Invincible: The Curse of Avalon #4

by Skye, Sariah

“Out of curiosity,” I began, “where was it? Its what legends are made of, I wonder if any of the theories were right.”

  “Cadbury; last I saw there’s little more than a hill there,” Lachlan said, with a shrug. “Not terribly impressive.”

  “So one of the theories were right, at least,” I said, chuckling. “Bash would love to know that. It’s something we wondered in the beginning when we were trying to find the sword. Just a bunch of tourist stuff there, now.”

  “Well that’s where it was. Basically.”

  “Ava, darling, you should rest up before the storm eases. We will have some trying hours ahead of us, so better to be rested, right?” Mathias implored, setting a hand on my arm and giving me a pleading look.

  “Right.” Admittedly, I did feel a bit tired after all the magic usage. After I’d finished eating all I could have of the disgusting meal, my father agreed to take “watch” near the cave’s entrance, claiming the Avalon magic I healed him with gave him a boost of energy. I cuddled up with Mathias and Trystan on either side of me on the floor of the cave, allowing them to keep me safe while I fell asleep, thankful once again that we were together.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The walk through the snow and ice was tumultuous at best. It could be easier had I allowed Mathias to carry me, because with his super strength and speed it would have been no issue for him. But I was not Bella Swan, this wasn’t Twilight and I didn’t go for that sort of thing. I was an equal—or I was trying to be. It was hard to be equal with four men so phenomenal, but I wouldn’t give up.

  After all I had a badass sword. Right?

  Nonetheless, Lachlan would have gotten behind and as much as I knew Mathias could probably carry both of us, the other guys needed time to get to our destination as well. Besides, the closer we reached the palace, the less the snow had fallen. By the time we reached the castle walls it melted entirely, and the temperature was about fifteen degrees warmer, causing the Mathias and my father to strip down into t-shirts, and I only needed Xander’s sweatshirt to keep warm.

  Trystan went on ahead, scouring the skies for trouble, updating us on the location of the others the closer we became. And the closer we came to our destination, the palace of Camelot lay foreboding in the not-to-far-off distance. It wasn’t all straight lines and gray stone like the palaces we had on earth. Somehow it seemed to be formed from magic itself, with fluid lines of the turrets, to the wave of the top of the walls, and the uneven peaks of the turrets, all flying with the red flag of Camelot with the Pendragon coat of arms: a red dragon behind a shield, holding a sword that seemed to glow. Probably the famed Excalibur. I had chuckled lightly to myself upon seeing it, touching my “cuff” bracelet on my wrist. The shape-shifted sword seemed to hum and buzz with thanks as I admired it. Good thing you’re not conceited, or anything… I thought with amusement.

  Hey I’m a legend, what can I say?

  I chuckled to myself as I walked, because the sword actually wasn’t wrong.

  The courtyard where the gallows were held was just beyond a tall, imposing wall, mere footsteps in front of us as we waited in a small clearing, totally surrounded by thick woods, the palace just beyond it. You could actually hear the unintelligible voices of the crowd that had gathered for the executions. But until I watched Bash, Xander, Rhys, and even Mordred appear through the tree line, I didn’t care about any of it. I didn’t realize how terrified I had been or how out of sorts I felt without all of the guys there. Even Rhys. Nothing felt right without them.

  Mathias had to practically hold me back from running at them until they were close enough to hear and touch. Then he had no choice because Bash and Xander both appeared relieved but teary-eyed clamped themselves onto me, and buried me between them. They whispered how much they missed me between a dozen kisses and a dozen hugs; including one from Rhys that lasted a little too long for everyone’s comfort—except his own—and a brief one from Mordred.

  “I’m glad Mathias took good care of you,” Bash said, relieved as he spoke into the crook of my neck. I ran my hands all over the length of his spine, even over his clothing I could feel his hot skin through the fabric.

  “Was there ever any doubt?” Mathias had retorted snidely at the genius, as he released me to give Xander another chance of a hug, and he went to greet the gladiator.

  “Well, we know I would have done the better job,” Xander said, gazing at me warmly while his mouth quirked a sideways grin.

