It took some time for everyone to prepare, but eventually they all gathered at the front gate, just outside the stone walls surrounding the castle.
The soldiers were adjusting saddles and checking reins when Arthur approached me.
“Come on,” he said, holding out his hand.
“We’re sharing a horse? I can walk,” I replied. He stepped a little closer.
“I know what Orion said to you earlier,” Arthur said evenly. “But just because he said it doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it. You’re trying to get back to your mate, and like you said, I don’t know you well enough to have feelings. So ignore him. I’m not going to try anything, and we’ll get there much faster on horseback.”
“Alright. I’m sorry… I feel like an i***t now,” I admitted.
“Don’t,” he said. “I do find you attractive. But that’s my problem, not yours.”
He helped me onto his horse before climbing up behind me and taking the reins.
Arthur moved to the front of the group, gave the order to move out, and we set off at a gallop across the fields. He and I rode in the lead while the others followed behind out of respect- no one was supposed to ride ahead of the King.
We’d waited until dawn to depart and had traveled most of the day before finally stopping at a stream to rest and water the horses.
“Riding horses is actually a great workout,” I said, stretching my legs.
“Yeah, it is,” Arthur agreed.
“This ce is stunning,” I said as I looked around at the lush green grass, the distant forest, and the stream flowing gently in front of us.
It really did feel like something out of a fairytale. For a moment, I wished home could be more like this world–minus all the things constantly trying to kill us.
I guess both worlds had their downsides.
“If we keep this pace, we should arrive just after dark,” Arthur said.
“Works for me,” I replied.
“Can I ask what you’re nning to do to help us get inside the castle?” he asked.
< CHAPTER 65
“Well, what kind of guards are we dealing with?” I asked.
“They’re armored, likely more heavily than ours,” he said.
“<i>Are </i>they human? Or at least human–like?” I pressed.
“No. They’re not even alive. They’re statues,” he exined.
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“That’s good to know. I think I can handle them. If all they know is how to swing a sword, they won’t be able to defend themselves against magic,” I said.
“Probably not,” Arthur agreed. He studied me for a moment. “You look pale all of a sudden. Are you alright?”
“Yeah… why?” I asked.
“You just look sick,” he said.
“Stomach’s off, that’s all. It’ll pass,” I said.
“Alright. But if you can’t do this, tell me,” he said.
“I’m not letting a stomach bug stop me from killing that witch,” I said firmly.
“Fair enough. You’re a lot tougher than most women around here,” he said.
“Yeah, I was raised that way,” I said tly. “My father was a bastard who kept me locked in an attic and treated me like a ve for almost sixteen years. Sick days weren’t an option… even when he was poisoning me.”
“Damn,” Arthur muttered. “I was raised in a brothel and thought I had it rough, working myself to the bone for pennies.”
I managed a small smile. “At least you got paid.”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
“ve,” I reminded him. “ves don’t get paid.”
“Where’s your father now?” he asked.
“Hopefully dead,” I said. “Elias was fighting him as I fell through the portal to this world. And I know Elias would have beaten him.”
<i>“</i>So you’ve been here this whole time, not even knowing if your mate is alive?” Arthur asked.
“Yeah… I guess so, I admitted.
< CHAPTER 85
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“No wonder you’re desperate to get home. That’s rough,” he said.
“So is Elias. I believe he won. I believe he’s still alive,” I said firmly.
Arthur gave me a small smile and nodded.
Once we’d rested enough, we mounted the horses again and finished the journey to Morrigan’s castle.
As soon as the towering structure came into view, we could see the guards shifting into formation at the front. Unlike Arthur’s castle, this one didn’t have protective walls. All that stood between us and entry were the guards–and whatever waited inside.
We pressed forward without dismounting, Arthur keeping me at the front so I had a clear
view.
The guards raised swords and readied bows, moving with the same rigid precision as stone
statues.
When we got close enough for the first arrows to fly, I lifted my hand, focusing on the guard stationed directly in front of the door.
Dark clouds gathered above us as my eyes turned a glowing white.
I raised my hand to the sky, calling the lightning down to my palm, and then redirected it straight at the guard. Their armor carried the current, chaining the st from one guard to the next until each of them was engulfed in mes.
The lightning didn’t kill them–they weren’t truly alive–but it disoriented them, sending them crashing into one another. That was all the opening we needed to charge straight through the
door and into the castle.
Only a small group of us entered while the rest stayed behind to hold the line.
We dismounted and sprinted through the cold stone corridors, certain that the ck witch
had to be somewhere inside.
But when we reached the top floor, I froze in my tracks. Arthur skidded to a stop behind me as we stared at the sight in front of us: a woman’s lifeless body dangling from a beam, a rope tight around her neck.
“Who is that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“That’s Morrigan,” Arthur said grimly. “And she would never kill herself.”
“The ck witch,” I breathed.
< CHAPTER 85
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My stomach lurched and I stumbled to the side of the room, vomiting in the corner.
“Lyra,” Noir’s voice echoed inside my head.
“What’s wrong with me?” I gasped silently. But before she could answer, the heavy ng of metal mmed through the air.
Gates dropped down, locking us inside the room with Morrigan’s swaying corpse.
Then the ck smoke appeared, swirling outside the bars until it solidified into a figure.
The ck witch stood there, smiling. “Did you really think I’d make this easy for you?” she said with a coldugh.
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