Sentries of Camelot (Ruby Morgan Book 2)

by LJ Rivers

  He shook his head wildly, clearly picking up on what was upsetting me. “Ruby,” he said again. “This is Teagan.”

  I exhaled slowly, my cheeks burning, and not from the fire that was settling back into a dormant state. The embarrassment was overwhelming.

  “Oh,” I muttered, staring at Brendan’s sister. My shoulders slumped. “You must think I’m completely mental.”

  Tegan glanced at me, and for the first time, I really looked at her. It was strange to look into the girly version of Brendan’s eyes. Unlike his, hers were veiled with tears.

  Brendan sighed. “Since you’re here, and everyone is already upset, you might as well come in.”

  At this point, I’d rather run back out, but as invited, I stepped inside before Brendan shut the door behind me.

  “I’m interrupting something,” I said.

  “You are,” Brendan retorted. “But I’m sorry I didn’t reply. It’s just that Teagan showed up yesterday, and we’ve had some things to sort out. I didn’t mean to blow you off.”

  I sat on the chair by his desk while Brendan dumped down beside his sister, who had yet to say a word to me.

  “Teagan, this is Ruby, my friend. Or something.” A small dimple formed as he gave me a short smile. “She doesn’t usually shout this much.”

  Teagan blew her nose into a tissue, then tossed it on top of the bin, which was nearly full of already used ones. Then she held my gaze. Her dark brown hair brushed her shoulders, and her face was the pretty equivalent to Brendan’s handsomeness. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were twins. There were, however, some more delicate features of her face that made her look younger than him, even though I knew she was two years older. She had, according to Brendan, dropped out in the middle of her bachelor’s studies last spring to run a hotel on the Sun Coast with her boyfriend. Her tan, or rather lack of it, did not tell a tale of hours in the sun, though.

  “You’re dating my brother?” Teagan asked, not waiting for a reply. “Then you should know better than to barge in on him.”

  I nodded. She was making a point, and though I could have gone into a debate with her about the dating, she didn’t look like she was up for much of anything.

  “He’s very loyal.” Teagan ruffled Brendan’s hair, then bore her eyes into me again. “Especially to his family.”

  I sat at the edge of my seat, but didn’t say anything, afraid Brendan might throw me out. Now that I had sat down, I didn’t want to leave anymore; I wanted to know what was going on. Why was she here and not in Spain, for starters?

  Brendan removed Teagan’s hand from the top of his head. “Can I tell Ruby? She already knows what Ollie is.” He smiled at me, a small but tender smile that made my skin tingle.

  Teagan frowned at him and wiped the tears on her cheeks. “Sure. Why not. Can’t get any worse.”

  I was pretty sure it could, but I kept that to myself.

  “You remember I told you about Teagan’s boyfriend, Oliver?” Brendan asked. “Well, as it turns out, there was more to the story than I knew when I told you about it. He still conned our parents, though it seems it was all Teagan’s idea. He was running away from a group of Harvesters, and Teagan figured they could borrow the money and pay our parents back later.” He shook his head. “However stupid that was, the money wasn’t enough, and a few days ago, they came for him.”

  “They kidnapped him,” Teagan cried. “They tased him, shackled him, and took him away. I only escaped because he spent all his energy creating a magical diversion, tricking them into thinking I wasn’t there. It gave me a chance to hide, but there were three of them, and he didn’t have enough energy left to fool them all. He saved me, and now he’s gone.”

  Well, bugger, this added to my very long list of troubles.

  Teagan sniffled. “When they last took him, they brought him someplace north of London, though he escaped before they got to their destination. I have to find him!”

  I knew better than anyone how dangerous Harvesters could be, and it might already be too late, but no one deserved to be kidnapped and have their blood drained against their will. Perhaps the Harvesters who took Oliver were a little more careful than the ones who had taken Jen and the other girls. If so, then maybe he was still alive.

  “So, you see,” Brendan said, “I’ve had my hands full.”

