Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

MORDRED

City of Solomon, Realm of Shadow Falls

Mordred had paced up and down inside the realm gate temple for the better part of an hour. He'd wanted to go to Washington with Nate and everyone else; he'd wanted to confront his brother and see him brought down a few dozen pegs. Unfortunately, as he'd been told more times than he cared to remember, he was a king now and had to do king-like things. He'd assumed being king meant he could have other people do those things. He'd been wrong.

"We're trying to work," Leonardo said to Mordred.

"I know," Mordred said with a smile as he made another lap of the temple. "I'm working too."

"At pissing me off," Leonardo said with a sigh.

"See, we all have jobs," Mordred told him.

"Can you do something with him?" Leonardo asked Hel.

"Mordred," Hel said. "Leonardo thinks you're being a pain in the ass."

"Leonardo is correct," Mordred said. "But I'm thinking."

"About what?" Hel asked, stepping in front of Mordred to stop him from completing another lap of the temple.

"We need to go to Olympus to persuade them to join our fight; they've been sitting on the fence for too long. We need their help," Mordred said. "And we know that Arthur is in Atlantis, but no one knows how to get to Atlantis because it was destroyed."

"Correct," Leonardo shouted.

"I thought you were working," Mordred replied and caught the smile on the face of Antonio as Leonardo turned back to the realm gate, muttering.

"Anyway," Mordred continued as Loki and Irkalla entered the temple. "There's no point in my trying to get the Olympians on our side if I can't give them an enemy to fight. So how do we find a way into Atlantis?"

"Hopefully Gawain gives us that information," Loki said.

"Yes, because Gawain is well known for being forthcoming," Hel replied.

"Nanshe," Irkalla said. "She's in Olympus. I think she might be able to help."

Mordred grimaced. "The last time I saw her, I remember trying to kill her," he said. "You know, old evil me, not me me."

"Yeah, we got it," Irkalla said. "Nanshe's not exactly a grudge holder, but she is unbelievably smart."

"Can't we use Yggdrasil?" Mordred asked. "No one has mentioned it."

"It's still repairing itself from when we kicked Avalon out of Helheim," Hel said. "We can't get it to fix on a location. It might decide to dump us anywhere in a hundred thousand different realms."

"Yeah, let's not do that," Mordred said.

"Done," Leonardo declared, standing back and clapping his hands together. "This will take you to Olympus."

"Why'd it take so long?" Loki asked.

"Because Olympus shut off all external entrances to their gate," Antonio said. "We had to work around their security. A bit like what the dwarves did in Nidavellir. It should be fine now."

"How happy are they going to be that we broke their security?" Hel asked.

"Not very," Irkalla said.

"You sound a lot more cheerful about that than you should," Mordred pointed out.

"We done yet?" Medusa asked as she entered the realm gate temple. Like everyone else, she wore black leather armor with runes inscribed across it. Medusa's snakes slithered over her shoulders.

"They excited?" Mordred asked, pointing to them.

"They don't like realm gates," Medusa said.

"Is this it?" Loki asked.

"Small team—we're in and out," Mordred said. "No matter what everyone else says, I don't need a bunch of guards to go everywhere with me."

"Good luck," Antonio said and operated the realm gate. Everyone stepped through a moment later.

"Well, this is nice," Mordred said as they entered the realm gate temple in Olympus. It was, in Mordred's mind, exactly how a realm gate in a place where Zeus lived would look. The temple had marble columns that stretched from floor to ceiling, fifty feet above. The ceiling had a mural on it depicting the fall of the Titans by Zeus and his allies. All the Olympians were semiclothed and looked like they spent more time in the gym than Mordred felt was probably healthy.

"That looks like an advert for a porn site," Loki said.

Medusa, Hel, and Irkalla all turned to look at him.

"What?" Loki asked. "It does."

"He's got a point," Mordred said. "It's quite exceptionally porny."

