Page 123 of Lady for Embers

“It seemed prudent to do so,” Callan answered.

“They ?nally came for your kingdom too,” Hale said. A statement, not a question. “I wondered when they would strike. I am surprised they did so this quickly. They waited nearly ?fty years before going for Rydeon.”

Callan cleared his throat as Hale fell back some. Drake dropped back, Eliza with him, so the Toreall King could ride beside Callan. “Yes. Scarlett kind of forced their hand and moved their timeline up.”

“You seem to know the Fae Queen fairly well,” Hale observed, picking up on the ?rst name basis he was on with her.

“You could say that,” Callan agreed.

There was a brief pause before Hale said, “And you have a sister?”

Callan nodded. “Eva. She is six.”

Hale made a sound of acknowledgment before saying, “If you would be willing, I would like the opportunity to visit at some point. About what it is like across the sea. The kingdoms. As you can imagine, I do not know much. I never saw any of my kingdom outside of the little village I was hidden away in.”

Callan glanced at him quickly before focusing ahead once more. “I only traveled to Toreall a few times, but yes. I can try and answer any questions you have.”

They continued on in casual conversation, heading for Hale’s estate. In addition to Eliza, Rayner was with them. Briar andSawyer were going back to the other estate. He did not know what Scarlett and the others were doing.

Hale nodded to the two guards as they approached his home. It was very similar to the Commander’s estate, perhaps a little smaller. The yard was kept, various trees around the property providing shade from the sun. There were a few footpaths that led around the house, and as they moved along the main road to the front of the house, the sound of children could be heard in the distance.

Hale smiled. “They must have found the hedge maze.”

“Hedge maze?” Callan asked.

Hale nodded. “It is in the garden around the back. A large maze. My father had it made for me when we first came to Avonleya. I cannot count how many hours I spent memorizing it. Then my father found an Avonleyan with earth magic, and he had him come and change the entire thing. He did that every time I became too familiar with the layout.”

Callan found himself laughing at the idea and could imagine doing the same when he’d been younger.

He was dismounting when he heard his name being called. He turned just in time to catch Eva as she ?ung herself at him. The horse whinnied behind him, shifting nervously.

“Eva, you must be careful around animals. You know this,” he chided gently.

“Sorry, Cal,” she said, her chin dropping.

He smoothed a hand over her hair. It was braided intricately down one side, laying over her shoulder, but stray hair was already framing her face. “What have you been up to today?”

She huffed. “Tava says I need to resume my studies. She made all of us do arithmetic for a whole hour,” she whined.

Callan fought the urge to grin, his lips twitching. “Did she now?LadyTava is right, you know. Your studies are important.”

Eva stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. “I knew you would take her side. You always take her side.”

“I do not always take her side,” Callan sighed, crouching down to look up into her face. He lightly ?icked her lower lip with his ?nger. “This, however, is very unbecoming of a princess.” Eva quickly sucked her lip back in, but her arms crossed with the same attitude. “I did not always enjoy my studies either, but they were still important,” he tried.

“Tava said the same thing,” she mumbled.

“And were you made to do your studies the entirety of the day?”

“No,” Eva answered, her voice still bordering on whiny, until she perked up slightly. “Tava also let me ride by myself today.”

“LadyTava,” Callan corrected.

Eva’s brows scrunched. “Will you still make me call her Lady Tava once you are married?”

Callan rocked back, nearly falling on his ass. How was he supposed to explain to a six-year-old that his courting had all been a ruse? That the actual courting had only been for a few weeks and had ended in disaster?

Another child called Eva’s name, effectively distracting her as she looked over her shoulder for the source, waving at another little girl. She turned back to Callan, ?dgeting from foot to foot. “May I go now?”

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