Page 5 of Vale of Dreams

My appetite has all but disappeared. I’m not sure if it’s the loss of Raphael or the secrets that stuff me so full, there’s room for little else. “When Raphael gets back, I’m going to eat a seven-course meal.”

“Don’t be daft, you can’t wait for that,” Serana says. “You’ll wither away.”

I tighten my grip on the ship’s rail. “I will get him back soon, and I’m not in danger of starvation.”

“Stress does the opposite to me,” she says. “That whole time I was waiting in the alleyway, all I could think about was apple fritters.”

As we glide into the narrow canal, the mist thins. The dawn-kissed stone of Avalon Tower rises above us. Apple trees line the canal, covered in a light dusting of snow. The rising sun washes the crooked timber-frame buildings in gold. Shouts ring out around the wharf as longshoremen and sailors bustle around the docks. I’m desperate to get moving, to jump into my next plan.

I may be home, but I won’t rest until Raphael is home, too.

The moment the ship is properly moored, I hurry down the gangplank, my breath puffing in the air. I stride rapidly through the cobbled streets, Tana and Serana falling behind me. I march as quickly as I can beneath stone archways and through crowded streets, heading for the castle. As the street opens up into a square, Avalon Tower’s walls loom over shops selling tarot cards and old books. Water streams from stony gargoyle heads in a fountain, and steam rises from the basin in the cold air.

“Slow down, Nia,” Tana calls out from behind me.

“Nia!” Another voice—one I haven’t heard in days.

I turn, surprised to see Viviane, dressed in a green cloak, poking her head out of a shop door. The sign above her reads Enchanted Brew Coffee in gold letters. Her blue eyes sparkle, and she beckons for us to follow her.

She hated me once. Threatened my life as soon as we met, and a few more times after that. Then she started to teach me everything she knows, and now, I’m deeply relieved to see her again.

The three of us follow her down a narrow road next to the café.

She turns to look back at us, and I’m surprised to see that there are dark circles under her eyes and her platinum hair is tangled beneath the cowl. She usually looks like perfection.

“I forgot you wake up stupidly early,” I say.

“That’s not the only reason I’m here. I knew you were coming this way, and I wanted to catch you as soon as you came in from the docks.” She cuts a furtive glance over my shoulder. “Do you have it?”

I raise my hand to show her the bracelet. “Yes, but it’s of no help. The portal closed days ago.”

Her pale eyes open wide, jaw clenching. Her nostrils flare, and for a moment, I fear she’s about to throw her hot coffee at me, but instead, she says coolly, “That’s not good.”

“Is there any chance we could use it to open a new portal?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Merlin would have known, but that knowledge was lost to time long ago.”

My eyes sting. “Fine. We need a new plan. Should we get back to the Tower to work on it?”

“No. That’s why I was waiting for you here. We can’t talk about anything at the Tower right now. Let’s go to Knight Fall. They’ve opened it early for us. There are people waiting for us already.”

“The tavern? Why?” Realization hits me. “We can’t talk around Wrythe and the other Pendragons.”

“Exactly. They’re getting worse. Wrythe now wants all missions to go through him. I have almost no authority at this point, and neither would Raphael if he were here. Wrythe has been disbanding demi-Fey task forces. He says we need at least one Pendragon agent in each team. Otherwise, he says we’re vulnerable to betrayal.”

Serana edges forward into the conversation. “He can’t do that. Can he?”

Viviane closes her eyes, sighing. “Until Sir Kay returns, the Seneschal is the top-ranked commander in Avalon Tower. I’m afraid it’s within his authority.”

I turn to my friends. “They’ll be serving breakfast soon at Avalon Tower. You two go back. I’ll work on a new plan at the tavern.”

Tana blinks sleepily. “Are you sure?—”

“Sounds good to me.” Serana grabs Tana’s arm. “It’s Tuesday. They’ll be doing scones, and Nia doesn’t have an appetite, anyway. Thanks, Nia, you’re my favorite person ever. Come on, Tana, let’s go. I could eat my way through the stone walls of the Tower at this point.”

Viviane stares after her. “She didn’t put up much of a fight. Come along.”

She briskly leads me back into the town square and past the burbling fountain.

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