Page 106 of Vale of Dreams

With that reassuring comment, she guides her horse into the parted water. Raphael follows close behind.

My horse is of the firm opinion that no, this is not a good idea. Nope, nope, nope.

“C’mon, horse,” I whisper at him. “After the night we’ve gone through, you’ve totally got this.” Soothingly, I rub his neck, whispering reassurances to him, until he follows behind Raphael’s horse.

It’s one of the strangest experiences I’ve been through. Cold river spray mists around me. As I travel through, the river closes up behind me, churning and frosting my back with water droplets. At last, to my horse’s relief and mine, we reach the other side. I turn back to see the roaring river fully restored.

“That was incredible,” I say, “and I hope to never repeat it.”

Raphael is looking at his sister with new-found awe.

She rubs her eyes, exhausted.

“Come on,” I say. “Meriadec’s contact shouldn’t be far off by now. We’ll get some fresh horses there.”

I glance up at the sky, and my stomach clenches as I see the sun rising higher above the horizon.

Our road is lined by snowy, spindly trees glazed with ice. Delirium swims in my thoughts as we exchange our horses with the contact. These animals seem thinner and older than those from the tavern. Mine constantly lags behind and stops to rest every now and then.

Ysolde, who doesn’t have our training, looks to be in worse shape than Raphael and I do. At one point, she breaks into exhausted sobs.

As the sun rises higher in the slate-gray sky, Raphael gets in front of Ysole. Taking her horse by the reins, he leads the way, and Ysolde slumps in her saddle, fast asleep. I keep worrying that she’ll topple off her horse, but she somehow stays on.

As the road widens, I bring my horse alongside Raphael and groan. “My ass is one giant bruise.”

“That’s quite the image.” He arches an eyebrow. “But I know you’ll get through this because I’ve seen you stabbed through your gut and trapped in a nightmare where you were drowned. I’ve seen you attacked by the veil itself. So, you’ll be fine with a bruised arse, pixie princess.”

I glare at him, and we ride in silence. His use of that nickname brings back many memories—our kiss in the lake after we jumped off the bridge, the nights we spent in a room watching Caradoc, and the lavender cake Raphael gave me. But they feel a lifetime away, and it’s clear to me that as bittersweet as those memories are, that’s all they are now.

Raphael clears his throat. “You shouldn’t return to Brocéliande after this mission.”

“I have to. As long as I’m in Perillos, I can help turn the tide of the war. If I weren’t there, close to the prince, we wouldn’t have any of this information.”

“It’s too dangerous, even for an agent with many years of experience. And Avalon Steel or not, you’re still new to this. Before I was thrown into their dungeons, maybe I’d have gone along with it.” There’s a pained, ragged edge to his voice that makes my throat tighten. “But after…” He trails off.

I swallow hard. “I know it was brutal.”

“They shouldn’t risk your life like this. They shouldn’t ask you to risk what I endured. It’s worse than you can imagine, Nia. And Talan already suspects there’s a spy. How much longer until he figures out it’s you? That man is a monster. He’s from the House of Morgan, and he’ll destroy us all. Exactly like the prophecy says.”

My heart skips a beat. He’s certain of that point, isn’t he? “Do you really believe in prophecies?”

“Yes.”

I clear my throat. “I know he’s a monster, and maybe I’m the only one who can stop him. Who else will?”

His jaw tightens. “If I have to, I’ll talk to Sir Kay about pulling you off the mission. You cannot end up in their dungeons.”

I glare at him, frustration flaring. “And how many more will we let get captured by the Fey army, brutalized by their torturers? I’ll die when it’s my time. Let me live my life the way I decide. And for now, let’s focus on looking for the portal.”

“I know there are things you aren’t telling me, Nia.”

My jaw tightens. Oh, just a little niggling detail about that prophecy you hold so dear.

“Let me focus. I should be able to sense the portal with my Sentinel powers.” I close my eyes and concentrate. “I can feel it…tugging at me. There’s…something here.”

I look around me, my magic humming within. It’s definitely here, but it doesn’t feel like the ley portal. This feels more artificial, somehow, a portal that has been forced into existence with powerful magic.

“There!” I point to a fairy ring of mushrooms washed with gold in the sunlight. In the center of the circle is a faint tear between the worlds, and I can feel its power vibrating over my skin, raising the hair on the back of my neck. I imagine Auberon standing here, ripping this portal open.

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