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Chapter Thirteen

NATE GARRETT

City of Solomon, Realm of Shadow Falls

I’d left Washington and headed back to Shadow Falls, where my first port of call was the council room in the palace so I could debrief everyone as to what had happened there. Lamashtu was now considered a high priority, but we had a more immediate way forward, and that was to get into Avalon. I’d finished with the debriefing when Mordred and his team returned, looking remarkably upbeat. The bastards.

“Nanshe and her people are going to help us,” Mordred said, dropping a large leather-bound book onto the table. “The Olympians are going to pledge fifty thousand troops to our command. My command. Apparently.”

“What’s the book for?” I asked.

“This is a present from Nanshe,” Mordred said. “It details a realm gate that goes into the mountains in Avalon. It’s in—”

“Duat,” Hades said.

“Hey,” Hel said, looking around. “Do you all know this?”

Everyone nodded.

We spent the next hour sharing information so that everyone was on the same page. Selene sat on one side of me, Zamek on the other. There was an aura of tension over everyone, and even Remy—usually a source of humor even in the darkest of times—was quiet. He caught my eye and winked, making me smile.

“You didn’t kill Gawain, then,” Remy said.

“I did not,” I said.

“Shame,” Remy said.

“At least we know Gawain wasn’t lying,” Judgement said from the corner of the room.

“Small mercies,” Mordred said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“It was better you weren’t,” I said. “Although now that we know Lamashtu is out there, she could be a real problem.”

“We’ll have people look for her,” Persephone said.

“In the meantime, we need to send a small force to Duat and through into Avalon,” Olivia said. “They’re going to have to get through Avalon to the realm gate and activate it. We’re going to send our forces to Avalon Island so that we can get into Avalon once we know it’s safe. Unfortunately, not only is the realm gate booby trapped, it’s also not big enough to take more than a few dozen at a time.”

“I have an idea about that,” Zamek said. “I think we can make it bigger.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

“How?” Orfeda asked.

“The realm gates can heal themselves,” Zamek said. “It should be possible to also make them change shape.”

“Should be?” Hades asked.

“We tried it once,” Zamek said. “It worked.”

“With live people?” Persephone asked.

“With goats,” Zamek said. “Lots of goats.”

“And they survived?” Mordred asked dubiously.

Zamek nodded. “It’s not easy, and it takes a lot of power, but we should be able to change the gate so that it can take thousands in at once, not hundreds.”

“That would mean much less time for anyone in Avalon to mount a counterattack,” Mordred said.

“Okay, people, get it done,” Hades said.

“I’m leading the team into Duat,” I said. “This is not open for negotiation. Whatever is inside Avalon is going to need people who can hit hard and fast. Gawain said you can’t take a lot of people into the realm, and while I’ve never been there, I’ve spoken to Isis. She’s coming, too, by the way. She’s been to Duat before.”

“What did she suggest?” Hel asked.

“That we all get in and run really fast,” I said. “Her actual words.”

“I wonder,” Remy said. “How many people here have been to Atlantis before?”

There was a smattering of people who said that they had.

“Anything we need to know?” Tarron asked.

“When everyone is here,” Hades said, “I will give you all the information you need.”

I looked up to the end of the table, where Mordred remained silent.

“What are you humming?” I asked him, as everyone else went quiet.

Mordred smiled. “‘Still Alive,’” he said. “It’s from Portal.”

“The cake game?” Hel asked. “I thought I recognized it.”

“It’s not exactly a game about cake ...,” Mordred said.

“I really wish that Elaine had known about the realm gates in Avalon,” someone said, although I didn’t catch who.

“No one knew,” Mordred said. “And I do literally mean no one. From what this book says, the dwarves built them long before any of us were even sparkles in our parents’ eyes.”

“Where’s the book from?” I asked.

“You remember the fire at the Library of Alexandria?” Mordred asked.

“Not personally,” I said.

“Well, a lot of what was there that wasn’t destroyed was taken to Olympus. There’s enough stuff in there you could spend a lifetime reading and still not be done.”

“Unfortunately it’s not all good news,” Hades said. “Which leads us nicely on to Tarron, who I believe has more bad news to impart.”

“Oh, thank fuck for that,” Remy said. “I was beginning to think we were on a roll for happiness and was getting concerned for my health.”

