The Indigo King - James A. Owen [76]
Hugo stopped, his hand halfway to his mouth with a ladle of stew. “Do—do you think that’s my fault?”
“You’re an anomaly, that’s for sure,” Hank said, blowing on his stew. “Careful, it’s hot. No, I think something else has happened. But fixing it is out of our hands. It’s on someone else now to try to sort out what’s gone on. Not only for our sakes …
“… but for the sake of the future itself.”
After they ate dinner and cleared away the bowls and kettle, Hank went to sleep immediately, citing the heavy armor he’d worn all day as the reason he was so weary. For his part, Hugo could not close his eyes for a second. He was too intrigued by the turn of events at the tournament and the new arrival.
Leaving the engineer sleeping soundly in the tent, Hugo crept out and began to make his way back to the center of the happenings. He thought he’d take a closer look at Mordred if he could, his curiosity overcoming his fear, but he was sidetracked by a light he saw emanating from the tent of the Lawgiver.
He made his way around to the rear, where he’d seen Merlin exiting earlier, and peered through the flap.
Inside, Taliesin was standing to one side, while Merlin paced in front of him, obviously agitated.
“I did not know he would come at your summoning, Taliesin,” Merlin said brusquely. “I was unprepared.”
“You were forgetful,” the Lawgiver shot back. “Your Binding exiled him, until he was summoned again—by blood.”
“That was a slip of the tongue, wasn’t it?” Merlin admitted. “It never occurred to me, cousin, that another of our family might ever call out into the world for a Gathering.”
“We’re not family, Myrddyn,” Taliesin said with undisguised rancor. “We shared a father in Odysseus, but our mothers were different, and we’ve never been family.”
“If we were not, my dear cousin,” Merlin said with deliberate emphasis as he touched the older man on the forehead, “then my Binding on you would never have worked, and we would not be here today.”
“Do you believe this will be the way you will get back, Merlin? Back to the Archipelago? By deceiving your way to possession of Caliburn?”
“I believe it’s the way I will conquer the Archipelago. And everything else.”
“It won’t work. You saw the lineage in the book yourself. Only a follower of the Grail—”
“I was a Caretaker of the Grail!” Merlin said, clenching his fists.
“Only a follower of the true Grail,” Taliesin continued, “will be able to use the sword. Madoc and his own bloodline—”
“When he betrayed the trust of the Grail, Madoc lost the Mandate of Heaven,” Merlin interrupted. “It doesn’t matter what his bloodline spawned.”
“To betray the Grail is to betray Holy Blood,” said Taliesin. “How have you done differently?”
“I’ve betrayed nothing,” said Merlin. “Madoc chose his own path, as did you.”
“And my sister?” Taliesin said softly. “Did Nimue deserve her fate?”
“She could have ruled with me. She chose otherwise.”
“Do you think her blood on your hands will let you touch the sword?”
“Our blood is different!” Merlin shouted. “We know our lineage, Taliesin. We know we’re descended of gods. The children of the Grail are not.”
“Not of our gods, no,” Taliesin replied calmly, “but this is a time of new gods, Merlin. I’ve accepted that, and so should you. You know how his divinity was proven—and you know how this tournament will be won.”
Merlin whirled away from Taliesin and was quiet for a long while. “By willing choice and sacrifice,” he said at length. “That’s Old Magic. It has nothing to do with new gods, Taliesin.”
“We will see, Merlin.”
“Yes, we shall.”
Hugo would have listened longer, but a group of knights were sauntering by, and he worried about being caught and accused of spying. He worried even more that he might have to reveal what he’d heard.
He was about to leave, but his eyes widened in surprise as he noticed something just below him in Taliesin’s tent. He snaked a hand inside the flap and snatched it. Then, running as quickly as he could, Hugo hurried back to the