Legend of the Stone Read online

  “Only because it is almost dark; I do not wish to lurk here then,” she replies.

  “Since when are you afraid of the night?”

  “Something changed today. I felt a surge of ancient magic awaken. When did you start carrying a sword in your hand and where is your horse?” She eyes the weapon in my hand.

  “Today? Please take us home, it has been a crazy day and I will have to tell mother and father the events as well,” I remind her.

  “As you wish, handsome men and sister, please wrap your arms around me,” she commands.

  I wrap my arms around her as if I’m hugging her, and Grey and Beck do the same on either side, enveloping us both in their arms. My heart rate speeds up with their closeness, and Merina sends me a wink. As I start to roll my eyes again, we are home. We are barely standing outside our house for but a moment, when my mother and father crash out of the door.

  My mother, Gabrielle, grabs me from the tangle of arms, pulling me into her embrace. “Thank goodness, I felt the surge in magic and was afraid for your safety.”

  She pushes me back a few paces and eyes me, looking over every inch of me. As she glimpses the sword I carry, her eyes grow wide with fear.

  “Tell me you didn’t, please daughter. That can not be the Sword of Ages you now hold. What have you done?”

  Grey steps up beside me. He bows his head to my mother before he speaks, “M’lady, I think it would be best to take this conversation inside. You never know how many ears these woods have.”

  My father has his arm around Merina, supporting her as he helps her inside. Magically she is the strongest, but I know she’s never attempted to fade more than two people at once. Her bringing us all here at once has taken a toll on her, not just on her magic but on her body. I make a note to check on her once I’m done speaking with our parents.

  I follow Gabrielle through the door before she turns and watches as the knights approach the threshold. Grey is the first to step in. Gabrielle holds up a hand, stopping him before he takes another step, also blocking Beck from entering.

  “I’m sorry, but I can not allow you any further until I know where your loyalties lie,” she tells him.

  “No problem, m’lady. I am Grey, descendant of Galahad, one of the original Knights of the Roundtable and friend to Arthur Pendragon. My family has and will always be loyal to the rightful Pendragon heir. A tattoo of the family crest has been passed down from father to son for over a century. Each of us has hidden in plain sight of the king, biding our time until the true heir was revealed to us,” he tells us both.

  My mouth is gaping open. I glance to Gabrielle and she is nodding her head.

  “If what you say is true, where is this tattoo?” she inquires.

  “M’lady, can you please call your husband in here? It is in a questionable spot. I do not want to show you and have your husband jump to the wrong conclusion,” he requests.

  Gabrielle raises her voice loud enough that my father, Orion, will hear her. “Honey, please join us at the door.”

  With an eyebrow raised, he enters from the hallway. “Sorry dear, I was getting Merina settled. Her fading so many at once has made her a little weak from using so much of her magic.”

  Gabrielle nods to Orion and he takes a place between us. He wraps one arm around her waist and the other over my shoulders, pulling us to him. As if to say “they are mine, you better not mess with them.”

  “Grey here was explaining that he is a descendant of Galahad, loyal to the Pendragons and that he has a tattoo to prove it. He said its placement is questionable, so he would feel more comfortable if you were in here,” she says, getting him all caught up.

  “Where is the tattoo?” Orion asks, raising an eyebrow.

  “Sir, it is just below my pants line. It has to be hidden in a place where the king or his other knights wouldn’t see it.”

  Orion nods and Grey slowly pulls down the band of his pants. He has the same tattoo as Lance. It is circular with a silver dragon with his tail in his mouth; forest green fills the rest of circle except for the silver P in the middle.

  Orion nods to Gabrielle. They both do not appear surprised in the least at Grey’s tattoo. They roll up their sleeves, exposing their forearms. With a wave of her hand, Gabrielle uncovers to Grey and me that she and Orion bear the same mark on their arms, just below their elbows. They had cloaked their tattoos with magic, so they could not be seen to the naked eye.

