Lies Ripped Open

by Steve McHugh

  “Yeah, she was on my list,” I admitted. “So about my access to Alan?”

  “Tommy told me that the Reavers wanted you alive to find Felix. That’s who I was on the phone with. You should be able to access the prison in about twelve hours. Plenty of time to leave Albion and get over there. You have clearance to remove Alan from The Hole if need be. But he’s then your responsibility and you have to put him back where you found him.”

  “I’ll make sure not to damage the prisoner,” I promised with a smile.

  “I’m coming with you,” Ellie said. “Frankly, Olivia and Tommy are safe here. You . . . well, I need to make sure you come back in one piece. I can’t very well give Matthew an assurance that I’ll watch after you, and then abandon you.”

  “What about you, Remy?” I asked. “You still on board? Olivia’s arranged a helicopter to take us from Avalon Island to The Hole. That limits the number of people who might be surprised to see a talking fox. I owe it to Fiona to tell Alan what’s happened. And even more to help find her attackers.”

  “As if there was any doubt that I’d join you,” Remy said.

  “You really think Felix knows who’s behind the Reavers’ resurgence?” Olivia asked.

  The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Felix wasn’t exactly the type of person to just give up. Especially not on his need to expose the people he thought were destroying everything he’d worked to establish. And that’s not including the fact that they ousted him as the leader of the Reavers all those years ago. I imagined that still stung.

  I nodded. “I think they want to find him because he can expose them. Wherever he is, he clearly can’t contact anyone. I’m certain he’d have tried to contact myself, or even Fiona.”

  “Maybe he did contact Fiona?” Tommy suggested. “Maybe that’s what got her attacked.”

  “It’s possible,” I admitted. “But then why not contact me? There are too many questions, and the Reavers want Felix, so that means I want him too. None of the Reavers know that Alan is aware of Felix’s whereabouts. They can’t be, otherwise why bother going to Liz Williams, except to kill her. They needed her help, she refused, so they killed her. They were always going to kill her; as a psychic, Liz knew that.”

  “Why not hurt her husband to force Liz to tell them?” Tommy asked.

  “I don’t think Liz would have broken that easily, even doing that. I think timewise, it was easier to threaten their lives or kill them to ensure silence. I have this awful feeling that they decided to kill them the moment I turned up.”

  “If that’s even true, you can’t blame yourself,” Ellie said.

  “I don’t, I blame them. I intend to ensure they understand that when I find those responsible for all of this. The Reavers killed the Williamses, tried to kill me, Remy, and Fiona. So far they haven’t exactly put a lot in the win column, I’d like to ensure it stays that way.”

  “Maybe they weren’t trying to kill Fiona,” Olivia said.

  Everyone looked at her.

  “Well, what if her attack was a message? They turn over her house, attack her, but make sure not to kill her. They use venom that is slow acting, and only stab her once. Lucie told me your idea about two attackers. It makes sense, one goes off to make it look like they were searching, the second decided to take it further. First comes back, stops his partner from killing Fiona and they both leave. I think that has merit.”

  “Who is it a message for?” Tommy asked.

  “No idea. Maybe Lucie, maybe Alan. Just because he’s in prison doesn’t mean no one can get to him. But if they kill him then all hell will break loose and the Reavers would be exposed too early. So they keep him quiet and well behaved by telling him what happened to his wife. If he says anything they kill her. Six weeks until he’s out. Plenty of time for whatever plan the Reavers have to be unstoppable. Lucie says you trust the warden, Olivia.”

  “Very much so. He was an excellent agent. And that’s coming from someone with trust issues.”

  “What about the people who work for him?”

  “You think there’s a guard there working for the Reavers?” Tommy asked.

  “They got into the SOA, but not the LOA or any other part of Avalon. At least none that we know of. I think they would have sent someone to keep an eye on Alan.”

  “Get Alan out and get Felix,” Olivia said. “If he does know who those in charge are, then we’ll use that name to burn the Reavers to the ground.”

  I turned to Ellie and Remy. “You both have four hours to get ready. Meet me at the realm gate. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done at the palace.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The palace in Camelot was once a sizeable castle in the center of the city. Over the years the castle had been built up, with new parts added time and time again. It was now several times larger than it had first been.

  The city had spilled out from the palace at an astonishing rate, moving from small village size to the sprawling metropolis that currently made up the city. Over the centuries, smaller towns and villages that had once been numerous across the realm had been folded into the city as well.

  With the increase in members of Avalon, came an increase in those governing them. There are several groups who all hold a piece of Avalon’s power. The lords and ladies of Avalon—each among the highest ranked members within their races—made up a substantial portion of the council of Avalon. The more powerful groups had broken off into their own sects; the werewolves, vampires, Hera and her group, along with several others—including Hades—all had their own personal stake.

  Above it all had once sat Merlin and his knights. The knights were a separate group, capable of wielding their own power, although their ranks were barely recognizable compared to those who’d been considered knights when Arthur had first taken the throne. Merlin still considered himself the leader of Avalon, keeping the spot warm for Arthur’s eventual return. But he barely took part in the day-to-day running, only appearing for the more important votes, much like Hera and Hades.

