Page 125 of A Monarch's Fall

I was silent, I had already said the words too many times, and each time almost killed me.

“Okay, then. Tell me what happened to you. Where were you taken? How were you rescued? You have to answer these questions, Percy. You can’t simply remain silent forever and hyperventilating over breakfast for the rest of your life,” she said.

“I was taken to House Halvorsen, where The New Foundation has a military base on Lord Arvid Halvorsen’s personal estate,” I told her.

“So, the rumours are true, House Halvorsen has been up to something. How did you come to be here, Percy?” she asked, and took a sip of her coffee.

“There was an attack,” I said, and the image of Kat’s shocked face just before she fell to the ground flashed behind my eyelids, Ana’s hands covered in blood, Valen laughing as the boat owner sat dying beside him, and I shook the images from my mind.

When I looked back at Heidi, she was silent, her eyes wide in shock.

“What?” I asked.

“Valen?” she asked.

“How? Stay out of my mind!” I shouted at her, realising she had seen my thoughts.

Heidi shook her head as if shaking off her shock.

“It wasn’t intentional. You know that ordinarily your thoughts are not easily accessible. But in times of distress, even those with natural defences are easier to read,” she explained.

“I thought you were rescued, Percy?” she asked.

“I was,” I lied, so entirely unconvincing.

“Right, of course, and you just happened to go on a boat trip with a ghost,” she said and sipped her coffee, “Mmm-Hmm, very believable.”

“Heidi,” I warned.

“Percy,” she said back mockingly and then sighed and set her cup down. “What is going on with you? Does Selene know about Valen?” she asked.

“No. And you can’t tell her,” I said.

“It’s a pretty big secret to keep,” she replied.

“Please, Heidi, Selene can’t know about any of it,” I begged.

Heidi didn’t reply, only pursed her lips.

“She’ll find out eventually. You’ve got to know that. He isn’t the type to hide away, not out of his own volition. And why by the love of Hermes was he with you on a boat?” she asked, her eyebrows rising, knitting in confusion.

“When is the opening ceremony for the Royal Conference?” I asked instead.

“Don’t try to change the subject, Percy, I can’t be that easily distracted, regardless of what others may think of me,” she replied.

“Please, I need to know,” I pleaded. I needed to know how much time I had before someone else was dead because of me.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” she answered.

“Tomorrow!” I said.

“What’s so interesting about the opening —” she stopped herself and smiled, and gave me an approving wink, “I’m not going to get distracted, not when there is a murderous madman once thought dead and on the loose, but you almost got me,” she said.

“Heidi, please, don’t say anything to Selene, it will make everything worse,” I begged.

“Make what worse? You are home now,” she asked.

“I… I can’t say,” I answered.