In Which an Unwanted Road Trip Begins
The firebird saved them. It surrounded the group in a blazing ring of tiny flames that moved when they moved and melted the snow before it could touch them. It was, as Zoe had pointed out, the least it could do, considering it was most likely responsible for landing them in Avalon in the first place.
“How sure are we that we’re in Avalon, exactly, Zo?” Ken asked. “We could be in Antarctica for all we know.”
“Yes, Ken. We’re obviously in Antarctica, with all these trees and those mountains and that castle in the distance and this cottage over here.” The cottage in question had clearly seen better days. Its roof had fallen in at some time in the past, and its walls lay broken and derelict, dusted with frost. What few items remained, bits of candy too hard to eat, frozen moldy bread, unidentifiable debris, were scattered about, half-consumed by wild animals. Metal pots and pans lay dented and rusted in unsorted piles.
“It’s made of gingerbread,” Zoe muttered, rubbing at her cold nose. She prodded at one of the walls with a finger. “Or what used to be gingerbread, because I doubt it’s edible now. The sugar must have helped preserve parts of it over the years.”
“My fathers tell me there used to be a lot of gingerbread houses in Avalon,” Loki said. “Mostly used as outposts, in case someone’s lost in the woods and hungry.”
“More likely they all packed up and left for some other places with dentists,” Ken added, scrutinizing the broken mirror. “I think I’ve figured out the major flaw with these sanctuary setups. If the Cassim assigned to guard it was suicidal and traitorous to begin with, binding them to the place hoping to curb their behavior ain’t gonna help much. Also, I’d like to go on record and say there’s absolutely no way we’re going back the way we came out.”
“You think, Ken?” Zoe asked sarcastically. “We’ve got no phone reception, no cell towers.”
“And no Wi-Fi,” Ken moaned. “How am I gonna live without Wi-Fi?”
“What would have happened,” Alex asked Loki, the prince’s legs still visibly wobbling from their recent brush with death. “if the mirror was destroyed while we were all inside?”
“I don’t think you’d want to know.”
“I’ve heard stories,” Ken admitted, wincing, “about people never coming out at all, if it wasn’t done right. And those were the lucky ones. Sometimes people that get out aren’t as right in the head as when they went in. Or they come out missing a few important body parts. Remind me to thank Dex for not killing us the next time I see him.”
“I’m assuming the mirror wasn’t sufficiently powered up enough to take us all the way to London, so Dex had to send us to the nearest available spot. That, or the firebird took matters into its own hands. It’s more than capable of bypassing whatever barrier’s in place, preventing the rest of our group from entering Avalon.” Zoe sniffed at what remained of the gingerbread wall and coughed. “It’s definitely not edible.”
“What happened to the Cassim?” West asked, stray brown locks hanging down over one eye.
“Gone.” Ken frowned. “As is the sanctuary, probably. I don’t understand. Why would he let them in? He’s bound to the sanctuary. If it’s destroyed, he knows he’s toast.”
Zoe sighed. “Like I said, most Cassims aren’t sane to begin with.”
“Cassims are people convicted of murder using magic,” Cole said unexpectedly. “In Avalon, magic is a responsibility. Killing an innocent is the worst thing you can do with it.”
“How do you know that?” Zoe demanded.
Cole’s gaze met hers, slid away. “We’ve dealt with them before.”
Tala said nothing. She’d spent most of their discussion sitting back, staring at the broken mirror, waiting. A thousand reflections of herself stared back.
There was no way her father and the Katipuneros hadn’t escaped the sanctuary. Lola Urduja had never lost a fight. Surely she would have found a way to overpower the ogre and shades. It didn’t matter that the mirror was in a hundred thousand pieces. Any minute now, they were going to find a way to come through…
“Tala.” Loki slid down beside her, balancing themselves easily on the soles of their feet. Their voice was gentle. “We’ll have to go soon.”
But Tala had no intentions of moving. “They’re coming,” she said stubbornly. “Give them five more minutes. They’ll find a way. I know it.”
