Chapter Twenty-One: Father-Daughter Bonding

Carmen raised her fists, ready to deck him again. Russell wiped the blood away from his mouth.

To Carmen's surprise, he chuckled. "You think you can defeat me?" he chortled. "You think this mortal foolishness," he indicated her fists, "will stop me?"

He took a step closer. Carmen raised her fists a little higher, trying not to let her panic show. "Stay back," she managed through gritted teeth, though her heart was in her throat. He had caught her unawares before, it was true, but somehow, this time he was even more terrifying than ever. He looked the same, but conducted himself differently.

Russell laughed again. It made Carmen's hair stand on end. She knew that laugh. That definitely wasn't his laugh. It was Mordred's.

No. It couldn't be.

"No, Carmen," Russell grinned terribly. "Mordred hasn't possessed me. But he has lent me his power. I can be," he declared, his body was fluidly changing, "anyone," he cackled as he was Mordred, "anytime," his voice deepened and took on an Oklahoman twang as he was Two-Bit, "anywhere," and himself again.

Carmen unconsciously took a step back as he advanced upon her. Russell noticed this action and smiled even more widely.

"You can't run from me forever, Caiman," he said softly. His voice was like black silk. Carmen wondered whose voice it really was.

Russell took another step forward, and Carmen took another one back and her back was suddenly against the wall. She was trapped.

Russell bared his teeth, still grinning maniacally. "Gotcha," he whispered. Then, before Carmen even knew what was happening, he lunged forward and, grabbing her by the shoulders, vanished.

They landed with a crash on Mordred's dungeon floor, with Russell's back thwacking against the hard stone. Carmen had somehow ended up on top of Russell, her knees jabbing into his kidneys.

Whipping out a blade, she held the edge to Russell's throat. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat now," she snarled. The words were barely out of her mouth when the blade in question flew out of her hand and sailed smoothly into Mordred's, where it crumbled into dust.

"My dear daughter," he smirked. "Welcome."

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Carmen! Two-Bit thought, overjoyed. Kick his ass so we can get outta here!

"Where's Two-Bit?" he heard her ask.

Can't she see me? Two-Bit thought desperately. Did Mordred put an invisibility thing on me too? Man, if only I could wring his scrawny neck…

"Get off my apprentice," Mordred responded. "And then we can discuss the matter."

Russell pushed Carmen off and massaged his sides, shooting her nasty looks that she returned with a dignified, icy stare.

"Where is Two-Bit?" Carmen repeated, her eyes smoldering embers though her expression remained the same as she looked Mordred square in the eye.

"Now, now," Mordred said with a pained expression. "Must we once again decline from the formalities of negotiation and proper dueling? Come, come, do have a seat. We have so much…catching up to do," he said with an evil smile.

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"Do tell," Mordred said, still smiling, pouring a cup of steaming tea once they had sat down at a stone table in the dark, damp dungeon. "How is it that you came to break the fairy's curse?"

Carmen didn't touch her cup. It could be poison, for all she knew, or something that would force the truth out of her. Or just really bad tea.

"Why should I tell you?" she replied coldly. "You're just going to use it against me."

"On the contrary, my dear." The term of affection sounded strange from Mordred's mouth. "I want to help you. You see, if you tell me what I want to know, then you can see your mortal friend again."

Carmen's heart rate quickened. Two-Bit?

"Drink up," Mordred urged. "So, how did you manage?"

"Where's Two-Bit?" Carmen blurted, ignoring the two statements he had just made.

"All in good time, my dear, all in good time," Mordred smiled.

Carmen pretended to take a sip. Lowering the cup, she said, "Why are you doing this? Why can't you leave him out of this?"

"Because you share his magic. And, my dear, I want all of it. You can keep your magic for now and let him die, and I'll just acquire it later, or you can forfeit it and he's yours. You can be perfectly happy as mortals," he scowled the word, as if saying it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"No choice?" Carmen asked without hope.

"None," Mordred replied flatly. He smiled again. Just seeing it frightened Carmen more than seeing his rage. "Drink up, your tea's getting cold."

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Ooh, cliffhanger. Sort of. I hate this chapter but there it is anyway. Blah.