18. Nicolette

“It was my very own ancestor who applied the first mark of Elaina L’Amante,” Mydera explained in her deep, carrying voice. “So the story’s been carried down through the generations until I heard it every night as a lullaby when I was young.”

I nodded, eager to hear more, as I popped a fresh piece of fruit into my mouth.

But, mmm, fruit. After endless days of the tasteless bread-like rations Farrow had been feeding me, I gorged on the meal the mages had provided us with. And now, my stomach was full to capacity, yet I just kept stuffing more in.

Next to me, Farrow sat close on the same log, his thigh pressed against mine the entire time. I knew he wasn’t a fan of this detour we were taking, but he endured because he knew I needed the break. And that made me treasure him even more.

“Elaina L’Amante was the first queen of High Cliff,” Mydera was saying. “She was presented to King Grothier, I believe his name was—Awgust Grothier—as a gift from the kingdom of Tipton for their assistance