“Yeah, you can keep him.”
“Hmmm, so everyone keeps telling me. He’s actually not so bad. Get him liquored up and laid, you can get about five or ten minutes of peace before he’s in your face again.”
“So that’s your secret.”
“Basically. I find it works on most people.”
Falcyn laughed. “And why is it that I think there’s a little more to it than you’re letting on?”
“Again, he’s not so bad. You just have to understand where he’s coming from. We’re all creatures of the hell that birthed us. Are we not?”
Medea would give him that.
“True.” Falcyn stepped back as one of the dragons approached them.
“Are the sanctuaries ready?” he asked Shadow.
Shadow nodded. “Merlin’s preparing them. We should be able to transport more of you before much longer. Kerrigan and Merewyn said they’d come to assist you as soon as they’re open.”
“Thank you.”
“Our pleasure.”
“Kerrigan?” Medea vaguely recalled the name, but couldn’t place it now. She remembered that Merewyn was Varian’s wife.
Falcyn let out a bitter laugh. “The former Pendragon of Morgen’s Circle. He was the one who took Arthur’s place to lead her knights.”
“Now he fights with the Lords of Avalon.” Shadow smiled. “War and love make strange bedfellows.”
That was certainly true, but it made her wonder one thing. “Why did he change sides?”
Shadow jerked his chin toward Blaise and Brogan. “Kerrigan was the merlin charged with the sword Caliburn. His wife Seren was the merlin for the loom of Caswallen that Morgen demanded he and Blaise capture. In the process of taking it from her, the Lady Seren won Kerrigan’s heart. He couldn’t hand her over to Morgen any more than Blaise was able to hand over his Brogan to the Crom. So Seren and Kerrigan, and their son and daughter, now live in Avalon with the others, where they continue to fight against Merlin and her fey court.”
Medea glanced to Falcyn. “Like you.”
“I have no plans to relocate to Avalon.”
“You know what I mean.”
Falcyn looked a bit uneasy. “What? That I’d follow you anywhere?”
“Would you?”
Falcyn’s gaze scorched her and warmed the darkest coldness inside her. “You know I would.”
He placed a kiss on her cheek, then turned toward Shadow. “Can I beg a favor?”
“Depends on the favor, especially given what happened to me the last time I did you one.”
“Can you get me back into Camelot? Near Morgen?”
Shadow made a truly spectacular sound of scoffing disbelief. “And what level of special stupidity have you achieved, dragon? I know you took a significant hit to the head, but didn’t realize it’d given you brain damage. Should we get you a CAT scan? Dog scan?”
“Ha ha. And I’m serious.”
“Yeah … so am I. I actually like having my bullocks attached to my body. While I don’t get to use them as much as I’d like, I still prefer the comfy feeling of having them there over the alternative of seeing them in a jar on my desk.”
“Then you’ll help me or I know what to attack.”
A tic started in Shadow’s jaw. “Really hate you, dragon.… Fine. But if you’re caught, I don’t know you. Never saw you and I have no idea how you got there. And I’m sending Lombrey to rescue or kill you, whichever. His choice.”
“How have you managed to live so long without anyone killing you, again?”
“Told you, I’m fast on my feet.” Shadow sighed. “So when do you want to partake of your suicide?”
Falcyn glanced around his crowded home. “Now would be a good time. It’ll keep me from freaking out over my OCD.”
Xyn scowled. “OCD?”
“Overpopulated communal den.” He pointed to the group. “Get rid of that while I’m gone.”
She rolled her eyes at her brother. “Ugh, you big baby. You never did learn to share!”
“Oh, that’s not true. I learned to share pain and misery, early on.”
“No, no. You learned to deliver pain and misery. Big difference. Being a carrier and deliverer isn’t the same as sharing, m’gios. Do not confuse those terms.”
“You’re determined to annoy me, aren’t you?”
Xyn smiled. “Always. Aren’t you glad now that you woke me?”
“Thinking I should have overlooked your statue.” Falcyn growled in the back of his throat. “Blaise! Why did we wake Xyn again?”
“You missed her!” he called out across the room.
“I lied!”
Xyn pushed him toward Shadow. “Go on and take him before he has a nervous breakdown. Or I kill him.”
Medea laughed. “C’mon, dragonfly.”
He paused at her actions. “What are you doing?”
“I know what that look in your eyes means. You’re going back for Maddor. I plan to go with you.”
“No. You’re not. You’re going to stay here.”
Cocking her head, she gave him an oh-no-you-didn’t stare.
Falcyn cleared his throat. “No?”
“I’m going with you,” she repeated firmly.
Shadow laughed. “I wouldn’t argue with that, dragon. She looks kind of pissed off, and while I’m no expert in women, that is the kind of expression that in the past hasn’t boded well for my body parts being happy at a later time and date whenever a female pointed them at me.”
He gave Shadow a droll stare. “Do you not have an off switch or filter?”
“Not really.”
With a deep growl, Falcyn shook his head. “Fine. I can’t argue with both of you. Let’s get this over with. See if I can work some miracle.”
“What kind of miracle are you thinking?”
“No idea. Hoping for inspiration.” Falcyn took a deep breath. “All right, Shadow. Lead us in.”
“Lead us in, he says. Like that’s easy. Like all I have to do is snap my fingers and poof.” Shadow snapped his fingers and they were in Camelot.
Falcyn arched his brow at Shadow’s continued bitching.
“Well, that part was easy.” His voice broke off as they realized they were surrounded by Adoni warriors. “But this is what I was talking about. Lousy, pointy-eared bastards tend to notice when we come and go. Worse? The little bitches attack like locusts.”
He’d barely finished that sentence before they proved him right and pounced.
20
Falcyn cursed Shadow and the Adoni as Medea manifested a sword to fight them. “Really? You had to dump us in the middle of a fairy hoedown?”
“Well gee, Bubba, you didn’t specify where exactly you wanted ole Miss Scarlett to put ya! It seemed as good a place as any.”
“Oh shut up!” Falcyn lobbed a fireball at the Adoni nearest him.
Meanwhile, Shadow took up arms against those nearest him. “I’ve got to find a better class of friends. I swear.”
“Enough! Stop this!”
They all froze at the sound of Morgen’s voice.
Confused, Falcyn moved to cover Medea. Just in case, as he had no idea what Morgen intended or why she wasn’t ordering their deaths, when that was her normal command.
Shadow also stepped back as the fey queen materialized in front of them.
Morgen cut an evil glare to each of them in turn, but it was Falcyn she singled out for her malice. “I told Narishka you’d come.”