Free The Iron Locket (The Risen King) by Samantha Warren Page A

are born for this life, to serve. The knowing is a part of us. Without it, we are nothing."
    "I still do not quite understand all this faery stuff," Arthur said as he took the leather sack Rogan offered him. "Even growing up with the old religions, none of it really made sense to me."
    Rogan gave him a soft smile, his quiet manner neither encouraging nor discouraging Arthur's ramblings. The king warmed inside as he was reminded of his favorite servant from long ago, a man with a similar demeanor.
    Arthur cocked his head, a thought popping into his mind. "By the way, what gods rule the human world now? Is it still the Christian God? Or has he disappeared as the old gods did during my childhood, replaced by some new deity?"
    Rogan stepped over to Arthur and draped a large, heavy cloak around his shoulders. The king noticed with a smile that it was a deep red and embroidered with the emblem he had used during his reign over Camelot.
    "Gods do not disappear, my lord. They do not change or fade away with time. It is humanity that is fickle and ever changing, always looking for the one deity who will fix all the problems they themselves created. No, the Christian god exists, but so do all the others. They may be harder to reach now, but they are all there, answering those who still call to them. You only need to search to find them. Someone somewhere still believes, and so they still respond."
    Arthur's brow furrowed as the familiar weight settled onto his shoulders. "What an interesting theory. I guess I never thought of it that way." He shrugged the cloak up further on his shoulders so Rogan could hook the heavy gold clasp.
    "It is not theory, my lord. It is merely fact. Some say faeries fade as humans lose belief in them. But that is not true, either. Just because humans cease to believe in something, it does not mean it does not exist. Humans are a very arrogant species." His hands paused briefly before he added, "My lord."
    Arthur opened his mouth and drew in a breath, ready to defend his humanity, but flashes of a former life came back to him, brief glimpses of wars fought over riches and land; men, women, and children killed because they chose to believe in the wrong gods. He gripped Rogan's shoulder firmly and looked the man in the eye. "You may well be right about that, good man, but that just means they need our help all the more."
    "Yes, sire." Rogan picked up the pack that Arthur had set on the table. "I will carry this down for you."
     

     
     
    *~*~*
    NINE
    *~*~*
     
    The knights were waiting in the courtyard when Arthur and Rogan joined them. An ethereal being that reminded the king very much of Mab's daughter brought the large white stallion he had rode into the castle over to them. It had already been saddled and packed with food and other various basic necessities. As Rogan attached the pack to the back over top of the other items, Arthur joined the knights and faeries milling around.
    "My soldiers have a path open along the west way. It is waiting for us. It will bring us within striking distance of the largest part of Leanansidhe's army." Oonagh's daughter, Eden, was the spitting image of the queen, as if Oonagh had merely cut of a strand of her own hair and bid it to grow into a faery. Behind the girl's green eyes and quiet nature, Arthur could see her mother's intelligence and a hidden ferocity just waiting to be released.
    "Very good, thank you." Arthur nodded to her and she bowed once before disappearing behind the others. He turned to Lancelot. "Are we all ready to go?"
    "I think so. All the knights are here, the horses are saddled. The faeries' mounts are outside the gates. Once we leave, we are to join the Western army. They will lead the charge."
    "Alright. Mount up. My fingers are already itching for battle." With Rogan's help, Arthur swung up onto the back of his big black steed.
    "Take care, my lord." The man patted the flank of the horse tenderly as he bid the king farewell.
    "Thank you, Rogan. We