"You want to tell me what that was all about now?"
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You were fine until that dude said something about the king dying. I watched the color drain from your face at the news. You were beyond upset, and I want to know why."
"Isn't Joey waiting for you or something?" She really didn't want to answer his question.
"She's out feeding the horses. She'll be fine."
"Drake, I really don't want to--"
"You were too young to remember anything about the gardens," he interrupted. "So, whatever you're about to say, make sure that I'll believe it or I'll call bullshit. And you know I will."
"I just don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe after I've had a good night's rest."
"Almost seven months pregnant? You won't have good sleep for the next several years, if that soon."
"True, but please. Just let me be, and we'll talk soon."
Just when she was afraid that he was going to pressure her, he let out a big exhale and stood up. "Fine. But don't think I'm letting you off the hook."
Sarah stood up with him. "Tell me that I'm going home to take a shower and lay down."
"I'm walking you home, so hold on."
After Vinia gave her the "take care of yourself" speech, Drake walked her home before he headed for his own cabin. Once he was out of sight, Sarah went out and sat in the rocking chair on her porch. She stared at the sky and all the stars that twinkled all around.
What are you doing, Luke? How can you treat me like this?
Even if he was set to marry someone else, with his father's death, hadn't he loved her enough to come back to her? There was nothing that she could think of to justify why he had just thrown it all away.
Despite her best efforts, she got no sleep. Her brain refused to turn off, and her heart denied any efforts to forget the hurt. A little seed of doubt had also sprung forth during the night.What if the king isn't really dead?Maybe Ezra was wrong. He himself was fleeing, so misinformation could have found its way to him.
There was only one way to find out, and that was in person. Before dawn even broke, Sarah was out the door to make the flight to the Sacred Gardens. She may not see Luke; she wasn't even sure that she wanted to. But she could verify whether or not his father had died and whether or not he was still planning to marry.
Closure. I just need closure.
At least, those were the words she chanted to herself as she flew across the landscape. There was no one on the road leading to the kingdom, which was strange. Normally it was a bustling thoroughfare.
She figured out why when she landed and approached the gates that she had just passed through on her last visit. This time they were closed and guarded. She knew in an instant that she wasn't going to talk her way into the city.
"On order of the crown, we're allowing no one to pass."
"Did King Ardec pass away?"
One of the guards sniffed. "He did."
"I don't understand then. Why close the city for those who wish to mourn the loss of our king?"
The second guard shrugged. "That's what I said, but orders are orders. It's not our place to question them."
"Has Prince Luke married yet?"
"King Lucashas not." The first guard emphasized the name.
The second guard snorted. "He hasn't been crowned yet, so he's still just Luke."
"You can't call him that anymore," the first guy insisted. "He's not your buddy."
