I heard Meli and the retainers talking as we rode through the night. The thought of the orchard burning behind us made my gut clench. I didn't need to look back to know it was gone. The smoke filled my imagination, choking the memories of home.

When we finally stopped at two in the morning, the silence felt heavy. I got off the horse and moved to start a small camp. I focused on practical things: clearing a patch of ground, gathering dry wood, and preparing for the night. My draconic hand worked quickly, stacking wood for a small fire that would give warmth but not too much smoke.

I couldn't stop thinking about what they said.

The statue. The old man with the crown of thorns. Isolde called him the Monarch. And the golden stag, the strange creature that led me to Meli. Garrick scoffed and mentioned the Fool.

The Monarch and the Fool.

It didn't make sense. Those were massive, important powers. Gods, maybe. They weren't supposed to visit some forgotten prince hiding in an orchard.

[b]It couldn't be,[/b] I muttered, mostly to myself, as I knelt to start the fire.

But the thought stuck in my mind like a burr. I kept seeing the two images side-by-side: the calm, determined stone face of the Monarch, and the beautiful, wild stag that had saved Meli.

I remembered the voice in my dream: [i]Resurrection? Or Destruction?[/i]

Could the dream have been a warning? Was the Monarch the one who offered Resurrection, a return to the old glory of House Solarian, but at a terrible price? Or would he bring Destruction, just like the Solarian kings before me? And the Fool, the wild guide, would he promise safety and peace, which could mean Destruction for the throne? Or would he lead me toward a kind of Resurrection I couldn't see yet?

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. It didn't matter right now. What mattered was Garrick.

I looked over at the old stable master, who would probably be tending to the horses.

[b]Garrick,[/b] I said, my voice low. [b]When we were talking about leaving the orchard, you stopped me. You said Adam found something years ago in the Forests of Vestarel. Something that could help Meli and me save the Moonpetal Gathering.[/b]

I paused and looked him in the eye. [b]What did he find?[/b]