Lancelot’s dark pupils glinted. “Only now that I’m seeing it, I’m wondering how Tedros could give you a ring made of Evil’s gold.”

Sophie’s heart hammered, like an alarm set off.

“Black-swan gold, to be exact,” said Lancelot. “Every black swan has a single gold tooth at the back of its mouth—gold which has nefarious properties when it touches human skin. Since the very first tale, black-swan gold has been hunted by Nevers as a powerful weapon, the same way Good has long sought steel from the Lady of the Lake. For centuries, Evil murdered these swans and plundered their gold, killing every last one. Still, Evil had all the black-swan gold it could ask for . . . before King Arthur led his knights on a quest to destroy it. A quest on which I rode by Arthur’s side, finding and smashing treasure after treasure, until there wasn’t a shred of black-swan gold left in the Endless Woods.” Lancelot grinned. “Except, it seems, for the one circling your finger.”

Sophie stood up. “It’s dark out there—I should check on Tedros—”

“The effects of black-swan gold are unmistakable,” Lancelot went on. “Once you wear it upon your skin, it commits your heart to Evil, no matter how hard you try to be Good. It is like a wicked compass that steers you towards sin, without you even realizing it. Wear it long enough and it will convince you it knows the secret of your Ever After . . . that it knows what your heart really wants . . . that it can even prove who your true love is. Ask it a name and the magic ring will carve the answer you seek upon your skin, like a guiding light—but that answer will only lead you right back to Evil, where you began.”

Sophie was numb now, trapped in her chair.

“Stories go wrong when people think their own happiness is bigger than anyone else’s,” said Lancelot. “Arthur knew Guinevere loved me, and still he put a ring on her finger, even knowing she wouldn’t be happy as his queen. In the end he left the wreckage of a family and two real loves exiled forever. I, too, lost a best friend, for Arthur was like a brother to me. But at least Gwen and I live the truth now. We have each other, as it should have been from the beginning. What does Arthur have? He’s dead and his queen’s ring long destroyed, for Guinevere couldn’t wear a ring that didn’t belong to her in the first place. Not when she belonged with someone else.”

Sophie saw Lancelot staring harder.

“Which begs a question of our queen-to-be,” he said, rising from his seat. He put his big, meaty hands on the table and leaned towards her. “You’re wearing a ring that doesn’t belong to your prince, young Sophie . . .”

The dark knight drew closer, closer, until Sophie saw his devilish, cold-eyed face reflected in the gold on her finger.