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"No," Mike and Morgaine said at the same time
"So, what about the rest of them--the House--where do they all sleep?"
"On the second floor These s--" she motioned down the front wall of the manor, "--are all bedrooht line, froest in the aine or Arthur or sohest co proudly "I’ reith--than I’d seen in ages I think, in so so far from home, with no one here that I really knew, it made me feel closer to Mike, like he was a part of my family--a bit like a brother, and not so much like a…well, let’s just say some of the love confusion trickled aith the sense that he was aine reached for the doorknob, and light spilled into the corridor; as my eyes adjusted to the unfa It’s--it’s aht colours cast softness around the L-shaped roo but a blue sky, and to ht was a parlour, furnished with pieces of white or any furniture to tie in pleasantly with the airy, suh to sleep six of h pillows to stuff a warehouse
"I’aine said
I nodded "Maine walked over to a dresser on ht like to have it"
"Arietta’s? Why is Arietta’s dressing table here?"
"Arietta and the boys came to stay here nearly every second summer until she died This was Arthur’s room"
"Really?" I waltzed over and sat on the blanket box at the end of aine opened her mouth to speak, but Mike scoffed loudly for her
"I’ll take that as a no," I said, then stood up and wandered over to the s nearthe soft white curtains, that the as actually a door "I have a balcony?"
"Yes" Morgaine stepped up and pushed the chiffon aside, tying it back with a ribbon on the wall "Mike has one, too"
"Can I go out there?"
"Course" She presented the path
When I stepped onto the white marble floor, the world opened out around me, like the walls just slinked back into the shadows The sky went on forever over a darker blue in the distance, what I assuardens Mike reens and creas of colour froe rassy ay Beyond that, the enchanted forest bordered thebreeze swayed the long grasses in a field, rising up over the stone edge ofmy hair back with the scent of the ocean "If I say ‘’, do you think that would describe it?" I reached for Morgaine’s hand again
"Yeah," she said, standing beside me "I think that about covers it"
"And if you look closely--" Mike pointed to the east, "--you can just hthouse fro to see it
"Once you’ve been down there and you knohere it is, you’ll be able to spot it easier It’s white, so it kinda blends in with the day" He dropped his arh Okay?"
"Not even the lighthouse?"
"Even I wouldn’t recoaine said
"Why?"
"It sits on a steep cliff, about a four hundred foot drop--only sharp rocks beneath"
"Where’s the beach?"
"Between the cliffs, left of the lighthouse If you sit up on the roof, you can see it"
"You sit on the roof of the lighthouse?"
"Of course" Morgaine leaned on the railing "I like to sit up there when there’s a stor "Sand as white as snow and waves made of pure violence It’s tempest meets tranquillity"
"It’s just as violent when there’s no stor ‘don’t encourage her’
"Mike? Will you take aine cut in "He’s under strict recommendations to leave you alone until tomorrow"
"Recommendations? By who?"
"Me" She puffed her chest out, then laughed "All we’ve heard this entire week is I can’t wait to show Ar the barracks, I can’t wait to show Ar the training hall, I can’t wait--"
"Point taken" I propped a hand between her and her rant
"If he takes you down to the ‘beach’, you’ll end up at the barracks"
"Where are they--and what are they?"
"That’s the living quarters of the knights They’re over the eastern quadrant of the h to be part of Lae"
"The houses you saw on the way in," Mike added
"Oh, okay" I nodded and looked upon the forest of trees, all so green and thick, shading what I could only ireat spots to take one of those books from the library, then sit and read all day The trees became thicker and taller the further inland they went "Well, I love it here already," I said after a few deep breaths of the pine-scented ocean air
"You’ll love it evenstole
Across fro roo over a settee, and a fireplace set below a giant led up in that settee by the , listening to the rain, reading a book