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and falling, the Sunstone crest bright on their standards. One soldier was rising from his mount, driving his sword deep into the chest of a Berok warrior, the blade piercing the bearskins the savages wore instead of armour.
    He took several steps toward the windows and looked down, first, on the castle and its gardens, then, beyond the castle wall, on the narrow streets of the lower city winding down to the protective wall at the shoreline. From this direction there was nothing but the sea beyond the outer wall; if the corridor had been on the other side of the castle, he knew, he would have been able to see Colcott Town on the shore.
    “It is difficult to tell how far you’ve walked in the tunnels,” the captain said. He looked toward the windows. “Or how high you’ve climbed. Only the royal chambers and the battlements are above us now.”
    The royal chambers? Matthias glanced down the hallway at the huge double doors, the pair of guards standing in front of them. His heart thrummed in his chest.
    “The Queen’s receiving rooms. Come.”
    The guards pushed the doors open as they approached.
    Inside, the heady smell of spices and flowers and perfumes filled the bright, sunlit air. Without warning, the captain fell to one knee, bowing his head so it almost rested on his other knee.
    “My Lady,” he said.
    Not having any idea what else to do, Matthias copied the soldier. He didn’t dare look up. His stomach lurched, and he trembled with fear.
    “Rise.” The voice, rich and melodious, had come from the far end of the room.
    Matthias waited until Captain Bream started to his feet before he stood up. He kept his eyes fixed to the floor, knowing better than to look on the Queen unbidden.
    “Come,” said the voice, and Matthias followed Captain Bream forward.
    He glanced about surreptitiously, curious about his surroundings. The room was large, but seemed cozy, with tapestries on the walls, low couchettes in the corner, carpets over much of the floor.
    “Matthias.”
    He couldn’t help but look up.
    The Queen was the most beautiful woman Matthias had ever seen, with long dark hair and pale skin that seemed to shine in the light. She reclined on a low divan on a raised stone platform, a small bowl of dried fruit and a goblet close to hand.
    “Y-yes, Your Majesty,” Matthias choked.
    “Has Captain Bream told you why we bid you come?”
    He shook his head, conscious of every motion. “No, Your Majesty.”
    He tried to look away as she stood up. Her blue-grey gown trailed behind her as she stepped down carefully from the platform.
    “You’re here because we need you, Matthias,” she said, close enough that he could smell the sweetness of her breath.
    He almost jumped when she reached out and took his hand, holding it warmly between her own.
    “The kingdom needs you.”

    When I got down to the kitchen, I poured Jacqui and me each a glass of wine. As I carried the glasses and the bottle into the living room, I pictured myself passing the glass to Jacqui, reminding her of what we had been doing eleven years ago right now, the night that David was born. I imagined a moment of shared history, of tenderness.
    She had been flicking through channels, but she turned the TV off as I set her glass on the end table next to her.
    She didn’t say anything.
    “Davy’s to bed,” I said as I sat down. Anything to break the silence.
    She picked up her glass.
    “We finished
The Hobbit.”
    I wished she had left the television on, for the noise, the distraction. I lifted my glass toward her.
    “Eleven years,” I said.
    She smiled a small, sad smile, and sipped her wine.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked. Odds were the answer was going to involve me somehow, but I couldn’t bear the silence, the feeling of things hanging in the air.
    She shook her head. “It’s the same old stuff,” she said dismissively. “Is it really worth getting into it, all over again?”
    I could feel myself deflating. “Okay.”
    “I mean,