Page 16

She pulled back and frowned. “To become his bride. But why you? Why is he so determined to marryyou?”

“I don’t know.” I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “But listen, something’s happening.” Quickly, I filled her in on what I’d seen and heard. Nellie’s eyes grew wider with every word I spoke.

“What do you think that means?” she asked when I’d finished explaining.

“It means the barrier is failing.” I leaned forward. “Whether it’s because Oberon’s powers are dying or because the Mist King has found a way inside the Kingdom of Light, it doesn’t matter. The result is the same.”

“The mists are coming,” she whispered.

I nodded. “And whenever that happens, we need to be gone from this place. You, me, Mother, and Val. All the mortals in Teine. Oberon lied to us about a lot of things…I think. But there’s one thing I can swear to you is true. The mists are full of dangerous things, and they will kill us all if they come here.”

Nellie shivered and hugged her arms to her chest. “You’re scaring me.”

“I’m sorry. I just want you to be prepared for what’s to come.” I took her hand and squeezed. “This could be a good thing, when all is said and done. Oberon’s courtiers aren’t happy. If the mists keep pushing across the barrier, he’ll lose control of his court. The wedding won’t happen. I won’t have to make that marriage vow. And then we can get out of here.”

“Speaking of the wedding…Morgan came by earlier, asking lots of questions.” Nellie glanced at the guards standing watch at the end of the passageway. “She questioned them too. Loudly.”

I leaned forward. “What was she asking about?”

“You, mainly. She wanted to know if you’d made some kind of plan with the Mist King.”

“Some kind of plan,” I murmured, putting two and two together. “Oberon’s convinced that I have something to do with the mists coming across the bridge, so he ordered Morgan to investigate. What did you tell her?”

“Well, I told her the truth. You and the Mist King aren’t exactly on good terms right now. He lied to you about Val and Mother. And then you tried to kill him. How would you two be working together?”

I stood from the cot and started pacing the cell. “That’s good. She needs to think we’re at odds.”

“Aren’tyou at odds?” Nellie shook her head and laughed. “I mean, you tried to kill him, Tessa.”

“Yes, we’re at odds, but…it’s more complicated than that.” Even I didn’t know how to explain it. What Nellie had said was true. And a single dream—one where we both leveled blades at each other—hadn’t changed that. Especially when the truth was far worse than I would have guessed. The Mist King had killed my father.

But something in me yearned to speak with him again.

I needed to know if what he’d told me was true.

Nellie cocked her head and dropped her voice to a whisper. “For the love of light, Tessa. Are you actually working with him?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I’m not, but…he might be behind this.”

“Well, don’t say anything about it to anyone, because Morgan is snooping around,” she whispered back. “She even asked the guards if you’ve been talking in your sleep about it.”

I stiffened. Did Morgan know about Kalen’s power over dreams? “What did they say?”

“They told her you had a nightmare last night, but that all you did was mumble.” She took my hand, pulling me toward her. “It’s happening again, isn’t it? Your dreams. That’s why you’re being strange.”

Nellie knew about the dreams. I’d told her back when the captain—who we now knew was the Mist King—used them to speak to me about the gemstones.

I nodded.

She hissed. “You can’t trust him, Tessa. He lied to you about Mother and Val.”

“That was mostly Morgan,” I admitted.

Her eyes widened. “So that’s why you warned me about her.”

A few moments passed in silence before my sister spoke again. “She asked the guards to tell her the next time you have a nightmare.”

“That could be at any time,” I said. “I don’t control the dreams. He does.”