Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

T alan left the palace for a few days on a diplomatic mission in the far north of Brocéliande. It's day two of his absence, and I'm seizing my chance. I'm slipping out before dawn to find out what he has planned with the Blue Dragon Project.

I'm dressed warmly, with a leather bag slung over my shoulder and a dagger strapped to my waist. Most importantly, I have my new suit from Jasper tucked into my bag.

Slowly, I open the door to the hall and look around in either direction. As expected, no one is up at this hour, and I creep into the passageway.

I move swiftly, checking over my shoulder. For the last few days, I've been shaking off two people who are following me. I'm pretty sure that Talan has had his people assigned to watch me. Presumably, Arwenna has someone trailing me as well. I suspect any number of nobles are watching my comings and goings. I'm a popular girl.

Which means that where I'm going tonight, I have to make sure that I'm not being followed. At four in the morning, the people tailing me seem to be in between shifts, and I don't see a single soul around.

My plan is simple. Sneak outside in the dark, grab a horse from the stable, and use my telepathy powers on the soldiers at the messengers' gate. I'll ride through the day and arrive at the Blue Dragon Project by nightfall, deep in the Melian Forest.

But I needed a plausible cover, so I left behind a note on my desk: Aisling, I'll be gone for a night. Heading home to see my father.

I glance over my shoulder again. Still no one. I hurry down a winding stairwell, listening all the while for sounds of movement or voices. My fingers trace over the cold stones as I descend one spiral after another.

It's going to be a long day, and I'm almost considering risking discovery to get coffee in the kitchens before I go, but I decide against it. This is too important to fuck up.

By the time I arrive in the Melian Forest, where the river bends sharply into the hidden woods, I will likely be starving and cold. I'll be getting through the day on whatever I had left over from dinner last night. But a spy's life was never meant to be comfortable, was it?

At the bottom of the stairs, I push through a door into the frigid night. The cold air stings my skin as I cross the court and make my way to the stables.

I pull my cloak tightly around me, keeping my head down. I've timed this so that not only is it still dark, but the guards by the gate are changing. Hopefully, they won't pay any attention to me skulking in the shadows by the castle walls.

But when I round the corner and head toward the stables, my stomach clenches. A soldier is patrolling, and he's marching toward me. He's too close for me to turn and run, so my only option is to act like everything is fine and hope he buys it.

"My lady." He's dressed in the deep blue of the Royal Army. His long, pale blond hair hangs over his broad shoulders, and his metallic green eyes narrow at me.

I give him a charming smile. Nothing amiss here. "I'm off on a quick journey. I'll be back in no time."

"At this hour? It's dangerous, my lady."

I wave a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't be such a silly goose! I'm not a prisoner here, you know. And the prince already knew about this. I'm going home for the night to visit my father."

I flutter my eyelashes and touch his arm. As I do, pain rips through my skull, but I summon my telepathy powers anyway, letting them unfurl around him.

Should be guarding the bloody messengers' gate. It's only me tonight. But nothing ever fucking happens at this hour, and I've gone all day without mead. My hands are shaking. I was trying to stop drinking the stuff, but now all I can think of is the sweet tang on my tongue and how I need it to calm my nerves…I just need a drink, and then I'll get back to it. I won't let King Auberon down. He did say something about spies, didn't he? Am I fucking everything up right now?

I exhale with relief. The gate is open. "Well, I'll be going."

"But you're traveling on your own, my lady? It really doesn't seem safe for a young lady to ride unguarded at this hour. Or any hour. I don't think the prince would allow his favorite mistress to travel without guards. Where is it, exactly, that you're going? Where does your father live?"

My heart thuds. "Lauron."

As I try to control his mind, pain screams through my head and nausea rises in my gut. I can't get a grip on his thoughts. Talan has really fucked up my abilities.

The soldier shakes his head. "No, not a good idea. Let me check with the chatelaine, at least. I'm sure we can organize a retinue to travel with you."

My stomach flips. The longer I stay here, the greater chance I have to implicate myself, to spin another lie that I can't get out of. And my magic is failing me.

I smile at him. "Such a worrier! You need a drink. You deserve a bottle of mead. If you go to the chatelaine, you'll miss your chance." I turn away from him and call over my shoulder, "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Without waiting for another word, I march off toward the stables. But in the recesses of my mind, I know this is a problem I will have to take care of later.

And a dark part of me wonders if I should have taken care of the problem with the sharp finality of the dagger at my waist.

Crouching behind a tree, I breathe in the scent of pine. Night has fallen, and my teeth are chattering out here in the depths of the Melian Forest. Just ten feet away, a river roars past.

I left Castle Perillos ten hours ago, but that conversation with the soldier is still nagging at my thoughts. My early-morning journey turned out messier than I'd anticipated, and I have the disturbing feeling he'll be passing on the news of my trip to Talan when he gets back.

But I need to put that out of my mind now. I've come to exactly the right place. Before me, outside the forest's edge, is the fortress labeled on the map as the Blue Dragon Project . It's a towering stone edifice with mist roiling around its base. The river flows through an arched tunnel beneath it, and from the quick glimpse I had of the maps, it looked like the river opens up again within the center of the fortress.

