33. Arthur
Chapter thirty-three
Arthur
Not if we have an army of our own
W e woke to lots of shouting.
And when we moved, we found the ground covered in water with its level steadily rising. How had we not noticed?
“What the?” Will muttered, studying the water and his wet clothes.
I frowned down at our soggy belongings and stood up in the water that was now a couple inches high.
Unzipping the tent flap, I stepped outside, finding the campground flooded as far as I could see. But that wasn’t the most alarming part.
As I watched, shadows cloaked the sky, soaring swiftly toward the outskirts of the nearby fields. They arced over the Tor, over the grounds, and to my horror, I realized they were creating a dome.
They were sealing us in.
Will joined me outside the tent, his jaw tensed, mouth pursed. Anger and fear shone in his eyes just before the darkness swallowed us all.
Little pinpricks of light started up around us as people shined flashlights around or lit torches to see.
But all it did was illuminate the thick fog rising from the base of the Tor.
And sailing through the fog? Dozens and dozens of boats.
“Fuck!” Will shouted, running through the water as fast as he could. But it had risen to his knees now and he struggled to move.
When he reached the edge of the mist, he raised his hands and closed his eyes.
His power flowed to his fingertips in a brilliant glow, illuminating the boats beyond even more.
All sorts of creatures and beings rowed and flew through the mists.
Dozens of giants, their hair matted or shorn, grinned as they spotted the campers fleeing. In another boat a few griffins perched, their golden, downy heads and wings plucked bald, shy of a few feathers, and their feline bodies mottled with patches of scabbing skin and dirtied fur. In the sky, little folk buzzed in the air with too-sheer wings, in uncountable numbers.
Will gritted his teeth as he attempted to cast a wall of electricity to surround the mists. But his power resisted, either from Will’s curse or the magic residing around the Tor.
But then Gerry was there. Then Otto and Vincent. Dorothy and Nana Joanne. Gerry sliced all of their palms with his nail, and I watched as they clasped hands, forming a circle.
Their mouths moved, though no sound reached me. But I saw the change in Will’s wall almost immediately.
The barrier grew and grew, expanding out around the mists, then curled up and over, blocking off Morgana’s army.
Because that was exactly who they were. Her army of fae and other supernatural beings from Avalon. Those in charge of keeping the citizens of Avalon in check. Those Morgana deemed easily expendable.
If they made it past the barrier, they’d slaughter so many innocent people.
Just as Will’s barrier sealed in the mists, keeping the army stuck on the other side, black smoke billowed around the Tor. Then, from the mists’ depths, arose a massive shape. Wings of white yawned open, and a deafening roar shook the ground and made the air vibrate.
Morgana tipped her head toward the sky letting loose a scream of war, her grip on the dragon tight as they dove down from above the boats.
The dragon slammed into the electric wall, and a shudder rang through the dome at the impact. Flying back several paces, the dragon soared into the barrier again, causing the ground to tremble. Water and small pebbles swirled around my feet as a strong wind swarmed the campground.
There were excited cheers from the crowd, and several people had their phones out to record the spectacle.
“Is this part of the event?” someone whispered to their friend.
Their friend shrugged. “I didn’t see it on the schedule.”
“Dude,” another man at my side breathed, staring at the dragon in awe. “I think this is the coolest LARP I’ve ever been to.”
His companion shook his head, looking unimpressed at the scene. “Nah, mate, that one near Bathford was way better. They had dragon props too, but at least theirs weren’t projections.”
I shoved past them, done with their confusing prattling. They shouted at me as I stormed away, calling me names. I ignored them, keeping my eyes trained on the massive shape ramming over and over into the wall.
Will and his family hurried to my side, their expressions grim.
“What do we do now?” Dorothy asked, biting her lip and studying the wary crowd.
“The only thing we can,” Gerry said, staring at the gathering horde on the other side of the wall. “We fight.”
Will shook his head. “We can’t. There are too many of them. We’ll die in minutes against an army that size.”
Gerry nodded, but then his gaze turned to the sea of people murmuring and muttering, trying to figure out what was going on. “Not if we have an army of our own.”
We followed his gaze to the throng of onlookers, and Will groaned. “We’re so fucked.”
