Page 45 of Stars May Burn

Behind us, our two regiments merged and trudged on toward the border. It wasn’t the first time we’d fought together.

I clenched the reins of my horse, my leather gloves creaking and crusted in sweat. Even if I died, we had to at least weaken the enemy enough for the next troops sent by the king to take back Whitehill. I imagined he would send most his army after he’d used the situation to get rid of us.

Kasomere was surrounded by high walls that were well maintained. Sophie should be safe there after my death. But I didn’t want to take any chances. The thought of my city surrounded by Kollenstar soldiers filled me with dread.

The king would never let that happen, surely? Once I was dead, his disapproval against Kasomere would end.

And more importantly, if Kollenstar troops advanced so far into Fenland, the king would risk losing the whole country. The roads between Kasomere and Adenburg were wide and straight, perfect for marching an army down.

Yes, Sophie and my people would be safe. Maybe even safer without me.

Still, I would rather eliminate the threat of Kollenstar myself.

We would arrive tomorrow.

Sophie

Four days. It had been four days since the soldiers left.

I hadn’t expected to miss Kasten, but I did. It was ridiculous. He had frequently been away before, and we had only interacted four times since I’d arrived in Kasomere. But there was always the chance I would bump into him. Now I feared I might never see him again. Had my second marriage passed me by without me realizing it? Something about that made me feel sadder than I’d expected.

But no, I shouldn’t think like that. I had to be positive and assume he was coming home. Callum too. As much as my husband’s friend annoyed me, the castle felt very empty without him. No smoke rose from his workshop anymore. Besides, he was the only one willing to tell me anything.

Now it was just me and the servants.

I stirred my tea next to my untouched breakfast in the conservatory, my head propped up on one elbow, when Tom approached the table. He caught me by surprise, and I dropped my spoon. It clattered from the saucer onto the floor.

“Tom! What are you doing here?” My cheeks heated from being caught in such an informal state. Miss Claris had always said I should remain ladylike at all times.

He bowed, his cap clutched in his hands. Then he met my eyes with a large grin. “My lady, I have a surprise for you.”

I stood up at once. “Don’t tell me you sourced pinkbell seedlings?”

He chuckled. “No, no. This surprise is far better. It’s about something General Kasten asked us to make for you.”

I stepped forward intrigued and touched. He had arranged a surprise for me to receive in his absence? The thoughtfulness was so different from his cold, brusque exterior and his complete inability to hold a conversation. I really didn’t know what to make of him.

“What is it?”

Tom’s grin spread even wider. “If you would follow me.”

I beckoned Lucy and Beatrice and followed the gardener out through the glass doors, my footsteps quick with impatience and excitement. Meena was my shadow as always. What had Kasten asked the gardeners to make for me? Maybe a rose garden. That was a common gift for wives. Or maybe he had planted a new tree to be as old as our marriage or one that was as old as me. Surely it wouldn’t be something as grand and ostentatious as a statue? That didn’t seem Kasten’s style.

And between all his worries and crushing responsibility, how had he managed to arrange this?

Tom spoke over his shoulder as he led the way. “You might have noticed that the western rock garden has been fenced off the last few weeks. It was because we didn’t want you to see what we were doing.”

“It’s in the rock garden?” Maybe it was a giant cactus. The thought made me smile.

He chuckled. I guess I seemed like an excited child. “No, it’s beyond. We didn’t want you to see.”

We rounded the corner next to the hazel trees and found the fences around the more arid section of the garden had been removed. I smelled something new in the air. Peaty. Damp. It was at complete odds with the succulents of the rock garden and the heavy heat of the sun. I picked up my pace as we hurried down the curving gravel path, winding around the rocks and benches, until we came in view of the abandoned quarry, an overgrown pit in a grassland grazed by sheep.

Except it had been completely transformed. I skidded to a halt and stared. It was now bogland. Yellow and purple flag irises surrounded the rim before the ground became completely waterlogged. A myriad of wooden walkways crossed over the site, with platforms and benches scattered around, one of which was occupied by a heron. Between the walkways, patchworks of tiny plants and flowers were growing, some with netting to protect them. And from the sides of the quarry, small waterfalls tumbled from streams that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago.

I could only stare as I tried to process it all.

Tom was still grinning as he watched my expression. “It took us a while to get enough sphagnum mosses to make the soil and water acidic enough, but we got them and you’ll not believe the plants we’ve managed to keep alive all week. Yellowmoss, bigsweed, honey orchids just to name a few. I even imported felixleaf seeds but thought I would leave you the honor of planting those yourself! We’re attempting pigsmoss, but our first batch died, so we’re trying again. This time…”

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