason why I shouldn’t take you out of here tonight.”

“You agreed downstairs—”“No, Merlin agreed.”I made a face. Vane would probably force me to leave just

to spite Matt.“You want to know as much as I do what Rourke says about

Excalibur.” When Vane didn’t say anything, I knew I had the rightargument. I continued, “Did you notice that Matt never answeredwhy he was headed here?”

Vane’s eyes flared just a bit in surprise. Not because hehadn’t caught that, I was sure, but because I had. I moved to theedge of the bed and rose up on my knees to face Vane. “Whathave you figured out?”

“What will you do to find out?” Vane said flippantly.“Maybe I’ll ask Matt—”Vane caught me by the waist. “I think I’ve heard you say his

name enough times for today.”I raised my chin, brushing his nose with mine. “Vane.”“That’s better.” His hands pulled up the bottom of my shirt to

touch bare skin underneath. My pulse accelerated. There had beena lot of lip-locking during the past few months, but nothing pastsecond base. My hands ran over Vane’s shoulders, hard, yetsmooth. Shoulders I could anchor myself to and never let go. Iinhaled his cologne—one of those with a name I couldn’tpronounce. The magnetizing scent of dark wood mingled with thecoarse flavor of tobacco beckoned me closer. It surprised me a bitthat he was wearing any fragrance. I was so used to seeing him innothing but athletic track-pants that it didn’t seem as if he shouldsmell of anything other than sweat.

My breathing hitched when his palms slid up my side, tuggingup my shirt. His fingers traced over the sensitive hollow of each rib.Cold wind hit my bare midriff, caressing it. Vane put a knee on thebed and pulled my hands tightly around his neck. He started tobend me back onto the bed.

The dull roar of an engine being turned on sounded fromoutside.

Vane let out a groan. He waved a hand and the Frenchdoors opened behind us.

I blinked. “What?”Cupping my face, he gave me a quick hard kiss. “Later.”He rushed outside. I followed him. Cold stone bricks made

up the floor of the wide balcony. My toes had curled into my feet

by the time I caught up to Vane at the balcony’s ledge. A blackSUV sped out of the driveway into the woods. Vane cursed. “He’soff.”

“Where?”“I’ve got to go.” Vane leapt on top of the balcony ledge.I caught his elbow and pulled him back, using one of the

grappling techniques he’d taught me. “I’m going too.”His eyes narrowed. “Not a good time to test me.”“If it’s about the sword, it’s about me,” I retorted. “Is it?”Vane opened his mouth. I slapped my hand over it.My amulet glowed. I gave him a look. “Do you really want to

try magic on me?”Vane pushed my hand away.“You know where he’s going,” I declared.“What part of ‘there are gargoyles running around and it’s

not safe anywhere but here’ are you unable to grasp?”I scowled. “What part of ‘you can’t bully me’ are you not

getting? I’m going.”The moonlight left his lean face shadowed and sinister. His

eyes glittered with a dangerous light. Little butterflies in my stomachfluttered. I shoved them down.

“You have no idea where to go,” he said.I touched my amulet. “I can find out.”Vane ran a hand through his hair and I knew he’d bought my

bluff. Without a cataclysmic trigger like the last vision, I was prettysure there was no way I could read Matt when he wasn’t around.But Vane didn’t know that.

He muttered, “You’re going to drive me mad.”I played my last card. “Matt isn’t going to tell us anything.”

“Yes.” An arrogant smile broke over his face. “I suppose Idid promise you a date. Never say I can’t deliver.”

***A wide field stretched out in a large square surrounded by a

fortress of classically architected business buildings. Tucked in onecorner of the square, amorphous shadows floated here and thereabove the towers of the Salem Witch Museum. The melancholymuseum building hid behind the protection of large oak trees. Abright moon highlighted the museum’s arched windows. Matchingarched wooden doors barred any visitors from going in at this latehour.

Vane slipped the Land Rover into a dark spot away fromany streetlight, about a hundred yards from the museum’s driveway.Not a soul other than us could be seen.

Two empty SUVs sat in the driveway. “Not very subtle,” Vane remarked.“Why are we here?” I sat in the passenger seat of the Land

Rover. Tense waves of acid rose in my stomach. “Is this why youdirected me to do a project there? Were you using me to look forwhatever Matt is looking for?” My voice rose with every word.

Vane straightened away from the steering wheel. “Weren’tyou complaining that I hadn’t read any of your work? Now youknow I did… that it also gave me an excuse to pop into themuseum worked for both of us.”

My voice dripping with syrupy sweetness, I asked, “Did youfind out anything?”

“Do you want me to tell you?” he needled.Blake leaned forward from the middle seat in the back. “Is

that Master Emrys’s four by four?”

“Let’s go after them.” Grey snapped the release on hisseatbelt and opened the door just behind me.

Vane waved a hand and the door shut itself. He gave me alook. “Did we have to bring the Scooby gang?”

If I hadn’t been so mad at him, I would have laughed. Forsomeone so out of his time, Vane had assimilated well. But, really,how much TV did he watch? I told him, “They’re part of this too.You need the help.”

Gia snickered from Blake’s other side. “Does he alwaysneed help?”

Blake groaned. “Please, Gia, now I will never be able toremove that image from my mind.”

“Emerson, be quiet. Cornwall, I can always take you back tothe hole I found you in,” Vane snarled.

“Vane!” I protested.“Someone’s grumpy,” Gia muttered.I sighed. Gia was still mad at him about the spell. She had

gone from being a Vane supporter to a Vane hater fairly quicklyafter we’d started training. Or rather she, like Blake, couldn’tunderstand how I could walk away from Matt. On the other hand,Grey didn’t like Matt. He still blamed him for what happened toAlexa. It was cute how he and Vane had bonded over the past fewmonths over video games; and as a jock, Grey was used to acoach’s abrasive personality, not to mention ginormous ego.

“Why are we waiting?” I asked, before things coulddeteriorate any more in the car.

Matt and six other wizards came out of the museum. Mattshut the huge door behind them. They started talking to each other.

“What happened?” Blake said.

“They’ve just figured out they’re in the wrong place.” Vaneput his hand on the door handle. “Time for me to step in.”

The headlights of another SUV blinded us as it roared downthe road on a collision path with us.

“Get out of the car!” Vane yelled. “Gargoyles!”Vane waved a hand and all the car doors flung open. We

leaped out just before the speeding SUV rammed the Land Rover.I landed hard, my palms scraping the ground. Behind me, Blake andGrey were on their knees on the sidewalk. The doors of the SUVopened and three gargoyles jumped out. Three tall men with beastlyfaces on—the protruding forehead of a Cro-Magnon man, twosharp fangs, and hulking shoulders.

One stared at me. “The sword-bearer! Kill her! We maynever get a chance like this again.”

A fireball leaped out of one gargoyle’s palm and headedstraight toward me like a live grenade. I had no time to duck. Theruby gemstone on my amulet heated. I saw the soft sheen of abarrier extend around me. The fireball glanced off it.

It hit the Land Rover and exploded with an enormous bang.The mammoth SUV shook as it absorbed the bomb. The gargoyleslaunched a volley of fireballs.

Blake jumped in front of me. He put up his hand. Yellow lightextended from it, making a small shield. On our knees on thesidewalk, Blake, Grey, and I hid behind the meager defense. Arelentless barrage of fireballs bombarded us.

“The spell will run out soon,” Blake yelled.“Can’t you fire back?” Grey shouted.“It’s taking all my strength to hold the shield,” Blake

answered.

“We need swords,” I said.Grey took a knife out of his pocket. Blake took out a

matching one from his. Blake said a word and the knives extended.“Blake!” I cried.The shield shook under Blake’s momentary distraction as

fireballs continued to hammer it.“Bugger.” He handed me his sword and concentrated on the

shield.Finally, the volley of fireballs weakened. I said, “Their power

is running out.”“I’m getting tired too,” Blake warned.“Move forward,” I told him. “We have to take our chance

now.”Blake scooted forward. To our relief, the shield held. Our

knees scraped along the concrete sidewalk as we inched towardthe gargoyles. Blake faltered over a crack in the sidewalk and afireball whizzed just above my head, burning off a few strands.

“Blake,” I hissed.“Sorry,” he mumbled with a nervous laugh.The fireballs intensified, the closer we got. Then, I heard one

gargoyle curse. I met Grey’s eyes.“Now,” I told Blake.Grey and I jumped out from behind the shield. The shield

evaporated. We ran at the gargoyles, swords in hand. Two of thegargoyles shot at us with weaker fireballs. Blake blocked them one-by-one. The gargoyles raised their own swords. Grey swung hissword at a tall gargoyle on the end. I took the one in the middle.Blake fired his own fireball at the last one.

My sword clanged with the gargoyle’s. His strength

threatened to break my arm.“Worried, sword-bearer?” he growled. “Killing you will

make me the most celebrated gargoyle alive.” He pushed down onme to crush me into submission.

Blake’s sword felt clunky in my hand as if it couldn’t decideif it liked me. Still I pushed and met every parry the gargoyle threwat me. The gargoyle pushed me back further down the sidewalk. Hestumbled on the same crack Blake had. I took the opportunity toknock the sword out of his hand. I raised the blade and gatheredmy strength. Ready to behead him.

“Ryan, wait.”Matt’s voice stopped me. He stood beside the crashed

SUVs. Two dead gargoyles lay on the ground. Blake and Greyleaned against the SUV.

The gargoyle’s face changed back to a normal man’s. Hegave me a menacing smile. “I didn’t think you would do it, sword-bearer.” He said the last word with a sneer and grabbed my throat.

Red spots blotted my vision and I gasped for oxygen.Matt rushed toward me. Vane rounded the back of the

SUV, holding a sword. In one clean slice, the gargoyle’s head cameoff. His body fell forward on me while the head tumbled to theground. Blood sprayed all over my front. It seeped in through mybutton-down shirt, smearing against my skin.

“Ugh.” I pushed the body off me.Vane stepped aside to avoid the falling body. “Is that any

way to thank me for saving your life?”Matt stared at the dead gargoyle with a dismayed

expression. “I wanted the gargoyle alive, Vane.”Vane gave him a withering expression. “I’m not taking

chances with her.”“She was handling it just fine. Now, we don’t know who sent

them,” said Matt.“Isn’t it obvious?”“It wasn’t Rourke,” said Matt. The two brothers glared at

each other.“I was handling it just fine.” I touched my soaking shirt with a

grimace. My hands trembled, but I ignored them.Vane didn’t. He watched me closely. “Yes, I can see that.”He had a point. I had been relieved when Matt stopped me

from killing the gargoyle. I didn’t know why. I should have had noproblem taking out a gargoyle.

Matt touched my shoulder. “Marsti,” the soft word flutteredaround me. The wind cleansed my shirt, soaking up the blood intobubbles that fell and splattered the grey sidewalk.

Around us, the carnage lay strewn across the quiet street.Moonlight illuminated the smooth faces on the severed heads of thedead gargoyles. The three we fought on the sidewalk. Frombetween the trees, I saw about five more on the driveway. Aguardian kneeled down beside two bodies, scarred beyondrecognition. Two guardians, I presumed.

“We had four more on our side,” Vane used the edge of hisfine wool coat to clean off the blade of his sword.

I looked around in worry. “Gia?”“A gargoyle knocked her out.” Vane touched my cheek.

“But she’s fine.”“I’ll check on her,” Blake said and hurried around the Land

Rover.My shoulders relaxed. “Good.”

Matt knelt by the gargoyle that had almost taken me down.“Take a look at this.” He turned the gargoyle’s hand over. A curvyV inside a circle had been burned onto the skin like a brand.

“Morgan?” I whispered. Morgan, my ex-boyfriend, hadkilled my mother before turning on me.

“Are we going to have to kill everyone in his clan?” Vanesaid in disgust.

Blake walked up to us. “This was an attack on Ryan?”I shook my head and nodded at the gargoyle below us.

“When they first spotted me, I could tell they were surprised. Iwasn’t the target here.”

Vane cursed. “No, Merlin is the target.” He looked at Matt.“They’re looking for the same thing you are. But it’s not here. Theyknow it. This is a distraction.”

“What do you mean it’s not here?” Matt demanded. “Youknow where it is? How do you even know what it is?”

“Yes, and no.” Vane strode toward the Land Rover. Theengine was crushed. The inside completely destroyed. He glancedaround at the other SUVs. They looked in worse condition. “Shite.I’m going to have to walk.”

“Walk to where?”He raised a brow at me. “Sure you haven’t had enough for

one night?”I bit my lip. The last time I’d followed a wizard down the

rabbit hole, it hadn’t turned out well. Still, I wasn’t about to let himgo off alone. I was the freaking sword-bearer after all. Whether ornot I wanted to be.

“We’re stronger when we stay together,” I said.“Good girl. Grab a sword, then. We’ll need it.” Vane looked

at Matt. “Let’s go.”“Go where?” Matt frowned.“You’re not going without me.” Grey still held a sword in his

hand.“We’re wasting time.” Vane waved his hand. The crushed

Land Rover and SUV parted. Blake blinked up from where he satwith a groggy Gia. Vane strode past them toward the soccer-sizedfield that stretched across the square.

Grey followed him.Beside me, Matt cursed.“Blake, stay with Gia,” he commanded. “Will you be able to

clean this mess before anyone sees?”Blake answered affirmatively.The other wizards, the guardians, came running as soon as

they saw Vane leaving.Matt told them. “One guardian stays with Blake. I want the

others to follow me.”Ahead of us, Vane and Grey crossed into the field. Matt,

three guardians, and I ran after them.“Where are we going?” Matt demanded when we caught up

to Vane.“Where were you exactly when the gargoyles contacted

you?”Matt gave him an impatient look. “Holland.”“Holland,” Vane repeated. “Rotterdam, Holland?”Matt’s expression blanked. “Delfthaven, actually.”I rolled my eyes. “What are you getting at, Vane?”“You don’t know? I thought you liked history,” Vane

chortled.

I ground my teeth. “But obviously you do, so why don’t youtell us?”

We crossed the field and out of the Salem Commons. Vaneled us past a hotel with bright sconces. I’d been there not too longago for a wedding reception. In the ballroom, I’d sat by an antiquewood fireplace in chairs that looked like they could’ve been stolenfrom Ben Franklin’s house. Salty ocean air snuck around thecorners of the tight buildings. The town of Salem sat off the edge ofMassachusetts Bay and had been a huge seaport at one time.

Vane clucked his tongue. “Sad education you’re getting thesedays. Two ships left from Southampton, England in 1620. Theywere on a long voyage to a new world. Do you at least know thispart?”

“The Mayflower and the Speedwell,” I said.“Yes, but only one ship made it here. The Speedwell had a

leak and didn’t make it past Dartmouth, England. Some passengerstransferred to the Mayflower, some stayed in England, and somewent back to Holland.”

“The Speedwell left from Delfthaven.”Vane wagged his eyebrows. “Coincidence? I think not. My

brother has been tracing the pilgrims, but why? Was it really thegargoyles who suggested meeting here or were you already on yourway?”

Matt’s cheeks puffed a bit. I could sympathize. Vane didexcel at pushing buttons. I glanced at Vane and had to fight a smile.He wore a devastatingly smug expression at having one-upped hisbrother.

Matt stared at the simple arches on the brownstone buildings.The spaces between them became wider, the closer we got to the

wharf. “I’ve come full circle, haven’t I? Keltoi were among thepilgrims. It was an oppressive time in England and many of ourtreasures were divided among those traveling to the New Worldand given to safeguard.”

The Keltoi were what the wizards called themselves.“Pilgrims. As in Plymouth? That’s almost two hours from

here,” I said.Matt shook his head. “No, I found out in Holland that more

Keltoi came later with the Puritans to Boston; and some Keltoi leftthe pilgrims at Plymouth and joined their brethren among thePuritans. Of course, as you know, the Keltoi were famouslydiscovered and persecuted. Some, among other innocents, died.The ones who escaped scattered. Many changed their names. I donot know how I’m going to trace them; that’s where I’m hopingRourke has some answers.”

“The Salem witch trials,” I said, starting to connect the dots.Vane swung his sword in a practice thrust. “Indeed, Ryan’s

research for her exhibit turned up quite a few known Keltoi names—”

“I’m so glad,” I said with attitude.Vane ignored me. “The witches started panicking when the

trials started, but they kept close to the two magistrates.”Matt nodded. “To help those accused.”“Some great help they were,” I muttered.Vane walked us past the maritime museum. In the dark,

white snow glistened along the open spaces on the wharf. “To helpor hide themselves. It hardly matters now. However, what isinteresting is that I found a Keltoi was related to one of themagistrates. The wizard was never accused and the families stayed

close for years. Later, a descendant of the magistrate wrote a mostinteresting story. In his novel, he writes about a house built by a manwho was persecuted for being a wizard. In reality, the house stillstands today.”

I finally realized where we were going.Vane continued, “The house is said to be haunted. Peculiar

noises. Odd drafts. Ghosts… all knocking about inside a buildingwith one of the most unusual architectures in the country. If I amcorrect, what is hidden there will never be found by a regular.”

“I don’t understand,” I said.Matt explained, “A spell will last for centuries if it has a way

to keep itself energized. In this case, by taking energy from anyvisitors to the house. The cold draft one feels is probably the spelldraining them.” He gave Vane a shrewd look. “If you’ve figured outthis much, you must have tried to open the message.”

Vane glanced at me. “I have been a bit preoccupied.”Matt snorted. “You’re worried it will explode on you. If the

spell has been around for so long, it will be volatile.”The smell of food hit our nostrils. A pub topped with the

weathervane of a fat pig lit the wharf. Laughing people drank out ofpints and snacked. Grey and Vane gave the place a longing look. Ipinched Vane.

Vane’s eyes turned to me, pupils still dilated from adrenaline.“Saucy girls get spanked.”

In the dark, I blushed deep red. Matt let out a sound ofdisgust.

Vane tore his eyes away. “The gargoyles know about it, but Iwager they have not figured out how to unlock it.”

We passed the pub and the scene changed. Even in the

shadows, the quaint street of pristine trees and shrubs lookeddeceptively serene. It led up to a tall, grey mansion with large,withered elm trees guarding the front. Open sky and the sound ofendless water served as the backdrop to the battered-lookinghouse. The home should have beckoned us forward, but we stoodunmoving at its entrance. Wind screamed across the snow-decorated lawn and whistled through the large garden half-hidden atin the rear.

A light flickered high up in the third story of the square-paneddormer windows where nothing but darkness should have been. Iblinked and the light disappeared.

We’d come to the only true haunted place in Salem—theHouse of the Seven Gables.

***Grey made a face. “You really want to go in there?”The seven pointed gables, wooden triangles crowned with

finials, stood aloft like lonely beacons at various points spread outover the roof. Three thick, brick chimneys protruded from behindthe gables. Snow sat in the crevices of the roof. A path had beencleared to the framed entrance with cranberry glass sidelights. Thehouse had been built sometime in the late 1600s, just before thewitch trials, and the air around it still evoked the turbulence of thattime.

We all jumped when a loud crash sounded from inside.Vane hoisted his sword. “Gargoyles.”We trod through snow up the short walkway to the entrance.

Outside, a sign told us tours had ended hours ago. Garlandstrimmed with red holly lined the doors and windows. Christmas wasover long ago, but it was nice to see a bit of festivity left over. By

now, most everyone’s cheer had been bled away by the drearyrelentlessness of winter.

Vane started to march up to the entrance.Matt stopped him. “We should split up.”“I’ll take the front,” Vane said.“I’ll go with you,” Grey volunteered.“If there’s a garden, there’s a backdoor,” Matt said to the

guardians.The three guardians nodded and hurried away. To the right

of the entrance, just off the sidewalk, a small door stood. Mattmotioned me toward it. “We’ll go this way. It’s more likely to beempty.”

I made a face. “I can take care of myself.”“I’ve heard that before.” Vane looked at Matt. “Keep her

out of trouble.”Matt nodded. Vane and Grey crossed to the entrance.“You don’t need to baby me,” I said.“Vane shouldn’t have brought you at all. You need more

training.”“I’ve had training,” I said.“Then, you need time,” Matt replied. “You ran away, Ryan.”He walked to the small door. Fuming, I stared after him.

Even after all I’d done, they still saw me as five-foot-nothing blondeflower. I stalked to the door. “I went home to recover not to runaway.”

“That is what you say.” Matt waved a hand and the woodendoor creaked open. “But not how you really feel.”

I made a face. Why did he have to understand me so well?He and Vane. Both managed to get under my skin so easily. It was

annoying. We entered a small room, straight out of slasher movie.Matt’s hand glowed a faint blue, giving us enough light to lookaround. A medley of innocuous scented candles and soaps hadbeen laid out in neat rows on shelves all around the small space.

“The hallway.” Matt pointed to the opposite end of the roomand started walking to it.

“Strange place for a candleshop,” I muttered, following him.Black blobs of dark matter popped in, out, and around us. Anyoneof them could have hidden the fanged face of a bloodthirstygargoyle.

Every nerve on end, I walked straight into a shelf. Mattstopped my fall by jerking me up by my shirt with one hand. Islammed into his chest. With his other hand, he righted the wobblingshelf. Soaps and bottles floated in mid-air. The faint aura of bluemagic sparkled in low light.

My face mashed against his ribs. I inhaled a breath of amberand earth, the smell of morning dew dripping on tender leavesacross a green lawn.

Images flooded into my mind.Matt and I lay on the floor, kissing like there would be no

tomorrow. Both naked. His hands skimmed across the bareskin of my chest. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling himcloser—

As quickly as the images had flashed, they stopped.It took me a second to center myself back in the scent shop.

I realized I was panting. Heat weakened my bones, forcing me tohold even tighter onto Matt.

He let out a choked sound.In the dark, I whispered, “Matt.”

CHAPTER 5 - NYMPH’S LURE

CHAPTER 5NYMPH’S LURE

“I’m sorry.”“Aren’t you always?” I thought back.Carefully, I pushed away from him.The images lingered in my mind. From his tone, I could tell he

was embarrassed. With another blue shimmer of magic, Mattreturned the floating soaps and bottles to the shelf. I stared at him.He’d already chosen his path and it didn’t include me.

So had I. Vane.Then, why did my heart still race?Matt put a finger to his mouth. The ceiling creaked under the

weight of someone walking above us. I took a step and winced asglass burst under my boot heels. Just behind me, another shelf hadbeen knocked over. An array of fine little soaps and bottles layscattered around the floor. The sinister shadows of the storeroomclosed in and I expected a gargoyle to leap out at me at anysecond. My stomach knotted. I wished I had Excalibur.

Whether it was our connection through the amulet, or he justsensed my nervousness, Matt touched my shoulder, a warm handeasing the cold given off the barren room. He drew out a knife andgave it to me. It shimmered with a faint blue glimmer that alwayspreceded Matt’s magic and the blade lengthened into a sword.Excalibur’s hilt gleamed under a ray of moonlight that penetratedthrough a small window.

“You actually brought it?” I thought to him.“I brought Excalibur to Boston for this in the first

place.” He headed out of the room. We crossed what looked likea kitchen to a narrow hallway.

I scooted along behind him. “You said it was to convince

me to go back.”“I didn’t need it to do that. I would have made you see

reason without it.”In the dark, I stuck out my tongue at his back.“I saw that.” He stepped out into the hallway.A fireball flew straight at him.“Matt!” I cried and threw myself in front of him. There was

barely enough room for the two of us in the tight space. Matt let outa stream of blue magic to deflect it, but part of the fireball slammedinto my side. My skin burned. I let out a scream and droppedExcalibur.

“Ryan!” Matt caught me as I fell backwards.Another fireball whizzed down the hallway at us. Matt

deflected this one back to whoever shot it. Three shadowy figuresstood at the end of the hallway, just past the door leading out of it.They sidestepped the fireball and let it hit a wall behind them. Thewhole house shook from the impact. Flames spread, greedilydevouring the delicate, hundred-year old paneling. One of thefigures let loose a wave of purple magic that hit the fire-laden walland the flames doused. Two figures ran forward. One stayedbehind at the door, protecting their back.

Matt raised his hand with a spinning fireball in it.“You’ll set this whole tinderbox on fire and bring it down on

us,” one of figures said. He stepped into the light.“Oliver,” Matt said grimly.“Merlin.” Oliver glanced at me. His lips curled with cruel

satisfaction. “If nothing else, it will be worth my while to see hersuffer.”

Pain threatened to blind me, but I forced my eyes to focus.

Matt held me close to him. Excalibur lay between the gargoyles andus.

“What will you choose, Merlin?” Oliver taunted. “Save thegirl or save the sword?”

The other gargoyle took a step toward the sword. Matt triedto grab Excalibur, floating it in the air. Oliver held up an amulet andbattled him for it. The sword zigzagged back and forth between us.The burn at my side intensified and I gasped. Matt’s hold on thesword slipped.

The other gargoyle beside Oliver grabbed Excalibur. “Wegot it!”

In a blink, Matt put me on the ground and stepped over me.I barely felt it. I barely felt anything. The burning pain on my sideobliterated any other sensation. He raised both hands at thegargoyle. A brilliant blue light emanated from Matt and focused likea laser at the gargoyle. The gargoyle exploded into a million littlebits.

Excalibur flew back into Matt’s hands. With a drained sigh,Matt sank to his knees.

Oliver’s face transformed. His beast came out. Forehead andfangs extended. He held up a sword and pulled back to take aswing. “Your turn, Merlin.”

A gurgle came from the other gargoyle further down thehallway. Oliver turned his head to see a sword go through the othergargoyle’s stomach. Matt waved his palm. Oliver’s sword flew outof his hand. Matt sank down further until he sat on the ground.Oliver cursed.

“Looking for some help, gargoyle? Because I’m afraid it hasbeen delayed… permanently.” Vane’s voice traveled down the tight

hallway. He whispered a word and low lights flared on inside thehallway. Even partially hidden behind Matt, I could see Vane’ssword dripping with blood. “I believe I counted six. No seven,including this one.” With his foot, he shoved the third gargoyle, nowlying headless on the floor, into a corner of the hallway.

Oliver made a sound of frustration. With a final look atExcalibur, he ran into the kitchen right past us. Vane started to runafter him.

“Vane!” Matt said. “Ryan’s hurt.”Through bleary eyes, I saw his face peer over Matt. He said,

“Dammit, Merlin, you were supposed to take care of her.”From beyond the kitchen, we heard a blast somewhere in the

shop. The other guardians burst into the hallway.“Go after the gargoyle,” Vane yelled at the guardians,

pointing at the kitchen. The guardians thundered past him. Vanecrossed Matt to kneel beside me. In the dim light, the grave lines ofhis face deepened. His fingers shook as he checked my pulse. “Stillstrong. Let’s see what kind of trouble you’ve gotten into, Dorothy.”

“It’s just a scratch, Toto,” I rasped. I cried out when hetouched the edge of the giant hole of melted skin and meat that nowmade up my side.

“Scratch, my ass,” he said.“I like your ass.” The words came out as barely a whisper.Vane let out a forced laugh. “Hold on, Ry. This is going to

hurt.”He put a hand right over the charred area. This time I

screamed. A faint red glow spread from his hand.I blacked out.I woke up in what must have been just a few minutes time. I

still lay in the hallway. Dim light wavered from sconces. Matt satnext to me. I pushed myself up on my elbows. He helped me sit up.We sat side-by-side in the hallway alone.

“Where did everyone go?” I asked as I touched my burnedside. My coat and shirt were beyond repair, but my skin feltsmooth. Not even a burn or scar remained.

“They went to check the rest of the house. We did comehere for a purpose.”

My head against the wall, I glanced at him out of the cornerof my eyes. “Killing the gargoyle drained you?”

I doubted another wizard would have been able to do it all.Making something that big explode was supposed to be impossible,unless you were…

His lips curved up into a small smile. “I am Merlin.”“Stop reading my mind,” I snapped.“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that… your thoughts are loud.”My cheeks puffed out. “I’ll work on that.”“I’m sorry.”I made a face. “You seem to be saying that a lot lately.”Silence stretched between us. Finally, he said, “I had to save

Excalibur.”Oliver’s words rang in my head. “Save the girl or save the

sword.” He’d chosen. “You knew I wasn’t hurt that badly. Youknew you could heal me later.”

“Yes. But I still took a chance.”“Luckily, I was there to clean up your mess.” Vane marched

into the hallway. He dropped down beside me and cupped my face.“Ready to go home, Ryan?”

“What? You found… whatever it was?” I said.

Vane shrugged. “No, but we will. You’ve risked yourselfenough. Grey can take you home.”

“Stop ordering me around.” I put my hand on his shouldersand hoisted myself up. For a second, I thought I would tip over andfall on top of him. Vane braced himself for just that, but I managedto stay upright.

“Good,” Vane said in a no-nonsense tone, but from thecorner of my eye, I noticed a small smile.

“Nice play, Coach,” I muttered.Behind me, Matt got up slowly. “Did you find anything?”Vane shook his head. “We’ve searched every corner of this

house. Other than the strange layout of the place, I haven’t seenanything remotely haunting. Do you think that dog of a gargoylefound it?”

“I don’t think so.” Matt rubbed his jaw. “Oliver wouldn’thave tried to get Excalibur if he had.”

“Or me,” I said.Pulling me close to him, Vane squeezed my waist.“Did you look in the secret staircase?” I said.Vane frowned. “What secret staircase? I read that whole

book, House of the Seven Gables, by what’s-his-name. It didn’tmention any such staircase.”

I rolled my eyes. “What a good researcher you are.Hawthorne didn’t know about it. They discovered it later. But it’swhere all these cold drafts and odd feelings are supposed to haveoriginated.”

Vane gave me a sheepish look. “I didn’t bother to readfurther, once I made the connections.”

I patted his shoulder and started down the hallway, toward

the center of the house. “Still want Grey to take me home?”“Don’t get smug, Swiss cheese,” he said at my back.I winced, instinctively touching my side, but kept walking.Vane and Matt followed.“I would have known about the secret staircase,” Matt said.“Yes, the Mighty Merlin, who just allowed the damsel to

rescue him,” Vane mocked.Grey and the other guardians stood gathered in the room

past the hallway—a dining room. Porcelain dishes and plates hadbeen set up on a long wooden table as if expecting dinner guests.Amazingly after all the ruckus, they remained intact—a reminderthat the house had powers of its own.

Matt halted at the room’s threshold. “Do you feel the heat inhere?”

“Darzayati raga,” Vane said.A sheen of glimmering white blobs floated around in the

room. Grey ducked as one flew straight at him.Matt stepped right into one and let it pass through him. A

tinge of blue covered his face. “Hot and cold. Residual energy fromold magic.”

A circle of white light surrounded a portrait of a sad-facedgirl. “Susan Ingersoll. She’s the one who supposedly haunts thisplace.”

“Creepy,” Grey said.I stared at the picture for a minute. Hidden secrets lurked

behind the young girl’s mud-colored eyes. But all I could thinkabout was how lonely she looked.

Matt came up beside me. “What do you see?”“She lived here most of her life and even died here,” I said.

“She never left. Do you think she gave up her whole life to protectthis place?”

Matt squeezed my shoulder. “That will not be your fate.”“Won’t it?” I said. Matt held Excalibur at his side. I hadn’t

taken it back. Part of me yearned to have it. The part Matt andVane kept trying to bring forward. The part that scared me likenothing else.

Vane came up beside us.I pointed to a small door just to the side of the portrait. “The

staircase is there.”Vane opened the door. It creaked ajar to reveal a small

closet. Pieces of cut wood decorated the sides and beyond stoodan abyss lined in brick. Penetrating the abyss, a single ray of lightshone from above. It highlighted the steep steps of the staircase thathad barely enough room for one. The light sparkled with dustyglitter. It called us forward. I asked Matt, “How did you do that?”

“I didn’t,” he answered. “Do you feel a draft?”Matt took a step into the closet.

***A scream flew down the staircase with the strength of a

banshee’s shrill cry and blasted us. Everyone slapped their hands totheir ears. Matt stepped back. The scream faded.

“The ghost,” one of the guardians said.“A warning,” Matt corrected him. He took a step forward.

The scream blasted us again. The pressure on my eardrumsthreatened to make them bleed. The wind threw Matt back againstVane who stood directly behind him. As soon as Matt was out ofthe closet, the scream stopped.

“Emrys, dammit, come up with something better,” Grey said.

He stood by the dining table rubbing his ears.Vane watched Matt. “Did you smell water?”“No.” Matt handed Excalibur to me.“Your turn,” said Vane. Before I could protest, he shoved

me into the closet.The wind shifted. A gust blew against me. Excalibur warmed

in my hand, but for once, my amulet remained cold on my neck.The wind sniffed at my covered ankles and swam over my clothes.It found the broken line of my coat where I’d gotten hurt. It seepedin through the hole and swam around inside my clothes until it hadtouched every bit of my skin. A faint scent of salty ocean air tickledmy nostrils. Then, it winked and disappeared.

No scream sounded. The stairway lay open.“She likes you,” Vane murmured, coming up behind me.“I thought you said it was a spell, not a ghost,” I whispered.Vane shrugged. “A trace of her essence may have mixed

with the spell. You did say she spent most of her life here.” He tookan oil lamp that sat in an open cubby in the closet and blew a tinyfireball into it. The oil lamp flared to life. He motioned for me to gofirst.

I took the lamp. It was heavier than it looked. “Next time, allghost-busters carry flashlights.”

“Stop delaying, DuLac,” Vane said.Swallowing, I took the first step onto the stairwell. Instantly

the air changed. A breath straight from the mouth of the ArcticOcean seemed to blow down the stairs. I shivered and wrapped myhands around myself. Keeping Excalibur close to my chest, I startedclimbing. Vane followed. Matt came after him. The stairs led to asmall, neatly set-up bedroom. A quilt covered a narrow bed and a

small window. I wondered if this were the room I thought I’d seenthe wavering light in from outside.

“I don’t sense anything here,” Vane said as he stepped intothe room.

Matt stood in the doorway. “The air does not invite us in.We’re in the right place.”

“There’s supposed to be an unfinished attic somewherearound here,” I said. Shadows covered the walls, making it hard tosee anything.

Grey came in after Matt. He moved to the side and put out ahand to lean on the wall and almost fell through. “There’s apassageway here.”

Matt took the lamp from me. “Let’s go.”Two other guardians had followed us up the stairs. Matt told

them to remain in the room. Matt, Vane, Grey and I crossed aslanted passageway to a tiny, unfinished space with thick beams onthe roof and slats of rough wood on the walls. Grey tripped over arocker on one side. It squeaked as it swung back and forth. Aminiature model of the house sat on the other side.

Vane glanced around the quiet room. “I smell it again—theocean.”

“Call her,” Matt instructed me.“How exactly am I supposed to do that?” I hissed.Matt raised a brow. “Use the sword.”There was a “duh” at the end of that statement that I

resented. Feeling really dumb, I raised Excalibur in the air. “Susan.Susan. Hello, are you here?”

Matt whispered, “Darzayati.”Cold wind wrapped around us. It pushed us all to the center

of the room. My back lined up to Vane’s. Matt and Grey stood oneither side of me in a circle. A brilliant white light winked in and out,moving within the shadows of the attic. I saw the hint of a girl in agown in one. I pushed out at the wind with my hands and crossedto the girl. She peered out from behind a beam.

“Hello,” I said to the girl in white.She smiled, and opened her mouth. The scream sounded

again. This time, so shrill it threatened to break every window in thehouse… along with every bone in our bodies. My hands over myears, I fell to my knees. Beside me, Matt, Vane and Grey were alsoon their knees. The wind intensified and tried to slam us down to thefloor.

The girl floated in the air. No, I realized, she swam.“She’s swimming,” I thought to Matt, crossing my fingers

that he could hear me. My amulet glowed weakly.Beside me, Matt gave a small nod.Out of nowhere, water flooded the attic. It filled the attic like

one would fill a fish tank. I let the water carry me to the top where itstopped with only a foot of air remaining. I sank down into thewater.

“Ryan!” Matt thought to me. “Wait!”Under the water, the ghost girl swam straight into me. I

forgot to breathe. Hot. Cold. Water. Air. It meant nothing. I peeredbeyond myself. Where I was no longer existed. Beyond the veil,between my world and hers, I saw the other side.

I crossed the veil. I wore a beautiful white gown, soft andfilmy, fit for a princess.

“There is more here. So much more. As much as you canimagine.” The ghost girl told me as she appeared at my side. Except

she no longer looked like a ghost. Her form was as solid as mine.Her hair, a lustrous brown, fell down to her waist. She also wore adiaphanous gown that flowed around to her ankles. Her eyesseemed an endless liquid blue.

“Susan?”“No, I am not she. But we did play… for awhile. She got

tired. She didn’t have much energy.” The girl’s wide gaze locked onme. “But you do.” She inhaled deeply. “So strong. We can have somuch fun.”

“We’ve come for what belongs to us,” Matt said from behindme. He still wore his biker jacket and the same black pants. Heheld onto my wrist with a tight grip.

The girl’s face twisted into a livid expression. I thought I sawa hint of sharp fangs hiding underneath red lips. “What are youdoing here? You should not be able to cross. I didn’t ask youhere.” She turned to me, eyes softening. Her expression eased. “It’sher. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for. She sees me.”

“I’m not letting her go until you bring what is ours,” Mattsaid.

The girl sulked. “If I bring you the trident, you will leave.”“Agreed,” he said.Her eyes narrowed. “And you will let her stay.”“Only if she wants to. If you can convince her.” It was a

challenge.The girl smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course.”The trident? I glanced at Matt. He didn’t look at me.

Whatever he was up to had better work.The girl nodded. “He told me never to tell, but I have been

here so long. He promised I wouldn’t be alone forever.”

“No, you won’t be alone anymore,” said Matt. “You weretold this day would come.”

“Yes,” the girl nodded eagerly. “But I’ve hidden it for solong. I’ve been waiting so long.”

“It’s in the attic,” Matt prompted.The girl shivered. “I hate that ugly little place, but the portal

was built there.” She sighed. “I suppose there is no help for it. Wemust go back.”

In a blink, we were in the attic again. Water still filled it. Thegirl appeared in her ghostly form. She pointed to some slats ofwood in the wall. The slats had been placed in a neat pattern. Mattput his hand out. The slats of wood peeled out, like opening acupboard.

An explosion of green light filled us. Water sank into thecupboard as if we’d opened a plugged drain. All the loose items inthe attic, including us, started sinking into its vortex. Grey grabbed abeam to anchor himself. He put out his hand. Vane grabbed it andme.

Water swirled around us with fury. Matt let himself get pulledclose to the vortex. Vane moved to go after him. I tightened myhold on him. Vane frowned questioningly. I pointed at Matt. Hereached as close as he could to the apex of the vortex, and in aglimmer of blue magic, he floated out a part of a rusty, metal lancewith three prongs—a trident. As soon as it was close enough, Mattgrabbed it with his hand. He tugged at it, but it refused to comemore than halfway out.

Vane secured my hand to Grey’s. He swam to Matt. Theypulled out the trident together. The drain cleared, and the waterreceded quickly. The cupboard closed and the slats of wood

replaced themselves.We dropped to the floor of the attic, our clothes drenched. I

shivered under its cold weight.The ghost girl floated to a stop in front of me. “My turn.”“Ryan!” Matt ran toward me.She floated into me. Again, I passed through the veil. Cold

fell away. The warm sun of a never-ending sky shone down on me.I stood at the edge of a rocky cliff.

The girl pointed below us. Warm blue water lapped against asunny beach. “Forget your worries. Just watch the water. Do yousee the beach? It’s where we play. All we have to do is jumpdown.”

I looked below me. It was a long way down.She grabbed my hand. “I’ll be with you the whole way. We’ll

go together.”I touched my head. It felt cloudy, but there was something

important I knew I should remember. I glanced behind me. A faintblue light shimmered in the shape of a doorway.

The girl with brown hair took my chin. “You don’t belongthere. You were afraid. Alone. Now you won’t be. Never again.”

“Ryan.” My amulet whispered. A voice called. I struggled toplace it. Matt. He called from what seemed to be a long way away.

The girl laughed. Her brown hair sparkled in the warmbreeze. “Can you hear their call? They want us to come.”

“Who?” I said.She pointed me to the beach. Several dolphins played in the

shallow water. They jumped and sprayed each other. Chattering insoft chirps, they frolicked without a worry in the world.

“Ryan. Don’t listen to her. If you go, you’ll never be able

to come back.” A voice—familiar, though I couldn’t rememberwhose it was—pounded at the back of my head like a persistentmosquito. And who was Ryan?

I tried to focus, but beyond the smell of the water andwarmth of the beach, I couldn’t form another thought. I turned backto the door to see the faint image of a young man with dark hair andbroody too-old eyes, wearing a slim collarless jacket. He wavedfrom the doorway.

The girl grabbed my wrist. “No, forget him. Look at thedolphins. That’s where we belong. Like them, we’ll never worryabout anything.”

“Vane. I’m losing her.”I took a step closer to the edge of the cliff.

CHAPTER 6 - CHOICES

CHAPTER 6CHOICES

The girl beside me smiled. “We’re going to be so happy.”“She’s happier with me.” An arrogant voice said from the

door.I looked back. Beside Broody-Eyes, another slightly older

boy with similar dark hair and compelling eyes gave me a coldglare.

“DuLac, get back here,” he said.At the precipice, I bit my lip. Water lapped in graceful waves

on the soft-sand beach. The ocean called me home.“Dorothy, it’s not home. Home is here,” Arrogant-Voice

said more softly. “Grey needs you. Without you, he’ll end up aTV addict with a beer gut. Your brother needs you.”

Brother. I took a step off the precipice.“Ryan,” Broody-Eyes said. “Come back and you’ll

remember.”I tugged at my wrist. The brown-haired girl tightened her grip

until it dug into my skin. “No, you’re mine.”“You’re not very nice.” I turned my wrist, moving it with

surprising speed and skill, and freed myself. I started walkingtoward the door.

“Come back,” the girl cried. “You can’t leave me alone!”“She’s made her choice,” Broody-Eyes told the girl.“You tricked me,” she screamed. Her face morphed. Behind

the façade of a young girl, a hag with fangs hid. She snarled at us,“She’s mine. If I can’t have her, no one will.”

The serene blue sky changed into red. The world shook.Beneath me, the rocks that made up the cliff trembled. Behind me,the hag raised her hands. The pristine water changed to lava. It rose

up in the air in one long column.“Shoot her,” Broody-Eyes commanded.A bow and arrow appeared in my hand. The hag threw her

arms forward, directing the wave at me. Lava, in the shape of ahand, shot forward. Without thinking, I aimed at the hag and let thearrow fly. The arrow pierced the creature. She let out a screechingwail.

The cliff started to crumble. The door winked in and out ofexistence on the open rock.

“Jump.” Arrogant-Voice put a hand out. “I’ll catch you.”I leaped at the door.

***I landed face down on the attic floor with a thud. I used my

palms to sit up. My mind still clouded by the other world, I blinkedat the three anxious faces watching me. Broody-Eyes put a swordin my hand. Immediately the fog clouding my mind lifted. Atremendous force pushed down on me as memories rushed back. Isaw a laughing woman with kind eyes—my mother. My deadmother. My murdered mother. A sharp surge of pain overwhelmedme. Letting the sword drop, I grabbed my head to stop the images.Why had I agreed to remember this?

I fought for air. Emotions threatened to suffocate me.“Ryan?” A warm hand touched the top of my head.I looked up. Arrogant-Voice. I cringed away from him.The athletic boy knelt in front of me. He held out his hand.

“Ryan, it’s Grey. Your brother.”“Brother,” I repeated. My mind opened another crack and

again, the rush of memories forced themselves through. I cried out.Grey grabbed me in a tight hug. “It’ll be okay.”

My brother. I repeated it over and over again in my head.Bit by bit the memory of him centered me. Minutes later, orseconds, or maybe an hour (I actually had no idea how long), mynerves slowly quieted. I forced myself to push away from Grey.“It’s alright. I’m alright. I remember you.”

“Do you?” another voice demanded.I hadn’t heard it in his angry tone before, but I heard the

worry now. And desire. I looked up at him. “Your name is Vane.”Pulling me away from Grey, he picked me up in his arms.

“What the hell did you bargain?” He barked at the remaining boy.“What was that thing?”

“A nymph,” Broody-Eyes—no, I remembered his name wasMatt—replied. “Charged with protecting this.” He held up thetrident. “She traded it for Ryan.”

“What is it?” I asked.“Not what, but whose,” Matt said.“Poseidon?”“Greek God of the Sea? It could be. The Lady had ties to

the Greeks,” he said. “I’m not sure of the exact nature of those tiesthough. The time of the Greek Gods was much earlier thanCamelot.”

“You have no idea what this means,” Vane said.Matt frowned. “It’s the next piece of the puzzle. The answers

lies with this, I can feel it.”Vane’s arms tightened around me. “I should kick your ass.”Matt took a breath. “It had to be done. I was sure I would

be able to pull Ryan back—”“Except you weren’t able,” Vane spat.“What happened to the girl?” I asked. “The nymph?”

