Page 57 of Queen Takes Triune
He inclined his head, his lips twitching. “Old age is occasionally useful for something.”
“Then why hasn’t my blood in Gwen already taken over any other queen’s blood in her body?”
“It may have,” he admitted. “You’re strong enough that even a few drops may be plenty to break another queen’s hold completely. But the volume of your blood in hers is likely not enough to completely assimilate the Shalott queen’s blood that still resides in her.”
“Instead of trying to separate out that blood, would it be better to just destroy it with mine?”
“If I may, my queen?” Lance asked. I met his gaze and nodded. “Ifshehas any sense of our queen’s location, then it may be best to allow her to think that we’re still here in New York City, rather than attacking on her own turf. That would be impossible if you completely destroy any traces of her in my queen.”
“In that case, it’d be best to separate out the blood—so she thinks Gwen’s still here.” I pressed my nail back to Gwen’s wrist and punctured her skin but used my magic to hold the blood inside her body, rather than allowing it to flow out.
My power rose, cascading through my body like a million fireflies. I sent one of those sparks into Gwen, searching through her body for anything that didn’t belong. Anything that wasn’t hers… or mine. I could definitely feel small bits of foreign blood in her, almost like grit. I didn’t try to touch each piece and burn it out—I’d be here all day.
Instead, I called it out.
This blood is mine to command. Repel any contaminants. Push them out.
Her magic flared, answering my command. Her eyes widened with surprise, but she didn’t resist me. With my eyes closed, I could see the shining brightness of her power sweeping through her veins, pushing the grit outward to the small hole I’d made in her wrist.
The White Enchantress had grown in power significantly from when I’d first met her. With the blood of Lancelot, Bors, and Mordred at her command, Gwen was definitely stronger than Mayte. I still wasn’t that skilled at evaluating a queen’s magic level, but I was pretty sure Gwen was even stronger than Keisha Skye had been, despite all her efforts to solidify her power base through any means necessary to gain a Triune seat.
House Camelot shone like a beacon once more with Gwen’s Blood at her side. If she could free Merlin, too… We’d make a formidable team.
Tingling pressure at my magical plug in her wrist made me open my eyes so I could watch as the foreign blood welled up at the small wound. My power allowed the grit to slide through and spill into the waiting cup. But not a drop of Gwen’s natural blood fell through.
“Amazing,” Gina breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like this done, by any queen. Ever.”
Lance breathed deeply and made a low, choked sound as he turned his face away. “It’sher. Definitely. I can fucking smell her.”
Gwen smiled at me, a bright, fierce show of teeth that made the hairs on my nape rise. “I’m finally free of her. Thank you, my queen. Camelot is forever in your service.”
We waited a few more moments to make sure I had pulled all that remained of House Shalott out of Gwen. It was only a thin layer of blood in the cup. Maybe a mouthful at most, but she’d been young when Elaine had taken her as a sibling. Despite her cruelty in keeping Gwen from her Blood for hundreds of years, Elaine’s blood looked much like any other. A reminder that any of us were capable of such misdeeds. Even me.
:Never,:Rik growled in our bond.:I don’t believe that for a second.:
He handed the glass to me, and I held it up to the light, watching the swirl of red against the crystal. To keep it from drying out, I sealed it with my power, holding it fresh and wet and red in the glass. Hopefully Elaine would believe her former sibling was still here in the tower.
Looking at her blood, I could almost feel a connection to her. A compulsion to read her location and try to understand her motivations. I loved Rik more than life itself. I’d do anything to protect him. Yes, even kill, in a heartbeat. But if he belonged to another queen…
Isis had sent him to me for a reason. The Great One would never have sent me a Blood that loved another queen. I knew that wholeheartedly. I wasn’t sure which goddess had founded Shalott’s line, but somewhere, somehow, something had gone wrong with Elaine. She’d fallen in love with a Blood never meant to be hers.
But I resisted the urge to seek out her secrets. I didn’t want to give her any indication that Gwen was up to something, or that I had any reason to search Elaine out.
I handed the glass to Gwen. She held it as carefully as she’d grasp a deadly poisonous snake. “Do you think we need to put a guard on it?”
“G, what do you think? Could she use this blood to spy on us or anything else? I don’t want any nasty surprises.”
“Anything’s possible, my queen.”
I frowned at the glass, my mind racing. “Let’s take it to the basement with us. I can use the darkness to bind it, and I’ll add my blood too. That should be enough to make sure she can’t cause any mischief.”
Gwen stood as I did. “What exactly are you planning to do in the basement, my queen?”
Grinning, I entwined my arm with hers. “We’re growing a tree.”
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