The garden shimmers. Rainbows waver, then fracture. Illusion breaks. Seren and Gevain stand between pale stone walls and the forest’s edge. Past the boundary of protective wards.
This was a ploy. Gevain lured Seren away with news of Tansy.
Seren’s panic ignites.
“Nevander!” he shouts, wrenching away, seeking with sight and magic for—
A cruel hand silences his next cry, seizing him by the throat. Gevain’s smile curls like a poisonous flower as Seren chokes.
“My sincere regrets, Your Highness,” Gevain purrs. “I wanted to do this the easy way, but you didn’t cooperate.”
Seren twists, clawing at Gevain’s hand. Breath burns in his bruised throat. He’s helpless as Gevain snaps his fingers again.
Palace and forest vanish.
35
Magic Mirror
Onetroublesomehumanshouldn’tbe this hard to find. Nevander is connected to all the palace wards, and finding Tansy should take a single urgent thought. But the palace rebukes Nevander this morning with familiar stubbornness. Nevander hurt Seren last night, and the palace is resentful on its prince’s behalf.
More proof that Seren belongs here, if only he can accept his role.
So, Nevander is forced to search by foot and by message. That shouldn’t take this long, either. Tansy is many things, but never subtle.
Between the kitchens and the dining hall, one tidingbird returns. Nevander lifts his hand, and the little bird perches on his finger.
“Is that from the outer guard?” Valerian asks.
Nevander checks the rune sealing the tiny scroll. “Yes.”
“We need to get some of these Elsewhere,” Folly says, peering at the glowing bird. “Though we have to be careful about introducing new species. The change of realm does weird things to some creatures. Like the boarbears…”
Tuning out the nervous chatter, Nevander removes the tidingbird’s message. Beside them, Valerian says nothing. His stress response is closer to Nevander’s than Folly’s. Quiet focus. A ready hand.
“Gevain returned to his quarters at two past midnight,” Nevander says, releasing the tidingbird. His annoyance deepens into something more serious. “Tansy wasn’t with him.”
Folly’s eyes widen. “Tansy’s been missing all morning?”
“And Gevain left the palace ten minutes ago. I need to report this.” Nevander grits his teeth against mingled dread and anticipation. A guard stands on duty at the end of the hall. “Where is Prince Seren?”
“In the tower library,” the guard answers immediately. “Mustardseed just checked in.”
“As you were,” Nevander says, and strides on.
He doesn’t want to burden Seren with ill news, or his own unwelcome presence. But another part of him revels in the ironclad excuse for an audience. Nearly ten hours without seeing Seren. He misses even his prince’s anger.
“I don’t know this Gevain,” Folly says, trotting to keep up. “I mean, I know he’s a courtier, but I’m still not sure what courtiers do exactly.”
“They attend parties and cause trouble,” Valerian says wryly.
“Just like any fae,” Folly points out. “Could Gevain have done something to Tansy? Would he have? Or did something happen after he and Tansy separated? Oh, if only we weren’t in the palace. I could find Tansy in an instant.”
“Does your eye do that much?” Valerian asks.
Folly laughs. “No, my wondrous eye only sees magic that’s right in front of me. But I have a magic mirror, courtesy of Lord Nevander here.”
“No courtesy,” Nevander says. “We traded fairly.”