  “Except where would you order dinner from?” Mathias quipped, feigning innocence. Xander glared at him briefly before slipping into a gentle, albeit forced laughter.

  “So, what next?” I asked.

  A light roar of a crowd came from inside the castle walls that caused all of us to frown severely.

  “Now, we get inside those castle walls and do what we have to do,” Bash said, with determination, thrusting his pack and gear at Mathias, while smoothing his hands over a tight black, long-sleeved shirt, almost as if he were patting himself down, making sure things were there. I caught the outline of a rather imposing, jagged shiv just under his ribs, and Xander handed him a stunner that he slipped into a holster at his belt. Just like the night in Alexandria, all the guys appeared rather intimidating wearing fitted jeans and tight black shirts. I swallowed deeply, choking down a surge of lust. I made a mental note to chat with them next time we stormed a castle, kidnapped a king, or stole a priceless artifact from a small-town museum they must not wear all the tight clothes. Yeah, I knew there was probably a tactical advantage to not wearing anything loose, but my libido just couldn’t stand it.

  “Feeling all right there, priestess?” Rhys ribbed, elbowing me in the stomach and wiggling his brow at me. He pointed at the side of his mouth while staring pointedly at mine. “Little drool. Right there.”

  “Shut up,” I scolded, giving him a rough shove. He cackled playfully, and Mordred just stood by, grinning and watching us.

  “Enough, children,” Trystan spoke up, pretending to be commanding and serious, as he turned to Mordred, still straight faced. Huh, turned out he wasn’t pretending. “The original plan was for the four of you—” he said, pointing at Mathias, Bash, Rhys, and myself in turn, “to break in unseen and take Arthur, but now things have changed.”

  “Yeah, we’re still going to break in unseen, but Xander and Trystan will be causing a distraction,” Mathias continued, and I arched a brow, watching Bash hand Trystan a small brown sack, which Trystan shoved into his pants pocket, nodding in acknowledgment.

  “Wait—you have us, why not use us?” Lachlan spoke up, narrowing his eyes, looking offended. “Mer—Rhys—can glamour Mordred, and I can stealth like Ava, obviously.”

  Mordred exchanged a knowing look with Xander and I narrowed my eyes. “I really don’t like being left out.”

  “Dearest… trust me,” Xander offered, setting a hand on my shoulder first, then sliding it under my chin, tipping my gaze upward. “Please?”

  I grumbled as his thumb grazed over my jaw line. I was asking a lot, wanting them to trust me with the sword’s secret… it was only fair I offered them the same in return. That’s what love was about, right?

  “Okay, okay.” He leaned in and brushed a smirking kiss over my lips that made me suck in a breath and set my hands on his lithe chest to steady myself against the wobbly knees that threatened to give out. I let out a slight whimper, much to my own embarrassment as the storm wielder pulled away.

  “Actually, Lachlan, you can stay with Mordred and I,” he said, letting me go and I woozily stumbled back into Bash’s strong form who set two hands on my waist to steady me. I peered at him over my shoulder and he smirked lightly at me. “Just follow along.”

  “Sure…” my father was somewhat unconvinced, as Xander handed him a sword of his own from a large duffle he carried. “Well, it’s no Excalibur, but it’ll do.”

  Rhys snorted and rolled his eyes. “That’s nothing like Excalibur, please!” He turned up his nose at the plain silver s
word and my father arched a brow at him.

  “Och, he doesn’t know!” Trystan said, slapping his own face with a grin.

  “Show him, Ava,” Mathias commanded, and I nodded. I clamped my hand over the blade spun around my wrist, and willed it silently into its full form. It warmed like the sun, illuminated just as brightly and shifted into its normal form, with purple gem in the hilt, Avalonian runes and all. I grinned triumphantly, holding the sword effortlessly in front of me as the legendary sword sparkled and shone in the muted sunlight that streamed in through the sparse separations of the foliage overhead.

  “Oh my god… yeah it never did that when I had it, that’s for sure,” Lachlan replied, clearly amazed.

  “Duh. You only carried it, you daft knight. Ava actually commands it,” Rhys said, with a sharp laugh in his direction. Lachlan glowered and appeared by the pinched look on his face he wanted to charge the wizard, but thought better of it when Rhys lifted his hand.

