“Tarn was born shortly thereafter, and Lord Morken questioned if he was indeed his progeny. Most suspected him to truly be the Duke’s son, but his mother negated all allegations against her. Lord Morken remained with her, though it caused many years of strife between him and Lord Afton. The tension worsened, and their noble Houses brewed towards civil war. To appease Lord Morken, the King gave him peerage over the Azurite Isthmus. Better known as Troll Bridge.”
Shocked silence filled the room. A shudder crawled down Dyna’s spine, recalling what had happened to the settlement there.
Rawn glowered. “One could almost be forgiven to think that King Lenneus conspired to be rid of Lord Morken and his family in favor of Lord Afton. The Azurite settlement didn’t last more than five years. Hundreds perished.”
“Except for Tarn,” Lucenna scoffed. “Well, then I think the Duke deserved what came to him.”
But it didn’t fully make sense. If the Duke was Tarn’s real father, why would he allow him to be raised by the Morken family? Dyna sensed they were missing part of the puzzle. It involved the Azure King somehow.
“Naturally, the king favored his cousin,” Dyna said.
Rawn frowned. “It would seem so, yet Lord Morken was also a distant cousin to the king.”
“Regardless of the reason, Tarn murdered a member of the royal family and countless others.” The commissioner’s jaw tensed slightly, the only shift in his stoic exterior. “For that alone, he must meet the executioner. Tarn will pay for his crimes with nothing more than his head.”
He couldn’t quite keep the tightening out of his voice at the end, and Dyna suspected Veron had history with Tarn as well.
“Then why hasn’t he?” Zev asked.
Veron’s dark eyes narrowed. “It’s not for our lack of trying. With a considerable bounty of ten thousand gold pieces on his head, Tarn has been careful not to show his face in Azure. Yet after all these years, something brought him here, or someone.” His eyes fixed on Dyna. “His bounty is considered a king’s ransom, yet the one Tarn placed on your head is ten times the amount of his. It’s rather curious that he would pay so much for you.”
A deep, menacing growl rumbled Zev’s throat. He, Lucenna, and Rawn immediately closed in on her protectively.
“You plan to fill your pockets with the reward, is that it?” Lucenna demanded.
“No.” The Commissioner’s gaze flicked to her. “It’s a third of the sum Lord Galveston offered for your extradition.”
The color drained from her face. “You have been in contact with my father?”
“He sent a message by courier portal this morning to have you detained while he makes his way here.”
Lucenna took a step toward him. Her shaking hands filled with flashes of purple electricity. The room hummed with the pressure of her power. “You may have those black clovers to protect you, but I’ll burn down this building with everyone in it before I let my father take me.”
The guards moved forward at the threat. Dyna quickly yanked the sorceress to her side. Lucenna’s Essence clashed with her own, the charge running currents against her skin. Zev snarled at the guards and shielded them both with his large body.
Dyna wasn’t sure if she had heard Lucenna correctly. Had she said black clovers?
She peeked past the crook of Zev’s arm at Commissioner Mooreland. He raised a hand to wave off the guards, revealing a glimpse of the bracelet on his wrist. It was constructed of amber beads dotted black in the center. She wasn’t close enough to get a good look, but she could feel them tugging on the edges of her Essence, ready to consume it should she expel it.
“You have misunderstood me, Lady Lucenna,” the commissioner said. “Not only did your father fail to provide legal documentation for the extradition, we never accept bribery, not while I’m in command. I’ll not let you fall in his hands.”
At his words, Lucenna’s churning magic dissipated.
“I’m well aware of the deplorable customs in the Magos Empire. I wish I had the power to stop it. For those few refugees that escape here, we offer to ferry them discreetly across the Saxe Sea to Darrsho.”
The capital of Dwarf Shoe, Dyna recalled from studying her map.
“The free state of the dwarves forbids extradition and the collection of bounties,” the commissioner informed them.
“Would you be so kind as to ferry us there as well,” Lucenna said, hope hitching in her voice.
“That isn’t possible while you’re in our custody.”
A bleak tension fell over them.
Dyna glanced at the Azure Guards guarding the door, contemplating if they somehow could fight their way out. Time dragged by, and they were no closer to finding Cassiel.
She closed her eyes, wishing she could appear where he was. The bond stirred in her chest, tendrils of warmth moving through her senses. It filled her with his presence, drawing her towards the city. Instinctively, she knew if she followed the feeling, it would lead her to him.
