Chapter 21

• I came out at the palace courtyard and blew out a breath of relief. Going to one of the stone benches I sat down. It seemed every step I took, I now needed to rethink. How had I ended up here? I looked up at the sky, were the gods guiding my lifeline now and purposely testing me? Shaking my head, I looked back to the ground. Since when had I started believing anyone but me steered my path? My mother’s nattering was to blame, I was sure of it. You could only listen to the same thing about a billion times before it worked its way into your head.
• A low mewling noise caught my attention. I turned to see the cub the guards had told me about. “Tawny, isn’t it?” She was beautiful and I was in awe that I was this close to a mountain lion.
• She paused in step and gave me a quick appraisal, scenting the air for a moment before bounding over to me.