“My child, you have free will, I cannot force you to stay within these walls, but know this, that if you choose to step into Oscuro willingly, I can not go with you.” the king placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “Be safe and make wise decisions.”
Adalia wondered what he meant by not being able to step into Oscuro, but she pushed the question from her mind.
“Thank you, my king . . .” Adalia asked as she rose, “But what of the prince? What should we do with him?”
The King smiled. “Nothing. Leave him be. Just be aware and monitor that part of the Veil.”
Adalia nodded.. “Yes, my King. As you wish.”
She bade him a good day and headed out of the palace; it was time to go home. Her body ached for a warm bath and a hot meal. Adalia put the blue-eyed prince from her mind.
But his song she could not.
Chapter Nine
The only time
Three weeks had slipped by since Adalia stumbled upon Matthias at his secret cabin. Life returned to normal, almost making her time in Oscuro feel unreal. The world settled back into a comfortable routine. Scars, both visible and hidden, were fading, and the mark on her face, a reminder of her strength, was almost gone.
As she walked into town, the splendid sun warmed her skin. Adalia felt whole again for the first time in a while. She passed one of her neighbours, who greeted her cheerfully as they swept the path that led to the front door of their home. “Light guide you!”
“And keep you!” Adalia called back.
The Kingdom of Lucius thrived with beauty, stretching wide to accommodate countless Lightners from diverse cultures. She grinned as a few farmers sang a delightful song as they harvested apples from the orchard. A little girl ran past her, squealing in joy as she raced along the path with a fluffy black dog.
That was her once, a very long time ago. Before her life in Lucius, before her mother fell ill and Adalia’s childhood turned into adulthood overnight. Pushing those memories from her mindas she neared town, Adalia drew her list from her bag to check she had everything written.
She waited at Whisk & Sprinkle Emporium, the shop that sold cake supplies and ingredients. Shiloh was to join her shortly. Adalia hadn’t had a day off in what felt like forever, and she was looking forward to spending the time at home baking with her friend. A mundane task to some, but to her, it was the perfect afternoon.
“Sorry I’m late,” a sweet-faced Shiloh spoke as she trotted up to Adalia. “My hair was not behaving this morning.”
“Don’t apologise. I was enjoying the peace.” Adalia offered her friend a smile. “And it looks like your hair finally sorted itself out. You look amazing.”
“Oh stop, my head is already too big. Now tell me, what do we need to get from the store for our baking frenzy?” Shiloh asked as she pulled the door to the shop open and both girls walked through.
Adalia glanced at the list in her hand and read it aloud.
Flour
Vanilla essence
Peaches
Strawberries
Golden syrup
“I’ll get the other ingredients if you can get the strawberries and peaches for me, Loh?” Adalia suggested.
Shiloh nodded at her and headed off towards the fruit section, where large wooden crates laid out every fruit one could ever dream of, ready for the choosing.
Adalia went to the middle of the store, where she found the rest of the ingredients. Her brother loved it when Adalia got into one of her baking moods. Their cold room would be full of pastries and savoury tarts for days…His absolute favourite was her brown sugar peach cake. Adalia always made more than one, because Nikolas would eat an entire cake all on his own.
“Light guide you,” Adalia said to the assistant after the girls paid for their items.
“And keep you!” came the joyful reply.
They set off for Adalia’s house on foot. Both loved to take their time, drinking in the beauty of Lucius by using their legs rather than flying.
