Page 4 of Pippa of Lauramore
Moonlight spills from the clouds and illuminates the waterfall on the other side of the gardens.
“It’s stopped raining.” I peer through the windows. “Let’s go outside.”
Galinor stiffens. “I’m not sure?—”
“It’s fine,” I assure him, opening the door.
It rained all day, and the cool, misty air is refreshing after the heat of the great hall. I breathe it in. The summer air smells like damp earth and rain-drenched flowers.
Galinor follows me with his arms crossed over his chest. He seems uncomfortable being out here by ourselves. He cranes his neck to look at the top of the waterfall, which is directly above and to the right of the palace. “Where does the water come from?”
“There’s a huge lake on the mountain terrace above us.It falls from that terrace, flows down next to this one, and ends in the pool on the terrace below us. Would you like to see?” I take his hand.
His skin is warm. He has the kind of hands a man should have—large and calloused, and when a man of lineage has calloused hands, it can only mean he’s well practiced with weapons. Being well practiced with weapons increases his chances in the tournament significantly.
We walk through the gardens. I pull Galinor, and he reluctantly follows. A low stone wall sits on the edge of the terrace to keep children and the graceless from falling into the depthless pool at the bottom.
I let go of his hand and place my palms on the rough, wet stones. I lean far over the edge so I can feel the mist on my face.
Galinor grabs my waist and pulls me back. Once I’m firmly on my feet, he drops his hands like I’ve scorched him.
“I’m sorry, Princess, but I’m not sure it’s wise to…” He trails off, looking at the ground.
I smile at him, amused. He thought I was going to fall in, headfirst. “I’ve only stumbled in once by accident, several years ago.”
He thinks about what I’ve said, his pretty eyes narrowing. “When you say it like that, it almost sounds as if you’ve gone in on purpose.”
I bite back a smile. “I know how to swim.”
He stares at me. “Your father is all right with you jumping from this cliff and plunging into the water for a swim?”
I laugh. “No, he’s not fond of it.”
Galinor turns back to the waterfall. “How deep is the pool?”
“No one knows. It’s too cold to stay in long.”
He peers into the inky water. “What lives in there?”
“We don’t know that either. But there are countless creatures in the lake above, so I assume there are many types.” I shrug. “See the dark crevices along the rock wall? That’s where water swallows build their nests in spring.”
He rests his hands against the wall, and he seems to be loosening up a bit now that he sees my father and his knights aren’t going to come after us.
“There’s a cave down there, too,” I say, pointing. “You can’t see it, though, because of the waterfall. It hides behind it. I go there sometimes when I want to get away. The only way in is to swim.”
“We don’t have caves in Glendon.”
“No caves?” I ask. “None at all?”
He shakes his head and turns around to sit on the wall. “None. We have forests and meadows but no mountains.”
The sky is clearing, and the stars shine like beacons in the night. I turn to Galinor, a thought forming in my head.
“What?” His voice is wary.
“I have an idea.”
CHAPTER 2
