Horsemen's War (The Rebellion Chronicles #3) - Steve McHugh Page 0,73

to go. I wanted to fight. I needed to fight, but I was hurt.”

“Where’s your band?” Layla asked. “What’s your name?”

“Another prisoner removed it as we escaped, but I’ve had it on for so long my power hasn’t returned yet,” she said. “I think it’s just maxed out healing me.”

“What’s your name?” Layla repeated.

“Athena,” she said. “My name is Athena.”

Chloe and Layla shared a glance. “Judgement’s . . . sister, I guess?” Piper asked from the doorway before walking into the room, where she started to examine Athena’s wounds.

Athena looked up, suddenly alert. “You know Judgement?” she asked.

“She’s here with us,” Layla said.

“Here?” Athena asked, animated for the first time.

“Somewhere,” Tarron said. “She’ll be around soon enough; she’s pretty good at turning up when you least expect it.”

Athena nodded. “I’m so glad she’s okay. I need to see her.” She tried to get to her feet but stumbled forward and was caught by Piper.

“Are you okay to walk?” Piper asked.

Athena nodded, looking weaker and more worried than Layla would have expected from someone who was meant to be one of the greatest warriors of all time.

“I’ll take her back to the entrance, and we’ll hopefully find Judgement on the way,” Piper said.

“Take some soldiers with you,” Layla said as Piper helped Athena to the door.

Layla watched Athena being escorted out of the mountain by Piper and three soldiers before she turned back to those who were still with her. “Right, let’s see if there’s anyone else we can find.”

Ten minutes later they found a barely conscious Medusa in a room with a large realm gate that didn’t appear to have been completed. There were two dead soldiers beside her, both of whom had been decapitated. Layla rushed over and helped Medusa up off the floor, who groaned and sagged against her, barely conscious. Two of the soldiers who had come with Layla’s team, along with Tarron, helped move her to an adjacent chamber.

“She’s been seriously hurt,” Chloe said. “She got stabbed just below the ribs on her left side. It’s bleeding badly, and I’m pretty sure the knife was silver. She needs proper medical attention.”

“We can make do for now,” Tarron said, and he dipped his fingers into Medusa’s blood and began to draw a rune around her. “I’m not a dwarf, but this should stabilize her until we can get her to someone who knows how to stop this.”

When he’d finished drawing it, red power flowed around it until it completed the entire circle of runes, when it snapped shut. Medusa gasped, her eyes wide open for several seconds.

“What happened?” Layla asked.

“Athena,” Medusa said. “Athena did this to me.”

“Shit,” Chloe said, turning to run after Piper.

“Tarron, make sure Medusa stays in one piece,” Layla said before turning to the soldiers. “Both of you with me.”

They made it outside the mountain and found several dead soldiers lying on the ground. Several of the horses had been killed, too, and Piper lay up against the wheel of a carriage, her throat slashed, bleeding a considerable amount.

Chloe sat beside her, screaming for help.

A soldier ran back into the mountain to get the rest of the dwarves, who emerged soon after and set to work drawing runes to keep Piper alive. Layla stood back and let people work. The only thing she was able to do was hope as Chloe held her wife’s hand and wept.

Chapter Seventeen

MORDRED

Realm of Avalon

“If anyone can tell me just how long all of this is going to take, that’d be great,” Mordred said as he leaned up against the wall outside the room in the far reaches of the dungeons beneath the palace.

“We don’t know,” Jinayca said, looking up from a brightly glowing rune on the floor. “This whole place is like walking through a minefield, blindfolded, while occasionally stopping to perform a dance routine.”

“Nice image,” Mordred said.

“I have a dozen dwarves in here with me,” Jinayca said. “I know how much everyone wants this realm gate to work so we can go to Atlantis and stop Arthur, but the longer I stand here talking to you, the less likely that is.”

“You want me to go away?” Mordred asked with mock indignation.

“Yes, piss off and find someone else to bother,” Jinayca said with a smile.

Mordred laughed. “Yeah, okay.” He walked away. He’d been searching through the palace to ensure that none of the old guard remained in charge, but it seemed that they’d all fled to the hospital in the east, and apparently Nate and those with him