“Enough.” Alex took her by the elbows, steadying her. “Tell me, where would they go if they disobeyed ye? Think. Nae the passageway. Where?”
She blinked hard and found her breath. “The short stairs behind the anteroom,” she said. “They use it for games when they think I cannae see. It runs to the east passage.”
“The east passage,” Alex repeated.
In his mind, he could see the directions to that part of the castle. It was narrow and cold, built along the wall like a vein. It fed three rooms and the old chapel.
He let the nurse go. “Ye, with me,” he said to the nearest guard. Then he pointed to the other. “Send a man to the north stairs, in case they doubled back.”
“Aye.”
He stepped once more into the center of the hall and lifted his hand. Another runner came at once.
“Find Calum,” he ordered. “Tell him I want a search on every floor. Two men in every passage. Check the chapel, the east passage, and the short stairs behind the anteroom. They are still in the castle.”
“Aye, me Laird.” The runner sprinted for the door.
Alex took the east passage at a run, past the cold windows and the old chapel door. His boots clipped the stone in a steady beat. A guard shouted from the stairs above. Another answered below. Somewhere, a door banged, and a woman cried out and was hushed.
He rounded the corner to the gallery and almost collided with a small body.
Bettie.
She stumbled, and he caught her, his hands closing around her shoulders. Relief hit him so hard it made him sway. He pulled her close for a breath, then drew her back and crouched to her height.
“Where is yer sister?” His voice came out rough.
Bettie blinked up at him, cheeks flushed. “I daenae ken. Erica went to find her.”
“Erica?” The word scraped his throat.
Bettie nodded, quick and earnest. “Aye. And I told her where she was.”
His fingers tightened. “Where is she?”
“With yer friend,” Bettie said, uncertainty tugging at her mouth. “The one who watches the men.”
Friendlanded wrong in his gut. It was a small word, and for some reason, something suddenly cracked in his spine.
The passageway tilted and became steady again. He stood, every thought narrowing to a name.
His blood ran cold.
“Do ye ken the direction she went?” he asked.
Bettie nodded.
“Can ye take me there?”
The little girl grabbed his hand, and they took off.
The stables smelled of hay and damp earth. Erica registered it almost as an afterthought. Her mind chased a sound. A sharp intake of breath. A small, choked whimper. She moved down the row of stalls, the hem of her dress catching on stray straw, breath tight in her chest.
She had left the hall to take a breather. Then, she decided to go check on the children after the nurse dragged them out of the hall because it was their bedtime.
Now she was here, looking for the other twin, because the nurse had looked away for a second.
“Katie?” Her voice softened. “Katie, love, answer me.”