Loki paused. “I don’t think so, Tala. Not through this one. I’m sorry.”
Tala’s fists dug into the snow beneath her, ignoring the cold against her palms. “You don’t know Dad,” she whispered fiercely. “You think he survived all those years, only to lose to an ogre? If he really is that damned Scourge, you’d think one ogre and a handful of shades are going to stop him?”
“True. But there are other ways to escape besides the looking glass. Via car like they’d originally decided on. Another rabbit hole. Maybe the Cheshire’s found some new transport. But what I am very sure of is that once a looking glass is destroyed on either end, there is absolutely no way to get back in.”
Tala paused. “They did escape, right?”
“I believe so.” Loki paused. “As you know now, your father is…resourceful. So are the Katipuneros. They’d never go down this easily.”
Tala nodded, rising to her feet. Loki had a quiet way of instilling belief, and for now she was willing to accept their hypothesis. Her titos and titas were gonna be all right. Lola Urduja was gonna be all right. Her father was gonna be all right. Even if he was the…
She swallowed, unable to finish the thought. Her father, Ryker…so many parts of her life were lies.
“Well, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Zoe said.
“We’ve never been in Kansas,” Loki said.
“I’m quoting the Wizard of Oz movie, Loki. The old historical one, with Judy Garland—look, never mind. I don’t suppose any of you have an available compass on hand?”
“Well, we don’t even know if this is actually Avalon,” Ken protested.
“No,” Alex said quietly. “This is Avalon.”
“How can you know for sure?”
“I know.” Alex stretched his hand up into the air and closed his eyes, as if he could sample that knowledge with a touch of the breeze.
“I mean, more along the lines of whether you recognize certain landmarks or if you’ve been here in this specific place before or—”
“I know my own kingdom, Ken.” Alex sounded irritated.
“His Highness is right. This is Avalon.” West pointed at something in the distance. “See that? That big spirally thing? With the towers and the green flag and the windows?”
“You mean the castle?”
“That one. It’s my uncle’s. Maybe we can reach it before dark.”
“West,” Ken said, skeptical, “that castle’s too far away for you to know if it belongs to your uncle. And you have a terrible sense of direction. I remember you getting us lost inside a manor once.”
“Manors are huge places.”
“It was your own house!”
West looked hurt. “It’s a really big house. And it is my uncle’s castle. See that flag? He’s the only one with that color. I’ve been there before. He lives with my great-aunt Elspen. She’s one of the Hundred Seers.”
“I don’t believe in seers,” Ken scoffed.
“Tell that to my great-aunt Elspen. She told my dad he’d get a golden tongue one day, and he did.”
“So he’s a good orator?” Alex asked.
“I wouldn’t know,” West said. “A piece of gold falls out every time he opens his mouth, so he doesn’t talk much.”
“I can believe he’s got an uncle in that castle,” Loki said. “West literally has hundreds of uncles. If he isn’t somehow related to every clan with a longstanding lineage in Avalon, he comes pretty close.”
“That’s one huge family tree,” Alex murmured. “I’m not even sure my family can beat that.”
“Mum says it’s more like a forest,” West said proudly.
“The sooner we find food and shelter, the better,” Zoe decided. “The others will be sending out search parties, but they won’t know where to begin looking. Maybe there’s a way to bring down the barrier from inside Avalon so they can find us.”
“Avalon’s a big place,” Cole said quietly.
“I’m sure we’ll find a way. For now, let’s make for the castle. Wandering around these forests after dark is a definite con on my list.”
“We’re gonna need to hide it once we reach the castle.” Ken pointed at the firebird. “It’s going to raise a lot of questions I don’t care to answer.”
“Then it’s settled!” West turned and marched off, in the wrong direction. Ken sighed.
“Loki, you better take the lead.”