“She’s dead. She won’t be coming back,” Matt said.I laid my head against Vane’s chest. “I shot her.”“You rescued her,” Matt corrected. “Whoever made her

safeguard this has left her alone for centuries. That’s why she wasso desperate to make the trade.”

I stared at the trident. “I don’t like that thing.”Vane’s fingers tightened around me. “Don’t judge it by the

nymph. We don’t know what its purpose is.”“Zusyati Marsti,” Matt commanded. Wind whirled around

the drenched attic, renewing and restoring it. Our clothes dried too.The guardians from the other room rushed inside, crowding

the tiny attic. One looked at us anxiously. “We heard noises, butcouldn’t enter.”

“We’re done here.” The trident in one hand, Matt picked upExcalibur from the floor in the other. “We found what we camefor.”

The guardians’ eyes fell on the trident. They nodded. Onetook out his phone. He put it to his ear. In a brief conversation, heasked to get picked up.

Matt turned to Vane. “Oliver was the one who attacked us.Not Rourke.”

“You still want to meet him after tonight? Oliver is supposedto be under Rourke’s control. How do we know he didn’t just sendhim in?” Vane said.

Matt returned his gaze steadily. “We need to meet him. Hemay have an idea who this belongs to.”

“Fine,” Vane said. “But Ryan’s not going to be there. I’lltake her to my place.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but the furious way he

watched me, as if he dared me to test him, had me shutting it.Matt didn’t look thrilled, but he nodded. “The further away

she is, the better.”“I’ll stay with Mom,” Grey said to me.Vane marched towards the attic’s exit. “Let’s get out of this

hole.”“I can walk—” I started.“No, you can’t,” he said.I gave the eerie attic one last look as we entered the

passageway. “Does this mean the house isn’t haunted anymore?”Walking behind us, Matt laughed. “There’s still a portal here.

The tourists will be speculating about cold drafts for as long as thisplace stands.”

***Vane drove down a one-lane street past a huge pond and

into an apartment complex just outside Concord. As late as it was,not a soul wandered in the cul-de-sac parking lot. Gorgeous treesdusted with fresh snow provided shelter for the cars. A thin striphad been cleared in the foot-deep snow leading up the walkways tobuildings. I could see the dark outline of slumbering woods justbehind the complex. We took the elevator to the third floor.

When I commented on it, he replied, “I like being up high.”As we reached the door, a sense of anticipation went through

me. I’d never been to his place. We hadn’t risked it because wecouldn’t be seen together. I had not been in his flat at Avalon Prepeither, although I’d lived just across from him after my dorm gotburned (long story). I had seen his office at Avalon Prep—a largeroom with a mind-boggling number of flat screen TVs.

I found myself curious and a little apprehensive. I had yet to

be completely alone with Vane. Ever.Vane waved his hand across the knob to unlock the door.

He bowed and motioned me to enter. “Milady.”“Do you even carry a key?” I took a step inside.“Why bother?” Vane waved a hand and low sconces

flickered on.My eyes widened. The apartment was spotless, modern, and

without any pretension. High-end electronics took up the livingroom, of course. A gorgeous kitchen with granite countertopshoused the latest appliances. However, the centerpiece was a set ofglass doors that showed off a balcony with a view of the serenewaters of the pond.

“We’ve got a morning flight,” Vane said as he walked intothe kitchen. “We can stop by the house after the meeting if youwant, but it’ll have to be quick—”

“What?” I squawked.“Catch up, DuLac. We head back to Avalon Prep

tomorrow.” He started taking out a few packages of food from ahuge, glass-doored refrigerator. The fridge contained mostly meatand beer. “If you recall, you agreed.”

“Only if I met with Rourke—”“After tonight, not going to happen.”I watched him zap some fish while fresh lemons cut

themselves. “What about the trident? You are going to leave it inMatt’s hands?”

“Of course not, but it doesn’t impact you yet. We’ll figureout what it means and then bring you in. You’ll be safest at AvalonPrep until then.”

“What about school?”

Vane gave me a smug smile. “What day is it?”“Friday.” I glanced out the glass doors. A dull moon hung

low in the sky. “Well, probably Saturday.”“Winter recess. You’ve got the week off.” He served the fish

onto two plates. A packet of salad on the counter flopped around,shaking up the contents inside and then opened itself as Vanehanded me a bowl. “We’ve got at least that long before anyoneworries about where you are.”

I should have been getting mad at his high-handedness, butmy stomach grumbled and I started eating instead. The fish wasperfect. Vane watched me with amusement. In minutes, I devouredthe contents of my plate. Vane put a glass of iced tea in front of me.I noticed he stocked iced tea, my favorite, when I knew he wasn’tan iced tea kind of guy.

I yawned.Vane waved his hand and the dishes floated into the

dishwasher. The dishwasher buzzed on. I yawned again. Sipping abeer, he went to the lone closet in the living room and withdrew apillow and blanket. He dumped them on a short leather sofa.

I walked toward a darkened door.In a blink, Vane appeared in front of me to block the way.I frowned at him. “Bathroom.”He pointed me to a corner just to the left. A thin door stood

closed. “That way.”My forehead furrowed. “Why don’t you want me to see your

bedroom?”The hard line of his chest expanded and fell. His mouth

curved into a leer. “Do you want to join me in it?”Whoa. Conflicting waves of desire and danger shot though

me. I must have stared too long because he grabbed my shouldersand turned me around.

“I thought not,” he mumbled and gave me a small pushtoward the other door.

In the bathroom, I washed my face with force. I wished Icould wash away my own thoughts so easily. My over-sensitizedskin tingled at the spots where Vane’s fingers had gripped me.Every nerve strummed in one mournful note—I wished I’d neverseen the other world. How wonderful it had been to forget, just forone second, the burden of the sword. The uncertainty that camewith not knowing what it meant for the future. My heart beat slowly.

If I had a future.The biggest worry in my life was supposed to be college, the

next game, and putting on the prom. I had already put a depositdown on a place in Boston. The committee and I had finally pickeda theme too—Under the Sea. Or as the prom-haters dubbed it,“Little Mermaid.” Ironic. After tonight, I’d had enough of water.

All of the Candidates identified to pull the sword from thestone had been living with the idea of certain death for months.Before the Council had pulled us in to train, the trial itself had killedevery Candidate who tried to pull the sword. The thing was thatnone of us ever expected to survive. Well, we had survived. I hadpulled the sword from the stone and now I had to deal with whatthat meant—my life hanging at the edge of the blade.

I’d spent the last few months hiding from that truth. Nomatter how much I wanted it, nothing was going to be normal again.

Suddenly, I needed to see Vane. I needed an anchor in thechaos. Without another thought, I opened the bathroom door. Icrossed three steps to the bedroom. The door was closed. I flung it

open. I stopped.Lamps around the room showcased a… simple twin

mattress. The long length of the wall made it seem even smaller. Alow, barely-there, wooden stand held up the mattress. The wholesetup seemed more pallet than bed. However, that wasn’t whatarrested me to the spot.

Wall-to-wall pictures of me surrounded the space.To the right, one wall had about a hundred pictures of me on

the lacrosse field. On the wall with the door, pictures showed metraining at the gym in Ragnar Manor. To the left, above a massivedesk with a lone computer, hung pictures of me at school, talkingwith friends. In the middle, past the opening of the en-suitebathroom, eight-by-tens of me in the same pose at various places—Texas, Concord, Avalon Prep, and London. In all of them, Iseemed to be staring off at some unseen object.

The sound of running water from Vane’s bathroompenetrated my haze. I moved quickly. Going to his desk, I flippedopen the computer. The screen prompted me for the password. Ityped in one word. It rejected it.

I typed in its variation. Vivane. The screen dinged withhappy acceptance.

“Nice password,” I muttered under my breath.On the desktop, a ton of folders popped up. They were all

labeled neatly. Every single Candidate I knew had a folder. I sawone with Grey’s name. I flipped it open. Video files went back towhen we’d started training at Avalon Prep, but continued as late asyesterday. I opened a note file at the bottom. It was log of hisassessments of our training. At the bottom, a chart stated eighty-fivepercent readiness. By the chart, a highlighted note stated “twenty

percent substitution likeness.”I went back to the desktop. I opened my folder next. The

same thing. I opened his notes. Seventy-five percent readiness. Thehighlighted note stated “substitution possible.” A folder on Oliverwas red-flagged. I moved the cursor to click on it.

“You just couldn’t resist, could you?”Vane’s voice made me jump. He stood at the entrance of the

bathroom, wearing just a towel.I shut the lid of the laptop with a click.“Had enough?” He leaned against the wall in a casual stance,

but I wasn’t fooled. A glitter deep in his pupils told me he waspoised to strike.

I raised my chin. “Why the stalk-a-razi?”“Why do you think?”I ground my teeth. “I have a good idea.”Vane straightened from the door. He stalked toward me.

“Tell me.”“You’re studying me. You’re figuring out who can replace

me. Substitute me,” I spat.“I’m looking at the likely possibilities, yes.”His easy admittance took the heat out of my words, leaving

me with the awful remainder. My eyes closed as if to shut out thehurt. I forced them open. “Why?”

“Because it is still entirely possible to defeat you. And I wantto know who would be the most likely candidate.”

“Candidate is the correct word,” I muttered. “I pulled outExcalibur. They didn’t.”

“Yet, there is still the possibility.” Vane flipped open thelaptop and punched a key. He pointed at Oliver’s folder. “Ninety

percent readiness. Ninety percent likeness. Do you know what thatmeans? He has the ability and the motive. If he wants to, he couldactually succeed at taking the sword from you.”

“How?” I said.He inclined his head. “I don’t know for certain, but if you get

killed… who knows? Or maybe just defeat you, even withExcalibur in your hands.”

“You and Matt can defeat me.”Vane’s lips curved up. “We can’t take the sword,

remember? We were disqualified a long time ago.”“Why am I seventy-five percent?”“The possibility would be much slimmer if you were truly

bonded with the sword. You’re not. You’re resisting it. You barelyeven want to touch it. It’s not going to be good enough. We do notyet know why the sword has returned, but it was for a reason and ifyou don’t accept that you could doom us all.”

Words. They could hurt. Even though I knew he spokenothing but the truth. Even though I had figured it out myself.Hearing it somehow made it sting more. I glanced around at thepictures. Each one mocked me.

I wasn’t a person. I was the Candidate. The dummy who’dwon the prize.

Vane’s dark hair spiked up at odd angles. It emphasized hisbold cheekbones. My eyes traveled over his bare chest, the hardlines of six-pack abs. His smooth skin, its perfection broken only bya puckered scar just above his heart, invited my touch.

Exactly what prize had I won? Being so close togethershould have thrilled me, yet I couldn’t get past the hollownothingness I sensed widening inside. Did he want to be near me

or want to be near the sword? Matt had made his preferenceclear tonight. Vane… I didn’t know, but I had hoped. Foolishhope.

I turned and started to walk out of the bedroom.“Ryan,” he said softly, at my back.I stopped at the door.“Why did you come in here?”“It doesn’t matter.” I stepped past the threshold into the

living room.***

The Wizard’s Council gathered in a small room just beyondthe Great Hall in Camelot. As First Member, I should have beensitting at its head. Instead I’d experienced a frightful vision the nightbefore and had to know if it were true. I dreaded it was. The greatand powerful Merlin wasn’t supposed to dread anything, but I triednot to lie to myself. Only one person could evoke such panic.

I hurried through the main keep of the castle. Servants in greyuniforms with small sashes of colorful red went back and forthbetween the bedrooms. Mid-morning sunlight streamed in withcheerful vibrancy through small square openings in the walls.

King Arthur was sequestered at the Round Table through thenight. The knights readied to defend the kingdom against aninvading army from the east. It was said an immortal king led theaggressors, and every knight had been called to arms.

Half the city would be empty by the afternoon. The Councilwas to elect how many wizards would be sent with the knights.They would make up part of the front lines. Two knights whoguarded Arthur’s chambers saluted me as I walked past. I gavethem a small nod. My heart hammered with fear. I could only hold

onto the false hope that what I’d seen wasn’t true.I rounded the corner. A passageway led to a dead end that

held only a decorative tapestry from floor to ceiling at its middle. Istood there for a few minutes. Hoping against hope to be wrong.

My heart sank when the tapestry moved. A figure pushed theheavy fabric aside and walked out of a hidden door. The stonedoor shut behind him. He stopped when he saw me. The tapestryfell back into place.

“Merlin,” he sneered. “Skulking about the castle again?”“Vane,” I said evenly. Sweat covered him in a fine film. A

hint of lavender wafted from a crumpled shirt. I pointed out. “Yourtrews are loose.”

Vane looked down at his navel and smiled arrogantly. Hetook his time tying them. It was a wonder they hadn’t fallen to hisknees already. He read my thoughts easily.

“Would be a good show,” he grinned.“What are you thinking? You’re a knight!” I glanced at the

corridor. It remained empty. Nonetheless, I lowered my tone.“She’s the Queen! Arthur will have you drawn and quartered.”

Vane shrugged. “Apparently I am set to die anyway. I mayas well put his nose out before I do.”

“Why do you hate him? He has only given you what youwanted.”

Vane frowned. “Are you really that naïve? He sends thewizards out without thought, but what have we gotten in return? Imight be a knight, but I am the only one. We were supposed tobring the Council out into the light by now, but they are not evenacknowledged by the court. You are First Member of the Council,yet you are barely acknowledged and only as an advisor, when you

make every strategy. You’re the one who brought all the noblestogether under one banner. You’ve built this kingdom for him. Onour blood.”

He pointed at the corridor. “You need to remember thosepeople out there are not yours. When are you going to realize hewill never make room for our people in his kingdom? He hasdelayed every edict that would give our people any power. Theycan’t even own land. How can this be the Camelot we werepromised he would bring? We will always be hiding in theshadows.”

I shook my head. “It is not like that—the people must acceptus. We need to have patience. Change comes slowly. Move toofast and you will see nothing but intolerance.”

Vane muttered, “Platitudes without action.”My eyes narrowed. “What are you planning, Vane?”He snorted. “I have little time to plan. Apparently, I have

another battle to fight today. Now, if you will pardon me, I shouldget to the armory before all the good swords are taken.”

Vane tried to move past me. I caught his arm, forcing him topause.

“Why are you with Guinevere?”“I told you.”I searched Vane’s expression, but it told me nothing. It was

one of the great frustrations of my life. I had never been able tofollow my brother’s thinking. He had a mind far more devious than Icould understand and it kept him one step ahead. Only the visionssaved me from complete blindness. This last vision filled me with adeep sense of foreboding. “Arthur tells Guinevere everything.”

“Does he? I wouldn’t know. We are usually quite… busy

with other things.”I wished I could believe him. “Do you love her?”Vane gave a love laugh. “Love? I suppose you could call it

that.” His eyes sharpened. “But then I’m not the one who gave hersuch a powerful charm. She never takes the amulet off. Do you likethat? Do you like seeing a piece of you on her bare skin? Almosttouching her bosom? In front of Arthur? Everyday?”

I sputtered. “I-It’s nothing of that sort. Arthur asked me tomake it—” I broke off when I realized he was laughing. I releasedhim. “You’re trying to distract me.”

“Maybe, but I’m also right. I see how closely you watchher,” he said. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Arthur. I knowyou’re a monk.” With a crooked smile, Vane sauntered down thepassageway. “Farewell, brother. We shall see if today is a goodday for me to die. Who knows? You may yet get lucky.”

***At six a.m., my cellphone beeped in low tones. Darkness still

layered the room. Vestiges of the dream lingered in my mind. Thefunny thing was that it didn’t seem like a dream. Matt. Vane. Thesights and sounds of a busy castle. The subtle pattern of thetapestry. I remembered all the details. I could have been there. Icould have stood within Camelot.

Making as little noise as possible, I gathered my coat andboots. Vane had put the car keys on the kitchen bar. I grabbedthem and tiptoed out of the apartment. I pulled the boots on in thehall outside. It took me another two minutes to get to the SUV, onlyto find Vane standing by the car.

“I’m going to this meeting,” I told him.Vane didn’t reply. The breaking light of dawn bolded the

gold tones in his hair. The slim-fitting wool coat he woreaccentuated the breadth of his shoulders. The lean curves of his faceseemed serene. However, by the completely still way he watchedme, I sensed disquiet behind the tiger’s eyes.

His gaze traveled over me. I don’t know what he saw. I wasa mess. I’d combed my hair with my fingers in the dark.

He said silkily, “Bad dream last night?”I blinked at the unexpected question.“You talk in your sleep,” he elaborated.“And you listened. What a surprise.”His eyes narrowed. “Dream or another vision?”Was that what he was after? I spit out, “Dream.”“I see.” He brushed snow off the car handle. “You don’t

want to tell me more.”“Not really.”He continued as if I hadn’t answered. “I… disappointed you

last night.”Understatement. But it was also a question. Vane grabbed

my hand. He squeezed it as if he could squeeze out a reply.I sighed. I didn’t have the guts to ask the one question

burning inside me. So I answered his instead. “It would be nice ifmy boyfriend actually believed in me.”

“Like Merlin does,” he finished.“Matt has nothing to do with this.”“Doesn’t he?”Alright. Maybe he did a little. I don’t know why I was having

these dreams, but Matt was definitely involved. “Matt isn’t the onesitting there figuring out when I am most likely to die.”

A look of disbelief colored his expression. “I’m trying to save

your life. I’m looking at your vulnerabilities so we can remedy it.Would you rather I just let you delude yourself that everything isfine?”

Yes, I would. I was being ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I wastired of everyone else running my life. “I am going to this meeting.I’m going even if I have to walk. It’s about Excalibur. It’s alwaysabout Excalibur. If you care at all what I think, then you’re going tolet me.”

He gave me a look like I’d lost my mind. I turned away fromhim.

Vane’s grip tightened on my wrist. “Is this a test?”I looked at him. Snow fell in fat flakes, highlighting the dark

strands of his hair. They crashed against the steel line of his jaw anddissolved. Before I knew it, I was asking the question I’d made upmy mind not to ask. “Why are you with me, Vane?”

His eyes narrowed. “I see I have been too lenient. I thoughtyou needed time to come to terms with all that’s happened. I waswrong. No more free passes.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. It must have shownin my face, because he smiled suddenly. “I keep forgetting howyoung you are. Probably too young.”

“I am not too young—” I never finished the sentence.His lips captured mine and his mouth consumed me. The

brash thrust of his tongue held an underlying edge of desperation.When he finally released me, my lips stung. I licked them. Vane’shands at my waist squeezed me in response. He said hoarsely, “I letyou go last night. It was a mistake. I’m not going to repeat it. Doesthat answer your question?”

I put my hand to his chest. His heart raced with the speed of

a fast-breaking wave, echoing mine. It was enough. For now.I met his dark eyes. “Are you going to let me in the car?”With a growl, Vane opened the car door. “After you,

milady.”***

Matt’s expression when we entered the manor’s living roomdid not speak of happiness or approval. He glared at Vane whoshrugged in response. Matt opened his mouth to sound off.

“Don’t bother,” Vane said. “She always gets what shewants.”

Sylvia got up from the sofa where she and Grey had beensitting. She gave me a brief, but tight hug. “I wish you had stayedaway from this, but after what Grey told me about last night, I amglad to see you.”

I returned the hug, glad to be home. Blake and Gia stoodtogether near the fireplace.

“You look better,” I told her.She returned a crooked smile and ran a hand through her

hair. It was short again. “Blake had to give me a haircut. Thatbastard gargoyle burned most of it off.”

A blaring alarm sounded through the entire manor. Ithammered my eardrums with relentless force.

The front door flung open and Clarence burst in. “A limo justturned into the woods. They’re here.”

“They’re early.” Matt cursed. He muttered a word I couldn’tmake sense of. A slight flutter filled the room and the alarm shut off.

Vane repeated the word and added what must have been anegative because the alarm started blaring again.

“What are you doing, Vane?” Matt shouted.

Vane went to the front window and pushed out his hand. Thewindow splintered into a million pieces, but all of the glass felloutside, not a shard landing in the living room.

“Just getting ready to fire at the gargoyles, if need be,” Vanedeclared. He sent Clarence a wry look. “I’m sure you have a wayto communicate with them. I suggest you tell them now.”

Clarence looked at Matt with worry.Matt flicked a hand and the alarm turned off.“Bhii,” Vane muttered. A whoosh of air and the alarm

started blaring again.I slapped my hands over my ears, which threatened to start

bleeding. “Vane! Shut. It. Off!”Matt’s jaw tightened. “This is not a game, Vane.”Vane waved his hand. The alarm shut off. “No, it’s not a

game. They attacked us last night. I want them to know they’re notexactly guests.”

Clarence’s pocket beeped. He drew out a cellphone. “Thegargoyle’s have reached the first checkpoint. What do you want usto do, Master Emrys?”

“Tell them they’ll be searched before entering… as we’dplanned.” He looked at Vane. “They’ll be fired upon if they tryanything.”

Clarence nodded. Putting the phone to his ear, he walked outof the manor and into the courtyard. We all gathered at the window.Vane shoved me behind him.

The limo glided into the circular driveway with languid grace.The low hum of a sophisticated engine cut with barely a whisper infront of the window. A man dressed in a dark suit and light shirt gotout of the passenger side of the limo.

“Gargoyle,” Grey hissed. “You can smell it on him.”I frowned. “What?”Grey made a face. “He smells… dirty.”I looked at him with worry. The gargoyles didn’t smell any

different than other people. More than anyone else, I should know—after having dated one for months without knowing it. I glancedat Vane, but his gaze was fixed on what was happening outside.Matt picked up on the oddity too. He shook his head slightly.“Later,” he thought to me.

In the courtyard, the gargoyles emerged from the limo, five intotal. I recognized Rourke right away. I’d seen him on the worstnight of my life. I doubt I would ever forget any detail. He stood inthe middle of his bodyguards, although they didn’t cover him verywell since he was the tallest one, at well over six-foot-five. With ashock of long blond hair tied back in a tight ponytail, he remindedme of a berserker or some sort of Norse deity. Ironic, since Mattand Vane were born more than fifteen hundred years ago andRourke was just a bit older than Sylvia.

Two other guardians joined Clarence to greet them. Bygreet, I mean, they patted them down for weapons—magical andnon-magical. Rourke handed Clarence an ebony walking stick.

I frowned. “He wasn’t using a walking stick on the rooftop.”Matt nodded. Pulling out a cellphone from his pocket, he

texted Clarence. We watched Clarence read the text. He noddedand spoke to Rourke. The gargoyle king didn’t look happy, but hegave the walking stick to one of his bodyguards, who in turn, put itin the limo. The bodyguard then held out his hand for Rourke to useas support.

I recognized one of the bodyguards as well. Dark red hair

and as much of a giant as Rourke, he tried to kill me with abroadsword. Finally, Clarence turned to look back at Matt, whostood at the center of the front window. The gargoyles had passedscreening.

Vane stood beside him. “Are you sure you want to let theminside?”

Matt nodded at Clarence. Vane sighed. Clarence led them tothe door. A few other guardians came out of their hiding positionsand followed the gargoyles into the manor. Rourke’s eyesimmediately went to Sylvia as he entered the living room. Rourkeemerged from the circle his bodyguards formed around him.

Vane pushed me further behind him to keep as much ofhimself between the gargoyles and me as possible. When I skirtedaround his reach and moved to stand beside him, he gave me such afrustrated look that I almost smiled.

The bodyguards frowned, but Rourke took a slow stepcloser to Sylvia. “I am glad you agreed to see me. You look asstunning as the last time we met.”

Grey moved in front of his mother.“It’s alright, Grey,” Sylvia put her hand on his arm and

stepped out from behind him. “Rourke won’t hurt me. We kneweach other a long time ago… since before you were born.”

“We went to school together.” Rourke smiled.Everyone else in the room looked stunned, including the

other gargoyles.“Yes, but it was a long time ago,” Sylvia said. “Why are you

here, Rourke?”Rourke chuckled. “Straight to the point as always. I’ve

missed that.” His expression turned somber. He put a hand on the

back of a sofa that sat between us and leaned on it.“It’s not good news, I’m afraid,” he said. “I know I told you

I would not bother you unless it became absolutely necessary. Well,it has—”

Sylvia’s hands clenched as she pulled her suit jacket tightlyaround her. “What has happened?”

“It is Oliver, my son.” Rourke looked at me. “I vowed Iwould take control of him, but I must say I underestimated the lad;he has escaped me. He has vowed vengeance upon your family forthe loss of his.”

Apparently, Rourke hadn’t heard about what happened inSalem last night. Oliver had been thwarted, but I had no doubt he’dtry again. I glanced at Vane. He leaned closer to me. Vane hadkilled Oliver’s mother to protect me. Oliver blamed both of us.

Rourke watched Vane with interest. “Not only that. He plansto usurp me as king. He—” He looked back at Sylvia.

“That’s not possible, unless…” Sylvia frowned, lookingdown at the floor. Then, her eyes snapped back to Rourke. “Whatdid he do to you?”

Rourke grimaced. “He poisoned me.”

CHAPTER 7 – THE ATTACK

CHAPTER 7THE ATTACK

Sylvia’s hand went to her mouth. Rourke moved to take

another step toward her, but swayed. His bodyguard caught his armbefore he fell.

“I’m alright, Colin.” Rourke straightened with effort andpulled his arm away.

“Sit down, Rourke,” Sylvia commanded.Matt asked, “Why have you come to us? Do you want us to

try to heal you?”“You cannot. Even with all your power, Master Emrys, you

will not be able to heal this.” Rourke let out a small laugh. “Thegargoyles have been hoarding this little weapon since beforeArthur’s time. It comes from the island of a people we called theAncient Guardians, the Guides. They entrusted us with a rarecreature that we’ve protected for more than an eon, a beautifullydeadly monster. We discovered not long after we took over as itscaretaker why the Guides chose us. The creature possesses venomthat attacks the very essence of life—it triggers a response thataccelerates aging.”

Colin cleared his throat. “Are you sure we should tell them allthis, Sire?”

“Yes, it was my responsibility to protect us from the venomand I failed.” Rourke moved slowly to sit down on the sofa, hisshoulders slumping slightly. “I hoped that with the influence of hismother removed, Oliver would become the leader I know himcapable of being. However, he has become blinded by anger… andfear.”

Sylvia sat across from him. “What is going to happen toyou?”

The strong lines of Rourke’s face crinkled as he smiled. “Myhandsome face will be the first to go, no doubt. Because of thegargoyles’ regenerative powers, I will be able to hold out longeragainst the rapid aging. However, I would say, within a few monthsI will die of old age.”

“Have you even had a healer attempt to reverse this?” Sylviademanded.

Rourke looked pointedly away from the wizards in the room.“We’ve had years to… test the venom. Believe me, there is nowizard who can heal this. But there is a way—”

“So now we get to it,” Vane said, “Why you’re actuallyhere.”

Rourke gave him an impatient look. “I have not come withouta plan. I do not expect you to help we gargoyles without repaymentof some kind. In this case, my answer lies with yours. We knowwhat you seek and we can help you find it.”

Colin’s phone beeped loudly. He took it out with anapologetic look. Moving off to the side, he started tapping away onthe screen.

Matt cleared this throat. “And what, exactly, do you thinkwe’re seeking?”

“Did you think you had managed to keep it a secret?”Rourke gave Colin a smug look. “You see, they do not knoweverything.”

“We managed to get Excalibur despite the gargoyles, sodon’t underestimate us,” I retorted.

Rourke got up with effort. “Do not get too comfortable withthe sword, little one. Oliver has more of the venom. If he gets closeenough, he can win the sword back and you’ll have surrendered the

fate of your world to him. Kill you and the whole balance of powerchanges, doesn’t it?”

“Watch your words, gargoyle,” Vane snarled.Matt’s hand glowed blue, ready for an attack.“Enough!” Sylvia jumped up. “Rourke, you are not here to

harm Ryan, so stop threatening her.”To my surprise, Rourke colored at the reprimand.Matt asked, “What do you think you know, Rourke?”“You seek the knowledge of the Guides in the hope that you

can contact them about what is to come. To know why the swordhas returned to us. I wish to find them as well. In our lore, theGuides safeguarded a cup that if drunk from could cure anything, orso it is said. The creature was theirs; I have no doubt it can cureme.”

“A cup that heals,” Vane said slowly. “You mean the HolyGrail? I saw the movie. The legends of Arthur going after the Grailare completely wrong. We know nothing of it.”

Rourke’s lips twisted into a smile. “I don’t know if it is thesame cup, or that the stories have gotten intertwined, but I do knowthis—the cup I seek exists.” His lips curved into a sly smile. “And Ican help you find it.”

Matt met his gaze steadily. “Let us say that we do seek thesame commodity. You said you had information.”

“The way to find it is hidden here—”Colin lifted his gaze from the phone. “They already know,

Sire. I am getting reports from our men tracking Oliver. They tracedhim to the House of Seven Gables this morning. A man on the streetsays he saw someone of Oliver’s description run out of the houselast night. He also saw several other men. There were lots of noises

and strange lights up in the house afterward. The wizards werethere.”

Rourke straightened. He looked at Matt. “You found it?”“If we did, why should we tell you?” Vane said.“Because you have no idea what you’ve found and I do. If

you want to find what you seek, we must work together.”“You need us to work together, old man,” Vane said.

“You’re the one dying.”Sylvia inhaled a loud, shaky breath.I squeezed Vane’s arm in warning. “How can we trust you,

Rourke?”Rourke sent me a steady look. “I can offer you no proof

except the knowledge that we share a common goal. Beyondmyself, finding the answer to the trident concerns all of us—gargoyle, wizard, and regular alike.”

“Trident.” I thought to Matt. “Rourke knows.”“But dare we trust him with it?” Matt thought back.My fingers dug into Vane’s skin. Do we have a choice?

This is why we are here.Matt waved a hand in the air. The trident appeared out of

nowhere and dropped onto the coffee table.Rourke’s eyes widened with reverence. “How did you get

it?”Matt said, “It wasn’t easy. A nymph protected it.”“Makes sense,” Rourke replied. “This belongs to the Fisher

King.”“Ah,” said Matt.“Who is the Fisher King?” Grey asked.“If the gargoyle texts are correct, the trident is confirmation.

The legend says that the Fisher King protected the cup of life.”Rourke waved his hand in excitement. “He ruled a neighboringkingdom during Arthurian times.”

“A neighboring king that you fought?” I asked Vane.Vane looked at me first in surprise and then in speculation.

“Yes. King Pellam. Bran of Pellam. We pushed back his army andwent on the offensive. Percival and I breached Castle Perilous. Ifought him in the throne room and wounded him grievously, butsomehow, he rose up again. He almost killed me. I rallied anddrove a lance straight through his heart. Percival and I were the lastones to see his eyes open. Or so we thought. We left him only tofind later that his body had disappeared. He escaped somehow. Itwas speculated that he magically healed himself. A wizard alonewould not have been able to heal him.”

“He used the cup,” Rourke said.“You didn’t go after him?” Blake asked, moving out of the

shadows near the fireplace.Vane shook his head. “There was no need. We’d taken the

castle and the land. The kingdom belonged to Arthur.” He metRourke’s gaze. “We found no cup.”

Rourke frowned. “Wherever he went, the Fisher King tookthe cup with him. I cannot believe you wouldn’t pursue that.”

Vane gave Matt a dry look. “I wouldn’t know. I was but alowly knight—not privy to such things.”

No one spoke for a minute.“Matt?” I prompted.“Galahad trailed him,” Matt admitted. “He traveled far away

from Camelot. I stayed in touch with Galahad for some time. Then,things happened in Camelot that required my attention and I lost

track. In the last communication between us, Galahad said theFisher King sought the Guides. He needed guidance to retake hiskingdom.”

“Galahad,” Vane murmured. “What other secrets are yousitting on, brother?”

“Where did he go?” Rourke asked.“South. He crossed the channel into Gaul—France. I know

that much. I saw him cross mountains, but I do not know exactlywhere he landed.”

Vane bent and picked up the trident. Everyone in the roomstilled as if stunned that he dared to touch a sacramental object. Hedidn’t seem to notice. “This is the answer.” He looked at Matt. “Ifthis really was the Fisher King’s, then there can be only one key tothe lock.”

Matt took the trident from him. “Yes, that makes sense.”“I don’t understand,” I said.“What unlocked Excalibur?” Vane asked.Matt looked at me. “We need some blood.”I stared at the three points of the trident. “Forget it. I am not

repeating that.”Vane’s lips curved up. “Relax, DuLac. We don’t need to

skewer you with the thing. Just a few drops.”With a grimace, I held out my hand. Matt took out a knife

from his coat and cut a thin line down my arm. I bit my lip andfocused on not pulling away. Blood dripped from my arm onto thecenter of the trident’s triangular headpiece.

Nothing happened. Vane grabbed the trident.“What?” Matt protested.“My turn.” Vane blew on the trident. The blow turned into

wind. An aura of green surrounded the trident. Vane released thetrident and it floated in space. For a moment, I smelled warm, saltyair. Then, the trident dropped.

Matt handed me the knife… Excalibur, I realized. Mattcalled the trident and it floated into his hand. He ran a hand downthe trident’s spear. “Symbols. I don’t recognize them.”

Sylvia stepped forward. “Those are Chimeran letters.”“Gargoyle tongue?” Vane asked.Rourke stood up. He peered at the symbols and spoke them

out loud in gargoyle tongue.Vane translated, “Lost City of Thera.”“You speak Chimeran?” Rourke asked, surprised.Vane shrugged. “I am skilled at speech.”Rourke’s gaze sharpened. “Yes, I had heard that.”“Thera.” Matt said. “The underwater volcano.”A shiver went down my spine. I met his gaze. His vision sat

between us.Grey turned to Vane. “The eruption of Thera was one of the

biggest events in the ancient world. The city of Akrotiri wasdestroyed.”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “We learned about it in history.” Igave Grey a pointed look. Vane had us studying Thera and now thetrident was leading us straight to it. It couldn’t be a coincidence, butwhatever his explanation, I didn’t want to bring it up in front of thegargoyles.

“It is enough to convince me.” Rourke walked to the edge ofthe room with an unsteady gait. “I plan to leave right away. I amsure you will want to book your own passage. I will set up a safehouse for us there. Only a few of you should come. Too many will

arouse suspicion. Oliver does not suspect I have turned to you.Thera is now called Santorini. The archeological site for Akrotiri isthere. It is not a big place and I would rather not attract anyattention.” His gaze found Sylvia, who sat silently on the sofa.“Sylvia, you are, of course, welcome anytime.”

“What makes you think we intend to go at all?” Vane said.Rourke glanced at Matt. “It is the only lead you have. You

found the trident.” He glanced at me, then at the fresh wound on myarm. “You were meant to find it. I mean to stow along.”

“Why should we include you?” I asked.“Besides allowing me to save my life?” Rourke laughed.

“You know we can help you. Oliver will know you have found thetrident. He will not be far behind. My son can be very single-minded. It makes him dangerous. We will guard you.”

Vane raised a brow. “We can protect ourselves.”“Let me be clear.” Rourke straightened to the full height of

his frame. “You have the trident, but Greece is gargoyle territory.Without us, you will never set foot on those islands. It will take youmonths to try to find a way around us, if you ever do. You know itis time you cannot afford to waste. A war is upon us, although wedo not know its purpose. It began as soon as Excalibur appeared.”He lifted a regal brow at Matt. “What is your choice, Merlin?”

Matt hesitated.In my hand, Excalibur pulsed. I almost yelped and dropped

it. No one else noticed, but to me, the message was clear. I thoughtto Matt, “Say yes.”

He didn’t look at me, but his eyes flickered. He nodded.“We work together.”

***

“Wizards working with those beasts,” Blake said as soonthey left. “What have we come to?”

“Have you been hanging out with Mark?” I asked.Mark, one of the Candidates and Gia’s ex-boyfriend, was

one of the most obnoxious and thug-like persons I’d ever met. Hereverently believed that wizards were superior to everyone else. Asentiment instilled by Vane—not that Vane was paying attention toBlake.

Vane rounded on Matt. “What do you think you’re going tofind at Thera?”

Matt blinked. “As Rourke said, knowledge of the Guides.”“Rubbish,” Vane retorted. “ You’re looking for the Lady.

You’re not going to find her. She is long gone. She abandoned us.”Matt sat down on the sofa. “No, I don’t believe that.”I’d seen Vane act cold. I’d seen him be cruel. I knew he

could be completely selfish, but I’d never seen him so angry. Hespat out, “We couldn’t find her in Arthur’s time. What makes youthink she’s still around? The cave was empty. We should know.We were the last ones in it.”

Matt’s face darkened. Any mention of the cave he and Vanehad been imprisoned in for fifteen hundred years made himunderstandably moody. His cotton blue button-down shirt clung tolean muscles as he ran his hands through his hair. “The Lake waterstill exists.”

I said slowly, “The Lady of the Lake is a Guide?”“Guides. Gods. It’s easy to confuse the two. She and her

kind have been around since life began on this world, I think. Thereare many creatures who roam this earth, but keep to themselves,”Matt said. “Long ago, I did not send Galahad on a quest to find the

Grail, but to follow the Fisher King to the Lady. Whether or not thecup is real. This certainly is.” Matt held up the trident. “Can’t yousee it’s made of the same magic as Excalibur? They are both herinstruments.”

“You’re pinning our futures on a dream,” Vane muttered.“It’s the only lead we have,” Matt snapped. “Even if we

don’t find her, we have to look.” He turned to us. “Do youremember when you were in the trial?”

Blake, Gia, Grey and I all nodded. As if the mark the trialhad left on the Candidates could ever be erased or forgotten.

Matt lifted a hand and started drawing in the air. A stream ofblue light came out of his finger like liquid paint. He made a pictureof tall, black pillars and curved arches. “You told me there werepillars all around the place you were in.”

“That looks like typical Roman construction,” said Vane.“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“You’re not looking closely enough,” Matt said. “I doubtRyan even noticed this while she was going through it. Since then, Ihave reviewed her memories—”

“You let him review your memories?” Gia asked, aghast.I made a face. It’s not as if I could help it. Even if I’d been

able to block Matt at all, the trial was too intense for me to hidewhile our minds were connected.

“What did you find out?” Vane inquired impatiently.Matt pulled back on the floating picture with his hand. It

zoomed in on the arches. A small carving stood out in the stone.“The trident. It was there at the trial.”

Vane squinted at the image. “There’s more. There’s an eyeon the other side and a… crescent moon? What do they mean?”

“I’m not sure, but I am certain we shall find out,” Matt said.He waved a hand and the images disappeared. I was only toohappy.

The trial was not something I cared to relive.Grey faced Vane. “What I don’t understand is how you

knew. You made us study Thera just this week.”“I didn’t.” Vane rubbed his chest. “However, I have been

having some strange dreams—about water. I thought it related tothe witch trials. I keep dreaming I am being drowned. I wonder ifit’s my mind making connections…”

Matt picked up the trident and handed it to Vane. “What doyou feel when you touch this?”

Vane took it without expression. With a wave of his hand, hepushed back the coffee table to create space in the middle of theroom. He twirled an awkward figure-eight in the air. Then, themovements became smoother, more practiced. I took a breath. Thefaint scent of salty sea air—the same scent I smelled in the attic ofthe Seven Gables—grew more potent in the living room. Hecontinued for a few minutes, but nothing else happened.

Vane stopped. “It’s a nice enough lance, but I don’t senseanything special.”

Under my hand, Excalibur pulsed again. A trace of sea airtickled my nose.

I walked up to Vane and took the trident from him. Vane letme have it without comment. Soon I was twirling the trident like afamiliar lance. When I first started training with Vane, he drilled allof the Candidates with lance-fighting forms before allowing us toadvance to swords. I saw Vane move one so fast I could barely seeits outline. I, however, was never particularly good at the lance.

Yet now, I realized, I was moving the trident withtremendous speed. Instinct made me halt suddenly. Its tip pointed atthe center of the fireplace… and Blake. A shot of fire burst from thetrident.Blake jumped out of the way with a yelp and fell to the floorwith force. The shot of fire blasted through an iron grate and thestack of wood inside the hearth exploded into flames.

“Ryan!” Gia ran to help Blake get back up.Matt took the trident from me. “I think we’ve seen enough.”I blinked and shook the cobwebs from my eyes. “I don’t

know what happened. It overtook me.”“You are the sword-bearer.” Matt said. “Vane defeated the

Fisher King. He broke the trident’s allegiance and left it open foranyone to master it.” He gave me a meaningful look. “A sword’sallegiance only extends as far as its master’s ability to command it.”

As could Excalibur’s allegiance change and be takenfrom me, he meant. I was getting tired of hearing the same thing. Ihad not gotten weak, dammit! And if I had, it was my right. Itwas still my life wasn’t it?

“Not anymore,” Matt thought to me.My irritation must have shown on my face, because Blake

interjected hastily, “Can I try the trident?”“There’s no need for you—” Matt started.“There is every need,” Vane interjected. “He is a Candidate.

Let’s see if it works for him.”Blake twirled the trident in the same manner as Vane and I

had done. Within minutes, the trident whirled faster than I could see.Blake stopped. A shot fired from the trident, and the flames in thehearth exploded.

Grey jumped up from the sofa. “I’m next.”

“Me too,” Gia chimed in.“Please.” Sylvia stood up from where she’d been sitting

beside Grey. “Don’t burn my house down.” Her eyes traveled overto the broken window. “Once was enough.”

Vane muttered a word and the shards of the window stirred.They came back together in a symphony of movement. Vane blewon it and the glass melded together. It created a beautifulspiderweb-like pattern.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous,” Sylvia said happily.Thank you. I mouthed to Vane.He raised a brow. Vane-speak for, “I will collect later.”He folded his arms over his chest. “The trident has spoken. I

suggest you contact the Council, Clarence. Merlin isn’t going to betraveling alone to Thera.”

Sylvia said quickly, “I think I should come too.”“Because of Rourke?” I asked.Grey scowled at the mention of the gargoyle. “Since when

are you friends with them?”Sylvia’s finely arched brows raised. “Ragnar Bank deals in

magic. They’re one of our biggest customers.”“They killed Alexa!” Grey shouted.Sylvia’s shoulders drooped.“Grey, she didn’t know,” I stepped in. “And it wasn’t

Rourke. It was Oliver.”“What’s the difference? One gargoyle is the same as

another.”I mostly agreed with him, but the generalization bothered me.Sylvia sighed. “The blame lays on Marla. To think I hired her

because she could speak Chimeran.”

“So can you,” Matt added.Sylvia nodded. “I am not saying you should trust him, but I

can confirm what he says is true.” She looked at Grey. “It’s time forme to stop taking a back seat in this.”

“No,” Grey shook his head.Sylvia’s lips curved up into a smile. “You can risk your life

for us, but I can’t? I am a witch, son. I am not helpless.” Her browcrinkled. “Although I haven’t been away from the bank in a longtime. I’ll have to make arrangements for someone to take over—”

“You haven’t ever been away,” Grey corrected. “Put one ofthe twenty vice presidents you have to work. They’re hungry for it.”

Sylvia looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”He shrugged. “I’ve been at the bank this whole semester.

You passed me all the memos. Did you think I couldn’t read?”“I-I…” Sylvia stammered. Her eyes sought mine.I suppressed a smile. Miracles could happen.“We shall see.” Matt thought to me.I glanced at him. His eyes were fixed on Vane. Not realizing

we watched, Vane held the trident. It wasn’t the fact that he held itthat was worrisome. It was the way he held it—longingly—not theway someone who saw it as “nothing special” would do.

***A limo drove us all to Boston Logan later that day. We

would make a stop in London to drop off most of the guardianwizards. Ten of us, along with Sylvia, would continue to Athens.The other guardians were to return to Avalon Prep and the Council,a train ride’s distance over the English countryside.

Instead of going to the terminals, we turned off to a privatestrip used by chartered flights. Soon we were all sitting inside the

plush interior of a private plane. My seat could have been a smallbed. I leaned it all the way back, elevating my feet and closed myeyes.

Behind me, one of the two stewardesses cooed over Mattand asked him if he wanted a drink. He asked for a pint of ale in adecidedly grumpy tone. I tried not to smile as I saw him grab thesick bag as soon as he sat down. He hated flying.

Vane slipped into the seat beside me. I opened one eye. I satin the very front. All the rows held four seats, two on each side ofthe plane. All rows except the first one. A bulkhead took up thespace across from us. Matt sat behind us with Clarence. Blake andGia sat across the aisle from Matt. Grey, Sylvia, and the otherguardians took up the back.

“Seven hours,” Vane said. “Think you can stand me for thatlong?”

“I don’t know. Will you be videotaping me or taking anypictures?”

“Only if you take your clothes off,” he replied.I couldn’t help it—my cheeks turned red hot. Behind us,

Matt made a choking sound. Through the crack between the seats,I saw him tear open a complimentary set of earbuds—despite thefact that he hated them—and jam it into a cellphone. He leanedback in his seat, still clutching the sick bag, and squeezed his eyesshut. Vane saw him too. He leaned back in his seat with a smuglook, having successfully needled his brother.

