Heir Untamed - By Danielle Bourdon Page 0,45
fell away to forest or the flat of the river's edge. Sander knew his way well, Chey discovered, steering them through the deeper part of the shallows, through swifter currents and around boulders thrusting up from the depths that might have otherwise caused problems. He guided her in rowing and in the sights at the same time, explaining how untouched some of the terrain in these distant acres really was. Few hikers or Royals ever ventured this far back in the property attached to the castle, leaving it pristine and wild.
Chey got several amazing photos of birds, fish that swam close to the canoe near the surface of the shallows, and gnarled trees with branches twisting toward a blue sky.
Finally, Sander steered the canoe toward a flat part of the shore just in front of a sloping rise of rock. She could see it climbed into another craggy cliff overlooking the river.
Encouraging her to disembark, Sander pulled the canoe up onto the sandy loam and used a tether to secure it to a fallen tree. He tugged out a small cooler and a backpack from between the bench seats, then led her up a rather steep incline made of boulders in various sizes and shape. Sure footed as a mountain goat, he didn't need to hold onto the rock like she did. Up to the challenge, Chey ascended until they crested the top of the cliff—and what a sight greeted her from that lofty height.
Spread out before them was a panoramic vista of forest and wildlands that stretched as far as the eye could see. The river cut across the landscape like a glistening snake, sidewinding its way through foliage and rock on its way inland toward another lake. In the far distance, she saw the low outline of what looked like mountains.
“This is breathtaking. Some of these pictures will be perfect, I think, to give a clearer picture of what Latvala is really like. The untamed parts, anyway.” She lowered her camera and glanced at Sander.
He stared out at the landscape with a look of pride and serenity. “Exactly. Our homeland is more than the shopping district or the busy ports in the city. That has its charm—but I think this is a necessary and overlooked part of the country.”
“How far does the Royal land extend from here?” Chey knew there had to be smaller cities between the castle and those distant mountains.
“Quite a ways. There is actually another, smaller castle that sits right on the big lake. You can't see it from here.” He pointed in an easterly direction, beyond a thick forest that obliterated most everything for a half mile or more. “Twenty miles past that castle is a small city called Herfshire, and then another three or four towns leading up to the mountains. The Royals only allowed so many cities to crop up within a certain area near the castles. Most other cities, with more citizens, sit further up the coast and inland to the east of the mountains there. People of Latvala like to spread out, rather than cluster together.”
“Who lives in that smaller castle? And just how small is small?” Chey couldn't imagine a 'small' castle.
Sander hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans and stared out at the impressive landscape. “No one lives in it now. It was built before the other one—in fact there are a few castles in Latvala that predate the current family seat—to house the King and Queen during their reign at that time. It was in the thirteen hundreds, so although the structure has withstood the test of time fairly well, it's pretty much unlivable in its current state. The Royal family has kept it preserved and will continue to do so.”
“Is it open to the public? Like for tours and everything?” Chey lowered her camera after snapping another few shots. She glanced at Sander, studying the handsome shape of his profile.
“No, no. None of the Royal family ever opened it up and even if they did, the locals wouldn't go. Only tourists who don't know the old stories.”
“What old stories? Why wouldn't the locals go?”
“Because there are those who say it's haunted.” He met her gaze.
Chey scoffed. “Ghosts aren't real.”
“Aren't they? How do you know?”
“Well how do you know they are?” she countered.
“I've spent a night up in the south tower, that's why.” He cut a sharp, knowing grin.
Chey waved a hand dismissively in the air. “Please. You can't seriously think I'll believe you had