Page 12 of To Love a Dark Lord

Nothing had been that easy so far. And something told her that this wouldn’t be either.

FOUR

Mordred was lost within himself. Wandering the hallways of his mind, the endless twisting nether of his memories. He could not decide which was worse—revisiting unwanted memories or the nothingness that filled the space in between.

He could not say how much time had passed.

A day? A century? A single breath? An eon?

It did not matter.

For he was still here.

And here, with his power echoing back at himself endlessly, it did not matter. It was destroying him. Chipping away at his mind—his soul.

There would be nothing left of him when he emerged. He mourned for Gwendolyn. He wished her to find happiness with another. For what would come out of the Crystal after he served his time would be a broken thing. A husk.

Let them all forget about me. Let me rot in this place. Let me unravel my mind and spend eternity in this place. Gwendolyn. Oh, Gwendolyn. How he loved her—how he would cling to the thought of her. The memory of her touch, of her presence, of her laughter. Of her kindness, of her humor. Of the way she smiled at him. The taste of her lips on his.

This, too, would be taken from him someday, like all the rest of his mind. Ripped apart in the storm of the Crystal. But he hoped it would go last. So that he could hold onto her, shelter in her, and remember her long after he had forgotten even his own self.

When a hand gently rested on his shoulder, he was certain it was another memory. He had willed her into being.

“Mordred?”

Her voice. He dared not turn around.

“Are you all right? That…that’s a stupid question, I’m sorry. Of course you’re not. Where are we?” She paused. “Another stupid question.” Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, and he felt the warmth of her cheek press against his back.

That was not a memory. This had never happened before. Turning, he could not believe what he saw. Yes—saw—he was corporeal. Standing in the middle of an emptiness that stretched out in all directions. The ground was discernible only by the slight shine of its surface, like obsidian or polished steel.

But none of it mattered. There, in front of him, was Gwendolyn. Hair like the colors of fire, her wings unfurled but relaxed behind her. Those eyes that flickered like embers—his Gwendolyn.

“H—how?” He reached up, hesitantly, almost afraid that his hand would pass straight through her, before placing his palm to her cheek. He had no iron gauntlets here. And he was fine without them—he preferred to feel her skin against his.

“What’s the good in being a witch if I can’t use it for shit?” She smiled up at him, but it was clear she was fighting through tears. “Oh, God—Mordred—are?—”

“No. Do not ask again.” He folded her into his embrace, clutching her close as if a gust of wind might pull her away. “Tell me this is not a figment of my madness.”

“I’m here. I’m really here.” She wrapped her arms around him again and squeezed him as tightly as she could. “And I’m coming to save you.”

Pulling his head back, he met her gaze. “You know what that will mean.”

“Total war. I don’t—I don’t care. I don’t want to be here without you. I don’t want—I can’t—” She looked around the emptiness. “Shit, Mordred, is this where you’re stuck?”

“No. It is far worse than this.” He smirked faintly. “You seem to have grounded my mind enough that I can take my own shape. It is…blissfully quiet, with you here.”

“Quiet?”

“My mind is so very loud.” He knew he was not speaking sense. He could tell it by the concerned look on her face. “The memories batter at me like hail upon a windowpane. It will only be so long before the window shatters and the cold takes me.” Taking her hands in his, he lifted them to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Leave me here. Forget about me. If you release me?—”

She cut him off. “I don’t give a shit, Mordred. Let them come for us. The villagers—they’re raising an army. They’re on my side. I am going to save you.”

He could not help but smile.

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s that look for?”

“I was wondering when it would happen. And it is glorious to see.”

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