I elbowed him. “Funny.”He caught my arm and brought me closer to him. He

whispered into my ear, “Not if you don’t want it to be.”A mischievous light filled his dark eyes, and for once, he

looked to be the twenty-one years he claimed to be. It would be soeasy to give in, I realized. His words drew me in as much as he did,and therein lay the danger because I was starting to sense that Icouldn’t trust those words.

He bit my earlobe playfully and a shiver went through me.The plane jerked and buckled as it took off down the runway.Vane’s teeth closed more forcefully and a rush of adrenaline rippledthrough me.

I pulled away. “You smelled the ocean before we went upthe staircase in the Seven Gables.”

The mischievous light turned wary. “Yes.”“When I touched the trident I smelled it again.”“Yes.”“But you didn’t.”Vane blinked. Then, his expression changed. “You don’t

believe me.”My muscles tensed. “Did you smell the sea?”“It would be nice if my girlfriend believed in me.”The part of me that wanted so badly to be wrong wept.

“Stop evading, Vane. You have an affinity to the trident. Why areyou hiding it?”

Vane ran a hand through his hair. “Because I don’t knowwhat it means.” He stared off at a distance. “I remember the FisherKing. There was something wrong with the fight. I couldn’t put myfinger on it then, but now I get the feeling he was testing me.”

“Testing you for what?”Vane snorted. “How should I know? That’s Merlin’s area.”“Have you even told him?”The plane straightened and soared high up in the clouds. The

seatbelt sign turned off. In a blink, Vane had my belt unfastened. Hepulled me into his lap. “I will if I have to, but not yet. It may benothing and it will only make him more suspicious of me than healready is.”

I searched his face. “He’s not the enemy.”He squeezed my waist. “He thinks I am.”I started to contradict him, but found myself unable to talk

with his tongue in my mouth. My arms tightened around him as I letmyself get lost. Right along with the plane, I floated in air for a briefmoment in time. When he released me, it took me a second tocenter myself again.

Vane gave me a smug smile. “After all, I did steal the girl.”I knew he was trying to distract me. It was working. I rolled

my eyes. “Only by going on bended knee.”“Was that how it happened? Funny, I am certain I would

remember you on your knees in front of me.”Heat scorched my cheeks.Vane laughed. “You are too easy, sweet Dorothy.”With a scowl, I elbowed him. “Stop being nasty, Vane.”“Sir Vane,” he corrected.Lunge. Parry. Feint. Watch Ryan fall on her own sword. I

made a face. No matter how well trained I was, I couldn’t seem towin a fencing match against Vane. His hands slid up and down myback. As my spine arched into his touch, I wondered—what waswrong with me that losing made me want him all that much more?

***A burning heat against my neck jolted me awake. The lights

of the plane had been dimmed. I raised the window shade. Outside,dark nothingness stretched across the sky. Down below, an endless

expanse of black water contemplated itself. Yawning, I stretchedand stood up. Behind me, everyone else seemed to be asleep. Thetwo stewardesses in the back also slumped in their seats.

Vane slept heavily.I heard a rattle from the front of the plane. With a frown, I

left my seat and walked toward it. A small galley separated us fromthe cockpit. As soon as I entered the galley, an overwhelming urgeto run fired through my nerves and I wished I had Excalibur.

I took another step, then jerked back when a shadowy figurejumped out from the corner of the galley. He wore a pilot’s uniform.I started to relax. Then, his broad forehead caught the light. Uglyfangs gleamed. Gargoyle.

He had a half-tied parachute on his back and a long knife inhis hand. He leapt at me. I stumbled and fell back into the aisle. Theknife scraped my arm. I kicked him hard in the groin. The gargoylegrunted in pain, but I knew he’d heal quickly. I touched my amulet.Above me, no one stirred. I heard Blake snoring and realized nowthat my amulet was what had woken me. It was strong enough toward off a sleep spell.

“Matt!” I yelled. “Wake up!”The gargoyle raised his knife. Vane’s training kicked in. I

wound my feet through his and tripped him. The hulking beast fellforward, threatening to crush me. Turning my back into him, Igrabbed the gargoyle’s knife hand. I noticed it was branded with aV inside a circle. I twisted his wrist until he released it. The knife fellto the floor, but the gargoyle put one beefy hand around my neck—even while I held onto his other—and tried to choke me. I startedto black out.

“Matt!” I screamed aloud again in my head.

A bright blue light shone from where Matt sat. He stood andI saw the blinding power of Merlin in his eyes. Wind filled the plane.It yanked me forward. My face hit the floor. I twisted around so Iwas on my back. Blue light hit the gargoyle with terrible anger. Heexploded.

The blue light kept expanding, filling the whole plane. Theplane teetered and started free falling. My fingernails dug into theaisle carpet. If he didn’t control it, Matt’s power would tear us allapart.

“Matt,” I shouted. “Enough!”The blue light lingered and, for a moment, I thought we were

done for. Then, it blinked out leaving only the scattered ash of thegargoyle as evidence of its ferocious power. Matt lurched into theaisle. He looked completely drained.

“The gargoyle was one of the pilots,” I told him.“I’ll check on the other.” Matt stumbled down to cockpit.

The plane shuddered again. I crept up to the spot the gargoyle hadbeen. Nothing but black char remained of him. I didn’t touch it. Idon’t know how long I sat there. Finally, Matt returned. “Thepilot’s awake now. We’re not going to crash into the ocean.”

“That’s good.”He looked down at the charred ash on the floor. “I threw too

much power at him. I was groggy from the sleeping spell.”He sounded sorry. I wasn’t. “He tried to kill us.”“The more lives you take, the easier it becomes. It should

never be easy.”“He had a brand. A circle with a V.”“Oliver.” Everyone of my dead ex-boyfriend’s clan seemed

to have joined up with Oliver. Matt sat down beside me. He

slumped back against a seat. “What I want to know is how theyknew about the flight? Sylvia arranged the flight just hours ago.”

“Another gargoyle?” I looked up at the sleeping passengers.Under any of those smooth faces, a beast could be hiding. Morganhad fooled me, after all, for months. The sword attracted enemieslike moths. I touched my throat gingerly. It stung. Matt leaned overto put his hands on my neck.

“No,” I protested. “You’ve used yourself up already.”Matt smiled. “Don’t worry. I know my limits. Besides healing

you is easy.” Blue light seeped from his fingers and cooled thebattered line of my throat. It took only a few seconds to heal me,but Matt’s hands lingered.

“We should wake everyone up,” I said.“In a minute, I need to recover a bit.”I had a feeling that wasn’t the sole reason.Matt’s lips curved up into a small smile. “You’re right.” He

sighed. “Do you realize this is the first time I have had a momentalone with you in months?” His thumb traced the edge of mycollarbone in a lazy circle.

I stiffened. “Matt, Vane and I—”“He is playing a game, Ryan. One I haven’t figured out

yet. I don’t want you to get hurt.”I blinked. “He’s not you. He’s not necessarily up to

something.”“This tame act he plays around you is just that—an act. You

don’t know him like I do.”“I know you’ve been having dreams of him.”Matt frowned. “You see them?” I nodded. Matt explained,

“They are not dreams. They are memories. They are trying to tell

me something. I’m not sure what though. Still, it’s not him I want totalk about.” His fingers traced the chain of my amulet. “I want youto promise me—no matter how much you’re tempted—to alwayskeep it on. Without you, we would have died today. Vane doesn’tknow this, but I fashioned the amulet with the Lady’s magic as wellas mine. There is Lake water inside the ruby. It’s what allows ourconnection to be so strong.”

“Why did you really give this to Guinevere?” I asked. “Vanethought it was because you were in love with her.”

“I was not in love with her.”Our connection told me he was telling the truth. Then,

realization burst in through an open crack. “You used it to spy onher. You were worried she would be Arthur’s downfall.”

Matt’s cheeks reddened. “It was rumored she was having anaffair with Lancelot. She had one with Vane.”

I leveled a look at him. “You used her.”His jaw tightened. “The kingdom was at stake.”“The more you take, the easier it is to keep taking. It should

never be easy.” I repeated what he’d said so often to me. “Thereare boundaries, Matt.”

Matt’s eyes darkened. “I did what I had to do.”“You sound like Vane.”“He does what he does for himself. There’s a difference.”“Right.” I moved to stand up.Matt caught my wrist. “Promise me you won’t take off the

amulet.”“I’ll keep it in mind,” I said evenly. When did everyone start

thinking it was okay to walk all over me?Matt answered. “I’m trying to protect you.”

“I get that, Merlin.” I remembered him standing in front of aroomful of reporters. Matt declared himself to be Merlin andclaimed Excalibur.

“I did that to protect you too.”I sighed. “That worked out well.”“Not the way I planned, but it did work in a way. The

conspiracy groups all believed me and declaring me a fraud allowedthe rest of the world to take a much-needed breath.”

I looked at him. “Let’s say we do find the Lady and you getall the answers you want, what then? What are you planning to do?”

Matt stared at my amulet. His pupils deepened back intothemselves until they became lost points in twin black holes. Hesaid, “It depends on the answers, but from my visions, sooner orlater we will not be able to hide what is happening from the world.The Queen may have stalled everyone by reducing me to somemadman who broke into her pressroom, but eventually, this will gettoo big to explain away. My first concern, though, is stopping thesetsunamis.”

Matt’s eyes changed back to normal. I was relieved. Merlinmade me uneasy.

“You called me Matt,” he said.I sat back on my haunches. “What?”“When you woke me up. You called for Matt.”“Yes,” I said in a question.Taking my hand, he pulled me up with him. His hand

tightened on mine before he released it. “You still think of me asMatt.”

“Yes?”“I like it,” he said simply.

CHAPTER 8 - ATHENS

CHAPTER 8ATHENS

I was in so much trouble.Vane was the one playing games? Ha. Apparently Matt

hadn’t looked at himself lately. I was the pawn caught on thechessboard between the two of them.

I stood in line at the gate with my boarding pass. After thegargoyle incident, the pilot of our chartered flight wanted nothing todo with us, and we found ourselves at Heathrow on a BritishAirways flight. Sylvia booked our tickets, but the seats were allscattered throughout the plane since we got our seats at the lastminute. One look at his ticket and Vane pulled some voodoo at theticket counter. Now, eight of us had first class seats.

Next to us, passengers who thought they had first classtickets harassed a ticket agent after realizing they’d suddenly beendowngraded.

“I’ve had this seat for months!” a florid man in a business suitcried.

I smiled sheepishly at the stewardess who scanned myboarding pass with a stoic expression. I ran down the jetway tocatch up with Vane. I slapped his shoulder with a boarding pass.

He scowled. “What was that for?”“You stole these seats!”He peered down at me. “You have short legs so you might

be fine in the back, but I need room. You could always switch withsomeone if I’m too much of burden to sit beside. I prefer long hair,nice curves, and big—”

I slapped him with the pass again. Hard.“—eyes.”We entered the plane and slipped into our seats. Vane took

the aisle. I grumbled, “At least it’s only a three-hour flight.”Vane grabbed Grey’s arm as he passed. “After everyone

sits, go through the plane. I don’t want any more surprises.”Grey nodded.Because Grey could smell gargoyles , I realized. I stared

after Grey as he walked off. He put his coat on the seat besideSylvia.

“He was bound to be different after what happened on therooftop,” Vane said.

I nodded, but the answer didn’t satisfy me.“Matt?” I asked. “What do you know about Grey?”“I doubt Merlin knows any more,” Vane said, correctly

reading me.I colored. Vane sighed.“Vane’s guess is as good as mine,” Matt’s reply came

shortly. He sat behind us with Clarence.I sensed an undercurrent of something else, but Matt shut me

off before I could poke any further. I heard him rustling aroundbehind me, probably for a sick bag, and decided to leave him alone.

The flight went by quickly. The plane touched down inAthens as the sun painted the sky with a bright red sunset. For aninternational airport, Eleftherios A. seemed tiny. We grabbed ourbags. There were only two flights to Thera and we’d already missedthem, so we were spending the night in Athens. I planned on gettingup early to sneak over to the Parthenon before our morning flight.We may have been on a mission, but being in Athens was a wetdream for any history buff.

Several small cars with tinted windows waited for us outside.I rode with Vane, Grey, and Sylvia. Vane and Sylvia chatted with

our driver in perfect Greek. We drove along roads crowded wall towall with buildings. The section where we were staying had the citylayered up to a hill, the Acropolis. In the darkening sky, the lights ofsquare buildings twinkled from varying heights. Sea air blew throughthe city, lending an atmosphere of relaxation, while the buzzing ofpeople on every corner layered an undercurrent of carousingrevelry.

I said as much to Grey, who grumpily replied, “All I cansmell is gargoyles. They must be everywhere.”

In the heart of the city, we stopped in the private courtyardof a giant hotel with contemporary architecture that stood outamong the surrounding neoclassical buildings. Porters rushed totake our bags up to a set of adjoining suites that Sylvia reserved forus. I found myself sharing a room with Gia and Sylvia. Sylvia tookone bed. Gia and I shared the other.

“Like old times,” Gia commented. She’d been my roommateat Avalon Prep.

I sank down on a thick coverlet of one of the king beds andstared out the gorgeous rectangular window from our room. Thewindow framed the Parthenon sitting atop the hill of the Acropolis.In the dark, artificial, yellow light shone across the temple dedicatedto the goddess, Athena, one of the oldest buildings in the world.

“It is beautiful,” Sylvia said. “I’m sorry we won’t get achance to see it. I promise you I’ll bring you back as soon as weget the next opportunity.” A doorbell rang in the living room of thesuite. “That will be dinner. I’ll let them in and tell the boys. I’m goingto eat at the spa though. I’ll be back later.” Without waiting for areply, she hurried out.

The spa. I gave Gia a pointed look. “Even she’s going to

take a break.”“I’m with you, DuLac,” Gia said. “You had me at break.”I turned back to the Parthenon. A few people, like little ants,

walked around the giant columns and crumbled remains of the restof the temple. I could imagine how it looked in ancient times whenthe giant statue of Athena, bearing a lance and shield, stood sentryover her people.

“Did you know that the word ‘Parthenon’ means ‘the virgin’sapartments’?” Vane asked from the doorway.

I turned to look at him from the lush bed.Gia groaned. “What do you want, Vane?”“What I want will have to wait,” he said. A low burning heat

in his eyes left my throat suddenly parched. “For now, I’ll settle fortelling you that dinner is served.”

Gia whooped. “I’m so starved. Since when did flying meanfasting?”

There had been no time to eat at Heathrow and no real foodon the plane. The strong scents of richly flavored dishes wafted infrom the living room.

Gia pushed past Vane to get to it. “C’mon, Ryan. We needto eat so we can do some shopping.”

I moved to follow her. Vane stopped me at the door by usinghis body as a wall. “Shopping? This is gargoyle territory. We mayhave Rourke’s protection, but you know he’s losing his grip onthem.”

I frowned. “You sound like Matt.”“That wasn’t nice.”“Don’t worry. We’re going down to the hotel shops,” I said.

Matt’s instructions had been, “Stay in the hotel. Straight to the

airport tomorrow.” As if. I added, “We’re not going to do anythingyou wouldn’t do.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”Conveniently, my stomach grumbled. I stepped around Vane

and hurried off before he could see my smile. I had a plan.***

“Are they asleep?” I yawned later when Blake shook meawake.

Grey stood behind him. “They’re all passed out.”Blake shushed him. “I only have enough power to make the

spell last fifteen minutes, so hurry up.”Gia jumped out from the other side of the bed we shared.

She pulled off her pajamas to reveal a black, glittering sweater andtight, black pants. I did the same. I’d picked out a gold sweaterwith a black tank and black skirt with leggings. We both wore soft,gold ballet shoes with short heels.

Blake groaned when we crowded the bathroom to put onmakeup. “Hurry or we’re going to get caught.”

“Just put the dummies in place,” Gia hissed.Grey held up two inflatable dolls—apparently, you could get

anything from the concierge when you flashed a black AMEX card.Blake magicked the two dolls into two disturbingly realistic clonesof Gia and me. A few minutes later, the four of us hurried down thehallway. It wasn’t until we were in the elevator that I noticed Grey’sclothes. He wore a gray sport jacket with a light green shirt, open atthe neck revealing dark, curly chest hair. In matching steel graypants and loafers, he stood with the studied casualness of a local.

“Hello, Grey-astus.” I whistled.He grinned. “I wanted to get a gold chain, but thought it

might be too much.”“Isn’t that Italian, not Greek?” Gia said.“I could pull it off,” he retorted.“Blake, do your stuff,” I said quickly before a fight broke

out.Blake said a small spell that he directed at my hair. In the

mirrored back of the elevator, dark blonde locks turned bright pink.“Blake,” Gia said with admiration, “you’ve been holding out

on me.”Blake blushed.“I want green.” Gia’s hair poofed into fluorescent green.Blake glanced at Grey, who held up his hands. “No, thanks.” The elevator doors opened.Grey said to me, “Alright, brain, what now?”“Trust me,” I replied.Just outside the hotel doors, we climbed into a cab. The taxi

driver shook his head at me when I took out a piece of paper andpainstakingly read the address; so I held up the paper and pointed.He nodded and we sped down the roadway. It took about fiveminutes to reach our destination. We passed by a park of trees thatled up to the Acropolis and Syntagma Square. A cold wind blewthrough the grand walkway of the landmark. A huge fountain sat inthe middle of a valley surrounded by tall buildings of old and newarchitecture. Café tables lined the streets. There were woodenbalconies, more fountains, and people relaxing and enjoying life.The air remained peaceful until we drove directly into the sights andsounds of the nightlife of Athens.

The taxi dropped us off in front of a fairly nondescriptbuilding with a long line of people huddled together, either because

of the narrow road or the cold. The line rounded the block withpeople dressed anywhere from black tie to trendy to hipster-chic.Several large bouncers stared down would-be entrants.

“Welcome to the Dragon Club, kids,” I said.“How are we going to get in?” Gia whispered, eyeing the

crowd in dismay.Blake pulled on the small bowtie he wore. With messy black

hair, square glasses, and formal wear, I thought he blended in prettywell with the crowd, except for the completely uncomfortableexpression he wore. “I could try a spell.”

“Not necessary.” Grey took out a cellphone.I gaped at him. “How are you allowed to have a phone and

I’m not?”“I’m not the chosen one,” he said flippantly and tapped on

the phone’s touch screen. He marched us along to the front of theline. A short conversation with the bouncers later, we stood insidethe entrance, getting our hands stamped.

“I texted the owners. They do business with the bank,” heexplained.

“Is it a bank or a Mafia front?” Gia muttered.Grey’s expression darkened with sudden ferocity. He

barked, “Would you rather be standing outside?”We all blinked at the bite in his tone. Another group behind

us waited impatiently.“Let’s get to the dance floor.” I pushed Grey to the stairs that

led underground.“Grouchy much?” Gia mumbled behind us.Blake replied, but I couldn’t hear him. One floor down, we

emerged onto a dance floor, playing blissfully deafening club music.

A long bar took up one side of the club. The barstools were allcrammed. Just in front of it, a row of booths were also packed withpeople. On the wall opposite the bar, a DJ stood high above thegyrating crowd. It looked like nirvana.

“I’m getting a drink,” Blake declared.I blinked at him. Right. No drinking age.“I’ll go with you,” Gia declared with an uneasy glance at

Grey.Grey didn’t reply. He stared at a red-haired girl wearing a

top that left her back completely bare. She turned her head and hergaze collided with his. She winked at him. Without another word tous, he walked away.

Next to me, Gia let out a small sound of pique.“C’mon, Gia,” Blake said quickly.I watched her go with a heavy heart. However, the thumping

of riotous music would not be swayed. It only took me a fewminutes of scanning the crowd to find a way in. A guy approachedme, and the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of the crowd withonly music running through my veins.

Time fell away as we danced under the caress of the dark.The music changed and so did the partners, but nothing beat theadrenaline of moving to the waves of rhythm being pumped throughthe air. The push and pull of the beat mirrored the evocativemovements of the crowd.

And, then, it happened.In the middle of moving some random boy’s creeping hands

back into an acceptable position, I spotted him. Vane.His body moved sensuously to the music, a tall, red-haired

octopus of a girl glued to his front. I cut myself loose from creeping-

hands to push people aside. I cleared the path to my so-calledboyfriend.

CHAPTER 9 - A DARK DANCE

CHAPTER 9A DARK DANCE

It took me two moves to shove the girl off Vane. One look at

my face and she slinked away without argument. I turned to Vane.He pulled me hard against him before I could blink.

“Got your attention?” he shouted into my ear, past thethumping music.

The wind blew out of my sails. He had me and he knew it. Ihad snuck out without him. I said with a pout, “You would havestopped us.”

“Probably.” He started to pull me back into the dancecrowd.

“What are you doing?”His lips grazed my neck. “Taking advantage.” I had to bite back a gasp when he caught my hips and

started moving us to the music. The pulsating rhythm tightenedaround every nerve I possessed until my body was a mass of tautstrings for his body to strum. Pretty soon, I couldn’t form acoherent thought. My front plastered to his, we swam in the darkwaves of the night. I looked up at Vane. Roving strobe lightsemphasized the harsh lines of his face, giving it a dangerous slant.

He looked down at me and whatever he saw caused him totake a bracing breath. Without waiting for the song to end, he pulledme out of the crowd.

“What?” I protested. My body wanted to stay attached tothe oblivion of the dance.

Vane took me past the crowded floor. I spotted Blake andGia dancing at the edge of the crowd. Blake glanced up and sawme. He pointed questioningly to Vane. I shook my head at him. In acorner, barely visible past the bar, a bouncer guarded a doorway.

Vane said a few words to him that I couldn’t hear past the beatingmusic. The bouncer paled at whatever Vane said and rushed toopen the rope.

Vane led me past him into a darkened room lined with lowbooths. All the empty ones had a light directly above them. Vaneled us to a corner booth hidden in the shadows. He thumped hishand on the table to get the attention of two lip-locked strangerswith only half their clothes on. He barked, his voice distorted bymagic, “Move.”

The boy nodded and got out of the booth. Refastening hisshirt, he walked off.

“Hey!” The girl stared after the boy. Vane’s eyes locked onher. She soon scrambled out of her seat, as well.

“What was that?” I asked Vane.“Persuasion,” he said without apology. Sliding onto the seat,

he held out his hand.I eyed the booth. Did I really know what he was asking?

The draw of the night mixed with the heavy bass of the music madeit hard to care. My fingers trembled a little as I took his hand.

He yanked me into the booth, which had been expertlydesigned for maximum privacy. A deep seat extended behind ahalf-moon table that served as a barrier between the room and us.Vane’s hands slid through my pink hair.

“Nice color,” he remarked.“You can’t even see it,” I said.“I can see enough.”I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking about hair. His lips took

mine, and lost in the kiss, I barely felt my sweater being removed.My knees were on the seat and I put my hands around the strong

muscles of Vane’s neck. His hands went under my tank and up myback. The tank slid up. I gasped when a palm clasped over anexposed breast and squeezed.

With a wet needy moan, I closed my eyes.My mind awoke.“Ryan.” Matt’s voice sounded in my head. It had a

desperate edge to it. His presence washed over me.Vane’s lips grazed my neck, sending little shocks of pleasure

down my spine. A hand skimmed up the back of my knee, mythigh, and slowly slid up under my skirt.

“Ryan.” Matt groaned.For a second, Matt’s body seemed to superimpose over

Vane’s and I felt him touching me as well. My eyes snapped open. Itore my lips from Vane’s. I yanked my tank back down.

Vane frowned. “What?”“Matt,” I backed away. “He… sees us. I don’t know how to

shut him out.”Vane cursed. “He can’t have you, so neither can I?”I frowned. “It’s not like that.”“He’s blocked me from the amulet. From you. He wants you

for himself. To keep his hooks in you.” Vane tugged me back tohim. His finger traced the chain until he came to the amulet. Hesqueezed the gemstone in his palm, pulling it out as far as it wouldgo from my neck. He said roughly, “I think it’s time you took off theamulet, don’t you? I’ll make you another one. It may not be aspowerful, but you’ll be free of him.”

“I c-can’t,” I said.The tiger behind the eyes stirred. “Can’t? Or don’t want to?”I didn’t. Want. I’d been drawn to the amulet ever since the

first time I’d seen it. I knew that Matt was right. Something insideme needed it. It’s why I hadn’t taken it off the first time I found outabout Matt’s spying. My answer must have shone on my face,because Vane’s expression hardened.

I pleaded, “Vane.”His fingers tangled in my hair. He pulled the strands with

enough force to make me wince. “Why?”“It saved our lives back on the plane. It saved mine twice

more.”“There are other ways. It is your choice.” A glimmer of the

predator colored his eyes.My spine stiffened. I leaned away from him and repeated, “I

can’t.”He ground his teeth. “That thing is supposed to protect you.

The minute I think it is not doing just that, I won’t ask. I’ll simplytake it off.”

“You’re not my keeper.” The words tumbled out before Icould stop them.

“If required, I can be.”Trust Vane not to water down anything. “I guess I know

where you stand.”He picked up my sweater from the table and held it out to

me. “I wish I could say the same.”***

Gia waved at me frantically as soon as I came out of theback room. I waved back with a sense of relief. Behind me, Vanefollowed in eerie silence. Not happy was an understatement. Ourfight left me jittery, but I was right and I didn’t want to back down.If I did, Vane would have walked all over me.

Gia practically ran to me. “Where have you been? I’ve beenlooking everywhere.”

Luckily, she didn’t seem to require an actual answer to thequestion.

She pulled me toward a second set of stairs a little pastwhere we stood that led down to the next floor. “We have to getdownstairs. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

I let her lead me. Halfway down the stairs, I understood herpanic. The music still blared but instead of a dance crowd, a circleof people surrounded two boys who were trying their best to killeach other.

One was Grey. I spotted the red-haired girl he’d gone offwith watching at the front of the crowd. She said something to thegiant of man who pummeled my brother.

Grey gave his opponent a hard kick to the stomach and sentthe giant stumbling back. Grey pounced on him. Bones crunchedwhen his hand connected with the giant’s jaw.

Vane stood beside me. I gave him a little push. “Help him.”“He’s been asking for a fight. May as well let him work it

out,” Vane said. The giant’s face changed as he lost control. Hisforehead protruded. Fangs sprouted. Gargoyle.

I made a sound of frustration and started down toward Greymyself.

Vane grabbed my elbow to stop. “Do you see where weare?”

He pointed at the crowd. A few people stared at thegargoyle in shock, retreating to the back of the room. However,most remained in place and encouraged the gargoyle by yelling theirsupport. I wondered how many of them were also gargoyles.

Bouncers gathered the ones who obviously had never seen agargoyle before, the regulars, and threw some kind of spell with agreen-aura on them.

“Forgetting spell,” Vane said in my ear.Still, about a hundred or so people watched the fight.“They’re all gargoyles?” I said, aghast. “We need to get him

out of here.”Below us, the giant punched Grey in the stomach. Grey

doubled over. The giant got him in a headlock and started to chokehim. Grey slipped out of the hold and punched the giant in the face.The giant stumbled back.

“You see,” Vane said. “He’s a Candidate. He’ll be fine.”Another gargoyle stepped inside the crowd’s circle. He

looked ready to join the fight. Blake came out of nowhere and ranat the newcomer with a loud yell.

“This is getting out of hand,” Gia cried.I tore away from Vane. Gia and I ran downstairs. I made it

to the edge before Vane caught me from behind by the waist. Hestopped Gia too. Muttering a spell, he froze me in place.

“Keep her safe,” he ordered Gia. He slapped her hand onmine.

She tugged her hand and found she couldn’t move it. “Youbastard! I’m stuck too!”

Ignoring her, Vane touched my face. “I could use a goodfight.”

The reckless edge in his eyes left me uneasy. I tried to speak,but no sound came out. He dove into the crowd. As short as I was,I couldn’t see anything past the forest of people who cheered andbooed alternately. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on using the

amulet to break me free.I didn’t get the chance. The crowd parted in front of me. The

giant gargoyle came flying backwards. He landed at my feet. Thecrowd hollered with drunken enthusiasm. Vane sauntered out of themiddle, toward me. Behind him, I could see Grey and Blake fightingwith two other gargoyles. Another gargoyle jumped out of thecrowd. Vane didn’t flinch. It took him about three moves to sendthe giant sprawling to the floor. The giant got up slowly. He drew aknife behind his back so it was barely visible.

I tried to yell a warning, but nothing came out. I looked atGia. She was watching Blake and Grey, who seemed to be winningagainst the gargoyles they fought.

“Matt!” I cried. “Help!”I had an image of Matt standing next to a pillar.He leaned against it for support. He said, “Concentrate,

Ryan. You can do this.”The amulet surged with power. A faint sheen of blue spread

out from the gemstone, dissipating Vane’s freeze spell as it grew.While not as powerful as Merlin, Vane wasn’t an ordinary wizard,and the spell still held a great deal of strength. As I struggled with it,the giant waited for Vane.

When Vane got close, the giant jumped up and slashed Vanein a clumsy movement across the chest. Vane hissed as the knife cutinto his skin, but injuring the tiger only made it more lethal. The giantwas obviously not a trained fighter, and Vane certainly was. Heducked under the giant to get up against his chest and grabbed thegiant’s wrist. The giant howled in pain as Vane crushed the bones.The knife started to fall. Vane caught it with his free hand. Hestabbed the giant in the stomach and then ran the knife all the way

up to the gargoyle’s neck in one brutal thrust.I went cold.My amulet surged with power again. In one burst, it threw off

Vane’s spell. My throat released, I yelled, “Vane, stop!”Vane’s eyes met mine. He didn’t want to listen. Around us,

the crowd seemed to still. They had watched it all, growing quieteras the fight turned sinister. His expression almost detached, Vanescrutinized the bleeding gargoyle. The giant wasn’t dead, but withone quick correct slash of the knife he could be.

The rest of the freeze spell fell away. I didn’t move. I didn’tdare. Any sudden movement and I feared Vane would go over theedge. “Vane, please,” I said. “Let him go.”

Vane looked at me. I don’t know what he saw, but heseemed to remember himself. He dropped the giant.

The red-haired girl ran out of the crowd to kneel down onthe floor beside the fallen gargoyle. She touched the gaping woundthat covered half the giant’s body with trembling fingers. “Youmonster! How do you live with yourself?”

Vane didn’t answer her. He walked toward me. The crowdremained quiet, watching Vane warily. Grey and Blake camestumbling forward. Vane didn’t stop when he reached me. Hewalked straight past to the stairs.

“What the hell was that?” Gia said beside me.“Our cue to leave,” I replied.

***I stared at Vane in the taxi. Gia and Blake sat on one side in

the back. Grey rode up front and I had been squeezed in themiddle, next to Vane.

He gave me an irritated look. “He’s a gargoyle. He’ll be

fine.”“He wasn’t a fighter. You could have ended it at anytime,” I

said. “You were… playing with him.”“Need I remind you that he pulled the knife? I taught him a

lesson.”“Makes sense,” Gia mumbled. “If you’re psychotic.”Beside me, Vane stilled. I elbowed Gia and put my hand on

Vane before he did something we’d all regret. He slowly relaxed.An uneasy silence fell over the cab. I stared out of the window.

We went into a green section of the city. Tall trees swayed inthe dark. It was the park that led to the Parthenon. An imageclicked in my mind, and I straightened in my seat.

I grabbed the driver’s sleeve. “Stop, right now!”The driver mumbled something and kept driving.“Vane, it’s Matt.” I pointed to the tall iron gates visible by

spotlights placed just behind the trees. “When we were in… theback room… I saw him. He’s there right now.”

“With the trident?” Vane said.“I don’t know, but why would he be there?”Vane barked a line to the driver in Greek. The tires of the

taxi squealed as the driver pulled over. Grey paid him while we raninto the park, around which the city had been built. Small, windypathways led us to the center with the lights. Surrounded by freshgreenery, I could almost imagine myself back in Ancient Greece.Soon we reached the gates that closed off the Acropolis.

“Anutardati.” Blake unlocked the gates.We went past a crumbling building marked by three stories

of stone arches. Inside it, I could barely see the outlines of a Greektheatre, steps that led to a low stage. Down the path, an arched

gateway, although semi-ruined, marked the end of the lush greeneryand gave way to broken stone and dry earth.

The ancient citadel stood before us. A huge walkway led toseveral flights of block steps behind a mostly destroyed wall.Spotlights welcomed us forward. We went up stone steps thatstood long and wide, reminding us of how small we were incomparison. Almost at the top, we reached a small, high buildingthat flanked the entrance of the Acropolis. Persistent grass andvines crept through the ancient stone. I could imagine someday theywould wrap around the building’s pillars.

Behind us, the city sat quietly underneath the watchful gaze ofthe Temple of Athena Nike. Cold wind blew at our backs as weclimbed to the top of the Acropolis.

For a moment, I admired the illuminated beauty of theParthenon. Small steps led up to a row of columns supported by along, disintegrating triangular top, reminding me of the shoulders ofAtlas holding back the night sky. The long row of columns stretchedfar to the rear, making up the body of the building, and had I been agiant, I could have traced the body’s length. Lost in the glory of thepast, only the steel scaffoldings of the Acropolis’s restoration crewbrought me back to the present.

A loud pop sounded from somewhere ahead before the lightswinked out.

For a moment, we stood still, in total darkness. Vane lit afireball and we scrambled up the steps of the Parthenon. Vanestretched the fireball until light shone through most of the building. Isaw no one.

Gia and Grey wandered further down the building.“Are you sure he’s here?” Vane said.

I caressed a marble column softly and the dark memories ofthe club’s back room came back in a rush. So good before it hadall gone so bad. I took a breath. “Absolutely. This is what I saw.”

Vane came up to me.I leaned against the cold marble.He searched my face. His nostrils flared. Almost as if he

couldn’t help himself, he traced the line of my jawbone. “I knowone way to draw him out.”

Blake cleared his throat. “Maybe he’s in the other building.These columns all look alike to me.”

“The other building?” I straightened away from the softwhispers of the marble.

“The Erechtheum,” Vane said. “The temple dedicated toPoseidon and Athena.”

I frowned. “Didn’t Poseidon carry a trident?”Vane didn’t answer. He turned and started down the steps.“I’ll get Gia and Grey,” Blake said. He marched back into

the Parthenon building.The Erechtheum stood not far from the side of the Parthenon.

Viewfinders lined the side of the temple where six statues of drapedmaidens stood supporting part of the temple’s roof with their heads.Ahead of me Vane paused, looking for the closest opening.

I went around back and climbed up a short stack of stepswhere the building was most accessible. Through the columns, Isaw Matt with the trident. He stood in a long chamber with no roof,lit up by floating sconces. He struck the trident against the floor. Ahuge rumble shook the temple. Shocks came out of the trident, butfizzled quickly. The sconces darkened.

“Are you crazy?” I marched up to him. “Do you want to

bring down this twenty-five-hundred-year-old place?”Matt lit a small fireball on his palm. He looked at me for a

moment as if he couldn’t quite believe I was there. His gaze fell onthe amulet shining in the dark against my skin. He said slowly, “Youkept it on. I didn’t think you would.”

I shifted my feet uncomfortably. He’d seen too much. Felttoo much. The slow burn of heat in the pools of his eyes told me hehadn’t minded. Around us, the sconces flared to light. To my relief,Vane came up behind me. He said, “You’re looking for something.What?”

Matt blinked. “Blood. Twenty-five-hundred-year-old blood,at least.”

“How is that possible?” I said.Matt raised a brow. “I’m holding a trident.”“Of the Fisher King.”“And possibly Poseidon’s before him,” Matt said.Vane’s gaze fixed on the trident. “Poseidon had sex with

Medusa in the Temple of Athena. Athena and Poseidon were atodds over the city. Athena cursed Medusa for the affront. Sheturned her into a monster—her hair became snakes, and shesprouted bronze metal wings that were too heavy to fly. Her eyeswould turn anyone to stone. When Perseus killed her, her blood fellto the earth. Athena kept the blood. She gave it to Erichthonius whowas half-serpent, half-human, and grandfather to the king of Athenswho built this temple.”

“Why do you think something is here?” I asked. “I know youhaven’t had a vision.”

Matt’s lips twisted into a grimace. “While you’ve been out…playing, I talked to Rourke. The creature they keep hidden is also a

half-serpent. This may be the answer to his problem. Not just thecup.”

Vane’s eyes narrowed. “But there is more.”“Yes.” Matt glanced around the temple as if he could

somehow divine its secret. “The blood has special properties.”“Special properties,” Vane said. “Like Lake water?”“I don’t know.” Matt handed me the trident. “Now that

you’re here, you may as well try. You have an affinity for it.”I took the trident. “I can only blast things. How am I

supposed to figure out if there’s something here?”“Try,” Matt said.I humored him by closing my eyes. The trident hummed

immediately to life. It pulsed aggressively in my hand and I waspretty sure I could have blasted the whole side of the temple if I’dwanted to… except I didn’t. The trident growled in disappointment.It hungered for action. I tamped it down. The trident reluctantlyceded control. For now.

I opened my eyes with a grimace. “This thing is bloodthirsty.”Matt stared at the pedestal. “Nothing happened.”“If this involves the trident, maybe we need to add an

element.” Vane stepped behind me and put his arms around me sowe held the trident together.

“Jala.” He slammed the tip of the trident against the floor.Water spouted from the spot we’d struck. The spout quickly

became a gusher. Vane and I stepped back. Even so, my leggingsbecame soaked. Water overflowed from the building onto thegrounds outside.

Matt waved a hand to relight the sconces.The floor started to shift, the stone moving as something

awoke. I stumbled back into Vane. He pulled me to the edge of thechamber. Matt followed us with the trident. We stood betweentwo columns, part of a row across the back of the building. Fromthe center of the floor, a long monolith extended upwards, apedestal, like a flower rising from the earth.

Vane let go of me so suddenly I had to catch Matt’s shoulderto keep from falling. Vane waded out into the water.

Matt and I went after him. The pedestal was rounded at thetop.

I reached out and smoothed a hand over its shiny apex.Something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Careful or you’ll ruin that pretty dress in the water.” Vaneglanced at me when I came up to his side. He cupped some waterin his hands. He moved to pour it over the pedestal.

“Wait,” I said. “What if it’s another booby trap?”“I suggest you tell the nymph ‘no’ this time.” He poured it

over my hand.It trickled over my skin down onto the pedestal.A whoosh sounded. The top of the stone opened like a small

eye. In a total girl moment, I shrieked when a forked tongueappeared. Without even a flinch, Vane grabbed the tongue andpulled the snake out of the eye.

A flash of blue light blazed out of the pedestal right before icefroze it. It started to radiate outwards and everything it touchedbecame frozen. A quiet, yet deadly bomb, it spread quickly.

“Vane!” I yelled. I didn’t want to be entombed.“Agni,” Matt and Vane yelled at the same time.A flash of blue and red magic stemmed the ice in its tracks. I

let out a breath as I whacked Vane on the arm. “I told you there

would be a trap.”He turned the snake over in his hand. “I suppose it is worth

something.”“Ugh,” I commented. “It’s not real. It’s some kind of metal.”The twisted thing looked real enough. The metal was a

super-shiny bronze. It’s tongue extended out of its mouth.Matt waded through the water to peer at the snake. “This

metal is unusual. Not like anything I’ve seen.”“I’ll run the properties through some databases I know,”

Vane said. “I love the record-keeping of this time. You can find outanything.”

He took the trident from Matt and struck the stone. The ice-encased pedestal sank back into the floor. Stone shifted underneathme. I fell into the water with a splash. Water seeped into every bitof clothing I wore, all the way down to my undies.

Vane laughed, eyes roving over my soaked dress. “Didn’t Iwarn you to be careful in the water?”

“Shut it, jinx,” I muttered.“Don’t tell me we missed all the fun,” Gia’s voice echoed

through the temple. She, Grey, and Blake stood at the perimeter,near the columns.

Vane tapped the trident against the floor. The water swirlingaround us disappeared. He turned the metal snake in his hands.“This is hollow. The blood must be inside. How do we open it?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Matt bent to help me up.Vane raised a brow. “Glad you’ve thought this through.”“Do you have any ideas?” Matt snapped.“Several,” Vane said. “Blast it with the trident. Blast it with a

fireball. Blast it with a gun. Need I go on?”Matt snorted. “You would obliterate it and whatever is

inside. No, we’re doing this the right way.”Vane dropped the snake and shot a fireball at it. A terrible

scream filled the sky. Matt waved his hand. The snake flew into hishand.

“Are you mad?” he shouted at Vane.“Did it work?” said Vane.“Now that we’re all deaf,” Grey muttered.Matt turned over the snake. “It’s still closed.”“You could be right,” Vane conceded. “There must be a

certain way.”Wind swept gleefully through the open building and I

shivered under damp clothes. “Ex-exactly why do we need theblood? What are we looking for?”

Matt said, “Did you think we were going to Thera to look atan archeological dig? The trident didn’t say the city of Akrotiri. Youassumed it was Akrotiri. We need this for what we find on Thera.”

“What are we looking for?” I demanded.Vane’s eyes locked on the trident. “It said the Lost City. Not

the lost island.”Grey’s eyes lit up. “You don’t mean—”“Atlantis?” I made a face. “Please tell me we’re not looking

for that myth.”Matt gave me an amused look. “Isn’t all this myth?”He marched over to Vane and took the snake from him. “But

the answer is… no. We’re not looking for Atlantis. We’re lookingfor Aegae.”

“The island of Triton’s people,” Vane finished for him. Light

flickered over the sharp cheekbones and highlighted the green in hishazel eyes. “We’re hunting mermaids.”

***Later that night, I lay immersed in a hot bubble bath. My

head and shoulders rested on a hotel tub that could have doubledfor a small swimming pool and I could have stayed in it for about ayear. I sank deeper under the water, allowing it to wash away theups and downs of the night. My hands retraced the route of Vane’shands sliding over my bare skin. The lapping water reminiscent ofhis touch—

“Ryan, where are you?” Matt knocked inside my head. “Ineed to talk to you now.”

I jerked up in the tub. No, he didn’t. I thought back,“Leave me alone!”

The bathroom door opened and Matt slipped inside.

CHAPTER 10 – GHOST CITY

CHAPTER 10GHOST CITY

I straightened even more, remembered I was naked, and

sank back into the water. I demanded, “Matt, go away.”He crossed the white tile floor and plunked himself down on

the edge of the tub. Although the bubbles hid me, underwater Icrossed my arms over my chest.

“Matt, I’m kind of busy,” I said through gritted teeth.His forehead puckered. “It’s about the club—”“I don’t want to hear a lecture on sneaking out.” I glared at

him. “Didn’t we talk about boundaries? Do you think you could atleast try to stay out of private situations?”

Matt’s cheeks reddened. “I couldn’t shut it out. Imagine adoor between our minds. After the attack on the plane, I left it opena crack, in case you needed me. What you were feeling burstthrough the crack like an avalanche.” A thought seeped out beforehe could hide it. “I’m not sure I can. I’m not sure I want to.”

Blushing, I decided not to comment.“But that’s not what I need to talk to you about.” He shut the

bathroom door. “Blake described the fight to me. He told me whatVane did to the gargoyle.”

A tingle of unease went down my spine. “And?”“I know my brother. We come from a more brutal time,” he

said. “His life in Arthur’s court wasn’t easy. The knights fought inone battle after the next and Vane can be…” Matt grimaced.“Ruthless. Vindictive. A bloody bastard.”

My brow crinkled. “So you don’t think it was odd?”“More than odd. It’s disturbing. What Blake described is not

like Vane. Ruthless is not the same thing as cruel and I have notknown my brother to ever be cruel.”

I stared at Matt. I always thought deep down he cared aboutVane, but I was a little surprised to actually have him admit it.

“I don’t like what this means. The timing of it. He’s got astrange connection to the trident.”

So much for caring. I said, “Nice to know you’re lookingout for your brother, Matt. Heaven forbid, something happens tothe mission.”

“It’s not a mission.” To my surprise, he reached out andtucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His palm rested againstmy cheek. “If we do this right, we stop a catastrophe that willdevastate millions of lives. This is a crusade.”

Heat from his hand warmed my skin. The image of explodingvolcanoes filled my mind. So far, the vision had hung like a darkcloud above us, but now that cloud was swelling. It grew bigger andbigger. Soon, I knew, it would be big enough to cover the entiresky. And unlike Atlas, I didn’t feel strong enough to bear its weight.

“We can hold it together,” Matt said.I drew away from him. “What do you want me to do, Matt?”“Keep close to Vane. That shouldn’t be hard for you.” His

lips twisted into a bittersweet smile. “Don’t miss the details. If hedoes anything else unusual.”

“And tell you.”“He won’t know,” he thought to me.I bit my lip. “It doesn’t feel right. I’m not a spy.”“Consider what’s at stake if you don’t.” Then, he used the

one argument he knew would work on me. “How much do youcare about him?”

