51
Kiria
Four guards seemed excessive.
Kiria and Bard walked along the beach behind Mon Párinath. Despite the grim soldiers around them, Bard’s grin hadn’t left him since they reached the sand. Shoes dangling from his right hand, he looked out at the ocean as though he couldn’t get enough of the sight. His toes dug into the wet sand with every step.
His happiness was contagious. Kiria found herself letting go of her spiking worries too as she gazed out to the hazy white line where the sky met the calm sea on the horizon. At that moment, Bard’s horrifying information about Firian didn’t matter. At that moment, she could forget.
This was a false peace—no, just a temporary one—but she relished it.
Bard turned to her, a breeze shuffling his wild hair. “This is great,” he said. “Why are y
