Page 67 of Lady of the Lake

“Ican. But I can’t take you into the dream with me unless we’re closer, at least a hundred feet from his palace, and Kahedin is presently quarantined at his winter palace in the far north.”

I grab my cloak and wrap it around myself. “The far north? It’ll take usweeksto get there.”

“Then we’d better get started.”

He walks to the door and yanks it open. I quickly follow him.

“Your Highness,” a guard outside my door says, bowing. “Are you going somewhere?”

Talan slings an arm around my waist and pulls me in close to him. “My wife and I are going on a moonlit walk. As she likes to say, the Fey don’t belong indoors. We belong in the wild.”

The soldier nods. “Of course, Your Highness. We’ll follow straight behind.”

“You’ll stay here,” Talan says, his tone bored. “I don’t want your presence interfering with whatever we might do in the forest. It won’t be for soldiers’ eyes, I’m afraid.”

“Your Highness, we’ll stay behind, but in order to keep you safe?—”

“Are you suggestingIcan’t keep us safe?” Talan’s voice is lethally quiet. “That the Butcher of Brittany and the crown prince needs to be protected by someone stronger? Do you think you are stronger than me, soldier?”

The soldier pales. “Of course not, Your Highness, I just?—”

“Good.” An easy smile curls his lips. “You’ll stay right here like a good little soldier while we take a leisurely stroll, and I’ll return precisely whenever the fuck I want to return.”

Talan turns, dismissing the soldiers, and walks away.

I fall into step beside him and glance at his beautiful, perfectly composed face. His anger had been a pretense. He’d played those soldiers.

“I know you act like a villain on purpose,” I murmur. “Just to get away with whatever you want.”

“Smart girl.” He chuckles softly. “But if you go around revealing my secrets, I’ll have no choice but to punish you.”

A warm shiver skims over my skin.

We step out the main palace doors, and the guards at the entrance stare after us in confusion. The temperature has dropped even further, and the icy wind bites at my cheeks.

Despite the cold, it’s a beautiful night, with only the silver moon full, the air clear and crisp. As soon as we’re far enough from the entrance, Talan turns away from the stables.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“We can’t take the horses. Guards patrol the stables, and they will notify Father immediately if we ride out in the middle of the night.”

“So, how are we going to travel?”

Talan glances at me, raising an eyebrow. “How do you think?”

I realize we’re walking to the Lost Palace, and my heart skips a beat. “You don’t want to ride to Lord Kahedin’s winter palace.”

“No, that would take weeks, as you pointed out.”

“You want to fly.”

“Even my paranoid father won’t anticipate something so reckless.”

My teeth chatter despite my cloak. “It’s going to be freezing up there.”

He turns to look at me, a line forming between his eyebrows, and for a moment, he looks utterly confused.That’sanexpression I’d not seen on him before. The icy wind whips at his hair, and a cold rain starts to hammer down on him.

“What?” I ask.

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