Pretty soon, people stopped finding the situation amusing or fantastical. Especially when they discovered there was no way of exiting the dome.
Angry shouts flew through the air, and the officials in charge of the event struggled to keep everyone calm.
“We don’t know what’s going on, but I swear, we’re trying to figure this out,” a man with a silver dragon badge said when a girl with green fairy wings yelled in his face.
“You mean this isn’t part of the experience?” someone called from the crowd.
“I want to go home!” another person cried.
“Everyone needs to stay calm,” a different official said into a cone-like device that seemed to amplify her voice. “Once we have answers, we’ll share them.”
This didn’t appease anyone, and the angry shouts started up again.
But when someone picked up a decorative mug and aimed it toward the official’s head, I stepped forward.
I snatched the mug from the air before it could hit the woman, turning my disapproving gaze on the young man who’d thrown it.
The woman stared at the mug in shock, and I handed it to her before taking the device from her frozen fingers. She didn’t even resist, lost to her surprise.
Then I turned toward the crowd with a thundering heart.
“I understand you’re scared. I understand you’re frustrated. But attacking those trying to help won’t solve any of your problems.” My voice carried across the grounds, and the mob quieted down some. “Besides, we have a bigger problem than merely being trapped in this dome.” I pointed toward the electric barrier, then the shadowed walls above. “You came here to have fun. To dress up, participate in tournaments, and live a few days in fantasy. But this is not a game.
“Morgana Le Fey’s armies have crossed over from Avalon. If they break through that barrier, they will show you no mercy.”
“Dude, I just want to go home!” a voice called out.
“This isn’t funny! I have to get to work.”
“Who the bloody hell are you?” someone called, and murmurs of agreement went around at the question.
Every new person who spoke up only seemed to rile the crowd further, and more shouts and jeers rang through the air, overwhelming me with the noise. My heart battered against my ribcage, and I couldn’t breathe . Agitated with so much sound, my demon paced in its own cage, and little tendrils of red crawled down my arms.
The sight of my curse only seemed to make the wary, frustrated crowd more upset.
But as the noise and accusations grew deafening, a familiar hand slipped into mine.
Instantly, the noise lessened, my heart calmed, and I sucked in a much needed breath.
“You’ve got this,” Will murmured, just for me to hear.
I sent him a small, grateful smile, before I faced the droves of people.
“My name is Arthur Pendragon.” Releasing Will, I ripped Excalibur from its sheath, holding it high for all to see its gleaming glory. “I know many of you have heard my name, but few know the truth of my story. Over 1,500 years ago, I was cursed. Because of it, Merlin was forced to turn me to stone, awaiting the day he or one of his kin found a way to end my curse and came to save me.
“For all those years, I atoned for my sins. I suffered unbearable pain, forced to relive some of the worst moments of my life. Morgana has not forgotten what I did at that final battle in Camlann. The day my curse took me over, I killed many innocent men, including our son, Mordred. But she has let her anger and grief cloud her purpose. She has killed too many people to count with the sole purpose of leaving me to rot in my stone prison.
“As we speak, Morgana’s army is preparing to attack. This is the first time they’ve gotten to leave Avalon in over a millenia, and they’re thirsting for blood. And while I wish it were not so, we must face the truth: They will not stop until each and every one of us is dead.
“I have fought many battles. Have watched my men fall time and time again. War is something no one can prepare for, and no one leaves a battlefield the same. But I’m here to fight for a chance to live. For the man I love. For the family I found. For each and every one of you who woke up today to face this terrible decision.
“And even though I wish I didn’t have to, I’m here to ask: Who will stand with us against them? For I cannot guarantee your safety should you fight.”
The crowd around us murmured, confusion and caution almost palpable in the air. Some still didn’t seem sure whether this was real.
But then Hal stepped forward from the crowd, his face bleak but determined. “I will fight with you.”
Then, to my surprise, he kneeled before me and bowed his head.
Throughout the crowd, more and more people dropped to their knees. Some placed a fist over their chest, some bowed. Some backed away, clearly unsure, or simply unwilling to risk their lives here. I didn’t fault them. We’d make sure they were as safe as could be.
“What do we do now, My King,” Hal said, standing tall and looking to me for direction.
They all were, these warriors at heart.
“Now,” I said, “We prepare and get ready to fight.”