  I am about to lose my mind. I have been in their house for fifteen years and they never thought to share this with me? Anger bubbles to the surface, and I do my best to contain it. Grey crosses the threshold and Beck repeats the steps and shows us the tattoo he conceals.

  Gabrielle and Orion nod, and he enters.

  “We do not have any rooms to spare. You’re welcome to sleep in here. Alexa and I will find you spare pillows and blankets,” Gabrielle says, grabbing my hand.

  We walk down the modest hall to her bedroom. As I step into her room, she turns to me.

  “Seems we have a lot to talk about.”

  I nod in agreement, trying to keep my anger under control as I add, “Yes, Mother. Looks as though I’m not the only one who has some explaining to do.”

  When the word “mother” left my lips, her expression saddened.

  She closes the distance between us, placing her hands on both my arms and looking me dead in the eyes.

  “Do not be angry with Orion and me for glamouring our tattoos from you. We fought for many years on if we should disclose to you that we had them. We only thought about your happiness; we didn’t want to burden you with any more secrets until we had to.”

  “After all we have been through, all the years I’ve been under this roof, I have to find out in front of strangers that you have the same tattoos as these men who claim that they are loyal to my family? Why should I believe any of this? Because of this stupid necklace? All this necklace has done is get my parents murdered. I would have been a victim at the age of ten, all for the reason of being their child,” I spit back, and break her hold on me.

  I reach up and pull at the chain, shattering it into pieces. With the pendant in my palm, I throw it to the ground at their feet. “You can keep that and the lies that come with it. I will not stand here and listen to any more fabrications that I am an heir to the throne.”

  Spinning on my heels, I walk out of the room and toward the door. Orion steps in my path, I thrust my sword into his hand.

  “Orion, move or I will move you,” I say with my teeth clenched tightly.

  He raises his other arm to place on my shoulder, but I dodge it and continue out into the dark. I stomp my way out side, pushing everything and anyone from my path. The moment my parents’ tattoos were revealed I felt as if I was suffocating in lies. They had fifteen years to tell me, and they left me in the dark. I’m unaware of what other things they kept from me, and at the moment I don’t care.

  My stomps turn into a sprint, my feet moving faster with each step. I head to the last place I know is a safe haven. Without any thoughts, I am banging on Madeline’s door.

  “Madeline, let me in,” I beg.

  After the fourth time I hit the door, she sleepily answers.

  “Alexa, what in the world?”

  Tears are hot on my cheeks. “Gabrielle and Orion, they kept secrets from me. Do you have the tattoo as well?”

  She opens the door and tries to usher me in.

  I shake my head no. “Tell me.”

  She looks to the ground and nods.

  I slowly back away, then I take off running again.

  I pass through our little village in the blink of an eye, and my pace slows as I am not as familiar with these woods in the dark. I try not to think about my families, my parents that died or my new ones.

  Tears blur my vision; they roll down my face until I have to stop. Leaning on a tree for support, I shamelessly let them flow. Never grieving for my parents and all of this news of being the heir to the throne is more than
I can handle. Once I am done feeling sorry for myself, I wipe my face with my shirt.

  As I lower my arm, a twig snaps and I spin trying to find the source. Shit, I didn’t think this through. Instead of using my head, I listened to my heart, and now I am weaponless once again in the darkened woods.

  I grope the forest floor, wishing to find a log or tree branch, anything to help aid me if I have to fight.

  Then I hear his baritone voice, barely a whisper. “Alexa, are you out here?”

  I want to reply, but I’m frozen in fear. How do I know this isn’t a trick? We don’t go out at night because these places are said to be haunted.

  Once again, the voice drifts to me. “Alexa, it’s Grey. Please answer me.”

  “Grey,” my voice squeaks.

  Not daring to move, I wait to see if his footsteps get closer. I peer in the dark, doing my best to look for him, then I see the dim glow of a torch.

  “Alexa,” he calls a little louder this time.

  I advance a few cautious steps toward the light, and I can see the outline of a person but they are too far away to tell if it’s really him.