Tala was glad she had worn comfortable sneakers. It was a long walk, and in the withered forest there were no defined roads. Every step filled the air with the crunching of snow underfoot. Icicles hung down every tree, and the ground was unexpectedly wet in some places, forcing them to slip and slide along. There were no other animals that she could see, like the frost that had overtaken Avalon had robbed the kingdom of all life. It had been night back in Invierno, which meant it was probably sometime in the afternoon here, but very little of the sun filtered through the overhead branches. Dark clouds rolled above them, a blizzard threatening at every moment, held at bay only by the firebird’s warmth and the fire barrier it had surrounded them with. With every minute, the woods grew darker, what little light there was gradually ebbing.
Every now and then, Loki would pause to inspect sections of tree bark, or pick up a stick and stare at it intently for a minute before moving down a new path, with Cole bringing up the rear. The others said nothing, trusting their lead, though this all was strange and new to Tala. When not flying, the firebird perched on Alex’s shoulder, rubbing its head against his neck from time to time.
“They’re all right, aren’t they?” she asked Zoe again, needing more validation. Despite her initial hope about what had happened to her father and the Katipuneros, the snow was doing its best to dampen her optimism. Her only consolation was that General Luna and her mother were all right. “Lola Urduja and the others? And Dad?”
“I’m almost positive,” Zoe assured her. “Something must have disrupted the spell when our turn came, not just the firebird.” She frowned. “Odd too. Dexter’s usually careful about these things, but the looking glass hadn’t been used in years. There might have been some defects that none of us spotted.” Despite the cold, she seemed more at home with their surroundings than Tala, who jumped at every unexpected noise.
There was very little conversation at first. Eventually Ken, a natural-born talker at heart, started a steady stream of chatter as they made their way through the frozen woods.
“My dad’s a lord from Altai. But you can trace his ancestors all the way back to the Meiji period, fighting alongside Musashi back in Edo when he carried the Avalon sword. My mum’s from England, and she raises horses; they met at a county fair. Classic love story. Avalon and England aren’t exactly enemies, but they’re not friends either. Some people think it’s just as bad as an outlander marriage. Bugger them, my folks always said. In any case, Dad moved to England, and they spent their honeymoon there—turns out Dad’s a huge Anglophile; hanging gardens and London and Buckingham Palace.”
“Altai?” Tala asked, remembering the map on the wall of the sanctuary.
“In Avalon. Dad’s several-times-grandpa found refuge in Altai after this thing called the sakoku came into effect back in Japan.”
“Closed-door policy,” Zoe murmured. “Tokugawa shogunate, I think? They wanted to restrict Europe’s influence.”
“And also to drive out their undesirables,” Ken said with a shrug. “Including magic-users, since they considered it anti-Shinto and anti-Buddhist, or something. Avalon welcomed my ancestors in. Avalon welcomes refugees the world over.”
“I’ve never been to Japan or England,” West said. “My family moved to Prague when the ice settled here.”
“Well, your family’s got the right kind of name recognition, and all those Eddings curses make you practically a celebrity, so you don’t have to hide for being Avalonian. Unlike the rest of us.”
“I know,” West said sadly.
“Wouldn’t a family curse be a bad thing?” Tala asked.
“All us Eddings come from real old Avalonian stock,” West said. “Real…what’s that English word when your family’s got a good reputation and everyone else knows it?”
“Distinguished?” Zoe asked. “Celebrated?”
“Vērō, both of those. Mother comes from old blood too. She’s a Flax. Old families got curses running in their veins—all the years fighting and adventuring and being put under spells—it’s…what’s that other English word where everyone’s aware of your status?”
“Prestigious?”
“That one. We have a prestigious line. Father’s got a golden tongue, and Mother cries pearls. And two of my older sisters got their curses early. They receive a lot of marriage offers.”
“I would have assumed the opposite,” Tala said.
“Well, you can’t boast of marrying into old blood if your daughter-in-law doesn’t turn into a swan at the stroke of midnight at least once in your lifetime.”
“This is,” Tala said, “very weird for me.”
“No one’s tried to court you because of your Makiling curse?”
“I don’t think it works the same way. Does that mean turning into animals is your curse, West?”
From behind them, Alex snorted. “You can tell what his curse is by looking at him.”
