Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 5

     It didn't take long to get the horses to the village, no one even tried to stop us as we left the castle grounds. Nor did they ask questions, but I couldn't ignore the fact that we were being watched - or followed - by one of my fathers warriors. He tried to keep a far away distance, but I could still delicately feel him through the summer land.

     Whether Nazim noticed it or not, he didn't announce it. I guess it didn't matter, only because we weren't trying to be discreet about where we were going. The sun was high in the sky and brightening the land with its saturated yellows. Along it there was not a cloud in the sky to block the heat, even for a few seconds. The grass slowly started to lighten into patches of sand as we neared the beaches where the fishing village was. The smell wasn't the best - it's strong aroma was noted a mile away, and it didn't help that the wind pushed the sent to us.

     The excuse Lave used to get out of the kitchen today was that the the summer princess was having a craving for the best swordfish summer can make. Although with the over whelming smell of fish everywhere, that probably wasn't going to be made after all.

     "The owners of the house have moved to another home, payed for by your father, just a couple miles down from where their old house was," Nazim stated.

     "Okay, we'll go to them after, first we'll see the house."

     Everyone nodded and we made our way through the narrow village streets without the horses, holding their reins tightly behind us. Our footsteps were hardly heard on the wooden floor boards used over the sand to create a simple walkway with the afternoon commotion. Villagers were yelling out prices for their fish while others were heard yelling back a lower price for bargaining. The seagulls that never closed their mouths kept crying out their sounds as they swept above us, searching for a chance to steal some fish with someone looked away.

     The amount of people grew in numbers the deeper into the shopping center we went, but the crowd paid little attention to us. Not one of them noticed who Nazim and I were. I soon felt Lave hold onto my hand so we wouldn't get lost. Her calloused fingers from years of cooking and baking were gentle in mine. After a few minutes and we were out of the shopping area and into the more lightened streets where some homes were built, but the one we were specifically looking for was the farthest one away from the village - and the closest to the ocean.

     Salted air filled my lungs as I took in the broken home for the first time. It was built on slightly higher grounds, sharp tall rocks and sand were all that stood between the house and the gentle waves of the ocean. I could imagine a man who was desperately in love with the ocean to only build his home here, right where he can breath in the oceans scent every second for as long as his mortal life let him live.

     But walking closer and this house was not the beauty it had once provided to be. The honey colored exterior was now faded and washed by the years of being this close to the ocean. I guess it had its ups and downs. The rest of the house looked like it would have still been livable for a long time, if the earthquakes didn't crack it in two.

     "Wow," Lave whispered to herself.

     I kept my mouth tightly shut. Chewing on the inside of my lower lip, looking for any clues as to why this damage happened here only. The wooden stairs to the front door were shattered splinters, but Nazim jumped onto the front porch that was untouched and helped us two up. Inside the house was what I expected. Two cracks that deemed this house unsafe - one that ran along the ceiling, bending and shaping its way to the other side, and the other more damaging one down on the floor boards. I knelt in the middle of the room and saw that the earthquake even broke some of the smooth rocks that the house was built on.