My father bowed his head in acquiescence. I was sure it killed him to do so.
“Your brother knew nothing of her existence either, milord,” Gaius murmured.
Ivan’s hands flexed on the arms of his chair. “As far as I know. That asshole might have kept her from me.”
A hush descended over the room.
Ivan’s eyes bore into me. “Do you think there could be others, besides this woman?”
“I’m not convinced this woman exists,” I lied smoothly.
“Over a hundred witnesses saw her. She exists.”
“Then she’s a fluke. There are no others.”
“What makes you so certain?”
“Because eventually, they would reveal themselves… as this woman has done.”
“Hmm,” Ivan grunted. “Perhaps. Do you think you could sense her and bring her to me if you were near her?”
I opened my mouth to say no but hesitated before responding. Ellery was down there, and if I told him yes, he might let me down there to search for her. It could help me get her out of here.
However, I’d told my father and Ivan that I wouldn’t sense another lightning bearer. This was a path I had to tread carefully.
“Doubtful, but what do I know? There’s a chance I’ve never encountered this woman before; I certainly don’t knoweveryonein the realm,” I said. “So maybe if we were near each other, I would recognize her.”
“Hmm.”
Ivan sat forward on his throne as he surveyed the chaos below.
“What’s going on down there?” I couldn’t stop myself from inquiring, even if it was obvious, I wanted to know the plan. Besides, it was a normal question for someone to ask.
“All the women in Tempest are being brought here,” my father answered.
“We will uncover the lightning bearer,” Ivan murmured, his eyes feverish and the red in his cheeks creeping higher.
“Allthe women?”
“Anyone over the age of twelve.”
There weretwelve-year-olds down there. Why did they have children here?
But I suspected I knew the answer as the uneasiness in my stomach grew. Ellery was smart, but she wouldn’t let others suffer in her place… especially not children.
I had to get down there before she handed herself over to them.
“Why not just bring the women who have lightning bearer genetics?” I inquired.
“That wouldn’t be as much fun,” Ivan murmured. “They willallsuffer. They will all see what it means to go againstme.”
I was sure he was about to start salivating as he surveyed the scene below.
“Iwilluncover her,” Ivan stated.
“By killing them?” I inquired.
CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
