Page 60 of The White Knight

“Hmmmm, okay, I’m not sure what that means, and now I really don’t know why Arthur has asked me to meet him there. Anyway, can you tell me where it is?”

Elaine nods. “Of course. There’s actually an entrance in your garden. I will show you. It is not very noticeable.”

We walk briskly back to my little hidden garden where I’ve come to seek peace and tranquility from the tournament guests. It would make sense there is a secret door to a hidden catacomb as there is another hidden door which leads up to the royal apartments in the keep. It is how I got Lance inside without anyone seeing us after he returned from the dead.

Elaine brushes a bit of ivy from the stone wall. It looks like an ordinary wall except for a small circular stone that seems out of place. With her left hand holding the ivy back, Elaine pushes the stone button with her right. A door appears almost out of thin air and opens inward to a tunnel as black as night.

“How the hell am I supposed to see in there?”

“Wish you had Excalibur’s light?” Elaine chuckles again. “There should be a torch somewhere.” She walks into the blackness, blindly touching the walls on either side. Before disappearing, she seems to find what she is looking for and returns to the light with a torch and a piece of iron. “Here, hold this. I will light it for you.”

Holding the torch with both hands, I stare at Elaine. “How the hell do you know about this place and I don’t? This is my bloody garden. And if this door is here, why didn’t Arthur just come and tell me himself?”

“There are other entrances. The king likely took a different door inside if he means to speak to you in private.”

“This is so fucking weird and creepy.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Elaine asks, giggling again.

“Why are you laughing?” I squint at her with my question.

“It is strange that the king would need to ask his queen to go down there. It is known to be a place where couples go to do things without being seen.”

“Again, how do you know of its existence?” My eyes are barely open through my glare.

A blush dances across her face. I wonder if Lance ever brought women down there. Is that where he kissed Elaine? Ugh, no, don’t even go there. Taking her hand in mine, I return my voice to serious mode. “If I’m not back in an hour, will you send Gawain or Gaheris to come find me?”

“I will come find you myself, Guin.”

It is rare that Elaine uses my name, let alone my nickname. I have been begging her to call me Guin for ages, but like Lance, she was hard to break from her formal upbringing. We smile at each other before I turn away into the dark tunnel of doom.

Chapter 37

Lancelot

A small light froma torch appears at the end of the cavernous room. I had begun to believe that I misread Arthur’s message. It was an unusual request that he would ask me to meet him down here. I have not been to the catacombs for some time. Since before Guin came into my life. There were many times I had wanted to bring her here. A million years ago, before she was my wife. Every time her hand brushed mine or her eyes landed on my gaze. God, how much I wanted to ravish her, and I knew she wanted me to.

“Lance?” Guin’s soft voice brings me back to the dank, dark catacombs, as if my thoughts pulled her here.

“Guin? What are you doing down here?”

“I should ask you the same thing,” she says, one hand on her hip as the other holds a torch.

“Arthur asked to speak with me down here.”

“Same.” Her arm relaxes. “Is that a strange request? Cause this feels weird.”

I laugh and reach to take the torch from her. She relinquishes her grip on the handle, and I place it in a holder on the wall.“It is strange. But Arthur might just need to meet us somewhere private.”

“We have our own private apartments.”

“Yes, but not as private as down here.” I scoop Guin into my arms, feeling the small swell of her stomach against my hip.

“Lance!” She whisper shouts. “What if someone sees?”

“Who? Everyone down here is dead.” I plant a soft kiss on her lips, feeling her tongue escape into my mouth. “You are ravenous.”

Guin’s body stiffens. “Did you hear that?”

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