Page 86 of Vale of Dreams

“It’s a safe haven for the fugitive kids. The exiled demi-Fey, the displaced humans. The war in the human lands left a lot of orphans without anyone to look after them. Here, they’re safe. But now I want to know who the fuck you are. How do you know Raphael?”

“Someone brought human children into Brocéliande?”

“Humans, demi-Fey. Maybe you don’t think these children deserve to live, but we don’t leave kids behind, no matter who their parents are.”

I’m still staring up at the structure. “But how did they get here? Give the rest of the story, and I’ll tell you what I know about Raphael.”

“There was a fortress just like this back in Fey France—that’s a land in the human world. But about six months ago, it was attacked. By humans. So, the staff evacuated the orphaned kids and moved them here. It was built remarkably quickly, with magic I assume.”

“Six months ago,” I repeat.

The timeline can’t be an accident. Six months ago, I returned from a mission with a map of Fey secret bases. When we broke into the Château des Rêves, we stole a map from Talan. Raphael hoped to use it to find his sister. I remember how angry Talan was, how he trapped us in a nightmare again and again, nearly drowning us. He was desperate to get that very map back.

But we turned it over to Avalon Tower.

Soon after, Avalon Tower launched attacks on some of these bases, hoping to cripple the Fey military position in northern France.

I swallow hard. Maybe one of those bases was an orphanage.

“This was all a terrible mistake,” I mutter.

“Really,” she responds dryly.

“How did you end up here, Ysolde?”

“I was one of the first fugitives brought to the fortress in France. I grew up in it. And as we got more children, and the war went on, I chose to stay and help with the kids. I would do anything to keep them safe.”

“Who paid for all this?”

“We’ve never known. A powerful benefactor, a member of the nobility who doesn’t want to reveal their identity. Probably someone who’s secretly part human. I don’t really care, just as long as the funds keep coming in.”

Talan knew about it. Not only did he know about it, but he seemed desperate to protect it during the council meeting. But that doesn’t mean he was the benefactor—only that he knew it existed.

There’s a possibility that he’s keeping the kids alive so he can prove someone’s treason at exactly the right time. Or he plans to turn the children into his own army of undercover agents.

I have to consider all the options.

But the main thing I know right now is that Ysolde will kill me if I can’t convince her that I’m on her side.

CHAPTER 31

“Iknow your brother very well,” I say at last.

“When did you last see him?”

“He’s here, in Brocéliande. He was imprisoned by Auberon, but I broke him out of the dungeon. He heard that there were other demi-Fey still here. He’s looking for you.”

“And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“He told me about the last day he saw you. He said your mom was human, and when Auberon started to scapegoat humans, she never thought it would go too far. She thought it was just bluster. But then one morning, when Raphael was nine and you were sixteen, soldiers banged on your door, ready to kill everyone. He said you screamed at him to run, and he did. He thought you were behind him. He waited in the forest, but you never came. A family took him in and brought him to unoccupied France.”

I feel the point of the knife leave my spine, and she releases her grip on me. When I turn to look at her, I see that her silver eyes are misted with tears.

“He’s really alive?” she whispers. “You have no idea how guilty I felt for losing track of him. I had no idea he was in France the whole time.”

“He’s fine. He lived in France, picking grapes in a vineyard. Then…” I hesitate. I don’t know her well enough to trust her with the fact that Raphael is a spy. “Then he moved to England. But he’s been trying to find you in any way he can since he was nine.”

A single tear runs down her cheek. “I always assumed he was dead. They killed my mum. Someone brought me to the safe haven, and I was always waiting for him to show up. Where is Raphael now? Can you bring him to me?”

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