“Kyzaire,” she breathed. She frowned. “But what are you doinghere?”
As if she knew that her inn and tavern were a little less…savory.
“Kyndri, I presume?” I prompted.
“Yes,” she said slowly. I could see her mind working, mentallyconjuring up all the reasons why a son of the Kaalium would be walking into her establishment on the dockside of Laras.
“I’m looking for Erina Denoren,” I said. “I was told she might work here.”
But I didn’t scent her, so I wondered if Ikrin had gotten it wrong. If she was here, I would know it.
“She did,” Kyndri said, sparking my hopes.
“Does she still?” I asked, pressing further into the bar.
“No, she left last week,” she replied. “A shame too. She was a good worker. Trustworthy. Those are hard to find these days.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“Yes,” Kyndri asked, “but can I ask why you’re looking for her?”
My brow almost rose at the impertinence…but I thought it was good that this bar keeper was protecting Erina. It meant I could trust her.
“She’s my mate,” I finally said, the words dropping like stones. The first time I’d voiced the words out loud to a stranger, but I needed to find out where she’d gone. If Kyndri had loyalties to Erina, which I suspected she might’ve, I needed to make her understood how vital it was I find her. “It’s important. To bring her home, back to Vyaan.”
Kyndri studied me. I was certain she’d seen all kinds of people come through her doors, and I was equally certain she could read each and every one. If she was surprised by my admission, she didn’t show it.
“As far as I know, she’s already back in Vyaan,” Kyndri said quietly.
“What?” I asked, freezing in place. “She told you that?”
“Last week she caught the last caravan back. I assumed she’d arrived already.”
I’d already been in Laras by then, searching for her. Scouring the villages and the main holdings around the capital.
Had she…returned to the keep?
No, Maudoric would’ve contacted me if she had.
“Thank you,” I told Kyndri, inclining my head. I turned to leave, intent to return to my territory quickly now that I knew, against all odds, Erina wasthere. “Was she…was she happy here?”
She barked out a humorless laugh. “No. She was sad. And alone. And scared, given her…circumstance.”
Her circumstance?I wondered, frowning.
“But she’s a strong one. She held her head up high and never complained once, no matter what she had to deal with here.”
Every word felt like a jab in the chest. She never should’ve had todealwith anything. I should’ve protected her from this. She shouldn’t have been living in a small, cramped, drafty room, paying by the week, or working in an inn for hours on end, putting up with who knew what.
I slid credits over the bar, nodding at Kyndri before departing.
Out on the street, I sucked in a deep breath, peering around the darkening market. Erina had been here. She’d looked at this view, walked this road, and been surrounded by these buildings.
But she was still out of my grasp.
My Halo orb chimed, and I fished it from my pocket.
Maudoric.
