that you really do care for
him—and that you could never have done this.”
“Of course not,” Alistair said. “I’ve
been set up by that barbarian, Bowyer.”
“I will get you to Erec,” she said. “It
may cost us our lives, but if so, we will die trying. Follow me.”
His mother unlocked her shackles, and
Alistair quickly followed her out the cell, into the dungeons, and on their way
to risk it all for Erec.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gwendolyn stood on the bow of the ship,
the ocean caressing her face, surrounded by all of her people, holding the
rescued baby. All were in a state of shock as they sailed on the seas, already
far from the Upper Isles. They were joined by just two ships, all that was left
of the great fleet that had set sail from the Ring. Gwen’s people, her nation,
all the proud citizens of the Ring, had been reduced to but several hundred
survivors, a nation in exile, floating, homeless, looking for some place to
start again. And they were all looking to her for leadership.
Gwen stared out at the sea, examining it
as she had been for hours, immune to the cold spray of the ocean mist as she
peered into the fog, as she tried to keep her heart from breaking. The baby in
her arms had finally fallen asleep, and all Gwen could think of was Guwayne.
She hated herself; she had been so stupid to let him sail away. At the time it
had seemed like the best idea, had seemed like the only way to save him from
the certain imminent death. Who could have foreseen the change of events, that
the dragons would have been averted? If Thor had not appeared when he had,
surely they would all be dead right now—and Gwen could never have expected
that.
Gwen had managed, at least, to save some
of her people, some of her fleet, to save this baby, and they had managed, at
least, to escape from the isle of death. Yet Gwen still shuddered each time a
roar of the dragons pierced the air, growing ever distant the farther they sailed.
She closed her eyes and winced; she knew there was an epic battle being waged,
and that Thor was in the middle of it. More than anything, she wanted to be
there, by his side. Yet at the same time, she knew that would be futile. She
would be useless as Thor fought those dragons, and she would just expose her
people to getting killed.
Gwen kept seeing Thor’s face, and it
tore her apart to see him again, only to then see him fly off just as quickly,
without even a chance to speak to him, without even a moment to tell him how
much she missed him, how much she loved him.
“My lady, we follow no course.”
Gwendolyn turned and saw, standing
beside her, Kendrick—and beside him, Reece, Godfrey, and Steffen, all looking
at her. Kendrick, she realized, had been trying to talk to her for a while now,
but she had barely heard his words. She looked down and saw her knuckles,
white, gripping the wood, then peered out to the ocean, checking every wave,
thinking time and again she spotted Guwayne, only to see that it was but
another illusion in this cruel, cruel sea.
“My lady,” Kendrick continued,
patiently, “your people look to you for direction. We are lost. We need a
destination.”
Gwen looked to him sadly.
“My baby is our destination,” she
replied, voice heavy with grief as she turned and looked out over the rail.
“My lady, I am the first to want to find
your son,” Reece added, “and yet, we do not know where we sail. Any of us would
risk our lives for Guwayne—yet you must acknowledge that we do not know where
he is. We have been sailing north for half a day—but what if the tides carried
him south? Or east? West? What if our ships right now take us farther from
him?”
“You don’t know that,” Gwen replied,
defensive.
“Exactly,” Godfrey said. “We don’t know—that is the entire point. We don’t know anything. If we sail deeper into
this vast ocean, we may not ever find Guwayne. And we may lead all of our
people farther from a new home.”
Gwendolyn turned
him—and that you could never have done this.”
“Of course not,” Alistair said. “I’ve
been set up by that barbarian, Bowyer.”
“I will get you to Erec,” she said. “It
may cost us our lives, but if so, we will die trying. Follow me.”
His mother unlocked her shackles, and
Alistair quickly followed her out the cell, into the dungeons, and on their way
to risk it all for Erec.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gwendolyn stood on the bow of the ship,
the ocean caressing her face, surrounded by all of her people, holding the
rescued baby. All were in a state of shock as they sailed on the seas, already
far from the Upper Isles. They were joined by just two ships, all that was left
of the great fleet that had set sail from the Ring. Gwen’s people, her nation,
all the proud citizens of the Ring, had been reduced to but several hundred
survivors, a nation in exile, floating, homeless, looking for some place to
start again. And they were all looking to her for leadership.
Gwen stared out at the sea, examining it
as she had been for hours, immune to the cold spray of the ocean mist as she
peered into the fog, as she tried to keep her heart from breaking. The baby in
her arms had finally fallen asleep, and all Gwen could think of was Guwayne.
She hated herself; she had been so stupid to let him sail away. At the time it
had seemed like the best idea, had seemed like the only way to save him from
the certain imminent death. Who could have foreseen the change of events, that
the dragons would have been averted? If Thor had not appeared when he had,
surely they would all be dead right now—and Gwen could never have expected
that.
Gwen had managed, at least, to save some
of her people, some of her fleet, to save this baby, and they had managed, at
least, to escape from the isle of death. Yet Gwen still shuddered each time a
roar of the dragons pierced the air, growing ever distant the farther they sailed.
She closed her eyes and winced; she knew there was an epic battle being waged,
and that Thor was in the middle of it. More than anything, she wanted to be
there, by his side. Yet at the same time, she knew that would be futile. She
would be useless as Thor fought those dragons, and she would just expose her
people to getting killed.
Gwen kept seeing Thor’s face, and it
tore her apart to see him again, only to then see him fly off just as quickly,
without even a chance to speak to him, without even a moment to tell him how
much she missed him, how much she loved him.
“My lady, we follow no course.”
Gwendolyn turned and saw, standing
beside her, Kendrick—and beside him, Reece, Godfrey, and Steffen, all looking
at her. Kendrick, she realized, had been trying to talk to her for a while now,
but she had barely heard his words. She looked down and saw her knuckles,
white, gripping the wood, then peered out to the ocean, checking every wave,
thinking time and again she spotted Guwayne, only to see that it was but
another illusion in this cruel, cruel sea.
“My lady,” Kendrick continued,
patiently, “your people look to you for direction. We are lost. We need a
destination.”
Gwen looked to him sadly.
“My baby is our destination,” she
replied, voice heavy with grief as she turned and looked out over the rail.
“My lady, I am the first to want to find
your son,” Reece added, “and yet, we do not know where we sail. Any of us would
risk our lives for Guwayne—yet you must acknowledge that we do not know where
he is. We have been sailing north for half a day—but what if the tides carried
him south? Or east? West? What if our ships right now take us farther from
him?”
“You don’t know that,” Gwen replied,
defensive.
“Exactly,” Godfrey said. “We don’t know—that is the entire point. We don’t know anything. If we sail deeper into
this vast ocean, we may not ever find Guwayne. And we may lead all of our
people farther from a new home.”
Gwendolyn turned
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