Page 69 of Lady of the Lake

“Almost,” Talan says. “We’ll need to walk for a few miles. If we land out here in the forest, no one will see us.”

As much as Talan and his cloak have kept me warm, I’m still chilled to my bones, and my thighs ache from hanging for my dear life.

As Talan pointed out, it’salmostlike I have the weak, breakable body of a human.

As Tarasque gently glides down to the snowy, coral-tinged earth, I’m desperate to jump off.

Slowly, she lands in a clearing. As she settles in the snow, I half-tumble off Tarasque’s neck, leaping onto the ground.

CHAPTER 33

In the northern lands of Brocéliande, the snow is much heavier than around Castle Perillos, and the ground gleams white under the winter sky.

My leather boots sink deep into the snow. My legs are frozen, but we’re nearing a small timber-frame cottage framed by icy oak trees. Icicles hang from the cottage’s eaves.

“One of my hunting lodges.” Talan nods at it.

“Exactly how many of these do you have?”

“I have no idea. I have better things to think about.”

“Like moth kinks.”

He glances at me with a lazy smile. “Well,nowI’m thinking of that. Thanks for that image. But I only like the idea becauseyou remind me of a Corbinelle moth.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “In what way?”

“Seemingly delicate, secretly venomous, and hopelessly drawn to things that might set you aflame,” he purrs.

“And what would those things be?”

“A devastatingly handsome Fey prince with a reputation for murder.” He pushes through the snow to the cottage and pulls a key from his pocket. It takes a few seconds for the key to turn in the lock, and then he opens the door.

I follow him inside, hugging myself. My teeth are still chattering.

I turn around, taking in the cozy space. There is a rough-hewn wooden table and chairs near an empty hearth, and sunlight spills inside onto a bed beneath the window.

I drop my leather bag and pull a soft wool blanket around myself for warmth while Talan crosses to the fireplace. “When do we start with the dream magic?” I ask.

He starts sliding logs into the hearth. “We’ll probably have to wait until night, when he’s sleeping.”

“Can’t you force him into a waking dream? I’ve seen you do it.”

He lights the logs in the fireplace. “Yes, but I want to be subtle. I don’t need him toknowthatI was in his head. He needs to think it’s his own idea.”

“Makes sense.”

The fire starts crackling, and warm light plays over his masculine features. “For now, I need you to go to the nearby village to ask about his health. You can get us some food, too.”

“You don’t want to come with me?”

“Even in a remote place like this, the villagers will recognize their crown prince. My portraits are hanging all over the kingdom.”

“Is that so? We didn’t have your portrait on my farm.”

“No, you were sadly deprived. Heartbreaking, really.”

“I’m still in recovery from the horror of that privation.” I fold my arms. “And what do you need me to find out about Kahedin’s health?”

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