Tarron stood. “These names that Gawain gave are the names of shadow elves, two of whom I knew before I was frozen. One was a member of a high-ranking elven family, and the other was an officer of the law.”

“And they were found in a prison, so guessing not the most well behaved of elven society?” Olivia said.

Tarron nodded. “This one—his name is Estaliar. He was tried and convicted of the murders of one hundred and sixty-two humans and four shadow elves.”

“He’s a serial killer?” Layla asked.

Tarron sighed. “I don’t know why he’s in Atlantis. I never realized it was a prison for shadow elves, although it’s entirely possible. We did have realms as prisons. Estaliar is dangerous. A trained killer. An elf who will slaughter and continue to do so until he is stopped. He killed the four shadow elves who first tried to apprehend him. He picked humans because ... well, honestly, because they were like prey to him. This is not someone any realm wants released, and if he’s helping Arthur, we have a big problem.”

“And the others inside the prison?” I asked.

“Presumably people just like him. This second name—one of the officers of the law, Vusmar—he was one of the investigators of Estaliar’s case. I do not know why he was imprisoned; it was after my time.”

“And these elves have been released somewhere,” Olivia said.

“Yes,” Tarron said. “I would be wary. I cannot imagine that Arthur’s regime would let people live if they did not match their ideals.”

“It never rains, but it pours,” Zamek said with a sigh.

“So we need to go to Duat, make it into Avalon, and then possibly fight off shadow elf criminals?” Selene asked.

“We need to get to Camelot and get that gate unlocked,” Zamek said. “Otherwise, we’re going to be stuck in a city where the vast majority of them would like all of us dead.”

“We’re going to have to use stealth and a lot of luck,” I said. “We move fast, stay low, and try to make sure we move around the outskirts of the city. I lived there for a long time; I think we can do it. Once we’re in that realm gate temple, though, you’re not going to have long.”

“Surely it won’t be as easy as that,” Selene said.

“Nothing is ever that easy,” Hades said. “But for now, let’s all try to get ready. Nate, get your team. Whoever you want.”

I nodded.

As everyone filed out of the council room, I stopped beside Olivia. “We’ll find him,” I told her.

“I know,” she said. “Atlantis. You think Gawain was telling the truth?”

I nodded. “I’m thinking that Gawain was told to tell us about Atlantis if he got caught.”

“You think it’s a trap?” Hel asked.

I nodded. “Almost certainly.”

“That sounds about right for my father and Arthur,” Mordred said.

“How are the Olympian troops getting to Atlantis?” I asked.

“There’s a realm gate in Atlantis,” he said. “A second one, behind the city; it’s been unused for centuries. The dwarves who live in Olympus are going to get it working so when we get to Atlantis, we can link them and bring forward their army.”

“We’ll send a small team there to work with them,” Persephone said. “That way they can create a summoning circle and keep us informed. We’ll get to Avalon first and decide the best way from there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “How’d you get Nanshe to back us?” I asked Mordred.

“I used Excalibur to make me tell the truth,” he said. “And I begged. I may have even groveled ...”

“It worked?” I asked.

“Eighty-six out of a hundred people voted in favor,” Hel said.

Mordred offered me a fist bump, which I took. “Good job, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, that’s still weird,” Mordred said.

“You got a team in mind?” Hades asked me, clapping me on the shoulder.

“Lucifer, Isis, Selene, and anyone else who wants to come,” I said. “I don’t think we’re going to have time to see Astrid.”

“We’ll see her soon enough,” Selene said.

“No necromancers,” Hel said. “Duat is not the place they want to be. You’re not a full necromancer, Nate, so you should be fine so long as you don’t use your power.”

“Thanks for the info,” I said. “Okay, well, let’s get ready.” I walked out of the room with Selene beside me. We made our way through the palace and spotted Kase leaning up against the wall near the palace entrance.

“I’ll leave you to talk,” Selene said. “I’ll see you at the temple in an hour or so.”

“Thank you,” I said. I went over to Kase. “So,” I said casually. “Been a shit day.”

Kase nodded. “I’m sorry for what happened in Washington.” Her voice was low, barely above a whisper. “I’m angry all the time, Nate. It’s like it’s just bubbling there and never goes away. The beast wants out, it wants to take control, and it feeds on the anger inside of me.”

“Let’s go for a walk,” I said, and the pair of us walked through the palace to the rear exit.

“This is where your friend died,” Kase said.

