Meeting of Two Worlds.

Arthur paused in the doorway of the library. “Wait. Did not the men who came say a window was open?”

Gawain nodded. “Yes. Why?”

Lancelot’s lips pursed. “Meagan made certain all the windows and doors were bolted and secure.”

Bors unsheathed his weapons. “I say we find that open window.”

“We have to be cautious,” Arthur advised as his knights pulled weapons free. “Until we learn the name of the evil that takes the shape of the shadow we cannot defeat it.”

“You certainly know how to reassure us,” Lancelot quipped.

They crept down the hall, examining each room in turn. It was the kitchen’s small window above the stove. Gawain went over to peer about, and then shut the window. Shaking his head he followed as the others began to search. “Merlin!” he called, wondering if it would bring the shadow to its true form.

Bors called out next. “Vanora?” When the knights halted and looked at him he shrugged. “You never know. I have often made her angry.”

Gawain snickered, and Arthur scowled. “This is no time for levity, Bors.”

“There!” Dagonet pointed off. “It goes to the bathing room!”

“Galahad and Meagan are in that room,” Lancelot stated.

Arthur’s lips thinned. He knew he should not hesitate. Two lives were at stake, and he could not let jealousy take control of him. “Dagonet.” He stood back to let the big man step towards the door.

Dagonet hefted his axe, and with a grimace let it fly in a downward curb at the wood of the door. It took three good swings to splinter the door. Lancelot snorted ironically. “First we interrupt their bed sport, and now their bathing sport. If the shadow was not in this dwelling I would think this was a plan to keep them apart.”

Arthur glared at him. “Keep your mind upon the battle ahead, Lancelot.”

“Of course,” the curly haired knight nodded in agreement.

The door crashed open, and the knights burst into the room behind Dagonet who charged within with a roar.

………………………………………
Meagan purred as Galahad’s large hands cupped her breasts from behind. She had decided a shower to cool her temper was in order. Galahad had decided joining her was in order. The water and soap made their skin slippery, and the steamy spray only enhanced their growing desire.

Galahad slid his hands down her sides to her hips, his fingers splayed wide, and his teeth worried at the curve where her shoulder met her neck. “Let me inside you,” he groaned, pressing his hips into her rear, bending his knees slightly and probing between her thighs with his swollen shaft. “That is the way,” he urged when she braced herself against the wall of the shower, pushed her tempting behind out towards him, and parted her thighs. The head of his arousal probed the slick folds of her, and sliding over her heat, and unerringly finding her opening.

She moaned long and low, feeling him inch slowly in until his hips were pressed tight to her rear. “Galahad!” she gasped, wriggling against him, wanting him to move, and bracing herself against the wet shower wall.

He slid a hand to her belly, and down to the nest of curls at the apex of her thighs. Past the curls his fingers wriggled, and found that protruding little nub that he could toy with to make her cry out and squirm more. “Meagan, continue to move as such and I will not last,” he growled, gently biting her earlobe and tugging on it.

“Don’t you dare come now!” she panted. “Galahad, I want more.”

Neither noticed the dark wisp of shadow that crept in under the door, clawing its way across the floor towards the lovers in the shower. A pounding at the door was ignored as the lovers strained and moaned, knowing whoever was at the door would have to wait a little while longer. But the pounding became an axe’s head breaking through the wood, and finally the door crashed against the wall, and Dagonet roared as he rushed in.
…………………………………………

Meagan screamed. Galahad fell back while fumbling for his weapon only to remember he did not have it at hand, and she automatically threw the bar of soap at Dagonet. It sailed past him, and caught Arthur in the chest. She had no shower curtain to wrap about her, the shower made of glass walls. Clamping her thighs together she put hands over her breasts.

“What…?” Her words froze in her throat when the shower door rattled, and the inky blackness of the shadow pressed against the steamed-up glass.

Galahad pulled her behind him, his hands fisted, and his feet firmly planted. He knew no weapon would harm the evil creature. “Meagan…” He wanted her to know just how deeply his feelings for her went, wanted to hear she felt some blossom of tenderness for him in return. “I want to… Are you listening to me?” He could swear she was mumbling.

Meagan peered past his arm, her lips moving in constant prayer. She was not ready to die, in the shower, with a naked man who had lived over a thousand years ago.

On the other side of the room Dagonet shouted, his axe passing harmlessly through the shadow, and the blade turning black and crumbling. The shadow stretched one tendril out towards him, just touching his hand. The knight screamed, his body stiffening, and his hand beginning to turn grayish-blue.

“Noooooo!” Bors shouted, dropping his weapons and grabbing his best friend by the neck of his armor and yanking him back.

Gawain threw a box of salt, the contents flying about, and Galahad threw open the shower door as he also shouted in rage and fear. The contact was broken, Dagonet collapsed to the floor, and the shadow shrieked in rage and pain.

Meagan pushed out, now unmindful of her nakedness. “You crossed the threshold of my home without invitation.” Bending she lifted the box of salt, glad it still had some within. “In the name of the Mother Goddess and the Great Horned God I call forth your true form.” She threw a handful of salt.

