“Dad!” I screamed.
Keir turned away from the crystal, to speak with the guardsmen who had rushed into his office. More booms came, peppered with shouting. Keir bent his head closer to his men to hear them. I saw him nodding, then he turned and reached for something beside his desk. Keir picked up his sword and strapped it on his waist.
“She's here, Seren,” Keir bent to the ball. “I'll scry you when it's over.”
He lifted a hand to wipe away our connection as I screamed at him. The ball went blank and still, I was shouting.
“Seren!” Raza came rushing up to me. “What's happened?”
“I need to get to Gentry Tech,” I screeched. “My father's under attack.”
“What?”
“He lured Moire to him,” I was shaking, unsure of what to do. “Fuck!” My eyes fell back on the crystal ball. “Councilman Alan Murdock,” I called out and leaned over the ball.
The ball misted, and then a young councilman came into view.
“Hello,” he said. “May I help you?”
“Get the Head Councilman,” I growled and the boy flinched. “Now!”
He ran out of the room.
“Dusk is an hour away,” Raza peered out a nearby window.
“I know,” I hissed. “My father's being attacked by that bitch and I can't reach him.”
“King Keir is a seasoned warrior,” Raza tried to assure me. “He will be victorious.”
“Iron arrows, Raza,” I shot him a dark look, and he went silent.
“Princess Seren?” Murdock's face appeared in the ball.
“Murdock!” I leaned in closer. “I need you to get to Gentry Tech now. My father is under attack. It's Moire.”
“Damn it all!” Murdock swore. “It's done, Princess. We're on our way.”
The ball cleared and I was left staring at my fun-house-mirror reflection. Even that long, wobbly version of my face looked scared. Terrified actually.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I gathered my Guard and waited for twilight. There was nothing more I could do. Tiernan paced Raza's library with me, the two of us like caged tigers waiting for someone to be brave enough to open the door. Though only one of us would be able to walk through it. Raza just sat and watched us, a grim look on his face. He couldn't go with me either, and I think that was the worst part for him. He couldn't even send troops with us, they weren't twilight, so they couldn't use the Between. This made for a very unhappy dragon.
But I was too upset to deal with Raza's issues. I had lost my mother, then Ewan, who I'd thought of as my father. Bress was just taken, and frankly, there was no love lost between me and my other relatives, so Dad and Uncle Dylan were the last men standing as far as family was concerned. And they were both at Gentry.
A chiming filled the room, and everyone froze. We all turned to the crystal ball in the corner. It was filling with mist. A scry was coming through. I raced over to the crystal ball, the chiming becoming strident in my stressed mind. I skidded to a stop before it and brushed my hand over its surface. Murdock's face came into focus... his bloody face.
“Murdock!” I shouted. “What happened?”
“Your father lives,” he said first, bless his human heart. “But he's been wounded, Ambassador. Badly. He's in with a fey healer now. Thankfully, he had several on staff at Gentry.”
“A healer?” I sat heavily in the chair Raza placed behind me. “For a fairy to need a healer, it must be bad.”
“He was shot with an iron arrow,” Murdock said. “We arrived just in time to assist your father and his soldiers. We prevented the battle from spreading to the streets, and were able to contain it within Gentry Tech with the help of-”
“But he's alright?” I interrupted Murdock. “The healer is treating him for iron poisoning?”
“Yes, King Keir is going to be fine, Ambassador,” Murdock said gently. “Your uncle is alive as well. But I think you should come over. Twilight is soon, is it not?”