West blinked, and Zoe’s mouth dropped open. “That was uncalled for, Alex,” Tala hissed.
Alex looked up, as if realizing what he’d just said. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“That’s true, though,” West said thoughtfully. “We’re an ugly lot. I look like my great-aunt Gertrude, and she got it from my great-great-grandfather, Theodore the Handsome.”
“Theodore…the Handsome?” Zoe asked.
“Mother said they call him that for the irony. I don’t understand, though. What’s iron got to do with it?”
“He might be cursed,” Ken said with a shrug. “But they’re the richest because of it. No curses in my family, if you don’t count my mother’s ability to be heard for miles when she’s mad.”
“Same,” Zoe said. “My parents divorced a few years ago, so I usually split my time between New York with my dad, and France with my mother. Her family had land in Avalon near Maidenkeep, but escaped to France after the frost. Not much else to talk about.”
Tala shivered. “And we’re heading for Maidenkeep?”
“Yup.” Ken cast a sidelong glance at the prince, but Alex was frowning at some point in the distance, paying them no attention. “Vasilisa the Beautiful’s original castle. All sorts of heroes ruled there for a while, like Ye Xian—the one with the glass slipper, right?—and Briar-Rose, and Snow White, and Jack Giantkiller.”
His voice hardened. “My family lost friends there. Good people. The Snow Queen froze the castle, supposedly with them still inside. We all want a crack at taking back Maidenkeep. The Cheshire promised we would. That’s partly why we’re dragging you into this mess.” He flashed Tala a quick, sheepish smile. “We’re hoping you and His Highness’s firebird can help even the odds.”
“That might take a while,” Tala said, wincing as a loose branch scraped against her cheek. “I don’t have as much control of my own curse yet to even any kind of odds.”
“It’s a lot to take in, I warrant. But you’ll do fine. You were pretty good against those ogres.”
“And for someone whose world paradigm just went through a very radical shift,” Zoe added, “you’re taking all this in better stride than others might have.”
Tala’s sneaker sank into a deceptively shallow-looking pile of snow, and she flinched at the cold soaking through her sock. “How long have you guys known the truth about my dad?”
The others hesitated. “From the very start,” Loki admitted quietly. “We thought you knew, at first.”
Tala rubbed at her eyes. “Aren’t you angry? Why would you let someone who’d done the things he’s done join your cause? Especially when he was responsible for most of the things you fought against?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I think we’ve got enough time to explain exactly why it’s complicated.”
A longer pause. “He was a murderer,” Zoe acknowledged. “A killer. But he also saved the king’s life more times than anyone can count. Not just Alex’s father, his father before that, and the one before that too. Want to know why we were selected specifically for this mission?”
Tala nodded her head yes, curious despite herself.
“It was because your dad, well, he saved some of our families too. He got Ken’s great-grandfather out of an ambush in Nanjing, when they were surrounded by artillery on all sides. The Japanese would have tortured him as a traitor, since Avalon was fighting alongside China during that war. My Jewish great-grandmother was only one of thousands he’d helped smuggle out of France at the height of the Vichy regime.”
“He hauled both my fathers out of Avalon before the frost came,” Loki supplied.
“He took a bullet for my mother,” West chimed in.
“We all owe your dad something,” Zoe concluded. “The Cheshire knew anyone going into this needed strong ties to your father, able to look past old resentments. He’d made the decision to pull him, you, and your mother out of Invierno together with Alex, and he didn’t want someone with revenge on his mind leaving him to ICE or another Beiran agent. He didn’t have any proper identification that wasn’t forged, you see, since he’d been the Scourge for centuries and the Snow Queen wasn’t exactly strict on paperwork.”
It was a nice gesture of good faith, but they’d wound up leaving her father behind all the same. Tala was too emotionally exhausted to say that out loud, though, or argue the point further. “How old is my father?”
