“How long do you think we should stay here?” she asked.
“However long, it wouldn’t be long enough,” he told her, once again leaning over to kiss her.
“The others will be worried about us,” she told him. “We don’t want them to send an army to Sethor’s door looking for us.”
“Nay. Of course, we don’t want that.” Stone looked out from the waterfall, and up to the sky. “It’s clouding over and looks like it’s going to storm. I think we’d better go.”
“Aye, we wouldn’t want to get wet, would we?”
He stopped and looked back at her and she started giggling. They both laughed at her jest, and it felt good. Persimmon liked having someone to share a jest with. Being with Stone Nightstalker felt like the first thing in her life that was right.
“Stone, how will we be able to avoid the soldiers?” she asked him. “Since Rancor is with him and he’s a thief, he might figure out what we’re doing.”
“Leave that to me, sweetheart.” He held her hand as they walked. “Remember, I am a tracker. We’ll be able to tell which way they took and be sure to go far around their route.”
“Thank you,” she said. He stopped and looked back at her.
“For what?” he asked. “You were the one who saw to our escape. I should be the one thanking you instead.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she told him. “Thank you for being kind to me. I haven’t had a lot of kindness in my life and it feels nice.”
“I promise you, Persimmon, that I will always treat you with love and respect. I will also do everything in my power to make sure that no one is ever mean to you again.”
Eleven
The sky opened up and it started to pour just as Stone and Persimmon neared Kasculbough Castle. They could see the merlons of the strong castle walls connected by the turrets up ahead in the distance. It wouldn’t be long now before they were crossing the moat.
“Stone, wait.” Persimmon took him by the arm. “I think I saw that bush move up ahead. Someone might be hiding in it, waiting to ambush us.” She didn’t want to have gotten this far and then be captured again just outside the castle.
“I’ve been tracking Sethor and his men,” Stone told her. “By the prints I found, and the broken twigs and branches, I believe they already returned to Macada Castle because of the approaching storm. We should be safe.”
“Then why is that bush moving?” She pointed, and huddled up next to him.
He chuckled. “Fang, is that you?” His dog shot out from behind a bush. A rabbit darted past him when Fang emerged. The dog barked happily. “Come here, boy. I’m back, and happy to see you.” Stone got down on his knees and the dog sped over, jumping up on him and licking his face.
“My, someone is happy to see you,” commented Persimmon.
“Fang and I have been through a lot together. He is a loyal companion, just like Aithrod.”
“There they are!” Darium rode over atop his horse, being followed by his brothers. His raven flew by above their heads, landing in a nearby tree. “We were just coming to look for you.”
“Didn’t my father tell you that we escaped King Sethor’s prison?” asked Persimmon.
“He did. But he also told us that since you weren’t back yet you were probably captured again,” Zann answered. “I decided we needed to set out to find you.”
“Who decided?” asked Rhys, giving his brother a dirty look.
“All right, so it was Lira and the women who urged us to come after you,” admitted Zann. “But what does it matter? Here we are.”
“Right,” said Darium. “We didn’t come sooner because I knew Stone would get you two out of there, so I wanted to wait and give you a chance.”
“Good job, Stone.” Rhys nodded. “You seem to be worth your salt.”
“Thank you for your admiration, but I must admit that it wasn’t me who got us here,” Stone told him. “It was thanks to Persimmon’s powers that we are alive right now.” He smiled at her and winked, making her heart flutter.
“Impressive,” muttered Zann.
“Well, let’s get you both back to the castle by a warm fire and into something dry,” suggested Rhys.
“What happened to King Sethor and his men?” Stone still scanned the area, never resting for a minute, always on alert.
“We’ll fill you in later. Come,” said Zann, just as a loud crash of thunder rattled the air, making Persimmon jump. “We’re not far from the castle. Give me your hand, Persimmon. I’ll give you a lift.” He reached down for her.
Persimmon rode atop Zann’s horse with him while Stone rode with Rhys. Fang followed close behind. They were greeted excitedly by the women as soon as they returned. After a good meal and having changed into dry clothes, the Blackseed brothers and their wives, as well as Stone, Persimmon, and Stone’s friend, Aithrod, all gathered around the fire to discuss the happenings of the day.
“How are the old couple?” asked Persimmon. “I feel horrible that we weren’t able to bring back their son with us.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Lithum are still in critical condition.” Talia handed Persimmon a goblet of wine. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find their son soon.”
“Even if we do, I’m not certain he’ll come to see his parents.” Stone lifted a tankard. “I mean, if he’s one of King Sethor’s soldiers, he’s most likely not going to be allowed to come here.”
“Nay, I don’t suppose so. Not after what happened today,” agreed Darium, throwing a few crumbs to his raven. The bird hopped around atop the trestle table looking for more to eat. “We never should have gone inside the walls of Macada Castle. It was a mistake. I should have known better. Things aren’t the way they used to be since the death of two of Mura’s kings. I need to remember that.”
“Plus, you’re not a Sin Eater anymore,” said his wife. “Even if you were, King Sethor knows about all our magic, so it is understandable why you weren’t welcome within his walls.”
“King Drustan Grinwald of Evandorm and King Rand Osric of Kasculbough died and were replaced by Zann and Rhys,” Medea explained to Persimmon.
