“How’s being king again?”
“I’m not using that title,” Arthur said. “Which is fortunate, because you never used to use it, either, something I noticed you continued when you opened the door.”
I chuckled. “Force of habit.”
“Yes, well, the title of king was always a little strange. King of Avalon isn’t something that should exist. Avalon doesn’t need a king. I never wanted to be king of Camelot, or Avalon, or anywhere else in the first place. That was Mordred’s role. I was meant to follow in Merlin’s footprints. Meant to be the man to help Mordred unite the various mythologies of the world and bring peace. Didn’t quite work out how I’d imagined.”
I necked the whiskey. I needed the courage to ask, “It’s been three years since you woke from your coma. Why haven’t you contacted me?” Part of me was saddened that he hadn’t contacted me, and another part was both sad and maybe a little angry that he hadn’t reached out. It had made me question whether or not we’d been as close as I remembered. I’d brushed the thoughts aside at the time, but they’d stuck around to bother me.
Arthur placed his glass on my desk and sighed. “Officially, I’ve been very busy. No time to contact anyone, even old friends.”
“And unofficially?”
“I’m scared shitless that those people I trusted, and loved, and thought of as the best are no longer who I remembered. Too many people are all vying for their own little part of the Avalon pie, and playing politics to stop things from getting worse has been a full-time experience. I’ve been changing people in positions of power, trying to get those I trust to do a good job in places that they can help. Also, I knew you and Merlin had fallen out.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“Yes, well, Merlin is part of the reason I’m here. And Mordred, and you, and about fifty other things.” He rubbed his hands over his graying beard.
“That’s new.”
“The beard? I look distinguished.”
“I think the word is ‘old.’”
Arthur laughed. “Well, I feel old, so it fits.” His expression was suddenly serious again. “Why did Merlin let everything fall apart? I know that Elaine and her people did the best they could, but Merlin didn’t give them an inch of help. He could have worked with them, and Avalon would have been the place we’d always dreamed of. But now, we’ve got factions in Avalon working against other factions. Hera controls London, with Merlin’s blessing, and after unleashing a bloody dragon on the city.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t a fun night.” A lot of people died, and a lot more were hurt in Tiamat’s attack. An attack that only stopped because my friends and I managed to kill her.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“You were in a coma. You’re forgiven.”
“Speaking of which, have you seen Mordred recently? Tale has it he’s reformed, although many don’t believe it.”
“He was taken by blood elves and Baldr and tortured for the better part of a century. They made him think that we were his enemy and that he should kill us all. He’s still got issues, but he’s working through them.”
“You trust him?”
I nodded. “Without question.”
Arthur absentmindedly touched his chest where Mordred’s blade had punctured it. “I think it would be best for us to meet at a later date. To me, I was only attacked three years ago. After finding you in bed with Morgan. I should apologize for the way I acted, by the way.”
I shrugged. “Morgan and I stopped being anything close to a couple the day you were attacked. We’re cordial now, but I doubt it’ll go beyond that.”
“Even though you trust Mordred.”
“Mordred was driven insane by evil. Morgan just helped him, thinking that was the best thing to do. We’re both very different people than we were back then.”
“A thousand years in a coma. I dreamed, you know, of Merlin and the paladins who helped keep me alive. I dreamed of being in that damn tank, and I was never sure what was a dream and what wasn’t. Didn’t feel like a thousand years, though. And then I wake up and everyone expects me to click my fingers and make everything better. And I have no damned idea how that’s supposed to work. I don’t even know what ‘better’ is.”
“Three years isn’t long to catch up.”
“No kidding. And Merlin seems to be withdrawing more and more. It’s not exactly helping matters. But I guess if he’s shut himself away in his tower, at least he’s not trying to kill anyone because they offended him.”
“You mean other than me?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? Merlin went full mad king on the council. Started to threaten to kill people who didn’t follow my lead. Elaine and a dozen others had to have him subdued.”
“I’m sure he didn’t make it easy.”
“We’re remodeling the council chamber. That’s how easy he made it.”
“He’d been going down a slippery slope for a while.”
“It seems my waking finally turned that slope into a cliff.”
“You need help dealing with him?”
Arthur shook his head. “God, no. I’ve got people on it. Merlin can stay in that damn tower for as long as he likes, for all I care. Gives me time to deal with everything else.”
“So, if you’ll excuse my bluntness, why are you here?”
“You know Lucie Moser?”
I nodded. “We’re not exactly friends, but I trust her. Why?”
“I’ve moved her from the head of the SOA and given her a position within the council.”
“Good, she deserves it. She’s done an excellent job.”
“It means there’s an opening as director of the SOA.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you offering me a job?” The Shield of Avalon, or SOA, was one of three branches within Avalon. The SOA was a sort of combination of the MI5 and MI6. There were a number of reasons why I shouldn’t work for Avalon again, the foremost being that I left because Merlin was using the souls of innocent people to keep Arthur alive, but mostly I just wasn’t that person anymore.
Arthur shook his head. “No offense, but you’re not exactly the first person I’d think of to take a director’s job in Avalon.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Too many people remember Hellequin as the boogeyman of Avalon,” Arthur continued. “And too many of those know that you and Hellequin are one and the same. It would make things difficult.”
“‘Impossible’ is the word. Although I’ve been trying to change Hellequin from the boogeyman into something more positive.”
“I heard. People are saying that Hellequin is on the side of the right. You always were; you just had awful PR.”
I laughed. “Yes, PR, that was the problem. So, what do you want?”
Arthur took a deep breath, as if this were a conversation he’d rather not have. “I’ve heard mutterings. Concerns. Not quite accusations, and no one has come to me personally, but there are things being said.”
“About me?”