Page 27 of Lady of the Lake

He stalks closer to me and nods at the door. We cross back into the old banquet hall, his footfalls echoing off the ceiling. He’s such a striking figure—a tall silhouette in the mist, beautifully vampiric in his cape.

The last gift my mother gave me before she died.

Guilt twists in my chest. For just a moment, he seemed so vulnerable.

I force myself to remember who he is: the Butcher of Brittany. During the first Fey invasion, fifteen years ago, he left the streets scorched and running with blood, piled with human corpses. And he would have done the same thing in Scotland if I hadn’t stopped him. He’s hellbent on occupying all the UK and beyond.

He pushes open the door, and snow whirls in, stinging my cheeks.

As I walk behind Talan, I whisper a silent promise to myself.

I will not fall for him.

I will not mourn him.

And when the time comes, I will help kill him, even if it breaks me.

CHAPTER 13

When Nivene finally summons me with a written invitation, I rush to meet her. I snatch my cloak and fly out the library door, soldiers trailing behind me.

It’s been five days since I’ve spoken to her, and the same is true for Talan. Nivene escaped to report to Scotland, and Talan was off doing gods-know-what.

Communication with Avalon is an arduous, life-threatening process. A two-day tromp through the snow to a distant Fey portal, then a leap through the portal to Scotland. Her report would be forwarded by a knight to our command down the West Coast, and she would have received the updated commands from Camelot. Then, the trip back, a five-day trek, and all the while, people might be wondering at her absence.

As I hurry to the courtyard, my pulse races. While Nivene was away, I spent five days playing pretend—the glowing, newlywed princess draped in silks and jewels, a delicate tiara perched on my head. I had tea with baronesses who fawned over my every word. I ate delicious meals with noblewomen, surrounded by soldiers—bluebell cakes, whortleberry tarts, dandelion salads, and dewdrop mead.

But what I really need is guidance from Avalon Tower. I need to knowwhenthey’re planning to assassinate Talan and Auberon and what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing.

I find Nivene in the sculpture garden where she’d told me she’d be, her red hair a bright flame against the white snow. I pick up my pace, and my breath fogs around my head.

The garden is a strange and beautiful place, with statues of icy marble jutting from the snow—a stag, a serpent, and a man with a face formed of twisting leaves.

I cast a glance over my shoulder at the soldiers, who are practically tripping over my heels to catch up. Lifting my chin, I declare imperiously, “Can my sister and I have a moment to ourselves, away from commoners like you?I don’t want you so close to me or Lady Nivene. In fact, I don’t even want you breathing our air.” I flap a hand at them. “You can protect me from a distance.”

The soldiers nod, and I keep walking, my feet crunching over snowy pebbles.

Nivene turns to greet me, her cheeks pink from the cold.

“Hey, sister,” I murmur.

As I sidle up next to her, she glances at the soldiers to make sure they’re far enough away. Falling snowflakes land on her eyelashes. She leans in close, whispering, “I just returned from Scotland.”

I turn my back to the guards so they can’t read my lips. “I know. What did they say?”

“You have to go to Avalon Tower.”

My stomach twists. Avalon Tower? Not possible. “Sounds nice. I wish I could talk to Sir Kay personally, but that’s not going to happen, obviously.” I nod in the direction of the heavily guarded ley portal.

“No, I mean, youhaveto go,” she says. “That’s what our recent commands say. Avalon Tower command won’t moveforward with the assassination plan without debriefing you in person.”

“What?” I gaze at her in astonishment. “That’s crazy. I can’t go. There are still a dozen soldiers guarding the ley portal. And I can’t get to the other one. I’m being watched everywhere I go, and Talan will be home in two days. He’ll immediately realize I’m not around.”

“I know that.”

“So, why are you telling me I need to go?”

Nivene exhales, a pale cloud of mist rising from her lips. “I told them what they already know—that you’re now married to the prince, and the portal is guarded. I said evenI’mbeing watched. I returned to a bunch of ladies of the court demanding to know why I had not attended so many of their little banquets and events, and all I could do was insinuate an affair with some lord from the countryside. Apparently, I missed two masked balls, one engagement party, and a banquet, which I suspect was an actual orgy, and they all want to know why.”

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