Matt stood up. The door burst open. Vane strode inside.“Hello? In the bath!” I said.

Vane’s eyes flickered over Matt with a sneer. “With him?”“He can leave too,” I snapped.Gia poked her head inside. “Is there a party in here?”“Party?” Blake’s voice traveled from further down the hall.I sunk deeper beneath the bubbles. “Can you all just get

out?”Vane’s gaze fixed on Matt. “Not before you tell me what you

were talking about in here.”Matt said nothing.“He’s worried you’re going crazy,” I said.“What?” Vane frowned.“The gargoyle at the club,” I prompted.“That was crazy,” Gia murmured.With a scowl, Vane kicked the door shut in her face. He

rubbed his chest unconsciously. The exact spot where I’d seen hisscar.

Matt noticed the action too. “You need to take some time tore-center yourself. If you become a liability, I can have you sentback to Avalon Prep.”

Vane stopped rubbing. His hands fisted. Hazel eyes blazedand locked on me. “Is that what he’s told you? That he’sconcerned?” He looked back at Matt. “Nice threat, brother, but weboth know it has no bite. You need me.”

Matt crossed his arms. “You’re deflecting the issue awayfrom yourself.”

Vane raised a brow. “Everything I say is true.”“Yes, but cleverly structured in your favor. It’s still a

deflection.”I was having a deja-vu moment. I rubbed my forehead. “You

had this argument fifteen hundred years ago. Can we move on?”Vane looked at me in surprise. “What?”“Merlin found you with Guinevere. I dreamt all of it.”Vane made a low sound of anger in his throat. He hurled

himself at Matt and punched him in the face.Matt staggered, then, straightened. “I refuse to fight you.”“Then, you’ll make this a great deal easier.” Vane hit him in

the stomach and pulled back for another swing.“Stop!” I grabbed an enormous towel and hastily wrapped it

around me as I got out. The bottom edge got soaked and slappeduncomfortably against my skin. I ran to grab Vane’s fist before itcould connect with Matt again. “What are you doing?”

“I’m tired of him getting inside your head. Can’t you seewhat he’s doing to us?” He moved to punch Matt with his freehand.

I grabbed that one too… and seriously prayed my towelwouldn’t fall off. “Vane, walk away!”

His gaze fixed on my neck and the amulet. He watched myskin rise and fall. “You can’t even remove it long enough to take abath.”

I touched the gemstone. I’d actually forgotten I had it on.Matt pushed me aside. “You are out of control, Vane. I

don’t know if it’s the trident or something else, but you need help.”Vane’s jaw tightened. “No, you need help. You need my

abilities. It took me a while to figure out, but I eventually sawMerlin’s grand design. There’s only one reason why I’m beingallowed to tag along on this little venture—you can’t talk to themermaids without me. You don’t know how.”

I looked at Matt’s profile. He kept his eyes steadily on Vane,

but didn’t reply. It was an admission. Vane was right.“Despite how he tries to convince you otherwise, the great

Merlin only cares about one thing.” Vane grabbed my chin andturned it toward Excalibur. I had leaned the blade against the tubbefore I’d gotten in. “He’d sacrifice all of us in a heartbeat for it.”

Before I realized what he was doing, Vane’s hand moved toyank the amulet from my neck. I gasped in pain as the chain gotcaught in my hair and wrenched out a few strands.

“Vane!” Matt growled.Vane’s fingers only tightened around the gemstone. The

amulet reacted. A shock of blue light zapped him. He dropped thegemstone.

“I wonder if you could take it off, even if you wanted to.”With a final look at me, Vane whirled on his heel and walked out.The door slammed behind him.

I looked at Matt. Without saying anything, I reached back tounhook the chain. The same shock of blue light zapped me.Wincing, I dropped the chain.

“You didn’t trust me,” I said.Matt watched me without remorse. “I couldn’t take the

chance.”“Everything Vane said is true, isn’t it?” The amulet, a

burdensome weight, bore down on my bones. The longer we wereon this journey, the more alone I was starting to feel. I turned awayfrom Matt. Going to the sink, I picked up a hairbrush. “Just go. Ineed to get dressed.”

A soft breeze blew behind me, raising the hairs on the backof my neck. Matt stepped behind me. He unhooked the amulet.

Our eyes met in the mirror.

He said, “Vane is right about one thing. The choice should beyours.”

The amulet slid down my skin into the valley above mybreasts. I reached up to grab it, but Matt held onto the chain.

“In the memory you saw, it was the morning before Vanewent to fight the Fisher King. He lived, but he wasn’t the same. Hestopped seeing Guinevere after he came back; and then hedisappeared for months. It was only later I found out the purpose.He was helping Mordred amass an army. Then, he came forCamelot. Somehow he convinced the gargoyles to join him.” Mattlet go of the chain. The amulet dropped into my hand. The chainfluttered down against my arm. “I won’t let it happen a secondtime.”

“Camelot is gone, Matt,” I said.Matt floated Excalibur from the tub and laid it across the sink

in front of me. “Are you sure?”***

When did life become so complicated? I mulled this overduring our flight the next day.

Colin, Rourke’s bodyguard and enforcer, met us at the exitand directed us to a line of waiting cars when we landed. I could tellClarence, the oldest wizard among us, was not thrilled, but heconceded under Matt’s direction. So did I. I sat stiffly in the caralong with Blake and Gia. Matt rode in the front next to Colin.

Sylvia, Vane, Grey, and Clarence were behind us; and theremaining guardians rode in the last car.

We crossed the island fairly quickly—it wasn’t that big—anddrove along the edge of a cliff to Fira, the main city on the westernpart of the island of Santorini. The island formed a rough crescent

shape and Fira was built in the inside middle of the crescent, alongthe edge of the ancient caldera of the now submerged volcano.When Thera erupted, some thirty-five hundred years ago, thevolcano blew the island apart into three pieces. The blue waters ofthe Aegean Sea had swept into its cracks and made the three partsthree different islands. In ancient times, the one island had beencalled Thera.

Fira, on the rocky cliff, rose high above the water, revealing aglamorous panoramic of the whole caldera.

Blake, Gia, and I crammed together at the window to get agood view of the city as we approached. Fira spilled over the cliffand disappeared down into the sea. It exemplified the pictures ofGreek cities I’d seen on postcards. Rows upon rows of pristinewhite square buildings lined the breadth of the precipice. Narrowsteps made up the streets that wound up the cliff. Churches withpeacock-blue domed tops matched the almost crystal blue watersof the Aegean below. Old metal bells swayed with the breeze. Instark contrast, the rock from the caldera was a mix of green, redand brown.

Once we entered the city, we drove down the steep cream-colored streets and turned into the private drive of a multi-levelhouse. Around the side of the house, I saw a magnificent infinitypool that faced the sea. Even under the sun, the winter air called fora sweater and I shivered as I got out from the red sedan.

“It doesn’t get better than thirteen degrees, lass,” Colinremarked.

I went to the trunk to grab my bag, but Colin shook his head.“Someone will get those. There are over ten rooms in the house.One wing has been set aside for you.” He glanced at Matt. “Rourke

is waiting for you.”I squinted at the long, white stucco building. It didn’t look as

if it had even four bedrooms. We followed Colin through skinny,green doors. The wooden doors had only a simple white archabove them to mark the entrance. Immediately inside, anotheropen-air courtyard revealed the infinity pool and beyond that, thesea. Several cherrywood patio sets had been placed poolside. Thedeep cushions on them though told me they weren’t a flea marketfind. Rourke sat in one of the chairs with a drink.

An older woman stood next to him. A tight bun managed hersilver hair, yet that was the only sign of her age. Her face, althoughmature, had no lines. Against the blue waters of the Aegean, shecould have doubled for the great earth goddess, Demeter.

Rourke rose as soon as he spotted Sylvia. I made a facewhen he grandly took her hand in welcome. He leaned heavily onhis walking cane. He inclined his head to the older woman. “Sylvia,I’m sure you recall my mother.”

“Deirdre,” Sylvia murmured.“It has been a long time.” Deirdre looked at Grey with keen

interest. He stood at Sylvia’s side. “Your son, I presume?”Sylvia’s mouth tightened. “Yes.”“Please, sit,” Rourke said.Sylvia complied, although she glanced at Deirdre, who

remained standing. Rourke quickly sank back into the chair onceshe took the seat beside him.

“We’ve found something, but we don’t know how to openit.” Matt held out the bronze snake. “Any ideas?”

“Greetings to you also, Master Emrys,” Rourke said lightly.“You’re not well,” Matt said bluntly.

Sylvia glared at Matt.“And I thought wizards had better manners,” reproved

Deirdre.My lips twitched. Deirdre reminded me strongly of the

Council’s First Member. However, neither the First Member nor agargoyle matriarch could faze a wizard born more than fifteenhundred years ago.

Matt met her gaze without wavering. “We’re all runningshort on time.”

“Indeed.” Rourke watched Grey, who’d meandered closerto the pool. Rourke turned back to Matt. “What is it?”

While Matt explained about Medusa’s blood, I wandered tothe pool. I sat down on a bench in front of a prickly cactus andwished my outside shell also had its razor-sharp needles. I touchedthe amulet. It sat once again on my neck, an albatross weighing medown.

Vane sauntered over to me, but remained standing. “Stillmad?”

“I’m not mad,” I said shortly.He rocked back on his heels. “What did I do wrong?”The sun shone directly over us. I squinted to look at him.

“Why do you think you’ve done something wrong?”“You’re a girl.”As if that were enough of an explanation. I scowled.He shrugged. “It’s how you think. Are you hungry?”“No, I’m not hungry,” I snapped. Actually, I was a little. I’d

only picked at my breakfast this morning. But, no, how was Isupposed to tell him that I’d chosen… the amulet. Did it matter thatthe choice left my stomach churning with acid?

“Do you want to beat up some gargoyles? They’re easytargets.”

I glanced at Colin. His red hair sparkled in the sun. Wearingcasual trousers and a sweater, he spoke in low tones to severalother gargoyles. A girl gargoyle laughed at a comment he made. Iheard Colin call her McKenna. The gargoyles all wore such normalclothes and looked… well, normal.

“We’re all friends now,” I reminded him.“And you’re wondering how long these friends will be

friends?”I nodded.Vane’s lips twitched. “Don’t worry, DuLac, they won’t eat

you in your sleep. They may be beasts, but they’re not wild.”“Funny.” I rolled my eyes. “If they’re beasts, I may be one

also. I still don’t understand how I have gargoyle blood.” I’d onlylearned about my mixed blood a short while ago and no one hadmuch explanation for me. “Matt said gargoyles were born, notmade.”

“Someone in your ancestry was a gargoyle,” Vane said. “Butyou’re a regular. Don’t worry. Grey would know.”

Colin’s head snapped to Grey.“He heard us,” I hissed to Vane.“Gargoyles have excellent hearing.”“You knew?” I said, aghast.Colin watched Grey curiously. He left the other gargoyles

and approached us. “If you’re attempting to needle us, it won’twork. We’re under orders from Rourke.”

Vane glanced at Rourke. He slumped a bit in his seat. Hisface was lined with fatigue. “How long until the old man loses his

grip and you revert back to rabid dogs?”Colin scowled. His hands fisted at his sides.So much for not being needled. I stood. “Ignore, Vane,

please. He’s menstrual.”Vane put his arm around my shoulder and hauled me against

him. “Our sword-bearer, so adorable.”Colin crossed his arms over a muscled chest. He peered

down at Vane, whom he topped by several inches. “I had a reportthis morning that you almost killed a gargoyle in a club last night.”

“He’s not dead?” Vane gave a mock yawn. “Gargoyles. It’slike trying to rid oneself of a pestilence.”

Colin’s face mottled with red color. “Wizards. They act as ifthey’re so superior, but in truth, they’ll whore their magic to anyonewho pays.”

Since Colin was practically shouting now, I wasn’t surprisedwhen the other gargoyles started to move toward us. The wizardguardians, who’d been milling at the entrance in case we needed tobolt, straightened to attention.

“Colin,” Rourke said simply.The gargoyle forced his shoulders to ease. With a glare at

Vane, he turned on his heel.Matt marched up to us. He held up a hand to halt Colin. “We

need to leave right away. We need to get to the Akrotiri ruinsbefore dark.”

“You know how to open the snake?” Vane asked.Matt shook his head. “That’s why I need to look at the

ruins.” He turned to me. “Bring Excalibur.”Rourke said, “We’re lucky the ruins just reopened after

being closed for seven years following an earthquake. It completely

collapsed the roof.”“Earthquake.” I met Matt’s eyes. Understanding flashed

between us, the vision of the tsunami still thick in our minds. “Seemsto happen a lot.”

“Indeed.” Rourke stood up unsteadily behind us. “I’ll takethe car, but it will be faster if you go ahead with Colin on theATVs.”

Sylvia frowned, her gaze locked on Rourke. “I’ll go withyou.”

***ATVs were apparently a common mode of transportation

around the rocky terrain of the island. It took us about an hour toget situated on the hulking machines and down to the village ofAkrotiri. It took Vane and Grey about five minutes to becomeexperts on them, despite neither one having ridden one before. Tomy surprise, the machine seemed to purr for me fairly well. Matt,with his usual disgustingly capable way, mastered the ride as soonas he touched it. Blake and Gia sat on one together. Gia drove.Colin and another gargoyle led the way.

We passed a bustling tavern to turn off toward theexcavation site on the eastern shore. The sun had started to sink abit in the sky when we reached the ruins. It sparkled as it touchedthe roof, a hulking sheet of stainless steel plates supported bygalvanized pipes, which protected the buried city below.

“Ten meters of pumice fell on the city,” Colin told us as weparked next to other ATVs. We mixed in with the other tourists. Asign in the front spoke glowingly of the recently renovated roof.Colin presented passes to guards at the entrance and we hurriedinside.

Under the volcanic rock, archaeologists had found aperfectly preserved city, a snapshot in time. I took a breath. Itdidn’t taste right. It tasted of panic and horror.

Yellow artificial light bathed the eerie tomb. We pickedthrough the dusty ash and half-height crumbling walls into an areawhere the buildings, some two or three stories high, sat solidlyerect.

Matt led the way. I had no idea what light-bulb of an idea hehad us chasing down, and as usual, he wasn’t telling. Somehow Ifound myself between Vane and him. Both flanked me in fullbodyguard mode. It should have bothered me. I wasn’t frail.However, inside this forgotten city of buried despair and inevitabledeath, I was glad for their support.

“There were no bodies found.” Vane flipped through apamphlet next to me. “The historians think they might have fled thecity when the ash started and gone to a nearby shore to wait forboats.”

“Rourke says among the gargoyles, it’s rumored that many ofthem escaped to Aegae. It is possible. I believe the Minoans tradeda great deal with Triton’s people. It explains their great wealth ofknowledge.” He pointed inside one of the preserved buildings to arectangular slab with a hole. “It’s a bathroom. They had indoorplumbing.” Behind ropes to ward away tourists sat large potsbeneath windows of buildings, still completely intact. The narrowstreets of the small city barely contained the three of us.

Matt walked through the small town to a low buildingmarked “Xeste 3.” Vane found a description in the pamphlet. “Twostories high with fourteen rooms on each floor. Many frescos. Thereare ceremonial rooms at the back.”

“That’s where we’re going,” Matt said, pointing down. Helifted up a rope and went under the flimsy blockade to the ruin.

“What if someone comes?” Gia hissed at me.I glanced around. No tourists or guards seemed to be

around. Not that it mattered. Between wizards and gargoyles, nomuseum guard stood a chance. I shrugged and hiked down. Theentrance led to a dark passageway with cramped steps going up.To the right, I saw Matt continuing down the short passageway intothe rooms. He held a small fireball to light the way.

“Convenient working with wizards,” Colin commented. Hecame in immediately behind me, holding a flashlight.

I stepped into a long rectangular room with partitions in thedoorways that led to other rooms. Matt and Vane stood in thecenter of the room. Matt’s fireball rose in the air to illuminate thearea. Nothing but dirt and stone shone on the stripped walls.

“The frescos have all been shipped to the museums,” Colinsaid.

Vane took out his cellphone. “We don’t need them. I’vehacked into Princeton University’s computer system. They did 3-Dmodeling of the frescos.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.Vane gave me a crooked smile. “I have electronic eyes

everywhere.”Gads, I hoped not. Then, I remembered when Vane

showed some video footage of Matt and me on our first date and Iwondered if he really did. It was a scary thought.

“How are you getting any reception in here?” Grey asked ashe squeezed inside the room. The space was fairly big, but witheight people inside, it didn’t seem like it.

With a few clicks, Vane pulled up an image. He waved ahand in the air. “Likhati.”

A faint outline of the frescos appeared against the walls. Isquinted at the picture, unable to see the watercolor images in thelow light.

“Little help,” Vane said to Matt.Matt waved his hand. I gasped. In thick oil paint, colorful

frescos of aquamarine swallows dancing between red liliesappeared. Around them, a host of blue monkeys were in variousactivities. One strummed a harp, another played with a sword, andanother held the sword’s scabbard. With an eerie feeling offamiliarity, I touched the knife at my side. Matt had shrunkExcalibur before we left Athens.

Matt shook his head. “This isn’t it.”We went to the next room, past the partition. It was a dead-

end, but the room extended up into the first floor. Once Matt lit thearea, my eyes went immediately to a small flight of five steps that leddown to what amounted to a hole in the ground.

“The guide book called this the Lustral Basin.” Vane peereddown over the hole.

Frescoes lined the bottom of the walls as well as the top.There were many pictures of colorfully dressed women. Behind us,two shapely maidens wore elaborate jewelry.

Straight in front of us, though, stood the most interesting partof the fresco. On the bottom, three maidens were painted in variouspositions. The first maiden was mostly naked with a hand offeredout. The middle maiden was sitting on a knoll. In a sorrowful pose,she held her foot, which was bleeding. The last maiden’s head wasturned away, looking off into the distance.

“An initiation ritual on the north wall.” Vane read theinscription for the painting on his phone.

Matt pointed up to the top part of the wall. Next to a largewindow, a maiden sat on a stepped altar or throne. To her left wasa blue monkey and to the right, a griffin. The maiden held the griffinwith a rope while he tried to climb the throne. The monkey waspresenting the maiden with a bouquet of flowers.

“Look at her hair,” he directed.Long flowing locks on the maiden’s head supported a crown

of dots decorated by a looping band that ended in two spiraltongues. I followed the line of dots from the crown to the maiden’sshoulder. A snake slithered up her neck and moved horizontallythrough her hair, flicking out its forked tongue.

“Medusa?” Vane asked.Matt took out the bronze snake from an inner pocket of his

biker jacket.Vane pointed to the left wall. It had a picture of a man on the

bottom and some kind of plant above. He tapped on the touchscreen phone. “Wait. There’s more. This piece is spread out overseveral rooms. Let’s bring it together.”

He waved his hand. The picture changed. Spread out acrossthe bottom wall, four men, three naked youths, and one older fellowperformed some sort of ritual. The older man held what looked likea jug in his hands.

“Remind you of something?” Blake said from behind me.I nodded. On initiation to Avalon Prep, we’d drunk Lake

water. While I had kept my clothes on, what happened after thedrink had left me more naked than I’d ever been in my life.

“Lake water?” Vane asked, following our train of thought.

“But in the fresco, it’s red, not blue.”“But what does it tell us about opening the snake?” I asked.“Yes, what does it mean?” Rourke’s voice came from the

doorway. The cane dragged loudly against the stone floors. Sylviaand Deirdre ducked in after him. They looked around at thefrescoes with wide eyes.

“Impressive,” Rourke said.“More than impressive,” Matt said. “It’s the answer. Look at

the three maidens. They are leading you toward the east wall.”We all turned to the right. The fresco showed a pair of horns

from which red drops dripped down to an altar.“Blood,” Vane said.“We need a daughter of Apollo,” Matt said. He opened his

coat and pulled out a miniature bow. With one word, it grew until itbecame a regular sized bow. He floated it to me. I took it.Everyone in the room, apart from Matt and Vane, stared at me.

“She is a daughter of Apollo?” Sylvia said.“Full of surprises, aren’t you, lass?” Colin commented.He didn’t know the half of it. Somehow, my family line had

been blessed or cursed, depending on how you looked at it, byApollo. It was the reason Matt and I would never be together.Prolonged physical contact between us blocked his visions.

“Why a daughter of Apollo?” Rourke asked“I’ll explain in a bit.” Matt pointed me at the basin. “First, I

need you to go down.”“Why?” I eyed the creepy hole and its crumbling steps with

misgiving.“We also need light.” Matt continued, ignoring my question.

He commanded, “Gantavya,” and punched a fist at the ceiling. The

roof groaned above us. Steel poles that made up the aluminum-colored roof bent downwards to form a hole in a perfect circle. Therest of the recently renovated roof remained intact. Red rays of thefading sun streamed inside.

Colin muttered, “I hope you’re going to fix that.”My grip tightened on the bow I held. “I don’t even have an

arrow.”Matt laughed. It was the first time I’d heard the rich vibrant

tone in a long time. The last time I’d heard it was speeding along thewinding roads of Concord, riding on the back of his Ducati. For asecond, it lightened my mood… until he plunked Medusa’s snake inmy hand. “Here is your arrow.”

“Grey, I need you to stand here,” Matt directed Grey.I continued to stare at the cool metal snake in my hand. I put

it between the string and the bow and realized with a start he wasright. The hissing tongue of the metal snake had a groove at theedge that settled snugly on the string.

Matt took out what looked like a metal stick from hispocket.

“How many things do you have in there?” Gia asked.Matt shrugged. “It’s a simple displacement spell.”“Simple isn’t what I’d call it,” Blake murmured.“Aayat,” Matt commanded. With a faint whisper of blue

light, the stick lengthened into the trident. He held out the trident toGrey. “Send a blast exactly where the monkey’s hand meets themaiden’s on the painting. Hit exactly that spot or you’ll hit Ryanbelow.”

“What?” I squawked.Grey eyed the trident skeptically. “Why?”

Matt thrust out his hand. He shot a fireball at the wall.I gasped. “Matt, what are you doing? This is an ancient site!”But instead of it blasting a hole in the fragile wall, the fireball

bounced back to Matt. He caught it and it dissolved. “See, all is notas it seems. Look at the shape of this room. The walls are slightlyangled, not in absolute straight lines. And the picture of the goddesson the wall.”

He moved to hand Grey the trident. “When Grey hits thatspot on the fresco, the blast will bounce off the wall and buildenergy. Enough energy that when Ryan shoots the snake it will havethe power to open the snake.”

“That sounds convoluted,” Vane said.Matt waved at the chamber. “It’s a test. When Vane blasted

the snake with a fireball in the temple, I noticed that the metal feltoddly cold. I’ve never seen such a thing before, but I have readabout it. Triton’s people were said to have been gifted a metal thatno one else had. In all the history of the Minoan, they talk greatly oftheir metals—bronze. But what if it was something else? TheAkrotiri are the link between Medusa and Triton. This ritual roomwas built very carefully. We were looking for a key. This is it.”

Matt pointed to Vane’s phone. “Look it up. The picturespoint to the basin and, if you think about it, only the daughter ofApollo could make such a mark. Only she can open the head. TheGorgons, one of whom is Medusa, were the guardians of Apollo.Gorgon markings protect Apollo’s temple. A friend, however, maypossess the snake.” He looked at me. “That friend is you. Why elsewould the snake be an arrow?”

“Trust me,” he whispered in my head.Vane scowled as if he heard Matt. “It’s ridiculous.”

Matt’s brow arched. “Your projections must be absolutelyaccurate. The blast has to start off at the correct spot or the angleswon’t work out.”

“They’re accurate,” Vane gritted out. “It’s your conjecturethat’s suspect.”

Rourke glanced back and forth between the two brothers.“Are they always like this?”

“Pretty much,” Gia murmured from beside Blake.“Matt hasn’t been wrong so far,” I said to Vane. With slow

hesitant steps, I started toward the hole. At the bottom, surroundedby a cage of stone, I looked up. I saw nothing but the red sun.

“Everyone step out of the room,” Matt said.Feet rustled across the stone floor above.Above me, I heard Sylvia ask Matt, “Are you absolutely sure

about this? What if Grey is just a bit off?”“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom,” Grey replied

dryly.“He’s a trained Candidate. He’ll be fine.” Matt peered over

the hole, down at me. “Face the altar with the horns. The east wall.”“Alright, bossy,” I thought back.Matt smiled sheepishly. “Alright—”I was still turning when a trigger-happy Grey blasted the

trident. I cried, “I haven’t strung the arrow!”“Crap,” Grey said from above.Matt dropped to the ground on his stomach. The shot barely

missed him. A whirling ball of yellow light whizzed by above me. Itboomeranged to another wall and then back down into the basin. Icried out when a green fireball scraped my shoulder and blastedinto the wall beside me. It started bouncing around like a crazy

superball. Suddenly, a blue and red shield surrounded me. Thefireball bombarded the shield with hits. It took minutes for thefireball to fizzle out. The blue and red shield faded

I ran up the stairs in time to see Vane yank the trident awayfrom Grey. He said furiously, “You could have killed her.”

“Did you see the shot?” Matt said. “It was yellow, then,green. It got brighter the longer it went. I was right.”

“I’m fine. Thanks for caring,” I said.Grey looked at me mournfully. “I thought Emrys told me to

go.”Matt blinked. “Maybe Vane should fire it.”“You know I can’t.” Vane stalked to Matt, his hands fisting.

“Is it true? Did you signal Ragnar to go early? Did you risk her totest me?”

Matt held his ground. “That might be something you woulddo.”

Vane gave him a long steady look, which Matt returned.Finally, he ground out, “Get it right this time, Ragnar, or I’ll skeweryou with that thing.”

Grey gave me a sheepish look.Vane pointed me back into the hole. “Let’s get this over

with, shall we?” His shoulder bumped Matt’s as he stalked out ofthe room.

I heard him murmur to Matt, “No more games.”I hurried back down the steps, and in one smooth move,

hooked the snake on the bowstring. Grey fired a blast from thetrident. It zinged above me. I waited. The fireball sailed over me inslow motion. Against the red sun, I saw the green fireball clearly. Ipulled my arm back and let the arrow fly.

The snake arrow nailed the green fireball. It spun in place.The red sun flared. The snake sparked for an infinitesimal momentin time and then plummeted down with extreme force. I threw myhands over my head. A web of blue magic, Matt’s magic, caughtthe snake before it put a hole in my head. The snake hung in the air.

I reached up and plucked it from the web. A crack ran downthe center of the hissing tongue. I pulled the tongue. It slid out likethe stopper to a bottle. The snake opened.

CHAPTER 11 – HOLDING ON

CHAPTER 11HOLDING ON

I ran up the steps of the creepy basin and held the snake out

to Matt. “It worked!”“What do we do with it now?” Vane said.Matt pointed to the fresco of the four men. “Drink it.”“Ugh,” Gia said. I agreed.The rest of the group wandered in from the doorway. A

bullet zinged through the air. It scraped my arm. I almost droppedthe snake.

“What the hell?” Vane said.Colin stood behind everyone else. He held a gun at the back

of Grey’s head. “Give me the snake, sword-bearer.”Blood dripped from my arm. I stemmed the wound with my

free hand. Vane took a step toward me.“Nobody moves,” Colin commanded as he tapped the gun

on Grey’s head. “A crude weapon, but one I could slip undetectedaround the wizards. You never thought to check for regularweapons. Now, get me the snake, sword-bearer, or we’ll see howmuch damage I can do to your brother’s head.”

Vane raised a brow. “What makes you think I care?”“You may not, but the sword-bearer does and that’s

enough,” Colin said calmly.Matt crossed his arms. “Think about this, Colin. We’ll never

let you out of here.”“Don’t worry about me, Master Merlin,” Colin said. “Now,

walk toward me, sword-bearer. Give me the snake and I give youyour brother.”

Rourke leaned on his cane. “Colin, I command you—”“Save your breath, Sire,” Colin interrupted.

“How dare you!” Deirdre snarled.“I am sorry I have to go against the family. I have served

faithfully since I was a lad, but you are weak and you’re losing yourgrip over us. Those of us who are stronger broke free first. Oliverwill be the new king. My fealty must go to him.”

“I knew that dog was behind this,” Vane muttered. “Where ishe?”

“On his way,” Colin knocked the barrel of the gun on Grey’shead. “Now, the snake. Please, hand it over.”

“Oliver will not be the new king,” Deirdre burst out.“What are you doing, Deirdre?” Sylvia said.“Colin,” Rourke said. “Do you want Oliver as king?”Colin frowned. “I do not. But I feel his presence pressing

down on me.”“Push it back,” Rourke said. “Since he turned against us, we

have known he would not be a fit king. There is another.”Colin looked at me. “You mean her. I smelled it in her blood.

Your family line, but she is still a regular.”My eyes widened. My heart raced so fast I thought it would

fly out of my chest. My mother, my real mother, had never talkedabout my father. I never knew him. “You’re… you’re…”

“No, my dear,” Rourke said. “Oliver thinks you are his sisterbecause his mother did. And I allowed him to believe it because Ineeded to protect another.” He looked at Grey.

“You are not my father,” Grey snarled.“He is not,” Sylvia said. “But you are next in line. Your father

was his half-brother.”Rourke said, “My half-brother had a wizard father, but he

was older. By all rights, the throne should have gone to him.

However, he never accepted his gargoyle nature and the role fell tome.”

“I am not a gargoyle!” Grey shouted.Vane said, “You will become one. You have the gargoyle in

you. You are not full-blooded, so it took an extraordinary event toturn you. Since we brought you back, things have been different.The signs were there. Aggression.” He glanced at Gia. “Low sexdrive, acute sense of smell, ability to sense the beast even when it’smasked. You’re transitioning.”

“Once he transitions, he will ascend to the throne upon mydeath.” Rourke clutched his cane tightly. “Hopefully, not for severalyears yet.”

“No!” Grey denied.My heart twisted for him. After Alexa… after what the

gargoyles had done to her… after what they’d done to my mother.Blood stained their hands. When I’d found out I had gargoyle bloodin me, I’d wanted to throw up. Yet, I’d killed too. I’d usedExcalibur to take life. Blood stained my hands too and no matterhow much it sickened me—I knew if I had to—I would do it again.

The barrel of Colin’s gun eased just a fraction. Blue and redmagic blasted him at the same time as Matt and Vane both fired atonce. Colin crumpled facedown onto the ground.

Vane walked over to him and turned him over with his foot.“Out cold.”

Grey picked up the gun and pointed it at Rourke. “Tell meyou were just making that up.”

Sylvia stepped in front of Rourke. “I am sorry, Grey. It is notthe future you’ve always envisioned, but you are still a Ragnar. Noone can take that away from you. You were destined to be more

than just the head of a bank.”Deirdre moved to stand beside Sylvia. “Your father was my

son. It almost broke me to give him up to his father, but I knew hewouldn’t have survived in our world. I would like nothing more thana chance to welcome my grandson back.”

“Giving up on me so easily, grandmother,” Oliver said fromthe doorway.

“Son,” Rourke said.“This just keeps getting better,” Vane muttered.Oliver’s eyes glittered. “What an interesting bit of family

history. My mother always assumed my father must have begotten abastard since she knew he’d always been in love with another. ThisI could not have imagined.” His eyes turned to me. “Not that itmatters. Soon I shall have everything I deserve. I have this placesurrounded. Give me the snake.”

“I don’t think so.” Vane moved quicker than I could see. Heshot a fireball at the doorway. The building shook. The thousand-year-old walls shuddered as they might have on the day the greatvolcano erupted. The doorway crumpled. Vane looked up andmuttered a magic word. A breeze spun around him and grew until itbecame a tornado. Vane flexed his hand and the tornado explodedinto a wave. Every single pipe that held up the steel roof began tocollapse. Shouts came from the other side.

“Everyone! Gather in the middle,” Matt ordered.“We have to take Colin. The other gargoyles hold him in high

respect. He is the key. If he follows you, the rest will submit,”Deirdre said. She looked at Grey. “Please, grandson.”

Making a face, Grey picked up the unconscious gargoyle.Blake and Gia ran up. Sylvia helped Rourke cross the room.

“Hold on to each other,” Matt said and grabbed my arm. Heheld his other hand out to Blake. The others followed suit. Wegathered in a tight circle. Vane grabbed me around the waist.

He looked at Matt. They said together, “Upari.”We floated up in the air and out of the hole. Beneath us, the

roof much like crumpled aluminum sank on top of the city.“Buried once more,” Rourke murmured.“I don’t think anyone will notice the hole now,” Blake added.Matt and Vane carried us to the first available spot on the

ground. With a sigh of relief, Matt let go of my arm. Vane sat on theground, breathing hard.

Rourke gazed over the crushed mess. Deirdre put her handon his shoulder.

“I doubt they’re dead,” Matt said. “There are too manybuildings to provide them cover.”

Vane flexed his hand. “I can take care of that.”“No,” Rourke said. “I cannot kill my son.”“I don’t care,” Vane snapped.Matt put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “They’re

trapped. That’s enough.”“What do we do now?” I asked.“Let’s see if this has been worth it.” Matt held out his hand.I held onto the snake. “You can’t drink this. You have no

idea what it will do.”“I’m the only one who has visions. You know I’m the only

one who can do this.” Matt slipped the snake out of my hand. Hecupped one hand and poured out a few drops. Congealed,brownish-red goo came out. Matt put his palm to his mouth. For amoment, nothing happened. Then, he rocked back on his heels and

his whole body trembled.The snake fell from his hands. Vane caught it before it could

hit the ground.Matt threw his hands to the sides of his head. He fell to his

knees. Inside my head, he screamed.I gasped at the sound. Unrelenting, it went on. I would have

fallen too, but Vane grabbed me. I turned my face into his chest.My eyes squeezed shut and I screamed silently because the soundwas too big for my vocal chords. Images flashed inside my head.Not soft, pretty images, but hard, jagged ones, each one piercingthrough the delicate folds of my brain. Through murky water, I sawmountains and valleys made of rock and a rainbow of different fishand sea creatures. The flap of a winged seahorse flew over anunderwater island. Two pillars. The island floating atop it. Acrimson gate marked with gold carvings. A blue monkey thatlaughed and laughed and laughed.

A monster with glowing eyes and the face of a bull smiledwith yellow teeth. He licked his lips as if he could see me. Salivadripped from his mouth. “I wait for you,” he whispered.

I froze in place.“Blood! It’s coming out of their ears!” I heard Gia yell from

far away.In the dark of my brain, I ran from the monster. I ran and ran

out of a tunnel until I found myself on a white beach.Matt stared out at a naked woman singing and frolicking in

the water. He took a few steps toward her. The Siren smiled,showing off razor-sharp fangs. I tackled Matt in the water before hecould reach her. The Siren shrieked in anger. We fell backwards onthe beach. Water lapped my thighs as I straddled him. His eyes

were closed.“Wake up, Matt,” I shouted at him. “Get us out of here.”His eyes opened and I gasped. His eyes were completely

gray. No pupil, no cornea, no iris, just gray. Behind us, the Sirenlaughed. I looked up. The edges of the sky turned dark and theworld started to shrink.

We were running out of time.“Snap out of it, Matt.” I clutched his shirt and shook him.

Nothing happened. I hit him as hard as I could across the face.Nothing happened.

The sky shrank more and more. It weighed down. I glancedbehind me. The Siren had disappeared. Everything disappeared butthe beach. Only an inky blackness filled the space and it closed inon us with an overbearing malice. I knew, without a doubt, it meantto suffocate us and I had no idea how to stop it.

“Matt, come on!” I shook him with desperation. He layunmoving, his head halfway into the water, his skin blue with cold,his eyes lost to life. I put my hands on the side of his face.

Around us, the black seeped closer. The aperture shut.Matt! My soft plea was the last ember in a dying fire.

Leaning down, I brushed my lips against his cold ones. Sudden heatburned my neck. The amulet sparked to life. I moved to sit up, buta hand tangled in my hair and pulled me back down.

“Matt,” I said happily.He smashed my lips against his. His tongue dove into my

mouth, exploring it, licking it, devouring the life from every molecule.My fingers wound in his hair. I held on, allowing him to take whathe needed until nothing inside me remained. I slumped on top of himand tried not to pass out. Matt sat up, his arm going around my

shoulder to hold me to his chest. Little more than a ragdoll, my facefell against the crook of his neck. He raised his other hand and abrilliant, blue light flew out of it.

Through blurry eyes, I saw the blue light force back thedarkness. It grew brighter and brighter until it surrounded us. Sobright, I couldn’t see anymore.

In a blink, we were back on the grounds by the ruin.Except I wasn’t in Vane’s arms, I was in Matt’s. We sat on

the ground in the same position as we’d been on the beach. Mattheld me in his lap and I couldn’t move. Every bone and muscle inmy body ached.

With effort, I compelled my eyes to focus. I looked aroundme. Deirdre. Rourke. Sylvia. Grey. Blake. Gia. They all lookedshocked and alternately, uncomfortable. They’d seen it all. They’dseen me… and Matt. Last of all, I met Vane’s eyes and my heartbroke a little.

Vane didn’t say anything. Just walked off.***

Gia broke the silence first. “That was seriously hot.”I put a pillow over my face and groaned. “I hate myself.”“Don’t stop drinking.” Gia handed me a glass filled with

some kind of green vitamin drink.I eyed the glass. Matt had forced the concoction on me. It

tasted like seaweed, but with every sip I took, strength returned tome. I’d drunk four so far, plus eaten dinner. We’d come back tothe house in Fira. Although I could barely stand, I took a really longshower. No more baths for me.

Vane had not ridden back with us. I’d seen the tracks of anATV driving off toward the coast. I’d wanted to follow him, but

Grey had stopped me.“Give the bro some time,” were his exact words.Even if I’d insisted, I couldn’t have followed him. My body

felt leeched of all energy.That was two hours ago, and I had yet to hear the growl of

another ATV returning to the house. I stared out at the emergingnight sky, a heavy shade of dark blue, hardening quickly into inkyblack.

I couldn’t even look at Matt. I didn’t want to see whatemotions lay in his eyes. I couldn’t allow myself to get sucked backin. It had been too painful letting him go in the first place. I’d built awall around those feelings, making them impossible to breach, or soI’d thought.

The one silver lining in all this was Colin. To Grey’sconsternation, the big gargoyle had taken to following him aroundlike a puppy that had misbehaved and wouldn’t stop until he got apat of forgiveness.

“I thought I would die when you straddled him. And thatkiss…” Gia plopped down next to me with a sigh. “I thought hewas going to eat you up.”

“That’s disgusting,” I said. Except I think he might have.There was a perfunctory knock sounded at the door before it

burst open. Blake poked his head inside. “He’s figured it out.”Gia and I jumped up from the bed. We ran after Blake down

a narrow stairway and into one of the four living rooms in the house.We went in one with wall-to-wall books. Matt and Rourke pouredover marine navigation charts of the surrounding sea on a longwooden desk. Matt was standing and leaned over the table, whileRourke sat opposite him in front of several LCD screens.

“You found it?” I said, coming to a breathy stop in front ofMatt. Gia slipped on the stone floor and bumped into me frombehind, then right into Matt.

“Sorry,” Gia cried.Matt caught my elbows. Our eyes met for a brief second. His

appeared deep and dark, laced with longing.Rourke cleared his throat.I forced myself to straighten and took a step away. I studied

the lines marked by highlighters on the charts. “This is what we sawin the vision?”

There was a pause before Matt answered, “I drew out all theimages and Blake scanned them into the computer.”

“I told him to use the iPad,” Blake muttered behind me. “Ihad the perfect app.”

“I can magic paper,” Matt said in exasperation. “I can’tmagic that… machine.”

Gia and I looked at each other. Gia rolled her eyes. Matt hadadapted so well to life in our time that it was a bit adorable when hismedieval upbringing slipped through. He hated using tech, onlyreluctantly carrying a cellphone. The exception was his bike—heworshiped the Ducati.

“I had to guess at few of the formations, but we do have alocation,” Rourke said.

Matt stared at the sea charts. “I want Ryan to review them.She saw them too.”

Rourke pushed a button and underwater images played insequence on the giant screen TV. I murmured along with the shiftingimages of rock formations. “Past the caldera. A pointed mountainwith a face. A valley with a doughnut rock outcropping and

rainbow-colored fish. Another mountain with flatter rocks anddeeper in the water. Wait—”

I looked at Matt. “Are you sure this is the right one? Ithought the rocks were even flatter.”

Rourke shrugged. “This one best matches the description andit’s just past the location from the last sequence.”

It went for another five sequences until the clip stilled. Therewas one other questionable match I pointed out. Finally, the videopaused on a blank area of water.

“In the Calypso Deep,” Rourke said. “Just on the other sideof Greece in the Ionian Sea.”

“And that’s it? Gia said.“Marked by two pillars, a gateway to the island,” Matt said.“What about the monster?” I asked.Blake frowned at me. “What monster?”An image of calm waters showed on the screen, but

somewhere in the deep dark, I’d seen the glowing eyes of abloodthirsty monster. “I think it was a Minotaur. I can’t be sure.”

“It makes sense,” Rourke said. “The Minotaur dates back tothe same time as Thera. It is Minoan, but the stories say it roamed alabyrinth under Crete, not Thera.”

Blake made a face. “Didn’t the Minotaur eat people?”“I didn’t see a Minotaur. I did see a naked Siren,” Matt said.“Funny, I see one right here,” a slightly slurred voice came

from the opened glass doors that led out to the pool. Vane slowlywalked inside. His eyes locked on me. They narrowed when hesaw Matt and me standing together. “Sure, you can be so close tohim without throwing your clothes off?”

“Are you drunk?” I said.

“Do you have the snake?” Matt asked.“Of course I do.” Vane reached inside his pocket and

brought it out. He brandished it unsteadily in the air.Matt waved his hand and the snake flew from Vane to him.

“I think it’s best I keep it.”“You always know what’s best.” Vane sauntered over to

Rourke’s desk and sat on its edge. He picked up an iPad andflipped through Matt’s scanned images. He turned on the monitorby Rourke and started tapping away on its touchscreen.

“What are you doing?” Rourke said. “We’ve spent hourscollating these.”

“I’m seeing if you’ve done it right,” Vane said.Rourke opened his mouth in protest.I held up my hand. “Let Vane check. He’s the best at this.”“I’m touched to have such a supportive girlfriend,” Vane said

dryly.I gritted my teeth.Matt scowled. “That’s enough—”I stepped on his foot to cut him off. I shook my head. We

watched in silence as Vane went through the footage. I don’t knowhow much alcohol he had in him, but he dissected every detail of thesequences Matt and Rourke had put together.

Rourke and Matt watched him avidly. I got bored after fiveminutes. Grey came in later with Colin in tow. Gia, Blake, Grey andI started a game of poker. To my surprise, Colin sat at a grandpiano and started playing a hauntingly beautiful song.

After several losing hands, I found myself released from thegame, and although all I really wanted to do was sleep, I forcedmyself to stay. I sat down on a nearby sofa to listen to Colin play.

I don’t know how much later, I woke up with a start.Gia and Blake were gone. Colin lay asleep on an armchair.

Grey slept on the other side of the sofa from me. Vane, Matt, andRourke hadn’t moved from the desk.

I glanced at a clock near the TV. Two a.m. Ugh.I went to stand in a safe spot beside Rourke. Vane gave me

a look that screamed, “Coward.” I arched my brow and mouthed,“Bite me, ” to which he responded with a glower.

Vane turned the monitor to face Matt and me. “You saweight formations in total. But a few sequences don’t match within theacceptable deviance. I’ve put together a few more sets. I want youto take a look at the following images side-by-side and tell mewhich one is more correct.” He tapped the monitor. Two images,one marked A and the other marked B, sprang up.

“A,” Matt and I both said at once.Vane touched the screen. Two more images popped up, also

marked A and B respectively.“B,” I said.“A,” Matt said.Vane touched the screen again. We did about twelve. Then

Vane went back to playing with the computer. As soon as we weredone, Vane tapped a few keys and turned the monitor back toRourke. “Here… this is correct.”

Rourke played the new sequences on the wall TV. I watchedthe whole thing and found the new sequences matched better. Ididn’t doubt any of them.

“He’s right,” Rourke said. “This is more accurate. I had usplotted at least twenty nautical miles off. We would have neverfound it.” He leaned heavily on his cane to get up. Seeing the strain

on his face, I moved to help him. “I’ll contact the boat captain rightaway.”

Vane stretched and yawned. “You’re welcome. Now if youwill excuse me—”

Rourke’s cane crashed to the ground and his body started tofollow. I tried to catch him, but couldn’t hold his weight. Mattmoved quickly to help me. We managed to put him back in thechair.

Rourke’s face was pale and in pain as he said, “I can’t feelmy legs.” He clutched his arm and started to jerk in the chair.

I looked at Matt. “He’s having a seizure.”Matt leaned down and put a hand to Rourke’s chest. A blue

sheen of light flowed from Matt to Rourke and Rourke stoppedshaking. The gargoyle king slumped in the chair with his eyesclosed.

