Their horse was exhausted from the long trip, the last part traveling with a double load, and walked slowly towards the stables where Ilona had steered her.
Mason breathed in deeply the salty ocean air and closed his eyes. He could just make out the rumbling sound of the waves hitting the shore and the gulls high overhead calling to one another. The sun was climbing over the horizon, and the first rays were warm on his skin. The breeze brushed his golden curls across his forehead.
He had always liked his time at the ocean. There was a sense of being free when he was here. He never felt that freedom in his brother's court or any city he traveled to. Not like the freedom the ocean offered him if he was ever brave enough to take a risk.
Now he would finally be able to find out if the freedom it taunted him with was real or not.
