Page 37 of Vale of Dreams

Nivene follows behind me, and I glance back at her before I cross into the castle. Her hair glows with a purplish sheen under the moonlight. “Did you explore the castle?” Nivene asks.

“Not too much,” I say cautiously. “It’s not in a great shape.”

“Still, it’s worth checking out?—”

“Yes, but not tonight. We don’t have time.”

“Right.” Nivene sighs. “My sister Alix would have loved seeing this.”

I lead her through the castle doors, into the hall with the banquet table set for a party centuries ago that never took place. Nivene is marveling at it, wondering what it’s doing there.

My muscles tense at every sound, and my breath catches with every movement out of the corner of my eye. Fortunately, Mordred is still nowhere to be seen. When we reach the double doors at the end of the hall, I push them open, and we cross into the courtyard, where the ley stones wait for us.

“I can feel their magic,” Nivene whispers by my side.

I’ve known Nivene for a while, but we’ve never gone on a mission together. It’s truly a sign of Viviane’s desperation that she’s sending MI-13’s only two Sentinels together.

As we get closer, I feel Nivene’s power mingling with my own and reverberating around the towering rocks.

“Do you feel that?” I ask. “Not just the ley portal, but our powers combining?”

She smiles, and I realize I’ve hardly ever seen her smile before. “Yes. My magic used to twine together with Alix’s in the same way.”

When I glance at the dolmens, they glow faintly with our red Sentinel magic, like the light of Brocéliande’s moon. In the grassy space between them, a dark portal opens, a shadow yawning between the stones. Larger this time.

I stare at the gaping hole.

When we go through that portal, I’ll be better prepared. I’ve read everything in Cadoc’s thoughts—the layout of the fortress’s grounds, the placement of security details.

“Once we get through, let me take the lead. We take the horses to the eastern wall, and we avoid the soldiers at the main gate. At that gate, they mostly stop people coming in, not going out. That’s where Raphael left from.”

She nods, smoothing her coat. We’re dressed in the sleek black outfits of Fey messengers, tight trousers and a fitted jacket with buttons down the front. “If they try to stop us, can you handle them with your mind control?” she asks.

“Hang on.” I close my eyes, tugging at the violet threads of my telepathy. Immediately, pain shoots through my skull, so fierce that I want to vomit. Staggering back, I let my magic sputter and die. Since the Dream Stalker severed my connection to Cadoc, this has happened every time I try to use that power. My primal magic for which I earned the Avalon Steel torc? It’s basically hot garbage right now.

I wince. “Maybe if it’s life or death, but it feels like my sinuses are going to explode.”

“Okay. Well, if anyone gives us trouble, we can slit their throats and then bury the bodies in the cold earth. I do enjoy that sometimes.”

Silence stretches between us. “Great. Good times. Are you ready?”

She nods. “Let’s get on with it.”

I reach out and touch one of the dolmens. Its cold, ancient magic slips into my chest, winding around my ribs, pulling me closer. I stumble forward into the portal. For one heartbeat, I’m in both places at once—two sets of ring stones, mirroring each other. Then I fall hard onto the frozen ground between the jagged stones of Brocéliande, snow stinging my hands. I hear Nivene swearing under her breath from the force of the fall.

Snow whips through the air, and I glance up at the castle in the distance. But as I do, I see a shadow moving toward us and the glint of steel under the night sky. Shit.

“Halt!” his voice booms, echoing off the towering outer walls.

He’s running now with his sword drawn. We’ve just materialized out of nowhere, right in front of a guard.

I scan him as he runs closer. He’s tall, even for a Fey, and heavily armored. His coppery hair streams behind him. We can probably still take him, but we can’t afford to let him shout for reinforcements.

But as he gets even closer, I realize that I know his name. In fact, I recognize him through Cadoc’s memories.

“Riwanon!” I call out, grinning wide. “Imagine meeting you here.”

He slows his running, then stops when he’s only a few feet away. His forehead crinkles. “Do I know you?”

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