Chapter 9

Maddie

We pulled into the school parking lot and I knew something was wrong. The smell of smoke hung in the air. I remembered hearing in passing that someone had burned the stables. I hoped my horse was okay. I hadn't seen her in five months so she must be mad at me.

Simon came loping from the building. He looked tired even from a distance. Bianca and Bruce came from the way of the library. They were followed by a gaggle of other students. I picked Max's brother from the group easily. Darren leaned against the light pole directly behind Simon. Something was up with him but at that moment, I needed to talk to everyone.

Tyler slid off the motorcycle first, his movements so sleek I was slightly envious. He held his hand out to me and I took it without thinking. Once my feet were securely on the ground, I pulled the helmet off and fanned out my hair. It was hot under a helmet!

There was a sudden warm weight against my legs. Stryker and another wolf had plastered themselves against me. The wolves had ridden in the cars that were driven by Max and Parker. I remembered Beca having a fit because she would get dog hair on her clothes. One of the females had responded by growling at her. That had shut her up.

Tyler and Chase stepped back to allow Max and Drew beside me. Beca was right behind me and the rest of the guys flanked her. I laughed because out of all of them Beca was probably the one who could handle herself the best.

As we walked up the hill to the others, Max's hand brushed mine. The familiar jolt of electricity went through us and I saw him shudder. Luckily I was good at suppressing my reactions so I put on a poker face as I continued walking.

Simon's smile was warm as we stopped in front of him. "Welcome back."

I smiled. "Thanks. We had no idea how easy finding these guys was going to be."

Tyler laughed at my sarcasm. "All you had to do was report a theft and I would have been there. It would have been faster." He made a noise when I smacked him in the gut.

The headmaster simply shook his head and turned. It was an obvious sign for us to follow him, which we did. I caught Darren's eye as we walked by him. He glared at me for a moment before following. So something was going on with him. I screwed up my face as I thought about it for a moment.

Drew nudged me right into Max. I gave him a dirty look as the lightning zipped through my system. My best guess was Drew knew exactly what was going on with Darren. He just wasn't going to tell.

Suddenly I stopped. Beca bumped into my back and let a few choice words fly as she rubbed her nose. She was obviously going to say something because she came around me with her mouth open but closed it immediately. I had this look on my face I guess (not like I could see it from my vantage point) and it told her I had come to some sort of conclusion.

I looked at Drew. He returned my look with a wary one of his own. He knew what I had just thought of and he hadn't told me. I had the nerve to hit him in front of everyone but then that might put discord between us. Discord was something we didn't need so I kept my hand by my side but I scowled at him as I walked on.

Once we were secluded in Simon's office, he propped himself up on the desk and looked at all of us. There was something on his mind but he was going to allow us to tell of our deeds in Dallas. Drew started for us.

"As you can see, we've found our portion of the Knights. Miraculously they were all together and we didn't know it until yesterday," he said. He leaned against my chair protectively. I think he figured Darren was going to do something stupid.

Simon nodded, his face clouded with thought. When he looked up he looked older than he really was.

"We obviously have the Knighted students. We can do introductions later. Right now we need to discuss what we're going to do about the new thugs that have showed up recently," he replied. He rubbed his arms in a comforting way. "You probably saw the black figures skulking around outside. Those guys and gals are in Casey's army."

"She's pulling people from Dallas as well," I said. "My ex-stepmother tried to take the house from us. She stated she was the rightful benefactor. Last night she attacked us with guys who were undoubtedly Casey's men. That's why we didn't come back last night."

Simon didn't look well at all. He was pale but he kept standing in front of us. I kept thinking he was going to keel over as he let all that sink in. After a few moments, he lifted his head.

"The school's going to become a warzone."

"Isn't it already?" Bruce asked. I gave him a questioning look. "The stables have been burned, and that means our forge is gone. The horses are in the forest with the Stag. I'm guessing that was your idea." The last comment was directed at Drew, who simply nodded. "With the forge gone, we can't repair weapons."

"Everyone will just have to learn archery," I said. They all looked at me. "It's easy to make arrowheads out of rocks. To sharpen a sword, you need a whetstone, oil for said whetstone, and a metal file. If all those were in the forge, you can guarantee they're gone. It could take weeks to get them replaced and we don't have weeks. School starts back next week."

Max laughed. He was in charge of weapons and had forgotten what all went into sharpening a sword. "I guess we learn to make bows and arrows."

"You can't be serious?" Darren said. We all looked at him. It was the first time he had spoken since our arrival and he sounded angry. "Not all of us have Maddie's precision when it comes to archery. We'll just make fools out of ourselves."

Bianca closed her eyes and shook her head as Bruce squared his shoulders. He jabbed a finger in Darren's chest.

