Thorne stepped in. Pale. Rigid.
“Where is Elira?” I demanded.
“Gone.” He shut the door behind him. “The king knows, too.”
“What do you mean, gone?” I stepped forward. “Gone where?”
Thorne started pacing, hands in his hair like the motion might hold him together.
“Do you think I wouldn’t tell you if I knew?” he barked. “She’s not here. No note. No trail. She planned it. She’sgone.”
Leo dropped into the nearest chair, face drained. “She wouldn’t just leave us,” he whispered. “She wouldn’t leaveme.”
“She did,” Thorne snapped.
I folded my arms. “How do you know she’s not with Maddie? Or out training?”
Even as I said it, I didn’t believe it.
“I’ve checked,” Thorne said tightly. “Every corridor. Every ward. She’s nowhere.”
Slade was suddenly toe-to-toe with him. “Why?”
“What?”
“What did you say to her?”
“Nothing.” Thorne’s answer was too fast. Too thin.
I stepped beside Slade. “That’s not true. I saw you two last night. Something happened.”
Thorne exhaled hard. “She came to me. Said she needed to go into town. I told her no.”
I stared at him. “She came toyou? And you shut her down?”
“She’s not ready. It wasn’t safe.”
“Sheaskedfor help,” I said, voice cracking. “And you told her no?”
“I was trying to protect her. She hasn’t earned—”
“You said that to her?” Slade cut in, sharp. “That she hasn’t earned the right to leave?”
“What else did you say?” Leo asked, voice deadly quiet.
Thorne twitched. “It got heated. But I stand by it.”
“Thorne—” Leo started.
“When has Elira ever asked for help?” I cut in. “When has she ever trusted someone like that?”
Thorne’s jaw clenched. “Don’t start lecturing me, Phoenix.”
“She came toyou. And you pushed her away. Of course she ran!”
Leo let out a broken breath, dropped his head into his hands. “She wouldn’t have left me unless she thought shehadto.”
Thorne let out a bitter laugh. “Of course she would. You’re all blind. She’s been looking for a way out since the day she arrived. Now she’s taken it.”
