The sharp point of the sword, almost too fine to be real, flashed back the bright light, and its blade reflected everything around it like a perfect mirror. I could almost feel its edge, without even touching it. My eyes traced the ornaments on the handle and then met their blue on the blade, where the sword's name was engraved in large letters.
Excalibur.
I reached to it. My fingers met the glass wall.
"Can I help you, miss?" A museum attendant joined me.
"Kim. My name is Kim." It just came out. You didn't normally introduce yourself here.
She said hers, but I barely heard it. I was with the sword.
"You seem interested in this fourteenth-century item."
Item. "Fourteenth century? Wouldn't it be older?" By a millennia or so.
"Not this sword. Though Arthurian legends became popular earlier, in the eleventh century, and the name Excalibur started then."
Wrong again. "Thanks. That's very informative."
She smiled. "You're welcome. If there's anything else I can help you with, please let me know. We're closing early today, as you were told at the entrance. In fifteen minutes. You might want to have one last look around."
"What would you recommend?" I pretended to be interested. I needed her to buy it and leave.
"Have you seen the jewelry collection in the next room? It's an absolute must! And the coins there too. You should hurry, or come again in the next couple of days. This traveling exhibition is leaving the Kelvin Hall museum next week. Can't stay in Glasgow forever, I'm afraid."
"I didn't know it was ending so soon. Thank you." I started to walk in the direction she'd pointed, but turned back once she left.
Again, I was with the sword. Was this the real Excalibur?
It could be a replica. Everything pointed to it: it looked too well kept, almost new. Also, the original sword would have been buried with Arthur. And the chances of such an artifact being here were impossible.
I had to know. I closed my eyes. My magic sensed the space around me. There were two other tourists in the adjoining room, together―a couple, maybe. An older man walked farther down. A group gathered in the room the attendant had pointed me to―probably by the jewels. And...
Seth. My heart quickened when I felt him approach. I caught the sharp scent of cologne, the strong heartbeat, and the light steps―suitable for a man who'd spent the past two and a half years as a medieval knight.
Warmth spread through me when he neared. I half turned and opened my eyes to meet his ocean-grey ones.
"Found something you like?" Seth's warm arms circled me from behind.
"Maybe." I smiled. "If it's real."
"What do you mean?" His eyes left mine and then widened when he looked at the sword. "It can't be!"
I watched as he examined the weapon.
"It looks so...unchanged. As if no time had passed since then," he said.
"It could just be a replica."
He chuckled at the disappointment in my voice. "That would still look older. But you can find out." He glanced behind us.
"I already checked the galleries. You're the only one here. And there's a big group in the other room, admiring colorful stones."
He laughed.
"Shall I do the honors?"
"You were the first to do them."
Back in Kardoel.
There were only a few of us in the room then. Merlin undid the strings of the fabric and uncovered Excalibur.
"You promised me a sword that is immune to magic," Uther had said.
Merlin chose me to test it.
"I wouldn't want to embarrass you," I teased, and everyone laughed.
Now, just like then, I waved my hand at Excalibur.
The sword didn't move. As if my magic didn't even get through the glass.
Behind me, Seth tensed.
I concentrated. My mind was with the sword, behind the barrier; Seth and the gallery felt far away. I thought of a snowy mountain on the coldest day of winter, with a chilling wind and a frozen lake.
A ball of ice materialized right above the sword. It fell toward the handle and stopped motionless above it. Defying gravity.
"It is real," Seth whispered.
I reversed the magic and turned to him. "This can't remain here. I have to call Morgan." Or Professor Morganstein, as she was known now.
He looked at the sword, worried. And then, he suddenly laughed. A nervous laugh.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just...loose ends. I thought we could catch a break. From all things past-related."
I smiled. "Me too. Except for tomorrow."
"That's different." He smiled back.
We were going to Loch Ness to meet a funny dragon we knew back in the past, who was now friends with my parents.
"College will reopen soon. We'll hang around people whose biggest worry is where their next party is going to be."
He chuckled. His eyes shimmered at me. "Here's hoping."
"Excuse me." The attendant was back. "Sorry to interrupt, but we're closing now. Please make your way to the exit."
We exchanged a look. Then, Seth took my hand in his, and we walked away from the sword. Before reaching the stairs at the end of the next gallery, I turned to give it one last glance.