Matt slumped heavily against the edge of the desk. “I’vehealed him for the moment, but he’s getting worse.”

“Colin!” I shouted to the sleeping gargoyle.He awoke and got up in one movement as he spotted

Rourke slumped in the chair. “Sire!”Grey woke with a start. “What?”“Get Deirdre,” I told him. “He’s had some kind of stroke.”Colin ran out of the room. In a little more than a minute, he,

Deirdre, and Sylvia were in the living room. Sylvia and Deirdrecrossed the room to inspect Rourke.

“What happened?” Deirdre demanded.Matt told her, finishing with, “He needs bed rest.”Deirdre turned from Matt to me. “You’ve figured out where

to go?”

I nodded.“Rourke can’t go,” Vane said. “He won’t survive the strain.”“You will take Grey with you.” Deirdre turned to him. “If

your uncle passes, rule falls to you.”Grey stood up from the sofa. “I don’t want it.”“I know,” Deirdre said. “That’s why I know you will do

everything you can to get the cup back to your uncle. Colin will gotoo, in Rourke’s stead.”

Vane snorted. “We are not taking that traitor.”Colin blushed a deep red. “I regret my actions wholly. I have

always protected this family, and only acted as I did because Ithought it was in the best interest for all gargoyles. I bear no love forOliver.”

“Nice speech,” Vane said. “You are still not going.”Deirdre raised her chin. “If you want a boat tomorrow, you

will take him.”“No,” Colin said. “They are right to mistrust me.” He drew

out a knife from his side. It elongated into a sword.Vane put up a hand to blast a fireball at him.Colin turned the sword over, so the blade pointed at him,

and knelt before Grey. He offered the sword to Grey. “Run methrough if you cannot trust me. I offer myself to prove my fealty.”

Grey gave me a “Help-me” look. I crossed the room. I heldmy hand out for the sword. Grey gave it to me with a “What-are-you-doing?” look. I took the hilt. Like Excalibur, the heavy swordwas evenly balanced. In a move Vane had insisted I perfect, Iarched it in the air and drove it with force at Colin’s neck.

“Ryan!” Matt said.The sword sliced through a single blade of hair. His pupils

dilated, but Colin didn’t move. I stopped the blade just as ittouched skin. Colin’s expression remained resigned. I drew thesword back. The blade had broken through soft tissue and upon myremoving it, a thin red line of blood formed at the base of Colin’sneck.

“What was that?” Grey exclaimed.“He wasn’t lying. He was ready to die.” I held the sword out

to Grey. “Now you know.”Grey took it with an angry jerk. “You’ve been hanging

around Vane too long.”I felt Vane’s eyes on me, but I refused to look at him.Grey glanced at Colin, who was still kneeling on the floor,

and said with exasperation, “You can get up.”“I may go?” Colin asked, without moving.Grey looked at Matt. “Emrys?”Matt gave a slight nod.“I will not betray your trust a second time,” Colin pledged.“And I am satisfied,” Deirdre said. “Colin, please carry

Rourke upstairs.”Colin and Deirdre took Rourke upstairs.“I will stay with him as well,” Sylvia said.Grey gave her a worried look. “Mom, are you sure? You

could go to a hotel—”“We’re family. This is where I should be,” she replied. With

a worried glance upstairs, she crossed to Grey and took his hand.“I have not told you, but Rourke helped us a great deal when yourfather passed away. Do what you can for him.” She gave his hand afinal squeeze and left.

“When do we leave?” Grey asked.

“First light,” Matt answered. “Rourke arranged the boat forsix.”

“Then, I’ll catch a few hours of sleep.” He looked at me.“Ryan? Coming up?”

I shook my head. “I’ll be there in a few.”Grey gave a short nod and walked out.And that left Matt, Vane, and me. I stood across the room

from the two brothers. Combatants lost in a timeless struggle, theystood on opposite sides of the desk.

Vane had been watching me closely, but when I looked athim, his expression blanked.

“Do you want me to stay?” Matt asked.

CHAPTER 12 – THE PILLARS OF HERCULES

CHAPTER 12THE PILLARS OF HERCULES

Vane straightened away from the edge of the desk and began

walking out.“Vane,” I said.Vane whirled around, hands fisted at his sides. “Do you two

really think I can’t tell when you’re talking to each other? I startedpaying attention after the club. Every time you whisper to eachother, the amulet flares with a blue tinge. I doubt anyone else cansee it, but I know you too well, brother.”

Matt crossed his arms. “About this afternoon. The snake—”Vane snorted. “It wasn’t the snake that made you practically

devour her.”I took a step toward Vane, but I stopped at the sight of cold

anger in his eyes.He said, “I thought you picked me, but you didn’t. You can’t

have him, so I’m the default—”“That’s not true.” I said.Vane ignored me. “I knew it too. I thought it would be

enough. It’s not. It will never be enough. Can’t you see what he’sdoing to you? Every time you get closer to me, he pulls you back.”He crossed the room and came up to me. “This is real. Touch.Feel. I am real.” Vane grabbed the amulet. “This is not real. Howlong will you pine after a phantom?”

I took a breath, hesitating.Vane’s expression hardened. “He made his choice. He

picked the visions. Over you. Talk to me when you make yourchoice.” He dropped my hand and stalked off.

I didn’t try to stop him. I stood rooted to the spot, awash ina swamp of guilt. I bit my lip so hard, it bled.

“Ryan?”“Don’t, Matt.” I put my hands to my head. “He’s right. We

have to stop this. I should take off the amulet.”Matt walked to me. “He’s not right.”I put my hands on his chest to hold him at bay.His dark gaze held mine steadily. “I’ve told you how I feel.”“Not out loud.”“Then I’ll say it out loud. I lo—”“Don’t.” I put a hand on his mouth to stop the whisper of

words that couldn’t be taken back, whispers sealed behind anairtight door. “It doesn’t change anything. Daughter of Apollo,remember? We need your visions.”

He laughed. “Considering our recent… closeness. I mayhave lost them already.”

I frowned.Matt caught a strand of my hair and wound it around his

finger in a soft loop. He grabbed the undersides of my arms andtugged me a little closer. “The problem is I’m finding that I’mbeginning to care less and less. I’ve lived with visions my entire life.They’ve always kept me apart. Alone. I didn’t know how alone Iwas until I met you.”

Dark eyes drew me in, beckoning me closer, and promisingme everything. My amulet flared brightly. Matt clutched his head.

I saw the trident. It glowed inside a dark tunnel. On theceiling, long stalagmites pointed down like menacing teeth above myhead. I’d been in this tunnel before, I realized. The monster flashedin the dark. It was feeding on something. Its teeth scraped off meatfrom the shank of some animal. It looked up. Its eyes locked onme. Hunger glowed deep in its eyes. Blood-covered lips twisted

into a ravenous smile.The image shifted. Explosions of fire and lava as the

underwater volcanoes blew now bombarded my mind. A greattsunami rose high in the water and thundered hungrily toward land.My heart raced with painful force by the time the vision ended.

I said, “It’s the same vision.”“But stronger. As if it’s getting closer, or the probability of it

happening has become greater.”My eyes fell on Colin’s sword. Grey had left it beside the

sofa. It reminded me of Excalibur. It reminded me of the crowd ofpeople all over the world, wondering and worried about what wasto come. It reminded me how much was at stake.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Matt had gotten a vision as hestood on the razor’s edge of throwing them away. It was a warning.It was telling me to ignore the longing I saw in his face. I pulledaway from him.

Matt’s fingers dug into my arms, keeping me where I was.“Did you see the monster?” I said.His eyes flickered. “And the trident. It’s all tied together

somehow.”I swallowed. I could taste the monster’s hunger in my mouth.

It didn’t taste bad. It tasted tempting. The thought disturbed me. “Ihave a bad feeling about this.”

“We don’t have a choice. This is the only path we have opento us.”

“I know.” I thought to him and took a step back. “We needthe visions.”

Matt didn’t say anything.I said again, “You need to let me go.”

“I know,” he echoed.I took another step back, easing away, bit-by-bit. My hair

caught in his fingers. A slight tug and they would slip through.“I’ll let you go. For now.” Matt’s eyes locked on me with

solemn promise. “But soon, you will have to make a choice andI won’t make it easy.”

***Two forty-four a.m. An excruciating minute past two forty-

three a.m. I stared at the clock. I couldn’t sleep. The snake, thekiss, had released a Pandora’s box of emotions that now swirledinside me. Yet, something else nagged at me. Beside me, Gia tookin deep breaths. Her countenance in sleep was easy and withoutworry.

With a jerk, I got up. Excalibur lay on a chair beside the bed.I picked it up. My hand wrapped around the hilt.

I shut my eyes.My mind slowly replayed the images of the latest vision. I

wandered down the tunnel again. I looked up at the longstalagmites, dripping with bits of water. I walked further and furtherinto the dark. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the monster’sshadow. I froze. Fear clawed my throat. In a flash, he stood in frontof me. His teeth opened, wide and menacing. His eyes glowed withhunger. His nostrils flared like a bull’s. On his bared chest, a bronzepiercing mutilated a flat male nipple.

I don’t know what made me do it. I reached out and laid mypalm on the monster’s heart. A red wound glowed just above myhand, a familiar spot on his chest, and a realization hit me.

I opened my eyes. I dropped Excalibur.Vane.

***The morning came without mercy. I barely slept. A group of

fifteen left the house early. Colin took us to the top of the cable carthat carried us down the cliff to the port. When we got there, wefound it broken. Plan B was donkeys. The hairy, not to mentionsmelly, creatures carried us down the steep steps of the cliff withmore or less good behavior. I did feel sympathy for a handful ofpeople who were walking down the six hundred or so steps. Whileit may have been more picturesque, I wouldn’t have wanted to doit, especially after I saw one tourist slip and slide into donkey doo. Icould have sworn my donkey did his best to knock over as manypeople on the steps as possible in an effort to win some kind ofdonkey bowling trophy.

Ahead of me, Gia and Blake rode closely together. Gia’ssharp features softened every time she glanced at Blake. Theylaughed at some joke I couldn’t hear and when she wasn’t looking,I saw Blake watching her.

My eyes riveted on them, I almost fell when my donkeyswerved in an attempt to clip another tourist. Vane caught my armand hauled me back up. Then, without a word to me, urged hisdonkey ahead.

I stared after him. Half of me hoped whatever Excalibur hadhelped me unravel the previous night had been a middle-of-the-nighthallucination, but I knew I wasn’t that lucky. I thought about sayingsomething to Matt, but couldn’t make myself do it. He alreadydistrusted Vane so much. I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t freak out.

No. I had to figure this out by myself. In the pit of mystomach, I knew time was not on my side.

The views of the red and green caldera stretched out before

us. A morning mist crept up from the crystal waters of the Aegeanthrough the winding streets of the white city. I tasted the fresh air onthe sensitive bits of my tongue and took in a cleansing breath ofsharp sea air, choosing to ignore the underlying stench of dung.

Once we reached the bottom, Colin led us to the boat onfoot. The boat wasn’t a boat. It was a ninety-foot yacht, thatlooked big enough to hold fifty, not just the fifteen of us. Colinexplained it actually handled only twelve people. I guess that meantI was sharing a bunk, not that I knew anyone who wanted to sharewith me at this point. I climbed up steps to the top of the boat,which was large, with an open canopy. Brown plastic planks madeup the deck and led to a long, rectangular built-in seating area. Asquare table with heavy painted bolts stood in the middle

“Nice,” Gia said. Just beyond the seating area, a crystal bluepool invited us to shed our clothes.

Grey, Gia, and Blake plunked themselves down on the softcushions without prompting. Colin, Matt and Vane ducked belowdeck to meet with the captain. Colin ordered the other gargoyles tostay with Grey on the upper deck.

“Your personal army, Your Highness,” Blake commented tohim.

Grey’s face turned red. “Watch it, Emerson, or I’ll have youeviscerated.”

“As if you even know what it means,” Blake said.Grey tried to punch him and almost fell when the boat started

to pull out of the harbor. I watched as we taxied out to sea for a bit.The boat showed us incredible vistas of the cliffs of the caldera.Yet, it couldn’t hold my attention for long.

I went down to the second level. A luxurious living room with

a cream leather sofa and a bar occupied most of the space.Clarence and the other wizards sat at a formal dining table tuckedinto one corner. I nodded to them and crossed to a small, opendeck at the back of the boat.

I paused midway on the deck. Seated in another smallversion of the built-in seating area upstairs was Vane. His feet onthe table, he leaned back on the cushions and watched the water.He had an open liquor bottle in his hand.

He smirked. “Dorothy. Can’t get enough of me?”The glitter in his eyes told me to run. I decided to do the

opposite. I waved at the water. “You’re drinking when we’re goingto who-knows-what?”

One shoulder lifted and fell in a half-hearted shrug. “Onespell and I’m sober… unfortunately.”

“How long will it take us to get there?”“Six hours, they tell me.”I walked to the railing and peered over. The boat moved

steadily in the water. As soon as we crossed one of the smaller sideislands from Santorini, the boat turned southwest. Open seastretched out before us, inviting us to come deeper, faster.

I sighed. “Can’t this boat speed up?”Behind me, I heard Vane’s boots hit the deck and I tensed.

The hair at the back of my neck rose as he came up behind me. Thedeck had to be twenty feet long, but he chose my spot. His armswent around either side of me. His fingers curled around the railing,almost, but not quite touching mine. His body crowded mine,hulking behind me. Almost, but not quite touching.

“Eager, aren’t you?” His lips grazed the back of my ear. Afinger traced the length of my spine from its base to my neck. “Does

it call you?”“No,” I said, more to him than to the question.The finger paused at the base of my neck. “Do you know

how easy it would be to toss you overboard? To give you to thesea? A creature such as you would be a bountiful sacrifice.”

His voice washed over me, heated with a threat and a caress.I shivered and it wasn’t from the cold. I twisted around to face him.“What are you doing, Vane? I thought you were done being in themiddle.”

“I am done. I’m done waiting. I’m done being—”“Easy?” I said dryly.“Patient.” His lips curved up, but it was a cold smile. “It’s

time to take.”An odd glitter colored his eyes. The tiger was back and it

wanted to play with me. I put my palm on his chest, right at the scarthat hid under the folds of his thick shirt. I wanted to see the scar,but I definitely didn’t want to provoke him any further. Vane caughtmy wrist. He held it so tightly I thought the bone might fracture.

“No touching unless you’re offering a lot more,” he said.“I’m not.” But I didn’t lower my hand.His eyes hooded. “I stopped in the club. I won’t next time. I

don’t care who might be watching. I won’t care if it displeasesyou.”

“You can’t displease me,” I said.His lips thinned. “Are you trying to be nice?”Before I could answer, he took a step forward and squeezed

me back against the railing. It dug into my back. His fingerswrapped around my throat.

Hard lips slanted over mine. The kiss took pleasure and

laced it with pain. I couldn’t have responded even if I wanted to.Vane didn’t give me the chance. Like a captured bird, he pinned mein place. When he finally lifted his head and released me, my lipsstung. Swollen. My throat felt abused. Assaulted.

He traced a finger along my throbbing neck. “Still feel nice?”“This isn’t y-you,” I croaked.There was no emotion in his eyes. “It is now.”Mine narrowed in response. “Fine.”I kneed him as hard as I could in the groin.He grunted in pain. I pushed him off me. He fell on his butt

and blinked up at me with a befuddled expression.My lips twisted in a small smile. “Now I am being nice.”

***My body still shook three hours later. I sat in my bikini on the

edge of a bed in one of the bedrooms on the bottom deck. Istruggled to tug on a slippery-as-an-eel wetsuit. You had tosqueeze into the thing through a cutout at the neck of the suit.

The door opened.Gia came inside. “Are you alright in here? You’ve been

putting on this wetsuit for an hour.”I bent my head. Hair curtained my face. No, I wasn’t okay.

I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.“I knew it. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.” Gia

walked closer and took the wetsuit from me. She knelt at my feetand commanded, “Legs.”

Legs. I took a breath and put my legs into the rubber.“Get up,” she said.Get up. I forced myself to stand.She pulled the wetsuit over my hips. “Arms.”

I complied. The final piece was to pull on the over-the-headpanel, pull the drawstring tight, and zip up a chest zipper tostreamline everything in place. I lifted my hair to expose my nape.

Gia stopped in the mid-zip. “What happened to your neck?”I glanced in the mirror on the wall above the head of the bed.

Ugly bruises covered the skin.“I’m fine.” I yanked the head panel over me and cinched up

the suit.“It was Vane, wasn’t it?” Gia said.The dam of ice holding me together broke. I turned around

and hugged her. I let out a noisy wail. “He hates me.”She let me cry it out. When I finally quieted, she handed me a

tissue. “I’m going to kill him.”“No,” I shook my head. I told her about what I’d seen in the

vision with Excalibur’s help. I ended by saying, “There’s somethinggoing on and I’m going to find out what.”

“Shouldn’t you tell Merlin?” Gia said.“No, Matt doesn’t see straight when it comes to Vane.

Anyway, he needs to concentrate on the trident.” I stood up. “I’mgoing to do this on my own.”

Gia looked at me. “No, you’re not. We’re Candidates. Westick together.”

I glanced at Excalibur. “We’re not Candidates anymore,Gia.”

“You’re wrong. We’ll always be Candidates as long as wehave cause.” She put a hand on the underside of my forearm in anact of solidarity. “We’re family.”

Warmth seeped into my skin. The suit took whatever bodyheat I had and fed it back to me. However, this warmth had nothing

to do with the suit. Family. I’d forgotten what an anchor it could be.My eyes stung once more. “Fine as long as you help me get out ofthe wetsuit.”

She frowned.I smiled. “I forgot to use the bathroom first.”She laughed. So did I. And for those few moments, we were

normal.***

A knock sounded at the door. Blake stepped inside.“Ladies, we’ll be there in half an hour. Were you planning on seeingthis fun adventure through or having a slumber party?”

Gia and I lay on the bed with our wetsuits half on.“Slumber party sounds like a better idea.” Gia stood up,

giving Blake a nice view of her barely-there bikini top. I suppresseda smile when Blake’s pupils dilated. Gia didn’t react, but I noticedshe took an extra long time pulling the neckpiece on and zipping up.She smoothed her hands over the wetsuit, which already clung toher curves like paint.

“I’ll be upstairs. Tell me if you change your mind about you-know-who. He would make a nice snack for the sharks.” Shemarched out of the room, brushing Blake lightly as she passed him.

Blake stared after her. “I hope she doesn’t mean me.”I rose up on my elbows. “She likes you.”Blake’s face turned beet red.I asked the next obvious question, “Do you like her?”His forehead wrinkled. “What about Grey?”I raised a brow. “I think he has other things on his mind.”“He’s my mate. I should ask him.”“You do that,” I said.

Blake turned to leave.“Just so you know, if you hurt her, I’ll Excalibur you.”Blake grimaced. “I believe you.”He left. I stared after them. They were my family. I couldn’t

risk them for Vane. I was coming to the slow realization I might bedoing just that by not telling Matt what Excalibur had shown me. Ipushed myself up on the bed and pulled the wetsuit up to put myarms through.

“Matt,” I called. “Where are you?”A few minutes later, Matt came in through the open door.“Need help?” he said.I reached back to pull over the neck flap. “No—”In a flash, he stood at the edge of the bed. He pushed aside

my hair and hissed at the sight of the bruises. “I’m going to skin himalive.”

I slapped his hand away. “You don’t have to. I handled it,Matt. I’m a big girl.”

“No, you’re not,” he retorted. “You’re seventeen. You’rebarely more than a baby.”

My eyes flashed. “As I recall, Professor, you’re eighteen.”“I’m from a different century. It doesn’t have the same

meaning.”I sighed. “Now that you’ve seen it, can you heal me?”“Is that why you called me? To clean up his mess?” Matt

said.The anger behind the statement shocked me. “You’re letting

him get to you.”With a scowl, Matt put a hand up to my neck. Blue light

flared from his fingertips. Then, it blinked out. He pulled his hand

back. “No.”“No?”“I want you to feel this for awhile. This is what he is, Ryan.

He destroys everything he touches.”I touched the bruises. They sat right along the amulet. The

tightness of the wetsuit pressed the amulet into my skin, aggravatingthem. “Come on, Matt. It hurts.”

He shook his head. “No.”“I don’t need to be taught a lesson, Matt. You’re not my

teacher anymore.”“Apparently, you still need one.”Did I have a sign over my head that read “Push me around. I

like it?” Frustrated, I flounced out of bed, stepping on Matt’s footas I did. To my satisfaction, he winced.

“I might not need a teacher, Matt,” I snapped. “If you’d beena good one.”

***Halfway up the stairs to the top deck, Colin stopped me

while I muttered about boys being jerks and beckoned me into thecovered lower deck. He and several other gargoyles, as well asClarence and the other guardian wizards picked through an array ofweapons that were laid out on a table, which, I was sure, was onlyused to seeing fine china.

Colin saw me eyeing the weapons. He gestured at them.“Any you would like?”

I held up Excalibur.“Ach, you do have the best one.” He continued, “Have you

seen Merlin? There’s a storm brewing in the east. The boat won’tbe able to wait for us after we go under. But we’ve figured out a

solution for them to tell us when they’re back—”“I figured out a solution.” Vane lounged on a white leather

sofa.“We brought the equipment,” Colin said.“You had no idea how to use it in a storm,” Vane remarked.“Use what in a storm?” Grey came up behind me.“A deep sea paging system,” Colin answered. “Vane’s

rigged the buoy it uses to remain operating during the storm. It willallow the boat to communicate with us. It’s only one-waythough…”

As Colin continued to explain the technicalities to Grey, Imoved further into the living room. I couldn’t be still. Too manyemotions had left me jittery. I stared out at the endless sea. Darkclouds hovered just beyond the horizon and I thought I saw a smallfunnel.

“Ready?” Vane asked.“Are you?” I turned to look at him. He sat up and stretched

his arms. His wetsuit clung to his chest, but the thick rubberobscured anything that may have been lying there. “Are you sober?”

“Unfortunately.” He rose. My eyes went to the spot betweenhis legs. His gaze followed mine. He raised a brow. “It’s a goodthing I can heal away any hurt.”

“Must be nice,” I muttered, unconsciously I touched myneck. The bruises, although hidden under the wetsuit, sat on my skinwith painful awareness.

Noticing my gesture, Vane’s eyes narrowed. He took a stepcloser, his step coiled and ready to spring. “Let me see.”

“You don’t need to.”The quiet words, a fine string, fell and splintered on the razor

sharp edge our relationship stood on. Vane halted. His fingerstightened until I saw his knuckles become white. He repeatedfiercely, “Let me see.”

“No.” Even without knowing what lay under my wetsuit heknew he’d hurt me. He would want to heal it. I knew it. He knew it.I couldn’t let him. Not yet. I sighed and moved a step away. “Ishould get some gear.”

“Gear?”I said slowly, “Diving gear because we’re going underwater.”Small harsh laughter burst from Vane.“What is so funny?”“Diving gear,” he said. “You do realize you’re traveling with

wizards? Besides, do you really think where we’re going any divingequipment will work?”

I put my hands on my hips. “How far down do you think thisis? There have been divers who have dived around a mile or more.The maximum depth of the Calypso Deep is somewhere aroundthree miles—”

“You are being naïve.”We weren’t talking just about diving. I ground out, “Why

don’t you explain it to me?”He looked at me. When he spoke, though, he went for the

safer answer. “In the whole Mediterranean, maximum depths havebeen measured here. It’s not a coincidence. Triton’s island has goneundetected because they know how to keep it hidden. I wouldwager they are more like five miles down.”

Five miles down in the cold dark. I stared out beyond theprotection of the glass doors onto the endless reach of the opensea. We had sailed from the Aegean and into the blue green waters

of the Ionian Sea. One name after another marked invisibleboundaries in the water, boundaries that meant nothing to anyone,but those of us on the surface. Inside the water, there would be nolines. Vane closed the distance between us. “You know I’m right.”

I took a step to move past him. “Fine. You’re right.”Vane grabbed my arm, his fingers an unapologetic manacle

on my arm. “Have I pushed you away then?”I stopped. “Did you mean to?”He whispered, “No.”The honest answer surprised me. I looked up to meet his

hazel eyes. In them, I saw the reflection of the sea. I was the surferstanding upon its waves. They could make me fly so high. Theywere thrilling, exhilarating, absolutely breathtaking. In them, I couldfind life. But it was easy to get caught in the barrel. Easy for thewaves to overwhelm, to crush. A force of nature, it could beentirely without mercy, without remorse. Well, my surfboard and Ihad been shredded. Did I dare meet another wave? I opened mymouth to reply. I didn’t get the chance.

In a flash of blue light, Vane went flying across the cabin. Hishead knocked against a small ledge behind the sofa with force. Athin line of red formed on his temple.

Matt stood at the door. His hand still outstretched, he said,“Stay away from her.”

I scowled at him. “I don’t need saving, Matt.”The boat stopped.Colin stood up. “Fascinating as it is, we’ll have to continue

this later. We’re here.”“I thought we had half an hour,” Matt said.“I guess not,” Colin replied.

It took half an hour to get ready for the dive. Eight wizardspaired up with seven gargoyles and one regular—me. I realized witha start I’d begun to think of Grey as a gargoyle. Clarence handed usrings, spelled with magic to allow us to breathe underwater. Istarted coughing as soon as Matt slipped the ring on my finger. I putmy hands to my neck as the bruises under my wetsuit burned deepinto the dermis of my skin blistering through the layers. I fell to myknees, choking.

“Ryan,” Matt pulled me back up. “Breathe deeply. You’llneed to get used to the gills.”

Gasping, I took off the neck flap of the wetsuit. It hadbecome a noose. And finally, my chest expanded after I was able totake in a breath. My neck still burned. I suspected whatever spellhe’d given me made the injuries on my neck worse. I couldn’t tellhim that though. His and Vane’s relationship was strained enough.Instead, I glared at him and said hoarsely, “You could have warnedme.”

He gave me a sheepish look. “I’ve never used a mermaidcharm before.”

“No kidding.” I wiggled my toes. My feet had grown toalmost twice their size and flared out just like fins. Around me, Greyand the gargoyles tore open their wetsuits and threw off theirneckpieces. Grey stood beside me. His skin had taken on a faintshade of blue. I saw three gills, deep slits, forming on one side of hisneck. I touched my skin. Just above the chain of the amulet satthree slits on one side and three on another.

I looked at Matt. “Your turn.”Matt slipped a ring on. He started choking as I’d done. The

other wizards followed one after the other. I watched Vane. He’d

already healed the gash on his forehead caused by Matt. He put thering on and it struck me that his transformation was the quickest.Gills formed and his feet flared out. He didn’t make a sound. Hisbody didn’t jolt under the strain as ours did; his reacted eerily, as ifit had been waiting for the change.

“What happened to your ears?” Grey said to me.“Huh?” Immediately my hand went up my lobes. They felt

normal until I reached the top. They pointed in a tip. “Argh.” Irushed to a nearby window and checked out my reflection. “I’m ablue Vulcan!”

Blake came over. “Isn’t that a green Romulan?”“Who cares?” I screeched, touching my pointy ears.Gia rushed over to me. She crowded next to me to look at

herself. “I have them too.”Blake stared at her. “That is so… brilliant.”Gia blushed. Her cheeks turned an odd purple, a mix of red

and blue.Blake’s ears were completely normal. I demanded, “Why

don’t you have it?”Matt walked up and I almost drooled. His skin had taken on

a slightly darker shade of blue. It perfectly complimented the auburnin his hair and deepened the color of his irises to seem almostpurple.

He said, “It must happen only to females.”“I don’t have it.” McKenna, the lone female gargoyle among

us, cleared her throat. Tall with cute, brown hair, I’d seen Greyeyeing her more than once.

“Because you’re a gargoyle?” Grey said.“Mayhap, Sire,” she said shyly and watched him with an

expression that bordered on worship. Grey’s chest and, no doubt,his ego puffed.

“Yes, that could be it,” Matt said quickly. “Let’s get in thewater.”

We all sheathed our knives. Matt shrunk Excalibur again andplaced it into a hidden pocket in the wetsuit. Vane held the trident.Matt had a backpack with the deep sea paging equipment and thesnake. We all had small pouches with some emergency provisions.

I crossed to the railing. “Where are we going?”“Straight down.” Vane came up beside me. Like his brother,

his skin had also turned a darker shade of blue than the rest of us. Itserved to only deepen the dangerous edge to his eyes. My fingersitched to stroke his changed skin to see if it felt any different. I bitmy tongue to keep from licking him.

As if he could sense the throb of want coursing through me,he deliberately leaned closer. His tongue flicked out and teased alobe. “Sweet, Dorothy.”

I jerked away from him.Matt appeared at my other side. “Get away from her, Vane.”“I don’t need protection, Matt,” I repeated. Although, by the

way my body reacted to Vane, maybe I did need a psychiatrist.“No pointed ears for you, Merlin?” Vane chuckled.I turned on Matt. “What aren’t you telling me?”Matt sighed. “He’s trying to goad you. Ignore him.”“What about when we meet the mermaids?” I said. “Are we

going to be able to understand them?”“Once I understand what they’re speaking, I’ll have to spell

your rings.” Vane’s eyes glittered with a reflection of the blue water.He arched a brow. “What’s the matter, DuLac, afraid to get in the

water?”The small waves of the water invited us in. I touched my new

gills. This was going to be fun.And it was. As soon as I hit the water, nothing else mattered.

I fluttered and floated around in the sea. Cool water cleansed awayany fearful thoughts and lingering worry. They all slid off myshoulders and away into the depths of the deep.

The freedom of weightlessness seemed to lighten everyone’smood. We swam deeper and deeper down, but it felt more likeplay than work. I’d been swimming before and never been able tosee anything, but the spell had put some kind of protection over myeyes and I could see everything.

Grey, Gia, Blake, and I played, doing flips in the water. Greyflicked bubbles at me. Matt had to reel us in several times when wetried to wander away to look at the rainbow-colored different seacreatures. The only other one who seemed to be enjoying it asmuch as we were was Vane. He pushed us further without takingany breaks. In the endless possibility the water presented, it waseasy to forget the tension between us.

Grey, Gia, Blake and I did several races, twisting and turningthrough the water. We were in the middle of a race when Vanegrabbed my hand. After a moment’s hesitation, I let him pull me to along rock formation, a mountain rising out from the sea floor. Weswam deeper, along its ridge. It seemed to go down forever.Masses of seaweed and other plant-life covered the hard shelf.

I don’t know what I was looking for, but I didn’t find it. Isaw nothing but black rock. Vane pointed me to a particular spot.Through a mesh of seaweed, he pointed to a barely discernablebreak in the stone. I peered around the curtain of seaweed. In a

valley, amid a mountain of rock, stood a pair of giant pillars.Gia, Blake, and Grey caught up to us first. Matt came up

behind them. I moved to allow them a closer look. The rest of thegroup stopped swimming also. Matt peered through the curtain.

“The pillars of Hercules,” he thought to me.Two long, seaweed-covered columns supported a hulking

expanse of rock that loomed above them.“But how can two pillars hold up an entire city? This

can’t be Aegae,” I told Matt.“Let’s find out.” Matt signaled us to go through the curtain.We went, one-by-one, through the fissure. Vane went first. I,

after him, then, Matt. As soon as I crossed to the other side, Istopped. The very substance of the water seemed to change. Fromits hiding place, Excalibur screamed in warning.

“Matt?” I cried. “Do you feel this?”The water became darker. Its slimly film covered my skin. A

sensation infiltrated my newly formed gills and seeped through withsomething more than merely menace.

The place reeked of evil.***

One-by-one, everyone came through the curtain. Thegargoyles, except for Grey, all changed as soon as they hit the darkwater. They all halted. Blake took Gia’s hand. The gargoyles closedaround Grey, forming a band of protection. The wizards did thesame around me. We all felt the danger.

Vane kept swimming. He turned and frowned when he sawus not moving. He gestured for us to advance, then returned toswimming toward the island. Everyone looked at Matt.

“I have to go. Too much depends on it,” Matt told me

grimly. “You should go back. Take the others.”He swam after Vane.I eyed the curtain. The urge to flee ran through me so

strongly, for a brief moment I almost obeyed. I touched Excaliburand I knew I couldn’t leave Vane and Matt. I gestured to Grey andColin to go back through the curtain. Grey gestured back “Andyou?”

I shook my head.He shook his.I looked at Blake and Gia next.Blake gestured, “We stick together.”With a nod, I started to swim after Matt and Vane. The

others followed right behind.It didn’t take long to reach the pillars. Up close, I saw they

were smooth and definitely not part of a natural rock formation. Theconstruction looked very similar to the pillars at the Parthenon,except that these pillars had been made for giants.

Vane swam up to the two pillars and went between them. Hesignaled for us to go up. We swam straight up to the rock the pillarssupported. At the top, we found a framed hexagonal opening. Anentrance.

He went through without hesitation. Matt went next. Ifollowed. The others came in behind me. It was a short swim beforewe surfaced. We emerged and found ourselves in a darkened cave.

“Look behind you,” Vane said.I turned. The cave had one opening—a set of crimson gates

with a gold carving of a bull.“This is what we saw,” Matt said.Vane swam up to the edge of the water and pulled himself

out.“Stay in the water,” Matt commanded and swam to the

ledge.I followed him without a second thought. A mass of jagged

rocks made up the ledge. I hissed when I slipped and hit my chin ona sharp point.

“Don’t you ever listen?” Matt said in exasperation. He leaneddown and helped me out.

Blake, Gia, Grey, and the others reached the ledge andstarted getting out. Ahead of us, Vane lit a fireball.

I put a hand to my mouth at what I saw. Nausea welled upinside my stomach. The bit of light, a lone spark in the abyss of thecave, exposed only horror. A mass of casually tossed human boneslittered the ground. Matt knelt on the floor and picked up a longfemur. Ridges and sharp scrapings marred the bone.

“These aren’t battle wounds,” he said.Vane knelt down and picked up another one. “These people

were eaten.”“Gross,” Gia muttered. She and the others remained by the

ledge. I wondered if they wanted to jump back in, like I did.I said, “The bones lead back to the door.”Matt walked to the door and touched its frame. “This stone

isn’t the same as the pillars. It’s different. But I feel as if I’ve seen itbefore.”

“It gets better.” Vane floated the fireball in the air. Deadcrying faces, skulls of the long departed, had been somehow gluedonto a triangular slab of stone that made up the top of thedoorframe.

“I’ve seen this,” Grey, Blake, and Gia said simultaneously,

before coming up beside me.“From limbo,” Grey said.“A trilithon,” Blake said. “Two stones on the sides and one

across the top.”“A trilithon doesn’t have a triangle on top,” Gia pointed out.

“Or skulls.”“Triton’s been modifying the original design.” Vane went to

stand in front of the door. He stared at the bull.“They are right,” Matt said as he walked into the shadows at

the side of the door and disappeared.“Matt!” I ran after him.“I’m fine,” Matt said. He lit another fireball. It illuminated the

space behind the door.There was nothing.Nothing stood behind the door. Matt walked around it and

came out from the other side. It was empty.“What?” Blake said.“Why is the door here if it doesn’t lead anywhere?” Grey

said.“Because we haven’t opened it yet,” Vane said. “I think this

bull may be a lock.”“The Minotaur also had a bull’s face,” I hissed at him.

“Didn’t the Minotaur eat people?”“You are a tasty morsel,” Vane said.“Helpful, Vivane,” I retorted.“He is right though,” Matt said. “If the bull is the lock, we

surely have the key.” He drew out the compacted trident andlengthened it. I pulled out Excalibur.

Matt nodded. “Everyone else, get your sword. I may as well

do this at once.”Blake, Gia, Grey, the gargoyles and the wizards all pulled out

knives. Matt waved his hand. The knives instantly became swords.“You don’t need those. There’s only one key. Most likely

the same key that opened the trident will open this.” Vane crookeda finger at me and motioned for me to come.

“Most likely?” I crossed my arms and stood where I was.“I could make you,” Vane said.“Try it,” I challenged.“If you insist,” he said and took a step toward me.Matt quickly crossed the door and slapped a hand on

Vane’s chest to stop him. “Try to practice some self-control,” hemuttered to Vane. Matt looked at me. “He’s right.”

Making a face, I walked to him. I took Excalibur, peeledback the wetsuit a bit on my arm, and sliced myself. I hissed whenExcalibur greedily cut into my skin more than I’d intended.

Vane raised a brow. “I would have done it better.”I slammed the wound against the bull’s head.The bull’s head twisted. Light formed around the door. I

heard the faint aria of music.Vane yanked me back.Then, everything seemed to happen at once. The fireballs

winked out. A full-bodied wail exploded into the cavern,accompanied with white light that shone from beyond the door. Itknocked me off my feet. I fell to the floor and landed on my side,facing Vane, and on his other side, I saw Matt. Vane’s hand stillheld mine. He and Matt had managed to fare a bit better than I.They had been pushed only to their knees, only to be frozen inplace. I couldn’t move either.

Through a haze, I watched men stream out of the gate withgold shields. They wore what appeared to be Ancient Greekuniforms—armor-breasted tops with red leather skirt-bottoms andarmored leg plates. Yet, the armor looked unlike anything I’d everseen. It glowed an odd shade of platinum and gold, giving them afuturistic look instead of a medieval one. Their skin was tinged witha hint of green.

Long, red cloaks hung on their backs. On their heads satgolden helmets that extended to their cheeks. The top sported aridge from which a short line of thick, red hair fanned out. Not onlywere their uniforms the same, but also their bodies. Every single onehad the physique of a body builder.

A bulky barbarian of a man with arresting green eyesmarched up to Matt and Vane. He kept his shield in front of him.“Why are these two not asleep?”

To my surprise, I could understand them perfectly. A faintheat from Vane’s hand on mine flared briefly.

An older soldier came up beside the barbarian. He wore agold chain with a small emerald. “They have gills. Yet, can you feelthem? They have much power.” He touched Matt’s head. Theemerald on his chain glowed. “This one can barely contain it.”

“Look at their blue skin. Wizards,” the barbarian spat.Matt let out a breath.“He’s breaking through the paralyzing spell. We should

behead him now.” The barbarian raised his sword to strike.No! My mind screamed. I tried to move, but couldn’t. I tried

to speak, but couldn’t. I could only watch. I could only breathe.The barbarian swung the sword.

CHAPTER 13 - MERMAIDS

CHAPTER 13MERMAIDS

The older soldier turned to Vane and hissed. “Wait!”The barbarian halted the sword mid-swing.I exhaled.“Do you see this?” The older man leaned down and picked

up the trident. “This one is a son of Poseidon.”“Fine,” the barbarian said unhappily. He slammed the side of

the sword into Matt’s head. Matt fell to the floor. “That shouldkeep him in check.”

“Leonidas,” another soldier called from somewhere behindme. “I count thirteen here. Six are gargoyles.”

The barbarian, Leonidas, grinned, showing yellow-stainedteeth. He lowered his sword. “Really? This could be fun.”

A foot shoved me and I fell over on my back. Anothersoldier, an angular, yet muscled teenager with even yellower teeth,peered down at me. He sniffed the air and then leaned down to sniffme. I noticed gill slits on both sides of his neck. The pale green ofhis skin deepened to hunter green around the gills. A mermaid. Evenhis eyes were slightly green.

“Her blood. Smells tasty,” he said. “This one is mine.”He grabbed my hand and dug his fingers into my cut. I would

have screamed if I could. He hauled me up, presumably to put meover his shoulder. But I was heavier than he realized and he onlymanaged to get me up halfway. My head flopped forward and myhair curtained my face.

“Wait. Look at her ears.” Leonidas marched up. “Youcannot claim her.”

“No one will claim her,” the older soldier said. “They must allgo to the King.”

The teenager tightened his hold on me. Excalibur slippedfrom my other hand and fell unerringly into the boy’s foot. The boyscreamed and dropped me. I hit the ground. One side of my faceslammed against a rock. Leonidas laughed and lifted his sword. Hestabbed the boy in the heart. The boy fell backwards.

“Leonidas.” The older soldier frowned.“He showed disrespect.” Leonidas slid the sword out of the

boy. The blade ran red with blood. “How did this one get invitedinto the service?”

“He managed to make it through training,” mumbled the oldersoldier. “He was a skilled thief. Fed himself well.”

“That much I can see.” Leonidas grabbed Excalibur andhooked the sword in his belt. He leaned down, hauled me up withone hand, and put me over his shoulder. I noticed, oddly enough,that his ears were pointed also. He crossed to the red door. Westepped into a blue-grey world of water.

My gills started breathing for me. The green-skinnedbarbarian carried me tightly. We swam up and up and up. Aboveus, a beacon of white light called. It was the last thing I saw before Iclosed my eyes.

***I woke up later on the floor of the biggest room I’d ever

seen. We were no longer under the water. Gold handcuffsimmobilized my hands. Shackles held my feet together. I had a beltaround my waist and a chain linking me to Gia.

She was still passed out. I sat up and shook her. Shegroaned in protest. I looked around us. Grey, Colin and thegargoyles had been chained into one bunch. They still had gillsthough. The pallor of their skin still held a hint of blue. I looked

down at my arms. Still blue too. Beside the gargoyles, Blake andthe other wizards had been grouped. Each wizard wore a small,yellow diamond amulet that hung from a gold chain. Blake and theother wizards, however, no longer had their rings. Their gills weregone and their skin had gone back to normal.

The hall was a rectangle with a red carpet perimeter that ranbefore a dais at the front of the room. A short stack of steps led upto an empty throne. Behind it a replica of the red doors and the bullhad been painted in thick oils on a long, marble wall.

I didn’t see Matt or Vane.I glanced behind me and gaped. I turned around. We had

been placed on one side of the room. While a bright red curtainenclosed the right side, the curtains had been drawn back on the leftwall behind us. No wall sheltered us. Instead, we had been placednear the edge of a completely open terrace. Pillars on either side ofus framed the view of the entire city. We were on a hill. I craned myneck to look out. I sat on the third floor of a building that had to beat least seven stories high and the tallest building as far as I couldsee.

An ocean surrounded the city. We were on an island.The city cascaded down from the hill and the pyramid-style

palace in which I now sat. Below me, a gush of water spewed froma wide stone pipe and trickled over the side, creating a gorgeouswaterfall that ended in a square fountain on the next level of thepalace. Each level was wider than the one above it. Each one hadan open terrace, outlined by the roots of trees that hugged theedges. Grecian stone pillars held up each level, but they’d beenallowed to overrun with cultivated vines that curled and climbedupwards. Bright flowers in deep reds and yellows were sprinkled

throughout. They framed numerous waterfalls; almost every buildinghad at least two, and myriad hanging gardens.

A moat surrounded the palace and branching off from it,pipes circulated water down the hill into artificial canals that ranthroughout the city.

The sight that arrested me, however, stood just beyond thepalace on the hill. In a spot that everyone from the city below couldsee, twelve severed human heads had been displayed like agruesome banner. They were spiked on twelve, thick, twenty-footpoles.

My eyes fixed on one in the center. The head looked out atthe city, so I only saw its back. At the top, little hair remained. Mostof the scalp looked as if it had been picked away by scavengingbirds. Dried blood ran down the pole to the ground below. In thatsmall spot on the fine green lawn, no grass grew.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Gia whispered.“How? We don’t even know where we are.” I looked up at

the sky filled with the red expanse of a sunset. How had we gottenout of the water to here? Where was this island and where was ourboat?

The bleating blare of a conch stalled any further speculation.Grey, Blake, the other gargoyles, as well as the other wizards

all woke up. It took them a minute to realize they were in shackles.Some of the gargoyles wore their human faces. Some wore theirbeast.

“I can’t do any magic,” Blake hissed. “These stones…”He broke off when a stream of longhaired warriors entered

the room from the back. They lined every bit of available wall.Then, about a hundred or so people appeared who were dressed in

a rainbow of colors, adorned with ornate gold. Green-skinned menwith ponytails wore what looked like tunics under their togas. Thetunic was a thin shirt and the toga had been fashioned from a singlebolt of cotton that shaped to fit their form. It draped over oneshoulder while the skirt portion extended to their knees. The womenwore flowing gowns, also from one bolt of cotton. Some wore red,blue, and purple dresses that crisscrossed over their cleavage andleft their backs mostly bare. Heavy gold brooches and clips keptthe clothing in place. Gold bangles and headbands were usedexclusively for decoration. Some women had pointed ears like Giaand me. So did some of the men.

The conch sounded again.At the front of the room, from the right side, more soldiers

entered. However, these soldiers wore helmets with black plumesinstead of red. In the middle of them walked an older man withlong, dark hair highlighted with streaks of silver. He wore a finertunic and toga, but with a red sash tied around the waist. On hishead, he wore a crown that was a simple gold band with a largeemerald embedded into a curve at its center. The crown’s endscurled up in the shape of a fish. On each arm, he also wore goldarmbands. On the left, the armband was fashioned like a snake. Itstail formed the band while its head pointed up toward the shoulder.On the right armband, a mermaid held a trident.

