Keena opened her mouth to answer, but then she glanced at the crowd and broke in a relieved smile. “Kye!”
Dyna searched for the familiar regimental uniform of the Azure Guards and soon found a unit of them standing on the corner of the street. Relief flooded her when she noticed the familiar corporal among them giving orders.
She called to Kye, running his way. He and the guards rushed to meet her.
“Dyna, what happened?” the corporal asked, but then did a double-take at the sight of the fairy and exhaled in relief. “Princess Keena, Commissioner Moreland has the entire squadron searching the city for you since your disappearance last night.”
“A poacher held me captive,” Keena said as she landed in his open palm. By their familiarity, Dyna took it they knew each other.
He scowled. “What poacher?”
“It was Draven,” Dyna said, “and now he has Cassiel. You must help me free him.”
Kye glanced across the busy pier toward Draven’s ship, but he put an arm around Dyna and forced her to hurry away with him in the opposite direction. “It’s best that you both accompany me. I shall get you to safety. Princess, you need nectar.”
Dyna didn’t understand his strange words.Nectar?“No, we need to go back. Cassiel is in trouble.”
“I will report this to the commissioner, but first, I have to bring you to headquarters.” His reply was careful, but she heard the nuance behind it.
“Why? What happened?”
He sighed. “A warrant has been issued for you and your companions.”
Dyna jerked to a stop. “What? We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Tarn placed the bounties on your heads.”
“And that is a warrant for arrest?” She tried to run, but he caught her wrist. “Let me go!”
The sun reflected on Kye’s glasses as he shook his head. “I’m sorry about this, but I have to do as ordered.”
“It’s all right, Dyna,” Keena told her. “Commissioner Veron is a good friend of mine and my father’s. I’ll have a word with him about this.”
Dyna was hesitant to go with the guards, knowing every minute counted against Cassiel’s favor. She needed to find the others and save him as soon as possible.
Then Kye said the one thing that made her stop resisting. “We have already detained your companions.”
* * *
The guards led Dyna to the fifth floor of the Azure Guard Headquarters. Zev’s furious voice filtered in the hallway. She ran towards the sound, Kye following close behind with Keena in his hands. They reached a set of double doors manned by more guards. They opened the doors at the corporal’s nod and let them into the large office.
Commissioner Moreland sat behind his desk, calmly listening to Zev’s angry rant about needing to find his cousin. Rawn stood by Lucenna, where she sat on a wooden bench, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Electricity flickered along her body and through her white hair in purple flashes.
“Zev.” At the sight of him, all the angst and fear she held at bay came rushing out.
He whipped around at the sound of her voice. “Dyna!”
She ran and threw herself at him. He pulled her into the fold of his arms, cradling her against him. The steady beat of his heart was all that held her together as she shook with silent sobs.
“What happened?” he murmured. “Where is Cassiel?”
She couldn’t answer yet. All she could do was soak Zev’s shirt with her tears.
“Something must have occurred,” Rawn said.
Lucenna brushed Dyna’s hair from her wet eyes and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “The commissioner believes Tarn is in the city. He wants to use us to draw him out.”
“Perhaps he is,” Dyna replied shakily under her breath, knowing Rawn and Zev could hear. She inhaled a deep breath and wiped her face. “I saw Von.”
