Chapter Twenty-One Arthur

"A rthur, something's wrong," Zeklan says and as soon as I make eye contact with him, the dread oozes up to engulf me.

"Mabel," we both say at the same time.

"What's going on?" Brugo asks and I see Queen Siorah watching us intently behind the orc.

"I'm not sure yet," Zeklan replies, and I let him continue before I destroy them all with what I can already feel. "I keep getting these feelings of Mabel trying to reach out to me, then… nothing. It's so strange."

Brugo turns to me as Fenn sidles up to Zeklan, taking his hand and leaning against the sea monster, offering all the comfort he can. And, boy, aren't they all going to need that comfort soon enough.

"Tell me what you know," Brugo hisses through his tense jaw. The orc is not going to be gentle with me, I can already tell so I hurry the words out as quickly as possible.

"She's in trouble," I say. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I can feel her fear also right before everything goes blank, so I imagine Reeve has something to do with this."

"We need to go," Fenn says, and he moves towards the doorway, taking Zeklan with him. Brugo is also on the move, but I stand still, already having seen the look on Siorah's face.

"Halt!" she calls and the guards by the door are barring the way. Brugo doesn't care, though, and is dragging one of them away from the door. Another leans in and pushes the orc back with his shield, using every last bit of his strength to throw Brugo off balance. And he succeeds–but only for a moment. They shouldn't underestimate just how fiercely loyal Brugo is to Mabel–or the others for that matter and I watch as they all take their chances against the guards, pushing and punching and throwing their weight around. Fenn manages to shoot through, below the bodies of the taller men, scooting through them and heaving at the heavy door even as I hear the heavy thud of a door brace being pushed into place, securing the door and allowing no one to enter or leave from this side now.

It doesn't stop the monsters, though. They continue to battle the guards that remain inside, and I want to help them, but I know someone needs to reason with Siorah. And another part of me, a small section that is buried deep, is also hoping for Mabel to fight her own battles, to somehow be forced into killing Reeve so that all of this is over. So that I no longer have to fight against four parts of myself.

Mabel needs to be freed of this terrible curse, I tell myself. She might not realize it just now. Or not even soon after if she manages to kill Reeve and obliterate us all. But, in the long run, she will work out that none of this should have ever happened. I should be dead in my grave now and the other monsters nothing more than the old thoughts of someone long dead.

"You may as well stop now," Siorah says, her voice loud and commanding. "My guards will never let you out of here, not alive anyway. "

Even with a loud voice it's hard to hear over the sound of the clashing between the monsters and the guards. I want to tell them to stop too but I know they don't quite trust me yet, not entirely anyway.

"Stop!" Siorah roars out as she bangs her first on the table in front of her. Finally, there is a lull in the noise, and everyone turns to look at Siorah.

"You have to let us go," says Brugo, his voice imploring. "You can't keep us here forever."

"I will not have you compromise my safety," Siorah says. Her eyes are flashing, her fists clenched, and her jaw tight as she stares up at the orc. She may be shorter than Brugo, but she's certainly not scared of him. "I agreed you could return but not at my peril."

"Something is wrong with Mabel," Zeklan says. "We need to help her."

"King Gilberd is somewhere close by. I will not have just anyone wandering my halls on such a day as this. I have limited guards as it is, they do not need to be keeping a watchful eye on those that wander through the castle. They have a job to do, and I won't risk their lives because of this."

"Perhaps you should let them go," I finally say.

My voice is quiet, but the queen hears me. Her eyes flash as she quickly glances my way, but it is the only acknowledgement I get. Instead, she turns back to her guards and nods. They return to their positions, but I don't hear the bar being removed outside the door. We are still prisoners here.

"There is no point keeping them here against their will. You didn't want them to return here to start with," I continue, my voice louder this time as I move closer to the queen.

"Stop," she hisses at me as I come eye to eye across the huge table. "Come no further."

"If you think keeping them here will help you defeat the king, should he arrive here, you are sorely mistaken," I continue. "I can sense Mabel too and she is in trouble."

There is a gasp from Zeklan. "What more do you know?" he asks.

