Maze of Moonlight by Gael Baudino (read with me TXT) 📕

down Lia’s face as she nodded in reply, which I hoped were happier ones than moments before. I’ve got to be better. For her. I grabbed my satchel from the side table by the door, and together, we exited the room and began our winding trip out of the keep. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed that Valandra was indeed following us, though she made no effort to keep pace or ask where we were going.

The journey through the streets of Yoria was mostly uneventful. Lia led the way through the busy thoroughfares, which was made markedly easier by how many people moved out of our way to whisper excitedly about seeing the King’s Shield. Valandra’s shining accoutrements made her a hard person to miss, and the level of reverence the people of Yoria held for her was interesting to see as we made our way out of the city.

By the time we exited the city walls, the horizon had begun to change to a pinkish-orange hue. As we walked down the main dirt road towards Tolamar, Lia’s pace gradually increased. The comfortable walk we had started with quickly morphed into long determined strides, and when the Corell residence finally came into view, she broke out into a headlong sprint. I could hear her laughing under her breath as she ran off ahead of us.

“Her parents’ house?” Valandra inquired, having now matched my walking speed.

The smooth, even voice instantly put a damper on my otherwise cheerful mood. “Yes,” I replied, still watching Lia run across the front yard. “Her parents, who haven’t seen their daughter in over a month. Who would most likely enjoy spending time with her without royal supervision.” We reached the walkway to the house as Lia burst inside and quickly vanished around the corner.

“I will not impose myself upon them,” Valandra said as she stopped at the edge of the yard, “but we have things that need to be discussed before we leave for Attetsia.” We stood together quietly for a moment as shouts of excitement rang out from the Corell household. “I will return here in the morning to meet with you.”

“Midday,” I countered sharply. “If you’ve somehow forgotten, Lia and I spent over a week as prisoners of your king. I am not going to cut short our first night of sleep in a real bed so we can discuss...logistics.”

Valandra observed me with a sidelong glance. “Midday, then.” She turned and started down the road, but stopped and turned to face me again. “I am not your enemy, Lux. It is my hope that, in time, you will come to understand this.”

I growled reflexively as my hands balled into fists. “Just because you don’t understand doesn’t make you innocent. You ARE my enemy. All of you.” The look of loathing on my face would’ve sent lesser men scrambling, but Valandra was unmoved. “Just go.”

“What do I not understand?”

“I said GO!” I closed the distance between us with a quick lunge and stared her down, our faces just inches apart.

Her eyes were calm as she met my gaze. “If I have done something to offend you, I ap—”

“What you have done,” I hissed, “is push me down the path of no return.” I jabbed a finger into her chest, and adrenaline alone saved me from flinching in pain against the scales. “All I wanted to do was live a normal life, just this one time. I was so close, too.” Any restraint I had before was washed away by the rage boiling in my gut. “But no, that was too much to ask, right? Now you’re here, and every day is a day closer to getting sent away again!”

My brain caught up with my mouth a moment too late. I clamped my jaw shut as I continued to stare angrily at Valandra. Too far. Way too far. My stomach churned as I tried to push the feelings down and gain control of myself.

She blinked at me as she processed the information. “Who is sending you away?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. With a shaky sigh, I turned and walked back to the pathway. As I headed towards the house, I called back over my shoulder. “Midday. No sooner.” Valandra watched me for a moment before giving a small nod. She turned and started back towards the city, leaving her questions unanswered.

Before I reached the door, I paused and clapped my face lightly between my hands. Calm. Down. With a final shake of my head and a deep sigh, I entered the house and rounded the corner to the dining room. Lia was seated back to me at the dining table, filling a bowl from a steaming stewpot before her. Marten and Hana sat at the table as well, red-faced and beaming.

Marten spotted me first. “Lux!” he bellowed, shaking loose a torrent of breadcrumbs from his bushy mustache as he stood to greet me. “I was beginning to think Lia left you in a ditch halfway to Lybesa and came home!” He wheezed a gravely laugh.

Lia swatted out at him behind her back blindly. “You were not!” Her annoyance was trumped by her appetite, and she quickly refocused her efforts on the meal before her.

“You won’t be rid of me that easily, I’m afraid,” I chuckled. “The ditch wasn’t nearly deep enough.” Another blind swipe flew out from behind Lia, this time aimed in my direction.

“Of course, of course,” Marten smiled. He clapped a hand up onto my shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Lux. Come and have some dinner with us; Hana always makes more food than we can eat.”

Hana nodded in agreement as we took our seats at opposite sides of the table. “I’m still not used to cooking for just the two of us,” she lamented. As she spoke, her eyes remained locked on Lia, who was upending her soup bowl to finish the last dregs of broth from her first helping. “I’m so happy to see you home.” She looked at me