Cold wind whips between the dark trunks, stinging my cheeks. Faint ruby-silver moonlight pierces the trees, glinting off the snow like jewels.

Behind me, the gentle snapping of a twig makes my heart jump, and I turn to see a stag standing between the trees, his breath misting around his face. He's pale white, almost ghostly. I go still, and the stag stares back at me, nostrils flaring. He runs off into the wintry woods again, kicking up snow behind him.

I shiver and turn back to watch the fortress from the shadows.

My stomach rumbles. I didn't pack nearly enough food, and now I keep thinking about the buttery salmon and wildflower salad meals the Fey make.

My thighs ache, and the cold wind bites at my cheeks. My stomach growls again, and I can only hope it's not loud enough for the soldiers to hear with their keen Fey ears.

I need to make a move soon.

From behind a tree, I survey the stone walls that surround the fortress. Dark, thorny vines climb up spiked parapets that are at least sixty feet high. I also have a view of the main entrance, a bridge that juts over the river. There's a stone gatehouse on the other side, heavily guarded, and a line of fierce-looking soldiers standing before the portcullis. They're not wearing the blue uniforms of most of Auberon's soldiers, but rather black clothes with silver breastplates and helmets. All of them are armed with swords at their waists, a bow, and a quiver of arrows. I suspect they're under orders to shoot anyone they see without question.

Going through that front gate is not an option, but I never intended to scale the walls or go through the portcullis.

Beneath that bridge, at the base of the castle, an arched stone passage runs underground. Just as I saw on the map, the river flows into that stone tunnel beneath the fortress. That's my way in.

Not that it will be a fun ride. The water churns, and sharp rocks protrude above its surface. When I'm between the forest and the castle, I'll have to stay beneath the surface if I don't want to get spotted.

I unshoulder my bag and open it, pulling out the suit that Jasper made for me. It's a shimmering silver-blue with gossamer that reaches my ankles, designed to look like a dress. The color should help me go unnoticed as I swim, but the darkness will help disguise me, too.

Ducking behind a tree, I strip off my clothes, teeth chattering wildly as the winter air bites my skin. Once I slip into the suit, I immediately start to warm up.

Next, I reach into my bag and pull out the tincture that Jasper bought for me. I pop the cork and take a long sip from it, grimacing. It tastes like fish oil mixed with bitter herbs. But then I feel something strange, a tingling on my neck that quickly changes into a burning sensation. I touch my neck gently and feel them, just like Jasper had said. Gills.

Finally, I retrieve the silver orb he gave me. I'm glad that he thought of this. Seeing the churning river water, dark as the night, I'm relieved to know that I have a source of light.

I stash the bag behind a tree trunk and cross to the river. I step in, and my muscles go rigid.

Fuck. It's cold. Even with the suit on, it's fucking freezing. The suit clings tightly to my body like the wetsuits humans wear. It insulates me and traps the heat to keep me warm, but the river is still just barely above the temperature of ice, so the chill gets through. The suit can only do so much with ice-cold water. My bare hands sting.

I look around one last time, wondering if I'll ever see the surface again, then dive in, submerging myself in frigid water. I kick my legs, moving as fast as I can, but the river is doing some of the work, too. It drags me along toward the castle, and I hold my breath. For a few moments, panic floods me as my lungs burn. But then I force myself to exhale, and the gills start working, and I stop feeling that terrifying drowning sensation. I can breathe underwater. And it's weird .

It's murky and dark beneath the surface. Without the light, I'd be lost. I run my hand over the silvery orb, and it begins to glow faintly, revealing my surroundings. The bottom of the river is a few yards below me. I swim as close to the bottom as I can so the soldiers won't see the light from the orb.

The current is pulling me into its churn. I'd started in the river's bend, where it was calmer, but as I dive deeper, I'm getting swept up by the swirling current, and soon, I don't know up from down. The inexorable force of the river slams me into a protruding rock. I let out a gasp, bubbles floating up from my mouth. I try to swim higher again, but the undercurrent is keeping me down, tumbling my body over rocks. I cover my head as best as I can. My hand hits a rock, and my frozen fingers fumble at my silver orb, losing it.

Fuck.

Aghast, I search for the light. There it is! It's slowly sinking in the water a few feet away from me. Swimming with all my strength against the current, I make a desperate grab for the orb and grasp it, though barely.

I'm pulled along again—there's no up or down in this darkness. I can't see the surface, just glimpses of rocks. Have I gone under the fortress yet? Then, at last, something slams into me, and I nearly lose the orb again.

No, it didn't slam into me. I slammed into it . Metal bars block my way, a grill to prevent intruders from the river. Like me.

The problem is, I can't swim back against the unrelenting force of the current. Unless I find a way through, I'll be trapped here until the tincture effects dissipate. I'll either drown or freeze to death.

My heart is hammering in my chest as I lift the orb and shine it on the bars. There are four of them jutting from the rocks below and extending to the tunnel arches above me.

They're not spread evenly, though. There's a slightly larger space between two of the bars. A large intruder could never get through the gap, but I'm smaller than a normal Fey.

