Chapter 183

The ride home passed mostly without incident. The security that I had been issued at the palace turned out to be a man who might have been my father’s age if I had one. He was the ranking guard within the palace hierarchy, creeping up on his retirement years.

He didn’t have much to say, but he treated me kindly, touching his hat to me before leaving once Theo opened the door. Theo pulled me inside and started to hug me, but Charles pried him off, instead taking me in his arms and nearly squashing me.

He covered my face in kisses and swung me around until I felt slightly sick to my stomach. “I was so unbelievably worried,” he said. “When they separated us, I feared the worst.”

I pried him off and stepped back. “I can’t say I didn’t feel the same,” I admitted.

Gwen and Anthony watched all this from opposite sides of the room. Evidently, they hadn’t made friends while I was gone, though it had only been a day.

“So, tell us about what happened,” Theo insisted.

“First, tell me what happened to you,” I demanded of Theo. “At the palace, you said you’d be back, and so did that man who took you away.”

Theo made a face. “They half told the truth,” he said. “They took me away and registered me within the palace since, as a bodyguard, I guess I represent some kind of security risk for those already inside the palace. After they processed me, they brought me back to a room where Charles was waiting and instructed me to resume my bodyguard duties with him and escort him home. They told us both that you would be staying at the palace.”

“Now do you understand why I was so worried?” Charles pressed. “They separated you from your bodyguard and from me and then told us you were staying there. We were sure you were jailed.”

“They never put me in any sort of prison.” I proceeded to tell them all about my dinner with the king. “It wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience, and I have some concerns about my safety going forward, especially if I don’t do what he asks and print an article making him look good. But at least for the time being, I was treated with sufficient respect.”

I shook my head. “Anyway, I have work to do. I need to book tickets to Crescentshire.”

“Crescentshire?” Charles gaped at me. “That’s in the middle of nowhere and on the opposite side of the country.”

“I know. But if I’m going to get to the bottom of this and decide what I want to do next, then even the king deserves the benefit of the doubt. The one person who can shed light on all of this and give me answers is in Crescentshire.”

“And who’s that?” David insisted, finally joining the conversation.

“That would be Queen Yarrow.”

David hissed air from between his teeth. “You do like to live on the razor’s edge, don’t you?”

I sighed. “Honestly, I can’t see a way to do this story and my career differently unless I want to completely give up on my morals and ethics and just print some fabrication making the king look good. I’ve never tried writing fiction before. I honestly can’t say how that would come out. But it would certainly leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

“We’re going with you,” all three of the guys said at the same time.

Gwen stood, composed as ever. “I’ll go as well. Crescentshire isn’t far from Brindle Cove. I’ll head home and let you all focus on the mess surrounding you.” She caught Charles in a look. “I’ll step back in and run Rafe Media for you. The goddess only knows who might step in and make a play for the company while you’re distracted.” Here, she gave Anthony a scowl.

I shot each of them a smile. “I’m so glad you all feel that way,” I said. “If I’m coming back into trouble, then I want to enjoy this time we have together.”

“I’ll book the flights if you want to pack the suitcases,” Charles volunteered. “But what do we do with him?” He jerked a thumb in Anthony’s direction.

“I’ll have that friend of mine guard him while we’re gone,” Theo offered. “the same guard who watched you the other day.”

“Here? In our apartment?” Charles clarified. He sighed. “Do what you have to do.”

Theo and David disappeared into their apartment to pack while I did the same. I didn’t know how long we’d be gone, so I’d pack enough for a few days, and we could find a laundromat if we needed to wash some items.

We ended up needing to leave right away in order to make our flight. Once we were onboard and seated in the relatively comfortable first-class seats, all of the craziness caught up with me. Charles ordered himself a drink, and I snuggled in against his shoulder, yawning widely.

“We have a couple hours,” he said. “Why don’t you take a nap?”

“That was exactly what I was thinking,” I agreed.

I let my eyelids sink shut and took deep breaths of the soothing and homelike smell of Charles’ vetiver. With the soporific hum of the jet engines outside the airplane, I quickly nodded off.

Inside my head, the ease of my sleep surprised me since I didn’t always have the easiest time sleeping through strange noises. But today, exhaustion just settled over me, forcing me to sleep.

On the other side of that weighty blanket lay the moon goddess’ temple. The temple was so real and vivid it felt like I was standing in the middle of it, even though I knew it was now hundreds of miles behind us in Packhaven. But just like finding the temple soothing there, it was soothing inside my dream.

The water in the moon pool burbled as if speaking its own soft language, then strangely, it began to bubble. Not like boiling, but like a fish tank. Out of these bubbles rose the moon goddess, until she stood before me in a gown that looked like it had been made from pearls and bubbles sewn together, shimmering with its own interior light, faint and pale the way moonlight shone.

“Greetings, my daughter.”

I stared in open-mouthed astonishment at the moon goddess. She greeted me, all familiar, like we were friends. And honestly, the thought of being friendly with a goddess overwhelmed me. I dipped into a low bow, hiding my face from her.

“How are you holding up, my daughter?” she asked. “The tasks I have given you are not easy ones.”

“I’m doing my best,” I mumbled.

“I know you are, and I am pleased with your efforts. But it’s time that you and I had a chat.”

“A chat?”

“Yes. Because, dear one, as you go forward, you will find family weighing more and more on your mind.”

“Because of Charles and I getting engaged? Please tell me nothing’s going to happen to him,” I gasped. “He is all I have.”

“Is he?” she asked in return. “What is meant to be will be. I am not in the habit of revealing the grand design. But you are not as alone as you think you are.”

“What do you mean? Like my friends?” I asked.

“I simply mean that you are not alone as alone as you think you are. Should you look for family, you will find them.”

“Look for family? Where? What do you mean? I’m so confused,” I said. “I really wish you could be more clear.”

“You will know what you are meant to know, when the time is right,” she answered, staying just as cryptic. “You are getting close to understanding your place in the world. I merely wanted to offer you the reassurance that if you keep going in the direction that you are going, you will find the answers that you were looking for and more.”

“Will the king have me killed? I really don’t want to die.”

“Everyone goes in their proper time. I cannot promise any particular outcome without revealing that which is not meant to be revealed. But I will pacify you with this truth: should you continue on your chosen path you are set to accomplish what you need to attain everything you truly want.”

“Like being married to Charles?”

“Think hard about what it is that you truly want. This is a far deeper matter of the heart than a simple relationship with a man. You near your destination which means that our time is coming to a close.” She bent and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I have faith in you, my child. Go and make great things happen.”