“We need to go further into the mountain,” Elaine said. “There are no runes down there. That’s where they use the bracelets.”
“How do you know this?” Mordred asked.
“Do you think I’ve just been waiting for them to come get me? I’ve escaped six times since they’ve had me here. I’ve killed four guards. The Hole has been destroyed; the prisoners escaped. They’ve been working for Abaddon and her people.”
“Yeah, we met them,” Remy said. “Some of them have a tendency to blow up.”
“We met some on the way here,” Morgan said. “They were working in the village below.”
“They’re a bit dead,” Wei said. “I’m Wei, by the way. No one seemed to want to introduce me. Understandable considering the impending death and doom coming our way.”
“This is Wei,” Remy said. “She’s full of sunshine and joy.”
Wei laughed. “Touché.”
The group was moving seconds later, slowly at first, then faster after Diana picked up Morgan, sprinting flat out through the tunnels, going deeper and deeper into the mountain. After several minutes of following Elaine and ignoring the majority of small tunnels that had been carved ant-nest-like into the mountain, they came to a cavern with writing all over the walls. It glowed slightly purple.
“What is this?” Morgan asked.
“I don’t know,” Elaine said. “I found it on my first escape. It’s where Merlin caught me.”
“Merlin is here?” Mordred asked.
Elaine nodded.
Mordred walked over to the metal structure in the center of the cavern. It had the appearance of a large dais that could have easily fitted a hundred people. More of the strange writing was on it, although it was colorless.
“What is this place?” Nabu asked as he joined Mordred. “I’ve never seen anything like this. My power doesn’t work. I can’t see what all of this is. It’s quite infuriating.”
“Welcome to the rest of the world,” Elaine said. “We need to leave.”
Everyone was given a bracelet.
“Let’s go, people,” Mordred said. “I’ll go last, just in case you need cover.”
People started vanishing one after the other until only Elaine, Diana, and Mordred remained. “I knew you weren’t going to go until we all did,” Diana said.
“I’ll be right there. I just wanted to make sure I could collapse that tunnel. The fewer people being able to use this place, the better.”
“Don’t screw around, Mordred,” Diana said, and touched her bracelet, disappearing.
“Mordred,” Elaine said, pointing toward the entrance to the cavern that the group had taken. There stood a man with short white hair, and a short beard of the same color. Another man stood behind him, wearing gleaming golden armor.
“Gawain,” Elaine said. “Merlin.”
Merlin placed a hand on Gawain’s armored arm, stopping the knight as his hand reached for the broadsword that hung at his hip. “Leave us,” he said.
“Die painfully, little brother,” Gawain said to Mordred.
“Eat shit,” Mordred said cheerfully.
Gawain nodded to Merlin, turned, and walked out of sight.
“Elaine,” Merlin said. “You can’t run from me.”
Elaine placed her hand over her bracelet and vanished.
Merlin screamed in rage and flung a block of earth at the place Elaine had been. He turned to Mordred. “It has been a very long time, Mordred. I assume you’re going to run, too.”
“I thought I’d kill you and save us a lot of trouble for later.”
Merlin laughed. “You always did have a high opinion of yourself.”
“And you always had a very low one of me.”
“You should have stayed hidden away. You should have never involved yourself.”
“Yes, well, that’s the problem with people trying to kill you: you kind of have to be involved. But then you know all about people trying to kill me, don’t you. So, did you have a hand in creating the prophecy where I kill Nate? I’m just wondering who I need to hunt down.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“So, are you My Liege, or just another asshole following him?”
Merlin laughed. “What do you think?”
“I think you were once a good man, and I’d hoped that there was still some of that left inside of you,” Mordred said with a touch of sadness. “I’d hoped that if I’d managed to come back from the darkness, that you’d be able to as well. Guess I was wrong. Why are you doing this? Why are you going against Avalon?”
“I am Avalon,” Merlin snapped, spitting.
“No one is so important that they can’t be replaced. You taught me that as a child. You taught me that Avalon was only as good as those working for its benefit. So what’s your plan here? Get people to fear you, get the humans to go to war for you? Did you have a hand in what Baldr and his people did to me? Did you know?”
“I never would have let you go if I’d known,” Merlin said. “Never. You are my son, and at one point I loved you. But you were never the man I hoped you were. You were never good enough. And there are some things more important than love. Like my duty, and Avalon’s need to be strong.”
“You’re My Liege, aren’t you?”
“You have to die, Mordred, because you oppose me, and that can’t be allowed to stand.”
Magical power flowed out of Merlin, and Mordred reacted in an instant, throwing a torrent of powerful air magic at the top of the tunnel. Merlin screamed in rage as tons of rock and dirt fell in front of him, covering the exit to the tunnel.
A wicked smile appeared on Mordred’s lips. “Stay buried, Dad. I don’t think you’re going to like what I do to your Avalon if you and your friends take back control.” He placed his hand on the bracelet and vanished from view.
CHAPTER 24
Nate Garrett
Realm of Shadow Falls
Antonio and Leonardo took us through the mountain, creating new tunnels and stairs out of the sheer rock around us. They hadn’t said much beyond the need to see a prison cell and some elven runes, and that they needed our help. It wasn’t like Leonardo to remain silent for long, so whatever was going on was either really bad, or really, really bad. There were no good options when it came to a quiet Leonardo.
“We won’t have long,” Selene said from beside me. “Those prison guards are going to notice we’ve gone.”
“And then they’re going to come find us,” Zamek said. “I don’t relish trying to explain why we’re escaping when we’re not really sure ourselves.”
“So who does this cell belong to?” Sky asked.
“Asmodeus,” Leonardo said, to the surprise of everyone else.
“Asmodeus’s prison was never meant to be in Shadow Falls,” Lucifer said. After knowing him as Grayson for so long, I was finally coming around to using his original name.
“Where was it meant to be?” Sky asked.
“No one knew for sure. It was a secret. And not supposed to be anywhere near people.”
“Leonardo, can you please tell us what’s going on?” I asked. “In slightly more detail. Is Asmodeus still in his prison?”