Turning to face the sea creature, I address him directly, but I can see the others out of the corner of my vision as I speak. "She is with Reeve. Every time I try to make contact with her, though, Reeve manages to mask it, so I don't think Mabel even knows I am there in her mind. She feels so despondent."

"That bastard, I'll kill him," Brugo utters under his breath.

"What else do you know?" Fenn asks, stepping away from Zeklan in order to redirect the conversation away from Brugo's threat and more in the direction of knowledge. He may be constantly horny, but the satyr is smart in a situation like this. Time is of the essence, and we need to decide what to do now rather than vowing to avenge Mabel. Threats are not action.

"I think Reeve is alone," I continue. "Or, at least, I haven't heard him."

"Where are they?" Siorah says, butting in.

"I can't tell," I reply. "But I don't think they're in the castle anymore."

"Why isn't Gilberd with them?" Siorah demands.

"I have no idea. Perhaps this was Reeve's plan all along and we only assumed the king was behind the attack yesterday. Or perhaps Reeve has gone rogue and deserted the king."

"I thought the king was the one who controlled Mabel," Siorah interrupts.

"I know I said that in the past," I reply. "But it looks like it was Reeve all along now. He controlled the king."

"So, if we can locate Reeve, we might be able to control the king via him?" She glances at Magnus, and I see the truth of the matter as his chains jangle. She wants Reeve to remove the king's hold on the monster hunter, so she can find out if Magnus really wants her, or if it is just some fucked up effect of their curse. It's then that I realize everything she has done since the arrival of Mabel has been to that end.

I want to reply honestly. I feel my mouth opening to do so but the words stop in my throat. I know Reeve doesn't control the king quite like that. I know that and yet I lie. Because I have an agenda too. "Possibly."

There is silence in the room, but it is by no means quiet in here. The air is thick with indecision and expectation. The monsters know I am lying and when I glance at Magnus, I think he suspects it too. However, he gives me a slight nod. It is barely perceivable, but it is enough to let me know he will protect the queen regardless of what happens next. I hope my lie doesn't put Siorah at risk. She may have held me against my will for many years here, but she is still a better person than King Gilberd. She will be a better ruler and that is important to me. There is no way I want Gilberd to take ownership of Kiros Somu.

Siorah takes a deep breath as she steps back and glances at Magnus. "I will make sure you're safe. You know that," he whispers quietly against her ear. She closes her eyes and squares her shoulders before turning her attention back to the rest of us.

"I'm not sure I am doing the right thing here," she addresses us. "I will allow you to leave. However, if anything untoward happens because of this, I will hunt you all down and kill the lot of you."

"And I will lead the charge," Magnus adds. His voice is quiet, but I can hear the sincerity there in the emotional gruffness of his tone.

I nod my response and the others follow suit as the guards step away from the door and a light, melodic knock is given to let the others know we are safe, but the door needs to be opened.

The air is thick, the fog cloying, as we make our way through the muck. As soon as we were free of the castle, I reached out to Mabel's mind, trying to locate her and feeling the barrier of Reeve's curse more than anything else.

But that was enough.

Using the small opportunity, I manage to seek out the general location of where Reeve had taken Mabel and that's how we find ourselves trying to quietly move through a marshy bog. Mud sucks at our feet and spiky reeds and grasses jab at us, slicing through hands should we falter and stumble. But none of us care. All that matters is that we are closing in on Mabel, that it might be finally time for Reeve to draw his last breath.

I steal a glance around the group of monsters beside me, not sure yet if they truly understand what might happen soon. Will we all just disappear? Honestly, I hope so. My life has been a misery since this terrible curse came down upon us. Mabel will survive, though, going on to live her life and that hurts my heart in an indescribable way. It physically pains me to draw breath when I think about it too closely. But it is for the best. None of us are supposed to be alive anymore. Mabel included. However, she is a monster hunter now and so long as she lives, I will be happy. Her happiness is all I ever truly wanted anyway.

Zeklan freezes and we all still beside him. The fog is still thick, so I can't see a thing further than a foot or two in front of me.

Then, I hear it. A faint scream, far off into the distance. Then the solid thump that can only be flesh against flesh.