Page 87 of Vale of Dreams

“I can get a message to him through my network, but he’s a wanted man in Brocéliande,” I say.

She frowns at me. “What’s your name?”

“Better if you don’t know.” You never know when someone will be caught and interrogated. “I want to get Raphael back to England, but he won’t go without you. Ysolde, he needs to see you. You said you volunteered to stay and look after the kids. Does that mean you’re free to leave?”

She looks torn. “Yes, of course. But the kids here need me. There are four of us taking care of them.”

“If you want Raphael to get to safety, I think you need to leave Brocéliande with him. He won’t go without you. At the very least, you have to talk to him. Do you know a place called the Shadowed Thicket?”

“I know it.”

“Go there when you can, in a few days if possible. Stay there until I can arrange a meeting. I don’t know when it will be, but I’ll make it happen. I’ll find a way to get in touch with Raphael.”

Her face has gone pale, and she glances nervously back the way we’d come. “Okay. Can you get out of here without the guards seeing you? I might trust that you know Raphael, but they won’t give a fuck about what you told me.”

“The way I came in is no longer an option.” I shudder. “What would you suggest?”

“Are you a good climber?”

“Decent, I guess.”

She looks around. “Give me a minute.”

She disappears into the other courtyard, and I stand alone, hugging myself in the cold, my teeth chattering. After a few minutes, she comes back with a coil of rope. “Follow me.” She crosses around the other side of the blue dragon and points at the outstretched wing. “One of the boys managed to climb up that wing, and from there, somehow, he got to the top of the wall. Scared the life out of me. You can climb up the ladder, but then crawl over the top. See how there are fake scales up there? Use them for leverage. You should be able to get onto the wing and climb up to the parapet, like you’re going the wrong way up a slide. Once at the top, you can use this rope to climb down.”

I eye the dragon’s wing. It’s doable. “That works.” I take the rope from her.

“And I’ll see you at the Shadowed Thicket in a little while.” She smiles, and I see Raphael in that smile, her cheek dimpling a little.

I climb up the ladder, feeling ridiculous that I thought the thing was real for even one second. At the top, I grip the scales, scoot over to the swooping wing, and hoist myself up. When I reach the parapet, I grip the stone and climb, grunting as I pull myself onto the castle wall. I tie my rope to the crenellation. Before I go, I turn to look down at Ysolde.

She raises her hand in farewell. My eyes sting when I think of Raphael seeing her again at last. With a grunt, I climb down the fortress wall.

Fatigue is eating at me, and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. I rode for hours through the night. I’m still freezing, desperate to get under soft blankets, to feel the warmth of the fireplace heating the room.

I cross back from the stables to the castle. I’ve just barely made it before the sunrise. The moonlight still gleams off the courtyard snow as I trudge closer to warmth. I found only one guard by the messengers’ gate, and mercifully, he didn’t have many questions for me.

As I walk closer to Castle Perillos, I scan for signs of soldiers patrolling or anyone who might be following me. I see some guards by the main gate, as usual. There are none around the tower that leads up to my room.

I slip through the shadows, my legs aching with each step.

Before I pull open the door, I glance over my shoulder. Still no one around. I let out a sigh of relief.

But as I pull the tower door open, panic flares in my chest. The pale-haired guard stands at the bottom of the stairwell, arms folded. The scent of mead wafts off him, and his green eyes shine at me from the shadows.

I smile at him, but inwardly, my heart is slamming against my ribs. “See? Told you I’d be back without a problem.”

He nods slowly. “And how was your trip back from Lauron? You didn’t wait for me to gather the retinue.”

“Well, like I said, there was no need to worry.”

I start to climb the stairs, but he grabs my bicep. “So, if I checked with the soldiers who patrol the Faus-Amanz highway, they’d confirm they saw you pass about a half hour ago?”

My stomach swoops, and I’m already thinking of grabbing the dagger at my waist. “I mean, I don’t think they were paying that much attention.”

“There are no soldiers there. You would have known if you went through there.”

I turn slowly to face his hard, metallic green glare.

---