Page 70 of Vale of Dreams

He takes a step closer, the copper in his eyes ignited in the dying sunlight. “I adore cherries.”

He takes another sip of his wine, eyeing me over the rim of his glass. I have the faintest inkling that he likes having me here.

“Give me a moment.” He turns and crosses to the door.

He steps outside, and I can hear him talking faintly to the new sergeant-at-arms.

I hurry to the window and examine the latch up close so that I can describe it later in my report to Avalon Tower. If the assassin can find a way to climb up here, he’ll have to figure out how to unlatch this. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look possible. The windows lock from the inside.

I pivot and rush over to his desk, my heart slamming against my ribs, and open the top drawer. Just as Mordred told me, the gateway key is inside, along with some parchments, a container of ink, several quills, and a wicked-looking dagger with a few drops of dried blood on it. I slip the replica key from my pocket and switch it with the real key. My blood roars in my ears. If he catches me?—

From the other side of the door, I hear the guards obsequiously pleading with Talan to let them remain at their posts. I think I hear him curtly say he will find a servant, then footsteps moving away from the room.

I have a few more seconds, and something draws my eye. Underneath a pile of papers, I notice the corner of a crimson envelope—the letter Talan collected early that morning. The secret message.

I should leave it alone. I should just be happy with the key, and yet…I won’t get another chance like this.

I slip the envelope out of the stack, making a mental note of its exact position. With relief, I see that the seal is already broken. I open it and take the pages out. The first page looks like an architectural plan of some sort. My pulse is racing so fast, I can hardly concentrate, as part of my brain is still wondering what sort of horrific fate awaits me if I’m caught. What I find is a series of stone towers and buildings surrounded by a stone wall. A fortress, maybe. A river runs into the fortress itself and seems to flow into a cavern labelled Water Mill. I scrutinize the diagram for a few seconds, memorizing it as best as I can, then flip to the next page.

Is this an accounting report? There’s a list of supplies and their prices. And at the top of the page, it says Blue Dragon Project. My jaw drops.

Those are the words Lord Ael said just before Talan killed him. This must be why Talan killed him. Not because he was a traitor, but because he was about to tell the world about…whatever this is. Is this related to the secret strategy in the war in Scotland? And if so, why is he keeping it secret from Auberon?

I’m about to flip to the next page when I hear rapid footfalls in the hall and the sound of male voices. Quickly, I slide the papers inside the envelope and shove it back where it was, then hurry to the window. The door opens as I pick up my wine again and casually take a sip, and Talan saunters inside, a lock of his hair falling in front of his eyes. Moving at a languid pace, he drops into an armchair as a blond servant bustles into the room, carrying a tray of cherries and cream. She is sweating, and a few strands of damp hair cling to her pink cheeks.

Talan gestures for me to sit, and I ease into a chair next to him.

“Your Highness,” the servant stammers, sliding the tray onto the table.

“This is my reward, Nyfa, for being the worst person in the world,” he says to her. “Everyone needs one area to really stand out in, don’t you think?” He plucks a cherry from the bowl. “And every kingdom needs a torturer. Is it my fault that I happen to be good at it?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Do you think I’m the worst person you’ve ever met, Nyfa?”

She pales and shakes her head. “No, Your Highness.”

His eyes glint with amusement. “But Nyfa, your dreams say that I’m a sadist. And they say that you like it, too.”

I glare at him. “Stop tormenting the poor girl. She just brought you cherries.”

“You may leave us, Nyfa.”

She bows, and I glance at the desk. My heart skips a beat as I realize I haven’t put the envelope back in exactly the right place.

Nyfa practically runs from the room, and the door slams behind her.

And there it is again, the feel of silk wrapping around me and the sharp edge of his magic trying to penetrate my thoughts. “It’s like there’s a barrier inside your skull. It’s intriguing.”

I grab a cherry from the bowl. “Maybe there’s nothing in there. Maybe my mind is empty.”

“I doubt that very much.” He leans over the table. “In fact, I feel like you’re hiding something from me. I’m not getting the real Nia. Tell me something that is actually true about yourself.”

“And what about the real Talan? Do you spend your days torturing people, or are those just rumors you play along with?”

“Nice deflection. Tell me a true thing about yourself. And just to warn you, if I’m paying close enough attention, I can tell if someone is lying.”

I take a deep breath, realizing the brilliance of Meriadec’s directives. Keep it all as close to the truth as possible. He’d already set me up for this.

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