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The soft velvet of the flower petal stroked against her skin. “I suppose not.” But she insisted on taking the floor that night.
Chapter Seventy-Two
She’s Gone
Quin’s exhaustion had nothing to do with traveling, though he tried to convince himself that was the case as the wagon rumbled back into Veralna City. Trin Province had been...difficult. It didn’t make him feel any better, that what had happened there had been inevitable. That long-term there was nothing he or Verol could have done to prevent it. That it happening this way meant Verol had been able to take the pain from so many as they passed.
So why had hastening the inevitable made him feel so vile? Verol was likewise affected, sitting stone-faced beside him, his emotions so muted Marquin hardly felt them through the heartstone. Perhaps it was only that nothing of this scale had been required of them since the Mages War, and they had managed to forget the worst of the deeds that had made them into the Butcher and the Barbarian. They had been allowed years in which to merely dislike themselves, as opposed to actively loathing themselves.
He and Verol were nearly drained, magically and physically, so perhaps it was good that Alaric had ordered them back to Veralna. Even if it meant that concocting a reason to leave and retrieve the gatestone later would require more time and finesse. At any rate, it was a relief when the horses finally clopped up to the stable at their estate.
It was a short-lived relief. He had the first hint of something amiss when Alys did not come out to greet them. Neither he nor Verol expected her to actually work for them in return for harboring her—they’d tried to simply put her up in the room that had instead become Clare’s—but Alys was militant about “not taking advantage of their generosity”. Given that leaving the estate was not something she did often, she tended to come out immediately upon their return.
When she didn’t, and when Fitz came out of the house instead, his expression grave, worry gnawed at Quin’s gut. “Alys?”
“She is fine. Her brother is dead, and she’s reclaimed the duchy.”
Alys had forbidden them, under the strictest of oaths, from interfering in her situation. One she had refused to ever explain in any detail. “And…how did that happen?”
“My help, to some degree.” He hesitated, then: “But mostly Clare’s.”
The worry intensified, and he couldn’t tell anymore if it was his or Verol’s or simply theirs. “And where is Clare?”
“Gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” Verol demanded. “Where?”
“I don’t know. This was all she left.” He handed them a letter that contained only three sentences. I’ll be back in five days. Four by the time you receive this. Don’t even think about trying to follow me.
“She had it sent the day after she left. I did look for her. I couldn’t find any trace of where she’d gone, but…”
“But?” Verol asked icily, as if he’d already guessed.
“But Prince Tolvannen appears to have left at the same time.”
Verol swore. “Why aren’t you out looking for her?”
“For one, because it is a large kingdom and I’ve no notion of where Numair Tolvannen would go outside of Veralna City. But the more important reason is that I do not want to draw attention to the fact that she is gone. The king didn’t precisely order her to remain here in his absence, but I believe it was heavily implied.”
Verol’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “Has he noticed she’s gone?”
“Yes. He sent a summons to the suite for her. Given that he ordered her to keep your schedule, she is not required to be in the palace today, and if she keeps to her note she will be back tomorrow, but if she is not…”
Quin could already see where Verol’s thoughts were going. “She clearly left of her own volition,” he pointed out, “and she has stated an intention to return. Searching the streets for her will only further draw Alaric’s attention, and ensure you are not here when she returns.”
Verol’s eyes closed. “You wish me to wait?”
“Yes.”
“While she is with him?”
“Yes.” He felt it flicker through the heartstone, the resignation as Verol realized Quin was right.
“Set a ward for her at the edge of the estate. I want to know the moment she returns.”
“They won’t work for her. Not any more than they do for Alaric.”
Verol’s lip curled. “Then set one for His Highness.”
