Page 49 of An Unlikely Knight

Something flickered in his gaze before he dipped his head. “I helped the knight escape. But I can do no more, not without risking my own life.”

Aubrey narrowed her eyes. “Right. So you serve the wizard, but now you suddenly have a conscience? What, you woke up this morning and decided to be a hero?”

His throat bobbed, and he lowered his head slightly, as if ashamed. “Something like that.”

For the first time, hesitation softened the hard angles of his face. When he looked up again, regret shadowed his features. “I could do a thousand good deeds, and it would never be enough. I will never be redeemed. Nor do I deserve to be.”

Aubrey parted her lips to fire back another sharp remark, but no words came.

If he had truly done what he claimed … if he had saved Padraig …

She swallowed hard. “If you’re telling the truth—thank you.”

Gunther gave a small nod, then, without another word, vanished into thin air.

Aubrey gasped, staggering back. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

“That did not just happen.” She stared at the shattered cup at her feet, her hands trembling. “Oh my god. It did.”

She turned and sprinted for the house, shoving the door open with a bang. Barreling through the halls, she burst into the library, where a cluster of familiar faces turned toward her in alarm.

“Padraig is in terrible danger!”

Every eye locked on her. Not only were Gwen and her sisters present, but also John and the four men who had been trapped with Padraig.

“What happened?” Liam demanded, already on his feet.

Aubrey hesitated for just a fraction of a second. Would they believe her? She almost snorted at the absurdity of her doubt. These were people who had crossed from one world to another—yet she was still questioning her own sanity?

“A man,” she blurted. “Gunther. He showed up outside. He said Padraig was in danger.”

Tammie gasped audibly and looked to a wide-eyed Erin. “Gunther? That was his name, wasn’t it? The man who took me and Erin. He kidnapped us and brought us to Meliot’s castle.”

Erin nodded, her gaze darting to Aubrey. “Did he hurt you?”

“No I’m fine.”

John’s gaze darkened. “And now he shows up with a message? That doesn’t make sense.”

“It could be a trap,” Liam muttered, his expression grim.

“Tell us everything,” Tristan said, his voice calm but urgent. “Exactly what happened.”

Aubrey exhaled shakily, recounting every detail—Gunther’s warning, his expression of torment, his cryptic words. By the time she finished, her legs felt weak, and she sank into a chair, exhaustion pressing down on her.

But one thought still gnawed at her.

Had Gunther really betrayed his master?

Or was this just another piece of Meliot’s game?

* * *

Knowing that Aubrey had been in danger made Erin’s stomach hurt. The last thing she wanted was for her cousin to be hurt because of the strange situation she’d fallen into. Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to ask her cousin to stay away from the situation until it was all sorted, Aubrey had now become part of it.

After repeating every word Gunther had spoken and ensuring that she didn’t leave out even the smallest of details, Aubrey sat back, exhausted. “He disappeared, and then I ran in here.”

“Wait,” Gwen said, holding up a hand and getting everyone’s attention. “Erin, in the dreams you see yourself inside a building. There is a battle outside. When you look out, you see these men, fighting.”