  Taking steps toward what I think is Grey, I am unsure until I get a good look at him, that it may really be him. His face wears a distressed expression, and he whispers again and stops as I reply.

  “If you are really Grey, tell me what you were made to show my parents to enter their house,” I command.

  He sighs, and then replies, “My tattoo.”

  “Where is this tattoo located?” “On the left side of my torso, just below my pants line, right next to my hip,” he huffs.

  “Show me.”

  “Alexa, will you come closer? So I can verify that it is you?”

  “Show me,” I repeat. “Then I will show myself.”

  He transfers the torch to his right hand, then hooks a thumb on his pants and pulls them down just enough that I can see the top of the tattoo peeking out of them.

  I step toward him with a nod. “I’ve seen enough, thank you.”

  With his hand frozen as I approach, he smiles at me. “You sure you don’t want to see more?”

  A little taken aback at his words, I am speechless. I must have an odd look on my face that makes him laugh.

  “Princess, I was only joking,” he replies, moving his hand and his pants returning to normal.

  “Where is Beck?” I ask, trying to change the subject. I’m grateful for the torch light so he can not see the blush in my cheeks.

  “He stayed back with your sister and parents, I think he may fancy Merina,” he answers truthfully.

  An eyebrow cocks. “Oh, do tell.”

  He laughs then turns to face me and gives me a serious look. “I didn’t come here to gossip, I was charged with keeping you safe and I don’t take that lightly. I understand that you have a lot to process, but please do not go this far from me again. I am a tracker, but the dark makes it next to impossible. If you do, I will bind you with a rope to my side. You will not be rid of me. I will escort you everywhere, including to the bathroom or even your bath. I promise you, if I lose sight of you again, you will live to regret it.”

  I can tell by his tone that he is not joking. I simply nod to him that I understand.

  “Will you please accompany me back to your house? I know you are upset that they kept a few secrets from you, they did it out of love. They have cared for you since you were a little girl, they feel as if you are their daughter. Gabrielle sent me to find you, she is worried sick for your safety.”

  “If they kept their tattoos a secret, then what else have they been hiding? I don’t have anyone I can trust anymore. My parents are dead and the ones that raised me have been lying to me. How can I face them and know when they are telling me the truth or not? My faith and trust in them has been broken. It is not something I can forget.”

  He steps forward, and in dim torch light I watch as his hand inches closer to mine, then it snaps back to his side.

  In my current state of confusion, I am finding it hard to decide my next steps. Do I leave the home I have known for fifteen years, or do I go back and listen to their reasons for hiding it from me?

  Grey places his hand on my shoulder, my stupor broken as I look into his blue eyes. He gives me a weak smile and a choice.

  “We can go back to your home and talk to your parents, or we can leave from here and find shelter for the night. Give you some time to mull over what you have discovered today. Either way, you will not be rid of me. Lance entrusted me with your safety; it is my duty and honor,” he says in a serious tone.

  Returning seems to be the best option. I can not stumble in this dark forest all night. I can collect my few possessions from Orion’s and Gabrielle’s home and figure out my next move. Daybreak is as long as I will remain, but no longer. Recently, I have been thinking it was time to move on. I am not a child, and it is time for me to live and make my own way.

  I spare a glance at Grey. I don’t know what to think of this gorgeous knight escorting me home. I felt a tug toward the one called Lance during our one on one chat, but I dismissed it as hormones as he exposed his chiseled chest and tattoo to me. Now, I am feeling the same tug to Grey. How can that be?

  I have never been one to put much stock into true mates. Growing up, I felt the love Gabrielle and Orion had for one another. It was hard to miss, in the little gestures they did when they thought no one was looking. It could simply be a kiss on the cheek or a slap on the butt. The way they looked at one another. And when they had cross words, they did it in private.

  But me? No, there is no way I would have a relationship like theirs. The few men brave enough to try and court me were run off by my dominant personality. I sneak a glance at Grey again as he pulls me to him. His arm around my waist, he detours me around the giant tree I was headed for.

