Page 44 of The Sword & the Stone

As it ran, I caught glimpses of our path ahead. The trees thinned, giving way to a rocky outcropping. And there, spanning a misty chasm, was the bridge. Dead Man's Path.

The stag's heartbeat quickened as it approached, sensing the ancient magic that emanated from the stone. I shared its apprehension. The bridge looked as if it had been there since the dawn of time; the stones weathered and worn, yet still standing strong somehow.

I pulled my consciousness back, blinking as the forest came back into focus around me. "The bridge is just ahead."

We urged our horses on faster, and Merlin lifted from the ground, his griffin taking to the skies to scout from above.

As we approached the bridge, a sense of unease settled in my gut. The bridge itself was a sight to behold. Ancient stone arches stretched across the chasm, disappearing into the mist that swirled below. Intricate carvings adorned the weathered rock, depicting tentacles and clawed hands. I ran my fingers over the etchings, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Look there," Tristan said, pointing to a wooden box lying at the entrance to the bridge. "It looks like the one in the boneyard."

I dismounted and approached the box, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. You could never be too careful in theseparts. I knelt down and tried to open the box, but the lid wouldn’t budge.

“Let Arthur try,” Tristan said. I stood and saw that Tristan’s eyes had gone entirely white for a moment.

Arthur dismounted, and I handed her the box. Her fingers brushed against mine for the briefest of moments. Even that fleeting touch sent a jolt of warmth through my body and my cock hardened again. I watched as she examined the box, her brow furrowed in concentration.

With a soft click, the lid popped open. Arthur reached inside and pulled out a single scroll of parchment. She unrolled it carefully, her eyes scanning the words written in an elegant, flowing script.

"To pass this bridge, a price you'll pay,"she read aloud."Three guardians stand in your way. Riddles they'll pose, answers you'll give, to prove your worth and continue to live."

"Well, that's not ominous at all. I was hoping for a nice, leisurely stroll across the bridge. Maybe a stop for a picnic halfway."

Arthur shot me a look, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement. "Focus, Galahad. This is serious."

"Of course, my lady," I said with a mock bow. "Lead on, and I shall follow." She shook her head with a smile.

We left the horses behind again, not wanting to risk them on the narrow bridge. There was a chance we wouldn’t be able to come back for them after the trial, and we’d be on foot after that.

As we stepped onto the bridge, a chill wind whipped through the chasm, making the ancient stones shudder beneath our feet. I kept close to Arthur, my hand never straying far from my sword hilt. The mist swirled around us, obscuring our view of the other side.

We’d barely taken a dozen steps when, up ahead, a massive statue rose from the fog. The first stone guardian. It was carved into the shape of an old hunched crone, and as we approached, her eyes began to glow.

"Halt," she commanded, her voice echoing across the chasm. Her stone mouth never moved. "To pass, you must answer my riddle."

Arthur stepped forward, her chin held high. "We’re ready."

I hated riddles. I’d never been clever enough to understand them.

“I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?”

Arthur's brow furrowed as she pondered the riddle. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Tristan and Gawain exchanged worried glances, but I kept my gaze fixed on Arthur.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Fire," she said confidently. "The answer is fire."

With a groan, the statue shifted, revealing a narrow path along the edge of the bridge. Arthur glanced back at us, a victorious grin on her lips, before leading the way forward.

“It was too easy,” Merlin muttered as we walked.

I glanced at him, my brow arched. "How so? I never would have guessed fire.”

Merlin cast me a bemused look. “I mean this with all the kindness in the world, my friend, but a child could have solved that riddle.”

A bark of laughter came from behind me as Gawain clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s got you there, Gal. EvenIknew it was fire.”

“A bunch of fucking scholars then,” I muttered, rolling my eyes and shrugging Gawain’s hand off.

The path wound its way through the mist, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone. Before long, a second statue emerged from the haze. This one was carved in the likeness of a stern-faced warrior, his hand resting on the hilt of a stone sword. As we approached, his eyes began to glow, just as the crone's had.

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