Horsemen's War (The Rebellion Chronicles #3) - Steve McHugh Page 0,101

and corruption of Tommy’s mind and the murder of hundreds of dwarves and elves who were slaves in the realm and dozens more prisoners inside the citadel. Arthur’s throne room was near the top of the citadel. I stood, and the image of Demeter came to me. She was working with Arthur and, from a few of the memories, doing a lot more than just working.

“Now I need some bleach for my brain,” I said.

Images of Demeter and Arthur caught in a compromising position notwithstanding, Megaera was a wealth of intel. Athena had been chained to the roof of the citadel to be attacked by harpies over and over again, until finally she’d been unable to heal. She’d died up there, alone and angry.

The last thing that I saw was Lamashtu, Megaera, and the elves being told to go to Washington, DC. To punish those who were there while we were here in Atlantis. Arthur’s plan. To get us in one place and then murder everyone we’d left behind on the Earth realm. To leave no one standing. No one to stop him.

I turned toward the front gate, wanting to sprint there and tell everyone about the imminent attack on Washington, DC, if it wasn’t already happening, but a Horseman ran toward me, lance in hand, ready to run me through. Tendrils of shadows leaped out of the ground, taking hold of the lance and pulling it down to the ground, forcing the Horseman to let go or be catapulted.

“I really don’t have time for this,” I told it through clenched teeth.

It ignored me, which I’d pretty much known it would, but before I could do anything, a large werewolf barreled into it, taking it off its feet, ripping its head off, and tossing it aside in one movement.

“We can’t keep doing this, Tommy,” I said. “You turn up, try to kill me; I hurt you; you run away, only to jump out like some crazed eighties slasher killer. It’s going to get old fast.”

Tommy roared at me and leaped the distance between us, but a blast of ice from beside me drove him away. I turned, expecting to see Kase again, but Mordred stood several feet back and drew Excalibur.

“People need to stop saving your life,” Mordred said to me as he stood beside me.

“I can’t kill him,” I said. “I just . . . can’t. I can’t go through what I went through with you. Again.”

Mordred laid a hand on my shoulder. “I know,” he said and took a step toward Tommy, Excalibur held before him.

Tommy got back to his feet and rolled his shoulders before running at Mordred, who raised Excalibur above his head and activated the power it held.

Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked twice and let out a scream of pain. He clawed at his head, drawing blood, then turned and fled into the city.

“Let him go,” Mordred said to me as I moved to chase him. “There’s no telling what Excalibur can do to someone under the kind of curse I was under. If he returns, we’ll make sure to try again.”

“I saw a memory of Lamashtu,” I said, explaining the vision about Washington.

“Oh God,” Mordred said. He turned to several allies who were running up behind him and gave orders to get people back to DC.

The idea of Lamashtu’s attack in DC, where so many people were recovering, sent a shiver up my spine. And Layla was out there somewhere . . .

The soldiers ran off toward the realm gate.

“Nate, they’ll get the message to people who can help,” Mordred said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, but a cold pit of fear sat in my stomach as we ran through the deserted streets of the city.

“I think Judgement went this way,” Mordred said.

One of the floors high above us exploded with magical power, and three soldiers fell the several hundred feet to the ground and hit with an unpleasant sound.

“Right, well, I think we found her,” I said.

We took a step toward the front of the citadel as Merlin stepped out of the doors. More and more Horsemen flooded out until they almost surrounded him. “I think you’ll find this a lot harder than you were expecting,” he said as energy crackled all around him.

Chapter Twenty-Four

LAYLA CASSIDY

Realm of Shadow Falls

Layla, Chloe, Tego, and Piper arrived in Shadow Falls, where Leonardo immediately shouted for medical aid, which arrived quickly and whisked Piper away to be checked over. Chloe followed behind,