Page 101 of Sanctuary with Kings

"I'm going to break the chain," I said, eyeing the heavy rings of metal that dug into the centicore's throat.

"Evanthia, no," Asterion said, careful but firm.

I licked my lips. It was an outrageous plan, and probably not what Nimue had intended with her horrible puzzle, but it would serve her right.

"I think you should all step safely away from that staircase," I said, talking as though I was proposing we all go on a picnic together, while I leaned over to examine the distance between the sword hilt and me. Well out of reach. I would have to leap for it and hope the centicore didn't crush me in its panic.

"Evanthia," Conall hissed, jerking forward.

The centicore's calm broke at his sudden movement, and it lurched up onto its hind legs. I released my grip and slid back, all the men shouting together at once.

"Hold it!"

"Conall, grab her!"

"Evanthia!"

I twisted, falling from the side of the centicore's body, toward the water, and reached for the hilt that stuck out from the bloodied fur. My fingers slipped around the hilt, and icy water soaked into my trousers once more, but I kicked my feet against the floor of the pool, surging up and grabbing onto the jewel encrusted hilt with both hands. The centicore screeched and the water surged and tore around me, pulling my legs out from under me as I yanked on the sword with all my strength, trying to keep it straight and true to avoid doing any more damage.

"Evanthia!" Conall's voice roared behind me.

The blade was scarlet with the centicore's blood, dragging slowly out of the beast's flank, and a strange, violent shout crawled up from my chest, an echo of the creature's scream, born from equal parts sympathy and determination.

All at once, the blade came free in a long, streaking arch of red. Iron bands of strength caught me as I fell backwards, and I leaned into Conall, still shouting as I swung the blade toward the metal chain. The others were surrounding the centicore, fistfuls of fur in their grip, Asterion's arms holding one leg down in the water.

"Get back!" I shouted, and he released the leg, surging away as the centicore bucked, leaving the chain exposed beneath its chest, buried down in the water.

What good can a sword do against a chain? a part of me wondered.

But this was Excalibur, Sword of Victors. A strike of glee and pride hit me as the blade struck the metal, shattering the chain links as if they were made of glass.

"Back!" Asterion bellowed, the word echoing over every cranny and crack of the cavern.

The route we'd followed down from the cave should've been too narrow, but as the chain broke, the hollow opening of the stairs gasped as if it were a lung expanding to fresh air. There were no stairs, no endless dark path, but a great maw of an exit that led directly to the freshly bloodied plateau we'd entered from.

The centicore bolted, waves from the pool around us surging up as it dragged its heavy, wounded body up and out, into the night.

Conall collapsed, the pair of us sinking into the water briefly, his arms still fastened around me, my open mouth gulping down water. I choked and he dragged us up once more, back toward the ledge, which had expanded like the enchantment on the cave.

"How dare you," he rasped. "You risky, foolhardy, careless—"

I yelped as he spun and hauled me up out of the water, sword clanging down onto the stone at my side, my cold, wet body slapping down in front of him. His stare was blazing, face hard and furious.

"Conall—" Asterion warned, standing in the slowly settling pool.

"You could've beenkilled," Conall growled at me, his jaw ticking.

He was right, of course, and I had no defense except that I'd been revolted at the use of a living creature all for somechallengeset to protect a sword, regardless of its power. Conall's teeth were grinding, and I was shivering, the now open wall of the cave letting in a breeze. I lifted my hands to smooth back his slick and tangled hair, and he snarled.

His own hands snatched my face in their grip, and he pulled my mouth to his, kissing me roughly, biting and laving over the spot. He was trembling as he had been when he arrived at the castle, and I tried to wrap him up in my arms and legs, but a throat cleared farther off in the room.

"Gently, wolf. She could be injured," Hywel snapped.

Conall groaned, our mouths open and his tongue stroking mine, and he held me in place as he pulled away, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm fine," I gasped.

Which was not true. I was already feeling quite sore and bruised, and being soaking wet in a chilly cave didn't help.

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