Chapter 62

"I mean it, Jaden. The world's so big and we've never left this little county. Don't you wanna see any of the cool creatures out there, like the ones that Corrie showed us drawings of? Or what about the oceans and lakes, or the big cities of other kingdoms? For Lucian's sake, I've never even climbed a mountain and they're all I can see half the time. How can I do all those things if I become a guard?"

A memory surfaced in Alistar's mind, of the day that Kaila's father had died of exhaustion. He'd told his father that he couldn't wait for the day that they would leave the mines together, that he and his family would climb mountains, swim in rivers and lakes, eat all sorts of fruits and other foods, and play with dogs and other animals.

Looking out at the sun-streaked waters of the Greyline, his own voice played through his mind in a melancholic manner.

You'll teach me, right Father? You'll teach me to swim?