  For the most part, Elaine and those she trusted ruled Avalon, but it was an uneasy rule. She rarely did anything that might gain the attention of Merlin, lest he decide to start interjecting once again, and so she’d kept everything in a state of status quo. A fact that most of the larger powers within Avalon actively encouraged; they didn’t want anyone upsetting the apple cart, so to speak. All the while Elaine grew more and more annoyed with how things were done.

  I walked up the steps to the grand palace, which loomed over me and the gardens that separated the rest of the city from the palace.

  “Can I help you?” a rotund guard asked as I reached one of several palace entrances.

  “Here to see Elaine,” I told him and he tapped the side of his head, his eyes going pure white for a moment. He was a telepath; a rare and powerful being, often used by Avalon to do non-invasive interrogation.

  “She’s in the council room. She’ll meet you there.”

  “Thank you,” I said and entered the palace.

  The old brick of the original castle had been removed and replaced with more modern steel and concrete well before I’d last visited the realm, but the interior reception area held the same art that would have been found inside the old castle. I paused for a second, noticing the paintings which hung around me. They were mostly of Arthur, or Camelot, but a few were of the kings from long ago. There was even one of Galahad, something I found strange as he’d left Avalon to join—and eventually become the ruler of—Shadow Falls, another realm completely separate from Avalon’s influence. Merlin would never have allowed the painting to be on display. He didn’t take rejection very well.

  I walked past dozens of people, most of whom were working, or visiting the palace, and tried not to stop and stare at every new thing I saw. It was a lengthy walk to the council chambers, which sat at the left wing of the palace, and I had to go through three different checkpoints—each time answering the same questions—before I reached the ma
ssive wooden doors, each with intricate carvings adorning them. Two guards pulled the doors open, and I stepped into the council chamber.

  The room had a raised platform on one side, beneath a massive screen. A simple throne sat on the platform, behind two smaller chairs. The throne hadn’t been used since Arthur had been attacked. Set out in a horseshoe formation before the platform were a dozen rows of tables and chairs. Each was divided into several sections, depending on their species and ranking within Avalon. When it was full, there were close to three hundred people in the room. It was currently empty except for one woman who sat on a table usually reserved for Hera. I chuckled to myself; Hera would be so mad if she knew Elaine was sitting on it.

  “You should do that when Hera’s here,” I told her, my voice echoing around the chamber.

  Elaine wore an elegant red and black kimono, her hair tied up in a bun, and her face lit up as she smiled. She pushed herself off the table, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor as she walked toward me.

  “You look good,” she said and hugged me.

  “You too, but then you always do,” I told her as she released me.

  “I feel tired and old,” she told me. “It’s been a long century. Running this place, but not really being able to run it. It’s fairly exhausting.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  I shook my head. “You knew what Felix and Merlin did. You knew and never told me. I was mad as all hell, but even if you had told me I probably wouldn’t have believed you without proof.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  I was about to say yes, when Elaine interrupted. “Before you agree, know this. I want the truth. Anything less than that and I don’t know what will happen.”

  “At no point have I ever lied to you, Elaine. Not once. I may have avoided the truth, I may have not wanted to talk about something, but I’ve never lied. Ask me.”

  “There’s more. Someone else here wants to know the answer to this question. With your permission I’ll let them hear it.”

  I nodded.

  “Elaine raised her hand and a spark of flame leapt from one finger. Somewhere in the dark edges of the room a door opened and closed. A moment later Lir’s son, Mac, came into view. Facially, Mac was the spitting image of his father, but he was considerably more muscular, and his red hair was tied back in a plait.

  “You still want to answer this?” Mac asked.

  Part of me was annoyed that Elaine and Mac had colluded to ensure I had to tell both of them the answer to the question I knew was coming. But another, larger part, was just grateful I could get it over and done with.

  “Just ask the damn question,” I said, surprised at the annoyance in my voice.

  “Did you kill Mordred?”

  And there it was. The question I’d hoped she wouldn’t ask. In fact it was the entire reason I had hoped to leave Avalon without her notice, although being attacked in the middle of it had put paid to that idea. “Yes.”

  Elaine swallowed, and took a deep breath. Mac’s hands balled into muscular fists.

  “I went to New York, acquired a rifle, and waited for him,” I told them. “Three shots later, he was dead.”

  “Are you sure?” Elaine asked.

  “I put one through his eye. I don’t know of anything that can get up from that. I think even Merlin would die from a silver rifle round to the eye.”

  “Did you have any other options?”

  “Mordred was involved in turning children into weapons. He was helping someone, who I later found out to be Ares, to create their own Harbinger project, as well as try to create his very own set of Fates. People died, Elaine. A lot of them, most of them kids. I couldn’t let him get away with that.”

  “He was so full of rage,” Elaine said with a sigh. “He never saw a line to cross in his need to get revenge on Merlin.”

  “Why? Why would he hate Merlin so much? We were friends for a long time, then I went away and when I returned he was . . . evil. What happened to him during that time?”

