"My lady," she says, approaching with hands twisted in her apron. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but have you seen Lavi and Jorik?"
Something cold settles in my stomach. "No. Are they not in the nursery?"
"Haven't been seen since last night. You know how they love their hiding games, but this is longer than usual, and with the ceremony tonight..." Nessa's voice carries real worry now. "Their mothers are starting to get concerned."
I force my voice to stay level. "I'm sure they'll surface soon. Children have their own sense of time."
But as Nessa hurries away, ice spreads through my veins. Two children, missing on the day of my coronation. The same children who were meant to participate in the ceremony, who would be easily recognized and approached by anyone claiming to need their help.
I make my way to the nursery, moving faster with each step. The warm, bright room feels wrong without Lavi's chatter and Jorik's serious commentary. Something catches my attention immediately.
Lavi's doll—the fierce little warrior woman she carries everywhere—sits carefully placed on her pillow. Too carefully. When I'd seen her playing before, that doll was either clutched in her arms or dropped carelessly when something else caught her interest. She would never arrange it so precisely.
"She left her doll," I whisper to the empty room.
My hands shake as I touch the carved figure. Lavi wouldn't willingly leave this behind. Which means she didn't leave willingly at all.
"My lady?"
I spin to find one of the younger nursemaids, Kira, in the doorway. Her expression is puzzled rather than worried.
"Have you seen anything unusual?" I ask. "Anyone who shouldn't have been here?"
"No, my lady. Though..." She hesitates. "Yesterday evening, when I was banking the fires, I thought I heard voices in the corridor. Adult voices, speaking quietly. But that's not unusual with all the ceremony preparations."
"What kind of voices?"
"I couldn't make out words. But the accent sounded... different. Not quite our way of speaking."
Human voices. It has to be.
I leave the nursery fighting to keep my expression calm while my mind races. If someone has taken Lavi and Jorik, if they'rebeing used as leverage, there's only one group that benefits from threatening me on the day of my coronation.
The human envoys who have lingered far too long in our stronghold.
I make my way through the corridors toward the guest quarters, but before I reach them, a familiar voice stops me cold.
"My lady? Might I have a word?"
I turn to see Garrett, one of the human envoys, standing near the entrance to a small antechamber. He looks nervous, sweat beading his forehead despite the mountain chill, and his clothes are dusty as if he's been riding.
"Garrett," I say carefully. "I thought you'd be preparing for departure."
"Soon," he says, his eyes darting to the servants passing nearby. "But first, I have a message. From your family. Perhaps... somewhere more private?"
Every instinct screams danger, but if he knows something about the children, I have to hear it. I follow him into the small chamber, noting how he positions himself between me and the door.
"Your family wants you to understand something," he begins. "Your position here, as queen of these... people... it creates certain complications."
"What kind of complications?"
"The kind that could destroy everything your father has worked for." His voice drops to barely above a whisper. "Lord Blackmoor is demanding the return of his gold, plus penalties. Your father faces complete ruin."
I laugh, a sharp, bitter sound. "Garrett, were you not in the council chamber? I made my feelings on my father's contracts perfectly clear. That is no longer my concern."
His composure cracks for a moment, surprised by my directness. He thought he had leverage that no longer exists.He recovers quickly, his expression hardening. "A pity. Then we must speak of larger matters." He leans forward, and I catch a whiff of red clay on his boots—the distinctive rusty mud that clings to anyone who's traveled the eastern approaches. "You could solve everything with one simple act."
My blood turns to ice. "What have you done?"
