Page 29 of Avalon Tower

I turn to look at some of the paintings on the wall. They’re mostly portraits, though some depict ancient battles or mysterious castles. One of the portraits sends a ripple of dread up my neck. A towering Fey man dressed in black is running his sword through the body of a naked woman. The corpses of more women lay strewn over the grass by his feet. I stare at it, catching my breath. The man wears a dark, spiky-looking crown and a cruel smile on his lips. “That’s a bold choice for a decorative image.”

Serana turns to look at me. “Ah, that sadistic bastard is Mordred Kingslayer. He was an evil Fey from thousands of years ago. The one Tarquin was talking about, who killed Arthur. Back then, the Fey had real, primal magic. Even some of the twisted ones like him. He broke in here one night and murdered King Arthur, along with hundreds of innocent people. He’s dead now, but guess who that fucker’s son is?”

I stare at her. “Auberon?”

“The very one. They’re descended from Queen Morgan. They say the House of Morgan will burn Camelot to ash—that’s Auberon, and his son, the prince. Let’s hope that particular prophecy is wrong.”

I pull my gaze from the disturbing image. There’s still at least one more set of stairs to climb into a tower.

My lungs rattle when I breathe. “What do you think of Viviane?” I ask through labored breaths. “I’m afraid I’ve made an enemy of her.”

Serana glances back at me. “The silver queen? I think she’s probably fucking terrifying to have as an enemy. A real piece of work, you know?”

“Great.”

“If I were you, I’d try to avoid her as much as possible. Though you’ll meet her again soon enough, no matter what you do. She teaches combat. But there are plenty of other classes. You’ve only missed a few weeks.”

“How long does it go on for?” I wheeze.

“Training for an agent? It used to be for a year, then the Culling. Maybe a year or two to specialize.”

My heart skips a beat. “A year?”

I can’t leave Mom on her own for a year. Can I?

“I know.” She sighs. “Not nearly enough, is it? And it’s even worse now. We’ve lost a lot of people in the field, so they want to start active missions in just six months. People are barely ready at six months, but that’s when they’ll test us.”

My head is still reeling. I can’t imagine I could actually pass the Culling, and Mom will lose it if I don’t return. But who needs me more, my adult mother or the fugitives hunted by a maniacal king?

I still have a million more questions. “Serana, Tarquin said his family has prepared him for this since day he was born—”

“Tarquin is an egregious twat.” Her words echo off the stone stairwell.

Right to the point. “Sure, but it’s wild to me that he grew up with all this. Learning to fight the Fey before the rest of the world even knew they existed. And this whole place… How long exactly has it been here?”

She stops on the stairs and turns to look at me. “Ages. It started with the Roman invasion. Have you ever heard of the Ninth Legion?”

I frown. “I’m not up to speed on my Roman invasion trivia.”

“Basically, an entire legion disappeared in Britain, up by Scotland. That was the Fey, trapping them in trees and stones. Some soldiers were taken captive and dragged into Avalon to toil for Queen Morgan. But a few survived. They made it their mission to understand the Fey, to get their friends back.”

I touch the wall’s bricks, thinking of those loyal soldiers trying to recover their friends more than two millennia ago.

“That’s how this place started, I guess,” Serana continues. “As a place to figure out the weaknesses of the Fey. They never found their men, though.”

“Oh,” I say heavily.

“I suspect that’s how the first demi-Fey turned up. Children of those early soldiers and the Fey. Anyway, in time, relationships between Fey and humans became peaceful. Avalon Tower even invited some of the Fey here, like Merlin, obviously.”

“Merlin was Fey?”

“Of course. Humans have no magic, and he was one of the most powerful magicians ever.”

“But…things changed, right? You said that this guy killed King Arthur.” I point at Mordred’s painting.

“Yeah, exactly. He was sent by Morgan. After that, Fey and humans became mortal enemies. For centuries, demi-Fey like us were not allowed in Avalon Tower. Not until recently. Now, they’re desperate enough to take us in.”

I stare at her, and the words like us roll around in my mind. “I never knew I was demi-Fey. Not until yesterday. I’m still not convinced, to be honest.”

---