Page 43 of Dawn of Hope

Agnes might have just locked herself in.

I knock using the big metal knocker and wait, but hear no movement inside. Pressing my ear to the crack in the door, I strain to hear Agnes coming to answer.

Nothing.

I try again, knocking harder this time, and wait.

Still nothing. Agnes must not be here. I can’t blame her. From the look of the crowds and streets, I imagine she is out celebrating with her family and friends as well.

Trying to analyze the books is out of the picture for tonight, but I’m not ready to go back to the castle so soon. Not tonight. I don’t want to be anywhere within those walls.

Dane. I need to find Dane.

Deep down, I have multiple motives. I can’t do anything more at the library tonight, and Dane seemed to know much more about Dawnlin than I did. Maybe he knew more than the little he mentioned when he brought it up the other night.

Plus, I miss him.

I rack my brain trying to remember if he told me anything about where he lived or worked, anything that could help me find him, but besides talking about his sister, he hadn’t given up many personal details.

Descending the steps back toward the square, I head back into the crowded roads toward the tavern Dane took me to for dinner. I’d check there first, and hopefully I’d get lucky and find him there or on the way.

When I arrive, the tavern is bursting with people. A group of men in the corner with instruments play lively music, with most of the crowd singing along. Patrons hold drinks in the air as they loudly, andvery off key, sing songs in time to the music. Women sit in the laps of men, and couples are not hiding their affection, kissing out in public for everyone to see.

I feel my face heat. The night life and celebrations are a very different scene than when Dane and I ate dinner here. I quickly glance around the room, trying not to be distracted by the displays of affection, but it is difficult. No one in the castle is ever this physical, and it is abnormal to see it so open and informal.

What would it be like if I didn’t have to behave like a princess? If I were just a normal person, celebrating the princess’s birthday in the tavern, kissing someone passionately.

An image flashes before my eyes. Me, in a plain commoner’s dress, smiling, laughing, with my arm draped around the broad shoulders of the man whose lap I am sitting in. I gaze up into his face, Dane’s face as he grins at me. He leans in and kisses me, with no hesitation, despite the room around us full of other patrons. I don’t hesitate either, leaning into the kiss and wrapping my arms around his neck.

The vision disappears as I am shoved from the side by a drunk man almost laid out on the floor.

“Sorry miss,” he slurs, righting himself and stumbling to the bar.

I glance around the room one last time, but Dane is not here. My eye catches on several people who must be visiting nobles, their clothing different from the styles here, not to mention a much finer quality than anything else found in the tavern. They stand out like a sore thumb.

I reach up and adjust my hood again, knowing full well they wouldn’t recognize me even if they saw me, before turning back out the door onto the road.

Knowing the layout of the city doesn’t help at all when I don’t know which way to go. Dane could be anywhere. Homes are sprinkled throughout the city, tucked in-between businesses and old buildings, but the farther away from the castle you go, the more the city roads resemble the makeup of outlying villages.

Trying to find where he lives would be almost impossible. There are too many taverns and establishments to check them all, and if Dane was to be at any, I would assume it would be his favorite. But he isn’t. Besides, if all of them looked inside how this one did, then it is probably best I stay away.

Suddenly I remember.

There was one other place I’d seen Dane in the city. I start down the road in that direction, dodging groups of people as they stumble loudly on the cobblestones. The farther away I walk, the more the crowds thin, and the quieter the night becomes. Many people or groups walking the same direction as me trail off down alleyways or disappear into buildings.

I’d scanned the faces of everyone passing by, but with no luck. This entire night feels like a complete waste of time. Between the ceremony and the failed attempt to find more information about Dawnlin, I need to figure out when I am going to give up for the evening and regroup back at the castle with Brynne.

I keep walking and scanning, but fewer and fewer people are on the roads now. The darkness of the night is thick and the chill in the air makes me wrap my cloak a little tighter around my shoulders.

My mind wanders back to the pages of the story. Edmond believes anyone can figure out how to call the Guardian and gain passage to Dawnlin, especially if they know the story. His words run through my head, mixing with the pictures from the story, and suddenly an idea strikes me.

The fountain.

I think back to the image of the boy crying as he wanders through town, with the image of a fountain in the background.

It felt familiar when I looked at the page, like I’d seen it before. It was so small and lacking detail that I couldn’t be sure it was the same.

But maybe it was.