The Darkest Knight (Guardians of Camelot #3) - Victoria Sue Page 0,33

1994. The leaves are also supposed to be inspired by the trees there.”

“Real trees are better,” Lucan said dismissively. They all had their weapons hidden in some way. Lance wore a leather coat, and Kay had his fitted snug to his pants which wasn’t great for sitting down in. Lucan wore his on his back.

Kay wondered if the sword would appear to Charles when he needed it as before. He must be assuming so because he hadn’t asked to borrow Ali’s.

And that was something else. Tomorrow he needed to talk to Roxy. He was worried for them both. They all were.

They walked to the entrance and started down the steps. It was silent, almost too silent, and they passed people leaving, all grumbling about the sudden closure. Kay grimly acknowledged Gawain must have hacked into something and diverted the trains. There would be some sort of line failure probably. Maybe an obstruction on the track. Anything to get the people out of the way.

He jogged down the steps after Lance and then stopped as Lance did. “Kay? Have you ever been here before?”

Kay shook his head, but he understood why Lance was asking. In case something was going to happen like in the park.

“I have,” Charles said.

They all turned to look at him. “With Tom?”

Charles shook his head. “I can’t remember, but I remember the sign for the platforms.”

Kay was relieved when Lance didn’t press further.

“It’s too quiet.”

Kay agreed with Lucan. They could usually hear the screams of the Ursus, but as the last of the passengers passed them, the station fell eerily quiet. Kay glanced at his amulet. The normally blue stones had turned black, so they were here. He followed Lance and Lucan, Charles at his side as they stepped out onto the platform, and as he raised his hand, his sword appeared clasped in it.

“Uther’s sword,” Kay got out. It was identical.

Charles looked down at it, but then his attention seemed to be caught by something in front of him. Kay followed his gaze. The empty track disappeared into the yawning mouth of the tunnel.

Lance shot a concerned look at Lucan, and without so much as a cry, four, five, six Ursus appeared in front of them, and Kay had a second to raise his own sword to meet the sword aiming for his head.

Then the cries erupted. For an interminable second, Kay wasn’t sure which was worse, the scream of the swords or the noise of the Ursus. Kay twisted and feinted, thrusting his sword into the beast but barely having a moment to recover before the next one was on him.

“Kay!” Lance shouted, and Kay wrenched his gaze away just in time to see another Ursus aim for him. Another fraction of a second and he would have been too late to stop the downward slice of the steel aiming for his neck. It disappeared into dust as he killed it and whirled back around ready for the next one.

He had no time to pause though as another two appeared. Kay leaped for a bench, making sure they couldn’t surround him, and using the height to land a slash to one Ursus’s neck gave him the precious couple of seconds he needed to kill the other. The first one lunged but vanished as Lance finished that one from the rear.

Three more appeared, but he and Lance had them easily cornered and finished them just as they heard another shout, and they both turned. Charles. He was trapped, pinned into the corner between the platform and the wall with three Ursus all aiming for him. Kay didn’t hesitate, and neither did Lance. Lucan followed as he killed his last, but as they all took a step toward Charles, the shimmer in front of them signaled more Ursus appearing, and suddenly Kay, Lucan, and Lance were facing another six. They were also effectively cut off from helping Charles. The Ursus had their backs to each other, making an impenetrable wall.

He heard Charles yell and—heart pounding—the roar of the Ursus as they scented victory, but there was nothing he could do. As fast as they were killing the beasts, another one appeared. Kay cried out in anger and frustration. He wouldn’t lose Charles. He couldn’t lose him.

Then as if a switch flicked, every Ursus froze. Kay gasped. The nearest to Charles had his sword about an inch from Charles’s chest. He would be dead. “Lance?” Kay whispered, too terrified to move lest it wake them up and Charles