Page 291 of Kingdoms of Night

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

"Thank you for helping me set up the Great Room,” said Gwin.

“Thank you for allowing me to be useful, my lady.” Enid aimed her finger at a bare corner of the high-ceilinged room. A garland braid of leaves wove its way up the wall. At the beams, the leaves burst into flowers in every hue of the rainbow.

The women and children gathered about placing arrangements on tables and setting chairs all gasped and gawked. Gazes turned to Enid in awe and delight. A few of those present even applauded.

“I told you to call me Gwin,” Gwin said as she took Enid’s arm and gave it a squeeze.

Enid surprised herself by not shrinking from Gwin’s touch. Neither did she flinch when Gwin smiled at her, flashing white teeth. These had once been threats in her past life. In her new life, Enid took it for the sign that it was; the hand Gwin offered was an extension of friendship, the smile a reinforcement that Enid belonged here.

"That was a lot faster than picking the plants and bringing them inside," said Gwin as she placed a decorative setting at the head table.

The table wasn’t the fabled Round Table, where all the knights sat as they conducted their chivalric business of protecting witches and safeguarding magical things in the human world. Geraint had shown her inside the room, which was great indeed. Though Enid still couldn’t wrap her head around there not being a true leader.

The Arthur strolled into the center of the room, his presence commanding the attention of everyone gathered. He inclined his head, giving everyone a half smile. There was a collection of swords in his massive arms. Enid watched as the tower of a man bent and placed each sword, one by one, in a circular formation on the ground. A hum came from the swords, much like the feeling she got when she was near Geraint’s sword.

“I don't know where Morgan's gotten to,” Gwin said, stealing Enid’s attention away from the array of weapons. “This is technically supposed to be her job as the Lady of the Castle."

"I thought you were the Lady of the Castle."

"I was for years when it was thought that my husband was dead and Arthur remained unmarried. But now that I'm married to my true love and Arthur is happily saddled with my sister, Morgan is technically the L.O.C. We agreed to co-share the responsibility. But I'm sure she's up in her lab splicing atoms or such."

Enid knew what an atom was. Fae had been playing with the building blocks of life before humans were a twinkle in the Goddess’ eyes. Though splicing an atom sounded like the work of the Goddess, which Enid was sure would get them into trouble.

Maybe?

The humans had carved a hole into the sky, and the Goddess had done nothing. The only real punishment by the Creator had been a slap on the back of their hand.

Enid’s gaze went back to the swords Arthur had completed lying on the ground. The magical energy coming off them fairly vibrated through the room, making the blades impossible to ignore. Though it looked like no one else paid the weapons any mind.

"Are those...?" Enid asked and then stopped herself.

"Swords of Camelot? Yes." Gwin flicked a finger. One of the swords that had been slightly misaligned scooted into place in perfect formation with the others.

"You're just going to leave them out… unattended?" Enid asked.

"Well, of course. There are no thieves in Camelot. I mean, we have our problems. But no one would steal a sword. No one could. The sword chooses who will wield it. Many swords have not chosen in decades. A few, not in centuries."

"How will the squires know if the sword chooses them? I thought they had to be encased in stone.”

Gwin laughed. It was a tinkling affair, like ice in a glass of wine. “That’s just a story. The first Arthur didn’t actually pull it from stone. In this state, they're just a regular piece of metal. The magic will only awaken for the right person."

"So even if a squire were to pick up a sword, it might not work as a weapon."

"It would still work as a weapon and slice a limb. Just not magically. So be careful."

Enid hadn't even realized she'd been reaching for one of the swords. She wasn't sure if it was the sword calling to her or the rotten part of her that was of her father's roots that compelled her. She yanked her hand behind her back before she could find out.

The other thing that shocked her, the thing that surprised her most, was that Gwin hadn’t looked at her twice when she’d thought to touch the sword. Gwin didn’t appear to suspect that Enid would be one of those rare problems in Camelot.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" Gwin said and headed to the far corner of the room where two young ones were pointing fingers at one another. The finger pointing wasn’t the issue. It was the magical sparks coming out of their fingers that was proving problematic.

That left Enid on the opposite corner of the great room, alone with the swords.

There were so many lying there. More swords than the squires who were set to be honored tonight. Gwin had said that many of the blades had not chosen a knight in years, decades. If the swords were so picky that they didn’t always choose the best of mankind, she knew there was no way one would choose her father.

And if it didn’t choose him… then the magic wouldn't work for him. Gyges would be left with a dud, but she would be free of him having fulfilled her verbal contract. Not only that, her father would have to hold up his end of the bargain and tell her how to give her husband a child.

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