Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Try as she might, though, her mind would not settle. The recent tolling of the bells said she had to be awake in five hours. Tomorrow was going to be a long, miserable day.

Stifling a sigh when another long bout of tossing and turning accomplished nothing, Shanna pulled on a thick robe to keep back the chill of the dark, early hours and told her bodyguards she was going for a walk—alone. Hopefully her shadow would keep his distance.

She considered the gardens but didn't feel like enduring the cold again. Instead, she wandered the empty halls, enjoying the silence and flickering torchlight, the sound of the ocean, and the occasional cry of different night birds.