Page 33 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
“That’s true,” Aislinn admitted. “He doesn’t lie even when you need him to, like all these times I got into trouble when we were children and he could have lied to get me out of itbut he didn’t.”
“I don’t like to lie!”
“You did it to wind me up!”
“Well, not all the time…”
Aislinn glared.
“See! I can’t even lie now!”
The steely-faced dwarf snorted. “Oh yes, that’s your brother all right.”
She spoke as if she had some experience in the matter. “Do you have a brother?” Beau asked.
The dwarf went quiet. “No,” she said eventually, “no brother.”
“Oh!” a white-faced dwarf squealed. “A cat!”
Hecate slunk forward and wound herself around the speaker’s legs.
“Oh, you’re so adorable! Come with me, precious thing, we’re going to get you a saucer of milk.”
Beau watched her leave, stomach rumbling. Aislinn snickered. “Do you want a saucer of milk too?”
“I mean… if it’s on offer…”
The snow-white dwarf laughed. “Come on,” she said. “I’ve got plenty for you to eat.”
Beau was taken into the kitchen, where he recounted what had been happening back at the castle, together with his father’s assertion that he would not be able to hold off an outright attack if they didn’t return home soon.
The leader of the dwarves—Minerva—snorted. “We’ve set up magic repellant wards around the site. They shan’t find us here.”
Beau, whilst glad to hear it wasn’t his own ineptitude, wasn’t so sure. “Do the wards confuse magic, or just dampen it?”
“Just dampen, why?”
“Because our parents are the king and queen of Faerie and my mother is an expert tracker. I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Minerva waved her hand, but he could tell she was thinking things over. Her wife nudged her shoulder. “Min?”
Minerva sighed, looking around the room. Her gaze finally settled on Caerwyn. “It’s up to you, lad. It’s your life on the line. But if you want to, the girls and I will escort you to Avalinth, the dwarven capital. The place is impenetrable. You’ll be safe there, if we can get in.”
Avalinth.The dwarven city. Beau’s mind hummed hungrily. Fae hadn’t set foot in there for a century. He’d only ever heard stories of Avalinth. Was this journey open to everyone? He didn’t even care why they were thinking of going—someone would explain to him in due course.
Caerwyn, though, looked less than thrilled by the prospect. His face had gone the colour of ash, and he looked around at every face on the table. “Will it be dangerous? Getting there?”
Minerva shrugged, like it was neither here nor there. “All journeys can be dangerous, pet. I wouldn’t let that affect your decision.”
“I can’t ask you to risk your lives for me.”
“You haven’t,” said Bell.
“We’re in no mood to see you killed, or dragged back to the castle,” added the dwarf with patches of ink-blue skin—Diana, if Beau remembered correctly.
“Or have the human king learn of our whereabouts,” added another. “There’ll be not a moment’s peace here if he does.”
“We’re with you, Caer. Whatever you decide.”