  “All right, let’s do this guys. Xander?” Mathias said, and Xander gave me a quick hug, kissing the top of my head.

  “Please be careful,” he said softly, holding me under his arm as Bash clasped his hand around mine.

  “She’ll be fine, promise,” he said to his longtime friend, and Xander nodded quickly, turning to Mordred and Lachlan. He whispered something to them quickly and they disappeared into the woods. I swallowed, immediately missing their absence.

  “God this sucks…” I muttered.

  “Aye lassie, but it’ll soon be over, luv.” Trystan appeared apprehensive as he took my other hand, and pulled me into him, crashing against me for a huge embrace. “I love you,” he whispered into my ear before stepping back and shifting in his eagle. In a blink he transformed and shot up into the air effortlessly.

  “Well, it’s just us now,” Mathias said, looking to us in turn. “There are two guards in the gates that we should easily sneak by. Rhys will take them out with magic—or I will, whichever—and we’ll apprise the situation when we get in. But the most important thing—stay hidden. Bash?”

  “Right.” He fell in behind me as Mathias took lead, patting his side to double check for his weapons. Rhys sided up to me and we clutched hands, nodding resolutely at the other while Bash stood behind us.

  “Ready when you are, guys.”

  “Okay.” I glanced at Rhys who appeared abnormally serious, and I willed my invisible magic out, briefly noticing the buzzing feeling in the back of my mind that just came second nature now. The air immediately around Rhys and I shimmered gently, and I knew it’d taken affect. Rhys spun a hand around us in a wide gesture and the shimmer stretched out to encapsulate the guys too. He flicked his hand at the ground and Mathias took a few steps forward, and I noticed he made no sound as he walked. Rhys must have muffled our footsteps, and I grinned at him, silently telling him he was fucking brilliant. He clearly got my meaning and smirked slightly.

  We kept close together, but Bash urged us even closer when we emerged from the tree line. The area immediately surrounding the palace was a large field of green grass and a long dirt path that disappeared into another section of the woods; the same road that probably linked the kingdom together with all of the other villages. A large, arched drawbridge was positioned, opened wide, the wooden door on the ground instead of a watery moat. Obviously they had no need for such things here in the realm of Camelot.

  Two knights in stereotypical silver armor stood on either side, swords at the ready, and they were completely still, unfazed. They reminded me of the Buckingham palace guards that never smiled, never wavered, and this was probably where that idea came from years ago.

  Mathias lifted a hand, indicating that we should slow our steps, gauging to see if the knights could see us or not. He waved it, and a few moments later he was satisfied they could not. “Let’s go,” he mouthed silently over his shoulder, and we followed behind him cautiously. Rhys gripped my hand tightly and I squeezed it back, feeling his anxiety… because I had it too.

  Until now I had the benefit of denial and adrenaline on my side. I didn’t really think too much of it… but this was real. We were really doing this, we could potentially get hurt. It was extra terrifying knowing I didn’t have Xander in my sights and I had to wonder about his welfare. And my father’s. Just because we were immortal didn’t mean we couldn’t die, just that natural causes and age wouldn’t take us out.

  “Now, Rhys,” Mathias whispered, barely audible as we reached the large stone gate. Rhys grinned devilishly, released my hand and clapped them silently together before turning them upward, revealing two equal sized orbs of spinning, colorless magic. Snapping his hands in front of him, the two orbs zipped through the air, hitting both knights smack in the sides of their heads, and they quickly began to fall. Holding his palms upward, Rhys’ eyes narrowed as he slowly lowered his hands, effectively using his magic to quietly lower them to the ground to avoid causing a bunch of noise; the shield hopefully took care of the rest. When it was done, he brushed his hands together smugly, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

  Bash gently patted his shoulder. “Nice,” he praised. Rhys tipped his face up, looking down his nose with self-important satisfaction.

  “Let’s go,” Mathias said, and we stayed together as we slipped between the separation of the wall and slid into the crowd. I internally sought for that buzzing sensation inside, making sure it was still there. Not that anyone here would recognize Bash or I, but someone might remember Rhys, and Mathias being 6’7 and towered over everyone here would call attention.

