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Molly groaned. She really didn’t need Puck to expose Morganna’s secret desire to everyone in attendance.

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“That will be quite enough of that, Puck,” Molly commanded. Puck made a hooting noise and dropped out of stealth mode.

“You know, I don’t know why I want to help you,” he said, tapping his foot on the floor, slowly he grinned. “Oh, yes, now I remember, but I’m not telling,” he drawled out the last word and gave it a musical little spin. He dematerialized and left a thick cloud of ruby red smoke behind him. Molly coughed.

“I’ll be waiting out by the lake,” Puck called. With that, his voice faded away into the distance.

“I don’t think you should go. “ Morganna’s voice was stiff, and determined. They all looked up as the council doors opened again, and Thaney and Morgause entered.

Thaney kept trying to hide behind her mother, and Morgause kept pulling her out in front of her. Gareth and Gaheris stood up, and moved aside so that their mother and sister could sit down.

“I disagree,” Millicent said, earning a reproachful glare from Morganna. “I have heard of Clan Rowan. Many times, my mother has told me that heart-wrenching tale. I do not believe that the Clan holds any animosity toward Molly, therefore I do not think she will be in any danger. “

“Thaney wishes to accompany you. “ Morgause’s anxious voice caught everyone’s attention.

“Certainly not. I shall not consider it. “ Molly sat up straighter, and tried to emulate some of the conviction that her father had possessed in such abundant supply.

“She wishes it,” Morgause pressed on, as Gaheris moved to interject.

“She is but a child, Mother, what would she know of going on a quest?” His voice was gentle and kind, though it seemed to provoke Thaney.

Thaney slammed her fist on the Round Table, causing nearly everyone to jump.

“You shall need me,” Thaney murmured, casting imploring greenish-blue eyes at Molly.

“I will not rest easy if you leave without me. “

Molly knew that steely look in Thaney’s eyes all too well. She’d seen it reflected in a mirror on many occasions. “Thaney, I’m sorry, but you are not ready. “

“You are wrong in that assumption, cousin. Merlin has been teaching me for these past three years, he has shared secrets with me that he hasn’t even told you. “ That caught her unaware and gave the sensation of being slammed in the stomach.

“I think that we should allow her to join us,” Collin said. Molly arched her back and almost did a double tack.

“But neither one of you are coming with me. “ She turned to Collin.

“I shall not take a fledgling witch and a…” her voice trailed off, as a deadly silence filled the chamber. She swallowed, and felt sick by what she had almost said. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. A hardened glint entered Collin’s eyes and then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

“I am your true love, I belong by your side,” Collin said. He was doing a fantastic job of maintaining his composure even though the tension was thickly woven through his voice.

“You are a mortal,” she forced the words out, though her tone was tinged with regret.

She knew that she had dealt Collin a serious blow, but it was one that was necessary. She knew how dangerous dragons could be, and she could not risk Collin’s life. He had to understand her point of view.

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“As you all have already heard, I shall have the Faerie trickster Puck, and the Elvin Prince Branden by my side, I require no other companions. “ Collin’s eyes flashed with emotion. He looked about ready to have one hell of a bloody row with her, but they had an audience, and he was a civilized gentleman to the last.

“Ye shall need the luck of the Irish on yer side, as well I’d wager,” Lachlan said, popping into the room.

Molly groaned, and stood up. She moved out of Collin’s reach and meandered toward the door.

“This council meeting is over. My Lady Knights, and My Lord Knights, you shall be needed here. We must prepare Tintagel for a possible attack. We have no way of predicting when Lord Cardan’s forces shall attack. “

“I know when,” Thaney murmured, her voice had dropped to such a low pitch that it was barely audible.

Molly stared at her cousin. “Why did you not speak up before?”

“You did not ask. And that is why I must accompany you. “ Molly swore beneath her breath. She hated not knowing everything.

“When will they attack?” she demanded, giving Thaney a stern look.

“The future is guarded behind thick mists. I can only tell you of possible scenarios. You yourself know of one. “ Thaney stared at Molly, and caused gooseflesh to erupt across her skin.

