Page 38 of Secrets of Avalon
To saving me.
To saving us all.
CHAPTER 17
“Milady! Your dragon–”
Melinda Mayweather
We step into a garden courtyard that looks like it was plucked out of a fairytale, complete with a curving path leading to another tower. “So tell me more about the real King Arthur,” I say, trying to sound casual while my inner history nerd is doing cartwheels.
Kellan gives me a gentle smile before replying. “Depends. I’m sure there are many stories of King Arthur. Camelot’s been gone from the Earth for so long. Tell me what you’ve heard.”
“That King Arthur ruled Camelot. The Knights of the Round Table protected it. Guinevere and Lancelot had a tragic love story. Merlin the wizard was his mentor.” I lead him toward a very common story.
“Hmmm, well, first King Arthur was a Fae and Merlin was his brother, not his wizard. Many humans called Fae people ‘wizards’. The Pendragon and the Stormblood families built Camelot and the portals together. It was the first time in history when we could travel between worlds without using a siren.”
“So Camelot was originally on earth?”
Kellan nodded and led me through a small garden filled with brightly colored blooming flowers. “Yes. It was built on Earth. The Pendragon family decided to stay behind when the Fae were forced to evacuate Earth by the High Council. The Stormblood family created this Avalon—this island pocket universe we’re in—and picked up the Fae crown after everything was done. They’ve been ruling ever since.”
“Wait. So they moved Camelot from Earth to here?” I gesture around with my hand. “It’s huge.”
Kellan nods.
“How did they move a whole castle?”
He smiles at me and shakes his head. “You’ll have to ask Hawke when he comes looking for you. I’m not a Fae, so I don’t quite understand the capabilities of bending reality.”
The mention of Hawke distracts me from the history of Avalon and back toward the ache in my chest. I already miss his presence and want him close to me. The memory of his touch, his kiss, lingers on my skin, a bittersweet reminder of what I will never be allowed to keep. Except Hawke doesn’t believe me. Fear for him coils in my gut like a venomous snake.
My magick, the very essence of who I am, is about as stable as a nuclear reactor run by squirrels. It's the reason my birth father died the moment I took my first breath. The reason I've hurt so many, even those I love. The reason my mother is dead. The reason all of my family is gone. The reason I’m completely alone in the world.
How can I let myself dream of having Hawke? I’m a terrible person for even considering it. The thought of losing him, of my curse claiming yet another life, is a weight that threatens to crush me. And yet, the pull towards him is undeniable, a siren's song I'm helpless to resist.
As we ascend a grand spiral staircase, my hand trailing along the smooth, seamless stone, I let myself bury the despair and worry and bask in the sheer beauty of the Fae-crafted castle. “How did they build it so perfectly? I can’t see where one stone stops and another begins.”
“The fae manipulate reality. You cannot see seams because they’re aren’t any. They made it that way. And it is magnificent.” Kellan pauses before an ornate wooden door that looks like it belongs in Middle-Earth. "Your quarters, Domina," he says, his voice a low rumble.
He swings the door open and my breath catches in my throat. The room is a vision of opulence that would make the Palace of Versailles look like a Motel 6. But it’s the giant copper bathtub that really draws my eye, steam rising from the water in an inviting curl.
Two Drakonii maids stand at attention, their eyes lowered in deference.
I shift uncomfortably, unused to such attention.
Kellan, sensing my unease, moves to my side. "They are here to serve you, Domina," he says gently. "Elen and Lydia both volunteered to care for you and ensure your comfort and well-being. If you need anything. If anything happens. All you have to do is touch the dragon on your wrist and call for me."
“Touch the dragon. Right.” I nod and sneak a quick glance at the tattoo. What is touching it going to do? I brush my fingers over the small tail and smile when it wriggles away, circles my wrist and loops back like it’s waiting to see what I’m going to do next.
“I’ll be back with some food for you, Domina. You are safe here with Elen and Lydia.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
He closes the door and leaves me with the women.
“May we approach, Domina?” The older of the two women next to the tub speaks.
“Yes. No. I–” I eye the tub, imagining what that nice hot water will feel like. I need a bath. But I also just need that hot water to wash away some of the crazy feelings I’ve experienced over the last twenty-four hours. “Where do you want me?”