“Oh no. Not again,” exclaimed Waterstone. “You have no idea what a hideous trial we went through when Danton hit me. That’s why I gave you permission to hit me when we first met… But I haven’t given permission to your family because… well, because they haven’t committed themselves yet and to be honest, I forgot. I’m not really in tune with all this royalty stuff and I forget about it.”
“But Tarkyn doesn’t.”
“No, and if he has asked Rena to ‘attend him’, he is being formal.” Waterstone slapped Harkell on the back, “Come on. We’d better go and see what we can do to protect her.”
They skirted around the clearing beyond the firelight, Harkell depending on the woodman’s keener night vision to find a safe path. A faint glow in the trees led them to the place where Tarkyn stood, his eagle once
