The question is not rhetorical, but not a single person answers.
I glare at my twelve council members in turn. They’re sitting like marble statues, all staring at me. Fucking useless, the lot of them.
“Anyone?” I growl, fury bubbling in my chest. My collarbone heats, and embers rise above my fist. A threat. A reminder ofwho they’re dealing with. Of what will happen to anyone who crosses me.
Anton Varis, the lord of the western province of Hent, swallows and looks away.
Coward.
I shove away from the table, but before I can make my way over to the weakling, a throat is cleared on my right.
“Every person in Grenbloom has been cleared, Your Majesty.” Lord Malachi Darkwater, the ruler of the province of Eskana, taps the map. His blond hair is straight, and his tunic and pants are well designed, made of the finest linens. “The girl’s village, her family, and the surrounding area are being watched. If she steps back in my province, I will know.”
“Well, at least someone is doing their fucking job.”
Darkwater dips his chin in deference.
I turn back to the other lords. “Anyone else have any news about the woman?”
This damned gods-blessed is ruining everything. Ever since she got away with her sisters and my errant son, finding her is all I can think about, all I can focus on.
Complete, utter silence expands, filling the room.
“Anyone?” The word is a snarl ripped from my chest.
Every one of my council members, save Lord Darkwater, studiously studies the map, avoiding me. Even Samir, my Hand, has nothing to say.
“Useless suns-damned fools,” I snarl, curling my fingers around the back of an empty chair. “We need to find her!”
She stole what rightfully belongs to me.
Fury pulses in my veins, and I fling the chair at the wall. Well made though it was, it smashes into pieces. None of the council members even flinch—they know better than to react.
Gods, these men. I look them over, hatred filling my heart. They rarely have anything helpful to add, and if I didn’t needthem to run the country during the Giving Season so I can focus on my Harvests, I wouldn’t even bother with them.
Unfortunately, powerful though I am, I cannot be in two places at once.
“This hunt isvital. The girl must be found. Every day she is missing is another day that could ruin everything.”
It could ruinme.
“What if we don’t find her?” The question is so quiet, I almost miss it.
My eyes snap to Lord Varis. He’s looking at the table with the rest of them, but I know I heard him. How dare he suggest that I might fail all because of agirl?
I’m at the lord’s side in a flash. My hand is around his throat in the next heartbeat. I drag him out of his chair and slam his body into the wall.
Lord Varis’s teeth clatter, and he trembles.
“I’m sorry, Anton,” I grind out. “Did you have something to add?”
The council chamber is silent behind me.
His cowardly eyes widen. “N-n-no, Your Majesty. I just...”
“Repeat it,” I growl, my eyes inches from his.
He swallows. “I . . . I . . .”
