“Lady’s maid, it’s called,” says the first.
“No, it’s a stepsister.”
“She stole her shoe!”
“But the girl of air would not let her take both.”
“Broke it, she did!”
“Settle down,” I say with as much calm as I can manage. “Where is Ember now?”
“They took her,” says the male. “Covered her mouth.”
“Tied her hands.”
“Dragged her away, they did!”
I hold up my hands to silence them again. “Who’sthey? And where did they take her?”
“The vile angry humans. Gone in a coach.”
“My sister allowed this?”
The wisps nod. One says, “She told them to take her and get out.”
With a growl, I storm from Ember’s room and seek out my sister’s energetic signature. I follow it to her study. Without bothering to knock, I charge in with the force of my rage and find her sitting at her desk. “What have you done?”
Nyxia’s energy flickers with surprise, then concern. Then sorrow. She rises from her desk. “Are you all right, Franco? I was so worried about you. Why the hell would you put your life at risk like that?”
“What have you done?” I repeat through my teeth. “What did they do with her? Where did they take her?”
“I turned the girl over to her fiancé.”
“Was she willing?”
Her expression clouds with uncertainty. “Franco…”
“Was. She. Willing.”
“Well, no, but it was either that or the dungeon. She’s a criminal, Franco. She’s been hiding out to evade a legally binding bargain with her stepmother. Worse than that, she’s been impersonating Princess Maisie.” She points at the broken shoe in my hand. “She’s been using that as a glamour. I had the other destroyed.”
I tighten my jaw, my heart pounding as if it will explode from my ribcage at any moment. All I want to do is shout. Scream. Flood the halls with shadows.
Nyxia’s expression softens. “Brother, I’m so sorry. The woman you’ve been courting has been a fake all along—”
“I know who she is,” I say. “I’ve known the entire time. We were in on it together.”
She gasps, rounding the desk to approach me, eyes hardening with displeasure. “You can’t be serious. You not only knew about this unlawful behavior but condoned it as well?”
“She was hiding from a bad situation.” While I still don’t know all the details, I’ve managed to put most of the pieces together in my mind. She was so anxious when she told me about her unwanted engagement. It now makes sense why her energy contracts with fear every time we’ve been in Marus’ presence.
“It doesn’t matter. She can’t go unpunished—”
“Where is she? Where did they take her?”
“You can’t go after her.”
“I can and I will. If you know where they went, then tell me. Otherwise, I’ll use my senses to track her. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to find her and get her back.”
