Legendary (10 page)

For all of his irritation with her, Galahad’s touch was extremely gentle. He took great care washing away the dried blood while Dagg watched silently from his perch on Galahad’s arm, his purple eyes missing nothing. As the mess around her wound cleared, she saw that the cut had already mostly closed. All that was left was a thin scab.

“That’s not right,” she said. “That cut was deep and much wider than this.” She poked at the red skin, but even the pain from earlier was almost gone.

“Interesting,” she heard Dagg mumble to himself. “Avalon’s magic does not normally act in such ways with human blood.”

“What do you mean?” she asked while Galahad poured more water down her arm, washing away the last of the dried blood.

“You’re fortunate,” Galahad interrupted before Dagg could answer. “I remember the first time I came to Avalon. I had wounds all over me, and the magic felt like it was trying to burn away my blood. Had Avalon’s magic not been tempered, I am not sure how long I could have endured the pain.”

Aliana frowned. “That’s strange. It hurt at first, but after a while the pain lessened. Honestly, I had forgotten all about it until that blast of magic hit us.” She dropped her eyes. “What happened to them? What did the Sidhe do to those people, and how did they get here?”

Dagg jumped from Galahad’s arm, circling around them in the air as he told Aliana what she wanted to know. “The Sidhe lure mortals here and use their human spirits to strengthen their powers and make them less vulnerable to the sun’s light. Sidhe magic is dulled by the sun’s rays and thus they become weak or tired. Humans thrive in sunlight. The problem with stealing the spirit of a human is that it does not last very long—no more than two moon cycles—so they have to constantly find new humans to drain.”

Aliana thought for a moment. “So it’s the same thing as stealing a Pegasus’s magic to gain their ability to fly?”

“How do you know about that?” Dagg asked, a worried kind of curiosity in his voice.

“I saw a Pegasus earlier. I followed it into the woods, but we were attacked by some Goblins.” She ran a hand through her hair, thinking about the whistling arrow that had almost done her in.

“What? You were wandering in these forests by yourself, unprotected?” Galahad’s jaw clenched tight.

“And why shouldn’t I? Despite what you may think of me, I
can
take care of myself. I’ve been traveling on my own for a while now, and it’s not like I had another choice.” Just because she’d nearly gotten trapped in the Sidhe’s web didn’t mean she was helpless. Wade and her father had made sure she was very capable of defending herself.

“Oh really.” Galahad tightened his grip on her arm, reminding both of them how easily she could be hurt. “Is that why you have this wound—because you know how to take care of yourself so well?”

“Get your hand off me!” Aliana wrenched out of his grip. “For your information, my arm got cut while I was trying to find
you
back in that damned keep when the stairs crumbled right underneath me!” She poked her finger into his chest.

“Enough, both of you!” Dagg commanded, flying between them. “This is getting us nowhere. We all need to rest for a few minutes and get some food in us.”

Jaw locked tight, Galahad kept his eyes on Aliana when he said, “Very well, but then I want to know exactly what has happened to you since you arrived here in Avalon.”

“Why would I tell you when all you’re going to do is snarl and glare at me?”

“And when are you going to understand that I am concerned for your safety?” Galahad gripped her chin, forcing her eyes to his. “You are the key to awakening the king and reuniting the knights so we can defeat Mordrid! Your life is important and cannot be placed in danger so easily.” His face was mere inches from hers; his breath teased her lips, and his blue eyes darkened. His gaze flickered from hers for a moment, dropping lower, then back up to her eyes.

Aliana looked away, pulling from his grip. So she was right—she was only a burden to him. Closing her eyes, she pushed back her disappointment and focused on calming her racing heart.

“Lady Aliana,” he said softly. “Please understand that you are important. Only you can break our curse.”

Unable to bear his nearness, she got up from the rock and walked a few feet away. She crossed her arms, staring up at the starry sky.

“My lady?” Galahad placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Do you understand?”

Putting on a smile, she turned to him, simultaneously pulling away from his touch. “I get it Galahad. You need me to fulfill this prophecy.” Her voice was calmer and softer than it had been seconds ago. “I don’t intentionally place myself in bad situations. I did the best I could with what I was told by the Lady of the Lake.”

“Tell me, please, what has happened since your arrival here in Avalon? I need a better understanding of what you know and what you have seen.”

Aliana walked past him, taking a seat on a small stone, away from the one still covered with her first-aid supplies. Galahad followed and sat on a rock directly across from her.

“I came through a cave by a lake in my world…” She paused for a moment. “Wow, it sounds really weird saying that.”

Galahad raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry, this is all new to me and very strange.”

“I understand. I felt much the same when I came here with King Arthur.”

Aliana leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I grew up listening to all the different stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I feel like I know all of you already. But what happened to everyone? Why are you here? And when did you live in Camelot?”

Galahad chuckled, as if amused by her eagerness. “In time, my lady. First I need to hear what has occurred since you’ve been here.”

She told him about meeting Deidre and what the Nymph had said she was supposed to do. She described the little creature she had freed from the bush and meeting the Pegasus. Galahad’s jaw tightened when she told him about the Goblins, though she purposely left out the part about the arrow almost taking her head off. The knight listened, taking everything in silently.

“I thought they were going to get us until J’alel stepped in. He made me nervous at first, but then the Pegasus seemed to talk to him, and he helped me get back on to the path. He said he knew of the story of the Destined One and that the Elves would stand by King Arthur again if he called on them.”

“That is good to know.” Galahad relaxed slightly. “The Elves are strong warriors and their magic has helped us on more than one occasion. You said there was a creature that was not what it appeared to be. Can you show me the image you captured of it?”

