Page 14 of Secrets of Avalon
“Are you doing this?” the King asks, shifting my attention back to him. His magick tightens around me like a python slowly attempting to squeeze its victim into compliance. But instead it only exacerbates my panic, causing another surge of magick to erupt from me, drawing a groan of pain from all four of them.
“Please stop,” I beg the king, retreating a step. I use every calming trick my mother and father taught me, but I can’t pull the magick back. I can’t stop it.
The original guard takes a step closer and growls. “Stop, or I’ll end you right now.” His hand moves to the hilt of his sword, a clearly defined threat.
“I can’t. You’re scaring me.”
I turn to run from them all, but there are more men–more dragon soldiers lining the courtyard edge. Some are grimacing in pain. Others are snarling, hands turning to claws. I’m so exhausted from my magick exploding in the cave, it’s the only reason no one has died yet here. My magick didn’t have time to completely recharge.
Nimue’s voice envelops me, the haunting melody is oddly soothing, yet I can’t shake the feeling of being manipulated. Still, I welcome calm and control for now… I’m so tired. And I’m so painfully aware of the dragon people’s seething anger around me. I turn to face Nimue, mouthing I’m sorry, silently.
“Take her and leave, Nimue. The deal is off,” King Athanasios says, his words bellowing out of him like a foghorn.
Nimue curls a protective arm around my shoulder. “Oh no you don’t. You owe me Athanasios.”
Even though Nimue’s speaking to the King, I can still hear her singing in my head. My magick is retreating and my nausea is so much less.
The king snarls and takes an aggressive step toward us both, but his wife catches his arm and pulls him back.
The man Nimue said would be my bodyguard steps forward. “I agreed to the bond, my king. Let me do this. Then you and your house will be free of the Siren Queen’s life debt.”
The king nods to the man, giving him permission to step forward.
“What bond? What’s a life debt? I don’t understand what you’re agreeing to.” I’m shaking against Nimue's grasp. “I want to go to Avalon. You said you’d take me to Avalon,” I say, barely whispering the words.
“You need Kellan first. The king owes me a favor and I’m using it to get you a Drakonii bodyguard. He’ll be able to protect you and help you control your magick.”
“Why do I need a bodyguard to go to Avalon?”
“So you don’t kill anyone with that magick of yours. I can’t always be around to calm you down.” She grabs me by both shoulders and looks me square in the eye. “You are the first piece of restoring Avalon to greatness. But your magick is volatile, you need help controlling it.”
“I don’t understand. No one besides you has ever had any effect on me controlling my magick. What makes you think he’ll be able to do anything?”
“Just do as Kellan says and we’ll be on our way to Avalon. He will protect you. No matter what.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s his job,” she snaps back, irritation thick in her tone. “If you want to go to Avalon. This is the only way.” She turns me around and pushes me forward a step toward the waiting warrior–toward the man I assume is Kellan.
He doesn’t look friendly. He looks hard. Like a Navy SEAL actor in a military thriller movie. Unreadable. Dangerous. Like he could snap me in half if he wrapped those giant arms around me and squeezed.
My magick flares at that thought and I see a hint of surprise ripple through his gaze. He felt it, but didn’t buckle. His face is calm. My magick isn’t making him worry, not like it did the other three a few moments ago.
He watches me. No, studies me.
I take a breath and quiet some of the chaos writhing inside me.
He gives a direct tip of his chin. “Good job, Domina.” He holds out a hand, palm up and waits. His arm is wrapped in iridescent green tattoos that wind around and up his whole arm and shoulder, disappearing beneath the chest-plate and chiton he’s wearing.
“Why are you doing this?” I look up into his dark eyes and notice a glitter of green around the edges of the irises, just like the king had earlier. The dragon part?
“It is an honor to serve my king.”
I nod and try to swallow down the worry knotted in the back of my throat. “How long will you be forced to guard me?”
He growls. “I volunteered to serve. No one forces a Drakonii into anything. Being a somatophylakes is a great honor. There are very few Drakonii with enough skill and control of their dragon to take on a guardianship. I look forward to protecting you and your house for centuries to come.”
My eyes widen. Centuries? Pretty sure he must not know humans only live decades. Still, this whole guardianship thing sounds like a much bigger deal than I originally assumed. “This isn’t like a marriage or anything, is it?” I ask.