A man stood beside it. A man whose face I knew all too well.
"Adam!" I whispered as my hand tightened around Seth's.
"What!? How...?" Seth's voice was tense.
Adam was supposed to be in prison!
He looked straight at us, his eyes full of venom. Then, he walked out of view.
Anger rushed through my every vein as I marched back, remembering how he'd attacked us, back in college. And how the group he was part of ambushed us, and we were forced to go back in time to save our lives.
My heart pounded. Why wasn't he in prison? What was he doing here? With Excalibur?
I reached the gallery. It was empty. I looked around, and then magically sensed my surroundings. Nobody was in the adjoining rooms. I kept searching.
"Miss!" I heard the attendant's scolding voice.
"She lost an earring," Seth said. "And then, broke a fingernail."
For a moment, I chuckled. Then, I focused again.
After a few more minutes of searching and sensing, I had to give up. I looked around me one last time and then out of one of the windows.
Adam was striding away from the building, walking fast.
***
AD 500
Kim looked out at the starlit night, spread like a quilt above the high walls of Kardoel. Only a few hours left before the upcoming battle.
Above her, on the castle towers, the archers were changing shifts for the night. Tomorrow, Seth would lead the knights. She and Merlin, and a few others, would lead the mages.
Soft footsteps approached, and a feeling of a magic that had both the serene coolness of ice and the heat of fire filled the air, as Morgan le Fay joined her.
"You should sleep." Morgan's voice was warm.
Kim smiled back. "So should you."
Morgan laughed. "Fairies don't do that, you know."
"Not always a loss. Some dreams..."
"So I've been told."
Kim turned from the view to face the half-transparent eyes that dominated Morgan's pale face. In fact, you could almost say they dominated the whole space around Morgan.
She had such a presence. And her magic was just there. Limitless. Unlike that of mages.
"You would sometimes wake up shivering," Morgan said, "when you first came to live with our fairy tribe."
"I was probably dealing with things that had happened in a future world. Seth and I still don't remember most of it."
"Do you regret it that much?"
Did she? For a moment, she thought of how they didn't recognize each other when they met again, here. She didn't even know that she had magic! They only got reunited because of a magical destiny: he was her Charge, and she, his Guardian, born to love and protect him.
Few memories came back. It bothered her. She'd wonder: how did they first meet, in the future? What sort of people were they then? Were they very different?
"Yes. I want to remember. Sometimes, I wonder if we'd make it back." Right now, she wondered whether they would even survive to see the end of tomorrow.
Morgan smiled sadly. "I wish I could answer that."
Not the same as I don't know.
Did she know? If she did, she wouldn't tell. It was easier to win a magical battle than force the truth out of a fairy.
Above them, the archers now exchanged last words before leaving. Soon, a tired king would take over, trusting a sword that was supposed to be immune to any spell that could kill him. Much depended on it.
"Can I ask you something, about Excalibur? We tested just a few spells. How do we know it's really immune to magic?"
"I trust Merlin's design. We matched it completely."
"We? You mean, you didn't work alone?"
Morgan's mysterious eyes darkened, but then, she broke into a smile. "There was another fairy involved."
Another fairy? There was only one other she knew well. Her close friend, and Morgan's daughter: "Vivienne?"
By the look on Morgan's face, she knew immediately that it was her.
Vivienne was somewhere on the way to the fairy tribes now, carrying Arthur, the child-king, to safety. Away from this battle.
Morgan breathed out slowly. "I did most of the magic. Vivienne used hers for a part of it. She was more supportive than me of the original idea."
"You were against making Excalibur?"
The sounds above ceased as the new archers settled in their stations.
"I tried to convince Uther against it. Think of what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands..."
***
Scotland, Present Day
"You did well to call me," Morgan said, when we met at the small hotel room she chose―a place where we could speak freely. It was an hour since we'd left the museum.
"Do you know what Adam wants with the sword?" Seth asked.
"I have my guesses. But there's no way to know for sure."
I stifled a laugh. Still the cryptic. She probably did know.
"What's important is to get the sword away from these people." She rose and took a long, narrow box out of the closet. She lifted the lid.
I gasped. Shining inside the box, mirroring the room, was Excalibur.
"I replaced it with a replica," Morgan explained.
She did that? "How? How did you get it out of the museum? The sword is immune to magic."