I tugged at my shackles. A fish and a snake on the King. Didit mean the Fisher King? Or Poseidon? I didn’t know. We hadcome to the right place, but I didn’t have a good feeling. I eyed theopen terrace behind me. The way the ledge extended out to a pointsuggested sacrifice. I didn’t want to become one.

The King walked over to the throne and sat down. Hard

lines marred an otherwise handsome face. Piercing green eyesshone from a paler green-skinned face. His gaze fixed on us.

Grey jumped up. “Who are you?”I stood up too. “Release us.”The King said something that sounded like Greek, but I

couldn’t understand him. He waved a hand. The emerald on hiscrown began to glow. The green of his eyes also seemed to glow.

Warmth spread over my fingers, and the ring Matt had givenme heated.

“How did you find the gate?” the King demanded from us.This time, I understood him.

“I’m hardly going to tell you,” Grey said. A soldier came outof his position against the wall and cuffed him across the head with alance. Another knocked me to the floor.

The King turned away from us and faced the court. “Whereis my son? Why has he called us here?”

“Here, Father.” Leonidas strode up the red carpet from theback of the room. The court of people parted for their prince.

Leonidas came to the center of the room. One finger pointedat me. “I have brought you potentials for the blood moon.”

Blood moon? As in red moon? I groaned internally. Notanother red moon. Things had not gone well on the last one. Animage of a rooftop and an army of gargoyles flashed through mymind.

The King squinted at the gargoyles. “A champion among thebeasts? I suppose it will make for better sport.”

Leonidas bowed his head. “I am glad you are pleased. Butthere is more—” He waved a hand and the older soldier from thecave came forward, bringing with him two bound prisoners—Vane

and Matt.I almost collapsed with relief. Vane’s eyes met mine and my

stomach fluttered.Like me, he stood with shackles on his hands and feet. His

skin had returned to normal. His gills were gone. Somehow, themermaids had subdued all the wizards’ magic.

Matt, however, was trussed up like a serial killer. Everypiece of his body had been chained. His face was muzzled with aniron mask that had only half-slits to see through and small openingson the nose and mouth. The largest yellow diamond I’d ever seenwas attached to a gold chain and hung around his neck. Vane worea similar diamond and chain.

The King focused on Matt. “What is the meaning of this?”“King Lelex.” The older soldier pointed at Matt. “This one is

a powerful magician. We’ve had to subdue him.”“Why have you not beheaded him?” Lelex barked.“Take off his mask. I wish to see him.” King Lelex waved the

older soldier to bring Matt forward.A handful of soldiers emerged from their positions against the

walls. They made a semi-circle just behind Matt. Leonidasunsheathed his sword. Lelex sighed, looking bored. The olderservant used a small key to unlock the mask. Matt blinked at thesudden burst of light. My hands curled at the sight of him. A mass ofbruises covered his face.

“He doesn’t understand you,” Vane said.“He cannot speak,” the older soldier said.“He does not need to,” King Lelex said. “Bring him to me.”Leonidas grabbed Matt and pushed him toward the King.

When they reached the dais, he shoved Matt down on the steps.

“Kneel before the King.”Lelex gave his son an unamused look.Leonidas took Medusa’s snake from his cloak and held it out

to the King. “We found this on him.”Lelex’s eyes widened. “I thought this was only a legend. I

have a feeling this one can tell us much.” He reached out andtouched Matt’s head. The emerald on the King’s crown glowed.Matt’s body shuddered under the weight of Lelex’s probing.

On his throne, Lelex started sweating. “He is stubborn.”Matt opened his mouth in a silent scream.“No!” I stood up, pulling Gia with me.“Let him go.” Vane struggled against his chains.The crown glowed even more. Matt passed out. The King

slumped back in his seat. “His name is Merlin. He is their mostpowerful wizard. I could not get more; his defenses are strong.” TheKing crooked a finger to beckon two soldiers. “Take him to theholding rooms. I will try again later.”

The soldiers dragged Matt away.The King’s gaze turned on Vane. “Why are you here,

wizard?”“Why should I tell you?” Vane said.The King deigned to glance at us against the wall. “I can start

killing off your people one-by-one.”Vane said coldly, “They are not my people.”“Ah. They are Merlin’s.” The King’s eyes gleamed. “You do

not like that.”“Father.” Leonidas took the trident from the older soldier’s

hands. “We found this on him.” Leonidas turned the trident so it layhorizontally on his hand and presented it on bended knee to his

father.Lelex took the trident. He turned it over several times in his

hand. “It is real. I cannot believe it. It has found us again.” Lelexstood up and walked closer to Vane. The emerald on his crownglowed again. He held his hand out in Vane’s direction.

Vane shuddered, even though Lelex hadn’t touched him.“How is this possible? He is a wizard…” He peered at Vane.

“And yet, the Fisher King is marked on you.”Vane blinked. “I am not Bran of Pellam.”“Bran the Blessed? No, you are certainly not he. He came to

us also. It happened over a thousand years ago, but I know ourhistory well. After he lost his kingdom, he came to my ancestor.”Lelex said with a sneer, “Yet, he was no longer the Blessed. Hecame to beg for help. He was weak. Wounded. Defeated. Myancestor gave him more of a chance than I would have. He only hadto prove himself. He did not even survive one challenge. Whywould we help a creature like him? We are Triton’s descendants.Sons of Poseidon.” The King looked out over his court. The peoplecheered. He turned back to Vane. “No, Bran the Blessed was notthe Fisher King. His kingdom meant nothing to us.”

“And the cup?” Vane asked.Lelex laughed and shook his head. “Is this your true

purpose? To live forever? There is no such thing. If there were,Bran would not have been defeated so easily.” Lelex took anotherstep closer to Vane. “You defeated him.”

Vane frowned. “Yes.”“But how? You cannot be so old.”“A spell,” Vane said. “I was frozen in a cave. I woke only

recently.”

Lelex turned his head toward us. He looked past us to thefading light in the sky. “It makes sense. Time grows short for us all.The day of reckoning is near. It is why these blood moon sacrificesmust be our greatest.”

The people in the court murmured in agreement. Severalfaces looked out at the sky with fear. Lelex turned back to Vane.“The mark of the Fisher King is a sign from Poseidon. He is pleasedwith our offerings. Now, with the addition of these outsiders to theblood moon games, we will be able to give him a true prize.”

Leonidas marched up to me and grabbed me by the hair. Heswept his legs under mine to knock me to my knees. Our interlinkedchains caused Gia to go down with me. “It is our thirteenth night.The maidens will make a most auspicious sacrifice.”

Grey and the gargoyles tried to push themselves in front ofus. A swarm of soldiers converged to restrain them.

I looked up at the hulking barbarian. “What a PrinceCharming you are.”

Leonidas frowned in confusion. Beside me, Gia giggled.Leonidas scowled, realizing that I was insulting him. He

backhanded me, nearly knocking me down with the force of theblow. He pulled me up by the hair again, making me tear up.“Anything else you would like to say to me?”

No one noticed Vane taking a step closer to Lelex. Withoutwarning, he lunged at the King. He moved so fast, and beforeanyone could react, he used his chains to put Lelex into achokehold.

Vane commanded, “Release us or I will break his neck.”Near me, Leonidas’s hand tightened on his sword.The King croaked out, “Interesting. You do care about them.

I am a descendant of Triton. I am Aegae. I do not mind dyinghonorably. But your friends will not die so well. Aegae do notsurrender.”

The older soldier pointed a finger straight at me. “Hewatches that one very closely.”

Leonidas’s nostrils flared. He shoved my hair to one side toexpose my neck. He sent his sword crashing down.

“No!” Vane cried.Leonidas didn’t pull his swing. I rolled out of the way at the

last second. I knocked into Gia and we both fell over to the floor.Leonidas moved swiftly to grab my hair again.

“Enough!” Vane gripped the King. “Let her go and I willrelease him.”

Lelex made choking sounds. The barbarian looked at hisfather. Lelex managed a nod. Leonidas let go of my hair. Vanereleased the King.

Soldiers grabbed Vane and pulled him away. Leonidaswalked up to Vane and punched him in the gut. With a painedgrunt, Vane doubled over.

Lelex rubbed his throat. “I should run you through with mysword, but that would be too easy.” He looked at Grey and thegargoyles. His gaze wandered over at me. “The maiden seems tomatter a great deal.” A sly smile lit his face. “My son is right. Themaidens will make a good sacrifice. However, Poseidon has sent usthe outsiders for a greater purpose. We will pit their championagainst ours.”

Leonidas’s face turned red. “But, Father—”Lelex raised a brow. “You have won every game. You are

Aegae’s true champion, but a champion needs a worthy opponent.”

Leonidas scowled. “They are outsiders. Look at their skin.Blue. None of them can be a champion.”

“Enough, Leonidas. As you said, this is an auspicious night. Ihave decided.” The King climbed back up to his throne.

A soldier came out from behind him and blew the signal on aconch. Everyone in the court hurried to the sides of the room.Soldiers pushed Vane toward the far wall away from us. We stayedin place. Two men in trousers, but no shirts, presumably servants,rolled up the red carpet.

The conch blew again. The slabs of marble on the floorshifted and retracted. The floor opened to a deep pit. On lowerfloors beneath us, more people sat in seats surrounding the pit. Itreminded me of the private boxes at a stadium. On one side of thepit, a set of stairs led somewhere underground.

I spoke without thinking. “We’re not going to slaughter somepoor animals, are we?”

The King grinned. “Not at all. You are the poor animals. Achampion and a sacrifice will be chosen. If the champion loses ordies, the sacrifice will be Poseidon’s gift.” The King pointed behindme to the spike with the head. “We do this each day until the nightof the blood moon. Then we pray to Poseidon that he will protectus from the upcoming wrath.”

Vane frowned. “What wrath?”Lelex turned sharp green eyes on him. “The reason you seek

the cup, of course. To live. To survive. We are on the precipice ofthe last stage of the cycle. The end is at hand. I seek to ensure thatthe Aegae survive. Our island is hidden from your world with only afew gateways to connect us. Sometimes we see your airships passover us, but they’ve never seen us. We are hidden, but not immune.

Your world will shake and so will ours. Both will be torn apart.”“What is going to happen?” Vane said.“I do not know. The gods have not revealed it to us. We just

know the storm comes.” The King’s eyes fixed on the gargoyles“Now, night nears. We must begin the game. You must appoint onechampion and one sacrifice. Whom do you choose?”

I opened my mouth to volunteer as sacrifice.Vane beat me to it.He pointed a finger at me. “She will be our champion.”

CHAPTER 14 - CHAMPION

CHAPTER 14CHAMPION

I gaped at him. Apparently Vane knew me too well and was

trying to save me from myself. The Aegae in the throne room turnedto look at me. I know what they saw—short, slender, and delicate.A girl who probably couldn’t even lift a sword, much less fight withone. I was no Hercules. Leonidas laughed first. The King followedand so did the rest of the court.

“What is going on?” Blake said. “We still don’t understandtheir tongue.” Grey explained to him and the wizards who watchedthe laughing court in confusion.

I stood up. “I will be the sacrifice—”Grey walked a few steps forward. “No, I will be the

sacrifice.”Leonidas echoed eagerly, “The maiden seeks to be the

sacrifice.”Lelex’s eyes fixed on me. For the first time, he looked at me

closely. His eyes focused on my amulet. “Theras,” he barked at theolder soldier who’d come into the hall with Leonidas. “Why doesthe maiden still wear a charm?”

Theras stepped forward. “We could not take it off her, YourHighness. The magic is too strong. By the signature, we think themagic is tied to the wizard, Merlin.”

Lelex’s eyes narrowed. “We shall see how strong when hebreaks.”

“She is a regular, sire,” Theras continued. “An oddly strongone, yet still a regular. I do not sense any magic on her otherwise.”

I let out a breath. They hadn’t looked very closely atExcalibur.

“You choose a regular as champion?” Lelex said.

“Interesting.”“You asked,” Vane said quickly. “We chose. The maiden is

the champion.”“Indeed.” The King nodded.Leonidas whined, “A maiden should be sacrificed.”McKenna stepped forward. The girl gargoyle wore her

human face. “If you require a girl, I offer myself.”“No!” Grey protested.“Check her ears,” Leonidas commanded.A soldier stepped forward and checked. He shook his head.

Lelex waved a hand in McKenna’s direction, sending a stream ofgreen magic at her. McKenna went flying backwards to the floor.She snarled and morphed into her gargoyle face. The soldier leaneddown and checked her ears again. No point showed.

Lelex sighed. “She is no maiden.”McKenna’s cheeks flushed.The meaning hit me then. My own cheeks turned red. Wasn’t

it embarrassing enough to actually be a virgin? Stupid ears. I mayas well have been pinned with a scarlet “V” to my chest. I looked atGia. Her eyes lit with the same realization.

“We’re surrounded by a bunch of ho’s,” she muttered,glaring at Blake. “Even him!”

I nudged her to look at Leonidas’s ears. She giggled. Thepointy-eared prince scowled at us with suspicion.

“By rights, I choose the first set of champions and I havedone so,” the King declared. “Prince Leonidas will be the Aegaechampion. His sacrifice—”

The soldiers parted. A young mermaid with pointy ears inhandcuffs was thrust forward.

“Ah, the tribute. You will restore your family’s honor.” Lelexnodded regally.

The mermaid lowered her head.The King turned back to the court. “We will take the

gargoyle girl as sacrifice. She will be auspicious enough. The maidenwill be champion.” Murmurs and a few cheers erupted from thesurrounding court at the pronouncement. Lelex waved at them andthey quieted. He continued, “The champions will fight until oneconcedes. You must both agree on the same weapon.”

“Swords,” I said quickly.Leonidas gave me a surprised look, but nodded in

agreement.“Swords, it shall be,” the King said. “Theras, get her one.”The older soldier came up to me and held out his sword.I didn’t take it. “I want mine.”The older soldier sighed. “This one is well made. Excellently,

in fact, it is mine.”“I want mine,” I repeated.“She can fight with any sword,” Vane said from across the

room.How did he expect me to be a champion without Excalibur?

I frowned at him, with question in my eyes. He mouthed, “Trustme.”

“You seek to delay us,” Leonidas snarled at me.I found myself reaching for the older soldier’s sword.Leonidas picked up his sword and ran a finger along its

blade. He looked at McKenna. “Prepare yourself for death,gargoyle.”

McKenna’s gaze traveled to the sword I held. She bit her lip.

My fingers tightened around the ordinary blade. No sense ofbelonging filled me. No sense of lightness. I hoped what thebarbarian prince promised wasn’t all too prophetic.

***That was how I found myself in the pit.Leonidas was a true gladiator and he fought like one. He was

relentless.A wide floating disc scooped me up and lowered me into the

pit. I don’t know where the mermaids got their magic. I saw nowizards. Like the gargoyles, the mermaids seemed to be usingcharms. The gargoyles bought magic as either charms or potionsfrom the wizards. But seeing how cut off the mermaids were, Idoubted they could engage in such commerce.

Once I hit the pit though, I had no more time for speculation.Leonidas didn’t charge me and start hacking away, oh, no… Histechnique was smoother. He tested me first. He played. He took offhis armor breastplate and fought in a transparent tunic.

It quickly became obvious that he’d trained all his life andknew his way around a sword. What he didn’t know was that I wasthe sword-bearer. Not just another ordinary fighter.

His green eyes lit with interest as soon as I blocked the firstflurry of strikes. We went back and forth without either one of usgiving much ground. Then we started using the things in the pit.Objects like a half-wall, a railing, and rocks had been litteredthroughout the pit to pique the audience’s bloodlust in the sport. Amoat surrounded the pit. Two waterfalls falling from one of thelevels above terminated into the moat.

Above us, the people cheered when Leonidas used a railingto do a fancy leap in the air before pouncing on me.

I blocked him, but it took a lot of effort and I slipped in thefine sand that made up the pit’s floor. I fell backwards and quicklyrolled. Leonidas’s blade cut through my wetsuit and sliced a goodline of the rubber up my left side. Burning pain followed and I rolledbehind a rock.

The crowd booed.“Coward,” someone yelled.I heard Leonidas showboating, yelling back at the crowd to

work them up. I waited until he reached the edge of the rock anddid a one-handed handspring to jump on top of it. I hacked downat the smiling barbarian.

The blade sank deeply into his thick skin and hard tissue.Unfortunately, he moved at the last second so it went into hisshoulder instead of his heart. I kicked his sword out of his hand. Itflew across the pit.

The bloodthirsty crowd roared with approval.He bared his teeth and grabbed my blade with one hand and

my ankle with the other. He flipped me off the rock. I fell to thefloor. I crawled for his sword while he drew mine from his shoulder.My fingers found the hilt of the fallen blade. I picked it up andjumped to my feet, holding the weapon in front of me.

What happened next, I couldn’t believe. A door opened anda bridge dropped across the moat. A white bull with some leatheraround its middle charged Leonidas. He didn’t move. Instead, hewaited. Just before the bull could gore him, he caught its horns andpulled himself on top of the animal.

The bull bucked, but Leonidas used the straps of leather tohook onto his feet and steady himself. Then, he turned the bull onme.

I cursed. So much for “the only animal will be you.”The bull ran at me. I should have thrown the sword at the

bull. I should have maimed the innocent animal, but I couldn’t. Withno cover around me, the only option I had was to run or…

My eyes narrowed. The bull approached. I glimpsed deepscars running up and down the bull’s skin just before I had to duck.I sidestepped it and reached for Leonidas’s ankle. I wasn’t quickenough. As if he’d known what I would do, Leonidas kicked mehard in the face. I fell back into the dirt. He leaped off the bull. Itran off while Leonidas lunged toward me.

I had a second to twist. And, this time, Leonidas impaled mewith his sword. He drove it deeper into my side, pinning me to theground.

I looked up into the haze of bright light from above, my earsassaulted by the cheering and whistling of the crowd, and I knewI’d lost.

***“A worthy champion. The maiden makes quite an opponent,”

Lelex laughed, peering down into the pit. “We have been trulyblessed. These games will please the gods.”

I couldn’t move. Blood flowed freely down my side and I feltmyself going with it.

Leonidas looked up at his father. Despite the win, he lookedangry. At least, I’d managed to piss him off before I died. Mysmugness lasted about two seconds.

“Ready the sacrifice,” Leonidas demanded.McKenna. My eyes closed. I had failed her.“Not yet.” The King glanced around the pit. “People of

Aegae. You decide the fate. Who has won tonight?”

“Leonidas,” came the unanimous shout.Leonidas pranced pompously around the pit for all to behold.“Indeed, my son remains Aegae’s greatest champion.

However, we are very pleased with the maiden’s performance. Shelasted longer than any opponent in the past twelve contests.”

The crowd cheered in agreement. Leonidas’s smugexpression turned into an angry scowl.

The King looked around the court. “My people, whom doyou name as the second champion?”

“Maiden!” All around the pit, the crowd cheered.“Bring her up,” the King commanded as he returned to his

throne.A floating disc nudged me. I managed to roll onto it. It

floated me up. The older soldier carried me from the disc to theKing’s dais. Two girls in white toga gowns put a makeshift bandageover the widening wound. Another girl wearing a chain with a smallemerald rushed forward.

The King asked, “Can Leonora heal her?”Theras replied for the girl. “My daughter will certainly try,

Sire. But the wound is deep.”The girl, Leonora, put a hand to my side and I cried out.

Pressure built up as my torn tissue tried to weave back together. I’dnever been healed by anyone but Vane or Matt. Until that moment,I had no idea how lucky I’d been. The girl tried to sow my skintogether with what felt like steel wool instead of fine thread. Mybody shuddered. I tried not to pass out. At first, the healing seemedto be working but then blood started seeping back through. Thefloor below me quickly stained with fresh blood. My eyes closed.

Leonora said sadly, “It’s not working, sire. She will die.”

“No!” Vane rattled his shackles. “Let me heal her. Take thisgemstone off me.”

“We cannot trust you, wizard,” the King said. “Unless…”“Unless what?” Vane said. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”“Will you?” the King said. “I have a way to strip you of

yourself. You have it in you. You have a touch of the divine sincedefeating Bran the Blessed. You took his power. You can be a trueson of Poseidon. You will no longer be merely a wizard. You canbe Aegae.”

I forced my eyelids open and croaked, “N-No, Vane!”“Once I finish with you, you will always hear the call of the

sea. It will infect your soul. You will feel nothing. You will know nowarmth or love. You will not yearn or lust. You will be as cold asthe water, as dark as the ocean. You will not need emotion.” Lelexrose up. “Would you do that for her?”

Vane’s eyes locked with mine. “I would do anything.”Lelex watched him with a small smile. “I believe you.”Vane faced him.“Theras, bring me the trident,” he said to the older soldier.The older soldier complied. King Lelex nodded to the guards

holding Vane. The guards pulled him to the dais and pushed him tohis knees. Lelex aimed the trident at Vane’s head.

“Vane, stop,” I said hoarsely.“Stay still, Ryan,” Vane said.I tried to get up. Hands pushed me back down. Helpless, I

could do nothing but watch as the crown on the King’s headglowed. Lelex’s eyes brightened with green light. Vane dropped toall fours. The green light became brighter and brighter, until itsburning glare forced me to look away. Lelex fired the trident at

Vane.He fell backwards on the marble. The light blinked out.“No!” I tried to scream the word, yet nothing came out. My

side seemed to be a dull distant ache as I began the final slide intooblivion.

Still on the floor, Vane’s eyes opened.“Unchain him,” the King said.The older soldier took the chains off Vane’s feet with a wary

expression. Vane sat up. His face eerily calm, its pallor nowshowing a tinge of green. Hunter green gills slashed across his neck.

“Who are you?” the King demanded.Vane frowned. “Who am I?”“You are a soldier of Aegae,” Lelex pronounced. “You are a

son of Poseidon. I am your King and you serve me.”Vane got up on one knee. He bowed his head to Lelex. “I

am a soldier. You are my King.”“Your name is Vane,” Lelex said. “Leonidas, bring your

sword.”Leonidas frowned, but walked to the dais. The guards

moved away from Vane.“Give him your sword,” the King said.Leonidas looked at his father in surprise.“The new soldier will kill the gargoyle,” the King declared.“No!” Grey and Colin shouted together.“I will destroy every last one of you,” Grey cried. The

chained gargoyles tried to rush the guards, but they were quicklysubdued. The guards were too numerous.

Lelex turned a cold gaze on McKenna. “You will submit or Iwill behead all of your brethren.”

McKenna paled. “I will submit.”Leonidas smiled. Vane stood up.Two guards directed McKenna toward Vane. They walked

the gargoyle past Gia. Gia put out a hand and McKenna grabbed ittightly. Tears streamed down Gia’s cheeks. The guards shovedMcKenna with a spear to move her along. She knelt in front ofVane.

Two guards put a heavy block in front of her. The oldersoldier took the chains off Vane’s hands. Leonidas handed Vane hissword. McKenna started to bend over to place her head on theblock. Vane held up a hand to stop her. His eyes held hers.

He lifted the blade.The sword swung without mercy.McKenna saw no more.

CHAPTER 15 – THE LONG DARK

CHAPTER 15THE LONG DARK

A single, whisper-soft thud sounded as McKenna’s head fell

on the smooth marble.Grey sank to his knees, his face a stony, ashen mask.Before anyone could even mourn her, Lelex demanded,

“Take her heart.”The head severed, McKenna’s body had fallen to the floor

and landed on its side. A river of blood flowed across the marble.The mermaids didn’t seem bothered by the sight. Leonidas kickedthe body on its back. The crunch of bone filled the room. Vanesliced her torso. Leonidas reached in and pulled out the warm heart.

Another girl in a white toga and bare feet ran up with a goldplatter. Leonidas put the still-beating heart on the smooth metal.

“Poseidon will be pleased,” Lelex said.The court clapped in approval.Leonidas picked up McKenna’s head and held it up high.

Blood dripped down his hand. “Let the banquet begin,” he shouted.The court cheered. Even barely conscious, I wanted to throw

up. I wanted to sully the pristine marble as they so ruthlessly sulliedMcKenna. I turned my head away from the sickening sight ofLelex’s sadistic court.

Lelex ordered Vane to remove the diamond chain off hisneck. The next thing I knew, Vane was kneeling beside me. Coldhands probed my festering wound. A shock of fresh pain hit me asthe vulnerable tissue pulled itself back together, fiber by fiber,ligament by ligament. Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to pass out.

***“I hate you,” I said as I glared at Vane six nights later.Vane’s dark eyes flickered over me without emotion.

Beautiful eyes containing specks of green in their irises. Yet, unlikethe mermaids’ eyes, the green didn’t color his corneas. They, atleast, remained pristinely clear. The imperceptible distinctionafforded me a measure of hope.

With uncaring hands, Vane divested me of a white tunic thatwent to my knees. I no longer wore my bikini underneath. I hadbeen given another one made out of a gold jersey material. I don’tknow how the mermaids managed to fashion it, but it wascomfortable. The see-through tunic dress and a gold bikini were mystandard uniform for the games.

I fought Leonidas tonight. Another gargoyle had been chosenas a sacrifice. Leonidas kept using the bull. But I hadn’t lost. Ihadn’t lost since the night I failed McKenna. Each night I woundedthe bull. The wild pain in the beast’s eyes haunted me every time Idrove a sword into its flesh.

I tried to make the cuts as clean as possible, but Leonidasmade it harder and harder each tournament. The first night Leonidaslost, he almost went mad. After the fight was over, he stabbed me inthe back.

The crowd booed him and I was taken away. Vane,Leonora, and her father, Theras, came to the room I was being heldin. Without a word, Vane healed me, then left. I stared at theceiling. Even with my body repaired, I hadn’t the will to move.

More girls in white togas, palace servants, I assumed, hadcome in to bathe me. Yesterday was the same. I slit the bull on itsside. I beat Leonidas. The crowd loved me. I was declaredchampion again. Vane healed my body and Leonidas’s sacrificescreamed when his heart was taken. His severed head got spearedonto a spike and displayed on the hill—just as McKenna’s had

been.On the third night, Leonidas figured out I’d been sparing the

bull as much as possible and he forced me to gut the poor beast.Sick with myself, I almost didn’t see Leonidas round the fallen bull.I got a good gash on my side before driving my sword through thebarbarian’s stomach.

Not that it mattered.Lelex went white when he saw what happened to his son. He

ordered Vane to heal him in the pit and Leonidas woke up withouta scratch. The crowd cheered for us and I was taken back to mytiny room. The fourth night, I was given a bow and arrow. Leonidashad barely stepped into the pit before I had him pinned to the floorwith all my arrows. The crowd hadn’t been happy at the quick finishand I doubted I’d ever be offered that weapon again. On the fifthnight, I almost lost again when they flooded the pit. The twowaterfalls acted like spouts in a huge bathtub. It turned out to be thebloodiest fight so far since the water made it difficult to actually pinanyone down.

The King wanted to put in a new Aegae champion. Leonidasrefused. So we grappled each other again… and again.

Tonight, Vane healed me with his usual thoroughness. It wasmental torture. He’d patch my hurt so that I could be ripped apartagain. Leonora hung at his side, supposedly observing the process,but actually observing Vane. Vane took his time with the healingeven though the cut I’d gotten today was more of a scratch.

Through iron bars on an arched window, I saw a glimpse ofa red sunset.

“When is the blood moon?” I asked. When will thisnightmare be over?

“Another ten days,” Leonora answered softly.I thought I felt a tremor go through Vane’s fingers. I glanced

at him, but his expression remained as placid as ever. The greentinge to his skin complimented his chilly demeanor. Only Leonoraand Vane were in the room. Theras had been helping Leonidaswhen the guards had come and whisked me from the pit back to mycage.

Vane finished the healing and stepped back from me.One of six guards, watching us closely, came forward and

handed Vane the yellow diamond necklace that constrained hismagic. Vane put it on. The necklace only came off for healings, anduntil now, I’d only seen Theras take it off Vane. Lelex may havedeclared Vane to be Aegae, but they didn’t trust him yet.

Leonora pulled a white sheet over my still body. “Rest,” shesaid. “The bathers will be here soon.”

Vane didn’t speak to me at all, but much too soon, they bothleft and I sat alone and exhausted in the darkening room. Soft raysof the shrinking sun streamed in through the window. Every part ofme ached to cry, to spend the tired tears of a beaten spirit. Yet, myeyes remained dry and open. I sought the one person who couldsave my sanity.

“Matt.” I called.It took a few seconds—seconds so long that every part of

me tensed that there would be no reply and I would lie alone in theabyss, battered and broken.

“I’m here. You’re not alone.” His faint words filled thevoid.

His presence washed over me, a salve soothing an infectedmind. As if he were actually there, he pushed the sheet aside and

climbed into bed. He gathered me up in his arms and pulled thecover back over us. I tucked my head into the crook of his neck.

“Hold on,” he said.“I will,” I replied and finally, allowed my eyes to close.

Warm tears leaked down my cheeks. “Don’t leave me.”“Never.”

***“Your name is Vivane,” I said. Eight more nights had passed.Vane frowned, but to my disappointment, had no other

reaction. I looked at his dark eyes with fading hope. The greenspecks had disappeared. His eyes had returned to their originalhazel, yet no hint of recognition filled those depths.

I almost wished for death. Like the bull, I kept being broughtback. Like the bull, I felt myself turning wild. Every evening I foughtLeonidas and a little bit of me died. After every fight, Vane mendedmy bleeding body. Every night, Matt, my only anchor, tried to dothe same to my soul. Except it was getting harder and harder tohold on. Afloat in the sea of relentless brutality, darkness courtedme. One injury and I would be wounded beyond repair.

Leonora pulled at the skin on my back. I winced. I watchedher work at my back in an oval mirror that occupied the wall infront of me.

“Sorry,” she said quickly. Her dark hair fanned out aroundher shoulders. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she focusedon my latest wound.

A deep cut went up from my spine to my shoulder. I waslucky the bull had not pressed too hard or I’d probably beparalyzed. I couldn’t imagine what that healing would be like. Theregular ones were bad enough.

I had to admit this macabre dance Leonidas and I werelocked in was doing wonders for my fighting skills. I’d been forcedto move quicker, to think quicker. With each game, the two of usgrew more adept. Somewhere along the way, he picked up myattack forms and I his. Of course, I still planned to kill the bastardfirst chance I got. I had no doubt he planned to do the same to me.

My hands shook. I lost tonight.Leonidas pinned me to the ground with a spear pointed

down at the back of my head, his foot resting on the bleedingwound on my shoulder where the bull gored me. Tonight, Leonidaschose spears as our weapon. Despite the fact that Vane had trainedme on it, I’d never been very good with a spear.

A wizard lost his life tonight. The gargoyles and wizards tookturns being the sacrifice. The wizard hadn’t said a word when helost his head and I still tasted the dirt of failure on my tongue.

Vane watched Leonora’s healing. In the mirror, the emeraldaround her neck glowed.

“I’m surprised a charm is powerful enough to allow healing,”I said.

Leonora nodded. “King Lelex made this himself. He hasbeen blessed with much power. But it is not simply the charm.Some mermaids have a talent for healing. The charm enhancesmine.”

“Some mermaids?” I asked.“Maidens.” She paused and met my eyes in the mirror. “I

have a great gift. I would have been placed in service, but for mybetrothal to Leonidas.”

I sputtered. “You want to marry him?”She frowned. “He waits for me.”

“But Leonidas! He’s a brute and you’re so… not.”Leonora colored. “He hasn’t always been so unbending. We

used to be a great kingdom before Lelex brought magic to us. Nowwe are all scared of what’s to come. These rituals…” Sheshuddered. “King Lelex says they are a necessity so it must be, butit has changed us. Leonidas believes in his father and so must I. Heis the prince and champion. I thought he would be forever until…”She glanced at Vane, “…all of you came.”

Vane looked at Leonora sharply. I gasped when her fingersjerked my skin. A warm trickle of blood went down my backtracing the spine.

“Why don’t you allow me to finish up?” Vane interrupted.Leonora’s face fell. “Of course.”I wanted to shake my head. Leonora took every criticism

Vane gave like a knife to the chest, even though mermaid-Vane wasonly matter-of-fact with her. He was matter-of-fact with everything.I should have been irritated by her crush on my boyfriend, but Ididn’t actually know what we were anymore. She’d never survivethe real Vane—the abrasive Vane, the Vane who pushed at everystep and demanded more than it was possible to give. I missed thatVane.

In the mirror, I saw him bend his head to look at my wound.He splayed his fingers on my bare skin. I almost closed my eyes aspleasure shot through me. Usually mermaid-Vane was all business.Soothing fingers created welcome numbness after Leonora’sheinous healing. This was pure mastery… almost worth living for.

Leonora watched us enviously. “I wish I had as much abilityto heal.”

A soft glow of warmth started at the base of my spine and

expanded. His fingers traveled up the cords of my vertebrae. Theypaused just below my neck. The first time he’d seen the blisteredbruises he’d paused. The mermaid transformation had made themworse. It would have taken a second of healing at the most forVane to erase the blue-black marks, but for some reason he didn’t.The fact that he didn’t meant something. I had no idea what it meantbut I reached for the carrot of hope it offered.

“Matt is even better at healing,” I said.Vane’s expression remained placid.Leonora’s eyes widened. “Him. He must be very powerful.

The King has him under heavy guard. Hardly anyone is allowed togo near him. One of the servants says he’s been chained to thewalls.”

My heart squeezed at this revelation. Matt never showed meanything beyond himself when I spoke to him.

Leonora watched me closely. “Do you wait for him also?”I frowned. “Wait? Why do you say that?”Leonora blushed. “I was here when the bathers came a few

nights ago. You were half-asleep. You kept muttering his name.”A faint tremor went through Vane’s fingers. So

imperceptible, I wouldn’t have felt it if my every nerve hadn’t beenengaged. My heart nearly stopped. The tendril of hope I’d beenholding in check unfurled. It flared and bloomed with astonishingspeed. I strove to keep calm.

“Matt and I have a special connection,” I told Leonora,trying to bait Vane. “He asked me to wait for him.”

It was nothing less than the truth. Vane’s bland expressiondidn’t change, but the tone of the healing did. Instead of pleasure,an edge of pain reentered. I winced when he yanked my shredded

skin together.“I haven’t given him my reply,” I continued. Total lie. “What

do you think, Leonora? Should I?”Leonora smiled. “He is handsome. Well worth dreaming of.”“Very,” I said cheerfully. Vane’s fingers fisted and the torn

tissue on my back sealed with a stinging burn that caused my eyesto water. I inhaled sharply. Sweat broke out across my forehead.

“He waits for you too,” Leonora said.“His ears are not pointed,” Vane said.Leonora looked at him in surprise. It was the most he’d ever

spoken on a subject not directly related to healing. She said slowly,“No, but that does not mean he has experienced love. Maybe hedoes not want it to be known. You can choose.” She pushed backher dark hair. Her pointed ear shrunk so that it looked normal. Sheelongated it again. “It takes a bit of effort, so most don’t bother,and besides, most consider it an honor. A way to show truedevotion.”

“Only if you’re in a time warp,” I muttered. Not that Iwanted to jump into bed with just anyone to get rid of my virginalstate, but it wasn’t exactly a banner item I wanted displayed. I triedto twitch my ears. Nothing. My ears stayed pointed.

Leonora laughed. “It takes practice.” Her eyes fixed onVane’s decidedly flat ears. She looked away, as if embarrassed. Itried not to roll my eyes. Experienced love. Bah!

Vane finished the healing and stepped away from me, veryquickly I thought. I wracked my brain for something else to say,anything to pry open the small chink in his armor.

“Let’s go,” Vane said gruffly. A guard stepped forward withthe diamond necklace. His expression neutral as the necklace went

back on, he said to Leonora, “We must still heal the bull.”Leonora nodded and waved the guard back.“Sleep well,” Leonora said to me.“I will and I’ll dream,” I winked, “of him.”

***Night filled the room. The moon sat bright in the sky outside.

Everyday I waited for it to swell to its maximum size. It was almostthere. I wondered what would happen when it did. Part of mecouldn’t wait. My body begged for release from the relentless cycleof the games. Yet another part of me dreaded whatever was goingto happen next. The blood moon was in two days.

Through my tiny window, a few rays of the moon penetrated.Shadows danced. I lay in bed and watched. I waited. I hoped. Thenight stretched out and soon enough, my eyes started to flutterclose. I almost didn’t hear the door creak open.

Suddenly wide awake, I didn’t move; I didn’t dare. Thedoor closed. Feet moved swiftly across the marble floor. Moonlightilluminated the the armored breast-plate and red leather skirtuniform of a palace guard. A diamond on a gold chain hung aroundhis neck. Its luminance flitted across Vane’s face before he duckedinto the shadows. He climbed into the bed and on top of me.

His fingers tangled in my hair. “You’re awake.”“You came.” I stared up at him. In the dark, I could barely

see him. The Dragon’s Eye gemstone winked against my neck.Vane watched it, fixated. I leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Seesomething you like?”

His fingers tightened in my hair, pulling strands until I winced.“Is he here?”

The breath I’d been holding came out of me in a whoosh. I

grabbed his shoulders and flipped him so I sat on top, lookingdown. My mouth crashed on his. It didn’t take long for him torespond. Rough palms cradled my face while my fingers gripped thepillow on either side of his. Lips, teeth, tongue, mingled together. Iate him up and didn’t let go until I had to come up for air.

I sat back, panting a little. I looked down at Vane. Tiger’seyes glittered in the dark. I said, “You are no mermaid.”

White teeth flashed. “No.”“How long?” I demanded.“It took a few days—”“A f-few days,” I sputtered. “You knew a few days after?”He put a hand over my mouth, drowning out any other

epithets. “The guards are still outside. I was able to slip past, butthey’ll come if you’re too loud.”

I quieted.He lowered his hand. “Yes, a few days after. It all came

back in pieces.”“All those times you came. Why didn’t you say anything?”“I was never alone, and you needed to believe so they

would.”My nostrils flared. The real answer was that he didn’t trust

me. I grabbed a fallen pillow and smacked him with it. Admittedly,a halfhearted response, considering what a bastard he’d been.

Vane grabbed my wrist and knocked the pillow aside. Hecleared his throat and said the one thing I thought I’d never hear,“I’m sorry. It took longer than I thought.”

The fight went out of me. I was tired of resisting. Soincredibly tired. I put my hands flat on his chest and stared at them.Hard. A tear leaked out anyway.

Vane dried it without a thought. “Lelex underestimated mymagic. I was able to hold off a complete mind-wipe and make itmore like temporary amnesia. But it took me days upon days toremember again.” He touched the diamond necklace. “This didn’thelp. Only when it was taken off could I make any real progress.”His fingers tightened in my hair. “Only when I was healing you. Ifought to remember myself. You were the anchor I held onto.”

His words almost echoed my own. Expect my anchor wasMatt. My fingers slid over the strange smooth metal on his chest. Isaid, “You better have a plan. We’ve been in this hole for a month.”

In the shadows, an arrogant brow rose. “Fourteen days. Theblood moon is almost here and I think I’ve figured out what thatmeans. It’s taken me this long after following every command to getTheras to trust me enough to move around the palace with minimalsupervision.”

“So you could train Leonidas?”He grinned. “You figured it out.”I snorted. “Of course, you trained me. I recognized the

forms. Did you think I wasn’t paying attention?”“I knew you would and be able to defend against them.”I smacked my hand against my forehead. “Right! You were

helping me by training the enemy.”“You needed the help,” he observed. “Ever since you pulled

Excalibur, you’ve been hiding behind me. Behind Merlin. Did youthink I hadn’t noticed?”

My body went cold. “So you decided to train me by makingit easier for me to get slashed every night. What a master plan.”

Vane’s gaze didn’t waver. “Not a master plan, but I did takeadvantage. You almost died in limbo—”

“I did die!”“It’s made you afraid. If you’re going to be the sword-

bearer, you have to get over the fear.”I was going to kill him. My fingers curled into a fist.He read the homicidal intention in my eyes and flipped me

back below him, his big body crushing mine. “What do you think Iwent through watching you night after night? You don’t know howmany times I wanted to jump into that damn pit myself. No one hashad it easy in this hole.”

“Right. It’s been so rough for you. Going to banquets andhaving Leonora follow you around with big mermaid eyes.” Istruggled against him, arching my body until he hissed. In pleasure?In pain? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I wanted a reaction.“Did she feed you any grapes today?”

“Not any sweet ones.” Vane grabbed my wrists and pinnedme against the bed. “I need you to call Merlin. Tell him we’recoming. Tell him he needs to hold on just a bit longer.”

I stilled. “What’s going on?”“I haven’t been allowed near him, but I hear his screams

clearly every night. Lelex is no doubt trying to figure out what weknow about the danger coming—the irony being we don’t knowanything. But Merlin hasn’t broken. As far as I know, Lelex stillisn’t aware that you’re the sword-bearer. It might be the bit ofinformation keeping him alive. Except last night I barely heard thescreams. It isn’t the blood moon. I’d hoped to use that distraction,but I don’t think we have a choice. My brother won’t last. We haveto move tomorrow.”

I had no clue it was so bad. Matt stayed with me every nightand I never asked. Shame choked me.

Vane released my wrists. He fanned my hair out around me,taking his time. In his pupils I saw the reflection of a dark, spun halothe hair made over the pillows. A finger traced the length of myamulet and paused on the stain of bruises that still lingered. Silentquestion flickered in hazel depths.

I caught his hand to stop him. “What do you want me todo?”

Leaning down, he kissed the pulse beating on my neck justabove the damaged skin. “Tomorrow, I need you to die.”

***Shortly after that, Vane snuck back out. The guards

inspected my room every hour. I wrapped my arms around a pillowand squeezed it tight. It was the only comfort to be had in the hardlength of the bed. My stomach tied in knots, I reached out for Matt.I waited for several seconds before a faint response came.

“I’m here.”I bit into the fluffy bits of the pillow. “Are you alright?”I tried to see inside his mind, to see what he might be seeing.

Only darkness stared back at me. I pushed further inside. I openeda door. The dim glow of a sconce showed me three walls of a dingyroom. Suspended from chains, I saw Matt’s arms hanging in the air.I looked down at his bare legs, covered with dried blood. Flesh hadbeen torn open in deep lines and left to fester after being whipped.Near his feet, shackles bit into skin. Green pus oozed from thewound, discoloring the area.

I was seeing what Matt saw. I pushed to see more. A tight,airless box surrounded me. It had no escape. It had no end. A slowsuffocation. I couldn’t breathe—

“No!”

Matt shoved me out the door with a snarl and slammed itshut. I opened my eyes and saw only my chamber. I took acleansing breath. It took me a second to center myself.

I closed my eyes again. In my mind, I saw the door again. Ilaid a palm against its solid surface.“Matt, why didn’t you tell me?Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I’ll be fine,” he replied.I stood on one side of the door. He remained on the other.“I’ll be fine.” He repeated more softly.“Hold on, Matt. We’re coming. Vane and I are coming.”“Stay with me.”The soft plea squeezed my heartstrings. I put my cheek

against the plank. “I will.”***

The next night, guards walked me through a long tunnel. Istepped out into the light of the pit. The crowd cheered as soon as Ientered. I looked up at them. I stood once again, an insignificantbeing, down in the pit as I had done for fifteen days in a row.

Three levels high, the circle of faces peered down. Leonidasstepped out from the opposite tunnel. The crowd roared withapproval. He looked stunning. Under a thin tunic, his tanned skinglistened with just a touch of glossy sweat. The hard lines of hisregal face had a dangerous edge. Firm legs balanced as gracefullyas a cat. His lips curled in anticipation.

We crossed the bridge over the short moat and faced eachother, armed with our spears.

It hadn’t been a huge surprise that Leonidas had chosenspears again after actually winning a match. I glanced up at thegargoyle sacrifice standing high atop the pit. Vane wanted me to

lose tonight. I didn’t know who would volunteer as a sacrifice, but Ihad absolutely refused. I wasn’t about to lose a match and watchsomeone die. Vane eventually caved and came up with a riskier, yetinfinitely more acceptable, plan.

I glanced up again. Good thing, because I would not havegone through with the sacrifice-one-to-save-all plan, even if he’dconvinced me it was the only way. A handcuffed and leg-shackledGrey stood at the top of the pit.

Leonidas circled me. I moved to duck behind a half-wall thatsat like a prop at a random location in the pit. My action causedLeonidas to shoot. A shock went through me as one spear struckcleanly into my chest. I ignored the stinging pain and threw my spearin an arc at him. I saw it nick him in the shoulder just before Idropped below the half-wall.

“Is that all you have?” Leonidas laughed, letting out a shrillwhistle.

As Vane expected, the white bull came flying through ahidden door in the wall and across the moat. I had picked the half-wall so that the bull would come out just behind me. The bullcharged me. It bent its head low. The horns aimed straight so itcould gore me. I didn’t move. I waited for it to get as close.