  I sighed. “I can see that. Whatever you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I’d like to help find him.”

  Teagan slanted her head at me, no doubt sizing me up to decide if I would be of any use at all. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

  “I study journalism,” I said, as if that gave me some merit. “I’ve got access to newspaper files as well as some powerful search engines and databases. If you can gather everything you know and send it to me, then I’ll try to see if I can find something that might help. I don’t know if I can, but I’ll do my best.”

  She nodded and leaned her head on Brendan’s shoulder.

  He gave me an apologetic look, but I waved him off. “We’ll talk again tomorrow?”

  “I’ll text you.”

  “You do that.”

  With a deep breath, I stood and exited Brendan’s room. The wind outside had picked up again, but it didn’t bother me anymore. I had too much on my mind. Mum had always warned me about the Harvesters, and I had known that they would be a threat, but this seemed to be much more organised than I had thought. They had the equipment to immobilise magic, to capture and drain people, and not only that, if you ran, they came after you. Would they have killed Teagan if they had found her? If so, they were willing to sacrifice humans, too.

  And then there was the police. Paddock had said not to trust anyone, and I had thought him to be paranoid. Perhaps he wasn’t after all. Besides, paranoia might be the right response in a situation like this. No Mag was safe, which meant Jen wasn’t safe. I wasn’t. And maybe Mum wasn’t either, and she was all alone.

  The hallway was dark as I trudged towards my room. I lingered outside Charlie’s door for a moment, then decided I had nothing left to give. We would talk, just not now. Maybe things would look up in the morning, though I had my doubts.

  Seven

  I yawned, finished the spellcheck and glanced at the time. 5.52 am. The file on my laptop had started to blur into a mess of letters. I drew my breath, shook my head to regain focus, and closed the assignment. It wasn’t due until 2 pm, but with everything that was going on, I had decided to work through the night to get ahead. I still had to write a piece for the Whisper about the upcoming election for the students’ representative on the university board, but that would have to wait.

  I uploaded the assignment paper to my Canvas account. It was good, though not great. Hopefully, it would get me a 2:1 grade, but that might be a stretch. In my mind, the 2:1 was an absolute target. Of course, the first obstacle was to pass at all, but I had something to prove. Mostly to myself. Also, I wanted Mum to know I could cope with juggling both uni, work, the Whisper and, as it turned out, a possible boyfriend. If Brendan was still interested after the stunt I’d pulled last night, that was.

  As I had plenty more schoolwork to do, I slipped my laptop into my bag and dashed past Charlie coming from the kitchen in her PJs, a coffee mug in her hands. She stopped and turned after me as I went for the door.

  “Later,” I called. “I promise.”

  I wanted to talk to her, I really did, but my mind could only cope with so much. Right now, I needed to find my three predicaments for Mr Zhang’s class and start working on my arguments. After that, I had to look for anything I could find about Harvesters north of London and do some digging into Ollie’s past. I didn’t have a lot to go on. Also, Paddock would likely get in touch soon, so I had to get started, or I might not find the time.

  The sun was out, and though it was chilly, the wind had stilled. Maybe things would get better today. Not wanting to sit anywhere crowded, I found a bench by the entrance to the labyrinth garden, feeling as happy as I was surprised
to be able to work outdoors this late in November. Wi-Fi reception on campus was pretty good, and the area was quiet this early. I opened my laptop as a squirrel darted across the ground and disappeared into the hedge. Seconds later, another squirrel followed its path. I blew into my hands and rubbed them together. My fingers would soon freeze to the point where I couldn’t sit out there for too long. Perhaps not the brightest idea to work outside after all, though I was determined to enjoy the sunshine for as long as I could manage.

  “Truth,” I wrote before my mind shut down. It took me a while to sort out my thoughts as to what Mr Zhang might want from this assignment. I had just finished writing something half decent about respecting privacy when a familiar cane tapped the top of the screen.

