I nod. I know it in my soul.
“We have no proof. He said he would give us until tomorrow—”
I round on my second-in-command, and Brokk lifts his hands. “He lied.”
Sian is rubbing her forehead. “We were here. Talking. Then… no, it’s all blank. I feel dizzy.” She sits down, heavily, on a chair.
I’m acutely aware of every single dust mote in the air. The whisper of a breeze on my skin. The faraway sounds of night birds chirping. My mate’s scent lingers—faint, but I can still taste it on my tongue, like honey. Balling my fists, I let out a groan.
“We’ll find her,” Brokk says. “He won’t harm her if he wants her as—” He stops himself mid-sentence, but it’s too late. I’ve already finished it in my mind.
If he wants her as his mate.
The thought is enough to make me roar.
I’m already at the chest where I store my weapons, slinging a bow over my shoulder and adding various blades to my belt. Fingering an inxi, I have a sudden thought. I tried to teach Haley how to throw one of these—a multi-bladed, palm-sized weapon. She did not enjoy it, and she wasn’t able to make the kill when I tried to show her how.
I should have tried harder to connect with her. I should have found the words to explain.For the love of Ulf, please let her be safe.
“Your Majesty.” Another voice breaks my thoughts.
I turn to see my chief advisor, Mikkan. He’s wringing his hands.
“Is everything all r-right?” he stammers.
I growl at him and resume my task, snagging a fur and slinging it over my shoulders. When I rescue my Omega—not if, butwhen—she might be cold.
“The queen is missing,” Brokk informs him. “I don’t suppose you heard anything?”
“N-no, of course not.”
Something in the councilor’s tone feels wrong. I glance at him. He’s not stroking his beard. Instead, he’s squeezing his hands together. He refuses to meet my gaze. He’s hiding something. I meet Brokk’s eyes and, at his questioning look, give him an almost imperceptible nod.
One of my ‘magic’ abilities is to send my thoughts to other beings, and sense what they’re thinking as well. Usually, I reserve this for wildlife—vines and trees and some animals, like the tyrlee—but if I concentrate, I can do the same with other people. It hurts my head and feels like an invasion of privacy, so I don’t do it often.
However, I’m doing it now.
Brokk’s eyes widen in understanding. He glances at Mikkan, then back at me, and raises his eyebrows.
I shake my head.No, don’t take him yet. But we will watch him.
Brokk gives a nod.
Looking around, I’m exasperated to see there’s not a servant in sight. I was hoping to summon someone to bring Sian something to drink. She looks terrified. I believe her when she says she does not know what happened. Likely she was bespelled or something. The Stone King uses magic. Rumor has it that’s why he looks the way he does—like he’s been dead a hundred years—because he cast a spell to prolong his own life. The revulsion is bitter on my tongue.
Once I have gathered together everything I might need, I turn to Brokk. “You leaving?” he asks.
I nod. “Coming?”
He looks to Sian, then back at me. “Yes. Mikkan, ensure Sian is looked after, and given something to drink,” he says.
“Of course. But may I ask—where are you going?” The worry is etched on the advisor’s pale blue face. He’s still wringing his hands.
“To rescue the queen,” Brokk replies.
I’m in a hurry to leave and even so, I take a moment to study Mikkan’s reaction. Just as I thought. He goes even more pale, and I can tell he wants to argue—but what could he say without giving himself away?
I’ll deal with him on my return. Right now, Haley comes first.