The others traded glances, looking to see who would speak up first. Oddly enough, it was West who took the bait. The boy sniffed the air, didn’t like what he was smelling, and covered his nose. “Dad said he was young for hundreds of years. He was a teenager who was knighted, and the Snow Queen and him took a shine to each other somewhere along the way. But then he turned on her after the first World War, but it wasn’t till much later, after he met your mum and the frost came, that he started becoming older. He said it might’ve been punishment, or that he’s no longer piggybacking off the Snow Queen’s magic, so he’s aging worse than everyone else.”
Her father was literally an immortal. Or he’d been one. Tala wanted to cry, and laugh, and break something.
“He saved my life too,” Alex said quietly.
Tala stared at him. “You never told me.”
“He didn’t want me to tell you. I think the idea you might somehow learn of his past frightened him more than anything else, even though he knew that was inevitable. I think he was trying to figure out the right way to tell you when…” he made some vague gestures in the air, “…all this happened. My parents trusted him with their lives. I know that it isn’t easy to forgive him for everything else he’s done, but I think that’s a talk both of you should be having once we find the others again. Your father, Tala… He never once asked us for forgiveness. He’s not well-liked in Avalon, but Father’s influence and your mother’s persistence were the only reasons he was tolerated.”
Tala looked up at the darkening sky. She didn’t want a war criminal for a father. But he was the only father she’d ever had. “I don’t know what to think right now.”
“I think your misgivings are completely understandable,” Zoe said carefully. “But I also think this is something we should put aside until we’ve reached safer ground. The firebird’s doing a good job of keeping us warm, but I’m not sure it can do that indefinitely, especially with the cold picking up. Let’s get ourselves to the castle first, then figure things out.”
“You’ve got us around, anyway, and we’ll keep you from trouble,” Ken promised.
Loki, Zoe, and West glanced at each other, then started laughing, the tension partly broken.
“Really, Ken?” Zoe giggled. “You, keep someone else out of trouble? I seem to recall someone being hauled up to the provost’s office on a near-daily basis at charm school. You had to clean out the chamber pots for slipping something into Connor Westfield’s drink.”
“Charm school?”
“The Cerridwen School for Thaumaturgy, but we call it charm school. Sort of an inside joke. That’s where we all met. Iceland’s neutral and has no extradition treaty with the Royal States if it involves Avalon, so they can’t get at us there.”
“Took three hours for Westfield’s nose to return to normal,” Loki agreed. “And then there was replacing half the practice swords in the courtyard with enchanted snakes. I thought they’d make you clean out the stables until you were ninety.”
“Charm school,” Tala repeated, feeling a little jealous. In some other lifetime, she could have been a part of that too.
“I’m hurt by all this lack of trust.” Ken sighed, clutching at his chest like he’d been stabbed. “First of all, Westfield deserved it. Second, if you two were keeping an eye out like you were supposed to”—he shot Loki and West a mock glare—“I would never have been caught.”
Loki rolled their eyes. “Says the guy who literally broke a library today.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
A pause. “I know I have a pretty good explanation for that, once I figure out what it is.”
Zoe groaned. “‘I’m sure they won’t be too much trouble,’ the Cheshire said. ‘I’m certain you are more than capable of handling three people for a couple of days,’ he said…”
“What about him?” Tala asked, craning her head to look back at Cole. For his part, the other boy was quiet, content to trail some distance behind them, ostensibly to keep watch over their rear, though it was obvious his relationship with the others was not that of camaraderie.
“We don’t know him that well,” Ken admitted. “Although his family has a reputation, so to speak. They’ve got property in Avalon and around the mountains bordering Beira too. Some ancestors of theirs were notorious for cheating people out of their lands. Or killing them to get it, then using the bodies for some kind of necromancer magic. Nasty stuff. I mean, look at that scythe of his.”
“Nottingham?” Light dawned. “Wait. You’re not seriously telling me his ancestor was the Sheriff of Nottingham, are you? The one who fought Robin Hood?”
“Robin of Locksley. Like I said, the Nottinghams and Locksleys have been going at it for centuries…Zoe could tell you more about it.”
“Tristan Locksley is Zoe’s fiancé,” West reminded her.