  “Thanks,” I say breathlessly.

  “My pleasure, m’lady,” he replies, releasing me.

  Disappointment fills me as his arm is no longer touching me. Gah, I want to kick myself. I need to focus on what I am going to do with my life, not pine over a knight or knights I can never have.

  “What were you six doing in that village today? Why were you there?”

  Just as he is about to answer, I am nearly blinded by an orange glow. With cautious steps, Grey and I slow our pace toward it, and the closer we get, the outline starts to look more like a person.

  Then I see her, Merina. A smile cracks her lips as she spots us. She looks as if she is ablaze, and it enhances her features and beauty. Her red hair is dancing in the air behind her as if it were flames in the wind.

  “There you are, sister. I don’t know what you were thinking of running away, we aren’t ten anymore,” she chides me.

  “Yes, sister.” I hang my head in shame. “You are right, as always. Maybe one of these days I will start acting like the adult I feel that I am.”

  Merina walks up to me, placing a finger under my chin and pushing it up until we are looking eye to eye.

  “Sister, I do not know what you have had to deal with today. You have had more thrown on your shoulders in one day than some people do in a lifetime. You are allowed to be confused and upset, but do not shut us out. Like it or not, our parents and I are the only family you have, and we are always going to be in your corner. Never hang your head again. Beck tells me you are the true queen and Pendragon heir. Start acting like it.”

  “Merina, I am only Alexa. No one special. I pulled a sword from a stone. That does not make me a royal. I am a butcher and your sister. That is all.”

  A look of surprise washes over her face. “Did you say you removed a sword from a stone? Did I hear you correctly?”

  “Yes, Grey and his friends were chasing me. I was in need of a weapon, I didn’t mean any harm,” I mumble.

  “Gods, you have set your destiny in motion,” she gasps, then looks at Grey. “Which house are you from?”

  “Galahad. Why?” he counters.

  “We need Lance
lot’s heir. He was with my great great great great grandfather when he passed from this life onto the next. Legends say that Lancelot was there when Merlin muttered his last words. I need to know what these words where,” she rambles.

  “Merina, you’re talking nonsense. Are you ok, sister?”

  She ignores me, rambling on about Merlin and Lancelot.

  My gaze turns to Grey and he just shrugs.

  Once she snaps out of it, she grabs my arm. “Sister, we need to talk to our parents. Then we will start a trek to the Lancelot heir. I need to seek Mother’s advice before we go.”

  Merina wraps her arms around me. “Grey, please come wrap your arms around my sister. We need to fade home.”

  Grey’s face washes of all color.

  “Oh Grey, don’t tell me you are afraid of fading,” I muse as a smile tips my lips.

  With that, a little color rushes to his cheeks. “Not afraid, I much more enjoy a moonlit walk.”

  Waving my hand that is wrapped around my sister's back, I urge him on. “Come on, Grey. This is faster; you will get used to it after a few more jumps.”

  He grumbles low, “I doubt that.”

  With slow steps, he makes his way toward us. I twist in Merina arms, and with one of mine still holding her, I motion for Grey to hug my other side. I nod to my sister once my arm is securely around him, and we are off.

  The landing this time is smooth, and Merina releases me and heads into our home. Grey still has both arms around me and his head hiding in my neck.

  I stifle a laugh as I whisper in his ear, “Grey, we are here. I do not mind your body this close to mine. My father, on the other hand, has a murderous look in his eyes.”

  He arms fly off my waist in a flash, and when he raises his head, a grin forms on his lips.

  “Forgive me, fading is not my favorite mode of transportation,” he states, loud enough for Orion to hear.

  We are still standing awkwardly close, and surprise flashes across his face when I grab his hand and pull him into the house.

  I am a ball of nervous energy as I cross the threshold. Grey gives my hand a little squeeze, the reassurance I need. Facing my parents, I dread the look of disappointment that is sure to be in their eyes.