Page 33 of Avalon Tower
Then, abruptly, he turns from me. “You’ve used up enough of my time. Pick out a few more things if you want, but I’ll send the rest to your quarters. I have more pressing concerns.”
My brow furrows. “I don’t need to try everything on?”
He’s already at the door. “Go find Amon. He’ll get you a room.”
Raphael, as usual, cannot wait to get the hell away from me.
The sound of the closing door echoes in the hallway.
CHAPTER 10
I’m trying to follow Amon’s directions to my room in Lothian Tower, but at this point, I’m too sleep-deprived and self-conscious in the transparent silver gown to function normally. As I clutch my new clothes, I’m pretty sure I’ve been going in circles.
Where is the damn room?
At last, my gaze lands on it—number 333—a wooden door inset into an ornately carved stone arch. A brass lion juts from the door with a circular door knocker in its mouth.
I knock twice. Moments later, the door swings open, and Serana beams at me. “There you are!”
Light floods the room through tall arched windows, illuminating three beds with headboards carved to look like interwoven vines. Round tables stand between the beds, and plants grow in pots on the large stone windowsills.
This place looks amazing, cozy and grandiose at the same time. It even has two sets of bookshelves that display old tomes and flickering candles in jars.
Tana sits on one of the beds with a book in her lap. “No classes today. We can rest, and I bloody well need it.” On the table next to her is a gold-engraved black teapot and several matching cups.
I turn to look at Serana’s bed. On her side, the vibe is very different from Tana’s tidy corner of the room. Senara’s bed is chaos incarnate, the bedsheets tangled and knotted. Half a dozen outfits are discarded on and around the bed, and books litter the nightstand, stacked in a precarious tower. The hilt of a sword peeks from beneath her pillow. Yellow stains—which I can only hope are from tea—streak her duvet.
“Welcome to our room,” she says. “The three of us will be sharing.”
One of the books topples off her bedside table, and I rush over to catch it. I start stacking the books neatly, my eyes darting to the third bed. Mine, I presume. I’m so tired that it’s drawing me closer like a magnetic pull. “I hope you forgive me if I just sleep all day.”
“I’ll pour you some mugwort tea,” says Tana. “It will give you soothing dreams when you fall asleep.”
Serana cocks her head at me. “What are you doing, love?”
I belatedly realize I was trying to untangle her sheets. “Your bed looked uncomfortable.”
“I’m a fucking mess.” She shrugs. “I’m fine with it, though.”
“Right. Of course.” I pull the sheets over my bed, making it neatly.
Once it’s made, with the pillows piled up, I drop onto the mattress with a relieved sigh and accept a steaming cup of tea from Tana. “Ah, thank you.”
I sit up, glancing at my roommates over the rim of my mug. It’s an unusual feeling for me, being looked after, and it warms my chest along with the tea. I take another long look at their room—no, our room. Over Tana’s bedside table hangs a portrait of a man with a long white beard. He wears blue robes with silver crescent moons and a torc around his throat to match. He holds a gnarled wooden staff, and the gold placard beneath it reads Merlin.
My breath catches. I still can’t believe all this is real. “A silver torc?” I ask. “Do you mean to tell me that Raphael has achieved a higher level than Merlin himself?”
“Ah, no,” says Tana. “Merlin wears Avalon Steel. It’s a special sort of metal made by dragon fire and cooled in the lake, granted to him by the Lady of the Lake when she was alive.” She grins. “He loves wearing it because Nimuë made it for him. I mean, he loved wearing it. Past tense. Only Merlin, Arthur, and some of the most powerful Fey of Merlin’s court had those. It doesn’t exist anymore because all the primal magic is gone from the world. Primal magic disappeared when the Fey left for Brocéliande.”
When I look closer, I can see that the torc does have a warmer tone than silver, a rosy sheen.
“I need to let everyone at home know that I’m here,” I say after a few seconds. “Do either of you know how to get a letter quickly to the U.S.? Or is there a phone here?”
“No phones for us.” Tana nods. “I can help you with a letter. It’s a very speedy service. But of course, you can’t let them know you’re here. No one can know Camelot exists. They vet all the letters.”
I blink as it sinks in. “Right.”
“You’ll need a cover story,” says Serana. “You fell in love, and you’re staying for your new fella. Raphael.” She snorts. “No, I’m only joking. He obviously hates you.”