Page 245 of Kingdoms of Night

After an hour of observation, Enid came to the conclusion that Sir Geraint was not in attendance. It shouldn’t surprise her. He was a knight, and men of his ilk were prone to go on quests. She hadn’t taken that into account when she’d made this desperate plan. She needed to find him. If she didn’t get his help by the morning, her journey would all be for naught, and her life would no longer be her own.

“Have you heard from the Gs and Loren yet?”

Enid’s ears perked up at the mention of the woman, Loren. That was Geraint’s mate. She had been with him at her father’s tournament where Enid and Geraint had met. Wherever Loren was, Geraint would surely be there with her.

A vine grew up on the side of the castle. Enid placed her hand on the plant. With just a gentle push of her magic, the vine wrapped around her hands and feet and carried her up the side of the castle to the window where the voices had carried.

Inside the window, Enid spied two more women walking together. One was fair-haired like a yellow daisy, and the other had the raven hair of a nightshade plant. Though their hair was different, the two favored in their faces. Perhaps they were siblings.

“They haven’t returned from their last quest in Alfheim,” said the daisy-haired one.

Alfheim? That was back beyond the Veil, back in Enid’s realm. She’d journeyed all the way here; meanwhile, the one person who could help her was right in her father’s own backyard.

She had to get back there. And she had to do it fast. If she went back the way she’d come here, she would never find her knight in time.

Enid looked around at her options. Witches could make portals on ley lines. There was enough energy all around this land that could provide her transit. She just needed to find a converging point.

As she looked around, the grain of the floor caught Enid’s attention. This was no ordinary bark. It had the grain of a Welwitschia wood plant, one of the longest living plants of the earth. The species was so rare, she’d only ever met one of its kind in her lifetime. The plant preferred the temperate climes of Africa. If it had come to this land and allowed itself to be carved by the people of Camelot, then these knights and witches must be special indeed.

The wood was teeming with magic. If she found its heart, she could step into the wood and take a quicker ride back beyond the Veil. Enid reached out to the Welwitschia. The plants lived for thousands of years. She could tell that this one had been around for a long time. It roused slowly and didn’t speak with words. It spoke in a language so ancient that words held no meaning, only fluid dreams.

It was a friendly plant, overly chatty once it knew Enid understood it. The plant guided Enid through the castle. She noted that she was on the same path as the two sisters.

“You missed a button,” said the dark-haired one.

The blonde-haired one fumbled with her blouse. “Looks like you got a little tied up.”

“That was last night.”

The two women cackled like witches, because they likely were. Enid had never sensed this much magic coming from humans before. She knew of two modern-day witches that held this level of power. The Galahad sisters, Lady Morgan and Lady Gwin. Their unions with Sir Arthur and Sir Lancelot had been heard across all realms.

While the two sisters chatted on about their nighttime activities with their respective paramours, Enid inched farther into the room near the hearth, the heart of the wood that would lead to her salvation. She knew she was caught when the floor creaked, and both witches went on high alert.

Enid felt the magic at her back. She didn’t want to hurt the women, but she had no choice. She sent out a vine.

The stems wound themselves around Gwin’s and Morgan’s legs and then encased their forearms. The witch fire that the two witches were able to conjure did nothing to the trailing plant. Enid’s magic was far older and purer than the witches.

“I mean you no harm, my ladies.”

“Who are you?” Gwin asked.

“You’re going to find out very soon, and for that, I’m sorry.”

“I know who you are,” said Morgan. “Loren told me about you. You’re Enid, the fairy Geraint’s been mooning over.”

Mooning? Enid wasn’t sure what the word meant in that context. Human slang had never interested her, especially as it changed so frequently. One day, bad was good and up was down. She had no care to keep up. Though the sparkle in Morgan’s eyes hinted that Geraint’s mooning over her might be a positive thing.

“Geraint is our family,” said Gwin. “If he’s in danger, let us help you.”

For a moment, Enid hesitated, no longer certain of her path. But this was her only choice, and he had promised.

If ever you need it, for the rest of my days, my sword is at your command.

Enid shook her head. There was nothing the witches could do to help her. Her only hope was the knight and his promise.

She turned her back on the women and stepped onto the hearth. With another flick of her wrist, she allowed the magic to engulf her. At first there was darkness, and then there was light, a multicolored light of vibrant colors that swallowed Enid whole.

CHAPTERTWO

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