Page 182 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
“Juliana lives?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re… my granddaughter.”
Aislinn smiled. “Yes.”
A great commotion sounded in the halls, and Aeron barged into the room, flanked by guards. Cerridwen raised her sword again, pressing it once more to Aislinn’s throat, eyes blazing.
Aeron’s eyes locked onto Aislinn, and the first quiver of fear appeared.
He knows,she realised.He knows she’s my grandmother, knows what’s at stake if she realises it, too.
He’d taken a huge risk bringing her back. Theremusthave been something special about the manner in which her body was preserved. He’d not had another option.
“Ah, Cerridwen, ever the knight, I see,” he said coolly. “You appear to have caught an interloper. Has she said anything at all?”
Cerridwen snorted. “With my blade to her throat? No. She hasn’t had the chance.”
Aeron’s eyes narrowed. He stared at Aislinn. “Is that true?”
Of course he’d check with her, and how could Aislinn reply unless she didn’t answer at all? Even saying nothing was enough of a clue…
She paused. She didn’t have to answer him, as long as whatever she said next was the truth.
She turned to Cerridwen. “You’re my—” she started.
Aeron launched forward, slamming his hand against her mouth. He knew what she was about to say, knew he couldn’t risk giving her the opportunity to speak at all. If he was thinking clearly, he’d have her interrogated later on. But she’d bought herself some time.
“Take her away,” he instructed the guards. “Gag her, lest her silver tongue deceive you all.”
A few of the guards looked amongst themselves, perhaps wondering why someone that could only speak truth needed to be gagged.
“Were you listening?” Aeron replied. “Take her to the dungeons. Do not let her speak. She can offer you all sorts of temptations; do not give her the opportunity.”
Aislinn put on a show of struggling as they yanked her to her feet, only stopping once they exerted real force. She could not afford to be injured.
She let herself be dragged away, casting one final, desperate look at her grandmother, and hoped she knew what she was doing.
The guards took Aislinn to the dungeons, stashed her weapons, and tossed her into a cell.
“Aislinn!”
A crystal-clear voice cried out to her. Aislinn looked up. Luna.
Oh no, no, no, no—
They raced forward to embrace one another.
“I’m sorry!” cried Luna. “The garden was swarming with guards. I tried to hide, but they started searching the bushes—”
She dissolved into noisy tears. Aislinn wished she could comfort her, but everything she could think to say was a lie.
“Don’t worry, Luna,” said one of the guards—the one that had been more gentle with Aislinn on the way down— “I’m sure everything will be fine. Her Majesty isn’t going to hurt you. She just needs the Prince.”
Luna’s tearshot eyes blazed. “I’m not going to be fine if anything happens to him, Pollux! This is madness! Do you really want to go to war?”
“Well, no, but—”
