words were never softened by time, and hurtful rumors lingered long after the fact. But what a shame that something so innocuous could destroy such a glorious world.
Such a glorious king.
"Could I see Lancelot's grave?"
Kerrigan's eyes sparked as if her question surprised him. "Could it be that my lady has a degree of morbidity?"
"Nay, I would just like to see the resting place of a man so revered and slandered."
To her amazement, Kerrigan held his hand out to her. Seren took it, then instantly found herself in a darkened room with no sign of Blaise.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"As you requested, the chapel."
"Why is it so cold here?"
"We are far below the castle's foundation, which some say is embedded in a wall of ice. No one ever ventures here."
As Seren stepped into the small room, three torches and a fire in a wall hearth were lit. Shadows danced wickedly against the stone walls. Her own shadow mingled with Kerrigan's, joining them into one large shape that reminded her of some evil beast.
But as the light brightened to show her the sarcophagus of a handsome knight, she gasped.
Seren approached it reverently so that she could better observe the sharp angles of the knight's face. The carving was so intricate that she could see the individual strands of his hair, the veins in his neck and hands. See each link of his armor. See the leather of the gloves he had tucked into his girdle. His eyes were closed, but part of her half expected them to open the way the gargoyle had done in her room.
Whoever had made the carving had been a master artisan. Her heart hammering, she ran her hand over the inscription at his feet:
HIC JACET SEPULTUS INCLYTUS LAUNCELOT DU LAC
"Here lies interred the renowned Lancelot du Lac," she whispered. Her gaze returned to his handsome stone face. It was hard to believe that this was the man she'd heard so many stories about. That he had once fought beside Arthur.
A chill went through her. Those stories were real. There really had been a Camelot, a Guinevere, and a great king??/p>
"Did you know him?" she asked Kerrigan.
"Nay. He died long before I was born. I came to Camelot three hundred years after it had fallen to Morgen."
"And Arthur. Is he dead, too?" she asked, looking back at Kerrigan.
His gaze turned dull. "No one knows for sure. He was taken to Avalon, where he rested for a time. Some say he rests there still, and others say that he left after he heard of the deaths of Lancelot and Guinevere. Many of them believe that he died of a broken heart."
Seren didn't know what to think of all this. It wasn't every day that someone learned a beloved fantasy was reality. "And now I am caught in their struggle. 'Tis unbelievable."
"Nay, not really. Unbelievable is that a worthless thief found a sword and used it to become a king."
"Is that what you were?"
Kerrigan nodded, even though he wasn't sure why he spoke to her in such a manner. It wasn't like him to speak of the past, but then all in Camelot knew what he'd been??here he'd come from. It wasn't as if he hid it. And for some reason, Seren was easy to talk to.
"I was only seeking an escape from the soldiers who were sent to arrest me. One moment I was scared of being taken by them and in the next, I had more power than I had ever dreamed of."
She looked up at him. "What is to become of you now that you have betrayed Morgen?"
The concern in her tone surprised him. No one had ever given a damn in the past what happened to him, and he doubted that she truly did. Indeed, her lot would most likely improve if Morgen killed him. "I honestly don't know. It wasn't the wisest thing to do. Most likely I should have thought it through better before I acted."
Seren considered that. Aye, most likely. From Morgen's orders to the gargoyles, it was obvious she wanted him dead. But that made her wonder another question. "Why does Morgen want me taken from you?"
"To corrupt you, most like. As she corrupts everyone who comes to her."
Seren was stronger than that. Nothing would ever corrupt her. She would never be so weak. "So what do we do now?"
His eyes were completely blank as he watched her. "I don't know, Seren. If I were wise, I'd return you to Morgen." He