Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

S itting in the back room of the tavern, I take out the stolen portal key and start moodily twirling it around my finger. I find myself counting the seconds, knowing that time is running out. I have less than two days to get from here to the gate, and then to someone from Avalon Tower's command. And instead of rushing out, I'm sitting in this dank room, waiting for my ex.

The door opens, and Ysolde steps inside. She warily scans the room before turning her silver eyes to me.

"Sorry I took so long." I stand and walk over to her. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," she says. Here, far from where she felt at home, she's clearly more nervous, and her tone is sharp. She's not glamoured like I am, and she looks obviously like a demi-Fey.

"Your brother will be here soon." I gesture at a wooden table and chairs in the center of the room. "Please, sit down."

"If you don't mind, I'll remain standing," she says, leaning against the wall. She's casual, but I note how she eyes the door, her body alert. She doesn't trust me. She thinks this might be a trap. Of course she does. I couldn't expect her to fully trust me.

"Whatever you prefer." I shrug, sitting back down.

The door swings open, and Raphael steps in, dressed in a gray cloak, his dark hair wet with rain. It's grown back a little from the rough job they did on it in the dungeons.

My throat tightens when I see him, and sadness sings in my chest. There's the man who chose Avalon Tower over me.

But he's not looking at me, of course. He's looking at the sister he's missed and longed to see since he was a little boy.

Ysolde stares at him, frozen, then darts forward and grabs him in a desperate hug, her body racked with sobs.

I wait patiently. Time is short, but I have to give them at least a few minutes after all those years. How would it feel to be reunited with a sibling that you grew up with, that you spent so many years missing? I imagine for a moment having a brother or sister.

Raphael's eyes are closed as he hugs Ysolde. She's stopped sobbing and leans her head against his chest, tears running down her cheek. Finally, they break apart.

"What happened to you all these years?" Ysolde asks him.

"I will tell you everything," Raphael says, his voice cracking slightly. "Later, when we're alone. Nia probably doesn't have much time." He glances at me, his eyebrows knit together.

Ysolde sits in a chair next to me. "So, her name is Nia? She told me that you're a wanted man here. I mean, more than a regular demi-Fey."

Raphael sits, too, and scrubs a hand over his jaw. "Nia broke me out of their dungeons. The king is looking for me. If it weren't for Nia, I'd still be there. Or dead." He raises his eyebrows at me as if apologizing.

I inhale sharply. "I don't know about that, but you're right. I don't have much time."

I consider asking Ysolde to leave the room. I don't know her enough to trust her with my cover. Still, I need Raphael's help, and I need it quickly. And for what we're about to do, I might need hers as well. "I've recently learned that the Fey army is planning a crippling assault on the human military in Scotland."

Raphael frowns. "Did you alert them?"

"Alert who?" Ysolde asks.

"Avalon Tower," Raphael says. "Nia and I are agents of Avalon. Did she not mention that?"

Her eyes widen in shock. "You work with the humans? The Pendragons of Camelot?"

"Yes, of course," Raphael says. "Auberon is destroying both the demi-Fey and the humans. He is our enemy."

"I don't need you to lecture me about Auberon, little brother," Ysolde says sharply. "It's one thing to oppose the king, and it's quite another to work with people like the Pendragons."

"They're on our side?—"

"This is a long discussion, and you can continue it later," I interject. "Right now, we don't have time for a political argument. Ysolde, like it or not, Raphael and I have to stop the Fey army from annihilating the human allies. If we don't, humanity is lost. You took care of human children, orphans of war. Imagine how many children will die if Auberon gets his way."

Ysolde rubs her forehead. "How did you find this out, anyway?"

"I'm working undercover."

"She's Prince Talan's mistress," Raphael says darkly.

I sigh. "Do you want to spill all of our secrets in one day? Leave something for later."

"This undercover position was a terrible idea from the start," Raphael says sharply. "I told Nivene to refuse to go along with it. Nia should be back in Avalon. It's incredibly dangerous here."

"Fine. Nobody asked you," I say, my patience at an end. "This is where we are. There's a trap prepared for the human allies in Scotland. If I can get there in time to warn them, we can prevent it, perhaps even turn it to our favor. But I can't use the ley portal anymore. The prince found out it's being used by spies, and he has soldiers guarding it."

Raphael gestures at me, frowning. "Then your cover is blown."

"It is not blown." At least, I fucking hope not. "But for now, I can't use the portal. Which leaves only this." I place the portal key on the table.

"What's this?" Raphael asks.

"It's a portal key that can be used to take up to four people through. Talan had it in case he was going to join the fighting weeks ago, but he didn't use it. I don't think it will take us to where the battle is now, but it will get us to Scotland." I flip it, showing Raphael the runes etched on its interior. "The portal on the Fey side will be open in Penro. Do you know where that is, Ysolde?"

"Yes. It's about two days' ride from here."

My heart sinks, and I shake my head. "Well, we need to get there within a day at most."

"That's impossible," Ysolde says.

"It's possible. We'll have to ride all night," Raphael says, "and switch horses once or twice. Meriadec can help us."

"The guy from the pub?" Ysolde asks.

"A friend." Raphael takes the portal key from my hand and inspects it. "What if it lands us in the middle of a Fey camp?"

"My source indicated that we can use it safely. He wouldn't have told me about it if it would deliver us to certain death."

Raphael's silver eyes pierce me. "Who, exactly, is your source? Can we trust him?"

Oh, sure. The Butcher of Lothian Tower is super trustworthy. You've seen pictures of him murdering innocent women all over Camelot. You plan to kill his entire family. And by the way, he's my dad . "Absolutely. We can trust him implicitly."

A sorrowful expression shines in his silver eyes. "I need to think this through. I need to plan the best course of action and?—"

"We're out of time. I've already thought this through. I've planned the best course of action. I rescued you from prison. I saved your sister and found a way to get you home, and I found out about the Fey battle plans. Does Avalon Steel mean something or not? Maybe, Raphael, I know what I'm doing."

He stares at me, unmoving, until a muscle flexes in his jaw. "Fine. What's your plan?"

I drum my fingertips on the table. "The prince is recuperating from an injury he received after an assassin tried to kill me but missed. I left a note for my maidservant saying that I've gone into hiding because I'm scared for my life. I think it'll buy me a few days. You two know this kingdom much better than I do, and that's why I need you. We need to get to Penro in a day at the most, preferably even less. We go through the portal and find a way to get in touch with Avalon Tower command. I know enough about the Fey trap to use it against them, but to do that, we have to get there as quickly as possible."

"This is all moving too quickly for me," Ysolde says. "I was still thinking of going back to the refugee fortress."

"I'm sorry," I tell her, my voice softening. "I know how you feel, but in our line of work, we always have to think and move quickly. You know this landscape better than Raphael or me. So, for now, I have to ask you to trust us. You want to help those kids? That's great. In the long run, stopping Auberon and Talan is the best thing for them, too."

And once again, I find myself desperately hoping that I'm right.

Raphael runs a hand over his close-cropped dark hair. "We're going to need weapons."