Opening her eyes, Kaira stared up at the four-poster frame, feeling completely rested and relaxed. Birds were chirping outside her window and she lay there listening to them. She didn’t even remember lying down—she was so tired the day before. Fresh air drifted into the room through the open window, framed by white linen panels. Carved figures stared at her from the walls and she wondered about them—who carved them and what they represented.

Yesterday, they were each given their own room and Kaira wondered if Shal was awake yet. As critical as their purpose was, she also realized after these last few days, they needed to rest and prepare for the remainder of the journey. What was King Alfred doing? Had the war begun? Here, it was so peaceful it was difficult to believe they were headed to a wa...

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