He nodded. “Yes. My mother is one of the headmasters of The Guild. Can't have a kingdom without food and supplies.”
Two guards stood at the entrance and opened the doors as we approached. There were two carriages out front. Liora stood by the second, head bowed.
“You and I will ride together,” he said. “Where we can discuss matters of the court. Your handmaiden and some of the other servants who will help us distribute food will ride in the second carriage.”
As I walked to the first carriage, a guard opened the door and I stepped inside the velvet-clothed vehicle and sat. Dark curtains had been drawn over the two windows on each side, allowing only slivers of light to shine in. Gideon climbed in and sat on the bench across from me.
“Do we need to tell Kane where I’m going?”
Gideon lounged back against the bench. “My cousin is busy with other matters, and you’re queen now. You don’t need permission to walk around your own town.”
“He doesn't trust me.”
“No, he doesn't. But that will change in time. You'll change his mind.”
“I will?”
“What else have you read? Have you learned anything more?”
I dug my hands into the tulle of my dress, debating on whether I should share what I've read. “There was an entry near the end. One of the last ones he ever wrote.”
Gideon’s brows perked up, and he leaned over. “Go on.”
I looked around even though we were in the carriage alone.
“They can't hear you,” Gideon said, almost reading my mind.
“There was a comment about his mother.”
“My aunt?” Gideon tapped his fingers against each other.
“What happened to her?”
“What did it say?” Ignoring my question, he urged me to continue.
“He blames her for his father’s death and leaving him in the Dryad Realm. How did Kane become immortal? His diary never says why.”
Gideon shrugged. “Nobody knows.”
“Were you here when it happened?”
“No. I wasn't born yet. My older sisters were, but my family had left court. Things were not well.”
“What do you mean?”
He tapped a finger across his knee. “The king was ill. Some say he was even mad with dragon sickness and when the second princess died, strangely, my parents decided we would stay at one of our estates, away from court until things settled a bit.”
“They must know something about what happened. Kane said he was in the Dryad Realm for forty years.”
The carriage bumped over a hard rock and I flew forward, almost landing in Gideon’s lap. He grabbed me, his eyes wide. “That’s impossible. He would’ve been missed.”
Slipping out of Gideon’s hold, I moved back to my seat. “That's what his diary says. His mother sent him there. How do you get into the realm of the dryads?”
“Around the lands there are different gates, and there’s onehere. Most fae know of the one here, but not how to access it. There's a royal courtyard that only members of the royal family can enter. That rune on your hand will gain you access to everything in the castle, the royal bedrooms, royal courtyard, even the defense system.”
“The defense system?”
“Did you notice the golem statues that the castle rests on?”