  Mathias jerked his head in one direction and we followed him through a handful of separations until we came to an empty place near a line of empty wooden booths. I couldn’t quite see over the other tall people, but Rhys flicked his hand out, and several people moved apart, probably not even realizing what happened.

  Beyond the crowd stood a tall wooden platform with tall beams on either side, and one down the middle, with several ropes hanging from it. I swallowed tensely, dreading to think of how many people had found their ends at the end of Arthur’s mercy and these ropes at the same time. Beyond the gallows were tall palace walls; turrets and separate sections of gray stone that led up to one tall, sprawling turret with a balcony, concealed by scarlet-colored curtains. Probably where Arthur stood to make his declarations to the kingdom.

  The crowd suddenly began to let out a round of jeers and boos, and several people were led by sword point with their hands bound behind them. Disgust roiled in my stomach when I saw what it was: one rather thin and somehow familiar looking blond gentleman, wearing a tattered tabard like the ones the knights were wearing, two men I didn’t recognize, and young woman who sobbed and shook feverishly. My eyes narrowed wondering if I saw correctly that she had a very swollen stomach underneath a long white sheath dress and a brown apron that tied in back.

  “Is she—” I asked, and Bash set a firm hand on my shoulder, nodding.

  “Yeah, she is pregnant.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Arthur is more of a twisted bastard than even I realized,” Rhys grumbled under his breath, and I agreed audibly.

  “Don’t worry, she will be okay. So will the others,” Mathias assured me quietly. I knew he was right, but still, the very notion of someone being hung while pregnant made me want to lose my lunch. And not just because my lunch was gross either.

  The guards, appearing indiscriminate from each other, wore black hoods, leaving their faces exposed with a red and white tabard with the Pendragon coat of arms on it, over white shirts and black pants. Totally humble, totally typical things you would expect a medieval knight to wear. Especially to an execution, I thought sarcastically.

  There was a loud cheer as someone, looking snide and pretentiously regal took a podium that stood next to the gallows. “Arthur.”

  “Just as ugly as he ever fucking was,” Rhys said, and I had to fight my laugh. From above, something in the sky caught my eye and I glanced up, relieved to see Trystan f
lying up high. He kept a distance, not wanting to give himself away.

  Arthur with his pinched face and ugly features smiled into the crowd and I shivered; he was definitely related to my mother, their grins were about similar and it sickened me to know I was truly related to such a heinous bastard. He rose his hands from under a long, crimson cloak—the same one he wore when he “greeted” me in the war room when I’d fallen out of the Round Table “portal” or whatever the hell it was, and the crowd promptly quieted down.

  “Citizens of Camelot, I have gathered you hear to witness the dawning of a new age of the kingdom. A new age where debauchery is no longer tolerated, as we must set a shining example for the humans of Earth once we finally are with their realm once again.” He spoke with a commanding, confident tone, and many of the citizens watched and listened on bated breath. Their reverence made Rhys growl, Mathias clench his fists at his side, and Bash shake his head in dismay.

  “Not gonna happen, asshole,” I muttered under my breath, feeling the hilt of Excalibur vibrate in my hand, almost like it approved of what I just said.

  “No it’s not,” Mathias agreed.

  “Sir Bedivere, please read the charges of the accused,” Arthur commanded, and one of the knights stepped forward, sheathing his sword. I gasped under my breath noticing he was one of the knights in my dreams; dark skinned and stone-faced but with surprisingly expressive, deep brown eyes.

  “Sir Percival, you are charged with treason of your king and country. How do you plead?” Bedivere said, reading from a scroll of parchment handed to him by Arthur.

  The blond knight turned up his nose. “Guilty, your highness. And proud of it. No king of mine would ever be so heinous to execute a pregnant woman, no matter how it happened!” The pregnant woman at the end of the line let out a strangled sob, and Percival nodded his head at her; she seemed to appreciate his words, not that they could do any good. Percival exclaimed with shaky determination. From next to me, Rhys fistpumped gently.