My pulse ratcheted as her words settled over me. The Embergraves were one of the most prominent families of Evers in Glaes. They were listed in the back ofFable or Fact: A History of Eversalongside the Ferngloves, Waterstones, and Starglens, but more important...
Zeverin Ignatus Embergrave.
The name of Rorik’s father rattled through my mind. It’d been the key to breaking the family evervow that had kept them from rising up against Orin, but even now, just thinking of that moniker and who it was tied to sent a shiver racing down my spine.
“I paid a visit to Stormsend and the Embergrave Estate a little over a month ago,” Seville began cautiously, her ice-green stare still piercing. “I didn’t see you there.”
Stormsend was a sprawling town that took up a large portion of the northeastern coast of Glaes. By carriage, it would take at least two weeks to reach the verdant valley backed by treacherous, snowcapped mountains. I would bet that somewhere within those endless ranges was a mineral deposit of everjewels coveted by the Embergraves. Even so, Stormsend was a renowned trading port for many neighboring continents and islands, thanks in large part to the calm waters leading into the peaceful bay where ships could easily dock and trade wares. I’d never been, but I’d heard tales of the serene landscape from traveling merchants as they made their way through our town.
“I saw you,” Kara said as she dragged her thumb along her lower lip and eyed Seville. “Maybe if you would’ve stayed longer, we could’ve... connected.”
Seville raised a brow. “Why are you here?”
“Zeverin sends his regards.” Kara crossed one ankle over her knee as she studied Rorik.
Immediately, my gaze shot to Rorik. “Your father is still alive?”
“I wouldn’t call him a father by any stretch of faith.” Rorik looked at his nails. “What does he want? He’s spent his entire life ignoring my existence, and I quite liked that.”
“You seem rather healthy. All of you do.” Kara pointedly looked around the room until her stare landed on me. “I wonder why that is.”
Rorik stilled. Only his eyes revealed a sliver of the torrential storm that must’ve been brewing in his chest, because I felt a flicker of pure hatred trembling through our bond. “I think you should leave.”
“Oh, certainly. I don’t plan on staying.” Kara stood abruptly and grinned. She made a show of patting her corseted vest, and then she slipped her hand into one of the pockets along her rib cage. With dexterous fingers, she retrieved a small envelope sealed with a waxEand dropped it on the coffee table.
“I would, however, highly recommend reading that.” She nodded to the correspondence without taking her eyes off Rorik. “I’ll give you the night to consider its contents, and I’ll be back tomorrow to collect your answer. But do keep in mind that Lord Embergrave would be...remissif you were to decline his kind gesture.” She slipped her hands into the pockets of her wide-legged trousers as she breezed by, pausing only for a moment at the threshold of the library. “You were so very close, though. I hear you managed to round up all but one. I guess you can figure out where that one is.”
Her tinkling laugh rang through the air as she sauntered out. No one moved until the front doors slammed shut. And even then, everyone was silent for a moment longer. So much was said in the looks shared by the Ferngloves as I stood on the outskirts of their unspoken conversation. Finally, Rorik cursed and began to pace.
“What did she mean by ‘all but one’?” I asked.
“Attendants,” Seville said, her clipped tone full of venom. Rorik glared at her, but she didn’t balk. Lydia dropped her head in her hands and pressed her fingers firmly against her temples.
Clesian placed a thick hand over her knee before directing his attention to me. “When the manor collapsed, several attendants didn’t return. We don’t blame them for that, of course,” he said pointedly, giving Seville a warning look. Seville scoffed. “They weren’t sure what to expect, and so they sought employment elsewhere. And when you’ve worked for an Ever household before, it’s fairly easy and familiar to step into that world again. Their new employer could strip them of our crest and apply their own, giving the attendants the same comforts they’d grown accustomed to here.”
“The problem isn’t that they sought new work,” Lydia said as she raised her head. Her expression was haggard, her eyes far away. “The problem is what they saw here, and what they might tell their new lord or lady.”
“What they saw here?” I frowned. Orin had been a horrific partner and a monster to his family, but I’d never witnessed any sort of abuse toward the attendants. Maybe they feared stepping out of line, but that hardly seemed like it would cause another Ever family to come calling. Plus, Orin was dead. I’d seen to that myself when I drained the estate and the family of blight and shoved it down his throat.
Kara’s laugh reverberated through my bones.You seem rather healthy.
A dull ringing sounded in my ears as the room began to sway. Slowly, I turned my head until I caught Rorik staring. “You and Seville... you weren’t just gallivanting about Glaes for fun. You were covering up what I did to Orin and how I cured the family. You didn’t want the other Evers to find out.”
Seville nodded. “We either offered them reemployment or paid them off and enacted an evervow. A life of ease for never speaking about what they saw or heard. Most didn’t witness it directly, anyway, so we thought we were fine. But some had lingered in the woods to watch. And apparently one slipped through our grasp.”
“But what of the Waterstones? Ossanna clearly knows,” I said.
“She’s proven trustworthy. When a few attendants came to her estate, she alerted us immediately. If she wanted to do something, she would have already,” Rorik said.
“No one thought to tell me about any of this?” My own anger began to claw up my throat.
“I wanted to tell you immediately.” Seville shrugged and then folded her arms across her chest. “Rorik didn’t want you to have to worry about us anymore.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t say something.” My voice climbed higher, and I itched to tear apart the wall blocking his end of our heartbond so I could better understand why he’d kept this from me.
Rorik turned sharply and stormed toward me, heat turning his eyes molten gold. “You never wanted to see me again.”
The rage budding in me came to an abrupt halt. “I think this particular scenario at least warranted a heads-up, even if it wasn’t from you directly.”
