Afterward, she went home, visited with her mother, shared pizza with her sons, then began packing. She would need appropriate travel clothes and something presentable for meetings with the chiefs. Sabine had sent a message by pigeon to the wharf master at New Charleston Harbour to get the cutter ready to sail and hire a skipper.
“Mom, I should come too.” Turning from her closet to her bedroom door, Azaleen stared at Eldrin.
“There’ll be later opportunities for you to travel and meet other heads of state,” she answered. Leaving her packing, she crossed to him, took his hands. In a soft but resolute voice, she said, “If anything were to happen to me, you’re next in line. That means, in dangerous situations, it’s best we be in different places. One of us must remain in safety at all times—especially now that you’re older. But I’ll be all right. Captain Moreau and his team are the best. I love you, Eldrin. Watch after Caelen while I’m gone. I’ll bring you something from the Frostlands.”
In a rare display of emotion, her teenage son wrapped his arms around her in a powerful hug. “You’d better come back safely. I’m not ready to be king.”
Chapter thirty-seven
Tendrils of Compassion
Six days later, aboard the cutterHalcyon
Perched at the bow, Lark tucked her legs beneath her, the wind full in her face, making the longer hairs along her crown billow like the jib sail at her back. They’d been at sea three days after having to wait for a storm to pass. The sailing vessel was a beauty—polished teak, quality canvas, sleek design. A narrow galley was outfitted with a propane stove, an ice chest, a cozy booth, and dead dials, useless buttons, and a silent radio. With drawers under steps and storage under seats, no space was wasted.
Below were two cabins, whose benches folded out into double beds, separated by the privy—which always seemed to be in use—on one side and a closet and pantry on the other. A small aft cabin barely fit the captain’s bed. The four women took the forward-most cabin, the men the other, while Skipper Jonas Pike and first mate Rory Flynn took turns sleeping and running theHalcyon. A steering wheel jutted from a post near the stern, surrounded by bench seating and a little table that folded up and down.
The skipper had set an ambitious pace, the Gulf Stream bearing them like a hidden engine, a dark river threading through the greater sea. “If the wind and weather hold, we’ll make port in under two weeks,” Pike had predicted.
“A month round trip?” Queen Frost had balked. She hadn’t realized how many nautical miles the trip entailed. Lark gave her credit for not backing out. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was glad Frost was on board, sharing a cabin with her, Skye, and Skye’s aunt.
Lark leaned over the rail, scanning for dolphins. None had shown this morning. Still, the warm sun beaming on her skin, the salt air in her nose, and the fresh breeze invigorated her.
Footsteps on the deck made her whip her head around, glad there was no hair to blow in her eyes. “My queen,” she uttered in surprise and scrambled up, gripping the railing as the bow pitched through the waves. She was glad the motion didn’t make her sick the way it did Wes. He’d spent these first three days hugging a railing, face green, and mood sour.
“Don’t get up,” she said, waving her back to the deck. “I came to sit up here and see what fascinates you so about this spot.”
Instinctively, Lark reached out, taking Frost’s arm to steady her. “Are you sure? It’s much windier here than behind the cabin.”
The queen arched a brow, a crooked smile on her lips. “Which is why my hair is secured with a braid and tie.”
Lark didn’t let go until the queen was safely seated, then plopped beside her. The space before the bowsprit was so narrow, they were practically touching. The nearness sent a shiver racing through her, unexpected and disorienting.
“Just no falling overboard,” Lark said nervously. At that, Queen Frost made a sarcastic expression that left Lark momentarily speechless. It seemed so out of character, sohuman.For the first time, Lark glimpsed the woman behind the crown. Under the royal trappings, the burden of leadership, and the expected formality, beat the heart and mind of a woman possessing a sense of humor.
“So, why do you like coming up here?”
“It’s quiet, not so crowded,” she said, amazed that Frost even noticed when she slipped away. “And I like to watch the dolphins. They aren’t here today, butsometimes they ride the bow. They’re amazing animals, and they always seem so happy. Being near them just makes me feel good.”
Being near Queen Frost made Lark feel good too, she realized.
“I love dolphins,” the queen replied wistfully. “I remember reaching over the side and touching one when I was little, and my parents took my brother and me sailing. Simpler times.”
Lark regarded Frost, a few loose strands battered by the breeze. Between the sun and wind, she squinted, her azure eyes outshining the sea itself.I hope her skin doesn’t chap or burn. I wonder if she used a cream before coming on deck?When the queen turned to meet her gaze, Lark glanced away. She didn’t want Frost to think she had been staring or to read the concern in her expression.
“That must have been wonderful,” she answered. Guilt pricked her over the angry words she’d hurled weeks ago. She had yet to apologize, even though this was the first time they’d been alone together.Courage, Lark. You must do this.
Lark hugged one knee, peering at the beautiful, powerful, intelligent woman beside her. “Queen Frost, I owe you an apology. When I learned my friend had died, I said some cruel and inappropriate words, which I regret.”
“Azaleen,” she said, a placid expression softening her fair face. “If we’re going to be spending a month in close quarters, you may as well call me Azaleen.”
Lark blinked, a flutter winging through her heart. She swallowed as she watched Azaleen gazing at her with appreciation.
“Apology accepted. You were grieving, in shock, and you were right. I hadn’t been totally honest.”
“Luke explained it to me,” Lark responded. “I assumed the worst, but you couldn’t give me what you didn’t have, and nobody could know the dire straits Verdancia was in. Leif, my little brother, wrote to say a shipment arrived at Saltmarsh Reach, and we’ve retrieved more supplies since the hospital. Is the country in better shape now?”
Azaleen turned to the front, watching the sparkling waters, and took a deep breath. “Better. Not where we need to be. My medical researchers finally reported last week that they’ve completed testing on the penicillin they’ve beenworking on and are ready to mass-produce it. That alone will save thousands of lives.”
