Chapter 70

ARABELLA was sipping her blood-laced tea as she was looking to find The Island to find out about the current issue that was rising in her country. She did not know that some rumored uprisings would affect the tenants of the major cities that were governed by the lords of the Higher Court.
She put her teacup down as she was looking at one particular columnist that was known as Miss J. Now, no one knew who Miss J was but the fact that she loved to fill the Gossipers column and tabloids meant that she had so much time on her hands and Arabella would love to be in touch with her.
Perhaps it is who I thought she was, the young queen said before someone was rapping on her private study door. Arabella turned to look at the door, seeing that her butler was carrying missives for her to reply to as well as news about the newlyweds of Kain. She nodded at the old butler.
“Thank you. You should let my husband know that I will be a bit later than usual,” the young queen said before the butler bowed.
“Very good, Your Highness,” he said before she was looking at the missives. Most of them from the Lesser Gentry were in demand to speak with her on estate matters, but one missive was to bring all her attention to it. It was a diamond in the rough, indeed, when Arabella was looking at the signature of the writer of the missive.
“Well, what do you know?” she whispered to herself as Arabella was opening the elusive missive from an author who referred to herself as Miss J…

IAN was looking at the makeshift tent that was now down and packed to be put into the traveling trunk as Emily was dusting her skirts as she was smiling at him. Ian smiled back as he went to her side and swept Emily off her feet as he kissed the living twilight out of her.
His wife giggled before, at his acute hearing, Ian heard that their carriage was approaching. He put his wife down before he turned as the coachman was pulling the reins of the carriage horses. He bowed to Ian.
“Milord,” he said as the footman stepped down from his place and went to put the trunk onto the carriage as the coachman helped him. Emily sighed.
“Well, this is a bit of a rush for our wedding trip but for three days and two nights, that was something I could never forget about it,” his wife said, smiling as Emily turned and put her hand on the crook of his arm.
Ian was walking them to be at the edge of the lake for the last time. Emily was staring at the clear water that held so many secrets and another race from Down Under. She sighed again.
“What is it, my love?” Ian asked as his wife turned to look at him, smiling weakly as she was gripping his arm. She shook her head as her ringlets were being swayed by the breeze that was cooling their faces, wishing them the last goodbye as Ian knew that he would never come here again.
Not when he would be risking Emily’s life and would be suffering the loss of his mate.
“I think there’s more than meets the eye of those… scaly women that we saw last night,” she whispered, making sure that their servants would not be hearing them. Ian was squeezing her hand on his elbow as he turned to look at the lake. The wind persisted to make little waves at the edge of the banks. He sighed.
“Well, I guess, we never knew the story behind that. And how they have come to be. But I think we can agree that it was best to leave them be,” Ian said, turning as he was looking at his beautiful wife before her brown eyes were holding sadness in them.
“But have you heard their songs? They wanted someone to love them even though they were dead and their voices made others fight for something that holds value in this life,” Emily said as she was touching Ian’s cheeks with her hands, holding it in her hands as she smiled at him.
“Something that we both know as love. I’m sure I hope they will forget to be haunting and dangerous and just… find someone that will be making their lives better by just having love between them,” she said as Ian smiled.
Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re just naïve, my love, or don’t know how the world works, Ian mused as he heard that the coachman was getting into his seat, waiting for Emily and him to come around and get on inside the carriage before riding their way back to the capital.
The sun was rising slowly as the dawn was shining, the dews that were filling the air as well as Ngis Forest, which gave them the most scenic view before their departure. Ian sighed.
“Well, time to say goodbye to this place then. I will not be stepping here again,” Ian said as he was looking at his wife, “not until I know that you’re safe to come here with me, my love,” he said before he was turning Emily in his arms, ushering her to get to the carriage by putting his hand on her lower back and walked away from Ngis Lake where the sirens dwelled in the Down Under.
The footman was opening the door of the carriage as Ian helped Emily to get inside. She was picking up her skirts in one hand as she took his offered hand and climbed in. Ian turned to look at the lake, as he felt like someone was watching him.
Then, he saw some red scales that were glistening in the early sunlight as her vibrant auburn hair was coming off the surface of the water. Ian smirked as he nodded at the red-scaly woman, then climbed inside the carriage before the footman closed the door. Then, the servant settled in his place in the carriage before the coachman drove them out of Lake Ngis's camping site.