"This is not the part where you suddenly decide you're in charge again. It's not going to happen. You are not going to be all moody with her around. If she says you're going to do something, by George you're going to do it. There will be no arguments and no complaining. If you do either, you will be answering me. Got that?"

Bruce was fierce when he was angry. I made a mental note never to make him mad.

Darren nodded after a few seconds of silence. Bruce stepped back and nodded at me. So something happened while I was away. My best guess was that Darren lost his temper with the wrong person (Bruce) and was replaced by said person. Simon didn't look surprised so it must be true. The trick was trying to figure out what had set the roommates on edge.

I watched Simon rub his face and I knew this wasn't going to be good. So I changed the subject.

"Okay. There are now seventeen, eighteen if you count Merlin," I said as I mentally ticked off names in my head.

"Nineteen if you count me as well," a voice said behind us. I turned around as a familiar face walked through the door.

"Aaliyah?" Drew asked in shock. Apparently she wasn't supposed to be here.

"Drew?" Simon asked.

"Sorry. This is Aaliyah Norris, otherwise known as the Lady of the Lake."

"Good," Darren said. "Where's Excalibur?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "It's safe for now."

Anger took over his face. "I need the sword to defeat Casey."

"It won't be you who defeats Casey, Arthur. Your temper blinds you. Only the person with a pure heart can defeat Casey. Excalibur is just the tool that was given to you centuries ago."

I rubbed my face agitatedly. I was too tired to put up with Darren's bickering and demands. I stood and those who had been with me for the last five months stood as well. I looked at Simon and nodded. He agreed and I slipped out of the office.

We were halfway to my dorm when Beca thought to ask anything.

"What was that funny look you gave Drew right before we went into the office?" she asked.

I looked at her. There were only two people other than myself who knew what I had just figured out. Drew and Aaliyah sure as hell weren't going to tell anyone so that left it to me. I wasn't going to say anything until we were in the safety of my room.

I kept walking and that must have been a sign for them to keep quiet and just follow.

By the time we were secluded in our room, Beca and Parker were buzzing for information. I flopped down on my bed and reveled in the feeling of being in it again. It still smelled like me somewhat and that made me happy.

I looked around. Beca and Parker were cozy on her bed. Somehow, Chase and Tyler had folded themselves into a comfortable sitting position on the floor. Max and Sam were leaning against the door while Dylan and Petey got comfortable on our desks. They were all waiting for me to tell them. I knew it would shock them so I did it as quickly as possible.

I took a deep breath and looked at Max. "Do you remember that part of the lore I told you I was forgetting?"

He thought about it for a minute then nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It was about Arthur wasn't it?"

I nodded. "In one legend it talked about Mordred being Arthur's son, but Arthur never had children with Guinevere because she cheated on him with Lancelot." I cast Parker a look. "No offense."

He shrugged. "None taken."

"What does it mean?" Tyler asked.

"Drew was trying to tell me this in the library at my house. I didn't get it at first but now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Guinevere can't be Mordred's mother because Morgan le Fay is. But that's not the kicker."

Chase's eyes were wide with interest as he leaned forward on his knees. "What's The kicker?"

"Mordred's also Arthur's nephew."

It was silent a few seconds before it sank in.

"Eww!" Beca complained. "That's just gross. That means Arthur slept with his sister."

"Wait," Max said and I secretly hoped he got it. "If Morgan le Fay was Arthur's sister in the legend, that means…"

I nodded. "If I'm correct and the spell follows the legend, Casey is Darren's sister. I heard from Bianca some time ago that Casey is adopted as well and from the same area. They could be siblings and none of us knew it."

"Correction: Casey knew it. That's why she's pushing so hard to kill us," Parker said.

Beca made a sad face. "If all this is true, that means Darren will have to kill his sister and his son." Her face fell even more. "That means I had a sister as well."

"We don't even know if what Maddie speculates is true. We'll have to do an in-depth investigation into it. It may take some time but I think I can get it going. All I'll need is some samples from them both," Tyler said.

Parker nodded. "I can get the hair from Darren. It's not an issue. I'll just have Bruce change rooms with me."

"And Casey's?" Max asked. I suddenly smiled and he frowned. "Maddie?"

"She failed so I can get it when she's in class with me," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. I failed miserably at hiding a yawn so I started shooing them out. "I'm tired of traveling and I want a nap. Get out." Parker and Max looked at each other and shook their heads. I frowned. "Why not?"

"We're not leaving you two unprotected at all," Parker said.

"We're staying," Max agreed. I gave him a pointed look. "I'll stay over in the chair. With Casey coming back we can't take any chances."

Tyler shrugged and stood. "I guess we'll see you at dinner."

When they were gone, I kicked off my shoes and curled up under the blankets. Parker got up to talk with Max and allowed Beca to rest. We looked at each and smiled then hunkered down for a nice nap.