I nod. “That’s what I understand.”
“How does the sword get back here? Could it be that a knight has the blade for an annus? Longer? Then at some point, it must return.”
I tilt my head. “I am unsure. But their father, Arthur, had the dagger part of the sword. I reunited the two pieces, resulting in me being brought here.”
“What if the current king gets to keep half the sword until the realm is ready for a new leader?”
The theory is excellent, but there is something niggling me about this entire narrative. “Two nasty surprises accompany this legend. One is the dragon thing, where a knight has to prove his worth by murdering his own brother, and the other is the Lady of the Lake. That feels like overkill for one legend.”
“Perhaps Gwyneth can create a solution to at least save you from the water, even if you are still attached to the sword.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, because I am feeling very unDaphne-like down here.”
My chest tightens as I imagine my annus filled with fish and no sausage. This cannot be it. I refuse to accept my fate. I have things to do, capons to nurture, dragons to tame, and family to care for.
I want to hear Malachi’s laugh and Theo’s teasing. I want to taste Nash’s darkness and warm Hart’s stone-cold exterior. My sister also needs floof protection from cruel princes, and me to make sure her life is full and colorful. Otherwise, she will get lost in those stuffy books. Her light is meant for the realm, not the archives.
My fingers drum on the bed as I push away the future under the sea. If I refuse to accept it, then it cannot happen. That is a realm law.
I jump up from the bed and marvel at the way the water supports my body. I have had fewer accidents down here than ever before. But it’s still worth the trade.
“I need to do something while we wait for our super-secret powerful mirror man to return. But Frank and Linda said I shouldn’t leave the house at night, as it’s apparently hazardous to do so.”
“Have you explored your house yet?”
“Not really.”
“Then let’s begin. How much trouble can you get into inside a house?”
“Depends on the house.”
The genie follows me around the bedroom. The ruby eye of the dragon glints, as if observing us. I point at it. “No judgment from a magic sword that drowns unsuspecting maidens and lurks around, waiting for a worthy knight. Your entire existence is at the whim of a knight being selfish enough to kill a woman to claim his destiny.”
“Why are you speaking to the sword?”
“Because it’s judgy.”
“It talks back?”
“No, it’s too snooty for that. It just gives me the unimpressed stare of steel as it watches me blunder from one disaster to another. It is little more than a cursed ornament.”
“I wonder how many there are,” Genie muses.
“Swords?”
“Excaliburs.”
I blink. Perhaps there are more Ladies of the Lake? That means I could pass off the project to someone who wasn’t a knight virgin—maybe to an old lady at the end of her annuses. I’ll keep that approach in mind for when I can speak with Gwyneth and my knights.
“This room is boring.” Genie shoots through an internal wall. “Holy Idol balls,” he shouts. “What have you done, Daphne?” His face pops back through the wall, his eyes wide. “You already killed someone?”
“I did no such thing. I’m not responsible for anyone’s demise.”
Faint amusement drifts off the sword this time.
“Shush, you.”
The genie rolls his eyes. “When you’re done communicating with inanimate objects, you should probably check out the dead elderly guy in this room.”