  “Miss Morgan.” Kaine stared down at me. “You do like to get an early start. I admire that in someone as young as you. I bet if we’re quiet enough, we could hear the snoring chorus of your fellow students.”

  I almost laughed, then remembered what I had done. My cheeks flared up, and my instincts told me to run again.

  “Professor Kaine,” I muttered, pressed save and slowly closed my laptop to place it back in my bag.

  “I was wondering if I might have a moment?” he said.

  “I—I’m really very busy.”

  He folded his hands on top of his cane, leaning towards me. “It will be worth your while.”

  Scrambling to my feet, I motioned towards Craydon. “Charlie is waiting for me.”

  “One should not tell lies, Miss Morgan.” He tutted. “Though I understand why you think you ought to run. I promise it will all become clear to you if you will allow me a fraction of your time.”

  Why was he so persistent? I couldn’t deal with another problem today, and Kaine knowing what I was, well, that was a can of worms I didn’t want to get into. I started to walk off when the cane cut in front of me.

  “Miss Morgan.” Kaine’s voice was deeper this time, full of power and authority. “I cannot show you what you need to see out here in the open. But we both know that I know. And that little display of yours showed me that you do not have control over yourself. It is a dangerous thing in this world to not contain your powers when needed. I should know.”

  I paused and met his gaze. His silver-blue eyes looked both young and old at the same time, as if they were filled with fire and wisdom. There was something about him. Yesterday, I had felt safe in his presence, and his words had soothed me. It was my own fault that I messed up. Would he betray me to the Harvesters? I didn’t think he would. And what had he just said? He should know?

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll text Jen first to let her know that I’m with you. In case she starts to worry.”

  That should get the message across. He wouldn’t hurt me if people knew he was the last person to see me. A simple precaution, which I most likely didn’t need. It was pure paranoia, but I had already decided that paranoia was to be my approach going forward. The ordeal with the janitor had taught me that anyone could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and the Harvester in the park on Saturday morning hadn’t exactly vanished from my mind either.

  “You’re a smart girl, Miss Morgan.” Kaine gestured with his cane, and I followed in his steps. We passed by Ealing Court, and I couldn’t help but look for Brendan. He wasn’t outside, though, and was probably still in bed.

  Focus, Ru!

  Kaine led me behind Ealing and past one of the lecture halls, proceeding by the accommodation house for the lecturers, past Raven Court and beyond. My breath caught in my throat as I realised where we were headed. The entrance to the tunnels, which led to the boiler room I had blown up—literally—was closed off with more blue tape than it had been the first time I had trespassed.

  Kaine lifted the tape, beckoning for me to follow. I hesitated, turning the ring on my finger while sending a thought to my dad. I had no idea why I did that, but I supposed it helped calm me when I was nervous.

  “Do not linger,” Kaine said. He flicked his fingers at the sealed-off doors, and the padlock disintegrated into dust in seconds.

  What on Earth or Avalon? Did he use magic? My lips spread out into an involuntary smile. I dipped underneath the tape, and we stepped inside the dark tunnel.

  “We could use some light,” he murmured.

  I grinned. With no one else watching, I drew on the power always present in my veins. It took me some time, however, as my firepower and I had not been able to get properly acquainted yet. I wasn’t about to have another accidental explosion that could very well kill us both. A ball of fire erupted in my palm, emitting a dim light, which eased visibility as we traversed further, not stopping again until we stood on top of the rubble of what had once been the boiler room.

  “There are a few torches on the wall.” Kaine tilted his chin at one torch after another, making six in total.

  Torches? That was completely medieval. I stifled a laugh and shrugged.

  “Sure,” I said, then sent a tendril of flame to each of them. The torches lit up as the fire got a hold, the room bright enough on its own for me to kill the fireball in my hand.

  “Very good. And no explosions this time.”

  That made me pause. “Wait. How did you know?”

  He circled me, his cane tracing the blocks of cement as he went. Slowly, a steady stream of smoke surrounded us as the rubble disintegrated in much the same way as the padlock. Soon, we were standing on what looked like an arena, the floor level, though covered in ash.

