Page 160 of Keeper of the Word

“As if anyone would believe that.” Buchton had rolled his eyes, twitching his beard. “The prince is well known in these parts, and we would only trust him to his own guard. What would a Lenforese earl want with the prince?”

The tale of the sovereign’s fete—the prince had excused himself during the retelling—as well as Greenwood’s and Anscom’s treachery, was told to Buchton, who listened with a quiet, gaping mouth.

“I had a dream you’d come,” he told Elanna. “And then, days later, three strangers arrived from Asalle searching for me by name. They said they could not be certain but thought a StarSeer had told them to come. E’er since that dream, I’ve been on the lookout for you all, though I ne’er believed I’d stand face to face with a StarSeer.”

“Let alone host one in your charming cellar,” Hux added.

“Aye.” Buchton nodded through glossed-over eyes. “You can be certain that Renstown is loyal to the StarSeers. How anyone could think to blame the stewardesses who keep the Light is beyond me.”

After receiving news that Anscom’s men had departed, they waited until nightfall to venture out of the cellar.

Elanna had ne’er felt so blessed to stand under the stars.

“What is it?” Hux asked, putting an arm around her.

“My starlit well grows dim when I cannot be under the stars. ’Twas a long time.” Her knees shook. “If I can bask here, I shall be well enough soon.”

Hux studied her.

“What?”

His answer was to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to the open field that stood on the other side of Buchton’s cottage.

“Hux! Release me! I need not be carried.”

“But I shall carry you, Lady. I shall ne’er leave your side.” He gently placed her onto the grass. “Now, I know you prefer to be alone, so I shall loiter over there.” He kissed her forehead and backtracked to stand beside Buchton’s cottage.

Elanna glanced at his silhouette before shifting her gaze upward.

After an hour, she felt more herself, and if she closed her eyes, she imagined her core’s starlit well filled.

“Lady Elanna.” The voice was not Hux’s, but Dashiell’s. “May I join you?”

“Please.” She patted the ground beside her.

The prince sat, taking in a great breath. “Stars, ’tis pleasant to be outside again.”

She beamed, and the two sat quietly observing the sky.

“Were you in earnest about witnessing my marriage to Aven?”

“I was, Your Highness. Quite. ’Tis why we have been brought to Renstown together.”

“What of Asalle? What about…”

“Your father?”

Dashiell’s cheeks reddened. “I do love my father; you must know that.”

“I do.”

“Have you Seen my father’s death?”

Elanna exhaled.

“I know, I know. You are not supposed to answer that question, but have you?”

She focused on the stars for an answer.