Page 100 of Vale of Dreams

I stumble and stop in my place, aghast, staring in disbelief at the jagged ring stones beyond the willow tree.

My breath leaves my lungs. Tonight, the portal is surrounded by guards.

To them, the portal is invisible, undetectable. As far as they know, they’re standing around a few stumpy, jagged rocks with a new addition—a young sapling, freshly planted in the snowy earth between the stones.

What. The. Fuck.

I get my heartbeat under control and calmly stroll toward the guards, a tiny smile on my lips. As I get closer, I recognize one of them. It’s the soldier I saw earlier in Talan’s room.

Fear crawls up my nape.

“Evening, my lady,” he says respectfully when I’m a few yards away. “How fares the prince?”

“He’s doing remarkably well,” I say. “He’ll be up and about in no time. It’ll take more than some iron to fell the grandson of Queen Morgan.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I straighten, trying to gain control of the situation. “So, I see you’re following your instructions.” I nod at the tree.

He glances at the sapling, then turns back to me. He’s clearly confused. “Oh. Um, yes. I wasn’t sure if you knew about it. I assumed he might intend it as a surprise.”

I let out a small, careless laugh. “Talan and I don’t keep secrets from each other. Of course I know about it. I find it a bit strange, though.”

The guard shuffles uncomfortably. “Well, the prince has an unusual mind. When he first told me to plant a tree to commemorate your love, I suggested that he wait until the end of winter. It is hard for things to grow at this time of year. But he liked the symbolism of it.”

Sure, he does. “I see,” I say, my heart sinking. “It’ll be hard to get it to take root in this cold. On the farm, we never planted anything around this time.”

“He was quite insistent. Perhaps if you suggest that we could plant later in the year, after the snow thaws…” He leaves the words hanging.

“Well, you know the prince,” I say. “Once his mind is set…”

“Of course.” He smiles at me.

“And I see you planted it right where he told you.”

He tenses, looking back at it. “Yes. I checked several times. He was very clear that I must not get it wrong. This is the exact position he indicated.”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “Royalty. You’d think he’d ask me first. After all, I know more than the prince does about gardening. The ground here is incredibly rocky, and most of the day, it’s cast in shadows from that giant willow. It’ll be impossible for the tree to thrive here. It’d be better to move the sapling to a sunnier location. Maybe the eastern side of the fortress.”

“The prince was very insistent,” the guard says with a tight smile. “This is the location.”

“That’s probably the delirium.” I sigh. “Iron poisoning. I think the prince will be most grateful if you move the tree commemorating our love somewhere it can actually grow. If it dies, I imagine the prince will be furious. It will seem like a bad omen, planted by you.”

The guard swallows. “With all due respect, my lady, the prince told me that if the sapling isn’t right where it is when he checks on it, we will all be executed on the spot. Specifically, he mentioned ripping my lungs out through my back. So, I will keep it here, I think.”

I act exasperated. “And I assume he instructed you to guard it?”

The man nods. “Four guards, fully armed, at all times. Prince Talan knows that your love is…criticized at court. He doesn’t want the tree vandalized.”

I consider touching him, forcing my mind into his, prodding him to leave. But if Talan threatened all four guards, I would need to mind control each of them. Impossible.

“Of course. How thoughtful of him. Well, gentlemen, I hope you have a nice evening.”

They bid me farewell, and I turn away, my heart hammering.

As I stalk across the courtyard, I glance back at the portal, my thoughts roiling.

I’m now trapped here.

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