Master of Smoke

been doing for hundreds of years.

    Half an hour later, Belle found Morgana Le Fay on the city’s practice grounds, a manicured expanse of grass dotted with combat circles of carefully raked sand. Low bushes separated the circles, bursting with a variety of white blooms that perfumed the air with sweetness.
    Morgana watched Tristan and Arthur batter each other in one of those circles, blunted swords swinging in flashing arcs. The two men wore suits of magical armor that glittered in the moonlight as they circled, attacked, and retreated in a dazzling display of agility and strength.
    Despite the complicated rhythms of combat, Tristan was simultaneously carrying on a spirited argument with Morgana.
    “What about Delfina?” he demanded. “She’s worked with me before.”
    “Which is why she doesn’t want to work with you now,” Morgana said, an edge of impatience in her voice. “She said, and I quote, ‘Tristan may be a Knight of the Round Table, but he’s also an arrogant prick. “Model of chivalry,” my rosy pink arse.’”
    “I’m extremely chivalrous,” Tristan said, deeply offended. He spun, his blade flashing right at Arthur’s helmeted head. “And I need a witch for this mission.”
    Arthur blocked the blow, then counterattacked, driving Tristan backward with a rain of blows. “Prick or not, Morgana, I want him in on this hunt.”
    As Belle joined her, Morgana met her gaze and rolled her eyes. “Then he needs to quit being such a jackass. I can’t get anybody of the necessary power and experience to agree to work with him. And I don’t dare send one of the younger Majae. Not against Warlock.”
    Vampires—who were always male—could not work spells, though they could shapeshift. Only female Majae like Belle and Morgana had magical abilities. Which meant if Tristan wanted a dimensional gate opened, he needed a Maja partner to do it for him.
    Why Merlin had divided magical abilities along sexual lines, nobody knew. It was just the way things worked, at least for the Magekind. The rules were different for dragons, werewolves, and Sidhe warriors like Smoke.
    But then, Merlin hadn’t created them.
    “So order someone, dammit,” Arthur snapped, as he circled the knight, blade clanging on blade as each tested the other’s guard. “I want that bastard found. He killed twelve Latents and damn near blew my son to hell, along with a whole bunch of mortals. And we still haven’t found Smoke, which strongly suggests the Sidhe’s dead, too. If he’s not, I want him found. Either way, Warlock needs to pay.”
    “I’ll go with him.” Belle blinked in appalled surprise as the words left her mouth. What the hell did I just say?
    In his astonishment, Tristan dropped his guard. Arthur’s blunted sword clanked hard against his helmed head, and he staggered. Shaking off the blow, he flipped up his visor and glowered at her. “Forget that.”
    Instantly offended, Belle glared back at him. “I have more than enough experience.”
    “In the sack, perhaps ...”
    “Combat experience, jerk,” she snapped, stung. “Arthur said I acquitted myself well in the Dragon Wars.” Belle gave the former king her best demanding stare. “Didn’t you?”
    “She did,” Arthur said, bracing his blunted weapon on the ground. He flipped his visor up, revealing his bearded face and dark, acute gaze as he studied his friend.
    “I don’t care,” Tristan snapped. “I don’t want her.” He turned and lifted his sword. “Let’s try that again.”
    Furious at his cavalier dismissal, Belle balled her fists and took a step toward the field. “I’ll show you combat, you arrogant ...”
    Morgana caught her by one shoulder and dragged her to a halt. “Not a good idea, darling.” She dropped her voice. “What’s this about, Belle? You’ve never evinced much interest in going on field missions before.”
    “Maybe I’m sick of being the Whore of Avalon.” She glared at Tristan, now in an intense low-voiced argument with Arthur.
    Her friend stiffened in outrage. “Who would dare call you such a thing?”
    “Spare me, Morgana. I know you’ve heard it before. They rarely say it to my face, but they do say it.”
    “I assure you, nobody uses that name in my presence. Maja court seducer is a difficult and dangerous job, and you’re the best at it we’ve ever had. How many others have we lost to blood-mad vampires? You know how to handle them. And every man you’ve Changed adores you still.”
    “Only