Page 64 of Lady of the Lake

Talan kneels beside me and cups my cheek. “You’re all right.” His voice is low and rough. “But whoever set this bomb off will not be.”

I stare at the stars again. Blinking, I realize that I haven’t been hallucinating. I really can see the stars and the moons because the fucking wall is gone, and so is Talan’s bedroom. Part of the Tower has collapsed, and we’re on the edge of a sheer precipice, a gaping hole where Talan’s bedroom once stood.

Shock courses through me. Avalon Toweraskedme to open the windows. They knew the window opening meant I was in the room.

Armed guards charge down the hallway.

“Your Highness,” one of them shouts. “Thank the gods you’re not hurt! There’s been some sort of attack. Magical explosives. Both your quarters and your father’s were the targets, apparently.”

“What happened to the king?” Talan’s voice echoes off the walls.

The guard shakes his head. “Luckily, he was in the library and not in his room.”

“Any signs of the assassins?”

“Already gone, Your Highness. We’re sending trackers to hunt them down.”

“Find them alive. I want their confession. Because they didn’t just try to kill me. They tried to kill my wife, a mistake I will make them regret.”

Nausea rises in my gut, and I lean against the wall, head pounding and my stomach twisted in knots.

The assassins never needed me to open the window to let them in.

The window was a signal thatIwas in the room with him.

CHAPTER 31

In my library room, I lie in bed, my head throbbing in tune with my heart.Thud. Thud. Thud.

Sunlight pours over the gold-lettered books, making them shimmer like fireflies, and even that’s too bright for my pounding head.

A whole day has passed since the explosion, but my ears still ring.

A tugging sensation wraps around my ribs, and I know what it means. Nivene is coming. The Sentinel bond pulls taut, humming with the force of her presence.

Why did she give me instructions that nearly got me killed? I hope it wasn’t on purpose, but I’m still furious about it.Trust Avalon Tower,she said.We don’t need to know the details,she said.It’ll be fine.

The headache certainly isn’t helping my mood.

Loud, feminine voices pierce the door—Nivene arguing with Aisling. I force myself to sit up in bed, trying to ignore my headache.

The door slams open, and Nivene barges in. “Nia!” Her voice cracks with relief. “My sister! Thank the gods you’re all right.”

Aisling follows her, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, Princess. I tried to stop her. I told her you needed rest, but she insisted.”

“It’s okay, Aisling,” I say. “I was awake. I still can’t sleep. The ringing in my ears is too loud.”

“I can’t believe this happened.” Nivene’s face is pale as snow, and her eyes dart over me to look for injuries.

“Me, neither,” I say. “But at least the assassins weredeeply incompetent. If they hadn’t been such fuck-ups, I’d be dead.”

Aisling doesn’t seem to notice my tone, and she nods vigorously. “My friend’s husband, whose brother works with the king’s bodyguards, says it was the resistance. They have strange ideas about a world without kings, like the humans.” She shakes her head in disgust.

My eyes widen. “The resistance? How have we not squashed them yet?”

Nivene exhales sharply. “You know what? I bet you’d feel better if we went outside. Get some fresh air.”

I flash her a fake smile. “Ah, yes. A perfect cure for nearly being blown to pieces by theresistance. Fresh air and a little stroll.”

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