Avalon Rising by Kathryn Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

say. “That was Marcus’s condition of knighthood—it’d be temporary. Only until the Grail was found. And only if it was by him.”
    And then, what? We haven’t spoken of what would become of the two of us, if he’d join me in escaping to some wonderful place once the Grail is safe in Camelot. Although, that was before rogues attacked Jerusalem.
    Rufus squints as he regards the midnight blue of the sky. In the light flickering from the gas lanterns on these streets, snow whispers to the ground. The blacksmith kneels in a crouch by his shop as he might have in the middle of a blustery day with nobility passing through, calling to one another with insincere waves and smiles all the more so. Phantoms of serfs might have tipped their ruddy hats toward one another, atop of which goggles would have held together with whatever they could find.
    A sadness falls over Rufus’s eyes. “What I wouldn’t give for him to know I’m alive.”
    Neither of us is foolish enough to believe that just because word hasn’t gotten to us means Marcus is safe. They’d surely notify Camelot if a knight was killed, no matter what Marcus believed. “No one will remember me if I don’t return.” But the simple inconvenience of not having the same communicative alchemic abilities as Merlin and Azur is dreadfully frightening. If Marcus is dying right now, we wouldn’t hear of it until at least a month has passed. A month of his body freezing in the wilderness. I need to find Marcus fast. Before any of this could happen.
    “There is a way,” I hear myself tell Rufus.

SEVEN
    The blacksmith tilts his head in my direction, waiting for my explanation. I step closer, eyes glancing about with care in case my father were to spot me and promptly take me back to the main castle to await the forthcoming aeroship.
    “Before Marcus left … ” I don’t know where to begin, or even if Rufus should know what task the Lady of the Lake set upon me. I don’t know if I can trust him—he went years without revealing his identity. But he’s Marcus’s father, and we both want the same thing, and by God, if I can do nothing for Azur in Jerusalem or my missing mother, I can do this. “I was to build an aeroship.”
    “For the knights, I imagine.” The blacksmith faces me. “You accomplished this feat, my lady?”
    I hesitate. “Not exactly. Mostly. There are still some missing elements.” Like the jaseemat I’ll need.
    “In Lyonesse, when an inventor responded with such uncertainty, by nightfall the next day, he was already slave to magic.” Rufus loses himself in the idea for only a second before returning to the present. “One could use this ship to find the knights?”
    “Better,” I say, my usual defiance vanished for zeal, even though my aeroship certainly merits no form of boasting just yet. “One could use it to find Avalon.” To sell my creation to Rufus might make all the difference.
    A rare smile shapes his solemn face into a younger one, showing me a stark resemblance to Marcus. “Once you rebuilt Merlin’s copper bird, I knew you’d soon be up to something else. I understand what it’s like to lose yourself to the mechanical arts.”
    And he must understand that I need help. “To complete my aeroship will take knowledge and experience I do not have. Help me turn it into something the likes of which would even impress Azur.”
    The blacksmith stiffens when I mention Merlin’s mentor. “Don’t compare yourself to men who might be too wise for their own good, my lady.”
    I ignore the comment. “The vessel is nearly complete, resurrected out of the Norwegian steel Merlin and I stole for the mechanical dragon.” Picking apart Victor like a hungry vulture was a bleak affair, but reforming its brass and copper into a ship to glide across the sky was exhilarating. Seeing it from the height of Merlin’s clock tower is enough to yearn to escape on it forever. “It needs alchemy to work, and I need Azur’s help, but he’s in