“For the last time,” Zoe’s said, exasperated. “I am not anyone’s fiancée. Doesn’t anyone understand what ‘dating’ means anymore?”
“Nope,” the two boys chorused in gleeful unison. Zoe sighed.
“What about you?” Tala asked Loki.
“I don’t have as interesting a history as the rest of you.”
“That’s not true,” West protested. “Loki grew up in this amazing winter outlander place of magic. It’s called Canada.”
Zoe coughed loudly, swallowing another laugh.
“I was adopted, so I’m not technically Avalonian, though my fathers are,” Loki said, in their usual quiet manner. “My dad, Anthony, is Chinese though, like me.”
“Fathers? Oh. Oh.”
Loki smiled. “We used to camp out almost everywhere in Canada that could be explored, that’s not too cold. That’s why these forests feel familiar to me, even with the frost.”
“And I’m glad you’re here to lead the way, for one thing,” Zoe said, squinting up into the horizon. “Because without you, I doubt we would have made it all the way to the castle, we’d probably be lost. And unless I’m wrong, there’s a particularly angry-looking storm cloud heading our way. Let’s hope West’s right that it’s his uncle and not a hostile enemy waiting for us.”
Tala looked up, gulped. The castle was far more imposing and forbidding up close than it had been from a distance, looming before her like the shadow of a giant beast. It sat atop a grassy knoll and was made of rocky black granite. Centuries had weathered down the walls, leaving pockmarked wedges in the stone. A small flag flapped in the wind atop its highest turret.
“A plover, flying through a field of dragon green,” West explained. “Mother said no one else but my uncle uses that kind of dragon-green color on their coat of arms.”
“I’m just boggled by the fact you know the word for plover but not for castle,” Zoe murmured.
“Who goes there?” a voice called out in the semidarkness, alarmed. From the parapets Tala could make out the faint glow of torches above, and then there were silhouettes peering suspiciously down at them, heavy crossbows at the ready. The firebird flattened itself against Alex’s shoulder, trying to stay as unobtrusive as possible.
“Uncle Hiram?” West called out. “It’s me! West Eddings! Merriwick’s son!”
“Stay where you are,” the voice commanded. Feet shuffled as one of the shadows disappeared from view while the others remained watchful. A few minutes later, the footsteps returned. “West?” a new voice called down to them. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re lost, Uncle. We were hoping to stay the night.”
“Of course. Merriwick’s boy and his friends are always welcomed here.”
But when the castle gates opened, Tala saw a dozen or so fully armed knights marching out. Actual knights, with armor and helms and swords drawn and pointed at them and everything. There was a quick intake of breath from Zoe, and a gasp from Alex.
“Bloody Oz,” Ken muttered, the fingers of his right arm twitching. “I thought you were on good terms with your uncle.”
“I am.” West looked baffled.
“I’m not sure I want to know how he treats his enemies, then.”
“They’re literally dressed as knights.” Avalon had only been iced in the last dozen or so years, so finding its inhabitants dressed in feudal gear was alarming to Tala.
“My uncle follows the old ways,” West whispered. “Families like mine inherit bespelled items that were created hundreds of years ago, but most people don’t know how to reproduce the magic anymore. That’s why we use older weapons and armor instead of making newer spelltech that’s not as strong.”
“What West means,” Ken said, “is that this whole kingdom can easily be every Renaissance Faire enthusiast’s wet dream.”
A man strode into view, wearing a dark gray doublet and black breeches. His face was lined and careworn, making him look older, though he walked with a quickness that contradicted his apparent age.
“That’s my uncle,” West whispered, sounding startled. “The Count of Tintagel. But he doesn’t look it.”
“Explain.”
“He hasn’t aged since I last saw him.”
“That was a dozen years ago, and you were only four. Maybe you don’t remember him?”
“This will only take a second,” the man promised, turning to a torch-wielding knight. “Shine the light in their eyes.”
“Stay still,” Zoe suggested softly. “We’re not in a position to entertain misunderstandings.”
