Page 82 of Vale of Dreams

Slowly, I open the door to the hall and look around in either direction. As expected, no one is up at this hour, and I creep into the passageway.

I move swiftly, checking over my shoulder. For the last few days, I’ve been shaking off two people who are following me. I’m pretty sure that Talan has had his people assigned to watch me. Presumably, Arwenna has someone trailing me as well. I suspect any number of nobles are watching my comings and goings. I’m a popular girl.

Which means that where I’m going tonight, I have to make sure that I’m not being followed. At four in the morning, the people tailing me seem to be in between shifts, and I don’t see a single soul around.

My plan is simple. Sneak outside in the dark, grab a horse from the stable, and use my telepathy powers on the soldiers at the messengers’ gate. I’ll ride through the day and arrive at the Blue Dragon Project by nightfall, deep in the Melian Forest.

But I needed a plausible cover, so I left behind a note on my desk: Aisling, I’ll be gone for a night. Heading home to see my father.

I glance over my shoulder again. Still no one. I hurry down a winding stairwell, listening all the while for sounds of movement or voices. My fingers trace over the cold stones as I descend one spiral after another.

It’s going to be a long day, and I’m almost considering risking discovery to get coffee in the kitchens before I go, but I decide against it. This is too important to fuck up.

By the time I arrive in the Melian Forest, where the river bends sharply into the hidden woods, I will likely be starving and cold. I’ll be getting through the day on whatever I had left over from dinner last night. But a spy’s life was never meant to be comfortable, was it?

At the bottom of the stairs, I push through a door into the frigid night. The cold air stings my skin as I cross the court and make my way to the stables.

I pull my cloak tightly around me, keeping my head down. I’ve timed this so that not only is it still dark, but the guards by the gate are changing. Hopefully, they won’t pay any attention to me skulking in the shadows by the castle walls.

But when I round the corner and head toward the stables, my stomach clenches. A soldier is patrolling, and he’s marching toward me. He’s too close for me to turn and run, so my only option is to act like everything is fine and hope he buys it.

“My lady.” He’s dressed in the deep blue of the Royal Army. His long, pale blond hair hangs over his broad shoulders, and his metallic green eyes narrow at me.

I give him a charming smile. Nothing amiss here. “I’m off on a quick journey. I’ll be back in no time.”

“At this hour? It’s dangerous, my lady.”

I wave a dismissive hand. “Oh, don’t be such a silly goose! I’m not a prisoner here, you know. And the prince already knew about this. I’m going home for the night to visit my father.”

I flutter my eyelashes and touch his arm. As I do, pain rips through my skull, but I summon my telepathy powers anyway, letting them unfurl around him.

Should be guarding the bloody messengers’ gate. It’s only me tonight. But nothing ever fucking happens at this hour, and I’ve gone all day without mead. My hands are shaking. I was trying to stop drinking the stuff, but now all I can think of is the sweet tang on my tongue and how I need it to calm my nerves…I just need a drink, and then I’ll get back to it. I won’t let King Auberon down. He did say something about spies, didn’t he? Am I fucking everything up right now?

I exhale with relief. The gate is open. “Well, I’ll be going.”

“But you’re traveling on your own, my lady? It really doesn't seem safe for a young lady to ride unguarded at this hour. Or any hour. I don’t think the prince would allow his favorite mistress to travel without guards. Where is it, exactly, that you’re going? Where does your father live?”

My heart thuds. “Lauron.”

As I try to control his mind, pain screams through my head and nausea rises in my gut. I can’t get a grip on his thoughts. Talan has really fucked up my abilities.

The soldier shakes his head. “No, not a good idea. Let me check with the chatelaine, at least. I’m sure we can organize a retinue to travel with you.”

My stomach flips. The longer I stay here, the greater chance I have to implicate myself, to spin another lie that I can't get out of. And my magic is failing me.

I smile at him. “Such a worrier! You need a drink. You deserve a bottle of mead. If you go to the chatelaine, you’ll miss your chance.” I turn away from him and call over my shoulder, “It’ll be fine. Don't worry."

Without waiting for another word, I march off toward the stables. But in the recesses of my mind, I know this is a problem I will have to take care of later.

And a dark part of me wonders if I should have taken care of the problem with the sharp finality of the dagger at my waist.

Crouching behind a tree, I breathe in the scent of pine. Night has fallen, and my teeth are chattering out here in the depths of the Melian Forest. Just ten feet away, a river roars past.

I left Castle Perillos ten hours ago, but that conversation with the soldier is still nagging at my thoughts. My early-morning journey turned out messier than I’d anticipated, and I have the disturbing feeling he’ll be passing on the news of my trip to Talan when he gets back.

But I need to put that out of my mind now. I’ve come to exactly the right place. Before me, outside the forest’s edge, is the fortress labeled on the map as the Blue Dragon Project. It’s a towering stone edifice with mist roiling around its base. The river flows through an arched tunnel beneath it, and from the quick glimpse I had of the maps, it looked like the river opens up again within the center of the fortress.

Cold wind whips between the dark trunks, stinging my cheeks. Faint ruby-silver moonlight pierces the trees, glinting off the snow like jewels.

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