"I don't think that's a word," Medusa said.

"I don't think it matters too much," Irkalla replied. "‘Porny' is actually pretty accurate. I'm a little surprised it doesn't depict Zeus holding a foot-long penis and waving it around like a sword."

"Hers was way worse than mine," Loki said, mostly to himself.

"If Zeus commissioned this, it would be three feet long and shooting lightning bolts," Medusa said with the expression of someone who had met Zeus and had found him much less entertaining in person.

Mordred noticed that Hel ignored the playful conversation and was looking around. "This place is much neater than I expected," she said. "There's no dust. No evidence of wear on the mural or those marble columns. It's like a time capsule."

"How's that possible?" Irkalla asked.

Hel shrugged. "Someone is taking care of this place."

Mordred placed a hand on Excalibur and drew it from the sheath on his back. "Let's see what's happening here." He activated the power within the sword, and the rear of the temple shimmered and changed, revealing a doorway, which opened.

There were thirty guards, all dressed in red-and-silver armor that reminded Mordred of the legionnaires of Rome, and all of them pointed spears at the team. The squad of soldiers parted slightly, allowing a woman through. She was just over five feet tall, with olive skin and dark hair that was extravagantly plaited. She wore a light-blue toga and sandals, which Mordred admitted to himself were probably more beneficial than his dark leather armor, considering how hot it was.

"Nanshe," Irkalla said, running over to her old friend and hugging her.

"Sorry we broke your security," Mordred said.

"Mordred," Nanshe said, walking over and taking his hands in hers. "It has been a long time. I hear you're a new man."

"Same man, just not evil," Mordred said with a smile. "Can your soldiers stop pointing spears at us?"

Nanshe smiled, waving a hand without looking back. The soldiers lowered their weapons and turned to march away toward a nearby guard post.

"Why are you here?" Nanshe asked.

Mordred sighed. "It's a really long story," he said. "But basically, I'm now the king of the rebellion and rightful king of Avalon, and we need your help to get into Atlantis and stop Arthur from murdering everyone."

"You're a king?" Nanshe asked, looking around at everyone.

"He has Excalibur and everything," Medusa said.

Nanshe's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, Your Majesty, welcome to Olympus."

"Please don't call me that," Mordred pleaded.

Nanshe took the team up a winding road that led to the top of a large hill. The closer they got, the more noise could be heard, and as they reached the summit, they could see the sprawling city before them. To the right was the temple of the Olympians, the gleaming white stone building towering over everything around it.

"You've seen the temple before, yes?" Nanshe asked.

Everyone nodded. "Not for a long time," Mordred whispered. "A really long time."

"That's the palace," Nanshe said, pointing to the equally large building at the far end of the city. "The council chambers are beside it."

The red-and-white stone buildings littered the city, and Mordred wondered how no one on the team had been able to hear so many people on their way toward the city. He looked around as they walked down the steps into the city and saw more and more runes carved into the stone.

"You stop the sound from traveling," he said, more to himself.

"Yes, we wanted this to be a place of safety," Nanshe said. "You've shown how easy it is to break our security."

"Good," Loki said. "Get better security."

Nanshe chuckled. "I will tell those in charge."

"I thought you were in charge," Irkalla said.

"I am the head of the council," Nanshe said. "But everything must be voted on. Even helping you."

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" Hel asked with a sigh.

Nanshe stopped walking and turned to the group. "What do you actually want, Mordred? Troops? People to die for your cause?"

"Aid," Mordred said quickly.

"And that means?" Nanshe asked.

"We need two things," Mordred said. "We need to find out how to get into Atlantis, and we need the help of anyone who will stand beside us. I cannot say that those who do will live, but I'd rather die with a sword in my hand, doing the right thing, than hiding away to wait and be conquered."

No one said anything for several seconds.

"That passion in your voice," Nanshe said. "Use it. You will be talking to a hundred senators. You need only sway fifty of them."