Nodding, Aliana got up, grabbing her camera from her bag. Turning, she almost ran into Galahad, who was now right behind her.

She stepped back against one of the stones. “Geesh you move like a ninja.”

He scrunched his eyebrows. “What is a…ninja?”

“Uhh…never mind.” She turned on her camera as Galahad moved to stand directly behind her and peer over her shoulder.

“Is this more of your technology, my lady?”

For a moment, his closeness made it difficult for Aliana to speak.

6

Wade and I are eating lunch alone since Aliana’s off on another of her adventures. Wade isn’t the type of person I normally associate with. He’s brash, American, loud-mouthed, American, a comedian, and still American. In spite of that, I like him. Maybe because he and I are total opposites or because he understands loyalty. I’m glad Aliana has him in her life.
~Owen

A
CUTELY
A
WARE
O
F
T
HE
H
EAT
rolling off Galahad, Aliana cleared her throat and leaned forward, putting a little more space between them. “This is a digital camera. They’re designed to capture an image in real life so you can preserve the memory.”

“Like a mosaic or a fresco?”

“Exactly. Only it’s an instant, perfect recreation. I like to think that it catches a heartbeat of time.” She gave him a big smile, looking between the camera and him. “The great thing about photography is that I can create something that tells a story with only a glance. I sell a lot of my pictures. That’s what I do to make money. I find and create images that inspire people and draw them into the beauty of what I see.” That was the part she loved best about her art.

“Does your father or husband not see to your needs?”

“No, my parents are dead and I’m not married. I take care of myself and I do it quite well.” Aliana leveled a stern look at Galahad. “Things are much different now. Women have their independence, even if they have families and husbands.”

“I meant no disrespect,” Galahad insisted, holding his hands up. “The world now must be much changed from the one I knew.”

“Sorry.” Aliana offered him a small smile, not sure if she was more sorry for rushing to judgment or because she realized how much they wouldn’t fit together. “Here’s the picture of the creature.” She held the view screen up to him.

Galahad’s eyes opened wide. “It looks so real.”

“Like I said.” Aliana beamed at the way he studied the picture as if it was the most important thing he’d ever seen.

He frowned and handed the camera back to her. “You are sure this image is true?”

“Yes, but the creature that I saw with my own eyes was cute with nice fur, adorable black eyes, and definitely no fangs. It did have three tales like in the image, though.”

“That is a TreTale, but this one has been tainted by evil magic.”

Fear skittered down Aliana’s spine. “Why would someone do that? And why didn’t it look like that to my eye?”

“As you learned earlier, these forests are protected, but they hide many a great prize. Sorcerers have been known to spell a creature of the forest so that they may find a target without entering the forest. Once the spelled creature finds what it is searching for, the magic allows them to lead their master to the prey.” His frown deepened. “Even if the prey has moved on to a new place.”

Aliana bit her lip, her nerves rattled by this more sinister angle to the creature. She hoped it hadn’t been sent to find her Pegasus friend.

“What do you think Dagg?” she asked as she slid her camera strap over her shoulder, but no answer came. She scanned the area, trying to find the little Dragon but didn’t see him. “Dagg? Where do you think he went?”

“I do not know, but we cannot move on without him.” Galahad glanced at the apple trees. For a moment, there was a look of such need on his face that it hurt Aliana to see it.
He literally hasn’t eaten in ages.

Galahad nodded toward the trees. “Those are the apples of Avalon. Eating one is enough to fill a person’s stomach for half a day. Would you like to try one?”

Aliana considered the apples then shifted her eyes to Galahad. “Sure, I haven’t eaten since this morning.”

Galahad moved quickly to the trees and plucked two very large apples. Talk about temptation! Ripe, juicy apples and an honest-to-God-drop-dead-gorgeous knight in shining armor. Aliana couldn’t help smiling as he made his way back with two perfect apples. Why did he have to look like the charming and brave fictional hero?

“Here, my lady.” His fingers brushed across her palm as he placed the fruit into her waiting hand. Whatever magic he had used to free her from the Sidhe came rushing back, and she couldn’t turn away from him. With sheer force of will, she took a step back. The moment she did, her head cleared and a nervous giggle escaped her throat.

“Thanks.” She took a bite, and sweet, tangy flavor burst in her mouth. “Wow!” she said after swallowing her first bite. “This is fantastic!”

Galahad smiled as he took a bite of his apple. Aliana watched, fascinated, as he devoured half the large fruit in three bites. His eyes met hers for a moment before she glanced away, taking another bite. Before she could embarrass herself any further, she started packing her medical supplies away while she finished her apple. She didn’t have to look to know that Galahad was right behind her. She heard him pull his sword from the ground and re-sheath it.

“May I ask you a question?” he asked. Aliana placed the apple core on the ground as she gazed up at him and nodded. “Can your camera capture a human’s image in the same way?” His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

She knew she shouldn’t, but she really wanted a picture of Galahad. “Yes, let me show you.” She pulled the camera off her shoulder and stood, adjusting the settings for night time and pointed the camera at him.

“Stop, my lady!” he ordered.

She did, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

Galahad remained silent and it dawned on her—when photography had first been invented, many cultures thought that it would take a part of a person’s soul. Though that was long after his time, he might think the same. He was probably afraid it would take a part of him.

“Galahad, I won’t deny that a picture takes a fragment of a person, but it’s not what you’re thinking. Can I show you? Please.” She used her big kitten eyes on him. She wanted him to understand the thing she loved the most—and he would be amazing in her photos.