Kingsley Family/Alyssa/Important Things

Critically important, even.

Everlight

Dressed simply in her training tunic and pants, Isana tidied her long dark hair into a single braid in the mirror. Her pulse was high in her throat, anxious chills of heat ran along her skin and collected in a nervous swirling in her belly. She let her eyes drift closed and took a long, deep breath, then sighed it out slowly. Somewhere outside bells tolled the hour.

Aly will be home soon.

Am I ready?

Her eyes flicked open and glanced down to the wooden desk and the few items gathered there. Her long hands sorted through and green-blue eyes scanned for the fourth time to be certain she had everything. Carefully each item was slid into the satchel at her hip, and she flipped and secured its latch closed, then scanned the room and gave a nod before departing with swift steps.

Here goes.

A sheet of parchment lay behind on the bed in the chamber she shared with Alyssa in the Royal Suites. Edged in shining gold leaf, it held a lifelike drawing of the black cane corso Shadow with a peony in his mouth leaping over a short message. The words in elegant script read:

  My Darling Sky,
  Come meet me in the Royal garden? I have a surprise for you.
  -Your Dawnstar