"Not fifty-one?" Medusa asked.

"You have my vote already," Nanshe told them with a shrug. "Olympus is neutral, something I'm pretty sure you'll all agree that Zeus would have hated, but here we are. I do not want war, I do not want to send people to die, but war is coming. We either help when we can, or we die when Avalon and Arthur decide we're too dangerous to leave alive. Not much of an option in my mind."

"Thank you," Mordred said.

"Don't," Nanshe said, continuing on. "I remember the old Mordred, the one who terrorized, who terrified. I remember the darkness in your eyes. A lot of the senators will remember him too. They will not see a difference. They will see a killer with a sword of power. Excalibur. A weapon used to make you more dangerous. This will not be an easy sell."

"I'm the king," Mordred said with a sigh. "If I wanted an easy life, I'd have run away the first time someone told me to find Excalibur."

Nanshe placed a hand on Mordred's shoulder. "I always knew you were capable of greatness. I'm glad to see you in a better place. I'm sorry I couldn't help you get there."

"No one could have," Mordred told her.

As they continued on, Hel took Mordred's hand in hers and squeezed slightly. "That went better than you thought."

Mordred nodded. "Let's not celebrate just yet," he said softly.

The palace was awash with guards, who watched the newcomers suspiciously, and as they traveled through to the council chambers that were attached to the side, Mordred wondered whether bringing war to even more people was ever going to be enough to stop Arthur. He mentally told himself to shut up—he had to be prepared for whatever came next, and second-guessing himself wasn't going to get the job done.

While the palace was all marble and white brick, the council chamber was considerably humbler. It was made of white-and-red brick—much like most of the city buildings—but there were no large marble statues of various gods, nor ornate murals depicting battles. It was just plain and functional.

The council building was a giant circle, with various rooms for the workers around a central circular room. There was a large white stone dais with ten rows of benches encircling it, tiered to look down on the dais.

"We have a few minutes before the senate resumes for the day," Nanshe said. "You came at a good time. An hour later, and you would have walked in on a session already in progress. I will go and send word that this afternoon is mandatory attendance. You will have a full house, Mordred."

Nanshe left the team alone in the curia, and Mordred spotted the guards standing at the entrance to the palace. Nanshe might trust them, but that didn't mean the guards wouldn't be cautious.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Loki asked.

"I have a good idea," Mordred said.

"Do you, really?" Hel asked.

"Mostly, yeah," Mordred said.

Senators started to come into the curia and took their seats on the benches as Hel kissed Mordred for luck, and the rest of his team went to sit. Nanshe entered and stood beside Mordred as the shocked whispers of the senate flooded the room, echoing. Mordred looked around. Among the shocked and curious faces were a lot of angry ones.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the senate," Nanshe said, her voice turning the din of whispers into silence. "This is King Mordred. He has come from Shadow Falls to suggest an alliance. He will be heard. He will be afforded the respect that we would give anyone who comes to us for help. As leader of this senate, I suggest that anyone who takes umbrage with this leave now, and their vote on the matter will not be counted."

No one moved.

"Excellent," Nanshe said. "Mordred, state your case."

Mordred took a deep breath. "Judging from the expressions in the room, all of you know who I was. Not am. Was. I was a murderer, a thief, a monster. I admit this. For a century I was imprisoned by my own father, Merlin, in a blood elf dungeon. My mind was torn asunder every day for a hundred years. Avalon tried to use me as a weapon, until I finally escaped. I can offer no excuses for what I did during that time. I can only assure you that I am not that creature anymore. My mind and spirit were healed, and it took a long time to be able to look at myself in the mirror and not see the monster I once was."

Mordred let out a slight sigh before he continued. "I do not expect those of you I hurt to forgive or forget. But I beg that you do the right thing. Not for me but for all of us. Arthur and Avalon are coming. They will destroy everyone Arthur considers a threat, and if you are not allied or a slave state to him, then you are a threat."

