(Caius)
I found Isla in our quarters when I returned in the afternoon. Darius's chest was closed, but a folded letter rested on top of it. I knew immediately it was the one Orin had given her. Isla had kept her promise to wait for Lyrienne.
"Orin told me about the letter," I said. I crossed to her and took her hand. "He said Darius left instructions for it." I looked at the paper again.
"He wanted me to have it when I had something of my own to protect." Isla looked down at herself. "Orin thinks he meant this." She gave me a small smile.
I couldn't imagine Darius knowing exactly when his daughter would receive those words. He had prepared for a future he wouldn't be there to see. Now Isla carried his pendant and waited beside letters he'd written centuries ago. Our child had become par