I nodded. “Galahad died saving my life, and I lost control. I slaughtered hundreds of blood elves out here without a thought. I tortured the man who killed him. I beat him so badly he begged to die. We all lose control sometimes. We all have that need to protect those we love and hurt those who show us that we can’t save everyone. You have it harder than most. The beast inside a were wants out; it wants blood and flesh. And so do you.”

Kase sat on the steps overlooking the field that led to the dense forest covering a large part of the realm. Just before the tree line was a statue of Galahad. His daughter and pretty much every single member of the council had arranged for it to be built to remember him. It was new and had been done without ceremony, but it was there, and I enjoyed coming to see it.

“I can’t stop it,” she whispered.

I sat beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder. She rested her head on my own shoulder and began to weep softly.

“How do I make it stop?”

“You can help us find your father,” I said. “You can keep it together for when you see him. You cannot let the beast win. If it wins, you will no longer see friend from foe; you will kill and kill and kill until that’s all you are. Until no one recognizes you anymore. It was something Tommy was always terrified of. Diana less so—I think she long since made peace with it.”

“My dad never really spoke about the beast inside of him,” Kase said, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her fingers.

“He had you and your mum,” I said. “That’s what stopped him. Everyone needs that person they can rely on above all others. I don’t mean a boyfriend or wife or whatever but someone they can put their complete trust in. Some people have more than one. I think they’re probably the lucky ones.”

“Like you?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. And you, too, Kase. You have your parents, Layla, Chloe, and a dozen others. Even Harry.”

“We broke up,” Kase said.

“I know,” I said. “I saw him drinking away his troubles in the bar in town. He does not handle whiskey well.”

Kase laughed but stopped herself and sighed. “It’s beginning to feel like everything I do is just a fucking mess.”

“That’s not true, and I’d like to think that deep inside, you know that. How are you sleeping?”

“I’m not. Not really. I have bad dreams.”

“You need sleep,” I told her. “Even werewolves need it. Look, if you want to come to one of the realms or go to Avalon Island, I’m okay with it. I’m sure everyone else will be too. We’ve all done things that we weren’t proud of.”

“My mum is finding it hard too,” Kase said. “I think she’s not sleeping. She’s upset a lot. She snaps at people.”

“Have you spoken to her?” I asked.

Kase shook her head. “I tried, but I was scared that we’d end up arguing. That I’d lose my temper at her. She doesn’t need or deserve that.”

“Go talk to your mum,” I told her.

“She’s so damn busy all the time,” Kase said.

“Now you’re just making excuses,” I said. “Go talk to her. Now. She’s probably still in the council room. I don’t know when any of us are going to get the chance to talk, so if you have something you need to say, do it now. Trust me: leaving things unsaid feels like shit.”

“Have you spoken to your mum?” Kase asked me.

“Touché,” I said with a smile. “No ... no, I haven’t. She’s been off fighting everyone and anyone she can.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Kase said, looking at me with a smile.

“Also, if you can, talk to Harry,” I told her. “The man is in love with you, and you are in love with him, and frankly, now more than ever, you both need someone. Now go and try to relax. That’s an order.”

Kase stood and laughed. “You’re not the boss of me,” she said. “But I will go and talk to my mum. And if I have time, to Harry, too, but you need to talk to Brynhildr.” Kase leaned over and hugged me. “Thank you for listening and understanding and not bouncing my skinny ass over the White House lawn.”

I laughed. “You’re welcome.”

Kase walked toward the palace doors, where she stopped and turned back to me. “Nate, do you think we’ll ever be done here?”

I nodded. “I have to think we will. I have to think that your little brother and my daughter will grow up into a better world. We have to stop them, Kase, because anything else will destroy us all. Arthur will turn the realms into his own playthings.”

“We’ll stop him,” Kase said. “We’ll stop them all.”

I watched her walk away and turned back to the field before me. I walked across the field to the statue of Galahad, where dozens of flowers had been left. Galahad had been beloved by the people who had called him king, and that love hadn’t diminished even after his death. I placed a hand on the warm stone and looked up at the statue, at his sword in one hand, his shield in another, ready for battle.

“If I don’t make it back, it was a pleasure,” I said. “I don’t really know what happens to us after we die, but I really hope you’re at peace, my friend.”

I turned back to the palace. I had no idea how everything to come was going to pan out, but I knew that by the end of it either Arthur or I would be dead. Preferably the former.