Morgan smiled. "Yes. The sword is. The museum cameras, however, aren't."
We laughed.
"So it's safe now?"
She shook her head. "Only until morning. Adam will discover the truth when the museum reopens. The sword must be destroyed tonight."
"Destroyed?" Seth exclaimed.
I wasn't surprised she'd say that. She was against making it in the first place.
"Something that has this power shouldn't exist. Magic is there to intervene when necessary. It shouldn't be stopped by an artifact."
Fairies had a unique view of our world.
"I will need your help." She observed us. "I've arranged to meet another fairy to break the spell. But I can't carry it to the meeting place myself. A few fairies support Adam and his people. If I travel using fairy magic, they would sense it and find the sword. But they wouldn't suspect you."
Seth gave me a questioning look, and I nodded. "Of course. We'll do what we can," he said.
"You mentioned another fairy?" I asked, hopeful. As far as I knew, Vivienne was no longer with us. Was I misinformed? Was it possible that she was alive?
Morgan looked away. There was sudden moisture in her half-transparent eyes, and I got my answer. My friend was gone.
"I had another daughter, after you left. Lydia. She has similar magic to Vivienne." Morgan's voice choked on her name. "Lydia lives in Orkney. She can make it down tonight, and one other fairy will join―for protection―while we perform the ceremony. Lydia suggested to meet in Loch Lomond, where there is going to be aurora borealis. It would help conceal any colorful sparks of magic we had when we created the sword."
We'd agreed and set off.
Seth drove and I navigated―having been to the loch before. The roads took us north from Glasgow, passing through smaller towns until fields started to spread on our left, and the patches of woods kept getting denser and larger. The Trossachs mountains, dark against the night skies, dominated the view with their dramatic ridges. And the first shine of colorful lights started up ahead.
The moon rose. In cloudy skies.
"The lights might get covered," I thought out loud.
Seth gave me a half smile, as I moved forward in my seat.
I focused on the darkness between the clouds, where the Milky Way spread like a transparent scarf.
My magically enhanced vision took me there. All the way to the moons of Jupiter and back. I focused on a patch of clear skies and then I concentrated on enlarging it, pushing the clouds away, evaporating them. Clearing the view.
It demanded intense focus, and I breathed out, a little fatigued. But it worked.
"I'd applaud you if my hands were not on the wheel."
I laughed.
My phone rang. Morganstein. I clicked. "Hi, how are you? You're on speaker."
"Are you safe?" Her voice was tense. She breathed heavily.
Seth gave me a worried glance.
"They found out about the plan," she said.
"What?!" Hell. We were so close. "How long before they get to us?"
"That would depend on where you are," she replied.
"We're almost at Balloch." Up ahead, I caught a glimpse of the water, reflecting the light of the moon and the northern lights.
"You're too close. They'll be expecting you."
"Do they know where you are?" Seth asked.
"No. And you must be careful with magic. You'll be sensed."
"What if we didn't need magic?" Seth motioned up ahead with his head. At a farm. "They're looking for two people in a car, right? Not on horseback."
"I like your way of thinking." She sounded relieved. "I guess you weren't made First Knight for no reason."
Seth chuckled. "We'll meet you as planned."
We ended the call. "Horses, you say?" I smiled.
"I hope a few days in modern times didn't make you forget everything," he teased.
Ho ho! "Don't start, sir. You know I'm the better rider."
"We'll see."
I opened my phone again. Give me the closest farm with horses. Give me the closest farm with horses. The screen flashed and my map app opened with a red mark.
"Half a mile up ahead," I said to Seth.
We reached it a few minutes later. They were closed, and nobody was there.
It took two more attempts. On the third try, we got a family willing to rent out their horses. I had come up with a very convincing story about friends stuck somewhere in the mountains. And a heavy upfront payment.
At first glance, my horse, Bella—tall, black, and sturdy—appeared stronger than the horses I'd ridden back in the past. Good breed. But there was no way to know until we set off.
I magically changed my clothes as I mounted her. The fabric materialized on my skin from top to bottom, as I pulled myself up, starting from the sweater and finishing with the boots that covered my toes as I put my legs through the stirrups.
Seth gave me an admiring look.
"Should I change yours too?"
"I'm good. Let's go."
I took the lead. My magically enhanced vision showed me the woods and clearings up front. Seth was close. His scouting abilities, honed in the past, were still there. Riding with him at night felt like riding in broad daylight, which meant we could move fast. The meeting place was still a few miles away.
