The Prince, the Thief & the Artifact

Chapter 26: Castle Walls

"So," Summer said as casually as she could, "is there any new development in the investigation?"

Al snorted. "Nice try."

They were still standing below the large tree after Leon left. The students around them resumed their sparring sessions under the watchful eyes of several instructors. Summer was not oblivious to the attention aimed her way. It made her uncomfortable. She was more at ease in the shadows, unnoticed, invisible, a mere smear of darkness in the background.

However, her mind was preoccupied by the course of the investigation. As long as they didn't find the culprits, she would be confined to the castle.

Summer was also curious about her supposed mother's identity. She had no doubt Leon would be probing everywhere to make sense of the dead man's words. And if anyone had the resources to find out more, it would be Leon.

Her attempts to lure Al and Ida into revealing more, however, were met with a thick wall of silence.

"Have you seen Rose?" Ida asked in an obvious effort to change the subject.

Summer sighed. She had been thinking about everything other than Rose. She was still bruised, still lost. Her friend would be having a life of her own, one so different from Summer's. One where Summer had no place.

"No," Summer replied.

"I have met Felix this morning," Al said. "He was inviting whoever he met to the wedding."

"When is it?" Summer asked. Rose had said that nothing was decided the evening before.

"No clue." Al shrugged, then looked at her for a long moment. "What are you going to do, when all this is over?"

Summer wished she knew the answer as well. "We'll see."

Maybe she would travel around, see the kingdom. She wondered briefly what it would be like to have a place she called home. Her old town was not home. It had never been. All she had there now was Boyd's grave. And graves were not good company.

"I'll see you guys around," she said, swiftly turning around.

"Do you want a ride?" Ida called after her.

Summer waved her hand without turning. "I'll walk. Thank you."

She hated feeling lost more than anything. Thinking about the investigation was the only reprieve she had from her own thoughts. She wished there was a way to find out more.

Her feet led her up the hill, through the gates, past the guards who acknowledged her presence with a brief nod, then to the lake that had come to be a place of peace and comfort in this foreign land.

Water glittered under the bright noon sun. Summer's stomach growled, hungry from all the activity crammed into one morning. She didn't want to see anyone just yet. So she delayed going for lunch as much as she could.

Perching high on a tree always made her feel safe. So she climbed a tree overlooking the lake and straddled a thick branch. Glimpses of the water broke through the tree's thick foliage.

Summer didn't know how long she sat there, her mind wandering about aimlessly without settling on any one thought.

Light footsteps intruded on her solitude. The silent kid with whom Summer had spent the early morning walked below her to the clearing beside the lake.

Summer shifted to a lower branch so she could watch. The boy performed the routine she'd taught him only hours before. He'd already memorized it perfectly. Summer smiled, the heavy rock on her heart lifting, if only for a while.