54
Above the clearing, the sky had paled to a soft yellow and the first star shone near the horizon. Danton sat beside the pool, with his back against a rock and Navira within the circle of his arm.
“I am worried about my friends,” he said, “because they will be worried about me,” Danton smiled, “and I’m not sure how long Rainstorm can stand the uncertainty.”
Navira turned her vivid amber eyes up to him, framed by her long black hair, “Through the Lost Forest woodfolk, I have provided them with a hamper of food and wine and sent a reassurance of your safety. Beyond that, I have not presumed to say when you will rejoin them.”
“So you and Caroman have not yet orchestrated my entire life?”
“Don’t be mean. Caroman has been with me since I left the palace when I was ten days old, a year be
