Page 227 of King of Blood and Sin

Kylian looks toward the dragon ship, then toward Kaiser, who has stopped near the street and is watching us with too much interest.

“Come, we need to be quick,” Kylian says.

The search through Avelvorn begins under the guise of curiosity and Kylian’s fake need to barter for supplies we don’t need now that he has me.

Kaiser shows us the lower terraces first, where buildings have been cut into the frozen slope and power lines run along the walls in black cords wrapped in insulation, while workers move around damaged generators with oil-stained hands and hollow cheeks.

He talks of fuel shortages, failed grids, frozen pipes, and the cost of keeping heat in a kingdom trapped beneath endless winter. Kylian listens with the careful attention of a king who understands that every complaint may hide a weakness worth knowing.

I listen too, but only with half of myself.

The rest of me searches. I watch every face in the market lanes, every servant carrying folded linens through arched doorways, every young woman hurrying past with baskets of coal, bread, or bandages, while Eagan drifts away whenever he can, checking notice boards, servant lists, transfer ledgers, and storage yards when Kaiser isn’t paying attention.

Kylian keeps me close enough that his hand never leaves mine. By midday, I know she is not in the places Kaiser allows us to see. By afternoon, I fear she has moved on from here. By evening, I am certain enough that I feel sick.

Kaiser walks us through a high bridge between two towers while snow falls beyond the glass walls, showing us the eastern generator house and the line of cargo lifts that carry fuel up from the harbor.

“Zander has been useful,” Kaiser says, almost idly, while watching Kylian from the corner of his eye.

Kylian’s attention sharpens. “In what way?”

Kaiser smiles faintly.

“In every way he needs to be,” he says. “The Lycan King has cut deals with every kingdom, it appears, extra food rations with me, and private bargains with Draven that I am certain neither of them would admit to.”

My fingers curl inside Kylian’s glove.

“Zander is supposed to be neutral while overseeing Purgatory.”

Kaiser turns his pale gaze on me.

“Neutrality is just a prettier word for selling to both sides.”

Kylian’s expression darkens. “What is Draven buying?”

Kaiser looks out over his frozen city. “The better question is what he is moving onto Fenrune’s shores.”

My heart skips, and Kaiser turns back with a thin smile. “You should go before your concern becomes obvious.”