“It seems he had already been notified,” Zev said, crossing his arms.
She frowned at that. “He knew of Rawn’s capture? Since when?”
Raiden dragged a hand down his face, and she saw the weight there. “He had already received the word from Red Highland three days ago. He didn’t wish to alarm my mother.”
Dyna clenched her fists, her stomach turning with anger for the poor woman. “What else did they say? Is he…?”
Raiden’s throat bobbed a bit, and she braced for the bad news she didn’t want to hear. “The King only mentioned that he has dispatched an armed escort to bring us to the palace in Avandia, Greenwood's Capitol. It will arrive in five days.”
“Five days?” She shook her head. “There is no time to waste! When we reach the palace, it may be too late to save Rawn. I say we leave tomorrow. I can sort my business with Cassiel tonight, and we will be on our way.”
Zev put a gentle hand on her shoulder, a gesture of calm she didn’t feel. “That is what I said as well, but we have to wait.”
“Why?” Her throat tightened. Time was passing them by. The night breeze swept over the land, making the dynalya fields dance beneath the coming moonlight. “Every hour hastens Rawn’s death. What could be so important to delay us?”
“My mother,” Raiden said, and he took a breath as if coming to a decision. “She is the younger sister of King Leif.”
The news struck Dyna silent. Lady Aerina was aprincess. Her mind spun as things now started to make sense. Why Rawn had kept silent about his past and his status as a Duke.
“Over a score ago, my father had been assigned to my mother’s protection detail. His mission was to take her away to safety, for she was a very valuable pawn when my uncle’s hold on the throne was weak. Red Highland made plans to force her hand in marriage so they may bring the Vale of the Elves under one rule again.Theirs. My father thwarted their plans, of course. I will spare you the details, but in the end, they were wed instead. This has protected her, but recently suitors from every province far and wide have been coming to our door to bid for her hand in marriage. And they are becoming … insistent.”
Dyna’s mouth fell open. “But she is married to Rawn.”
“Lord Norrlen has been absent for far too long,” Zev said. “Most have assumed him dead, and once the news of his capture spreads…”
“My mother will be in danger again,” Raiden said, looking out at the land of Sellav. She noticed the Norrlen guards on duty had doubled on the fortifications of the estate and on the road.
Lady Aerina was a prize.
With her hand, her next husband would gain a dukedom, wealth, this province, and a line to the throne of Greenwood.
They had to wait for the escort.
Rawn would want his family safe first.
Raiden crossed his arms as the wind tousled his long hair. In the moonlight, he resembled Rawn so much it gave Dyna goosebumps. “The Red King will keep my father alive.”
“How do you know?”
“It stands to reason, for Red Highland to notify Greenwood of who they hold, it’s for a purpose. They seek to exchange an elf of great value for something far more crucial.” Turning away, Raiden marched for the estate. “I intend to find out what it is.”
Dyna and Zev watched him go.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her softly.
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know if I can put it into words yet.”
Her body was tense. A ball of emotion writhed in her chest, tangled with the strands of her frayed bond that had not stopped pulsing since she confronted Cassiel.
“I assume there is a reason why you didn’t permit them to reclaim Cassiel.”
Dyna looked up at the moon as it gleamed in the starry sky. The Legion circled above, awaiting their king’s return, and they wouldn’t wait long.
“I must do something, Zev. I am not going to like it, and neither are you.”
CHAPTER 44
Rawn
