"Me neither," Merlin said with a sigh.
"Let's hope we have more luck at the graveyard, which honestly seems more Maleagant's style.I mean, the man does love working with the dead."
"Because even the worst of the living want nothing to do with him," Lancelot muttered.
They did a bit more searching just to be thorough, but once again trekked out still on the hunt.A quick look at the map showed the graveyard was thankfully only twenty or so minutes away."When do we get things that fly, for the love of god?Where's your hacking skills withthat."
"They haven't released any of the flying mounts yet, precisely because of people like me," Merlin replied.
Lancelot laughed, changed back into his armor, and off they went.
Unfortunately, the storm went with them, and by the time they reached the graveyard, spreading out along the east side of an enormous, spooky looking cathedral, it was cold, dark, and raining so hard it hurt his face.
Thunder boomed, and lightning cut jaggedly through the clouds, occasionally striking the ground with brutal force, destroying houses and trees and more."What are the odds of getting struck?"
"A little less than one percent," Merlin replied.
Dred grimaced.Theyhadbeen struck by lightning once, and at least in their past life, had borne the scars to prove it.Catching Lance's inquisitive look, Dred rolled their eyes."Oh, I got struck in this life too.Fifteen, same as the first time.Was doing some foraging in the wrong damn tree."
"Christ."
"Basically."
The gates to the cemetery could have fallen right out of a book about Halloween, complete with a creepy spider formed from wrought iron and spooky purple lights that flickered brightly, despite the driving rain.
Lancelot once more dismounted, but this time he let his horse wander as it pleased, off to a much safer location.He didn't need to step into the graveyard to know they were, at last, in the right place.Just to confirm, he pulled up his menu and tried to leave.And couldn't."Yeah, this is the place.We're locked down."
"Interesting," Merlin said, and pulled up something that Lancelot couldn't see."Have to analyze more closely later.I think I'm close to cracking it."
What 'it' was, exactly, Lancelot couldn't begin to guess, though he got the general idea."Dred, ro-sham-bo for lead."
Grinning, Dred slid down from their horse, and they rolled rock, paper, scissors, best of three.Lancelot swore softly, without heat, when Dred won.Grinning triumphantly, Dred shoved open the graveyard gates and then drew his sword before leading the way inside.
They'd only gotten about halfway through the enormous space when a sibilant voice carried over the rippling thunder."Merlin of the Wild.I assume you're to blame for all of this."
"If you want someone to blame," Merlin said coldly, looking up at an enormous, elaborate gravestone of a woman weeping at the base of a tree, "blame your good-for-nothing brother."
There was a ripple in the air, like waves of heat, and then they solidified into a beautiful woman dressed like a medieval noblewoman who spent her days spinning thread and managing the household.
Maleagant, Crown Prince of the Land of No Return, had four sisters.The youngest had helped them rescue Guinevere when she was first kidnapped.Afterward, she had left the country entirely to live a peaceful life far from her wretched siblings and the dangers of Camelot.
The other three were unfailingly loyal to their brother.They were not as powerful in their magic, but they weren't lacking in power either, and were as willing as he to make whatever sacrifices necessary to supplement that power.
Of the three, Ethelfleda, the second oldest child overall, was the most lethal."You've come for your little bog witch, but you'll only find failure."
She threw her arms out and everything wentblack.At the same time Merlin lifted one of his arms, and a bubble of light surrounded the three of them, holding back the writhing, twisting dark that tried to get at them, living shadows hungry for sustenance.
"They stole that trick from Morgan," Dred said, their eyes glowing like hot coals."There was a mausoleum about eighteen meters dead ahead of us."
"I saw it," Lancelot said.
"Merlin, on three drop your shield.I'm going to incinerate every last fucking thing.Fish boy, make for that mausoleum."
"Affirm."
"Affirm," Merlin echoed.
"One.Two.Three!"