  “I wish I knew. He never spoke of it. I know that Merlin sent him away for a few years, but other than that neither Mordred nor Merlin spoke of it. And now we’ll never know. I’d always hoped that my nephew could be saved from his darkness. I’m sorry for everything he put you through.”

  I’d always known that Elaine had found it very difficult to reconcile Mordred’s insanity with the boy she’d watch grow up. The fact that we’d been such good friends, to have it turn so quickly to something full of rage and hatred was never easy for her to accept.

  I turned to Mac, who’d been quiet since my revelation. “You want to kill me?”

  Mac took several steps toward me. In a fight, I was pretty certain he’d beat me. He was certainly stronger than me, and with his elemental powers my winning would take a considerable amount of luck. He stopped a step away from me, and stood there, staring down.

  I looked up into his eyes, and readied myself for what I was sure was coming.

  “I once told you that if you ever killed Mordred that you’d have me to deal with. I told you that he was sick. That he could get better. Whether or not I agree with what he’d done, I still need to follow through on that promise.” He raised one hand and tapped me slightly across the chin.

  I blinked.

  “I was wrong, Nathan. The Mordred we knew had vanished a long time ago. He had to be stopped. And I don’t think I could have done what you did.”

  Mac offered me his hand, which I took. He pulled me toward him. “Forgive me for my foolishness,” he whispered.

  “There was never anything to forgive,” I said honestly.

  Mac nodded a thanks, released my hand and turned to Elaine. “I’m going back to the Island. If you need anything let me know. Nathan, when you arrive, I’m coming with you. I owe you a debt and I plan to repay it by helping you find these Reaver bastards.”

  There was no point in arguing with him. “I’d be grateful of the help.”

  Elaine and I waited for Mac to leave the chambers before either of us spoke again.

  “Thank you for being honest,” she said.

  “Are any of his allies going to seek retribution for what happened?”

  “I don’t know. My sister, his mother, might send people after you. Very few know it was you who killed him. Even Mac and I had only guessed before you admitted to it. My sister might just assume you were involved, or she might stay in her little realm. If I knew where she was, I might be able to have a better idea of what she wanted to do. But I haven’t seen her in a long time. I haven’t seen either of my sisters.”

  Elaine’s sister Morgause had long since fled to a realm known only to a few. She’d once tried to use the rumor that Mordred had been exiled from Avalon because his father was Arthur, her half-brother. It was a lie. No one knew who Mordred’s father had been, but considering Arthur and Mordred had only a few years between them, Morgause’s lies were easily discredited.

  Elaine’s other sister was Morgan. As in Morgan Le Fay, a woman I’d once loved dearly, despite her exile from Avalon for speaking out against Arthur and Guinevere. Eventually she’d betrayed both Avalon and me, when she’d sided with Mordred. I hadn’t seen her since she’d left me for dead next to Arthur. Any feeling I’d had for her had long since faded, but occasionally I’d catch myself thinking of her, wondering where she might be. Thoughts I brushed aside as quickly as possible.

  “I need to go,” I told Elaine.

  “I miss you being here,” she said. “Even before what happened between you and Merlin, you were rarely here. I miss being able to talk to you about anything. I miss Avalon feeling like my home.”

  “It is your home.”

  Elaine shook her head. “There’s so much going on here, so many people who want something, who need to be watched to ensure they don’t overstep their boundaries. So many relationships that need to be juggled. It’s exhausting. So much has changed, and sometim
es it would be nice to go back to those simpler days, when you’d come to me for advice and I could be honest and open. It’s too rare these days.”

  I looked at Elaine for a few moments. “Once I’m done, I’ll return here. We can talk like old times about anything you wish.” I wondered whether to stop, but the realization that I may not get another chance for a long time spurred me to continue. “I wish things could be different. I wish I hadn’t blinded myself to what was happening with Merlin for so long. But it’s all too late now. Everything has changed, but that doesn’t mean things are worse. It just means that we all have to figure out where we stand in this new world that we helped create. I can’t come back here on a regular basis, Merlin and his allies would never allow it.”

  “Do you ever wish you could have just stayed as things were? Stayed in Avalon?”

  “Not for one second. Leaving here, leaving Merlin, was the healthiest thing I ever did. The thought that he might still be involved in the Reavers burns at my soul. He’s a cancer in this realm. One that needs to step aside before he’s forced out.”

  “That’s pretty close to treason.”

  I shrugged. “It’s also pretty close to accurate. And everyone with an ounce of objectivity can see it.”

  “I agree with you, Nathan. But there’s nothing that can be done without it coming off like a coup. And I won’t be part of that.”

  “I know. Hopefully, one day, he’ll either heal Arthur and this whole thing can go away, or he’ll fuck up so badly that he’ll have no choice but to leave.”

  “You really think he can revive Arthur?”

  “Not for a second. Which leaves him fucking up. And when he does that, when he’s finally forced from his cozy little space of helping exactly no one, I’ll be the first person in line to clap my hands as he’s ceremoniously told to go fuck himself.”

  I was leaving the palace when someone shouted my name. I turned and found Kay walking toward me, his Faceless a few steps back like a good little doggy.