Once & Future (Once & Future #1)(72)

“I knew it,” he said, an adorable haircut showing off his cherubic ears. “I knew it, but some days it felt downright cruel to hope.”

“King Arthur always returns when he’s needed. Doesn’t he, old man?” she said, rubbing the lag out of her eyes. “Although I don’t remember the part when his knights fucking drug him!”

Merlin snapped a look at Gwen. “You didn’t. You said you wouldn’t!”

“She made me nervous. And she doesn’t have Excalibur, so how could it be her?”

“Excalibur is in the escape pod. Too recognizable.” Ari pressed her feet under her, trying to stand. “Why don’t you believe that I’m Ari? Why did you attack me?”

“Because you are dead,” Val’s voice cut in. Ari raised her head to look at her oldest friend, only to find him standing next to a Mercer casket. He pointed down, and she stumbled toward it, knocking into the plastic container.

The dead person inside was Ari, vacuum sealed like space food. Ari’s shock of nerves helped clear her head, although not fast enough. “Oh, gods…”

“Who are you? What happened to Ari? Are you a Mercer clone? A human droid?” Val fired off so fast that Ari’s head spun. Jordan stood behind Val in full armor, looking very much like a palace guard about to cut her in two.

“I’m Ari. I don’t know who… or what this is.” She pointed at the body in the Mercer-stamped coffin. “Except…” Slowly—too slowly—Morgana’s nagging words from Ketch filtered back through her mind. “Morgana!”

Merlin jumped as Morgana materialized with a sincerely annoyed look on her face.

“Explain,” Ari barked.

“I killed you, or really, I turned one of the corpses on Urite into an exact replica of you. It was an astounding bit of magic, to be honest. Merlin’s blood is delightful and—”

“What?” Ari and Merlin yelled together.

“Your friends think you died on the prison planet a year ago.” Morgana spoke quickly, eyeing her fingernails as if she were debating their length. “I needed them to not come looking for you.”

Ari blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought maybe it wouldn’t come up.”

“How would killing me in the eyes of everyone I know and love not come up?”

Morgana gave Ari that Yes, fine, I’ve been a bit evil look and disappeared.

Ari propped herself up on the closest thing she could find, which unfortunately was the casket. She took in each person in the cargo bay. Gwen’s face was flushed, her eyes cast to the floor. Merlin’s expression was all folded up like an angry little kid’s, and Val was staring with big, brown eyes. Jordan stood at the door, arms crossed.

Only Lam swept over and gave her a hug. “At least I have one friend,” Ari said into their shoulder.

“Give everyone a minute,” Lam said. “We took your death hard.”

Jordan cleared her throat. “My queen, this could still be a Mercer trick. She could have been brainwashed. Or worse, perhaps she is merely a manifestation from that vile enchantress.”

“Not happy to see me, Jordan?” Ari snapped. “Or should I call you Lancelot?”

“Umm,” Merlin grabbed her arm. “That’s not a name I’ve ever spoken in your presence. How do you know about—?”

“Morgana’s told me everything, Merlin.” Ari couldn’t keep her gaze from darting toward Gwen. “Everything.”

“We should vote again. I remain on the team of those who don’t believe she is real,” Jordan butted in, one hand on the sword at her belt, ready to draw.

“Vote? Wait, there are divided teams? Over whether I’m actually dead?” Ari shook her head with disbelief. “Truly well done, Morgana!” she shouted into the air. All of them looked around the cargo bay. Particularly Merlin, whose attention shot up like one of the taneen hatchlings when Big Mama was incoming. Nothing happened. “We don’t have time for her games.” Ari swiveled, taking in the crew once again. “Where’s my brother?” The question came out louder, sharper than she meant it to; she’d been holding it back too long.

“Kay is the captain of Team Dead Ari,” Val said with an impressive amount of attitude.

“He’s in a lot of pain,” Lam said, placing their hand on Ari’s shoulder. “He’s confused…”

“And you still haven’t proved that you are Ari.”

Ari faced Gwen, amazed that those words had come from her. “What else do I have to do to prove it to you?” Ari asked, her question as heated as their bodies had been when they were dancing. She stepped close and managed an impish smile that had the gratifying effect of making Gwen blush from her cleavage to the tips of her perfect ears. Ari lowered her voice, but everyone could hear—and she wanted them to. “I know how to make your breath hitch. I know that right now you’re torn between holding on to me and pushing me away—like always. And I know that while I’ve been alone this whole year, with no one but Morgana and my murdered people, you haven’t been on your own. Have you?”

Gwen’s face pitched down, although she was not ashamed. She was admitting it, a graceful confirmation fit for a queen. This was part of Ari’s plan; get Gwen to admit it fast. Then it wouldn’t be a weird secret thing between them. Ari wouldn’t let it tear them apart like it did with the other Arthurs and their Gwenevieres. They could move on, together.