Tree Singer by Jacci Turner (best novels for beginners TXT) 📕

tub. I didn’t even get to explore the castle. Do try to explore it while I’m gone. I want a full report. And I didn’t get to finish my book about the knight!”

Cather laughed. “You’re off on a grand adventure, my friend. You are my hero.”

“I’m off on a quest with three people who hate me, no friends who have my back—and a very creepy woodsman to boot.”

“That Count Monroe seems to like you.”

“Yes, I’m glad he’s going. But I’ll miss you. Enough of my complaints—I don’t even know how your visit with the queen went.”

“Let me do your hair.” Cather pulled out a chair and pushed her toward it. She quickly undid Mayten’s braids and poured oil into her hands. The room smelled of coconuts as she gently rubbed the oil into Mayten’s scalp, finger-combing the tangles. It felt like heaven, Mayten moaned in pleasure.

“I think I know what the issue is,” Cather said as she worked. “But broaching the matter with the queen is a very delicate process.”

“Why? What do you think is the problem?”

“There were two other children, a boy, and a girl, born between the prince and the twins. They died with the same sickness that took my sister—and your siblings.” Cather paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “That makes ten children she’s given birth to. Part of the problem is that the queen is worn out from bearing so many children. But the loss of those two drained her as well.”

Mayten wondered if her mother felt the same way. She’d never spoken of it. “Did she tell you all of that?”

“I . . . might have asked her maid a few questions.”

“You’re sneaky!” Mayten grinned, marveling at the transformation Cather was making to her hair. A braid started high on the right side of Mayten’s head, wrapped around low on the left side, and draped down over her shoulder. The style made her look a bit older, she decided. A style that might be of help on the trip she was about to embark on.

Being that she was supposed to be leader, things might go easier if she looked the part.

Cather took a green ribbon and wove it expertly through the braid. “Servants are generally the ones who know the most about the people they serve. They also have the most at stake in keeping them well.”

Mayten hadn’t known anyone with servants before she’d come to the castle. How did Cather come up with these things?

“I hope I’ll be able to find out more while you’re gone. Perhaps she’ll come to trust me. I’m fairly certain I know a few things that might help.”

“Such as?” Mayten wished she had some of Cather’s confidence. When it came to anything medicinal, Cather knew she was the expert.

“Well, first of all, I think it would help her to stop having babies.”

Mayten laughed. “The king seems a very virile man.”

“There are herbs a woman can take to keep pregnancies from happening.”

Mayten gaped at her friend. “I never knew that.”

Did her mother know about these herbs? If so, would she ever consider taking them?

She filed the information away in her mind for future reference. She’d had enough of babies for one lifetime. Nice to know there was an alternative.

A bell rang, calling them down to lunch. Mayten stood and examined her reflection in the mirror. She was happy to be back in her pants with a new shirt, a soft muslin fabric with billowing sleeves that had buttons on the wrists and laces up the neckline. The shirt had been added to her clothing pile along with a few other items.

Next to Cather, Mayten stood taller and thinner, her face longer and not so heart shaped. But her hair looked good in this braid, more like she felt. Older and perhaps a bit wiser.

~ * ~

Lunch went far too quickly in Mayten’s estimation. Then the whole group, children included, headed outside to say goodbye. The questing team picked up their backpacks loaded with delicious food from the kitchen. Each pack had a thick sleeping quilt tied to it.

The children begged her to allow Anatolian to stay. Mayten shook her head just as Adven stepped forward. “No.”

And that was that.

He likes my dog better than he likes me. The thought caught Mayten by surprise. She studied the group, wondering how she came to be in charge once again as she hugged each child and then Cather and Tray. The prince seemed full of nervous energy, shifting from one foot to another, too preoccupied to say a proper goodbye.

Finally, Adven gave the king a sharp nod and they were off.

The woodsman, Rafe, walked by Adven’s side, in the position Hunter used to fill. An unexpected wave of grief washed over Mayten, and she blinked back tears. There should be no need for a woodsman on a trip this short. Why on earth were they taking one?

The prince followed close behind Adven, while Nan walked slightly in front of Mayten. Count Monroe brought up the rear, using his cane as a walking stick. Everyone was in their traveling clothes and sturdy boots.

The warm sun caressed her face, and for the first time in her life, Mayten felt reluctant to leave the open sky for the shadows of the thick forest. She had felt free in the castle, cut off from the distress of the trees. But ignoring their pain didn’t make the pain go away. As soon as they left the trail across from the pond and stepped into the forest, the distress seeped back into her bones.

Anatolian seemed happy to be running through the oak woods again. He took off briskly down the trail, kicking dust into his recently washed fur. It was cooler in the trees, insects buzzed and birds chirped from the underbrush.

She took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Nan so they were walking side by side. “I had a chance to see your garden this morning.”

Nan just kept walking.

After hearing how Cather had used