Above us, aurora borealis painted the sky and a silver moon cast its light on the paths. If it weren't for the northern lights, and the horses, it would have been just like...
"The night we first met." I glanced back at Seth. "I think we passed close to here. After you kidnapped me!"
"I would have done it earlier, if I'd known who you were. Stuck as a princess, about to marry another man?"
I laughed. "I'm sorry it started so bad between us."
"You mean when you hated the sight of me and wanted to send me straight to the gallows?"
"Hey. It's not like you liked me."
"Of course I did. In a tough-love kind of way. Guaranteed to last forever." He overtook me from behind, gave me a quick kiss, and rode on, before I had a chance to savor his lips and that perfect stubble that we'd agreed he'd keep.
We kept going, laughing together to ease the tension of being on the run.
We almost reached the meeting place, when my horse suddenly shrieked, stumbling forward and throwing me off the saddle.
"Kim!"
I landed on my feet, but I felt a strong wave of magic behind me. Seth. I turned.
I saw it happen as if in slow motion: his horse twisting unnaturally, Seth's hands letting go of the reins. And then, Seth being thrown sideways, gliding through the air, headed toward a tree trunk, at speed. I stopped it with my magic, giving him a safe landing. There was no magical trace.
"Bad roads?" a voice whispered.
I turned. There was nobody there. "Show yourself!"
"Or selves," another voice joined.
Seth drew Excalibur. Behind us, our horses lay whimpering, drawing their final breath. I was about to rush to heal them, when a wave of magic made me tumble.
I rose back to my feet and looked around. Where were these people? Or fairies. They could move through a realm I couldn't see. But I sensed it.
The movement surrounded us, too quick for me to track. It suddenly passed by me, and I felt myself thrown to the ground.
But I was quicker, with a self-defense move―using the momentum of my opponent's movement against them. A female fairy in gray robes and metal bracers on her arms landed beside Seth, sprawled. Immediately, I felt her healing powers.
Seth hesitated, but when a moment later she turned and attacked him, he thrust Excalibur through her chest. She screamed. Immune to magic―Excalibur could kill an immortal! But Seth just wounded her, withdrawing when she fainted.
"She'll heal," I said. "I must―"
Another motion came from my side, pushing me face-down onto an exposed tree root. I tasted blood. My healing powers surged, but then my body got magically pulled along the ground and lifted, only to be thrown down. I shouted in pain, and I saw Seth trying to rush to me, but getting pushed to the ground. Again, I felt magic.
I had to stop this. Fight back, attack them with force. There was a way to kill an immortal: the spell of death―Merlin had taught me.
I dug deep within, forcing myself to ignore the pains, and concentrated on a dark place, where there was no light, no life, and all magic faded.
Something hard struck my head, leaving a magical trace. I shouted in pain, unable to continue the spell.
"Grab the handle!"
Suddenly, Seth was there, sword in hand. He pulled me toward him, and my fingers closed on Excalibur's handle.
The spells against me stopped, and healing magic shot through me, vanishing the blood and the pain.
But they could still attack us physically. I looked at Seth. He was safe from my magic. I could cast the death spell around us.
Again, I went back to the stifling darkness that killed. I let it circle me and then spread it.
A cry of pain made my eyes fly open. A male fairy had fallen to the ground. Unconscious, but alive, because my spell was broad and not targeted.
At least I hadn't killed. The female fairy was breathing shallowly. But I didn't know how long we had before they both healed. Or whether others would come.
"Are you all right to walk?" Seth examined me.
"I'm fine." I looked back at the horses, sadly. It was too late to try healing them. I took his hand. "Let's finish this."
We walked in silence as fast as we could, until we reached the meeting place. The skies were a spectacle now.
Morgan waited by the water, next to a man and a woman.
The man winked at me, and I recognized the dark fairy face of Gwyn ap Nudd. "Trouble finding us?"
"Just trouble," Seth replied.
Gwyn grinned, malice in his eyes. "Once we're done here, you'll tell me where they are."
My eyes landed on the woman who stood between him and Morgan. I froze. Her half-transparent brown eyes, the shape of her face. Her dark hair. So similar to...
"You're..."
"I'm Lydia. You must have met my sister. We're alike in looks and in magic."
