Page 49 of Avalon Tower

Raphael turns to look at me, his eyes bright in the darkness. “No matter what, stay hidden until we return. If we’re not back by sunrise, go back through the veil.”

CHAPTER 15

Time crawls.

From the grove of trees, I keep checking the fields, looking for silhouettes on horseback. I glance at my pocketwatch to check the time. Not even midnight yet. The temperature has plummeted, and I wish I could start a fire. But that’s out of the question. I hug myself, my breath steaming in the cool air.

My stomach rumbles. Nearby, Dickinson blinks at me, his eyes as black as his hair. Exhausted, I slide onto the mossy earth. The ground smells rich, a loamy scent that wraps around me. The moonlight streams through tree branches to dapple the earth with silver. The sound of chirping crickets is like a lullaby.

Reaching into my leather pack, I pull out some bread and cheese. I shove a chunk of cheese into the bread, and I bite into it. As I eat, I glimpse a firefly trailing through the air.

The rumble of incoming horses’ hooves startles me. I shove my food back in the bag and cross to the edge of the grove. Fear spirals through me when I see who’s thundering closer to me. It’s not the other agents. It’s the horny Fey sergeant, and he’s aiming right for me.

I slink back into the shadows, but I can hear him galloping up the hill.

I run back to Dickinson, but just as I’m mounting, a deep voice stops me in my tracks. “You! You waited for me, didn’t you, little minx?”

I freeze and turn slowly to face him. His coppery eyes gleam in the shadows, bright as a wolf’s. He smiles at me, his canines flashing. “All alone now? I thought I smelled a lady’s scent in the grove as I patrolled again.”

I blink demurely. “My brother and the rest were chasing a large red stag. I was slowing them down. They should be back soon.”

His smile is predatory and chilling.

“Not too soon, I hope.” He dismounts from his horse and prowls close to me, the wind catching in his dark hair. “You are familiar, of course, with the rights of a Fey knight.”

My mouth goes dry. No, I’m not familiar with the rights of a Fey knight, but I can guess it’s something about taking whatever women they want.

In the hollows of my mind, my thoughts are screeching at me to run or to fight. I think of my knives, one in the boot, one on my belt, and a sharpened hair pin tucked in my locks. He won’t expect me to attack him. I’m fast and—

I can almost hear Viviane. You’ll never be strong enough or fast enough to stab a large, trained man. Never. Then what should I do?

Fight him with everything you have, Imaginary Viviane shouts at me.

And what do I have? I’m good at understanding what people want. What they need. Raphael pointed that out to me. I show people the version of me they want to see, but I need to work on making it convincing. Already, I’ve intuited that he likes innocence. Raphael told the sergeant my father wanted to keep me safe, and that sparked something in his eyes. He wants a pure, untouched woman. A shrinking violet.

In that case, I’ll give him the opposite of what he wants.

“Of course I know the rights of a Fey knight.” I smile at him. “I’ve been with many. And some squires.”

He frowns. “What?”

“At least, I think they were knights and squires. It’s not like I asked for the official paperwork.” I shrug. “A man is a man.” I move closer to him and touch my lips. “But I really should be more careful. One of them had something…I think it’s called trench mouth?”

His nose wrinkles. “I see.”

“I learned all sorts of tricks from a brothel in Ys.” I touch the side of his face, grinning maniacally.

Triggered by my anxiety, the voice in my head start clamoring. You’re dirt, a disgrace. Diseased. Get back. Get back!

I try to ignore the hallucinations, keeping my face still and the smile on my lips. The sergeant’s face twists in disgust as I gently run the tips of my fingers down his cheek.

The voice keeps screeching. You’re disgusting. Just like that whore in Allevur. I slit her throat.

I blink, the sentence disconcerting me, but it goes on. Allevur will be a bloodbath again tonight after the ambush, if that traitor Varris can be believed.

The sergeant’s lip curls. “You’re disgusting. Just like that whore in Allevur.”

I yank my hand away, startled. He’d just said the words out loud that I’d heard in my mind.

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