“I couldn't stand by, and simply watch as you were attacked, Your Majesty,” Soren said smoothly.
“You just sat across the street, waiting for Seren to show?” Dylan scowled.
“We arrived this afternoon. I was going to meet with Councilman Murdock if the Princess failed to present herself by morning,” Soren shrugged.
“I won't forget what you did for my family today,” I said to Soren. “But I'm rather anxious to hear what you have to say about the elves.”
“Damn it all,” Dylan cursed. “This whole thing has me out of sorts. I should have been the one to hone in on that.”
“We broke into the elven enclave,” Soren went right into it, and we all gave him our full attention.
“You broke in?” Conri huffed. “Impossible. I inspected the entrance myself, there's no way-”
“We used explosives,” Soren cut Conri off, leaving the bargest gaping at the biter.
“That would do it,” Gradh muttered.
“And what did you find?” Dylan was getting back to his analytical self.
“Nothing,” Soren grimaced. “The entire enclave was abandoned.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I couldn't leave HR without seeing the elven prisoners, but my father didn't want to let me out of his sight. He also wanted to interrogate them himself, especially after the news Soren had given us. So while I was on the phone with Killian, telling him what had happened, Keir declared that he'd be accompanying me to the Council House, along with General Soren and his team of vampire witches.
“No,” Dylan said as I hung up.
“Killian's in Iceland,” I looked back and forth between my father and my uncle. “He just verified Soren's report, though he's a bit annoyed that he had to travel to Iceland for nothing. He says he'll meet us in Twilight.”
“I'm going with my daughter,” Keir said to Dylan.
“Moire just tried to kill us,” Dylan hissed. “Both of us! What do you think she'd do if she got the chance to kill you and Seren with one blow?”
“She'd take it,” I nodded.
“She just attacked us,” Keir shook his head. “She'll be laying low for awhile.”
“For the chance to eliminate everything that stands between her son and a throne, she'd risk surfacing,” Dylan's eyes were hidden beneath their glamour again, but they still looked menacing.
“Bress,” I whispered. “She stole him to put him on theTwilightthrone.”
“You just reached that conclusion?” Dylan rolled his eyes. “Of course she did. Why else would she want her son back?”
“I thought she wanted to make him King of Unseelie,” I blinked through the epiphany. “It never occurred to me that she might want Twilight for Bress, while she took Unseelie for herself. That seems like far more effort than Moire would be willing to put into another person's future, even if that person happened to be her son.”
“Fair enough,” Dylan sighed. “But we know Moire always plans ahead, and she's diabolical. Not to mention, she's always coveted the Twilight throne.”
“But Bress would be ruling, not her,” I protested.
“And she would rule him,” Keir sighed. “Two-thirds of Fairy would belong to Moire if she took Unseelie for herself and gave Twilight to Bress. I thought it was the draw of Uisdean's resting place that brought her to me, but Moire didn't once ask where Uisdean was buried.Iwas the draw. She wanted me dead and out of her way.”
“You actually saw Moire?” I was shocked.
“She was glamoured,” Keir said, “but I know my sister's magic.”
“And she spoke to you?” I asked.
“Yes,” Keir sank heavily into a chair, and Cat went over to lay her head on his lap in sympathy. “Right after she shot me.”
