“How long has he been down there?” Corien had asked calmly.
“Too long,” Dax had responded, equally calm.
“Will you go in?” Corien had inquired, his tone tinged with concern.
“No,” Dax had retorted nonchalantly.
Silence.
“Why did you bring me here?” Corien had asked, with thinly veiled exasperation.
“Because your shrew of a daughter has cursed my son,” Dax had tossed back flatly.
Corien had closed his eyes, then reopened them, his green eyes fixed on the still, frosting surface of the lake as he stood in complete silence with Dax.
“Why not come with your guards?” Corien asked neutrally, moving the conversation forward.
“Because too many eyes should not see my son. Not yet,” Dax had replied slowly after a short pause.
Corien said nothing.
“Did your child not tell you?” Dax inquire
