Once & Future (Once & Future #1)(81)
“You’re not a killer, Ari,” he said, pulling her tight. He smelled exactly like Error, like their moms, like the best parts of their lives together. “None of us are. That’s what never adds up. We can play battles and knights and kings, but in the end, we just want to exist.”
The Mercer vessel reappeared, hovering a few hundred feet above them. Ari’s band pulled in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder. But the Mercer ship didn’t move.
“What is it doing?” Lam asked.
Ari was distracted, looking around at the battlefield. They were broadcasting what was happening from Error, but how easy would it be for Mercer to kill the signal? Explain it away to the universe as a minor, silly uprising? She had flashes of Ketch, destroyed without the universe even registering a blip. This was a trap. A terrible idea.
“Time for you to do one of those fantastic party tricks, Merl!” Kay called out.
“Merl?!” Merlin sputtered. “Unacceptable.”
“Seriously, friends, what is that ship waiting for?” Lam asked, voice riled.
“I second Kay,” Gwen commanded. “Some magic would be great right now.”
“Merlin!” Val cried out. Ari whirled around to find Merlin limp in Val’s arms—as though his consciousness had been stolen straight out of this galaxy. Val struggled to hold him upright. “He just… went down. Like someone unplugged him.”
Ari turned to Morgana. “What happened to him?”
Morgana shook her head, her black hair snaking about her shoulders. Sudden fear had etched her into a timeless, terrifying beauty. “We’re doomed.”
A series of clicks issued from the great body of the taneen. Jordan threw back the rest of the packaging as smoke pumped from the belly of the dead dragon. Jordan cried out to move back, but it was too late. They were all gagging, falling down and into each other. Ari’s eyes burned so hard she had to close them. And then she couldn’t open them again.
Ari was aware of a bizarre, chattering drumming that reached through the darkness. She looked around slowly. An earthy and yet metallic smell left her uneasy. Mildly nauseated. She was on her feet, propped up by associates, and beside her a massive creature stamped anxious hooves into hard-packed soil.
She glanced around at a wall of Mercer associates. No, not a wall.
An entire army.
Only, they looked different. Their white uniforms seemed to have been tailored on Lionel, double-breasted with stiff collars. And they wore swords at the hip instead of their usual guns. Ari swung back around and into the pawing creature that was so much taller than her.
“It’s a horse,” the Administrator said, stepping around the front of the beast, stroking its velvet nose and feeding an apple with the Mercer logo genetically engineered on the skin into its wide, clomping mouth. “Damn near impossible to find these days, but we have our ways.” His nondescript eyes met hers and he gave Ari a pleased smile. Even more intimidating was his outfit. Instead of his traditional Mercer-white suit, he wore a golden robe that smacked of spiritual significance; Merlin might call them dress robes.
He noticed her stare and smoothed his hands down his front. “We are quite a sight, but we had to dress up for your coronation. Honestly, we’ve been playing with pawns for so long, we forgot how fun it’d be to throw a little sovereign drama in. The people are just gobbling it up.”
“What?” Ari’s voice came out scraped. She glanced down at herself. She was wearing a suit of armor that was etched with glorious gold and silver filigree, a ferocious red dragon emblazoned on the chest.
The Administrator pointed to it. “The family crest of the Pendragons. A nice touch, isn’t it? That one was our idea, since you’re so determined to go all King Arthur with this little rebellion.”
Ari regretted longing for proper armor earlier; she should have remembered that wanting things led to Mercer. She touched the sheath on her hip. At least Excalibur was at her side, although she doubted the sword would have allowed them to take it from her. “Where am I?”
“On Heritage. It’s only been a few days since your stunt on Old Earth. Your little band was in a state. Took us quite a while to shine you all up.” He winked. “To make you presentable for the festivities.”
“Where are my friends?”
“You mean your knights, King Arthur… King Ara? Whatever.” He flourished a hand behind her, and Ari looked over her shoulder to find five more horses in a tight formation. On one side, Gwen sat, side-saddle, gagged, wearing the most beautiful dress Ari had ever seen. It was shining even in the low light of this strange, closed-in space, a million diamonds riveting the seams—none of them as bright as the fear in Gwen’s brown eyes.
Behind her, Jordan sat with her head slumped forward, unconscious. Her armor had been polished to a mirror sheen, and Ari watched in a sort of slow-motion terror as a Mercer associate shot something into Jordan’s leg and her eyes began to flutter open.
On the other side of the formation, Kay sat astride a chestnut horse that seemed extra nervous. Ari tried not to stare too long into her brother’s dark expression. He was flame-cheeked and furious. The kind of furious that could be a problem.
Beside him, Lam sat with their dreads perfectly placed, a leather suit of armor to match Jordan’s metal one. They were not gagged, but a purple bruise down one side of their jaw implied that they’d already learned not to speak. Val was behind them, on the smallest brown horse. His face was streaked with tears, an unnerving juxtaposition to the finely pressed tunic of the queen’s adviser.