hummed to herself as she began to dress for dinner.
Chapter 12
Three weeks! They had been stuck in the castle for three weeks, and still the king refused to grant an audience. Other than a few, polite comments at dinner that first night, they hadn’t seen him at all.
Winter solstice had arrived. Dearra was becoming more and more anxious with each passing day. Summer was still a long way off, but not far enough, not nearly far enough.
Dearra and Darius sat in the same garden where her father had courted her mother so many years before. The plants were all winter brown, and a thick coat of snow blanketed the ground.
Two guards were standing on the periphery of the garden watching them, or more accurately, watching Darius. Reo was at his feet, so they were probably keeping an eye on the wolf as well, but Dearra doubted the wolf was their main concern.
“There should be some story-telling later. It might be interesting.” Darius pulled his heavy cloak more tightly around himself. Even here, in the sheltered garden, the winds snuck in and chilled them.
“I’m not going. I’m tired of pretending to have a good time. We’re here for a purpose, and it isn’t to play hide and seek with King Jaymes.” Dearra scooched closer to Darius, trying to absorb some of his warmth.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want to go in? It’s cold.”
Yes, let’s go back inside. You’re half frozen. Just because you don’t want to join everyone else doesn’t mean that you should forego tradition altogether. I will tell you a story, myself.
They made to leave the frozen garden. Dearra didn’t miss the look of relief on the guard’s faces. Not that she cared, but they weren’t wearing winter cloaks, and they were probably getting a bit numb by then.
She wasn’t really in the mood for a story, but Brin so rarely shared, that she tried to think enthusiastic thoughts for his benefit.
Well, thanks for trying, anyway.
***
So, as I told you before, I decided that the desert was the place for me, when I left Oke’s forest glade. There are an awful lot of deserts. I had read a lot about the world while living with Oke, but, though I did go wandering, I usually stayed fairly close to home. There’s a lot to see right outside one’s own door, if you only take the time to look.
I steered clear of Etrafa—
“You know where Etrafa is! That’s wonderful!” Dearra said, delighted with that bit of information. Aesri was always so close-mouthed about the location of her home. Truthfully, Dearra was curious about the Etrafarian homeland, and she had tried, on more than one occasion, to get Aesri to open up, but the woman was so secretive.
I know, and I don’t know. I can see it fine, though the fairies can hide it from most. I can sense it better, but if you asked me to tell you where it was, I wouldn’t be able to. It’s not that I don’t know, just that…the words wouldn’t come if I tried, or they would be confused. Fairy magic is a funny thing.
“Oh,” Dearra said wistfully. “That’s a shame. I think it would be wonderful to visit there.”
Why anyone would want to is beyond me, but I can tell you this—you definitely wouldn’t want to go there without a direct invitation. They don’t take kindly to uninvited guests. They may appear serene and gracious, but you wouldn’t want to make them angry. Trust me.
I tried many places and thought I had found a home. It was a beautiful cave! There was even an underground lake, but it was only temporary. I wasn’t even there a full hundred years.
“What happened?” Darius asked.
It was the strangest thing, really. I had amassed a nice little treasure trove, nothing too grandiose, but there were some fine pieces. I was examining one especially nice pearl when I saw a tiny creature scurry behind a cave crystal.
I called out to it, thinking it would probably run away, but it popped its head out and looked at me, with no sign of fear that I could
Chapter 12
Three weeks! They had been stuck in the castle for three weeks, and still the king refused to grant an audience. Other than a few, polite comments at dinner that first night, they hadn’t seen him at all.
Winter solstice had arrived. Dearra was becoming more and more anxious with each passing day. Summer was still a long way off, but not far enough, not nearly far enough.
Dearra and Darius sat in the same garden where her father had courted her mother so many years before. The plants were all winter brown, and a thick coat of snow blanketed the ground.
Two guards were standing on the periphery of the garden watching them, or more accurately, watching Darius. Reo was at his feet, so they were probably keeping an eye on the wolf as well, but Dearra doubted the wolf was their main concern.
“There should be some story-telling later. It might be interesting.” Darius pulled his heavy cloak more tightly around himself. Even here, in the sheltered garden, the winds snuck in and chilled them.
“I’m not going. I’m tired of pretending to have a good time. We’re here for a purpose, and it isn’t to play hide and seek with King Jaymes.” Dearra scooched closer to Darius, trying to absorb some of his warmth.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want to go in? It’s cold.”
Yes, let’s go back inside. You’re half frozen. Just because you don’t want to join everyone else doesn’t mean that you should forego tradition altogether. I will tell you a story, myself.
They made to leave the frozen garden. Dearra didn’t miss the look of relief on the guard’s faces. Not that she cared, but they weren’t wearing winter cloaks, and they were probably getting a bit numb by then.
She wasn’t really in the mood for a story, but Brin so rarely shared, that she tried to think enthusiastic thoughts for his benefit.
Well, thanks for trying, anyway.
***
So, as I told you before, I decided that the desert was the place for me, when I left Oke’s forest glade. There are an awful lot of deserts. I had read a lot about the world while living with Oke, but, though I did go wandering, I usually stayed fairly close to home. There’s a lot to see right outside one’s own door, if you only take the time to look.
I steered clear of Etrafa—
“You know where Etrafa is! That’s wonderful!” Dearra said, delighted with that bit of information. Aesri was always so close-mouthed about the location of her home. Truthfully, Dearra was curious about the Etrafarian homeland, and she had tried, on more than one occasion, to get Aesri to open up, but the woman was so secretive.
I know, and I don’t know. I can see it fine, though the fairies can hide it from most. I can sense it better, but if you asked me to tell you where it was, I wouldn’t be able to. It’s not that I don’t know, just that…the words wouldn’t come if I tried, or they would be confused. Fairy magic is a funny thing.
“Oh,” Dearra said wistfully. “That’s a shame. I think it would be wonderful to visit there.”
Why anyone would want to is beyond me, but I can tell you this—you definitely wouldn’t want to go there without a direct invitation. They don’t take kindly to uninvited guests. They may appear serene and gracious, but you wouldn’t want to make them angry. Trust me.
I tried many places and thought I had found a home. It was a beautiful cave! There was even an underground lake, but it was only temporary. I wasn’t even there a full hundred years.
“What happened?” Darius asked.
It was the strangest thing, really. I had amassed a nice little treasure trove, nothing too grandiose, but there were some fine pieces. I was examining one especially nice pearl when I saw a tiny creature scurry behind a cave crystal.
I called out to it, thinking it would probably run away, but it popped its head out and looked at me, with no sign of fear that I could
Similar Books
