“Clemeny,” Gothel said, looking at the amulet, her eyes wide. “What you are wearing is very dangerous.”
“Is it going to explode or anything?” I asked.
The faerie paused, surprised by my question. “No, but—”
“I know. Melwas will take my head for it. That’s why it’s around my neck and not Victoria’s.”
“I see,” Gothel said, sighing lightly.
“What do you know about Melwas?” I asked the faerie.
“He has always been the outcast of the Unseelie Court. Unruly, angry. He despises mankind. Queen Macha, his mother, has failed to rule or turn him. He is loved by the dark things of the Unseelies and the dark things of this realm. Even the blood of Mordred—the dragon bloods—honored him. They were his allies until they were defeated,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the three Pellinore agents and Miss Pendragon who had seen to the exile of the dragon bloods. “If he has the other two pieces of the artifact, he will stop at nothing to take the gem from you. Including killing you and any of us who get in his way.”
“Aren’t you glad I asked you to come?” I replied.
Gothel smiled lightly. “I know why you asked us to come. I know what the druids have told you.”
“And?”
Gothel tapped her fingers on the rail of the airship. “Once, long ago, Melwas tried to abduct Gwenhwyfar, the white phantom. She was the wife of King Arthur. I was her protector. I didn’t let him win then, and I won’t let him win now. And I never had the chance to properly thank him for trying to kidnap my charge.”
I raised an eyebrow at the faerie.
“We all have our reasons for being here,” she said, a light smile on her face.
“Well, then. I guess we shall see.”
Gothel nodded. “We shall see.”
Chapter 28: Glastonbury Tor
It was already dark when the agency airship swooped in low over Abbey House. The night’s sky was filled with stars, but there was a distant rumble on the horizon. From the east, a storm was blowing in. I could see the dark clouds gathering, rolling as they moved west. Lightning rocked the clouds, which twisted and turned unnaturally.
There was no tower at which to port, so the airship captain threw a rope ladder over the side.
“I’ll do my best to hold her steady, Agents,” he called to us. “But there’s a storm coming in. You need to be quick about it. There’s a port in town. I’ll take the airship there.”
“Thank you,” Harper called to the captain then nodded to us.
One by one, we hurried down the ladder to the ground.
When I reached the Tor, I turned and watched the oncoming storm. The wind whipped hard, blowing my cape all around me.
“It’s Melwas,” Gothel said.
I nodded.
“Well, you’re right about him following the gem,” Harper said as she eyed the oncoming storm.
“You see, having a decoy works. It worked at the museum opening,” I said.
“I thought you said that was a terrible plan,” Harper retorted.
“It was, because Victoria was the bait that time. The plan was good. The bait was the problem.”
Harper shook her head. “Okay, bait. What now?”
“Into the ruins,” I said, motioning for the others to follow me.
The burner under the airship hissed then the ship set off in the direction of the town. I looked behind me at Abbey House. In an upstairs window of the house, I spotted the silhouette of Mister Reeves.
I waved to him.
He lifted his hand to return the gesture.
As we moved deeper into the ruins, a terrible feeling swept over me.
Mist began to snake around the rubble as the sky overhead became overcast. The clouds gathered, blocking out the stars. Thunder rumbled. The clouds twisted unnaturally. My scalp, palms, and bottoms of my feet felt prickly.
Agents Williamson and Silver drew their weapons.
Melwas knew where I was going. There was already something here, something amongst the ruins.
Rapunzel and Gothel joined Harper and me.
Rapunzel stared out at the ruins. “What is this place?” she whispered.
“These are the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. But on the Otherside is the Isle of Glass. That is what my people call it. Your people call it Avalon,” Gothel told her.
“Avalon,” Rapunzel said, her voice full of awe. She turned to me. “I think…I think I know why you asked me to come.”
I smiled at her. “Good. Because I’m just playing a hunch.”
Thunder overhead rumbled as the massive clouds extinguished the moonlight that had been casting a little glow. The fog snaked around us, moving unnaturally. There was a sick, pungent scent in the air.
“Not good,” Agent Goodwin said, pulling on his own pair of night-vision goggles. Seemed I wasn’t the only one getting the good tech these days.
From somewhere deep within the mist, I heard a low growl.
“Really not good,” Agent Goodwin repeated.
I scanned the ruins. The mist moved, shifting as if something had passed through it.
A moment later, I heard a strange, strangled growl and something with glimmering eyes bounded toward Agent Silver.
“Lucy, watch out,” Agent Goodwin called, lifting his pistol.
The manticore leaped toward the agent. Goodwin’s aim was true. The beast fell. But it soon became clear we were not alone. Low growls and flashing eyes surrounded us. There were beasts everywhere.
“Hell’s bells,” I whispered.
“We’re ambushed,” Agent Williamson said.
“Maybe,” I answered then pulled the faerie dagger from my belt. The metal glowed blue. “But it’s not over yet,” I said then turned and rushed the closest beast.
The firefight that ensued thereafter was practically a blur. Harper, Goodwin, Williamson, and Silver followed my lead and advanced on the monsters. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gothel summon her magic. A glimmer of blue light sparked between her fingers. With Rapunzel—who held a sword before her—close by, the faerie joined the fight.
This time, it wasn’t just manticores. Four-legged creatures with slick ebony skin, defying any description I had ever heard or read about, attacked. Scaled monsters that seemed to be made up entirely of claws and teeth joined the assault. The monsters were from the Otherworld. Strange, fey things that didn’t exist even in our mythology. This is what the mortal realm would face if Melwas succeeded. We couldn’t let that happen. I turned to find a winged manticore like I had encountered in the tunnel creeping slowly up on me. Catlike, it moved to pounce.
I spun out of the way, ducking into the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. I raced through the narrow corridor of one of the abbey’s partially fallen structures, and the monster charged after me. It smashed the ruin with its body, further collapsing the structure.
“Dammit, this is an important historical monument,” I called to the monster in frustration, turning to face the beast before it did any more damage.
The monster burst out of the narrow corridor then slid to a stop. It let out a strange clicking call, then a moment later, two other dark shadows appeared, their eyes glowing.
“Hell’s bells,” I whispered, backing up. “Umm, Harper?” I called.
“Clemeny? Clemeny, where are you?”
“A little help?”
“Clemeny? Where are you? I can’t see anything.”
Brandishing my dagger, I stepped back.