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Father gave him a cold stare.
“Front it is…” Uncle Ian kissed my mother goodbye then walked to the green dragon, giving us space to say farewell.
But it felt like goodbye.
My father directed a hard stare at my mother, arms by his sides, giving her a look he only ever gave her and no one else.
She stared back before she finally moved into his chest and kissed him goodbye. Not a quick peck on the lips kind of kiss, but a full-on, lovers type of kiss, and that made Atticus and me look at each other uncomfortably.
My father moved to Atticus next and gripped him by the shoulder. “Look after your mother while I’m gone.” He cupped the back of his neck and kissed him on the temple. “Love you, son.”
“Love you too, Father.”
Father smiled with his eyes before he gave him a gentle pat on the cheek. Then he turned to me, and I noticed a distinct pause there, like saying goodbye to me was somehow harder. He took a breath and let it out before he drew close. “Take a walk with me.”
My heart dropped into my stomach.
He led me away, walking across the grass until we were fully out of earshot.
“Something’s going on…”
He faced me, his cloak billowing in the same summer breeze that had entered my bedroom window last night. “It’s never easy to leave you.”
“You’ve done it before—”
“But it’s been a long time.”
“You’re wearing your battle armor, and youneverwear that.” I raised my voice, knowing we were isolated from everyone else. Frustrated tears never left my eyes, but they burned holes behind my sockets.
“It was your mother’s request. She’s overly cautious.”
“What’s there to be cautious of—”
“Harlow.” He didn’t raise his voice, but he deepened his tone to cut me off.
“It doesn’t make any sense!”
“Harlow.”
I released a heavy breath, my nostrils flaring like an ox.
“I wanted a daughter who was smart and strong—and now I regret my wish.” His blue eyes burned into mine, his authority as king ringing in the breeze around us. “A quality you’ve inherited from both of us, no doubt.”
“Tell me what’s really going on.”
He regarded me in silence, his eyes still and focused, his mind deliberating. “You must keep it to yourself. Don’t speak of it to your mother.”
“But she already knows.”
“It’s easier to put on a brave face for others than yourself.”
I inhaled a deep breath, the fear soaking into my skin and then the rest of my body.
“Uncle Ian and I need to investigate a disturbance at the bottom of the cliffs. We’ll be armed with dragons and, therefore, untouchable. If my suspicions are correct, I’ll issue a warning. And if they’re wrong, I’ll issue an apology. But it’ll be nothing more than one or the other.”
I tried to keep a straight face, but my deep breathing gave me away. “What suspicions—”
“The details don’t matter.”
