Page 12 of Vale of Dreams

“In the cards, he appears as the Emperor.” Her gaze flicks to me. “That showed up in your reading, too, remember?”

“Must be Auberon,” Serana says.

Tana shakes her head. “No, I always see Auberon as the reversed King of Swords. Tyranny.”

I swallow hard. “Weird.”

Her dark eyes shift to me. “Any idea who the Emperor might be?”

My skin grows cold. Do I tell them?

“Maybe Sir Kay?” Darius suggests.

“Wrythe?” Serana asks. “He certainly thinks of himself as an emperor.”

My pulse is racing, electrified. I can’t keep this information to myself forever. Even if I wanted to, Tana will piece it together, one reading at a time.

Slowly, I say, “I know who he is.”

They turn to stare at me.

Sweat chills my skin. “When you gave me the reading, you told me he represents one of my parents.”

Tana’s eyes widen. “Oh, right. Your father, I thought. Do you know who he is?”

My blood roars, and I try to keep my tone light. “It turns out my father lives on the lost island of Avalon.”

“Hang on, your what lives on the lost what of the what?” Darius stares at me.

“That island sank,” says Serana. “Like Shalott. The war between Merlin and Mordred drowned all the islands in the lake.”

My fingers dig into my palms. “No, Avalon is still there. I found it two months ago. After Raphael was captured, I felt something calling to me from the mist. I thought it was a Lady of the Lake thing. I ended up in a boat, sailing through the fog. It was hidden by a veil, but I could get through that with my Sentinel powers, and I found the lost island of Avalon. It didn’t sink. It’s just hidden by a veil. And my father lives there. He’s been there for fifteen hundred years.” My throat goes dry. “He said he could help me save Raphael.”

They stare at me, mouths agape.

“You never said anything,” Serana said. “Why did you never?—”

“It’s Mordred,” I blurt.

Serana’s jaw drops. “Mordred. As in…Mordred Kingslayer? The man who slaughtered hundreds of people in this very tower?”

My stomach twists. “That’s the one.”

“That’s impossible,” Darius says.

Tana stares at me, unmoving. “No, that makes perfect sense. It explains everything I see. He is the way to Brocéliande. He can get you there.”

Serana looks horrified. “Hang on. Are you telling us that you’re Auberon’s sister?”

I shake my head. “We’re not related. In fact, Mordred hates Auberon. Mordred is Queen Morgan’s son. Auberon is Merlin’s son. They were on opposite sides of the war for Camelot. The Court of Merlin versus the Court of Morgan. Merlin’s court won out, and he trapped Mordred on the island and hid it behind a veil. Nimue then trapped Merlin, and their son, Auberon, claimed the throne for himself, using his magic to convince the world it was always his.”

Serana frowns. “So, Mordred could be an ally?”

My nose wrinkles. “Not really. He still wants to destroy Avalon Tower. In return, he said he would help me free Raphael. And I know it sounds completely fucking insane, because he wants to kill us all, but I want to take him up on his offer.” Maybe I’d risk destroying this place for Raphael.

A thorny silence settles over the room. Serana distractedly picks up another piece of cheese and takes a bite from it.

At last, Darius inhales sharply. “So, he can never leave the island?”

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