“Ciaran,” Seren warned, her voice crackling with irritation.
Ciaran hesitated, glancing at her before continuing, “Look, I’m not trying to be cruel, but if you’re trusting him with your life, shouldn’t he know the whole truth?”
“You have another sister?” What in Solric’s name?
Ciaran frowned at her. “You didn’t tell him about Esme? You shared your blood and bed with him, but didn’t tell him that?”
What the hell was he talking about?
Seren had a sister I’d never ever heard about? Why?
Amahle held Seren’s gaze and then set her hand on Ciaran’s bicep. “All right, Ciaran. I think my bed is calling me, after all.”
Surprisingly, Ciaran didn’t protest as he helped Amahle stand. Amahle slid a key across the table, a room number attached to it. “This is for the room, and your pack is already in there.” She shot Seren an apologetic look, then led him away.
Hungry as I was, I ignored my food and turned my body toward Seren as they left.
“Esme?”
Seren kept her gaze down and picked up a fork. “My little sister. She’s fifteen.”
“You have a fifteen-year-old sister I’ve never heard of?”
Fuck it. I needed to eat. I tore off a piece of bread, sopping up the broth before stuffing it in my mouth.
Seren pushed a cube of meat around in her bowl. “Yes. Don’t act so surprised. You don’t know that much about me or my family. You didn’t know about Madoc until a few days ago, either.”
“True, but from Amahle’s and your reaction to Ciaran telling me, it’s obvious you didn’t want me to know about Esme.”
“That’s not it.” She took a bite, still not meeting my eyes. “She was kidnapped six weeks ago.” Seren’s voice quivered faintly. “Taken by Lirien soldiers led by an Ederyn spy. He took her to Ibarra, and is holding her for the bounty on my father’s head.”
She gripped the table, her knuckles turning white. “My father and brother have been trying to rescue her, but they’ve …” She faltered, grief in each word. “They haven’t returned.” Her voice cracked on the last word, her burdens becoming clear—the guilt, the fear of losing more family. She didn’t need me to tell her how dire things were. I already knew.
No wonder Brogan Ragnall hadn’t been at the encampment.
The story certainly made sense—the bounty on Brogan Ragnall was sizable. He’d killed my mother, and my father had been desperate to see him brought to justice.
But the mention of an Ederyn spy gave me pause. Seren had spoken about Esme’s kidnapping with a flat, practiced tone, but beneath it, the unease crept in. I didn’t know Esme, but I knew how it felt to lose family to war. I had to tread carefully.
Seren’s story didn’t sit right with me—not because I didn’t believe her, but because something felt off. Too neat. Too convenient. I had no doubt her sister had been taken, but by whom and why? That was what gnawed at me. And if someone had lied to her, she deserved to know.
“How do you know he was an Ederyn?” I asked, keeping my voice steady as I took another forkful of food.
“I—” Seren didn’t meet my gaze. “Esme was with me when he took her. He attacked me and left a note for my father.”
“And that note said he was Ederyn?” I took a sip of ale. That sounded unlikely. The barmaid returned to fill my nearly empty stein, her gaze flicking to Seren for a fraction of a second too long. I hadn’t realized how much I’d had to drink, but that wasn’t what set me on edge. The way the barmaid moved—careful and practiced—reminded me of a scout trying not to be noticed.
As she walked away, Seren lifted her eyes to me, confusion and anger sparking in her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”
“I’m just saying, if he left a note with his name on it, he’s not exactly the smartest spy.”
“What difference does it make? He was Lirien, and he took her.”
I chewed and swallowed, keeping my voice low as I sobered. “It makes a difference. The details matter. Ederyn doesn’t have many spies of their own. There are some, but most of the warcraft belongs to Pendara. Truly gifted Ederyn spies aren’t trained by the Sealed Masters in Pendara, so they don’t rise up the ranks. And an Ederyn spy who could track your father to your encampment would have to be gifted, wouldn’t you say?” I licked my thumb, then wiped it on a cloth napkin.
Seren stared at me, open-mouthed. As though she was just realizing I knew much more about Lirien than she understood. Or that I really was Lirien. Which might not do me any favors.
“You’re missing the point.”
