Veyka stared at her for several minutes. The time stretched out between them, but Cyara did not breach it. She had asked Veyka to listen, and she had. Now she must give her the time to sort through it all in her head. Cyara knew that for all that Veyka proclaimed them equals, and discussed her thoughts openly with the Knights of the Round Table, the only person with her full confidence had been Arran. With him ripped away, she could not fathom what eddies swirled and tugged at Veyka’s mind.
Finally, she signed and pushed to her feet. “You have spoken to Diana?”
Cyara nodded. “Yes.”
“And you believe that Percival will comply as well?” Veyka asked, eyes drifting to the place on the wall where the traitor had been anchored since their arrival. The expression in her eyes was clear—she still thought him a traitor.
“I do,” Cyara answered steadily. No twitch of her white wings.
Veyka’s chin stabbed the air sharply as she turned away, decision made.
“Fine,” she said over her shoulder. “You will stay and monitor them while Lyrena and I go to the amorite mines. Isolde will stay with you as well. The Faeries of the Fen did not forget the succubus, even when the rest of the fae did. She may be helpful to you.”
She walked to the door that connected the sitting room to her own chamber. Not a retreat, but a dismissal. The decision was made, she would not question it. At least, not to anyone but herself. But she paused in the doorway, turning back and spearing Cyara with a look so intense, she found herself unable to move.
“You did not expect me to agree,” Veyka said.
Cyara’s swallow was audible. “I was not certain.”
“That must have been difficult for you.” Veyka smirked. But then her gaze softened. “I love you, Cyara. You have my trust to see this through.”
Veyka turned for the door. But before she could open it, the other clanged open noisily. To both of their surprise, it was Percival who stood panting in the arched doorway. The queen had a dagger in her hand before he even got the sentence out. “Isolde is missing.”
47
VEYKA
“Where is she?” I demanded as my feet pounded down the last few steps to the stone landing.
A stupid question. Percival had already said she was missing. But I was not thinking. Not about the words coming out of my mouth, at least.
I had brought her here.
If it were not for me, Isolde would still be safe in the faerie caves. She’d followed me to Avalon out of an ancient loyalty that I did not deserve.
My fault.
Lyrena was already striding my direction, the door to Isolde’s room hanging half-open behind her. “I knocked on her door on the way down to the kitchens to see if she needed to eat.”
Our suite of rooms was full. Elayne had given Isolde the next best thing, a room on the floor directly below ours.
“She could be somewhere else in the castle, exploring.” Cyara said from behind me. Her voice was calm, but I heard the telltale rustling of her wings. We both knew that Lyrena would not raise the alarm if that were a possibility.
Lyrena pressed herself to the wall as I hurtled past, flinging the door open the rest of the way. My eyes took in the scene in a second. Cyara arrived at my shoulder, and I knew hers did the same.
There was the tray of food that Percival must have set down before running for us. The surge of gratitude I felt for the human was eclipsed by the rest of the scene. A chair flat on its back, one leg broken off entirely. Curtains in shreds—what had done that? Isolde’s claws?
I inhaled deeply, instinctively searching for some clue. No coppery tang of blood met my nostrils, but something else did. Something earthy. Terrestrial.
“Cyara, stay here in case she comes back.”
I did not have to order Lyrena to my side. She was already there, a half step behind my left shoulder.
“There were terrestrials in there,” I said, hitting the stairs again. I tried to follow the scent, but even with my sharp senses it was too difficult. This was a terrestrial castle, everything blended together. “Where would they take her?”
“The towers are all occupied by the family,” Lyrena answered. She’d explored the castle extensively as soon as we arrived—part of her goldstone training, to assess all potential threats. “Dungeons monitored by Elayne and Pant’s guards. I doubt they would have taken her there.”
“Why would they have taken her at all?” My voice was deceptively calm. I could feel the void pulling at my senses, my fingertips tingling. But I did not know where to go to find her. Right now, it was smarter to stay where I was, to walk these halls and courtyards looking for any clues to where my friend had been taken.
