Page 2 of Captivated
Which made us nothing more than pawns on the Triune chessboard, easily picked off and leaving our queen exposed.
However, pawns had the freedom to move on the board at will, and so that’s what we did. We stayed away from each other to maximize our coverage on the playing field, while staying out of any other queen’s reach. Because that was definitely something I’d learned long ago.
Some queens called a Blood for love. Others called a Blood for power, regardless of the Blood’s desire to serve her. A queen could force a bond on even the most unwilling Blood if she was determined enough.
The memory of being trapped in such a Blood bond lifetimes ago still made knives twist deep in my stomach. I turned back to the bartender, grabbed what remained of the bottle, and headed for a table in the corner.
Another man sat with his back to the wall, watching the room without moving a muscle. Even though we hadn’t come into our power yet without our queen, Mordred could hide in plain sight. A trick of light and shadow, or simple illusion, I wasn’t sure. He wasn’t invisible—but he could make my eyes skip right over him if I wasn’t paying attention.
He’d been fucked over by history too. If Guinevere’s adultery was blamed for Camelot’s fall, Mordred was labeled a traitor and Arthur’s death laid at his feet. Most stories had him killing the great king and dying on the battlefield. Sometimes he was even Arthur’s son. Some said he’d tried to steal the throne from Arthur, while he was away trying to kill me for falling in love with Guinevere. Others had Mordred marrying Guinevere, which was closer to the truth than anything else.
I took a seat opposite him, and Bors sat between us, positioned to keep an eye on the door. Mordred had chosen a remote island off the coast of South America as his hiding place. Bors roamed Tibet. I’d chosen the Gibson Desert of Australia, our current meeting place. I was sure more of the original knights were in the world somewhere, but in most of our lifetimes, I hadn’t encountered them. They weren’t as close to her as I had been, or even Bors or Mordred. I had to assume they’d already died in the long years of this lifetime.
These men were my brothers. Bors, my lover, when we were together.
We hadn’t seen each other in a decade, yet I still didn’t know what to say.
The only people other than our queen that I cared about were Merlin, Arthur himself, and Elaine Shalott. Arthur would kill me if he had the chance, especially if he could find me before Guinevere was able to call me to her side.
Elaine…
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My sanity wouldn’t survive another encounter with her. Not in this lifetime. I’d rather be dead than serve her again.
But my queen…
I couldn’t abandon her to her fate again. I had to stay free. Which meant I had to gather as many of her Blood as I could.
I knew where Merlin was. Which meant either Arthur or Elaine would be nearby, waiting to spring the trap. Maybe both of them. They’d joined forces before.
“Any news?” I finally asked Mordred. He might be on a remote island in the middle of nowhere, but he always knew court dealings. I had no idea who his contacts were, and I didn’t know if he’d tell me even if I asked.
“There’s a new American queen. Triune’s running scared.”
Bors grunted beneath his breath. “I’m not buying it. The Triune doesn’t fear anything.”
Mordred lifted a ceramic coffee cup to his mouth and took several sips. How the man could stand to drink hot coffee in the middle of the desert, I had no idea. “They fear Isis’s last daughter.”
Bors whistled softly. “Well yeah, shit. I would guess so. Where’d she pop up from?”
“If they know, no one’s saying. My guess is theycan’tsay.”
I pushed the whisky bottle away from me. If we had to wade through Triune shit to find our queen, then I would need all my wits about me. “Who’s strong enough to lay that kind of geas?”
“The queen’s mother, I’m guessing. Evidently the daughter’s existence is a bit of a shock. She’s strong too. My contacts say she’s already been to Mexico and was headed to New York City to deal with House Skye. North America will be hers, and with a solid foothold in Mexico, the rest of the Americas may soon follow.”
“Could she be our queen, then?” Bors asked. “Guinevere was always fearless like that.”
I exhaled and allowed my eyelids to flutter shut. Blocking out the world, I strained with all my will to reach my queen. To pinpoint her location. Anywhere. A hint of where she might be. What she was doing. If she was well…
I strained until my heartbeat thudded heavily in my skull.
Shaking my head, I sat back heavily in my chair and opened my eyes. “If she was our queen, surely I’d be able to feel her. Especially if she’s as strong as you say.”
“Since she’s already taken several Blood, I don’t believe this queen is ours.” Mordred set his cup down before him, though he wrapped both hands around the ceramic as if warming himself. “I choose to believe it’s a sign. A sudden new queen. Shifting power struggles. Someone even the Triune fears. The tide is turning. I have to believe that means our queen will be free. Soon.”
“We must be ready,” Bors said, his voice shaking with emotion.
Yeah, me too. My heartbeat raced. Even though my mind cautioned me not to get excited. Not to hope too much. We’d been devastated so many times before…
