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

will return soon."
    The servant nodded and walked away. Arthur saw him take up position on the castle steps to watch the procession leave. The king trotted over to where the western general was standing with her second in command. "We are ready," he said when she looked his way.
    With a curt nod, she walked toward the gates. Arthur kept pace beside her and the gates swung open at their approach. He glanced back once before they shut behind him. Rogan was still standing on the steps, his face grim as he watched the king leave. Arthur hoped dearly that he would see the man again.
    The faeries were greeted by their small contingents as the gates closed. Each general mounted the steed of their choice. Most were riding horses, but Isobel's son sat atop a large cat-like beast covered in a strange pattern of orange fur and yellow scales. It stretched and growled as the faery leapt onto its shoulders, calling to it in a language Arthur did not understand.
    The knights were silent as they followed their king and Eden around the side of the castle. As they reached the corner, Arthur could see a gap between the mobs of faeries. A clear patch of green divided the armies of North and West, causing Arthur to shake his head inwardly. He wondered how the four nations would fair in battle. Normally at odds, they would be forced to join together and support one another. They could not win the coming battle if they insisted on keeping their armies so disjointed. He hoped that they would see that before it became too late.
    When they reached the middle of the Western army, the mass of bodies parted, allowing the general and the knights through. Arthur examined the faces around him. Many were very human-looking, with minor feature changes such as pointed ears, colored skin, and strange glowing eyes. But scattered among the others, he could see heads full of green leaves, twig-like arms, towering beasts that reminded him of a giant he had once fought. He looked up as he heard a roar overhead. A large tawny creature swept low over the army, its enormous white-speckled wings spread wide. Its head and legs were those of a falcon, its body covered in fur. It had a long, scaly tale with a deadly barb on the end. On its back rode a faery, tall and lanky, steering the creature with his hands and nothing else. He had a bow slung across his back. He waved to the knights below and Eden returned the wave.
    "My brother, Etain," she said by way of explanation as she steered the column in the direction he had flown. "He opened the way for us."
    Arthur looked around at his men as they walked. Most of them seemed curious about the beings around them, their eyes darting every which way as they tried to take in all the new creatures. But Tristan's eyes were locked on the sky, watching the beast as it ducked and dived with surprising agility, its rider clinging tightly to its back. Arthur smiled. The knight had always loved the creatures of the wood, taming wild beasts and bringing them home with him. Tristan had had several falcons, some deer, and a fox, but Arthur drew the line the day Tristan tried to bring a pair of bear cubs into the castle. Instead, he gave Tristan a small plot of land outside the city with a little lodge and allowed him to set up a wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary fell to pieces after Tristan died. If they survived this war, Arthur promised himself, he would get the faeries to allow Tristan to set up another sanctuary, one that he could run for the rest of his days.
    "We are here." Eden's soft voice broke through the king's musings. Before him stood a hedge, tall and wide. In the center was a black hole, leading off into the darkness.
    "That is the way?"
    The princess nodded once, looking at him expectantly.
    He glanced back at Kay and Lancelot. Rarely did they agree on anything, but both had expressions of doubt and concern on their faces.
    "Are you coming?" When Arthur looked back, Eden was standing in the gaping hole. She gave him an odd