Chapter Twenty
The next morning, Everett said his goodbyes and told them all he would see them next week.
“Remember what we talked about,” Elsa whispered when she hugged him.
He nodded and she chuckled, kissing him on the cheek and letting go.
Ragan and Melody had not joined them for dinner last night so he had been unable to speak to him.
“Make sure that you send me a message if you need anything,” he told Ragan.
“Yes, sir.”
“Also, we will discuss your permanent relocation soon,” Everett said, winking at Melody.
She blushed and squeezed Ragan’s hand.
“Thank you, sir,” Ragan said, unable to hide the happiness on his face.
“Make sure Ronald is available to leave if I have need of him,” Everett asked, getting on his horse.
“I’ll be ready, My Lord,” Ronald chimed in as he came out the front door.
“Good man,” Everett murmured.
“Goodbye, Everett!” Elsa called.
He waved as he took off down the drive, ready to start his journey. Instead of going by boat, he was going to ride the twelve hours it took to get to Ciomodors Garden by bridge and stop at his home there. He knew he had letters waiting for him, and he also had to speak to someone about a lead he had. He would stay on Ciomodors Garden for the night, then head to Cobalt Lagoon, and Brigid, in the morning.
The twelve-hour rides didn’t bother him anymore, and he was sure it was because of all the time he’d spent in the saddle as a Knight of the White. He also enjoyed riding, so that was another thing that made it easier. The rides always gave him time to go over his thoughts, or any missions he might be on. Gave him time, and that was something he always needed.
The ride went by quick enough, Everett taking his time to maneuver the rocky terrain that Malachite Expanse was made of. When he finally arrived at the bridge, he hopped off his horse and walked it across.
The bridge was busy with people today, all kinds of vendors selling or bartering their wares. The bridges were wide and tall and made of wood slats, with large wooden posts supporting the open-beamed ceiling and a high railing on each side to prevent anyone from falling off.
The bridge was a marvel, and Everett never got tired of seeing it.
There were guards at each entrance to the bridge, and Everett called out a greeting to them, as most of them he knew. They echoed the greeting with one of their own and he began the trek across the bridge to get into Ciomodors Garden. Once he arrived on the other side, he said hello to those guards as well, stopping to speak with them a few minutes.
After a few pleasantries were exchanged, he excused himself and moved on, heading on to the island. Ciomodors Garden, also dubbed the White Island, was magnificent and took his breath away every time he came back. The island had a large white wall around the edge, the only holes for the entrances of the bridges from the surrounding four islands. The large white castle, Dawnton, stood in the middle of the island, the beacon of hope for all who resided on Ciomodors Garden.
The castle was surrounded by its own white wall, and there was a large gold gate declared the entrance to the castle. Surrounding the castle walls were the homes of the Garden’s elite; every lord and lady that was anyone had a home on The Row.
The next ring with all of the shops and things of that nature, then the middle-class housing and then at the very bottom next to the outer white walls, was the low-class housing. Everett’s family owned a home on The Row, but he preferred his flat on the middle row. He did occasionally go there to check in and let them know he was all right.
His family often stayed at The Row house instead of the castle because his father did not care for Art, but he was polite to him for the sake of peace. Everett wondered what his father thought of Catriona.
He’d have to ask him next time he spoke to his father.
He made his way to his flat and as he did, he thought of how nice it was to be home. Once he arrived, he went inside, dropping off his things and then going to the livery to drop off his horse. He stabled her there because he had no stables at his flat, and he didn’t want to go all the way to The Row house to stable her there since he would need her again soon.
With the instructions left for the care of his horse, he walked the short distance back to his flat to take care of business.
The next morning, he got up, gathering his things for the journey ahead of him. Once he was ready, he sent a message to The Row house, asking them to forward his message on to his parents of where he’d be. He always let them know to ensure if anything happened to him, they would know where to look for him.
The Cobalt Lagoon bridge was on the other side of town, and it was a busy day so it took him longer than he’d wanted to get through the city. Once he finally arrived at the bridge, he hopped off his horse, having to walk her through the throng of people that filled the bridge.
As he navigated the bridge, and the people, he wondered where some of the people lived. Very few of them lived anywhere near Cobalt Lagoon, as that island was made up of mostly scientists.
He wondered where they came from, and what their stories were.
They were all so different, but all had a common goal—to live a happy life.
The islands thrived as a whole and for someone to come in and try to destroy their unity made Everett very angry.
Kidnapping the queen, stealing the purification serum?
It seemed like one of the islands was trying to become self-sufficient, even though they couldn’t truly. There were too many things they would still need.
He only hoped they could stop them in time before they figured out how to obtain them.
His thoughts were interrupted when someone called out to him. Seeing it was a guard, he realized that he’d reached the end of the bridge and had arrived on Cobalt Lagoon.
“Everett, for? What are you doing here?” Jacob asked, coming up to him through the crowd.
“Some business came up. I’m off to see the princess.”
“Be careful, lad; they’re saying the princess has been in a foul mood for a while now,” he warned, Everett was unable to stop the guilt from riding up.
“Not to worry,” Everett piped up, “I can handle her.”
Jacob laughed at the younger man’s certainty.
“Good luck, my friend.”
“Thank you, Jacob.”
He was going to need it.
They said goodbye and Everett headed off, getting on his horse to complete his journey. As he rode, he couldn’t help but feel at home, the surroundings comforting and inviting.
Quit thinking like that. This is not your home.
He sighed and kept walking, his heart slowly pounding faster as he rode closer and closer to Stormhelme. Hours later, he arrived there, the large blue castle reminding him of the storm that lay inside. He pushed forward and headed to the gate, the large entrance pulled forward, away from the castle. The gate was at least forty-stone thick, making it almost impossible to break through.
Once inside the gate, there was a large stone staircase, leading up to the main hall and housing section of the castle. It veered off to the right to where the gardens and Brigid’s personal lab resided. She had managed to create a waterfall in her gardens that went off the side of the castle into the sea.
He had been amazed to see it the first time and they had enjoyed many hours together out in the garden after that. Everett shook his head to clear his mind as he rode into the castle, halting his horse and getting off, letting the stable boy take care of his horse and get his bags inside for him.
He walked up the staircase two at a time, heading to the main hall. He knocked on the door and had to contain himself when the door opened and Brigid’s butler Horus, saw him. A look of shock came over his face, and he quickly hid it, opening the door and letting Everett come in.
“Hello, Horus. Is Brigid here? I need to speak with her about a very private and important matter.”
“Absolutely, sir. Give me just a moment. She should be in her study.”
“Thank you, Horus.”
Horus bowed and headed towards the study at a brisk clip, leaving Everett to re-familiarize himself with the foyer of the castle.
It was not a large space, and the entrance to the stairs was not in this area, but it was tastefully decorated with white walls and light wood flooring. Except for one or two art pieces on the wall, they were tastefully bare otherwise.
Horus reappeared down the largest hallway and said, “My Lady is ready for you.”
“Thank you, Horus.”
Everett followed Horus to Brigid’s study, waiting until he had announced him to enter the room. His heart stopped as he looked across the room and saw her, her untamable red hair barely confined in a bun and her green eyes alight with barely concealed anger. She had never looked more beautiful than she did right now.
“Hello, Brigid.”
The End