Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Epilogue

"Ready?"

The Captain smiled up at Sidka. "Ready." 

She reached out to take his arm. Instead of reading to her in bed these past few weeks, Sidka had been taking her for a stroll around the lush royal gardens that surrounded the palace. When she grew tired, they found a bench or a clearing where they could rest and he would continue reading to her. 

"Just a moment," Sidka said. "I have a surprise for you." 

"A surprise?" 

He revealed a long, beautifully carved cane from behind his back. She gasped, taking it from his hands carefully. The handle was the head of a falcon. 

"It's beautiful," she said, running her hand over the smooth wood. "Why a falcon?"

He looked down and smiled. "Something for you to remember me by." 

She eyed him curiously. "Thank you, King Sidka," she said. "I'll be able to walk on my own now. I can't tell you what that means to me." 

He met her eyes and the air left her lungs. "You are very welcome," he said softly. After a long moment he cleared his throat. "Let's try it out, shall we?" 

She nodded, remembering her place, and followed him out to the gardens. She leaned heavily on the cane, but she was able to move at a good pace. 

"How do you like it?" he asked after they had walked for a while. 

"It's wonderful," she said, smiling up at him. 

They rounded a corner in the path and the ocean came into view, blue crashing into the cliffs the palace was perched on. She inhaled, staring wistfully at the horizon. 

"I know you want to ask," Sidka said. She snapped from her reverie. 

"Ask what?" she said innocently. 

"After your crew. So why not just ask?"

She sighed. "Old habits, my King." 

He looked at her inquisitively. The hot afternoon sun seemed to make his pale hair glow. It reminded her of the halos that the saints painted on the walls of the old Grezian temple wore. She frowned, remembering the stale life she had lived as a vestal. 

"Don't you trust me?" 

She smiled sadly. "That's just what I mean, Prince. Trust is something I am not familiar with."

"Is that not lonely?" 

She shrugged. "It's all I've ever known."

"Why?"

She hesitated. 

He sighed. "Your crew will be returning soon with a shipment. Their numbers have not diminished, as far as I can tell. That spindly fellow -- Barnabas, I believe -- seems to lead them. An older man helps him, seems to be a bit more of an enforcer." 

"Whoredog, probably." She laughed at his expression. "I didn't come up with the name. That's all anyone has ever called him." 

"I see." He frowned. "Do you trust them?" 

She looked away. "Not as much as I should." 

"That may not be such a terrible thing." He frowned. "Lorelai says I trust too easily." 

"It's one of the things I like most about you," she said. She flushed when he looked at her, surprised. "But it is a rather dangerous quality for a king to have. There will always be people trying to take or use your power for themselves. Choosing who to give your trust to could be the difference between life and death."