  My eyes widened. What was he? An Elementalist? Whatever he was, he was clearly a Magical. He had such a calm control of his powers that there was no way he could be high on MagX.

  He stopped in front of me, his posture straight, too straight for an old man. “When you asked for my help, I got curious, so I had a look at what you found in the archives and discovered you had printed the blueprints for the tunnels. Not my proudest moment, I must admit, but I followed you. I waited outside until I heard the blast. The rest I could piece together easily enough.”

  The night I had become a live bomb was vivid in my mind. There were still things about what had happened that I didn’t fully understand, however. Perhaps Kaine could help me figure it out?

  “So, you already knew what I was? You knew the blood I had you test was mine, too, didn’t you?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Miss Morgan.”

  I tilted my head at him. “Call me Ruby, please. I think we’re past the Miss Morgan phase.”

  He chuckled. “Then you should call me Gabriel.”

  Gabriel, I mused. Gabriel Kaine was as biblical as names went. Not a common name for a Magical, and he didn’t strike me as particularly angelic. He did have this guardian kind of look about him, though.

  I presented my hand, and we shook. “Pleased to meet you, Gabriel. Now, why exactly are we here?”

  “Your little magical display in my lab made me realise you might need some, shall we say, guidance. I’m not sure why your mother never taught you control. It is, after all, something that needs to be learned.”

  I stepped back and frowned. “My mum taught me a lot of things. I am perfectly in control of my healing, and usually of my force fields. It’s those weird new powers I struggle with.”

  “I apologise, I meant no offence to your mother.” He tapped the pommel of his cane with two fingers. “But what do you mean by weird new powers?”

  “Lately I’ve been able to—” I started, not sure how much to reveal. “Well, you saw the fireballs. Not your average Fae power, right?”

  “Not at all. That explains so much and at the same time so little. No one gets new powers once they are fully developed. Magical powers are innate. You should have always had them.”

  My eyes widened. “What do you mean? I’ve had them all along? Then why have I never used them before?”

  “That is very peculiar, indeed.”

  I slid a finger over the ruby on my ring. “Did you see anything in my blood to indicate I have no
n-Fae powers?”

  He shook his head. “No, but the nature of the magical powers is not visible in the blood. There is no pattern to the blood cells that we are aware of as yet. This is certainly a conundrum. There are only two explanations I can think of which could have caused these powers to show up now rather than before. One is that you somehow stole them, intentionally or not, from someone else.”

  “I didn’t—”

  He held one hand up. “The other, and the more likely scenario, is that the powers were disconnected from you. Bound, perhaps.”

  I shook my head. It didn’t make sense. “How do you know so much?”

  “I’ve been all over the world, Ruby. I do not have powers such as yours, and I cannot do all the things you can, but knowledge is power, too.”

  The revelations of what he was saying were too much to grasp, though there was one point he had made, which was something to take to heart.

  “So, could you teach me control?”

  If I could get a handle on these new powers, then maybe I stood a better chance against the Harvesters of the world. One could hope.

  His eyes lit up, and that fire in them I had seen before made him look young again. “Yes, Ruby. I believe I can. And this,” he gestured outwards with his cane, “will be our training ground. It’s secluded, and you can break whatever you want in here.”

  “Thank you, Prof—I mean, Gabriel. Truly.”

  He tilted his chin at me. “We’ll find the time. In the mornings perhaps. You could combine it with your runs. This kind of training is very much like physical exercise. Besides, you did mention having a busy day.”

  We made our way outside and split up. He sauntered in the direction of the accommodation hall for lecturers, while I took the shortcut by Raven Court through the lilac archway. I didn’t have any lectures to get to, but I did have a friend, with whom I needed to make amends. I had a couple of ideas on how to brighten her day as well. With my spirits uplifted, I picked up speed and ran all the way back to Craydon.

  As I skipped up the steps, my phone vibrated in my pocket.