“Not enough to matter.” A little blood wouldn’t stop his fury.
Knight arrived, galloping over, his coat streaked with mud and his pistol drawn, a fierce scowl in place. “Where is she?”
“Gone,” Reaper answered for him.
Maxen just couldn’t say that one word. Couldn’t accept it.
Knight’s gaze slashed toward the tracks before coming back to him. “Are you all right?”
Maxen gave a single, sharp nod.
Moments later, Saint thundered up the road, his eyes roaming over Maxen’s face. “The girl?” he demanded before the horse had even stopped moving.
“Taken,” Knight said, his voice steel.
Saint slid from the saddle. “You hurt?”
Maxen’s hands curled into fists. “No,” he said again, though the steady drumbeat in his skull disagreed.
Dagger and Drake arrived next.
“Calliope?” Drake asked.
Maxen shook his head.
Drake gave a curt nod, while Dagger’s face turned thunderous. A woman had been taken on their watch. This wouldn’t sit well with any of them.
“What the devil happened?” Reaper demanded. “Howthe devil did it happen?”
“Your boy,” Knight said. “He betrayed us.”
Saint swore softly.
“Impossible,” Reaper snapped. “And he’s notmyboy. He’sourboy.”
“Knight is right,” Drake said. “He is the only one who could have sold us out to the enemy. The only one besides us who knew.”
Maxen turned to Reaper. “Wasn’t he with you?”
Reaper scratched his head. “His mother has been sick. Perhaps he was lured over to the other side with promises.”
“This should never have happened,” Dagger said.
Drake nodded. “Agreed. We need to find the boy.”
“Who would have thought we had beneath our nose the very thing we sought?” Dagger muttered.
Maxen’s gaze swept over the road once more, the hoofprints, the splintered twig off to the side—anything that might tell him where they’d taken her. The sight of those tracks still made his gut twist.
“Find his mother,” Maxen said. “Then we’ll find him.”
“Hopefully he can be convinced without blood,” Dagger muttered.
Reaper scoffed. “You’re too hopeful,frère.”
Saint’s lips twisted. “I’m in the mood to convince.”
“No blood,” Maxen said. “And we need a plan. If we move too soon, we lose them both.”