Thaney was really beginning to creep her out.

“Beltaine shall be his choosing,” Thaney murmured, her greenish-blue eyes, flaring with bright stars.

“Then we don’t have much time,” Molly muttered, turning back to the door.

“You have less time, than we do,” Thaney said mysteriously. Molly heard the words, but didn’t bother to dwell upon the meaning of them.

She didn’t care how much time she had left. As long as she made the most of it, it wouldn’t matter to her if her battle against Lord Cardan turned out to be her last. Her only true regret would be that she wouldn’t have any more tomorrows to share with Collin.

Lord Cardan already knew too much about them, thanks to the secrets that the Avalon Diaries contained. But there was one vital truth that he was not aware of. Collin was her greatest weakness. But as long as he was safe, all would be well. As for the Avalon Diaries it didn’t look as if they’d be reclaiming them anytime soon.

She started to walk up the long flight of steps to the bedchambers above, and nearly keeled over when she had a painful vision. Agony seared through her skull, making her moan in pain. She doubled over, sinking precariously down onto the stone step that she stood upon.

She could see Arthur and Avalbane. They were trapped in a cave. Her father was lying on a bed of leaves with his hair all mussed up and cracked with his own blood. Avalbane was nudging him, but she could not awaken him. Molly needed to get to them. But first, first she had to get to the dragons. At least she now knew that her father was alive. It wasn’t much, but it was enough, for now.

She pushed herself up, scraping her hand on the stone. Blood drizzled down her palm.

She still felt dizzy, and realized that it was probably because she had walked passed the tables of food that lined the Ewanghen. Feeling too dizzy and drowsy to walk to her bedchamber, she closed her eyes and transported herself there.

She sank down onto the bed, stared at the table over on the far side of the room, and raised one eyebrow. Steaming porridge and honey emerged on the table along with some crusty LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 154

bread and butter. Feeling her stomach clench with hunger, she teetered to the table, and sank down on a chair. She had just ripped off a chunk of bread and was slathering it with butter, when the door to her bedchamber crashed open.

Then her eyes flickered to the Elvin wedding band she wore. And she finally remembered an all-important fact. This wasn’t just her bedchamber any longer. Now she shared it with a man. And that man happened to be her husband. Who by the looks of it, was in a towering rage.

“Hello, Collin,” she said, her voice muffled as she chewed the piece of bread that she’d shoved into her mouth.

He slammed the door behind him. She raised her eyebrow, and calmly reached for the cup of black tea that sat in front of her. “Did you want something, darling?” she asked. She looked up just in time to see him stalking toward her. He looked like a mountain lion about ready to take down its prey.

“Yes, I do want something. I want a wife that doesn’t treat me like a baby. “

As the damning words escaped his mouth, a gleeful chortle filled the room. A pacifier appeared in Collin’s mouth. He stared down at it in surprise, and then spewed it out.

“Puck!” they both shouted at the same time.

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“At your service, my queen,” Puck said, bending over into an exaggerated bow. His ruby red materialization smoke still lingered in the air, and was causing Molly’s eyes to water. “You have beautiful feet. “ he reached out to touch Molly’s foot, but she jerked it away in time.

“Puck, please cease your constant teasing. “ She sounded pissed off. It was no wonder; that’s what Puck got for interrupting her. Puck snapped his fingers and in a flash he was wearing the clothes of a regency dandy.

“Trouble is brewing in paradise. It’s a crying shame, you know. I was rooting for the two of you…I even had money on it,” Puck murmured. He began flitting about her bedchamber.

“Shut up,” Collin snapped out, causing Puck to stop in mid-air and twist his body around at a grotesque angle to stare at Collin. Incredulity lined Puck’s flawless features, and his golden eyes glittered dangerously.

“Choose your words wisely, son,” Puck huffed out. In the next blinding moment he had magically changed into a cricket player’s white uniform. Then, he conjured a cricket bat in his hand. “Or else, I shall have to teach you a lesson, and paddle your bum. “ He was trying to goad Collin’s temper and by the looks of things, he was succeeding spectacularly.