"The spell is almost ready." Morgan stopped us. "We can speak afterward."
Seth handed Excalibur it to her.
Morgan closed her eyes. She whispered something, her lips mumbling fast. Her voice spread in the clearing. Lydia joined in.
Gwyn watched with us.
Smoke rose from the ground and circled the sword. It stood in mid-air, the smoke covering it. Then, it rattled. Traces of magic started to come out of it. I recognized Morgan's and also...
Vivienne. My friend. As if she were here with me now. I closed my eyes and let the tears cover my face as I felt her presence beside me.
I opened them just a fraction. Just in time to see the flash of colorful lights.
And then, Excalibur disappeared.
If you enjoyed this story, try , a full-length novel featuring Kim and Seth: Forbidden Road: https://reutbarak.com/forbiddenroad/
Here are two short excerpts:
Two Excerptsfrom Forbidden Road
I sat in front of Seth, under a tree by the stream, a short distance from the path. In different circumstances, this would have been a very romantic place for us.
I had cast a protection spell around us―a few meters in each direction, enclosing our blanket, and ensuring nobody could hear what I was about to say.
"All right, I'm listening." He smiled reassuringly, but his voice was very tense.
"I'm not sure where to start." I felt like I was literally going to swallow my tongue. I'd never thought of this moment. Everyone said it didn't matter, but clearly it did.
Seth put his hand on mine. "Kim, just...tell me. Whatever it is."
"Okay." I took a deep breath. "Remember yesterday's lecture?"
"What of it?"
Yes, what of it? Where was I going to go with that? "Uh...maybe this isn't the right way to explain."
I looked at the water flowing in the stream next to us. I could show him a spell. No. That would be too much. Perhaps a direct route was better.
I looked straight into his eyes. "Seth...do you believe in magic?"
That confused him. "I...don't think so. What's that got to do with anything?" Then, there was suddenly a look of understanding and almost relief on his face.
Did he get it? Was it just that simple?
"Wait, is this about faith? Do you belong to the Wicca religion?"
Not that simple.
"No. I am not a Wicca. I'm..." Here I go. "I am a witch. As in, I can do real magic."
He tilted his head, for a moment measuring whether I were being funny. Or maybe he thought I might be a little bit insane.
"I can move things with my mind. I can conjure things. Change the weather..."
"Change the weather?"
"In a relatively small area. Say, the valley we're in right now and..."
He shook his head, confused. And then, he looked at me. "Show me."
Definitely not the response I'd expected. He just didn't believe it! He observed me, waiting to see what I'd do.
I looked at the clear sky and imagined that through that blue I could see heavy clouds, as though they were behind it. I closed my eyes. Give me rain. Give me rain. The image of the drops was clear to me, and when I opened my eyes, clouds started rapidly forming above us. I paused and gave myself a moment's rest from the concentration. I got into the habit of always pausing after a weather spell; they required so much focus.
In less than a minute, there was wind and rustling in the trees and drops of water started to come down from the sky.
"Are you...?" Seth's voice was hesitant.
"Making it rain. Yes."
"How?" he said, but it was rhetorical. I'd just told him how.
The rain got heavier, wetting the path and the ground, creating a strong noise on the water.
Seth looked around, knitting his eyebrows in bewilderment.
"How come we're not getting wet?" he suddenly asked. The ground surrounding the blanket was completely dry.
"I'd cast a protection sphere around us first. Nobody can hear or see us and we're going to stay dry. I can make it warm, too, if you want."
"Or, just stop the rain." Then he smiled. "Sorry. That came out wrong."
"It's okay. It's not a bad idea."
He was still finding it hard to grasp that I was doing this, but at least he was responding. I needed to show him I had control over it. I looked into the sky and this time imagined the sun shining from behind the clouds. Give me a blue sky. Give me a blue sky. The image was strong in my mind, and a few minutes later, the rain stopped.
"Incredible," he mumbled once the sky had cleared. "What else can you do?"
I shrugged. "Different things. Like, conjuring. For example, the shoes just now. Or the protection spell."
"Or love spells?"
I did not see that one coming. "Of course not," I reassured him. "You can't control minds."
"So...this...us...it's real?" he asked and then, he suddenly looked down. "I mean..."
He had just said he loved me! Not directly, but he did.
