I’d have to lure the ones deep in the mud up to the surface first and then blast them. Though I’d hate to give such disgusting creatures even one drop of my blood. Maybe I could use the Dauphine’s power against them? Theoretically they each carried her blood. Her magic. Then they fed on Leonie, draining her power along with her blood for the Dauphine. Even Thierry’s blood—Isador blood—would be in them. Tainted, but possibly usable.
Gwen slipped, crying out softly, though Lancelot quickly steadied her. He strode along beside her, mud up to his knees. As long as it didn’t get much deeper, he didn’t appear to be struggling too much. A low muttered curse behind us made me turn my head.
Merlin brought up the rear, grumbling to himself, holding his purple robes up around his waist.
“I told you not to wear your ceremonial robes,” Lancelot said over his shoulder.
“Fuck you,” Merlin retorted. “Wizards do not wear the clothes of mortals.”
“You could shift too,” Gwen said. “Your creature would have no difficulties in the mud and darkness.”
He grunted sourly and shook his head. “I’d rather not unless we’re attacked.”
I wasn’t sure what beast he shifted to, but given my kraken and ushi-oni, it must be rather unique if he was reluctant to reveal it.
Picking up on my curiosity, Gwen said in our bond, :He would need to feed, the same as your flesh eater, and there may not be enough of our enemies to go around to slake all their hunger. He doesn’t want to be forced to leave my side in search of suitable prey.:
:Ah, that makes sense. Sorry, it’s none of my business anyway.:
:Don’t be ridiculous, Your Majesty.:Her mental voice rang withpower, reminding me of the oath she’d sworn the day I made her my sibling in Isador Tower.:What’s mine is yours.:
:I will never use your Blood like that. Not without your full consent and knowledge.:
:I know. That’s why I was willing to swear to you. But you should know his power in case you need to call upon us one day. He serves House Camelot, but I live to serveyou.:
The mud thickened as we neared the cistern. Lancelot dragged himself up onto the wooden planks balanced precariously on stacks of stones and cement blocks that slowly sank into the mud, forcing a slower pace so he could test each plank’s stability beneath his weight. Merlin joined him behind their queen, guarding her back, but hanging behind a plank length to not strain the rotten wood.
Okeanos glided around them, easily moving through the mud so we could join Xin and Vore. My wolf sat on his haunches on the edge of a cement-topped stone ledge, with my ushi-oni perched beside him like a giant spider. Thick, rough-hewn posts that looked like entire tree trunks braced the house overhead, balanced on footings of flat stones stacked together in the mud. Areas had been fortified with concrete over the years, but the stacked stones and beams looked original to the house. A careless toss of Vore’s head, and his horns would bring the whole house down on top of us.
The four beams each formed a cornerstone of the concrete ledge. Massive chains wrapped around each beam and disappeared into the mud. Thierry flew up to perch on an ancient, rusted nail poking out of one of the thick floor joists, overlooking the pit.
Snippets of his memory flickered through me. The first blow of the Dauphine’s power had knocked him senseless. He lay here on the ledge, unable to move or defend himself. The alpha forced a live leech into his mouth, tainted with his queen’s blood. Then they rolled him into the pit like a dead body.
My stomach heaved but I didn’t flinch away from his memory. He’d endured it all so he could reach me in New York City.
:She has a chain around her throat,:Thierry whispered.:Both ankles. One wrist. The other, she’s missing her hand. Her tongue is gone and her mouth was sewn shut.:
Steeling myself, I nodded and dipped my focus into the mud. Just a brief touch and I jerked my awareness back out, gasping. “Goddess.”
Okeanos curled around me, and Xin snarled, his hackles rising. Vore lifted two long, shiny legs, brandishing them like swords, looking for a threat. Lancelot held his broadsword in both hands, making a slow, careful turn, scanning for danger. Merlin pressed against Gwen, shielding her back.
Shuddering, I fought the urge to wipe my hands on my pants. I hadn’t physically touched the muck but I still felt unclean. “Sorry, it’s the leeches. The pit is absolutely full of them. I’d rather eliminate as many of them as possible before exposing any of us to their touch.”
“They were the Dauphine’s creatures, correct?” Merlin waited for my nod. “Then forgive me, Your Majesty, but they’re yours, now. They’ll do your bidding as they would do hers.”
I clenched my jaws, swallowing the bile bubbling up my throat.
“It’s not easy to touch something so tainted and evil,” Gwen said gently, as much for me as explaining my reluctance to her Blood.
Vore clicked two of his legs together in a metallic rattle.:You touch us.:
“You’re not tainted and evil,” I retorted harsher than I would like. “I can certainly will them to die but the power they carry will be released into me then. It’s… foul stuff. Worse than anything I’ve ever seen or felt before.”
So foul that I didn’t know if I would ever feel clean again after wielding such darkness. Even for Leonie’s rescue.
But then I heard myself. Listened to my own thoughts. And it shamed me.
Because Thierry had no choice but to suffer for years in the pit with the Dauphine’s power growing into massive eels inside him. Tainting him. Rotting him from the inside out.