“Collin,” Molly said, trying to catch his attention. One did not go up against a faerie without being prepared. But Puck would be traveling in precarious waters if he ever thought about harming Collin. Which probably wouldn’t enter his crafty little brain, considering the fact that he was mischievous but not malicious.

“Thank you,” Puck said. Molly gasped, realizing instantly that he had been listening in on her private thoughts. “The white swan-ship has arrived from Avalon. We must stop our dilly-dallying. Must I remind the two of you that the fate of the world, or at least your world, rests on recruiting the Clan Rowan?”

“We were trying to settle a disagreement. “ Molly stared at Puck, and wished that he would stop whizzing around the room. His furious movements were starting to make her feel nauseous.

“Petty squabble more like,” Puck chirped, quite ticked off about the whole situation.

“Cherish the time that has been given to you. “ With those last unusually wise words, he popped out of sight. “This time I’m really going. I shall be by the Lake. “ Puck’s voice called back to them, as if from a far distance away.

“I’m sorry,” they both said almost instantaneously. Collin moved toward her, and bent down to one knee in front of her.

“My Lady Pendragon,” he murmured. She shivered as the husky tone of his voice sent a thrill of delight through her. “I shall always remain true to you. If you believe that it would be wiser for me to stay behind, rather than be there to watch your back, I’ll understand. “ So that’s how he was going to play it. He could be one crafty little bugger when he wanted to be.

The generous gesture was enough to make Molly smile though the scrunched up expression Collin wore plainly told her that he had forced the words out. She knew that he wanted to be by her side, because he genuinely worried about her, and not because he was an LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 156

egotistical control freak. If he had been a control freak she never would have married him in the first place. She had absolutely no use for those sorts of men. They were a class act.

“Are you sure that your 21st century brain is ready to deal with the thoughts of cursed dragons, who were once humans?” His emerald colored eyes swirled with some conflicting emotions. It wasn’t hard to tell that he had some sort of inner turmoil raging inside of him.

“Hmm…let me think. I’ve been transported back in time fifteen hundred years. Merlin trained me for the past three years, and made me worthy enough to become a Knight of the Round Table. Then I find out that I’m an Elvin Prince’s grandson, and that my grandmother is younger than me at the moment. The kicker of it all is, that I’m a mortal…I have no powers. I seem to be the only one in a sea of magical creatures. I wish I could call Adria grandmother but I doubt she’d be open to the idea. “

“Speaking of Adria, she’ll be the next one that will try to tag along with me. “ Molly sighed. It felt good to know that she could rely on so many people to help her but this was a bit too much. When she wanted to ditch them for their own good, she found that they could stick to her like bloody glue!

“Well, that does it. Now I am coming with you. You’re right, Adria will no doubt be insisting upon accompanying you because she is your fighting partner. So, if you think that I’m going to abandon you, and the rest of my family, you can just think again. “

“I don’t expect you to stay behind. But I want you to be overly cautious. Even though you’ve spent three years in this time, you’re still out of your element. This is my world. And even though you think you’ve come into contact with everything imaginable, you’ve only just begun. I’ve seen grisly things in my life that would make that wavy hair of yours stand on end. “

She stood up, and allowed him to gather her into his arms.

“I’ll stick close to you. We will protect each other. “ A tingly rush flowed through her again. She forced back a shudder as the vision of Collin’s death flashed through her mind.

Control yourself, Molly. If you’re not careful, you’ll have opened the floodgates, and then you’ll be done for!

He brushed his lips against hers, and she smiled as he deepened the kiss.

“We don’t have time for this, though I wish we did,” she murmured.

She drew slightly away from him, and touched her index finger to his bottom lip. She wished she had a photograph of him to carry with her. As it was, she’d have to make do with her memories of this moment. She would make sure that she looked out for Collin. She couldn’t bear seeing him disappear in front of her very eyes. Moreover, she couldn’t bear losing both him and Adria in one fell swoop. Her destiny wouldn’t serve that cruel of a blow to her. It just wouldn’t be fair. Not after all of the good work she’d done.