Soft fur tickled my arm when I hooked onto the straps ofleather around the bull’s middle. With one hand, I pulled myselfonto its side. The bull went past the half-wall and ran straight atLeonidas. Leonidas gaped, collected himself, and then threw hisspear. It sunk into the bull, but the stalwart animal never faltered. Ihoisted myself fully straight onto the bull’s saddle. I hooked my footinto the stirrups to steady myself and at the same time I took aimwith the spear. I let it fly.

The spear hit its mark. It struck Leonidas through thestomach. I pulled the bull to a stop before it trampled him. Leonidasgasped. His hands clutched the spear as he fell backwards.

The crowd stared at us, eerily silent.I looked up. Lelex stood on the edge at the top of the pit.“Get the prince the healer!” he yelled.“The winner must be decided, Sire,” Theras said from beside

the King.Lelex glared at the crowd. “Fine, the maiden wins.”The crowd nodded their agreement.“Vane.” Theras beckoned. Vane walked up. Only two

guards escorted him. Theras removed the necklace. “Heal theprince.”

As soon as the necklace was removed, Vane grabbed asword from the older soldier’s side. He kicked him to the floor andcaught the King. “I don’t think so.”

The King laughed. “You’ve tried this once before, wizard,what makes you think it will work this time?”

“I don’t,” Vane replied.“Vane,” Theras said. “Don’t do anything foolish.”Vane laughed. “You don’t know me very well.”Vane sliced the King’s throat. He shoved Lelex to the

ground and beheaded him. The guards looked on, momentarilystupefied.

“No!” Theras yelled.Then, everything seemed to happen at once. A shocked roar

arose from the crowd as the guards rushed Vane.Lelex’s body fell to the ground.Vane put up his hands, palms out. “Agni.”

Two fireballs shot straight at the guards. While still bound,Grey grabbed a fallen sword. Vane leapt toward him and cutGrey’s chains. Grey started fighting the guards at Vane’s side. Itbought Vane time.

Vane put out his hands and aimed down at the stadium.“Uksati agni.”

Fireballs, one after another, like a machine gun, hit the sidesof the stadium. The crowd screamed. Down in the pit, rocks startedto crumble around me. Vane fired two giant fireballs directly at thewaterfalls. Stone walls at the mouths of the waterfalls exploded.Water flowed freely. Heat from the fireballs caused the pit to startsteaming. Through the haze, I saw Vane blast two more fireballs atthe wall just above another waterfall. The roof started to collapseon that level. Vane had explained that the waterfalls were the endsof two central pipelines. Plugging them would cause water to backup and flood most of the palace.

Back in the pit, I directed the bull back to its door. The bullwhined as it became hard to see through the thickening air. It stillhad a spear embedded in its hide, but the water seemed to botherthe beast more. Above me, Vane and Grey jumped on a floatingstone. They sailed down into the pit. Theras and Leonora camethrough the steam on the second floating stone. They landed at thesame time as Vane and Grey. The stones floated close together.Grey jumped off one, while Vane stayed on.

On the other stone, Theras pushed Leonora behind him. Hecrouched, facing Vane, with his sword in hand.

Vane pointed to the crumbling walls around us. “You canfight me and I can kill you. Or you can try to save your prince. Thepit is going to collapse.”

Leonora let out a cry and jumped off the floating stone to goto a bleeding Leonidas lying at the center of the pit. After a briefmoment of hesitation, Theras straightened. He jumped off the stoneand started to move backwards toward Leonidas. “I will come afteryou,” he promised. “You will die for your treachery, Vane.”

“You will have to find me first.” Vane jumped off the stoneand ran toward Grey and me. The bull carried me across the bridgeinto the tunnel. Grey and Vane ran behind me. As soon as we gotthrough, a skeleton crew of guards attacked us. Vane waved hishand and knocked them all out against the wall.

“You’re no fun,” Grey said to him and lowered his sword.“We don’t have time to play.” Vane shot a fireball behind us.

Rocks collapsed and closed off the tunnel from the pit. “Merlin is onthe level above us. The armory and the other prisoners are nearwhere he’s being kept.”

I jumped off the bull. The animal went straight to Vane. Hesnorted in a friendly way and licked Vane’s face. Vane grimaced.

“Aw, Vane, you have a widdle puppy,” Grey said.I struck Grey with the blunt end of the spear. “That poor

thing’s been through more than you.” I went to the bull and touchedthe spear. The bull whined, warning me to stay away from the area.I looked at Vane. “You need to heal him.”

“I’ve promised him more than that,” Vane said grimly. Hishands glowed red and he moved to put them on the beast. “Don’tworry. You’ll be free, as I promised.”

I knocked Vane’s hands away from the bull. “No! You’renot killing him.”

Vane looked at me with strained patience. “It’s what heasked. He’s been through enough. You, of all people, should know

that.”I put my hand against the bull’s face. “You can talk to him?”Vane nodded. “I promised him an end if he’d help us today.”“Well, this is not the end,” I declared. I stared into the big

brown eyes of the bull and put a hand on its wet nose. The pain inthe beast’s eyes was a reflection of my own pain, but it went muchdeeper than mine did. I wondered if the bull knew anything elseother than these darkened tunnels. I wasn’t going to let it dieknowing just the pit. I straightened with a determined expression.

Vane cursed, correctly interpreting my intention.“What?” Grey said.“Ask the bull if he wants to go with us,” I told Vane.

***The bull liked Grey. It decided to shadow him as we made

our way through the maze of the palace. I traded my spear for asword from one of the knocked-out guards.

Vane seemed to know exactly where to go and led us swiftlythough the tunnels. We made it to the next level withoutencountering much resistance. Sounds of chaos still filtered from thegeneral area of the pit. Collapsing the pit as a diversion had beenbrilliant because all the guards seemed to be rushing to the center.

The second level stood mostly empty. We waded throughthe half flooded interior.

“The wizards and gargoyles have been separated. I doubtthere will be many guards, but it won’t be abandoned.” Vanedirected Grey to the armory and the prisoners. “Ryan and I will getMerlin. Above all, get Excalibur. Take the bull. He’s a gooddistraction.”

Grey took off with the bull down the long hallway. Vane

hurried off in the opposite direction. I followed him.“You’re not going to like what you see,” he warned.“I know.” I pictured the little bit of the horror Matt had let

slip through last night. We rounded a corridor. Vane pulled me intoa shadowy corner just beyond where five soldiers guarded a doorwith a slit at the top.

“I’ll take care of them. You get Merlin,” Vane said.“Alright,” I said.He gave me a suspicious look at the easy agreement. I

moved to take a step out of the shadows. He yanked me back.“Before we get my brother, I want you to remember one thing.”Hard lips claimed mine in a possessive kiss. I barely had time toshiver from the shock of electricity the kiss pumped through mebefore Vane released me as abruptly as he’d captured me.

Vane ran out of the shadows at the guards. He shot a fireballat them and one at the door. The guards scattered. The door flewopen. My heart racing with adrenaline, I followed. With my sword,I fought off one guard and entered into the nightmare Lelex haddevised for Matt.

I stopped cold at the threshold. A lone sconce lit the starkstone box of a room. The glimpses I’d seen the night before hadbeen nothing compared to the full horror before me. Matt hung fromchains on the far wall. When he lifted his head, the light illuminatedhis face. My hand went to my mouth. I stifled a sob.

CHAPTER 16 – THE LION

CHAPTER 16THE LION

Matt was almost completely naked. A tattered loincloth and

an ugly chain with a yellow diamond were his only apparel. His ribspoked out from under his skin. A skin whose color I couldn’tdetermine. The stench of blood, grime, and feces filled the room.

He’d been starved and beaten and who knew what else.I walked toward him slowly. His head jerked at the sound of

my footsteps. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. I doubtedthat his vocal chords even worked anymore. He couldn’t see. Hiseyelids looked too swollen for him to be able to open. I wonderedif he could hear me. Dried blood caked the insides of his ears.

I reached up and touched the sides of his face. He shrankback. Fear spilled from him. It surrounded me, a palpable throbbingobject in the air.

“Matt. It’s me,” I thought to him.He remained as he was. I closed my eyes and pictured the

door again. I knocked on it. No one answered. I pounded on it. Noone answered.

“You’re going to need more than that,” Vane said frombehind me.

I opened my eyes.“Guards won’t be bothering us.” From the doorway, he

looked Matt over with dispassionate eyes. “This is worse than Ithought.”

“Can you heal him?” I said through the lump in my throat.“The damage is extensive. It’ll weaken me, but I can heal his

body.” Vane stepped inside the room. “It won’t bring him backthough. It won’t be enough.”

I turned back to Matt. “What do you mean?”

“His mind. He’s probably done the same thing I did. He’slocked himself inside a box. However, while I’ve spent the lastmonth digging myself out of mine, he’s spent the month digginghimself in deeper.”

I looked at Matt’s battered face. “What do we do?”“Not we. You.” Vane came up behind me. “You’ll have to

wake him first.”“I’ve tried. The amulet isn’t working. There’s a door—”“A what?” Vane shook his head. “Never mind. It doesn’t

matter. I’m not talking about using the amulet. Call him back likeyou did at Akrotiri.”

My eyes fixed on Matt’s sealed ones. “I’m not sure what Idid. It was the snake—”

“He almost died that day. You gave him a piece of yourselfto bring him back. That piece is the key. Use it to find him. Once hewakes, he’ll be able to heal.”

I had no idea what he was talking about.Vane put his hands around my waist. His lips grazed my ear.

“Now, move—” He picked me up and set me aside. He waved hishand. Matt’s shackles and every link in the chains that held himblew apart.

I blinked at the underlying anger in Vane’s magic.Matt fell forward into Vane’s arms. Vane laid him on the

ground. I watched Vane. So far, he’d played it cool, but I saw thetight lines of his jaw and realized that seeing Matt like this upset himas much as it did me. Considering how hard the brothers went ateach other, it surprised me a bit. Vane knelt by his brother andreached into his leather skirt. He drew out Lelex’s crown from ahidden pocket.

“Surprise. Surprise,” I muttered. “Is that why you killedhim?”

“I had thought to steal it. As I recall, your obstinacy forcedme to change that plan.”

“I’m not obstinate,” I said.Vane snorted before uttering an incomprehensible magic

word. Wind fluttered around us. The emerald on the crown glowed.Vane tapped it against the diamond on Matt’s chest. Mattshuddered. Vane kept the emerald against the diamond. Finally, thediamond dimmed. Vane waved his hand and the chain broke apart.Vane picked up the diamond and threw it across the room. Then,he looked up at me. He crooked a finger and beckoned meforward.

“Your turn.”I knelt by Matt. Unshed tears stung behind my eyelids at the

emaciated state of him. A thought came to me. My eyes flew tomeet Vane’s. “If I bring him back, won’t he feel all this?”

“Yes. Wherever he is, he’s keeping the pain at bay. You’regoing to be asking him to feel everything.”

I blanched. “But—”He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze that was part

reassurance, part force. “We don’t have a lot of time. Once theystart thinking again upstairs, this is the first place the mermaids willcome. We have to do this fast. That means he has to wake up andhelp with his healing.”

I untangled my hand from Vane’s. He let it go reluctantly. Iclosed my eyes. I saw the door again. I pounded on it again. Iyelled. I pounded harder until my knuckles bled. The door remainedunyielding, a wall of stone. I opened my eyes and shook my head.

“Alright, we do this the hard way.” Vane reached into hispocket and pulled out Medusa’s snake. “I took it off Lelex in thethrone room.” He picked up the snake and opened the stopper.

I grabbed his hand to stop him. “That almost killed us lasttime.”

“It ties you together. This is our only option. He is the mostpowerful wizard I know. I don’t know how Lelex did this. Heshouldn’t have been able to. Which means whatever we’re dealingwith is dangerous and strong.” A harsh shadow fell across his face.He looked at me with heated intensity. “It’s going to take somethingextreme to bring him back. Do whatever it takes.”

He opened Matt’s mouth and let a single drop fall from thesnake’s head. The effect was instantaneous. My body heaved inparallel. My hands slammed to the floor. I could no longer keepmyself upright. On all fours, I heaved again. I fell on top of Matt.

In the cave tunnel, I saw the Minotaur. Its eyes glowed withhunger, but this time, it ran ahead of me. I held a spear in my hand.This time, I hunted it. I followed it down through the cave. Watersloshed at my feet. In front of me the Minotaur laughed. It liked thechase.

We ran into the endless dark until the bright opening at theend of the tunnel appeared again. The Minotaur stopped and hisglowing eyes faced me. The bull-face sighed. “You don’t have togo. Come back in the dark with me.”

The light at the opening expanded. I put my hand up to shieldmy eyes. The light faded. I looked around the cave. The Minotaurhad disappeared. Still holding the spear, I stepped out of the cave.

“Soon,” the Minotaur whispered from the dark behind me.I ignored it. My feet sank into smooth sand. I walked along a

calm beach. The same one I’d found Matt on before. I looked intothe soft waves. There was no Siren. I looked up into the sky. Blackclouds moved across the horizon. They creeped toward me.

I started running. Time was running out.I didn’t see Matt in the water. He wasn’t anywhere on the

beach. I looked back toward the cave and above it extended theside of a cliff. At the top of the cliff, I saw a thick tree with heavybranches. I squinted up. The sun shone down, reddening therockface of the cliff. Plenty of rock, but no Matt.

“Oh, he’s here,” a deep voice said. “He’s just hiding.”I whirled around. Lelex sat on a rock at the edge of the

beach. He wore his crown and held the trident. I said lamely, “Lelexis dead. You’re not him.”

“Am I not?” He laughed. “Yet I know where Merlin hides.He sought to trick me. To get me to tell him our secrets, but he didnot realize, we are not merely mermaids. We are protectors.”

“Protectors of what?”“The Minotaur, of course. Within Aegae, lies the realm of the

Earth-Shaker. Those who seek him shall be consumed by him. Onlythe Fisher King may control him.”

“We seek only knowledge.”“You seek power,” Lelex spat.My hands tightened around the spear. “Where is Merlin?”Lelex’s eyes sharpened. “He’s locked himself away. He

doesn’t even know himself. How would you ever free him? You arenaught, but a little girl.”

I glanced at the black clouds. They chased the surf, prowlingcloser. “And you’re a distraction.” I let the spear in my hand fly. Itpierced the imaginary Lelex through the chest.

Lelex looked down at the spear. Red colored his chest.“Maybe not such a little girl after all.”

He fell backwards.Above me, a lion roared from the top of the cliff. Rays of

yellow sun shone down on the mammoth cat, highlighting the glitterin its tawny fur. I grimaced. I was going to have to climb the cliff. Iglanced down at myself. I still wore the tunic and bikini I’d worn inthe pit. My legs were bare and I’d lost the sandals. Yet, whatchoice was there?

I reached the top in what felt like an hour later. Black cloudscrowded relentlessly forward. They’d be at the beach in a fewminutes. Wherever they touched, I saw only a menacing emptiness.I hoisted myself up on the top of the cliff. I didn’t have to search forthe lion. As soon as I landed on the rocky cliff, the lion jumped infront of me.

I was not going to put out my hand and say “Here, kitty.” Iwas pretty sure the lion would chomp my hand for a snack. I stoodstill and let the lion eye me. Up close, he was not the prettiest lionI’d ever seen. His ribs stuck out. His mangy fur was bare in places.

I had found Matt.He was hungry. I stared into the sad, dark brown eyes. The

desolate pain in them reminded me of the bull. I took a step towardhim. The lion growled low in his throat. I stopped.

Vane had said, “Do what it takes.” There was only oneanswer. Slowly, I lowered myself to my knees and held out myhand. It shook. I forced it to still.

“Here, kitty,” I told him. “I taste good.”He eyed me. “I will hurt you.”My heart skipped a beat at the sound of Matt’s voice.

“I know,” I replied.The lion took one leap. His powerful teeth clamping down on

my arm. Massive jaws broke bone and flesh easily. I screamed.The lion roared again. Blue light filled my vision and thankfully, Isaw no more.

***I woke up with a start. My head was pounding. One arm

throbbed with pain. I pushed myself up on my elbow with the armthat still functioned. I blinked and focused. Dim light told me I wasback in the dungeon room.

“You’re alright,” Vane said.I looked down at Matt’s stomach. He still lay on the floor.

Vane sat on the other side of him. His hands idly draped on Matt’sside, but he wasn’t healing him.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.Vane watched me with a strange look. “How are you

feeling?”“How is Matt?”“Look for yourself,” he replied.I really didn’t want to. I didn’t have the nerve.“Look,” Vane ordered.I gave him an annoyed glare. “I’ll look when I want to—”Matt screamed. My head turned without thought. Blue light

shimmered across his chest and face. He had my arm between histeeth.

I nearly gagged. Mutilated flesh best described the state ofmy arm. It was still attached to me, the bone broken but still there.It appeared rotted. Black veins crisscrossed from wrist to armpit. Achunk of skin had been torn off at the spot where Matt had bitten

into the forearm.Matt shuddered. Much smaller, human teeth sank further into

my flesh. I hissed, tears stinging my eyes. The black veins movedfurther up to touch my right shoulder while the blue light expandedover Matt’s stomach.

Vane rose and came around to sit beside me. “Alright, he’shad enough.” He moved to take my arm out of Matt’s mouth.

“Wait,” I said. “What if we lose him again?”“I don’t care. He’s healing himself by feeding on you. What

did you do in there?”“You said do what it takes,” I muttered.Vane stared at me. “He asked so you gave yourself to him?”He didn’t ask. I didn’t say it out loud, but Vane read the

reply in my face. His face took on a resigned expression I didn’tlike. I tried to explain, “It’s not what you think. There was this lion—”

Vane jerked my arm out of Matt’s mouth.“Vane!” I looked anxiously at Matt. The blue light

shimmering across the top of his body remained steady.“He’s fine.” Vane didn’t look at me as he took a hold of my

mutilated arm. Red magic flowed from his fingers. I winced when hestarted healing my arm. He wasn’t gentle. It felt like a thousandneedles pricking me at once. I had sword gashes deadlier than thiswound and their healing I now compared to a soothing tongue-licking. Finally, the red light faded. Vane dropped my arm. “You’llhave scars.”

I looked down. The skin had healed. The bite had healed. Iflexed my fingers. Feeling had also returned. The smaller black veinshad disappeared. However, the thick ones, radiating out from the

bite spot, remained. Vane watched me inspect myself with half-hooded eyes.

“You’re upset,” I said.“Did I ever have a real chance?”With you? He meant. The wealth of hurt in the simple

question twisted at my heartstrings. I put my uninjured hand on hischeek.

He flinched.I kept my hand on his face. “I did what I had to do to save

him. That’s it.”“Is it?” He recaptured my newly healed flesh in a tight grip.I bit my lip to keep from crying out.Movement sounded at the door.Vane picked up his sword and jumped up.Blake stuck his head inside. He was still wearing a tattered

wetsuit. “Need assistance?”Gia ran in past him. She wore a tunic dress like mine. She

threw her arms around me. “I’m so glad to see you.”I couldn’t get a word past the huge lump in my throat. I

nodded into her hair.Grey sauntered in. He held up Excalibur. “Who wants this?”A visceral thrill went through me at the sight of the sword. I

had missed it. A lot.Vane lowered his sword. “Emerson, bring the other wizards.

We need to finish healing Merlin.”The others streamed in. Some wore mermaid clothing.

Several of them still wore their wetsuits. After fifteen days, though,most of the rubber material stretched awkwardly. Many were torn.The wizards, themselves, didn’t look much better. Clarence, the

oldest wizard among them, seemed the most unaffected and hewalked with a slight limp. The gargoyles hurried in with moreenergy.

After several minutes and the combined healing efforts ofseven wizards, Matt sat up. He finally let go of my arm. He staredat us, but didn’t speak. I looked at Vane questioningly.

Vane shrugged. “Give him time.”“What do we do now?” Grey asked.“We find what they don’t want us to find,” Matt said.All heads turned to look at him. His voice sounded about a

hundred years old.I asked, “What is that?”“The passageway to the Lady. It’s here,” Matt replied. “I

saw it in Lelex’s mind. It’s the source of the mermaids’ magic.”“But where is it?” Grey asked.Matt rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know—”“Don’t strain yourself.” Vane stood up and secured a sword

into the golden belt that tied the leather skirt of his uniform. “I knowwhere.”

***We climbed up a wide staircase to the top level of the

palace. Grey tugged at the toga the mermaids had fitted on him forthe sacrifice. “Think I can get my wetsuit back?”

I grinned. “You don’t like wearing a skirt?”“I think it’s cute,” Gia added. She sniffed at Blake. “Better

than being smelly for a month.”“You got a cell to yourself and regular baths, maiden,” Blake

said. “The rest of us were packed into one.”Gia blushed and stuck out her tongue at him.

“I’m so ready to get out of this hellhole,” Grey said.I agreed. The palace wound this way and that. Vane led us

without faltering. We snuck down abandoned corridors. Manywere flooded with water. Vane continued to lead us with unerringcertainty through the maze of corridors. Finally, we reached the laststaircase. We’d gotten from the dungeons to the top floor. Thestrange echo of music, an aria, floated up from the middle of thepalace.

“What is that?” I asked.“I don’t know, but it’s keeping them busy,” Vane replied.

“Hurry.”Still too weak to walk, Matt rode on top of the bull. The bull

picked its way up the staircase with surprising agility.“Where are we going?” Matt asked.“The palace is built into the side of a hill,” Vane explained.

“There are two frescoes of the red doors we came through. One isin the throne room. That room is too central to have a hiddenpassageway attached. I happened on the other fresco in abedchamber—”

“You would,” Matt said.“The bull will throw you if I ask him,” Vane said mildly.Matt grimaced. We reached the top floor landing. Rich red

tapestries lined the walls. Windowed walls showed off stunningvistas of Aegae. The setting sun sparkled in bright orange, purple,and pink across an endless sky. The wizards took out the fewguards that lined the walls soundlessly. We hurried down the slickmarble hallway to a central bedchamber.

The outer wall of the palace was partially open to theoutside. From my vantage point, I saw what Vane meant about the

bedchamber being ideally situated. It was built into the hill, withnothing below it or above it. It looked more like a covered bridgethan a bedchamber.

I touched Excalibur, hooked to my side. I still wore mychampion uniform, but had stolen a belt off a fallen guard in thedungeons. The gargoyles gripped their swords in front of them,afraid to let them out of their sights.

Vane flung open the gold doors. On the far wall, the wall thatabutted the hill, there stood a massive bed with a golden canopy,the grand centerpiece in the room. The crest of the mermaids, thewinding snake that Lelex was wearing as an armband, decorated acentral beam across the top of the canopy.

“Lelex’s room,” Vane confirmed.“I don’t see red doors.” Matt slid off the bull. He wobbled,

but steadied himself.I resisted an urge to run over and offer support. I noticed

Vane was studying him too.“The bed is up against the hill. Look closer. I have to find

another thing.” Vane crossed to a big armoire and flung it open. Anarray of weapons hung inside. Vane cursed. “It’s not here.”

“The trident?” Matt asked.Vane nodded.“That is because I have it,” Leonidas declared from the door.We all turned to look behind us. Leonidas stood in the

hallway, backed by Theras and a large group of soldiers. I spottedLeonora hiding behind the soldiers. I pulled out Excalibur. Thegargoyles raised their swords. The wizards outstretched their hands.Eighteen of us against a hundred of them—our chances were good.

Leonidas looked at Vane with a furious expression. “You

have betrayed us most grievously, Vane. For this I shall make yourdeath slow.”

“Get in line,” Matt muttered behind me.Vane walked over to stand on the frontline of the standoff.

He crooked a brow at Leonidas. “Would you like to see what yourfather has been hiding?” He took the crown out of his pocket andplaced it on his head.

“That is not yours,” Theras spat.Vane commanded, “Kavas.”The emerald gemstone glowed. The massive bed creaked

and started shifting to the right. Several of the wizards who werestanding by the bed moved in front of it. Under the bed appeared aset of red doors that were perfectly matched to the size of the bed.Just like the doors we came through, these also had a golden bullcarved on top. Vane focused Lelex’s crown at the golden bull. Asoft beam of green light shimmered across the bull’s face. The reddoors opened up.

A huge whirlpool began to swirl below us.“What is that?” Leonidas asked. “A passageway.” Vane took the crown off his head.Vane glanced at me, then at Matt. It was a signal. Vane

twirled the crown around on his fingers, carelessly dangling it overthe whirlpool. Surreptitiously, I stepped up to the whirlpool. Mattdid the same; then Clarence and the others followed.

Leonidas shouted. “Give me my crown!”Theras noticed and stood on alert. “Leonidas—”“If you insist.” Vane tossed the crown at Leonidas and

shouted to us, “Now!”Startled, Leonidas reached out to catch the crown. He

dropped the trident. Vane waved a hand and the trident flew to him.Matt jumped into the whirlpool. So did the others.

“Follow them!” Leonidas shouted.Vane beckoned the white bull. Red magic flowed over the

animal. The mermaids advanced. Vane blasted them with a fireball.“Go!” he shouted to me as he climbed on top of the bull.I jumped.Vane blasted the mermaids again before he urged the bull

into the water. It was the last thing I saw before my headsubmerged. Going down the whirlpool reminded me of going downa slide, albeit an underwater one. Luckily, I still had gills. Thewhirlpool dropped me into a pond. The wizards had lit a fewfireballs allowing dim light to flare through the empty cavern. Thepond sat on one edge. Black rock like the one we’d seen at the firstset of red doors made up the interior.

Matt fished me out of the pond and pulled me up onto thecavern floor. His eyes lingered on my newly healed arm for asecond before going to my neck.

“Your gills are gone too,” he said.I looked at the ring I was wearing and saw it had turned

black.“The whirlpool did something to the charms,” Matt said. “But

our natural magic seems to be intact.”Instinctively, I touched the Dragon’s Eye . The amulet

warmed under my touch. I stared into Matt’s eyes. Knock. Knock.Dark eyes flickered and I knew he heard me.“The charm is closely tied to me,” he said. He opened his

mouth to say something else when a rumble sounded behind us.Vane and the bull free-fell through the funnel of the whirlpool.

The bull emitted a pained groan. Vane floated them up in the airbefore they landed in the pond below. They glided smoothly ontothe cavern floor, slightly more elegant than my dunk into the pond.The gargoyles wandered out into the darkness.

“There is a cavern here, Sire,” one called out to Grey. Greymade a face in response.

Gia came up beside me. “They drew straws to be thesacrifices, but Grey tried to cheat every time so he would draw theshort straw—”

“He what?” I exploded.“He’s becoming their leader, Ryan. And they adore him.”Grey. A gargoyle leader. Their future king. I absorbed that.

Gia watched me with sympathy. It seemed we’d all changed in amere fifteen days. I wanted to ask Gia how she was, but couldn’tfind the words. I put my arm around her shoulder. We leanedtogether, our heads touching.

“Let’s get going. They will soon be behind us.” Vane jumpeddown from the bull.

He led it toward the tunnel. Gia and I followed. One of thewizards lit a fireball and threw it out into the tunnel. The darkpassageway extended past the mouth of the cavern.

I stopped cold. “I’ve seen this before.”A splash came from behind us in the pond. Leonidas’s head

popped up from the water.“Move!” Vane dragged me into the tunnel. Everyone else

hurried inside. Vane, Matt, and the other wizards lined up behindus. They blasted the tunnel’s entrance. The tunnel shook as rockscollapsed to block the opening.

“Vicarati,” Matt commanded.

A rainbow of magic fluttered across the rocks before it sankinto them and disappeared.

“It won’t hold them,” Vane said. “Leonidas has his father’scrown. They’ll be able to break through.”

“It will delay them,” Matt said.“Matt, I’ve been in this tunnel before.” I looked around at the

jagged rocks. “It’s the one from the snake vision. The one with theMinotaur.”

“Good,” Vane said as he came up beside me.I demanded, “How could being trapped in the dark with a

man-eating beast be good?”“At least we know we’re in the right place.” Vane took a

hold of the bull’s bridle. His eyes met mine.I thought I saw his eyes flash with green. A shiver of unease

went up my spine. I looked at his neck. His gills remained. Itouched them. “How?”

“Mermaid magic, remember? Not a spell.” Vane pulled awaywith a sardonic smile. “Come on, champion, time to show ourmettle.”

Clarence and another wizard lit fireballs on their palms andwent in front of the bull to lead the way. I waited for the others towalk ahead of us before going to Matt.

“Matt, listen, about the Minotaur and this cave—” I gesturedat the cavern. I had to tell him what Excalibur had shown me aboutVane.

A fierce light colored Matt’s amber eyes, he caught my armin a tight angry grip.

What had I done now?

CHAPTER 17 - THE WHITE BULL

CHAPTER 17THE WHITE BULL

Matt’s eyes fixed on the black veins running just under my

skin. “You didn’t need to do this.”A dim blue fireball floated in the air beside us. It was a

reminder of how close he had come to not making it. Usually,Matt’s magic burned so bright, it could blind a person. I glanceddown at his hold. His knuckles had turned white from strain. I saidsimply, “It brought you back.”

He didn’t say anything.“The arm is fine.” I tried to tug my arm away, but he held it

tight.“Don’t ever do it again,” he spat out. Releasing me, he

stalked ahead.I stared after him. Was it me or did every guy come with a

crazy button?“It’s you,” came the caustic reply.“You’re welcome,” I shouted at his disappearing back.To my satisfaction, his shoulders stiffened. He kept walking

and with him went the light. It only took a few seconds in theencroaching blackness to convince me to run after him. I went pastMatt to the middle of the group. I was going to have to figure outwhat was going on with Vane myself.

We reached the end of the passageway and emerged intoanother cavern.

A long narrow stone bridge stretched across a river of murkywater. A gold carving of a bull had been gouged into the rock justbefore the bridge.

“Definitely the right place,” Vane said.Grey put one foot on the bridge to test it. “It’s steady, but

slippery. One wrong step on the slick stone and you’ll beswallowing water. What fun.” Grey took his first step onto thebridge.

“Wait.” Colin stopped him. He picked up a loose rock fromthe ground and threw it out over the bridge. Gigantic tentaclessprang from both sides of the bridge like snapping jaws. Suctioncups lined with sharp spikes on the tentacles caught and crushed therock with ease.

“Fun,” repeated Blake.“Wizards! Blast this creature,” Vane ordered.“Don’t collapse the bridge. We don’t have the energy to float

everyone across. Who knows what else might be in the water,”Matt said.

The wizards all lined up. Colin threw another rock towardthe bridge. The wizards shouted a spell. A tremendous gust of windspun out at the creature. A roar filled the chamber and the wholecavern shook. Water lapped over the bridge. The river startedrising.

“Great, that worked,” Gia said from beside me.Grey touched his neck where the gills had been. “We can’t

swim.”“No.” Vane twirled the trident in his hand in contemplation.

“We could try Excalibur.”I took a step forward.Matt stopped me. “She’s not going in without any

forethought. You’ve risked her enough.”Vane rounded angrily on Matt.“We’re running out of time,” Clarence interrupted. “We need

a glamor. A shield until we cross the bridge.” The older wizard

muttered a word and his whole body disappeared.“Clarence, wait—” said Matt.“Shhh.” Vane held up a hand to silence him.Clarence was already on the bridge. I squinted my eyes. A

shimmer of dust made its way across the bridge. No one spoke aswe held our breaths. The dust reached the end of the bridge. I letmy breath out. A roar shook the chamber.

A giant female head on a long, slim neck rose out of a hole atthe other end of the bridge. As wide as the bridge itself, its Medusahead had snakes instead of hair squirming out from its follicles. Onits face sat one giant eye and a mouth with three rows of teeth.

“A gift from the Gorgons,” Vane muttered.The creature emitted a shrill, rolling scream.“Clarence, shut your eyes,” Vane shouted. “Don’t look at it.”It was too late. The creature smiled. The cloud of shimmering

dust in front of it solidified into a solid stone statue in the shape ofClarence. Tentacles flew out of the air and crushed the statue.Beside me, Gia let out a mewling sound of grief. I wanted to do thesame.

Vane cursed. “It’s a Medusa. We have to cut off its head.”“Or it’s a Scylla.” I replied. “We just passed Charybdis.”“In which case cutting off the head will replace it with two,”

Vane completed.“How do we know which one it is?” Blake asked.“How do we kill it, in either case?” Colin asked.The bull snorted beside Vane. It stomped on the golden

carving in the rock.I looked at it. “What is he saying?”“Hear for yourself.” Vane put his hand on my shoulder and

put his other hand on the bull’s bridle.“I will run across. I am fast. You keep your eyes closed. I

will tell you when to strike. Then, I will be champion. I go tothe great fields. I was saved for this. It is my time, Sire—“

Vane dropped his hand from my shoulder.But I’d heard enough. “No.”“Yes.” Vane jumped on top of the white bull, using one hand.

In the other, he carried the trident.They raced across the bridge. Tentacles rose once again. I

watched, my heart in my throat, as the bull jumped through thetentacles with easy grace. They reached the hole just as thecreature’s head rose from the water, snakes writhing. The bulljumped over the snakes. It landed on the other side right as thecreature’s head fully surfaced. The creature whirled at the sametime that the bull did. The monster caught the white bull with its eye.The animal turned to stone. His own still squeezed shut, Vanestabbed the creature’s eye with the trident.

The creature screamed. Vane stabbed it again, one viciousstrike that drove deep into the creature’s soft pulp of a cornea. Thistime, the creature’s wail shook the whole chamber. It gave a greatshuddered and fell forward, right on top of Vane.

“Vane!” I cried out.Opening his eyes, Vane kicked the monster with both feet.

Blood colored the water as it sank down into its murky depths.“Let’s go,” Matt urged.Water splashed even higher across the bridge.“Hold hands,” Matt yelled as he grabbed mine.Gia held my other hand and we ran across the rapidly

disappearing bridge. We reached the hole. Vane stood on the other

side with the trident. The creature’s head drifted into the hole.Snakes floated lifelessly in the water.

“Step over it,” Vane commanded.Matt jumped on the floating head. He crossed.Next, the creature’s head squished under my feet. Two steps

later and I stood on the other side too. As the others followed pastthe fallen Scylla, I went to the bull. I put my hand on the stonestatue. A few wrinkles marred the smooth surface. Thetransformation had preserved the bull’s scars. I bit my lip. “Wenever even asked him his name.”

“Mahoksa. Great bull,” Vane answered. He came up besideme.

I faced him. “That was reckless.”“I am reckless.”“Why did you take out the eye instead of the head?”Vane’s lips twisted into a small smile. “Maybe I believed

you.”“You didn’t hesitate at all. You knew the answer. When it

screamed, could you understand it?” I frowned at him. “This isbeyond your wizard abilities—to understand a rare creature such asthis. You couldn’t possibly understand it unless you had mermaid—”

“I am a mermaid… sort of. Lelex changed me, Ryan. I’vemanaged to keep myself intact, but part of me will always bemermaid. I will always have these.” He touched his gills. “I thoughtyou understood that.” His pupils flared green. “Does that disgustyou?”

“Of course not.” It worries me.The mermaids were savages and Vane already had

aggressive tendencies.“Good.” His pupils returned to normal and he turned back to

the bull. “We should put the creature to rest.” He raised his hand atthe bull statue. “Antyakriya atasa.”

A sharp wind surrounded the bull. It whittled into the stonestatue and ground it into fine dust. Vane blew into the air and thedust scattered, landing in the water.

It was a quiet group that went into the rough doorwaybeyond the bridge. Beyond it, we emerged onto another ledge. Thistime, there was no river. We stood on a cliff and below us lay thebiggest maze I’d ever seen.

“Are you sure there’s no other way?” Blake stared downover the valley.

“This is why we came, Emerson,” said Vane. He and theother wizards floated a giant fireball over the ledge to light thevalley. The circular maze stretched across the whole interior of thehill. The paths led to a center. Despite the open top, the centerremained shrouded by some kind of lush vegetation.

I took a step closer to the edge and stumbled.Vane caught me. “Careful.”Matt directed a fireball beside me. It illuminated a path of

narrow steps leading down into the valley. The path spiraled down,as steep and as long as the one back on Fira, but no donkeyscarried us this time.

Grey groaned. “It’s going to take us days to figure this out.”“No,” Matt waved a hand in the air.A stream of faint blue light colored the air. The light morphed

into a picture, a replica of the maze. We all looked at it closely andcompared it to the maze below.

“It’s accurate.” Matt huffed.Blake cleared his throat. “Maybe I could double check?” He

muttered a magical command. A burst of wind buzzed around myears. Yellow overlaid blue light. It matched perfectly.

Matt scowled at Blake. “You see?”Beside me, Vane’s lips twitched with suppressed laughter. I

elbowed him. Matt’s eyes narrowed in our direction.“I’m fine,” Matt muttered. He waved a hand and a yellow

line threaded a course through the maze to the center. “I needsomeone to hold the map.”

I opened my mouth.Matt raised a brow. “Someone who doesn’t mind being

shirtless.”I closed my mouth.Vane leaned down to my ear and said just loud enough for

Matt to hear, “You would be my first choice.”Matt stiffened. Despite knowing that Vane said the words to

needle Matt, his husky voice still sent a shiver down my spine.There was an underlying edge to his tone I couldn’t put my fingeron. Actually, I wanted to see him shirtless, though not for any sortof pleasurable reason.

Grey slid off the top of his toga. “Alright, do what you haveto.”

“Turn.” Matt flicked his hand at the picture and it flew atGrey’s back. Blue light sank under his skin and a tattoo of the mazeinked itself on the smooth surface. Matt started down the steps andGrey followed him closely.

Vane stared out at the valley, the trident in his hand.“What are you thinking?” I asked him.

“Do you remember the story of the Minotaur? You must fightthe monster to find whatever else trapped inside.”

“You think the Minotaur is at the center?” I said.A bittersweet smile tugged at his mouth. “Yes, but I don’t

have a problem with monsters. They can be killed. It’s the‘whatever else’ that worries me.”

***We walked for the next several hours. I glanced at Grey’s

back. Five hundred and fifty steps down from the cliff, we crossedinto the maze. The entrance had been made from an arch of threegiant stone slabs—which Blake reminded me was called a trilithon.Matt drove us to walk at least a quarter of our way through themaze before we persuaded him to stop in a circular clearing.

The two remaining wizards under Blake’s direction lit torchesaround the clearing. To my surprise, Vane pulled a ration pack offood out of his pocket. Eyeing the mermaid leather skirt outfit hewore, I couldn’t see where he’d managed to stuff the pack.

When I asked him, he started explaining about spells andmatter displacement and had me yawning in under a minute. We allate together in the middle of the clearing. He didn’t have anysleeping bags in his pockets so we constructed makeshift pallets outof huge fronds that canopied the maze.

The clearing contained tall hedges that marked off privateareas. Gia and I picked one. The guardian wizards, Matt, andBlake took another. Three gargoyles and Grey occupied another.They’d gotten used each other after spending so long together in thedungeons. Vane went off by himself to a secluded area at the veryedge of the clearing.

I gathered my designated fronds and started to walk to Gia’s

and my area when Blake came up to me with two torches.He handed me one. “Are you sure about this?”I raised a brow. “You sound nervous. Can you do it?”Blake’s cheeks puffed with indignation. “I’m not sure it’s a

good idea. You’ll only have about three minutes. My magic isn’tthat powerful.”

“It will be enough time,” I said.“Fine, but it will take me awhile,” Blake replied unhappily.

He grabbed two fronds and dragged them into the wizards’ area.I lifted my fronds and slipped behind a nearby hedge. Gia

was already asleep on her pallet. I stood the torch up using tworocks I found on the ground. I tried to stay sitting up. Time passedslowly in the dark maze. Not a single star appeared above. Ofcourse, we were inside a giant hill. I found myself lying down. I toldmyself I’d shut my eyes for just a minute.

***“Why did you call me here, Vane?” I said, getting down from

my horse. I patted the stunning steed. Descended from one ofArthur’s finest studs, he moved with magnificent agility.

“Merlin.” Vane jumped down from the black stallion he rode.He turned to me. A wealth of sarcasm filled his statement. “So goodto see you, brother.”

Vane sported a matching black cloak with a hood. Under it,he wore the garb of a peasant—plain trews and a grey tunic. He nolonger wore the red and white colors of Camelot. No chainmail—nothing to identify him as a knight.

“Are the rumors true, Merlin? You found her?” he asked.I glanced at the cave behind Vane. Its small entrance hid the

mammoth cavern I knew lay inside.

Vane followed my gaze. “Is the Lady there?”“Vane—” I sighed when, as usual, he ignored me and hurried

into the cave. I followed him. The cave sat in the valley betweentwo large rock outcroppings. I ducked inside the opening, wheremoisture saturated the air. Dim light streamed from the opening atthe cave’s mouth. Vane rounded a small corridor opening that ledinto a bigger chamber.

I went after him.Vane lit a small fireball. The light gave little relief to the dingy

place. A small pond sat at one end of the chamber. I went up to itsedge. Its dark depths were riddled with fragments of otherworldlydebris. It reminded me of a tomb.

“It’s not quite the Lake.” Vane crossed to the pond. He kneltdown and peered into the water. He searched for several minutes. Iwinced when he muttered a spell over it. The spell rippled acrossthe water’s surface and rebounded on him. The force of it knockedus both backwards with a sharp slap.

“Stop,” I said. “It is Lake water, but she is long gone.”Vane whirled around to face me. “How did this little bit of

water come to be here? What did your vision say?”“I simply saw the cave… nothing else.”Vane looked at me narrowly for a long minute. He always

envied my visions. Little did he know the curse they truly were. Toalways have an eye on the future, with little power to change it. Ilooked at Vane and tried again to reason with him, despite knowingwhat I said would fall on deaf ears. The fate of the kingdom restedin our hands. “She will not come to us again. You know that. Youknow we are alone. We need to accept that. Camelot is why weare here. Our friends. Our family—”

He looked at me sharply. “Not my family.”“You have always been included. Come back with me. Talk

with Arthur. You haven’t been the same since you fought Pellam—”He’d turned colder, even more alienated. He’d already broken offwith Guinevere. As much as I didn’t approve of that relationship,he’d become even worse with nothing to soften him.

“I’m done fighting for a kingdom that won’t fight for me.”Vane stared at the water for a long moment. Finally, he kicked arock into the pond in disgust. “Why did she bother with us in thefirst place if all she ever intended to do was abandon us?”

“You are not abandoned, Vane.”“Is that so? Whose side are you on, brother? Mine or

Camelot’s?”My eyes narrowed. “Is it true that you and Mordred are

conspiring to march on Camelot?”Vane straightened. “Where did you hear such things?”I looked at him steadily. “Guinevere.”Vane’s lips curled into a sneer. “I see. What a reliable

source.”My fingers tightened. I fought to control myself. I tamped

down the surge of magic that flared, seeking blood. I spat out, “Is ittrue?”

“If it is?”“It would be treason! Arthur is your king,” I said heatedly.

“He is Mordred’s father. How can you encourage a son to fight hisfather?”

“Arthur is a regular, not a wizard. He should not be the kingof the wizards.”

“Yes, he should be! The Council has chosen him.”

Vane looked at me without emotion. “It is what you chose,brother. If all the wizards agreed, then I would have none marchingfor me.” He flexed a gloved hand. “And believe me, they do marchfor me. Mordred is a convenience. I have as much right to take onArthur as him—”

“You have no right,” I practically shouted. “I am finishedprotecting you, Vane. If you take this path, we will never be on thesame side again.”

“It seems we never were,” Vane tossed back. “I seek tosave our people. I seek to free us from the tyrant Arthur hasbecome. How can you not see that you’ve become his pet wizard?”

“Why does it still sound like you’re jealous?”Vane’s eyes flashed. “Of you? Hardly. The Lady may favor

you, but at least I am in charge of my own destiny.” He raised hishand in the stance of a wizard duel. I don’t know who he shockedmore, himself or me, when he let the first spell fly.

I stepped out of its path. It barely missed me, yet the force ofit sent me reeling into the pond. A blast of energy zinged around thecave. Lake water sighed in mournful ripples. I thought I heardwhispers beneath the waves. “Vane, stop. This is not a good placefor a fight.”

“On the contrary, this is the only place. You have chosenyour side and it is not mine. This is the only path left.” Vane raisedhis hand again and I knew he would attack again. “Once and for all,we settle it! Let’s see if you really are the greatest wizard in theworld.”

Not entirely inside myself, I saw my hand lift to launch myown curse in response. Beneath me, the Lake water stirred.

***

Blake shook me awake. I jerked up and bumped his chin.“It’s done, Ryan,” he told me. “You have less than three

minutes.”

CHAPTER 18 - TIGER, TIGER

CHAPTER 18TIGER, TIGER

I shook off the vestiges of Matt’s memory. I didn’t have time

to dwell on it at the moment. Grabbing Excalibur, I snuck across theclearing and around a high hedge to the spot where Vane slept. Ipeeled back the frond that covered most of him and knelt downbeside him. Behind me, heated rocks warmed the cold air. Red lightfrom their embers danced across Vane’s sleeping face.