"Yes," I said quickly. And I love you too, I wanted to add, but then, he hadn't quite said it. "Actually, that's why I have magic. My powers exist so that I can meet the right person in life, fall for them, and protect them."
"Fall for them." He breathed hard, and then finally smiled. "Kim, you have no idea what was going on in my head on the drive here. Every moment we spend together has been the best I've ever had with anyone, and then you tell me there's something. And I started wondering if you've got another guy, or some illness, or anything else stopping you from being with me."
"No." I shook my head. "Not at all. I'm so sorry. I really didn't know how to tell you."
"It's okay. I don't think there was an easy way."
"I could have prepared this better."
"What? To tell me that you had magical powers? I don't think you could have."
He was coming around. I sighed in relief. "Thank you. For saying this."
"You're welcome." He took my hand in his, now smiling. "You really are special, aren't you?"
***
AD 500
"Don't make a sound."
Don't make a sound. Kim opened her eyes. There was a hand on her face!
A sudden chill sent shivers down her spine. Her whole body shook, her heart beating fast in her ears.
The room was dark and the large hand covered her mouth.
She froze, unable to move, or scream, or do anything. But then, she noticed a strange warmth coming from that touch.
"There are two of us, and we're both armed."
It was Seth. She recognized his voice. His touch on her face was surprisingly soft. As though he didn't want to hurt her.
"Can you hear me? Nod, so I know."
Her head felt heavy, but she managed to do it.
And then, suddenly, it was as though a surge of power came over her, and her body stilled. Her pulse became cool and strong again. All the heaviness and the fear were gone.
"Get up quietly."
She could move now, easily. She sat in bed and then turned to the side, getting up and taking a step forward.
Seth slipped behind her. He put his hand on her waist.
Suddenly and without thinking, she caught it and swiftly twisted it, taking him off-balance.
He was quicker than her, countering her move. A sharp metal object was at her throat.
"Nice try."
Still, she had surprised herself with that maneuver. She'd never done anything like it before. It had always seemed impossible when she saw the knights perform it in unarmed training. Her move was faster than theirs and different in style.
"If you cooperate, you'll have nothing to worry about. We honestly don't want to hurt you."
He meant it; there was sincerity in his voice. If that was indeed the case, why was he there?
"What do you want? Why are you doing this, Seth?"
There was a moment of silence. She couldn't see the other person with him, but she could easily guess that it was Niall and that a non-verbal message had passed between the two men. She had made them aware that she knew their identity.
"We need to get back to our court and we have to take you with us. It's all you need to know. We'll keep you safe. For now, we need you to lead us to the stables."
"Or...I can just scream for my guards right now."
"Scream, and your father dies." It was Niall's voice. He pulled out a small golden object that shined in the dark. "You know what this is?"
It looked like a compact mirror. But when Niall opened the lid, instead of her reflection, she saw her father's room, with the king asleep in his bed.
She heard herself gasp.
A Magic Stinger. They were rare. Through the mirror-shaped object, Niall controlled a poison dart. He must have flown it into the king's room through the window. One word and it would kill her father.
"Now," Niall said, closing the lid. "Is there another door out of this room? Or do we take you out the window?"
He was overdoing it. There was no need for further threats.
Seth's kinder approach was far more intimidating. He meant every word, so it was clear that any danger coming from him was real. Not more and not less than he said.
She considered her position. It reminded her of a story her father had once told her of Fergus Mór, that spoke of a similar situation. His course of action then was to cooperate in order to save his people from a battle. She would be saving her father.
"I'll lead you out then," she said. "I know we all stand a better chance of getting out of this without a scratch that way."
She put her hand on Seth's and pulled it away from her neck slowly. He understood. Complied. Trusted her words.
She turned to him. "But, in return, I expect no harm from either of you."
"You have my word," Seth replied.
He said my, not our.
"There is a closet behind Niall." She deliberately said his name. "I've got a warm coat there. That's also where you'd find the way out."
There were noises, as Niall went to check the closet and inspect the coat. He must have tried to look for any sharp objects she could use. "Clear," he said. "I'll lead the way."
Seth took the coat and handed it to her. Then, he helped her find her footing in the dark and they descended a small spiral staircase that started behind her wardrobe.
They walked slowly and silently, reaching the bottom floor and then heading toward the stables. Once there, Niall surveyed the hall. He found the night guard asleep and hit him on the head from behind.
