"So what happened in magic fairy land?" Mike sat on one of the beds in the crappy hotel room. I'd wanted us to stay at the Luxor or somewhere cool, but Mike didn't want to pay that much and I didn't have the dough to throw at it. It was a little disappointing, but what can you do? William hadn't thought we needed to get a room at all, but Patrick had helpfully pointed out neither man had showered in fifty years. Which to them had been only a week, but still.

Rather than wander around trying to find a restaurant, we'd ordered pizza while we took turns in the shower. Putting on the same dirty clothes meant the knights were still a little smelly, but not nearly as bad as they had been. I hoped the hotel staff didn't notice there were five of us. They required ID to check in, and Mike had told them it was just him and me. I didn't think the hotel would accept a fifty year old drivers license, and Lady didn't have ID at all.

On the plus side, Sir Hardy had done his armor trick and healed me and Mike. I'd forgotten how nice it was to just not be hurt. If anything, I felt better now than I had all week. I wasn't even tired anymore.

"That's a long story," Sir William cracked open a beer. We'd picked up a case on the way here. He took a grateful drink, then made a face. "American." He sighed. "I suppose it will have to do."

"It was Roderick," Patrick cut in. He lounged on the other bed with one arm tucked behind his head, nursing a beer of his own. Lady uttered a low curse at the name.

"Roderick?" I prompted.

"A traitor and a scourge," Lady explained. "He became a knight of Avalon shortly after the Partition was raised. We learned too late that he was a son of Mordred."

"Mordred?" Mike perked up. "King Arthur's kid?"

"The same," said Sir William. "Camelot was a real place, but the legends aren't entirely accurate."

"The Knights of the Round Table quested for a number of holy artifacts, but the Grail was not one of them." Lady had a faraway look as she spoke. "Their true purpose was to gather the power necessary to create the Partition. Half the world waged war to prevent it. We triumphed in the end, but at great cost. Arthur and most of his knights perished. Camelot itself perished." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "My family perished."

"You talk about it like you were there," I said.

"She was," said Patrick. "Ne-" he interrupted himself with a cough. "The Lady was the Lady of the Lake when the Partition went up. She's been guarding it ever since."

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"Funny," Mike squinted at the woman. "You don't look like you're a thousand years old."

"Older than that," said the Green Knight. He gestured at Lady. "She doesn't age as long as she's wearing that necklace."

"Philosopher's stone," Patrick explained. "We think Roderick's got one, too."

"Which brings us back to the story," Sir William segued. "The Island of Avalon isn't part of this world anymore. The only way to reach it is if a priestess opens the way."

"Or at least that's what we thought," Patrick cut in.

"Right. Anyway," Sir William continued, "Avalon has only ever been attacked twice before since the Partition was raised, so we knights don't spend a lot time defending it."

"Mostly we hunt monsters," Patrick added.

"Most of the powerful beasties were banished by the Partition," Sir William took another drink. "The hydras and krakens and all that. But most of the sorcerers and demigods that deal with that sort of thing are gone, too. If something nasty pops up, there aren't many with the power to deal with it."

"We got word there was a wendigo up in Canada," Patrick picked up the conversation. "Little town in the Yukon. The son of a bitch had eaten his way through half the town when we got there."

"We went after it, of course," said William. "Chased the bastard up into the mountains. But it was a set up. Roderick and his mates were waiting right where we caught up with it."

"They were doing some kinda hoodoo," said Patrick. "A big damn ritual. We stumbled into the clearing right at the end of it." He took a swig. "One second all five of us are running through the snow, and the next," William snapped his fingers. "Magic fairy land."

" Tír na nÓg, to be precise," said William. "One of the Otherworlds on the other side of the Partition. We didn't have time to sort that out, though. Roderick and his mates came at us, and the wendigo jumped in. The fight..." He grimaced. "Did not go well."

"Our numbers were even," William continued. "But Jim was new, and he wasn't ready to take on the Black fucking Knight. Roderick cut him down, and then got Nolan when he tried to help."

"The Orange knight squashed Sam," Patrick shook his head, "William and I couldn't do a damned thing."

"We were busy with the other three." Sir Hardy sighed. "We wouldn't be alive at all if Morgaine hadn't shown up."

"Morgaine?" My brows went up. "You mean..."

"Morgaine Le Fae," William confirmed. "Turns out she was the reason Roderick wanted to go to Tír na nÓg. She helped built the Partition, and she put in a back door to most places. Roderick bargained for access in exchange for sparing our lives."

"I told her not to take the deal," Patrick shook his head. "If she said no, that jive-ass fool would be stuck in fairyland forever."

"At which point they would have killed her, slaughtered us, and maybe found the way out on their own," William disagreed. "She made the only play she could." He got himself another beer. "She said she could get us back to the world, but she needed a week to prepare the way." He frowned at the door. "When are they going to bring us our goddamned pizza?"

Mike shrugged. "The guy said it would be an hour or so."

"Bloody hell."

"Jim and Nolan and Sam," Lady let out a breath. "They were good men. I'm glad at least the two of you made it back."

"Me too," said William. "But I'd be more glad if we hadn't lost fifty years."

"Timey wimey bullshit," Patrick seconded.

"I know. And Roderick will pay for what he's done." Lady leaned forward, a fierce gleam in her eye. "Now tell me, my knights. Did you retrieve the swords of the fallen?"