[Devona]
Faye releases our hands and takes a step back, allowing Arthur, Embyr, and myself to battle while she continues to struggle with the shadows. Our bond is still intact, still strong, connecting the three of us with the force of our love and commitment to one another.
It is likely because I watched her step away from us that I even noticed at all, a small tug along our bond. Also seeing her hand guarding her midsection as she backed away clued me in. Once I realized what that meant, I began searching along our connection to confirm my suspicion. Allowing myself to focus on just that one thing, I can sense a tiny throbbing, the smallest little heartbeat. A heartbeat and a spark of light.
[Arthur] My love. Her body is barely more than bones as I lift her into my arms. Large burn marks mar the wrists and ankles of what had been her perfect skin. Her breathing is shallow, each breath shuddering through her body, shaking her chest with an ominous rattling. “What happened to her,” I turned to Merlin and the knights. “How did she get so weak? The last time I saw her she was very different?” “My King,” Embyr bows, which is weird to see, just as weird as the armor she now wears. “You have been unconscious for weeks. She has seen terrible things and had very terrible things forced upon her.
[Faye] Warm, I wake up to the sound of breathing. I am lying down in a bed smelling faintly of dust and lavender, heavy drapes blocking out the sun. Reaching out in the darkness, a soft hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining. Recognizing the shape of her body, I move closer, my chin resting against her neck as I nuzzle her ear. Her natural smell overwhelms me: sweat and sun mixed with heather. No matter where we might be, I know that in her arms I am home. Smiling, my other arm finds a path to wrap around her, tightening our embrace as I find a breast, caressing it gently. “Good morning,” a breathy, feminine voice moans. “I see someone is awake.”
[Faye] “What do I need to do?” I ask, making contact with Devona, ignoring Arthur’s glare. “And how will it help us?” “The beacon,” Sir Percival explains from behind us. “Is a way for all the knights of the Round Table to be called into service. It is a summons. It cannot be ignored or denied and must be followed, no matter how far away we are. There is a chance that it might free the other knights from the spell placed on them by Mab.” “A small chance,” Arthur interrupts. “It is also very possible that they will either not feel it, in which case your efforts would be wasted, or that they will feel it and come, but the effects
[Devona] Arthur, Faye, and I took our meal outside, deciding that a picnic with the three of us would be more pleasant, and more private, than eating amongst the men. We have a lot to talk about. Including a very important, very special change to all of our lives. Faye has given us such an amazing gift. To know her body, her spirit, is hard at work growing our child feels miraculous. A miracle I don’t deserve. To be a family in this way again, after centuries of just wanting to have these two back, to reclaim her from darkness and save her from a cursed fate, to find her and to have her love, the love of both of them--it is more than I could have ever hoped to have again. We sit together for several minutes, silent, watching the waves of the Eastern Sea against the shores of C
[Faye] Devona leads us around the castle perimeter to a large tower that stands separate from the main keep. As she pulls open a stiff wooden door, the afternoon light streaming in behind us casts shadows, our silhouettes darkening the floor covered in bird droppings and feathers of all shapes and sizes, colored from cream through russet to tan and blueish black. Overhead, several rows of wooden beams and shelving which house several small wooden boxes where feathered heads peer down at us, eyes following our movements in a very unnatural way. These birds are not ordinary birds, their gazes expressing deep emotion and intelligence. Even with the door open and small windows at the very top, there isn’t enough light to see everything clearly. Devona brings a bit of h
[Faye] Devona won’t look me in the eye since I asked her to keep the secret of our child from Arthur. She’s still angry, but she also cannot argue with my logic. Our argument, held away from everyone, was loud and involved a lot of tears, but in the end she came to understand something very important. That one, even two lives, are not worth more than an entire kingdom. Even if those lives are precious to you. We also agreed that with all the loss we have experienced, telling Arthur about this child and then losing us both would be something he might never recover from. I would have spared Devona the pain as well, but she discovered the truth only shortly after I discovered it myself, an
[Devona] It took most of the evening, but the tower is finally ready for us to perform the ritual that will send out the beacon, the call to arms, to all of the Round Table knights wherever they might be. It is a simple enough casting, but the details must be precise, the energy needs to be focused in the right way, and the power needed for this spell is immense. But in truth, I have no intention of activating this spell. Everything is in place to make it work, and if we wanted, it would only take a drop of blood and a well-chosen word to invoke. The goal, however, is to not let it get far enough to risk. We have no idea if Queen Mab is looking through the eyes of those she has infected, or if she is simply speaking into their ears. Either way, it would be easy for her to see that s
WARNING: Brief descriptions of rape (not graphic) and abuse. Read at your discretion. [Lance] I am sitting at a cafe admiring the fading sunlight as the lamps along the Champs Elysee begin to come to life with a warm electric glow. I am sitting alone, watching as lovers pass by, trying hard to move past my pain and heartbreak. Lisa, my latest girlfriend, left me this afternoon. It was a passionate affair that had lasted 6 weeks, only to peter out when I didn't give her the attention she was craving. As she ran off this morning, her clothing in a suitcase and toothbrush behind her ear, she threw one of my shoes at my head screaming, "No wonder your ex left you! You are a pathetic, sad,