Free The Playful Prince by Michelle M. Pillow Page B

her.
    Quinn’s fingers met with the mattress and he frowned. His head lifted, but not his body. Automatically, he knew she’d left him. Her presence wasn’t in the room and he felt cold without it. A frustrated sigh left his mouth and his head dropped on the mattress. Damned but she was a frustrating woman!

    * * * *
    Tori looked out over the shadowed marshes. The four scientists were led on foot by two Var guards.
    Both Var men looked shyly at her with curious expressions, but none smiled as boldly as before. It was almost as if their attraction to her was tempered and she couldn’t help but wonder if they knew about her and the prince’s night together. She wasn’t ashamed of her actions, but was concerned that it might affect the legitimacy of her presence there.
    They all carried large hiking packs on their backs, all except the older Simon who carried a small bag over his shoulder. The bulk of their supplies would be brought up later that day, just as soon as they found the perfect place to camp. They were told that it was an hour of travel over rough terrain before they’d reach the caves.
    As they’d left the palace, they passed the Var city. It was nestled in the valley below the castle. The city was a bustling maze of earthen streets and large rectangular homes, whose walls and foundation were constructed of fired bricks held together by mortar. Clay pots were set outside doorsteps, some with flowers and other native plants.
    The streets were clean and orderly. Beautiful woven rugs and blankets hung outside in the sun, drying on lines. There was less intricate tile work than inside the palace, but the city was lovely nonetheless. Many of the homes were two stories high with flat roofs and no windows. The grand design indicated that most of the Var population prospered.
    The sound of young boys playing echoed around them briefly as they passed the city, then all noise was swallowed up by the surrounding forest and marshland. Tori had caught a glimpse of the palace as they traveled. It stood tall against the blue-green sky. Square turrets reached high into the heavens, looming commandingly over the city. It was truly magnificent.
    According to their guides, they trudged through the edge of the swamplands. The trees of the forest were huge, bigger than the legendary redwoods on earth. Tori felt dwarfed by them.
    They were told to keep their feet from the murky waters, as a poisonous snake called a givre swam freely in them. Across the swamps to the north was the Draig palace. The guards tensed slightly when she asked about the Var’s longtime enemy, but finally grudgingly admitted that the Draig had acted honorably so far and there was nothing to make them suspect they’d cause the scientists trouble--especially since they were there to make sure the biological weapons were completely gone.
    A diffused light fell over the dense forest in a soft green haze that blended eerily with the patches of hot, steamy fog from the nearby marshes. From what Tori could tell, there wasn’t much difference between the swamps and the marshes, except that the marshes seemed dead of all life.
    The marshes were an awful place. Moss hung from treetops, unmoving in their windless isolation. The air was damp, stagnant, and filled with the rotting smell of molding plant life and animal carcasses. Even the insects seemed to have deserted the area.
    Stopping, Tori shared a concerned look with Vitto. Quietly, she said, “This doesn’t feel right.”
    Vitto nodded. Grant stopped near them, hearing her comment. He frowned, looking around as if for the first time that late morning. He’d been grumpy since he’d been pulled from Linzi’s bed, and they’d left him alone for the most part. Now, a professional light entered his eyes, turning him serious. He slowly nodded in agreement of Tori and Vitto.
    “Excuse me,” Grant said to the guards, stopping them in their progress. “Have the marshes always been like this?”
    “Have been