I laid Excalibur down and quickly undid the gold brooch thattied the top of Vane’s tunic. He’d taken off the armor. I pushed itoff his shoulder. I noticed he’d tucked the trident halfway under hisbody. The sight of it snugly against his back made me frown.

I tried to push up his tunic from the waist, but his back kept itfirmly in place. I tried to pull it down at the neck, but his shoulderskept it in place. I was running out of time. I turned to grab Excaliburand then back to Vane. I leaned over his chest, blade in hand.

He grabbed my wrist on the arm that held the sword. Hiseyes snapped open. “I only have one shirt. I’d really hate to have itripped apart.”

I braced myself by putting my free hand on his ribs since heheld my sword hand in mid-air. “How do you know I’m not here torip you apart?”

“You’re not the type to attack an incapacitated man.” He putpressure on my wrist.

I laid Excalibur down. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”An arrogant smile curved his lips. “Emerson needs to work

harder on his spells.”I sat back on my heels with a scowl. “You’ve been awake

the whole time? Why did you let me feel you up?”“I’ll consider that a rhetorical question.” He rose up on one

elbow. Slicked-back locks tumbled forward over his forehead. Thestrands sparkled with red light given off by the fire. Green glinted inhis eyes. “Why are you here?”

It was time to stop hiding. From him. From what washappening. “I want to see your chest.”

For a moment, tiger’s eyes watched me in the dark. Then,white teeth flashed. “I’d be happy to oblige, but I have a feeling I’mnot going to be getting what I expect in return.”

Thankfully, it was dark so he couldn’t see me blush. “Um,not why I came here. I want to see your scar.”

“How disappointing, but maybe I can change your mind.” Hecaught me by the waist and pulled me on top of him. Vane lay onhis back. I straddled him, bracing both my hands on his chest. Mythighs hugged his hips. Under his tunic, I felt the rough outline of thescar. I rubbed it with my palm.

“Don’t tease until you’re ready to play.” Vane grabbed myhand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss into my palm.

My breath hitched in response.He slanted a look at me. “How badly do you want to take

off my shirt?”“What do you want?”“Take off the amulet.”My hands went up to my neck. I touched the warm

gemstone once before I reached behind to unclasp it. It came offeasily. Oddly enough, taking off the amulet left me feeling morenaked than if I’d taken off my clothes.

I laid it down carefully next to Excalibur.Vane’s hands traced the neck of my tunic. A finger slid along

my collarbone. They stilled at the bruises. A strange desperate look

entered his eyes. It had a bleak edge, the same bleakness I’d seenafter I’d given my hand to help Matt.

“Will you let me heal them?” he asked.I whispered, “Yes.”His fingers clasped my neck. A cooling balm wrapped

around me, a gentle noose. Then, it was gone. I shivered.Vane’s nostrils flared. “Now, take off your tunic.”I hesitated.“Make a choice. Do you want to see the scar or not?”I reached down and grabbed the edges of the filmy tunic. I

pulled it over my head, leaving me only wearing a gold bikini. Hepulled me forward up to his shoulders. He leaned up and placed akiss on my bare stomach. I gasped.

His tongue licked my belly button slowly, leisurely… foreplaywith a promise of greater pleasure to come. It went on for anendless moment until every nerve I possessed purred. When hefinally lifted his head, I had to pull the breath back into my lungs, notto mention the thoughts back into my head.

I scooted back on him, acutely aware of his bare legsshowing just beyond the skirt of his uniform. “Vane, your turn.”

Vane hoisted himself up so that we sat facing each other. Isat in his lap. His hand slid up my bared back, tracing my spine. Hisfinger found the edge of the bikini. He traced the edge, crossing myribs, skimming the bottom of a breast, until he came to a stop at thegolden clasp that kept the minuscule piece of cloth together.

“Make a choice. Me or me.”My body went hot and then cold. I knew what he was

asking. We’d been dancing around it for months. Everything insideme yearned to say yes… to anything… to everything, but I also

wanted more. Much more. I put two hands on either side of hisface. Warm palms flat against icy cheeks. “That’s not a choice.”

“It was.” With an unreadable expression, he let his hand fallfrom the clasp. “I have my answer.”

He took off his tunic.Firelight danced across his naked chest. My eyes went

immediately to the puckered scar just above his heart. It no longerlooked faded. Green veins crisscrossed over it. The veins radiatedout from the scar and extended over most of Vane’s chest.

My stomach twisted. Matt had been right. I should haveconfronted Vane long before now. I touched the scar with the tipsof my fingers. “What’s happened to you?”

“I don’t know. Ever since Lelex tried to convert me, it’s as ifsomething woke up inside.”

“Lelex?” I glanced at the metal still tucked under him.Without thinking about it, I picked up Excalibur. “Or the trident?”

Vane took my hand and put it flat against his chest. Excaliburwarmed. I saw an endless darkness. Worse than the limbo I’d beenin once before, this abyss held not even a vestige of light. A sounddrew my attention and jerked me toward the darkness of the maze.In its depth, I heard the Minotaur laugh. I blinked, bringing myselfback to reality. Vane teetered on the edge and I knew it.

“We have to tell Matt.”“No.” Vane’s eyes burned with green fire. “Whatever this is,

it does not belong to Merlin.”“Vane, whatever this is, it’s not good,” I said. “Matt can

help.”“No, this has chosen me.”I frowned. “You can’t actually want this.”

“It’s making me stronger. I can feel my powers gettingstronger.” Vane caught my shoulders. “Soon I can pry you from hisgrasp.”

I rested both hands against his chest. “You don’t need to pryme. You don’t need to be stronger. You’re strong enough.”

“Then tell me you want me. Make me believe it.”I was sitting in his lap. Did he really think I didn’t want him?

My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”Vulnerability flashed in hungry hazel irises. “Promise me you

won’t tell Merlin about the scar and I will believe you. Choose me.”My breath caught in my throat. It was the second time he’d

asked. Choose him. It wasn’t just a question. It was a request for acommitment. I wanted to cry. I couldn’t.

The scar, the green veins, a web of darkness across his cheststrangled his heart as it spread down to the navel digging deep intohim. No matter what he said, I couldn’t ignore the truth in front ofme. Ironically, just as he’d healed the bruises on my neck, I nowtruly felt their sting. I knew what they meant. Despite what hethought, the mermaids had a hold of him, not the other way around.I couldn’t choose him.

Vane read the response in my face. His head bowed.I slid out of his lap. I sat on the ground facing him, our knees

touching. My fingers tangled in dark soft hair. “Vane, don’t do this.Let me help—”

“Don’t.” His head jerked up. Eyes flashing green again. Thetiger snarled. “The pathetic part of this is—I always knew youranswer. I just hoped I was wrong.”

He moved into a crouching position and reached for thetrident. I moved quickly too. I picked up Excalibur and pinned the

trident in place on the ground.“No,” I said.He laughed. “When you make a choice, you really make it.”“Let the trident go, Vane. It’s poisoning you,” I said evenly.His hand tightened onto the metal stick. “Do you think you

can win against me?”“You know I can. You’ve spent the past month making sure

I was well trained.”Vane released the trident.I grabbed it with my free hand and he blasted me with magic.I didn’t have time to raise Excalibur to block it and without

the amulet for protection, the spell worked instantly. I froze at anawkward angle. My eyes remained open. I couldn’t move. He’dshot me with a paralyzing spell. Vane adjusted me so I lay on myback, albeit still in pretzel shape.

Fingers pushed back the hair that fell over my face. “Hunt thewizard if you dare, Dorothy. It’s time look behind the curtain.”

He pried the trident from my fingers and stood. Then, myboyfriend walked into the darkness of the maze.

***Blake found me. Unable to break Vane’s spell, he ran to get

Matt. Matt’s magic remained fairly weak so it took a combinationof him and the other wizards to finally release me. All thecommotion had woken Grey and the gargoyles.

“What were you thinking?” Matt paced back and forth infront of a long hedge and yelled at me. “Why didn’t you tell meabout your suspicions? Why did you take off the amulet?”

“I didn’t know!” I rubbed the stiff muscles on my arms. Theytingled painfully from a lack of proper blood flow. And I was cold.

Vane had left me wearing only the bikini. I’d gotten severalspeculative looks at the state of my undress. Matt’s expressionreminded me of someone who’d eaten a sour lemon.

He stomped up to peer down at me. “Didn’t you knowabout the scar? The trident? What exactly didn’t you know?”

“I didn’t know he was going to run off. I didn’t know he wasgoing to ask me… never mind.” I wasn’t about to tell Matt that I’dturned down sex… and more… something infinitely more fragile.My insides churned with unexpected guilt. I’d been right, but itdidn’t feel right. So I sprang up and shouted at Matt instead. “Whydidn’t you know? You’re his brother. You’re the all powerfulwizard.”

His nostrils flared. “I can’t know everything and I’m hardlyall powerful at the moment.”

“That much is obvious,” I retorted.Matt’s eyes flickered momentarily with hurt. I bit my lip to

keep from screaming. I was on a roll. Who did I want to kick in theteeth next?

“What do you think he’s doing?” Blake asked.He and the others sat gathered around the fire. They’d been

watching us go at it without a word until now.“He’s going to the center of the maze,” I said. “There’s

something here. It’s calling us both.”“The Minotaur?” Matt said.“I think I see it because of Excalibur, while the trident is

leading Vane.” I stared off into the opening of the maze. “It’s at thecenter. It must be.”

“Then, that’s where we go too. Gather up. We’ll head out ina few minutes. With any luck, we’ll make it to the center before

Vane.” Matt glanced at Grey. “He doesn’t have a map.”Grey looked up from the fire. “I’m not sure he needs one. I

noticed when we walked here, he seemed to know that path beforeyou picked it out on the map.”

Matt threw up his hands. “And you didn’t think to mentionthis before?”

“I didn’t know he was going to do a crazy Tarzan on us,”Grey retorted.

“Coming from the one who’s turning into a gargoyle,” Blakesaid.

Grey growled. “Shut up, Emerson.”Colin said, “Should we take a different path than you’ve

plotted since he’s seen it? I noticed you marked out the shortestroute, but there are multiple ways to get to it.”

Matt said, “No, let’s not lose focus. Whatever is at thecenter is most important.”

I bent down and picked up my amulet. I put it back aroundmy neck. The albatross hung on me again. “Do you hear yourself?And you wonder why I didn’t tell you about Vane.”

Matt ground his teeth. “I’m doing what is best for everyone.Not just for one person.”

I looked at him. Maybe that’s the problem.A rustle sounded from beyond the hedge. All our heads

jerked to look at the spot. Gia rounded the corner and came intothe concealed area. She frowned at us. “What is going on? Why doyou all look so depressed?” Her gaze zeroed in on me. Whatevershe read in my expression caused her to put a hand to her mouth.“Did someone die?”

Blake let out a laugh that bordered on hysterical. “It’s much

worse than that.”I flinched.

***My legs were going to fall off. My head hurt worse, hungover

from lack of sleep. We’d left the clearing without delay. I yawnedfor the umpteenth time. I forced myself to climb another rocky pathinside the black walls of the maze. Nothing stretched out before us.Nothing fell behind us. We saw only inside the bubbles of light thata few small floating fireballs afforded us.

We moved along, what was left of the group—Matt, Blake,Gia, Grey, Colin, two gargoyles, and two wizards. The last vestigesof the band that originally left the boat. After a little more than twoweeks on mermaid island, our numbers were thin.

Matt led us, but Vane remained a tangible presence amongthe group. At one point, I got so tired, I caught myself standing in aspot, but still felt as if I were moving. I wasn’t the only one ithappened to. Matt made us hold hands after that.

Gia held mine tightly. Blake hung onto hers. Grey and thegargoyles, however, refused as did the two guardian wizards.

As soon as we neared the center, adrenaline started pumpinginside me. The others perked up too. The passageway ended at alarge opening. Another set of columns topped by a triangular slab ofstone framed the exit. A sheen of green light shone beyond it.

Before we made it to the exit, Blake came to a sudden halt infront of me. “Wait. Shouldn’t we have a plan? Vane can kill us withhis bare hands.”

“He won’t do that.” I paused. “I think.”“We don’t have a choice.” Matt stalked past us and through

the columns.

I was the next to follow. The center of the maze could havebeen part of the Parthenon. On top of a small hill sat a Greciantemple with perfectly symmetrical Doric columns. A triangular linteladorned the top of the building. Unlike the Parthenon, this templewas in perfect condition.

“Look.” Matt pointed to the top. Intricate carvings in themarble showed different Olympians. “They seem to be in order.Zeus takes the center with Poseidon and Hades beside him.”

“I don’t understand. Why would the Olympians be here?” Isaid. “I thought we were looking for the Guides. The Lady.”

“The Lady was one of the Greeks. They are called gods fora reason.”

“Look at the top of the triangle,” Blake said. “Poseidon’strident goes up to the center point. Inside the trident prongs—aneye and the crescent moon.”

“Why are we standing around?” Gia said. “Didn’t we comeinto this nightmare to see what’s inside?”

Swords in our hands, we went up the hill. A short set ofmarble steps led onto a veranda with the columns. A smaller doorwas inside. Matt instructed two of the gargoyles and the twowizards to stand guard at the columns. Meanwhile, Grey, Blake,Colin, and I went through the door. Blake floated a fireball to lightthe way. Matt came in last.

Torches hung on another rectangular set of columns that heldup the roof inside.

“Agni,” Matt commanded.A burst of wind blew around us and the torches flared to life.

Four statues made a square in the middle. I recognized Poseidonwith the trident and the conch; and I knew Zeus from his lightning

bolt. Hades was the third statue. The last statue on the front cornerwas a woman with a crown on her head. I didn’t recognize her.

“The red doors,” Blake pointed behind the statues. Anotherset of red doors like the one in the cavern and Lelex’s room stoodframed against the far wall behind the statues. The door stood out.The rest of temple had classical Greek architecture, except it. Itseemed Old English.

“There is no golden bull on the door,” I said.“Meaning we don’t know how to open it,” Blake said.“Then, there’s only one way in or out.” Colin inclined his

head at the door we came in. The walls all around us were solid.No other windows or openings existed.

I walked up to the statues. Inside the square, the floorrevealed another pit. Unlike the Aegae pit, this one extended onlyone level deep and couldn’t have been more than twenty feetacross.

“I see the bull.” I pointed the others to the bottom of the pit.A Minotaur had been painted in red into the marble. A mask ofgold had been laid over its face. Two emeralds gleamed from itseye sockets. “It’s the Minotaur.”

“Just like Lelex’s crown,” I said.“Wait, I see something.” Blake jumped down into the pit.“Blake,” Gia cried.He squinted up at her through a pair of dented glasses.“Don’t die,” she finished lamely.A pleased smile lit up his thin face. “I don’t plan to.”Gia smiled back.I smiled, my heart easing a bit at the sight of their happiness.“Please,” Matt muttered inside my head.

“Scrooge,” I told him.“There’s a ring of columns embedded into the walls,” Blake

called out. “What do you think that means?”“Nothing good,” I said.“A ceremonial stage,” Matt answered.Beside me, Gia nodded. Grey and Colin jumped down into

the pit. Matt followed. Gia and I looked at each other.Matt knelt by the Minotaur’s golden head. He looked up at

me. “It has to be a lock and to unlock it—”“You need the blood of the sword-bearer,” a voice came

from the shadows. “And the trident.”Gia and I jumped. Faster than I could blink, Vane moved out

of the shadows near the door and grabbed Gia.“Gia,” Blake cried. He scaled the columns up out of the pit.Vane held a sword to Gia’s throat. “Drop it.”Gia’s eyes flashed.“Do as he says,” I told her.Gia met my eyes and dropped her sword.“Good girl.” Vane kicked the sword out of the way.Matt, Grey, and Colin scrambled out of the pit. Matt said,

“Let her go. You’re outnumbered.”“Gargoyles,” Colin yelled at the door.“Oh, they’re quite incapacitated,” said Vane.Colin’s face turned red. “Bastard. Those gargoyles fought at

your side.”Vane shrugged. “Unfortunately no longer true.”“And the two wizards?” Matt asked.Vane gave another shrug. “Not very good with swords, I’m

afraid.”

“Vane, you don’t have to do this,” I said.His eyes locked on mine. “I did give you a choice.”“You won’t win, Vane, we still outnumber you,” Matt said.“No,” another voice said from the doorway. “Actually, we

outnumber you.”Leonidas stalked inside. Theras followed close behind him.

Soldiers pushed the two gargoyles and two wizards ahead of them.Theras observed Vane holding Gia hostage. He remarked,

“Interesting.”“I thought I lost you lot in the maze.” Vane sighed and

lowered his sword, releasing Gia. “So much for that plan.”“Y-you,” Gia sputtered and elbowed Vane hard in the

stomach.“The crown showed us the way,” Theras said.My eyes fixed on the two gargoyles and two wizards, still

very much alive. I turned back to Vane. “You didn’t kill them.”Vane’s lips formed a bittersweet smile. “Yet, you so easily

believed I had.”“I don’t have a problem killing any of you,” Leonidas

commented.Vane faced him. “I suppose you don’t want Aegae to survive

the day of reckoning?”Theras stilled. “What?”Vane held up the trident. “I came to Aegae for a reason. I

was meant to come here. And the answer to your future and minelies right here.” He pointed the trident to the pit. “Poseidon restshere.”

“Your tongue is smooth. Your words like honey, but you area snake. You cannot be trusted,” Leonidas interjected.

“No? Then, trust yourself.” Vane pointed to the pit again.“Put your crown to the test. Try to open that lock with it.”

Leonidas scoffed. “There is nothing there.”“Afraid?” I said.Leonidas strode over to the pit. He held up the crown. The

emerald on the crown glowed green. The emeralds on the goldenbull’s head also lit in response.

“What is this?” he said.“The source of your magic,” Matt replied. “Your father has

been coming here to recharge the crown with magic whenever youneeded. That much I glimpsed in his mind. The magic is chargedwith whatever lies here. He couldn’t have known its effects. Ibelieve exposure to it has turned the mermaids into something…harsh.”

Leonidas stared at him. “You speak nonsense.”Theras turned to Vane. “How will this save us from the

reckoning?”A cold smile echoed a chill of green that flashed in Vane’s

eyes. He turned to look at me. “To answer that, I will need amaiden.”

CHAPTER 19 - SACRIFICE

CHAPTER 19SACRIFICE

“The Minotaur is a warning,” Matt said. “If there is something

resting here, it may not be a good idea to wake it.”“Losing your courage already, Merlin?” Vane sneered.“I hope you’re coming up with a plan to get us out of this,” I

told them.Matt, Vane, and I stood inside the pit. Leonidas and

everyone else peered at us from overhead. The Aegae soldiers heldthe others at sword point. Grey didn’t look at all happy to be aprisoner again. Neither was I. I knelt on the floor, took Excaliburand sliced my forearm. Drops of blood dripped over the bull’shead. It pooled into the emerald-laden sockets.

Vane handed me the trident. I fired a shot at the bull’s head.The bull glowed. Between the ring of columns, a green ring of lightoutlined a circle of stone. The stone slid up and a hole opened.Water poured out from the spout.

Vane reached for my hand, but Matt grabbed it away fromhim and healed the wound. We climbed out of the pit. Leonidastook the trident from me. Everyone watched the water fill up andthe pit quickly became a small pond. Then, the light died. The pondsat still.

“Now what?” Grey said.Matt knelt by the pit. He touched the water. “This is Lake

water.”Vane knelt too. “Is she here?”“Who?” Leonidas asked.“Where is the cup?” Colin asked.Matt put his palm on the water. “The pit must be the cup.”Grey went to edge and touched a finger to the water. “It feels

like gel.”“Is she here?” Vane repeated.Matt looked back at him. “No.”“You’re missing something,” I said.Vane’s hand slammed down on the floor. “She has to be

here, Merlin.”I saw a small disturbance in the water. A slight trembling,

almost imperceptible. I turned to Matt. “Say your name.”“Merlin,” he said. A ripple shot through the water.I looked at Vane.“Vivane,” he said. The ripple became bigger. Under the

water, the Minotaur glowed red. Light pierced through the Lakeand projected onto the ring of stones that made up the walls of thepit. The rings started to glow. The pit shook. Tentacles of lighttraveled up to the statues.

The lone maiden moved.Behind me, the mermaids retreated to the door with fearful

expressions. Only Leonidas remained in place.The statue’s bowed head lifted. Blank, stone eyes opened.

“My sons, long have I awaited your coming.”***

“Lady?” Vane said in shock.The statue laughed. “Not quite, Vivane. We left your shores

long ago, however I left this memory for when the time was right—during the final days, when you would find me again. It will answeryour questions, if it can.”

“Who are you?” Matt asked.“The woman who raised you, Merlin, the one who set you

upon this path. I took a risk hoping you would make it here. Yet,

you have always been so clever. I knew you would not disappointme.”

“Where is here?” Matt asked.The stone face smiled. “This is one of my earlier homes. I

have lived here before you knew me.”“You didn’t answer his first question,” Vane said.“Ah, Vivane, my daring one. You are correct. I am a Guide,

a guardian sent to protect the flock. You have called us manynames throughout your time, but we have always been the same. Iam one of a handful sent to this world. In this place, I was calledRhea.”

“Poseidon’s mother?” Vane said. “The mother of Zeus andHades?”

“We are all Guides,” she said. “We fostered life on thisworld. We helped it grow. We shaped it for a while. Then, our timepassed. You did not need us anymore. But we did not leave youalone. We knew a day would come when everything we’d builtwould be tested. On that day, your world would be tested. Thus,we picked our champions.”

“Champions?” Vane said.“To save your kind, of course. The time is very close now.”

The Lady reached out her hand and pointed to me. To Excalibur.“You have earned the first key. You have chosen your firstchampion. The second lies here.”

“Lelex told me the Earth-Shaker lies here,” I said.The Lady nodded. “Earth-Shaker. Destroyer. Poseidon.

Neptune. He has been called all these things. We left a piece of us,of him, tied to this world. Now, one of you must host his greatpower. One of you must wield it. Take on the mantle of the Earth-

Shaker. Become the next champion during the final days. Becomethe Fisher King.”

“What does he offer?” asked Vane.“The Earth-Shaker’s power will make its wielder invincible.

We gave a bit of his essence to Bran of Pellam, however, he wasunable to control it. It sapped his strength and nearly drove himmad. It was then I realized that only a champion would do. With theFisher King to lead them, the people of this world may yet survivethe day of reckoning.”

“What is the day of reckoning?” Matt asked. “I have tried,but cannot foresee any details. It is as if I cannot focus on it.”

The statue frowned. “There were too many possibilities toforesee this during our time. We only know it is the end of thisworld and all its peoples. We have seen this much. Only with thepower of the Earth-Shaker shall the champion glimpse the rest. Youhave been given the gift of vision for a reason, Merlin—”

“Vision?” Vane looked at Matt. “So that is it. I neverunderstood before. You chose him for this. He is the champion.”

The statue blinked. “Is that a question?”“What is the price for waking the Earth-Shaker?” Matt

asked.“The Earth-Shaker is part of this world’s core. He has

become part of its life force. Separate him and the world willtremble.”

“The volcanoes,” Matt concluded grimly.Tsunamis, I thought.Matt murmured, “My vision. It will cause massive

devastation. How can you demand such an unacceptable price?”The stone Lady looked at us sadly. “It was not our intention

to be spiteful. We only sought to save the world. It was the onlyway to keep the Earth-Shaker’s power intact for you through theages. You must step back and see the whole. Those you lose willbe but a small percentage. On the longest day of the sun, on the dayof reckoning, the trial of humanity will test all. If you do not use thepower of the Earth-Shaker, you will save no one. Every man. Everywoman. Every child. Your world will be no more than a memory, afigment floating in space without any substance.” The stone Ladysighed. “This world faces annihilation. The choice is yours. We haveleft you our gifts. The three are your best hope. We are only Guides—”

A blast came from behind us. A firebolt shot past me andslammed into the statue.

“Lady!” Matt and Vane both cried at once.But it was too late. The statue cracked. Light retreated from

the broken stone. Water in the pit dimmed.We turned to the perpetrator.“Gia?” Blake said in disbelief.Gia held the trident in her hand with a strained expression.

“It’s a lie. It’s all lies. Can’t you see? We’ve been in this holeforever… with these barbaric mermaids.” She spat at them.“They’re making us crazy. ‘The final days.’ ‘The day of reckoning.’What kind of joke is that?” She pointed the trident at us. “No one iswaking anything.”

“Gia.” I took a step toward her.“Don’t, Ryan. I will shoot you. Remember I was a

Candidate. I’ve been trained well.” Tears leaked out of her eyesand down her cheeks. “I know you want to do what’s right, but thisisn’t it. This place is twisted. Evil. Merlin's vision warned us. I’m not

going to stand by and let you unleash this.”“No one is waking anything,” Matt repeated. He took a step

toward her. “We are not going to unleash anything.”Gia shot him with the trident and coupled it with a spell. Matt

threw up a faint blue shield, but it penetrated through. He crumpled.“Matt!” I said with a cry.Grey caught him and lowered him to the ground. Vane threw

a spell at her. Blake and the remaining two wizards hit her withmagic also. Gia’s magic surrounded her, making a shield. However,without a charm, she couldn’t endure the bombardment as thewizards blasted her again. She dropped the trident. Blake ran tocatch her.

“She’s passed out,” he declared, laying her down gently.“Good,” Colin said.“She was just scared,” I defended her.My amulet warmed and Matt stirred on the floor. He sat up

slowly. His eyes fixed on the broken statue. “The Lady is gone.”“So is our way out,” Colin muttered.Leonidas stepped forward from the floor. “You heard what

the goddess said. You must wake the Earth-Shaker. He will saveus.”

Matt shook his head. “Absolutely not. We know waking theEarth-Shaker will cause massive devastation. I have foreseen it. Weare not going to pay in blood. I will not allow it.”

“If a sacrifice is asked, it is what will be paid,” Theras said.He nodded at Leonidas and marched forward with his sword.Theras declared, “If you are too weak too stomach it, wizard, wehave no more need of you.”

The other two wizards put their palms out at Theras. One

said, “Back away from him.”“You’ll have to deal with me too.” I stood up to face

Leonidas. Blood rushed to my head. I swayed, suddenly dizzy.Vane’s eyes narrowed, watching me closely. He floated the

trident to him. “Merlin’s magic is weak. He’s still feeding off you.My fingers tightened on Excalibur. “Vane, you can’t use

that.”“I’m afraid I may not have been entirely truthful about that

little detail.” The tiger stirred in his eyes. They showed teeth. Heblasted me with the trident.

I reacted instinctively by raising Excalibur. Vane’s shot hit theblade and somehow got absorbed. Excalibur burned in my hand. Aspark of light charged through the metal. Vane shot at me again.

“Ryan, drop the sword now!” yelled Matt. He shot a smallblue fireball at Vane. Vane deflected it easily.

I couldn’t drop Excalibur. The hilt had become glued to myhand. The sword became heavy. Heavier than if a million soulspressed down on it. I fell to my knees.

“I’m sorry, Dorothy. Someone must do what is needed.”Vane shot me with the trident again. It hit Excalibur. The swordburned even brighter, taking the energy and storing it. A chargedbattery, it spilled over onto my body. I screamed without makingany sound. My ears pounded. My eyes burned. My body had beenset aflame.

I saw Grey, Colin, and the gargoyle attack Vane. Leonidasshouted and the mermaids surrounded the gargoyles to defendVane. Matt, Blake, and the wizards sent a wave of magic atExcalibur, but it only served to make the energy pouring out of theblade burn with more force. A rainbow of light covered me. Vane

ran at me.“I knew it would take all three of us,” he whispered in my

ear, before he yanked me into the watery pit.We plunged into its depths, sinking fast. This time, I saw

clearly through the water. Vane drew us to the Minotaur. Hepushed my hands down and Excalibur sank into the belly of theMinotaur like a knife through butter.

I still couldn’t let go. Light radiated out from the sword. Thering of columns surrounding the pit stirred with life. They startedspinning. My lungs cried for air. I struggled to stay conscious. Therings spun faster. I was in the middle of a centrifuge. The picture ofthe Minotaur cracked. The floor cracked. I thought I glimpsed lavaunderneath. The rings stopped.

Lake water receded into the crack.From the floor, the Minotaur’s golden head floated up. It

hung in the air between me and Vane. It waited.It was a mask. Vane took it. He winced as if it burned. The

mask shimmered green in his hand.I tugged at Excalibur with desperate hope, but it held me fast.

My hands remained glued to its hilt. I was stuck. Paralyzed.“Vane, no,” I croaked out.Vane touched my face, his eyes dark with hunger.“This is for us,” he whispered.“No,” I said again.He dropped his hand. “Yes, champion. It’s time to seize my

destiny.”Vane put on the bull’s mask.The earth rumbled and came to life.

CHAPTER 20 - AWAKENING

CHAPTER 20AWAKENING

Vane fell to his knees. His silent scream sounded in my head.The whole building shook. The walls thundered as if the

whole world were shaking.Vane’s entire body glowed green for a few seconds. I tried

to reach for him, but I couldn’t because Excalibur still held me. Hestood up and the shadow of the Minotaur stood up with him.Emeralds no longer filled the mask’s sockets. Instead, Vane’s eyesstared back at me. But they weren’t his eyes anymore. The irisesnow glowed green.

“We meet.” A new voice filled my head, Vane’s voice, butdifferent. Deeper. Less human.

My eyes widened. I’d heard him clearly in my head. He hadoverpowered Matt’s block. I stared at him, mesmerized.

“Ryan,” Matt said from the top. “Get out.”Green monster eyes smiled. “Stay.”Vane took a step forward. His hand clamped on my forearm.My hand still on Excalibur, I tugged again. This time, it

released. But I didn’t pull the sword from the ground. Instead, myfingers tightened on the hilt. One swing and I could slay theMinotaur. I could slice through Vane. I had this one chance.

As if he read my thoughts, Vane’s grip on me becamecrushing. I cried out as my bone fractured. I let go of Excalibur.

The pit rumbled again. A sinkhole formed in the spot whereExcalibur was. It ran along a line to the crack in the floor. The crackwidened. Red fire bubbled underneath. It started to pull me in. Thecolumns that made up the ring’s circumference started to collapseinward. Next to me, a column crashed heavily from behind.

The mask wobbled on Vane. The green in his irises receded.“Vane?” I queried.“Go,” he said aloud. He released my hand.I hesitated.Green flashed in his eyes. He tried to tamp it back down, but

it fought back. Vane fell to his knees, clutching the mask with his

hands. Words tore into my head. “Leave now while I am able tolet you.”

The mantle of the bull, a shadow, rose out of the earth andfell like a shroud over his shoulders. Every instinct told me to run,but I remained where I was. How could I leave him?

“Ryan, let’s go.” Matt grabbed my arm from behind. I turnedto find him balanced on the fallen column.

“V-Vane,” I croaked.“Is gone,” Matt said harshly.On the floor, Vane’s head jerked up. His eyes glowed green

and he started to rise off his knees.“Now!” Matt yanked me away. Excalibur in my hand, we

ran down the fallen column. Matt boosted me out of the pit and Ihelped him up despite my throbbing arm.

“Look.” He pointed to the red doors. “They opened as soonas you pulled Excalibur.”

“Where does it lead?” The doors showed a thick grey mistand nothing else.

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Anywhere else ispreferable.”

I looked behind me. Vane stood by the column I’d been on.He floated up in the air. The mermaids watched with awe. He roseabove the pit. With the trident in his hand, and the nearly blindingpower radiating from his body, he declared himself a god.

“The Fisher King rises,” a mermaid cried.Vane floated toward them.“Hurry.” Matt pulled me around the pit. Grey, Blake, Colin,

and the others all took the cue. They weaved through the kneelingmermaids and made their way to the door. Blake carried an

unconscious Gia.On the other side of the pit, Vane landed on the floor with a

thud. The temple shook under the impact. With a small cry, onemermaid dropped to his knees. In a wave, the other mermaidsfollowed.

All, except Leonidas and Theras.“Blake.” Matt stopped him and the other two wizards. He

took Gia from Blake’s arms and handed her to Grey. “Thegargoyles go through first. This time, we will close the doors oncewe cross.”

Behind us, in a cone of deathly silence, I saw Theras andLeonidas open their mouths and let out a war cry. They ran atVane. Vane caught Theras’s blade with one hand and yanked itaway from the older man. With his other hand, he let out a nearblinding green light of magic and Leonidas froze in place.

Vane’s hand dripped with blood, where he gripped Theras’sblade, yet the injury didn’t faze him. Without pausing, he twirled thesword around in one smooth move until he held the hilt. Therasgaped at him. Vane swung the blade at the old soldier, the last ofLelex’s defenders. Theras’s head fell to the floor, severed from hisbody.

Vane turned to face Leonidas. Leonidas stumbled as hefound himself suddenly released from the freeze spell. Vane archeda brow. A resigned expression fell over the mermaid prince’s face.Leonidas kneeled. Vane crooked a finger. The crown onLeonidas’s head flew to him. Vane placed it on himself.

And just like that, the mermaid kingdom changed hands.“Ryan, time to go!” Grey and the gargoyles rushed through

the doors.

Vane’s attention shifted to us. He commanded, “Capturethem!

The mermaids scrambled up. One, wielding a bow, shot anarrow across the pit. It sailed through the air and struck the doormere inches from my head with a crack. More arrows started to fly.Matt, Blake, and the wizards shot fireballs at the columns next tothe doors. The columns wobbled and started to breakdown, fallinginward.

Blake and the wizards jumped into the doors. Matt tugged atmy hand, urging me forward. I looked one last time at Vane.Arrows zinged by me. I barely noticed. Sound seemed to mute as Imet Vane’s hungry gaze. Behind a horde of mermaids, he watchedme from a distance that felt much further away than simply the otherend of the pit. The shadow of the Minotaur hovered behind him.The gold mask sat on his face, a barrier that couldn’t be breached.

Between us, columns fell as the temple collapsed.“Ryan.” Vane’s voice traveled the distance. A connection—

hot, vibrant, and very much alive—stretched taut. A tether, it urgedme back.

The Fisher King’s eyes glittered. “You belong to me.”Pain, an ache, filled me and I did the hardest thing I’d ever

done. I mustered the remaining tatters of my will and I broke awayfrom Vane. I turned and followed Matt into the mist.

***A bright-eyed reporter spoke from behind a desk. “A few

days ago, the entire earth shook. A third Total Tremor. Last timethis happened, we had a few accidents and minor property damage.This time, it has been a catastrophe. Due to the earthquakes, sevenvolcanoes—yes, you heard me correctly—seven underwater

volcanoes have erupted. Three of the volcanoes are off Sumatra onthe western coast of Indonesia. Tsunami alarms have gone off in thearea. If you recall, most of that region is still recovering from the lastdeadly tsunami that caused devastation across Southern Asia. Thattsunami formed waves that reached over a hundred feet high.”

Images of flooded villages, dated from a few years ago,flashed across a flat screen TV.

“The other volcanoes are at Loihi, Hawaii. Hunga Tonganear New Zealand, Yasur volcano in the South Pacific. All haveerupted at the same time. Geologists and vulcanologists were caughtcompletely off guard as none of the seismic monitoring systemssounded any alerts. Yet, it is not the eruptions that are the biggestconcern on the hotspots. The real fear comes from the inevitabilityof rising tsunamis. Already, high waves have been spotted makingtheir way to coastal cities around these hotspots.”

The picture switched back to the reporter. “Towns are beingevacuated, but we have seen it before. Devastation. Unimaginabledestruction on these spots and their surrounding areas. And acrossthe globe—” The picture shifted to show protestors at TrafalgarSquare around the broken fountain where the sword and the stonehad originally dropped. “Many wonder, are we seeing the beginningof the end? Protests such as these are no longer limited to Britain.Around the world, many gather in churches, temples, mosques topray…”

I muted the news broadcast. Silent pictures of panic andchaos kept streaming. Panic I’d helped bring about. Chaos I hadnot been able to prevent.

Matt watched me from a seat behind Rourke’s desk. Heheld a cellphone against one ear. He’d been talking to various

people all day. This time, he was on the phone with the head of theWizard Council, the First Member.

“Unacceptable. We need to move faster,” he said into thephone. “Thorton needs to organize the local wizards to get to thehotspots. I don’t care if we risk exposure. It’s the least we cando… Yes, I know this is a critical time. I’ll attend whatevermeetings you set up. We are leaving here as soon as possible.”

“It would be best if we could talk to all the heads of thegovernment at once. If what the Lady warned is coming, this goesbeyond wizards and gargoyles. The day of reckoning is notsomething we can hide any longer. Everyone must makepreparations.” He paused to listen. “Then, we will go in front of theUnited Nations if we must—”

The weight of responsibility pressed down on me as Mattcontinued to speak. I had to fix this. I didn’t know how.

I sat on the sofa in the living room of Rourke’s house in Fira.I didn’t know where the others were. It had only been hours sincewe returned, but it felt like days. We all needed a break from eachother. The red doors had dumped us back in the cavern in thedeepest part of the Aegean Sea. The paging system told us that theboat waited above. It had been anchored for a month, yet thegargoyles never gave up hope. Or I should say, Deirdre and Sylvianever gave up hope. Somehow, we’d gathered enough magictogether and made it to the surface.

Once we’d reached the house, Grey surprised us all bydelivering a vial of the Lake water to Rourke. Unfortunately, ithadn’t worked. Either we hadn’t found the healing cup or it simplywasn’t the answer.

Matt continued on the phone, “Considering what is

happening, they will have no choice but to believe. It’s in all thetexts and lore—even the ones the regulars abide by. They call itjudgment day.” He sighed. “We would know more if Gia hadn’tpanicked and destroyed our only source of information.”

My shoulders slumped. We lost. I lost. I hadn’t seen whatwas happening to Vane. I hadn’t wanted to see it. We’d unleasheda terrible catastrophe and worse… all of it was my fault. I glancedat Excalibur. It leaned against the side of the sofa. Some sword-bearer I turned out to be.

Rising, I strode out through the glass doors that stretchedacross one wall. The sunset painted the sky with red and purple.Wind made small ripples disturbing the serene blue waters of thepool. I remembered when Vane and I had watched them on ourfirst day in Fira. His presence lingered in the house, haunting me.The thought of him sat on my chest with suffocating heat.

I reached the edge of the infinity pool. In quick moves, I tookoff my plain t-shirt and shorts. I plunged into the pool. I sunkbeneath the cold water; then I let myself float.

Weightless, I could finally breathe. I closed my eyes.The water lulled me. It penetrated every pore and filled the

absence I felt. Inside its chilly embrace, I could almost feel the otherhalf of me again. I sank further. The siren call of the water’s songbeckoned me deeper. Beckoned me into forever.

I let myself go. I felt my breath go. I hovered on the brink. Ilooked for an answer. Water pooled in my lungs.

My back hit smooth concrete. I hit bottom.“Ryan!” Vane’s voice rang clearly inside my head.My eyes snapped open. Radiant sunlight penetrated through

a fog of water. A dark face swam before me.

Hands grabbed my waist and snatched me back up.The next thing I knew, I woke up to Matt’s lips slanted over

mine as he forced air into my lungs. My chest spasmed as Icoughed and water dribbled out of my mouth.

My back lay on smooth tile. His hands tilted my head up. Hepulled me into a sitting position and slapped my back. Hard. WhenI stopped coughing, he picked me up and plopped me down on anearby chaise.

A six-foot, dripping wet male wearing only boxer shortsscowled down at me. “What are you thinking? We don’t have timefor this. You could have drowned. If it hadn’t been for the amulet—” He ran a hand through wet hair. “At least that part of my magicis working.”

I opened my mouth, intending to speak, only to cough upmore water instead. Matt’s wet face darkened. A breeze flewthrough the small courtyard and I shivered. Matt stomped over to abin, grabbed a towel, and threw the oversized fabric around myshoulders.

“I f-failed him,” I choked out, huddling inside the shroud ofthe towel.

The seat of the chaise depressed when Matt sat down. Hepulled me close. Steely biceps tightened around me. “It was hischoice.”

I stiffened. “You’re not being fair. The Lady said—”“No, it was Vane. He chose this. He chose to take on the

mantle of the Earth-Shaker. He chose power. He’s never caredwho gets trampled in the process.”

“He thought it was the only way.”Matt clenched his jaw. “He said that to me once before. The

only path.”“At the cave,” I said.His gaze went to my amulet. “You saw the memory?”“Yes, I saw it. Apparently you didn’t. He didn’t mean to kill

you that day. Why else would he insist on dueling near Lake water?He wanted to freeze you all along.”

Matt pushed back the stringy strands of hair from my face. “Iwish I could believe you.”

I met his eyes. “Do you?”“Of course. He’s my brother. I want to save him.”“But?”Matt’s expression darkened. “Not at the expense of the

world.”I gazed out over the boundless sky. The water underneath it

lay calm. Here. Only here. For now. “We don’t even know what’scoming.”

“We may not know what, but we do know when. The Ladysaid the longest day of the sun. She must have meant the summersolstice. I will figure out the rest.”

I stared at him. “Your magic is barely working.”“I’ll find a way to fix it.” Matt cupped my chin, his palm

surprisingly rough, and forced me to meet his eyes. “But you needto help. You are the sword-bearer, Ryan. You need to be strong.You can’t dwell on Vane and forget why you have been givenExcalibur.”

Matt was right. I was the champion. Sword-bearer. I had aresponsibility. He was also wrong. I pulled away from him. Iscooted to the edge of the chaise. Alone. I said the one word I hadsuch a hard time saying to him, “No.”

He frowned. “What?”I straightened my shoulders. “I’ve done everything I was

asked. Everything you asked. Everything Vane asked. Look howit’s turned out. Vane is a monster and it’s because of me.” My eyeslocked with his. “I can’t change what’s happened, Matt, but I cantake a stand.”

His gaze sharpened. “What stand?”“First, you and I need to do more. Gathering the local

wizards at the hotspots is not enough. We need to go to thehotspots. We bring the other Candidates and the wizards. All ofthem. We’re going to gather all the champions and we beat this onecatastrophe at a time. We find out what Excalibur can really do.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Second?”I stood up. “We save the world and we save Vane.”Matt protested, “You’re being naïve.”“So what if I am? You’re giving up too easily.”The red and purple sunset stretched over the cliffs of the city

and beyond the horizon of an endless sea. Rolling waves hid theturmoil breathing just beneath. As the Lady had said—it would bethe end of everything I knew if I didn’t somehow find a way to stopit. If I didn’t prove myself to be the champion Vane had pushed meto be.

I looked at Matt, his profile outlined by the fading sun.I said, “It’s time for you to prove you trust me.”All-knowing amber eyes fixed on me, brutally piercing

through any euphemism to the core of what I said. In my head, hereplied, “Prove that I love you, you mean.”

I didn’t flinch. “If that’s what it takes, Merlin.”

***

EVER MY MERLINBOOK 3, MY MERLIN

FALL 2012

If you sacrifice everything, what’s left to hold on to?

The end of the world. The day of reckoning. The final battle.It is a time of great strife for Arriane (aka Ryan) and Merlin

(aka Matt) as they struggle to stem the flood of destruction

unleashed upon the world.With every scrap of life hanging in the balance, Ryan must

convince both friends and enemies that the key to survival rests inthe plans of a sword-toting girl of only eighteen. She must reconcilea fifteen hundred year rivalry between two brothers, and be ruthlessenough to break a heart—and a life—in the process. And at some

point, she really needs to get herself to Prom.

Read the epic conclusion of Ryan, Vane, and Matt’sstory in the final installment of the My Merlin trilogy!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Priya Ardis loves books of all kinds—but especially the

gooey ones that make your nose leak and let your latte go cold. Hernovels come from a childhood of playing too much She-Ra andwatching too much Spock. She started her first book at sixteen,writing in notebooks on a long train ride during a hot summervacation in India. Influenced by Nancy Drew and Elizabeth Bennett,she embarked on an adventure that involved both mysteries andromance upon deciding to write books. A hopeless romantic, she isa longtime member of the Romance Writer’s of America.

When not living in her character's world, she might be foundat the local coffee shop—her nose buried in a book.

***

Connect with Priya at the following sites:Website: http://www.priyaardis.comThe Merlin, YA Books, and More Blog:

http://merlinblogs.priyaardis.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/priyaardisFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/priyaardisGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/priyaardis

Author's Note

Thank you for reading My Merlin Awakening! Ever MyMerlin, Book Three of the My Merlin Series, will beavailable in Fall 2012.

If you enjoyed My Merlin Awakening, I would be grateful if youwould help others enjoy this book, too. Recommend it. Please helpother readers find this book by recommending it to friends, reader'sgroups and discussion boards. Review it. Please tell other readerswhy you liked this book by reviewing it at one of the followingwebsites: Amazon/Shelfari (amazon.com/author/priyaardis), Barnesand Noble (www.bn.com), or Goodreads(www.goodreads.com/priyaardis).

Your help is greatly appreciated!