Kim's heart missed a beat.
There was no need for him to do that. She could have easily talked her way through.
He picked up their saddles and walked to the horses. Seth motioned her to join him as he prepared his own horse.
When they were ready, Niall pulled out a sword and walked to the door.
"Stop!" she heard herself say.
Niall turned.
"My father's men obey me. I can get you out of the castle without violence. But only if you do your part, and not hurt anyone else."
He sniffed. "What exactly do you propose?" His tone was condescending. Still trying to assert power, though there was no need.
She knew that she had caught him by surprise. She, too, wondered at the authority in her own voice. Her whole behavior was strange to her. Instead of freezing in fear and closing down, she was cool minded, choosing what she said. Knowing that every word and the tone in which she uttered them mattered. She had to be strong. She was defending her father. She'd never thought that that could give her so much confidence.
She turned to Seth. "There is a hidden passage that goes under the wall and moat, large enough for a horse. There are usually only two guards, one at each end, but they have ways of alerting others. The tunnel ends in the woods, near a large waterfall."
"I find it difficult to tell if she's speaking the truth," said Niall. Her fists clenched in anger.
"She is." Seth's voice was calm. Confident. "Let's go."
Why was he so much easier to speak with than Niall? Far less brutal. What was his role, compared to Niall's?
He was clearly no squire. They behaved like equals, and sometimes he even took the lead. She'd have to figure this out soon, and use it. Once again, she was surprised at her own thoughts.
She led them to the passage, stopping by the first guard, and he saluted her immediately.
"Your Highness."
"These men are Fergus Mór's knights."
"I'm aware."
"My father ordered a Code Silver tonight. There's been a threat on my life. Two of my maids will follow in a few minutes, to chaperone."
"I have to check this with—"
"No time. Trust me. My father would praise you for letting us through quickly. Every moment matters."
He hesitated, observing them. "Where's your horse?"
"Waiting on the other side," said Seth. "Her safe escape has already been arranged."
The guard looked at him with recognition. With trust. "If you say so, sir. Just be sure to keep her safe."
How did they know each other? Was this planned? It couldn't have been. Seth must have been to her father's court before. Prior to her own arrival.
"You shouldn't have told him that your maids are following," Niall said once they'd put a distance between themselves and the guard.
"He wouldn't have believed it otherwise," she said coldly. "Besides, pretty soon someone will figure out that I'm gone."
They had a similar conversation with the guard on the other end. Again, she noticed that he recognized Seth.
Niall got on his horse. Seth was preparing his to help her mount.
"I'm not going any farther. Not until you tell me what's going on!" she said.
"Oh, really?" said Niall, pulling out the Stinger. "You'll come, willingly or not. You're lucky you don't have any broken bones yet."
Clearly, his knightly conduct didn't extend beyond the halls of court. Seth seemed the opposite.
"Your dart will be discovered by morning, and then what will you do? I'm the crown princess-in-waiting. And not only that. My father has every knight in the area working for him. You can force me on that horse, but there'll be people catching up with you. The birds will be out with the message faster than you can ride."
He laughed. "We should have knocked you unconscious."
She kept her wits. "But you need me alive. Clearly. And you couldn't guarantee that I would survive if you got into a fight. Not if it was against even half of the knights who are my father's guests tonight. So tell me, why do you need me?"
Seth looked at her. His face in the moonlight showed he was deeply impressed. "There's been a conspiracy around your marriage," he said, without hesitation. Niall seemed shocked. "We're not sure about the details, and the only way for us to save the king is to take you with us."
What? A conspiracy against Fergus Mór? How was her marriage related? "Does this involve Prince Domangart?"
Seth winced when she uttered the prince's name.
"And you need me to prevent it? Without me, this conspiracy can't happen?" Did she have leverage?
"It still can. But your absence will send a message, an alert that the plan had been discovered. And having you with us will deter knights from attacking, who might fear for your safety."
There was something else, something he wasn't saying.
He walked to her, cautiously. "I don't want to do this by force. You've been fair, but I need to take you with me. I'm sorry, Kim."
His calmness and his warm voice were terrifying because in that moment she knew that Seth was far more dangerous than he seemed. He was kind because he could afford to be. It was suddenly evident to her that Seth never needed her compliance in the first place. She had no leverage.
And yet, something about him made her feel complete trust. It was in his behavior toward her.
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