The shadow shrieked, tried to lunge at her, but she threw more. “In the name of the Mother Goddess and the Great Horned God I call forth your true form,” she repeated. “To cross uninvited takes your power away. In the name of the Mother Goddess and the Great Horned God I call forth your true form.” More salt flew. She was going to run out of it very soon.

All tensed and still the knights waited with bated breath. The shadow began to pull in on itself, began to coalesce, and as it did it lunged one last time. A clawed tendril whipped out, and Meagan felt the icy slap of it against her face. All of her stiffened, and her breath seemed to freeze in her lungs. Galahad shouted, jumping forward to defend her.

Arthur stared. “My God! Germanus!”

The shadow recoiled, spun, and became a pointy-faced man that sneered. Galahad knelt on the floor, an unmoving Meagan in his arms. Gawain held his axe up, reading to hurl it at the robed stranger. “You know him, Arthur?”

“Bishop Gaius Germanus,” Arthur announced. “He was a friend of my father’s.”

“I do not give a damn who he is, I say we kill him.” Bors took a menacing step forward.

Germanus laughed, the sound cold and dark. “I am even more powerful in my true form. What chance do you stand against one as me?”

“You are a man of God!” Arthur shouted. “How could you do something as evil as this?”

The bishop sneered, and his eyes became slits. “Poor naïve Arthur Castus. So devoted to his men. So devoted to his God. So devoted to his visions of fairness and equality.” He snorted loudly. “The true power lies in the darkness. It is why God preaches that we turn from it. He does not want to share power.”

“The Pope…”

“Is weak,” spat Germanus. “He sits in his palace, showing a pious face to the world, but behind closed doors feasts and indulges in pleasure of the flesh. He turns a blind eye to the insatiable vagaries of the populace so long as they line his coffers with gold, and gives blessing over them like the proper Holy Father should. In Rome your men would be sold into slavery, the prettier ones into private training to please the wealthy men and women no matter their needs, and the others as gladiators to feed the bloodlust of the populace.”

Arthur shook his head. “No, Pelages…”

The robed man laughed, and suddenly stopped to meet the commander’s gaze. “He was excommunicated and killed.” His lips twitched and an unnatural glow entered his eyes. “He prayed to his last breath, and took ever so long to die…”

Arthur lunged, his lips curled back and his body trembling with rage. He was able to slam the man he had once called friend against the wall, a large hand at his throat. “Were you not already dead I would squeeze the very breath from you.”

“And I will take your soul.” The words were said quietly. “It will never know the peace of Heaven. It will be denied salvation. I will keep it, and toy with it for all eternity.” It knew how that would bring a chilling fear to the pious man. “I could do it now, Arthur, but I would have you suffer more first. I will take the others before you. I will leave the woman to savor and torture, and will take her soul just before taking yours. You care for her. You want her. I have watched you with her. You do not care that one of your men loves her. You would touch her, and taste her. Maybe I will have her before I kill her.”

Arthur slammed a fist into the man’s face while his other hand still held him by the throat. It only made the bishop laugh. Stumbling back the commander drew his sword. He shook, his mouth dry and his heart hammering against his ribs. Damn Germanus for cutting too close to the bone with his words. “You will not win, Germanus. We will stop you.”

Galahad was bent over Meagan, his lips brushing continuously over her brow. “Do not leave me,” he whispered. “Please, Meagan, do not leave me. You must come back to me. We need you,” he whispered. He rocked her, the motion subconscious and to soothe them both. His fingers touched her lips, feeling for her breathing, finding she did indeed still live, and then stroked over the smoky stains upon the right side of her face.

“None can stop me,” the bishop stated. “None.”

Galahad lifted his face, his eyes tormented. “She will not wake. Arthur…”

The pleading in the knight’s voice was like icy water over Arthur’s whole body. He dared not take his eyes off the bishop. “Get her out of here,” he commanded. “Is Dagonet able to walk?”

“Dagonet does not wake,” Bors replied.

“Remove them both,” Arthur ordered. Keeping his sword point aimed at Germanus he shifted to be between the knights and the evil creature.

Gawain moved forward to help Bors lift Dagonet. Lancelot moved warily forward as Galahad stood and hefted Meagan into his arms. “I will not leave you, Arthur, to face this alone.”

“Go,” he ordered. “I will be a moment only.”

Germanus chuckled. “You believe removing them from my sight will save them?”

Arthur’s mouth tightened. “I believe God will be glad to strike down a man like you. And for this reason He will aid us.”

Gawain returned, and opened a plastic bag. “No idea what is in this pouch, but it is for warding off evil.” He threw a handful of the contents at the bishop.

Germanus shrieked, and dove through the window. It shattered, and he quickly disappeared in the dark shadows of the night. Arthur went to the window, peering out. Glancing back at Gawain he blinked. “I hope you did not use all the contents.”

Gawain grinned.