A Stag in the Shadows by S E Turner

Author:S E Turner [Turner, S E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B07Y5PBX4R
Published: 2019-09-18T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

'Do you trust me?'

'Of course I do.'

'Then close your eyes.'

With a sigh, Dom complied. He leaned back on his elbows, the grass tickling his neck.

'What are you doing?'

He could hear her rummaging about in a bag. She was sitting beside him, her long skirt spread over the ground, her apron stained from vegetable dye and grease. Her hair was scrunched back in a sort of bun. There were no mirrors here, she didn't even know what she looked like anymore. Moira always said that she looked fine. Dom always said she looked beautiful. She had to trust that they were telling the truth.

This was a glorious morning in June. As usual, the two of them were up before anyone else and enjoying an early dawn. The backdrop of the mountain was always a spectacular sight, and a mist hung over the vista, indicating a pleasantly warm day. The fields rose like a serpent, fringing the mountain range, and the sun kissed every blade of grass and every head of flower, as the rays spread out its fingers of gold.

He still had his eyes closed, but felt her move closer to him. He noticed the fresh smell first, and then a hard skin was pressed against his lips.

'What's this?' He instinctively pulled away.

'You said you'd trust me.' She tried again.

He bit into it, and a pleasant juice cracked into his mouth followed by a delicious pulp.'

'It's an apple.' He chewed the succulent fruit, enjoying every morsel. 'What else have you got in the bag?'

'You have to guess.'

'Okay.'

'Close your eyes again.'

He locked them shut.

Something soft was put into his mouth. Something sweet and crumbly. He liked that taste.

'Cake.'

'What type of cake?'

'Cinnamon?'

'Yes. You are good at this.'

'Give me something harder to work out.'

He easily guessed the raisin bread and the honeyed pancakes, he enjoyed the eggs, and particularly liked the new crop of sweetened lemon juice. 'You know if it wasn't for the high wire fence and the constant patrols, I could get used to this life.' He stretched out on the ground, put a blade of grass in his mouth and looked up into the sky.

A falcon, circling the field in search of food swooped towards them with a pitiful cry, and then darted back up towards the palace. It circled the perimeter of the rock face, calling and mewing as if in pain or in search of something.

'There's the falcon again, calling for its mate,' Dom recognised the familiar sound.

'It's a sad call.' Asher noticed.

'It is, very sad. It is quite distressed. It comes here every year at this time.'

'Is it okay?'

'I think it is, it looks healthy enough. But I know they pair for life; so its mate must be close by somewhere.'

Asher looked around. The huge bird circled the perimeter again and again. Swooping and soaring, its piercing cry quite heartbreaking.

'They should have mated by now, that's why the sound is so urgent,' he continued.

'I hope it finds its mate.' She watched it disappear.

'It will always continue its search.

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