Twilight Siege

4

His eyes scrutinized me, no doubt attempting to detect whether there was more behind my words. Almost begrudgingly, he gave a single nod. “If we do this, I won’t be easy on you.” “I would expect nothing less. I’ve got plans this weekend, but if it’s all right with you, I’d like to start Monday evening. I can come by after work each day.” He arched an eyebrow before giving me another nod. “You are a man of few words, aren’t you? Why speak when you can nod or grunt?” “I’m a man of efficiency, Rebecca, so don’t waste my time. How do you know Ronan was involved in the Red Cap attack?” “I overheard him talking. He knows that his secret is out, and I doubt he’ll come back to the club.” “If what you’re saying is true, we’ll find him.” His gritted teeth and the harsh planes of his face told me finding Ronan was not the only thing they would do. “You don’t believe me?” “It’s not a matter of believing you, I would give any of my brothers the chance to explain themselves before I condemned them. I may not have liked him, but he’s been in the Hunt for far too long to not give him that much.” “Just don’t give him too much leeway, I promise you on everything I hold dear in life that Ronan is a threat. I wasn’t mistaken and I’m certainly not making it up.” “There’s no leeway or forgiveness to a man who has betrayed the Hunt. He will die, and it will not be a quick death.” “Normally I wouldn’t like the idea of brutality, but he deserves whatever punishment you guys dish out. I can’t believe he’s been hiding in plain sight this whole time.” Lochlan finally uncrossed his arms and walked slowly to his chair behind the desk. “One of the many perks of being a part of the Hunt is we make our own rules, and first and foremost is loyalty. Once a man breaks that trust, there will be nowhere he can hide that we won’t find him.” I followed his lead and sat back down now that our conversation had turned less antagonistic. “Have you made any progress locating the Sword of Light?” The Fae relic was a powerful tool and we needed it to help rule out who was trustworthy and to help us against our still unknown adversary. The sword was one and the same as the legendary Excalibur and I was anxious for us to locate the weapon. “It’s taken us some time to follow the trail of possession. The last known location, as far as we have been able to track, was in the hands of humans in Scotland. That was centuries ago and we haven’t found any evidence of its whereabouts after that point.” “Do you think Ronan could be working alone? Maybe he is the mastermind behind it all and once we catch him the portals will no longer be an issue.” “No, he’s not nearly powerful or knowledgeable enough to be circumventing the queen’s wards.” “I figured that was too much to hope for.” “There is someone powerful orchestrating this rebellion and who knows how many others involved. I can’t imagine that we would have more than one traitor in our ranks, but I never would have believed Ronan would betray us either.” He was quiet for a moment, his eyes far off, before turning back to me and continuing. “He was an asshole who did some terrible things in his past, but I hadn’t thought him capable of treachery. What you’re accusing him of, if true, it’s unforgivable. The Hunt was formed when Arthur and Guin had a falling out—he was one of her generals essentially. When he left the Court, his most loyal soldiers went with him and they formed a brotherhood that became the Wild Hunt. We have no lands to call our own, so our freedom and commitment to one another is what we hold most sacred.” “King Arthur formed the Hunt? As in King Arthur and his knights of the round table?” “He wasn’t a king exactly, but he was the first Erlking and the men who were loyal to him could be called knights. They were the most elite soldiers in the Seelie kingdom and each new member of the Hunt must be equally well trained to be accepted into our ranks.” “That’s fascinating. I’m still amazed at how Fae history evolved into human legends. Was Arthur and Guin’s falling out over Lancelot like in the stories?” “Yes, however, the Fae don’t marry like humans do—such long lifespans make it impossible to expect permanent fidelity. Lancelot was Arthur’s right hand and his relationship with Guin was a betrayal to his leader. The Fae may not have marital relationships the same as humans, but that doesn’t mean we don’t value monogamy. Arthur not only walked away from Guin, he walked away from the Seelie but his loyal soldiers would not allow him to go alone. Since then, the brotherhood has existed as an autonomous unit and not once has there been disloyalty from within, until now.” “While you’re in an unusually talkative mood, what else can you tell me about the sword?” He lifted a brow in my direction before answering my question. “The Sword of Light is an ancient Fae relic from the Faery city of Findias. It’s had many names, originally named Caledfwlch, but it has also been called Fragarach, or ‘The Answerer,’ although more commonly it’s been known as Caliburn, or Excalibur.” “I’m seriously going to have to do some research into the Arthurian Legends. Of course the great Fae Sword of Light and Excalibur are one in the same. Tell me about it, I can’t remember from when I read the stories back in school.” “It’s a magnificent weapon, or so the legends say. I’ve never seen it myself but supposedly the blade was artfully constructed of iron and the hilt made of wood so that the barer wouldn’t have to touch the iron. As you know, iron dampens magic and that’s one of the great wonders of the sword. It’s infused with a form of light magic able to exist despite the presence of iron. It was forged by the earliest Fae and the knowledge of whatever method was used to create the weapon has been long lost.” “What about the sword’s abilities?” “Our best source of information outside of legends would be Merlin, if you can find him. He had access to the sword, although it was created long before even his time.” As he finished, the door to his office opened and I rose in surprise at who entered. Standing before me was the man who had helped me through the Faery queen’s dinner. He was no longer wearing the Fae formal attire and was now the spitting image of a GQ model wearing well-tailored slacks with a pale blue dress shirt perfectly cut to his fit torso. His wavy light brown hair was sculpted backward and when his warm coppery eyes landed on me, I could feel my cheeks heat.