Mordred looked around the room. Most were listening intently, but more than a few radiated hate and anger. Mordred placed a hand on the hilt of Excalibur and drew it from the scabbard on his back. "This is Excalibur," he said. "The sword can only be claimed by the rightful king of Avalon. That is me. The sword makes me stronger; this is true. When activated, it removes the magic of those in proximity to me—also true. But it ensures that no lies can be uttered when someone activates the sword's power." Mordred turned to Nanshe. "Can you hold this for me?"

Nanshe took Excalibur. "How do I activate it?" she asked.

"Just think about it," Mordred said. "The sword will do the rest."

A wave of power swept over Mordred, and he knew that his magic was gone, but he also saw Nanshe's shock as her own power vanished.

"Ask me what you will," Mordred shouted. "I will tell the truth."

"How do we know it really works?" a man asked.

"It works," Nanshe said. "Do you doubt me?"

The man shook his head.

"Why are you really here?" a woman shouted out almost immediately after.

"I seek your help," Mordred said. "I seek a way to find Atlantis, and I need people who will stand beside me and fight Arthur. That is all."

The woman nodded, the answer apparently satisfactory.

"And what will you do once the war is over?" a man asked, getting to his feet. "What will you do with Olympus?"

"Nothing," Mordred said. "I have no wish to conquer. I have no wish to become your king. Anyone who wants to live under my rule is welcome, but I will not force people. I am not a tyrant."

"Do you remember those you murdered?" a woman shouted.

"The innocence you took?" a man shouted after her. Both got to their feet, expressions of hate on their faces.

"I remember them all," Mordred whispered. "I remember every single horrific thing I've ever done; I remember it and I live with it. I use that to ensure that no one else ever goes through what I went through. I was forced to murder people I loved, forced to hurt those who cared for me. My father, my brother—they turned me into a creature of pure darkness."

"You killed my son," the woman shouted with tears in her eyes. "His name was Christopher. He died by your hand in 1211. He tried to stop you from murdering an Avalon soldier in a small town outside Rome. You'd already killed twelve that day."

"Red hair," Mordred said, feeling the lump in his throat at the pain he'd caused. "He had long red hair."

The woman nodded.

"He was brave," Mordred said quietly. "He fought bravely. And I wish that it had been me that died instead of him. I am sorry. I am trying to make amends every day. Help me make sure Arthur doesn't do this to hundreds of thousands of other innocent people. Help me stop it. Please."

The woman wiped away a tear and sat down without another word.

"Are you going to do that to each of us who lost something because of the monster you became?" the man shouted.

"If I need to," Mordred said. "Without a combined effort, we will not win. Whatever I need to do to show that Arthur must be stopped, that our alliance is the only hope, I will do it. If that means begging forgiveness from every person who I caused pain to, then I'll do it."

"That won't be necessary," Nanshe said. "We don't really have time for it, anyway, but the thought is appreciated."

Nanshe gave Excalibur back to Mordred and stepped back off the dais.

"People tell me that I need to be statesmanlike," Mordred said. "But I'm not a statesman. I'm a warrior, someone who is trying to live up to the ideals that this sword is meant to represent. Some days I think I do a good job, and some days I think I'll never reach that ideal. But I try. And I'm here because I want to make sure we all have a chance to stand up as one and say to Arthur, no. To tell him that we will not become his minions; we will not be subjugated; we will not be afraid. We will do what's right, and we will make sure that future generations look back on these moments and see something good happen in a sea of darkness. I hope you help us; I really do. Thank you for your time."

Mordred stepped off the dais as Hel and the rest of his team moved over to him, and with Nanshe, they left the amphitheater.

"That was good," Nanshe said. "I think you swayed a few."

"Let's just hope it's enough," Mordred said. "I'm pretty sure the others in Washington are already having a less-than-ideal time; I'd quite like to give them some good news."