“Obviously,” Tybalt retorted.
“Enough,” Cethin said, getting to his feet. “I’ll go to Everfall. Send word to Lord Astor. I want to see for myself.”
“I can send the Cadre,” Tybalt argued. “I think that would be the wiser option.”
“I’m going,” Cethin said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m done sitting here going through reports when this is still going on and escalating. Someone is trying to get our attention, and they need to know they fucking have it.”
“And if the phantom creatures show up and make things worse?” Tybalt demanded.
Cethin turned, his gaze landing on his wife. “Then it’s a good thing the queen will be with me.”
“Your Majesties,” the newest lord greeted. “Welcome to Everfall.” He bowed at the waist before straightening again. “My apologies for not being more prepared,” he added, looking down at his attire with a slightly sheepish smile.
His black hair had been trimmed since the last advisory session, and his grey eyes seemed darker in a way. Brown pants and a black tunic were apparently his favored attire. Cethin had never paid much attention to his power, especially in a room full of people with strong bloodlines, but with fewer people around, it was easier to distinguish, feeling familiar yet different and as powerful as any of the others advisors if not more so.
“I apologize for the short notice,” Cethin said with a warm smile. “I also apologize for taking so long to come visit. I try to visit newly appointed lords and ladies closer to their acceptance.”
“No need to apologize, your grace. You’ve had far more important things to tend to with the Fae and your new wife,” he replied, switching his attention to Kailia. “It is lovely to see you out and about though, your grace.”
“It’s good to see you again, Lord Astor,” she replied with a smile of her own.
The lord clicked his tongue. “I told you before, you can call me Corveth.”
“Yes,” she mused. “You did say that when we discussed how we were both getting used to our new titles and roles.”
“And you are doing well?”
“I am, thank you.”
Cethin glanced at Razik. This was the most casual exchange he’d witnessed with Kailia, outside of speaking to him or Razik. Had they visited Everfall? No, because while Razik pushed boundaries, even he wouldn’t take the queen from Aimonway without notice.
“Well, don’t let me keep you standing out here in the town square for people to stare at,” Corveth said, clapping his hands together. “I was helping some folks on the edge of town with some sheep shearing, but I can escort you to the Everfall Manor before I head back out there.”
“Actually, if we could go to the site of the attack, that would be preferable right now,” Cethin said, stepping closer to Kailia.
“Yes, of course,” Corveth said in a rush. “Right this way.”
“You don’t want to Travel there?” Razik asked as the lord started down the road.
“I know this is important, but I’d like to see more of the town if we can,” Kailia said, looking up at him. “I rarely get to leave Aimonway.”
Razik shrugged, checking in with Cethin. “Doesn’t matter to me.”
While he would have preferred to simply get to the site and start searching, he’d also been making an effort to include Kailia more. He’d been meaning to bring her to Everfall for weeks, and they weren’t in any real hurry. It wasn’t as if their presence would bring back the dead.
“We can walk,” he said, letting his darkness brush along her arm before he pressed his palm to the small of her back.
She offered him a tentative smile, and he took it as a win. Since her nightmare, he’d felt like they’d started over with the touching thing. She was making efforts though, and that was allhe could ask of her. Well, that and for more details about her past, but he wasn’t about to push her on that right now.
They made their way down the stone streets, and as they did, Kailia drifted farther and farther to Corveth’s side, engrossed in conversation as he pointed out various parts of the town. The city itself was at the base of the Olwen Mountains, crawling up the mountainside to the north and going deeper into the forest to the south.
Most of the homes and buildings were two stories high, constructed from the same stone as the streets. Wood shutters adorned windows, while greenery climbed the sides. As the city crawled up the side of the mountain, the roads becoming steeper, one could find the Everfall Manor at the north end, overlooking the city.
But as they went south, the houses and buildings became farther apart. Small animal farms, gardens, and crops were spread out, and beyond that lay Korra Forest, with evergreen and fir trees dominating over the ash and birch trees. It was a few miles into the forest that they came to a clearing.
Where they found nothing.
There was no dried blood. No signs of struggle or a fight. No ripped pieces of fabric, lost weapons, or paths that would indicate a body being dragged here.