I maneuver myself between the bars and get my head through first. But then my shoulders get trapped between the bars, and the cold water rushes over me. As the seconds go by, I start to panic. I'd scream if I could. I thrash and try to wriggle loose, my mind blank with terror.

Kicking wildly, my foot finds a hold on a rocky outcrop of one of the walls, and I use the leverage to shove myself through. My shoulders go through the bars, and with a bit of squirming and twisting, my hips do, too. I'm exhausted, and I let the current pull me along the tunnel on the other side.

A thought nags at the back of my mind—what if I'd read the map wrong? What if the river doesn't actually open up in a courtyard? I'd only had a quick glimpse at the map…

But just as I'm about to lose hope, the current starts to weaken, and I see a light below me. It takes me a few seconds to realize that I'm looking at moonlight dancing over the water above me. I'm upside down.

I spin and kick my legs, swimming to the surface, nearly crying with relief. I grip a rocky ledge, pulling myself into the air. Nearby, a massive wooden wheel churns the water, and the light of the two moons pours down from above.

I'm inside the fortress, gasping for breath. Exhausted, I hoist myself onto the ledge beside the river, propping myself up onto my elbows. I want to hoist myself out of the cold, but I still need to take in the surroundings, to check for guards.

I sit up, surveying the tunnel. A stairwell by the water wheel leads up. A few torches glow in the darkness beyond the water wheel, where a tunnel arches over the river. As far as I can see, there's no movement anywhere, no guards patrolling in the courtyard.

Honestly, I expected more security inside. I suppose Talan might keep personnel to a minimum to make this place as secret as possible.

My feet and my hands are numb with cold, but to Jasper's credit, my body is almost warm. I hug myself and climb the stairs next to the turning water wheel. When I reach the top, I peer out into a large courtyard, scanning for soldiers. Not a single one. No movement, no patrols. Just stone towers, a water pump, and ivy-lined walls. A narrow archway leads to what seems to be a second courtyard. Torchlight dances over stone and mist. What is this place?

One of the towers is significantly larger than the others, and warm light illuminates the mullioned windows. Keeping to the shadows, I creep toward the tower, scanning for any movement around the courtyard or on the walls around me, but it's eerily quiet. Why are there no guards within the walls?

I reach the main tower and glance up at the windows—no bars on them.

The wooden door inset into the wall looks enormous and heavy, studded with nails. I pull the handle, and it groans open, revealing a dark stairwell. My heart pounds as I step inside. A winding set of stairs curves up. I listen for the sound of voices, of footfalls, but don't hear a thing. I start climbing, my legs aching from the frantic swim. One story up, I reach a door.

I press my ear against the wood, listening.

Silence. Slowly, I push the door open. In the moonlit room, I take in the rows of bookshelves, a tapestry, and an enormous desk with unlit candelabras. An upholstered chair stands by an empty hearth. Nothing nefarious looking, more like a giant Fey office.

I step into the hall again, climbing the stairs.

When I reach the next floor, I find a small window inset into the wooden door. I peer inside. A lantern casts warm light over a room of eight small beds—each with little Fey children sleeping in them.

My heart skips a beat. This is not what I was expecting.

What does the Dream Stalker want with children? I can't even begin to imagine.

My stomach churns as my breath goes shallow. I walk over to the next window and peer inside. The same decor in this room as well and four more children, asleep in beds. These kids seem a bit smaller than the previous ones, and?—

My breath stills in my lungs.

While the kids in the previous bunk had the long fingers and pointed ears of the Fey, these kids look more human—some of their ears are curved like mine usually are, when I'm not glamoured. One of them clutches a little stuffed duck in his tiny hands, clearly a human toy.

Human children and demi-Fey children, trapped in a fortress.

What the fuck , Talan?

I still have no idea what he's doing here at the Blue Dragon Project . Is he using them for some sort of experiment? Harvesting their little dreams for some dark purpose?

I can't just leave them here. He's already confessed to me that he wanted to slaughter all of humankind, so it's safe to say the children he's imprisoned are not in a good place. Where to get them to , though? I can't bring them back to Perillos, but I could hide them until I got word to Meriadec, Raphael, or someone else.

This fortress is unguarded from within. Obviously, they think that the external defenses are enough.

That means if I take out the guards at the main gate, I can free all the kids here and spirit them somewhere safe. The guards are looking for intruders from outside the compound, but they won't expect someone coming behind their backs.

I need to wake the kids first. Just in case one of the guards raises an alarm, we have to move quickly before reinforcements show up.

I gently push open the door to the room and cross to the first bed, where a little girl with curly blond hair is sleeping peacefully. I softly touch her arm. She sighs, her eyelids fluttering open. Her eyes focus and widen in alarm, and she clutches her blanket.

"Shh," I whisper. "Don't be afraid. I'm a friend. I've come to get you all out."

She recoils in horror and scoots away from me on the bed. Then her eyes shift, and I realize that she's looking at something over my shoulder. Before I can turn, a cold metal blade touches my throat, and someone twists my arm sharply behind my back.

"Really?" a hard feminine voice says. "Get them all out? I don't think anyone is getting out of here."