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I regretted it immediately.

Her sadness flooded my senses. I shifted my focus outward, still unsure of this newfound ability to sense what was not directly in front of me.

There!

Unseen, but undoubtedly present, a… hesitation. And also, the feeling of anticipation. Yet, I could not tell where it was coming from.

Putting out my hand, I stopped Nerys. Needing a distraction, I whispered, “Trust me.”

And then kissed her.

She allowed it.

The Keeper’s visions do not come on demand. When you’re ready to receive them, they will find you.

So instead of attempting to force a vision, I lost myself in Nerys’s kiss. It wasn’t a difficult feat, her lips soft and inviting. Before long, the ruse was not a ruse at all.

That’s when it came to me. A shell, large and luminous, on the palace wall. Its most unusual feature was its colors. Unlike much of the decor in the palace, this was not only shades of blue and aquamarine, but also pink and purple and yellow.

I pulled back, whispering, “A shell, of every shade. Where is it?”

Nerys’s eyes widened. But she didn’t hesitate.

“This way.”

Instead of turning right, toward my chamber, we turned left. As we did, a hooded figure spun and fled in the opposite direction. I ran, the figure bolting. The chase was on, and I meant to catch the culprit.

Gaining on him, certain it was a man, I caught him on a turn, grabbing onto his wrist. The figure spun, his clear, blue eyes narrowing as he used his other arm to channel water from some unknown source into my face.

Reaching for a sword that wasn’t there, another blast of water attempted to loosen my grip. Instead, I held more tightly. One moment, the figure thrashed in my hold. The next, I was thrown backward as he fell onto the floor in front of me.

Turning, I saw Nerys just before she sent another line of water, perfectly formed and targeted, in our direction. Though it kept him down momentarily, he quickly regrouped and ran. I stood, intending to follow, when a voice stopped me.

“What is happening here?”

One of the palace guards came from nowhere, staring at the flooded corridor. Nerys stood behind me, looking every bit as fierce as she had the night she summoned those sea serpents. She took a step toward the guard.

“Precisely what I would like to know myself,” she said, her voice strong. Unwavering. “Is there a reason why a guest of the palace is being watched? And attacked for little more than attempting to discover the spy’s identity?”

The guard swallowed. He turned to look in each direction, but we were alone. The spy, gone.

I opened to him. He felt hesitation. Hope. Judging from it, and by his expression, I wondered if perhaps he was not as loyal to the queen as his position might dictate.

“Say it,” I prompted, opening my senses and knowing we were alone. “He is long gone.”

Nerys visibly relaxed. “Aelois? Do you know something more about what happened here?”

Again, the guard swallowed heavily, and this time, I felt his nervousness.

“I… Lady Nerys…”

“Speak plainly,” I prompted him, suspecting what he might be about to say.

“There is rumor, among very few of us, that you… that you, perhaps…”

As I thought.

“There is no need to say it,” Nerys cut in.