I froze.
Merlin.
"He sends an agent against me."
The thought of my former mentor pained me—the man who had raised me to become the king I now was, taught me, and then betrayed me.
"This is not Merlin’s scheme. It is destiny’s design."
A usurper would take what is ours.
"Speak plainly," I growled. "Give me a name."
We will destroy him. Burn him to cinders.
"I do not know a name to give you."
I turned away, finding Camelot in the distance. Its golden spires looked tarnished in the light. The central tower, still cracked from my final battle with Merlin, split the sky like a scar.
"I built this kingdom from chaos," I said, my voice low and steady. "I brought order. If Merlin has his way, magic will flow freely again, and the dragon will be released. Then the world will burn."
Nimue remained silent. Watching.
"Tell me how to reclaim the sword." I turned to face her once more.
"I cannot tell you what I do not know."
Memories surfaced then—of purges, executions, families broken apart in the name of law, order, and security.
"Every decision I made had to be made. Without order, Camelot would have descended into chaos."
"Fear is a poor foundation for a kingdom, Arthur Pendragon."
"You know nothing of ruling," I nearly spat the words back at her.
She said nothing more but gave me a small, sad smile. It was the same as it always was. I didn't know why I bothered returning here as often as I did. I turned, wading back toward shore.
"Magic is not your enemy," she called out behind me.
Anger burned through me at the statement. I paused, but I didn't face her. I couldn't. "Magic is everyone's enemy, and it must be outlawed.”
"You have not simply outlawed it. You havedestroyedit."
I spun to face her then, anger flaring to life within me. “I had no choice! You know what will happen if I allow magic to exist unchecked!"
"I do not know, for that prophecy has never revealed itself."
“It will feed the dragon, and eventually, I will not be able to control it," I insisted as I tried to calm myself, to get control of the anger that had been visiting me more and more often recently. "I’ve made difficult choices, but history will judge me more kindly than you.”
“Perhaps. But it is not history that determines the sword’s allegiance.”
"The sword will recognize the justness of my cause in time. It must."
"Justness? Or hypocrisy?"
I froze as I glared at her. "Hypocrisy?"
"The Shadow Trials begin tomorrow, do they not?"
