Page 139 of Avalon Tower
“You will not fish inside my mind again,” Maertisa says aloud. “Try that one more time, and you’ll be the one to lose an ear.”
“Don’t touch her,” Raphael says, clenching his jaw.
“I’m growing bored,” Maertisa snaps. “If we wait here long enough, you two will die, but so will my brother. He’s an oaf, but I like him, so that’s not going to happen. I’m also obviously not going to let you both go. That would be ridiculous. Auberon would flay us alive. But I actually have a reasonable offer. Let us take you alive.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Raphael growls.
“You misunderstand. I’m not talking about both of you—just you, Launcelot. I’ll let the girl go.”
“Don’t!” Vidal shouts. “You can take them both—”
Raphael squeezes the man’s neck, and Vidal sags, unconscious. “Now,” he says, his voice steely. “You were saying?”
Maertisa seems unperturbed by her brother’s treatment. “I was saying, all I want is you. I’m willing to let the girl sail away.”
Raphael snorts. “You’ll send a sea serpent after her as soon as you have your brother back.”
“I won’t. You can keep that sword to my brother’s thick neck until this young telepath is well on her way.”
“No, you can’t,” I cry. “She’s lying. She just wants you alive. She wants to torture you so they can learn all you know. We can’t be taken alive.”
Raphael clenches his jaw. “Why do you even want me?” he asks.
Maertisa shrugs. “I could not care less about you. But Auberon’s psychics have been shrieking about the one person who might be able to stop him—the Guardian of the Lake. They say that’s you. And Auberon wants a chat, to figure out how one man could thwart all his plans.”
I gasp. The Lady of the Lake. That’s not Raphael. That’s me. Auberon’s psychics must have homed in on the general vicinity, but they got the wrong person.
“It’s me Auberon wants,” I blurt. “Tana told me. I’m the Lady of the Lake. The Guardian of the Lake. She’s been telling me this for months. You can’t let them take you. Listen, take Vidal on board the boat. Maertisa won’t send a sea serpent after you if you take her brother hostage. You can get away—”
Raphael holds up one finger. “How do I know you’re not lying?” he asks Maertisa.
She sighs. “Ask your telepathic friend. I’ll allow her a peek. She’ll tell you that I speak the truth.”
Raphael looks at me. “Do it.”
I nod, but not because I intend to play her little game. Once I’m in her mind again, I’ll make her let me go.
I connect with her again, using my power, and instantly see that she’s being honest. She will let me go and allow Raphael to hold her brother hostage until I sail away. It’s a risk. She knows it’s a risk, but she suspects Raphael wouldn’t kill her brother until I’m out of the sea serpent’s range. And by then, she reasons, there’ll be so many soldiers on the pier that she could disarm Raphael, even if he decides to cut her brother’s throat.
I won’t give her that chance. I go for her mind, channeling all my powers into her head, feeding it with the flaming roar of the fierce protectiveness I feel for Raphael. I will take control and make her drop the knife—
This time, she pushes me out even more violently.
“My patience is wearing thin, telepath,” Maertisa says. “I told you not to do that. Now, tell your commanding knight the truth of my thoughts, that I will let you go and you can sail away, as far as your heart desires.”
I look at Raphael pleadingly.
“Is she telling the truth?” he asks.
The wind rises, and the waves get higher and higher. I have to convince him to leave.
“She…” I blink, my thoughts whirling. “No. No, she’s lying. She doesn’t care about her brother. She just wants you alive. She’ll kill me anyway. But she won’t kill you because you have her brother. And because Auberon wants you alive. You can get on that boat if you leave me behind.”
Raphael’s eyes soften. “Oh, Nia. For someone who spent so much time telling people what you thought they needed to hear, you’re still not convincing.I thought I trained you better than this. What sort of spy lies so badly?”
Tears sting my eyes. “I can lie just fine,” I say in a broken voice. “Just not to the people I care about. But you can’t let her take you alive. You can’t.”
“Well, this is touching,” Maertisa says, “I have to say, I just got all teary. Now, let’s get this show on the road.”