Page 86 of The Sword & the Stone

The wall was nearly vertical, with only the barest hint of handholds. I began to climb, my muscles straining with each upward movement. The box pulsed with an otherworldly light above me, tantalizingly close yet so far away.

Loose pebbles skittered down as I hauled myself higher, showering my face with grit. The wind whipped around me, tugging at my clothes and threatening to tear me from my precarious perch. I gritted my teeth, focusing on each handhold.

A deafening roar shook the canyon, and I pressed myself flat against the wall as a massive shadow fell over me. The giant's enormous hand swept past, missing me by mere inches. The gust of wind in its wake nearly dislodged me, and I clung desperately to the rock face, my heart thundering.

I risked a glance down and immediately regretted it. The ground seemed impossibly far away. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to keep climbing.

But just as I thought I was going to actually reach the box, the giant crashed into the canyon wall with earth-shattering force. The entire canyon shuddered, and a thunderous crack split the air. Massive chunks of rock broke free, tumbling down in a deadly avalanche.

Time seemed to slow as I lost my grip, my body peeling away from the safety of the rock wall. For a heartbeat, I hung suspended, the world tilting sickeningly around me. Then gravity took hold, and I was falling.

Wind rushed past my ears as I plummeted through the air, my stomach lurching into my throat. The ground below rushed up to meet me with terrifying speed. Jagged rocks and thorny bushes blurred into a dizzying kaleidoscope of gray and green.

I heard my name being screamed from multiple directions, the anguished cries of my knights cutting through the howling wind. Their voices were filled with raw panic and desperation.

"ARTHUR!"

Chapter 31

LANCELOT

Her chestnut curls whippedaround her face, her eyes wide with terror as she fell. The golden circlet on her brow pulsed with desperate light, as if trying to summon some latent magic to save her.

My heart thundered in my chest, raw panic clawing at my insides. I'd never known fear like this—not in centuries of battles, not facing down monsters or dark magic.

This was visceral, primal terror that stole the breath from my fucking lungs. I was screaming her name, my throat raw. This wasn’t how we lost her. We wouldn’t lose her. Not now…not fucking ever.

Every word I’d said in anger flooded my mind in a split second, and I took it back. I took it all back. I’d leave Avalon forever if it meant Arthur living to see another day. I’d cut off my own wings if it meant her drawing one more breath.

Gawain's magic had temporarily blinded the giant, coating its massive eyes in a thick layer of frost. The behemoth stumbled back, roaring in confusion and pain. But even with theimmediate threat neutralized, I knew with sickening certainty that we wouldn't reach Arthur in time.

My wings beat furiously as I dove towards her falling form. But the distance was too great, the seconds ticking by with merciless finality. Arthur was falling too fast, the unforgiving ground rushing up to meet her.

Desperation clawed at my throat as I pushed myself harder, faster, my muscles screaming in protest. Wind howled in my ears, drowning out the frantic shouts of my brothers. My vision tunneled until my sole focus was Arthur, her arms outstretched towards the sky. Merlin sent a whip of golden magic towards her, but the giant stumbled into the path, knocking Merlin backwards.

Gods no…

Please no…

Just as she was about to hit the ground, Arthur's body suddenly flared with brilliant golden light. She screamed in pain as something burst from her back. She screamed, and the sound reverberated off of the tall canyon walls until it was the only thing I could hear.

Then, a pair of delicate, shimmering wings unfurled from her back in a spray of golden sparks. They looked like spun glass, intricate as a dragonfly's, split into three distinct wing sections on each side, but massive and heavy enough to hold her weight.

The crystalline wings blurred into motion, beating so rapidly they became nearly invisible. Their frantic vibration caught Arthur mid-fall, suspending her in the air mere feet from the ground.

It shouldn’t have been possible. It took decades to learn how to fly with any sense of control. This was something the fae went to lessons to perfect when we were children. But Arthur’s wings caught her, saving her from the crush of the canyon floor.

I landed hard, my knees nearly buckling as I stumbled towards Arthur. My heart was still racing, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Arthur's new wings fluttered uncertainly as she touched down, the delicate crystalline structures catching the light and sending prismatic reflections dancing across the canyon walls.

Her eyes were wide with shock, her chest heaving as she tried to process what had just happened. I reached her in three long strides, cupping her face between my palms. Her skin was flushed and warm beneath my touch, but most of all,alive. Gloriously, miraculously alive.

"Are you hurt?" I demanded, my voice rough. My eyes raked over her, searching for any sign of injury. "Arthur, talk to me. Are you alright?"

She blinked up at me, her lips parting as if to speak, but no sound came out. Instead, she simply nodded, her hands coming up to grasp my wrists. Arthur trembled as the adrenaline began to ebb. “I-I think I’m alright.”

Around us, the air crackled with tension as my brothers landed, their curses filling the air.

"Fucking gods…" Gawain breathed, his steel-gray eyes wide as he took in Arthur's wings. "That was too damn close."

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