The knight stepped forward, taking West by the chin and thrusting the torch closer, peering intently at his eyes. One by one, the others were scrutinized in turn. Tala flinched as the fire drew closer.
“If you are who you say, Nephew, then His Highness and his firebird should be among you.” The knight reached for Alex and jumped back with a muttered oath as the firebird lifted its head, hissed once, and flared, surrounding them in an unexpected circle of bright light. Immediately, two dozen swords shifted directions his way.
“So much for subterfuge,” Ken muttered, reaching for his sword.
“Wait, Ken!” Zoe said sharply.
“At ease, gentlemen,” the man commanded at the same time. He drew closer, unafraid. The firebird studied him, then made a show of yawning.
Chuckling, the man stepped back. “Firebirds despise the Snow Queen as much as we do, and none would travel with those touched by her Deathless. My apologies, young West. Times are hard, and the Cold Lady’s strength grows, even cut off as we are. The Dame predicted that you would arrive six months ago. But she also claimed there would be a Makiling among you, so I can understand her error. If I may ask, milords, how long has it been since the frost felled Avalon?”
“A dozen years, my lord,” Ken admitted. “I’m sorry we couldn’t have come sooner.”
The count fell back, his face falling. Even the knights, previously so well-disciplined, all stirred uneasily, glancing at one another with expressions ranging from concern to horror. “As always, my mother was right,” the count said heavily. “I never doubted her, and yet I’d hoped…but no, the evidence is all before us. West, I am glad you still remember me, though you must have been just a toddler then. And you must be Margrethe Inoue’s son, Kensington.”
It was Ken’s turn to look amazed.
“I stood as godfather to Margrethe; she was a distant cousin of my dear wife’s. I see her face in yours. A considerable number of your mother’s thoroughbreds have made their homes in my stables.”
“You’re a man of fine taste, Sir Tintagel,” Ken said, grinning.
“And the young man over there must be the Nottingham boy. You have your grandfather’s eyes and general bearing.” Cole shifted uneasily.
“And His Royal Highness.” The man bowed low, his tone switching to awe. The other knights stood to attention, raising the hilts of their swords in greeting. “You honor my house with your presence, Your Highness. I am sorry we could not protect His Majesty and the queen.”
“It sounds like you were well prepared for our arrival, milord,” Alex noted. “Despite the six months’ delay.”
“I’m surprised she could make a close enough prediction given the—the Makilings call it an agimat, do they not? That you are here at all is something to celebrate. Even now, the cold air reeks of new wars. You may very well be the first people to enter Avalon after the frost, and though I rejoice in the knowledge, I also fear what that might mean.” Without warning, the man dropped down to one knee before Alex. Behind him, the knights followed suit, their armors clattering.
“The House of Tintagel greets the Firekeeper, the true Heir of Avalon,” the man intoned, the words sounding old and archaic. “From winter’s darkness, till dawn of light, do man and dragons battle night. Our swords are yours.”
“Our swords are yours.” The words echoed from knight to knight. The light from the torches flickered against Alex’s face, his expression revealing little. The firebird inclined its head formally, acknowledging the strange pledge.
“Thank you, milord,” the prince said formally. “It’s a long way to Maidenkeep, and we’ll be needing all the help you can provide us.” He turned toward some of the knights, many of whom didn’t bother to hide their gawking.
“It’s a miracle,” one of them muttered, then launched into an unfamiliar language Tala presumed was Avalonian, while gesticulating at Alex. “Creverun duodeci annorum,” he said, “per singol annos.”
Murmurs of assent swept through the group, falling silent at a sharp command from the count.
“He grew twelve years in a single one,” West whispered, translating for them.
“My apologies, Your Highness. You were only a young boy of five when we saw you last. You take strongly after Her Highness Marya, the queen.”
“I’m sorry?” Alex asked. “It’s only been a year for you?”
“So none of you outside the barrier were aware of this? The frost was not the only spell to hit Avalon, Your Highness. My mother said that for every month we spent here, a full year would have passed for the rest of the world. When you thought us lost for twelve long years, we had endured for only one.”