“Helian Dahlia,” Eva and her father whispered at the same time, horrified looks crossing their faces.
“Yes! That’s it. He said on the morning when it blooms, Lachlan will be at our walls by the afternoon.”
Eva rushed to the window, pressing her forehead against the panes as she scanned the area. A choked sob left her lips as she turned around to face us. “It’s bloomed,” she breathed, voice breaking as she tried to control the emotions written over her face. “He’s coming today.”
Fuck.
Ciena and Alric cursed, the former folding her arms across her chest and looking toward Eva. “I will reach out to the witch covens in Morheim as well. They dislike mingling in fae affairs, but they have done it before. It’s worth a shot.” She was the single calm voice of reason, while the rest of us were struggling to accept and process the information we’d been given.
Eva called for two sentries who were keeping a careful eye on every person in this room, hands on their swords and ready to defend at a moment's notice. “I need the two of you to find Briar. Bring her to me,” she said, voice coated in venom. The list of people we could trust grew shorter every day. Now that we were on the precipice of battle, Briar’s betrayal, whether known or not, was a massive blow.
The sentries nodded quickly, all but running out the door and leaving a heavy silence hanging in the air behind him. “Where is Kalen?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen him this morning yet. Eva hadn’t mentioned him, and it was unlike him to miss out on a battle like this. “Is he not with Matthew?”
Eva shook her head. “No. Matthew was going to leave him alone, give him some space, but once the report on the village came through, he had gone to Kalen’s room. He did not answer, and the door was locked.”
“Why didn’t he break down the door and drag him out?” I asked, trying to rise on weak legs. Alric put his hand on my shoulder to keep me down, but I was already halfway out the door before the three of them could catch me.
I heard them calling my name, but I didn’t stop. Something feltwrong. There was an unease I couldn’t shake. It pushed me forward, pushed me toward Kalen. Regardless of his issues from the evening before, Kalen never would have let Matthew go into a fight alone.
The corridor was empty as I stumbled upon Kalen’s door, bringing my tightened fist down on the wood. The sound echoed off of the stone walls around us, and each knock felt like the ringing of death’s bell. Eva, Ciena, and Alric followed me closely.
Kalen never answered.
“Fuck this,” I muttered, taking a deep breath.
“Renai, perhaps we should—”
I didn’t wait. My foot slammed into the wood, splintering on the third kick. I pushed open the door, stopping only to survey the surrounding damage.
The room was wrecked. Furniture was overturned, a now empty bottle of firewhiskey shattered on the rug. The large mirror over his fireplace looked as though a fist had been slammed into it repeatedly—dried blood stained the pieces on the ground.
Eva stepped up beside me, her hand over her mouth. “Good gods,” she whispered. “What happened here?”
“There is blood,” Ciena said, moving a pile of debris with her foot. “I cannot trace any distinguishing scents other than Kalen and Renai, but they are hours old.”
“Do you think Kalen did this himself?” Eva asked. She turned toward me, my cheeks heating under her gaze. “When did you last see him, Renai?”
I cleared my throat. “Last night. I’d followed him back here after he left the ceremony. We had a…disagreement.” Eva furrowed her brows, though she said nothing. There was no need. I felt the pity radiating off of her, and it only made me feel worse. “He rejected me, so I left.”
“Where else would he have gone?” Alric said, turning to me. “You know him best, Renai.”
Did I?I wasn’t so sure anymore. Perhaps if I had, then I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him the way I had. He would never return my affections, and some part of mehadknown that, but I hadn’t listened. I was too blindly wrapped up in myself to see it clearly.
“Illara,” I whispered. “Maybe he’d have gone to see Illara.”
Eva came by and clutched my hand. No words were needed to convey the thoughts going through her mind—the gesture was worth more than she could ever say. Shame washed over me, my cheeks heating. Matthew had known—had warned me about Kalen—and I hadn’t listened. His words echoed in my head, haunting me.
Be careful with that, Ren.
“I’ll station guards outside the room,” Alric said as he studied the damage. “If he returns, we’ll know at once.”
My hands shook in front of me as I twisted them in my tunic. “You don’t think something bad happened to him, do you?” I asked Eva. “Our last words to one another—Gods, they were horrible, Eva. That can’t be the last thing I ever say to him. It can’t.”
She gripped my hands. “Look at me, Ren.” I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but stand there and tremble. “Godsdammit, look at me.” My eyes drifted up, her gaze burning. “We will find him. I am sure he is fine. He could have wandered off and passed out in a garden somewhere,” she said, trying to pull a weak smile for my benefit.
“But what if—”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “We do not deal in ‘what ifs,’ Renai. We will find him, I swear.” She turned to Ciena and her father. There was a fire inside of her that refused to be extinguished, a tangible purpose she allowed to drive her. “Can the two of you check Illara’s rooms while I gather the generals about the impending attack? I need to stay a step ahead of him. “There is an important conversation I need to have, and it cannot wait.”
