The Darkest Knight (Guardians of Camelot #3) - Victoria Sue Page 0,83

I think we all know the answer.” Kay said. Gawain was the sort of person you would miss in a crowd. His regular features were pretty nondescript apart from his eyes. He’d heard Tom say he had intelligent eyes, but Kay thought they shone with kindness. He hoped Gawain was Galahad’s knight. He knew Gawain was scared for some reason. He didn’t trust himself with anyone and preferred computers to people, but if anyone could take on caring for Galahad, he thought it would be Gawain.

Lance met Kay’s eyes in the mirror. “Gawain saved my life.”

Kay nodded. “You were coming out of a tavern?”

Lance winced. “A brothel, but yes, I was drunk. I was angry. There was a woman there called Georgia. She was perfect. Strong, brave, funny. Everything any man could ever want in a wife, except Arthur had told me who I had to marry to be accepted as one of the guardian knights. Elaine’s father had coastal lands Arthur wanted access to, so I went to see Georgia for what I knew would have to be the last time. I left her all the coin I could get my hands on, so when I was robbed and they found I had empty pockets, one of them was ready to slit my throat in retaliation. The market had been set up there during the day, and Gawain was searching for any spoiled food that sometimes got left.

“He took on the two robbers and half carried me to where he slept under the Waybridge, tended to my injuries, and watched over me while I slept. In the morning he woke me to say he was leaving to see if he could get any work clearing up after the pig market. They used to pay a pittance to those that would clean up after the animals.” Lance smiled. “I will never forget his face when I told him who I was and that he’d be coming back to Camelot with me.”

“He’s scared of something,” Ali said. “But he’s a quiet soul, and I think that’s what Galahad’s going to need.” Lance didn’t reply but urged the car even faster.

It should have taken ten minutes to reach the subway, but the speed at which Lance was driving, it was only a little over five, and they pulled up behind Lucan at the same time and threw open their doors. It was quiet. Too quiet. Kay looked at his wrist. “They should be here.” The blue stones on his amulet were black, and he set off running after Lance, who hadn’t even paused. The entrance to the subway was closed and locked, but Kay didn’t doubt somehow Mel had gotten them past it. With an unspoken agreement, Lance and Lucan yanked the door nearly off its hinges, and they rushed through.

None of them questioned the direction Lance was going, and he ran down the steps. But not even Kay was prepared for what they saw at the bottom.

Chapter 22

Mel held his hand over the locked door to the station. “What about the cameras?” Roxy said, looking up.

“Don’t worry about them,” Mel answered grimly and looked at Charles. “Which platform?”

Charles drew his sword and headed to the platform they had gone down before, only to pause when his feet cleared the bottom step. It was different. Charles stood a second and looked at the endless stretch of stone floor. Gawain, Mel, Tom, and Roxy fanned either side.

“This isn’t right.” Roxy gripped her sword tight. “I’ve been on here countless number of times and—”

The man’s laughter that filled the large space was so loud it almost hurt.

Charles stepped in front of Roxy, shielding both her and Tom. He glanced to his side, trying to judge if Mel was close enough to protect him too, but Gawain nodded and grimly stepped forward to shield him.

A whisper of a voice seemed to blow across his mind. Myrrdin. Tom shot him a frantic glance, and judging from Roxy’s shudder, she’d heard it too.

Mel stepped forward. “Party tricks don’t impress me anymore, Mordred.”

Charles tightened his grip on his sword’s handle as the stone floor seemed to shimmer, expecting an Ursus to appear, but a second later a knight did.

Except not like any knight he had ever seen. Black polished scale mail armor covered him from neck to thigh. Tight black leg and arm guards shielded the rest of him, but Charles was drawn to the symbol etched in red on his chest. The sword and circle. Black Annis.