Deckard met her gaze. “He isn’t here,” he said. “There could have been a delay in his travels. Or it could be something far worse.”
With the ominous thought, their path was agreed upon: They would leave the Keep immediately and find the Alliance.
Blount’s actions continued to be suspect. He’d been one step ahead of them from the start. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing, it didn’t bode well for them now.
After gathering, they retrieved their horses from Olbury and left the town. Evylin was rather disappointed that she hadn’t had the opportunity to explore the settlement more. It was exactly the sort of place Ryen had longed to visit, so full of life and people and brimming with a sense of adventure. But she promised herself that, one day, she and Deckard would return. Perhaps they’d charter a ship and take a journey across the sea, just as Ryen had always longed to.
Though the journey to Whickam Village was better taken as a two-day ride, they pressed hard into the night for the sake of speed. They arrived in the village well past respectful hours, the ivory and shadow moons still faint in the sky. A sheepdog barked at their unexpected arrival as they rode through the pastureland. While Thom, Ethenn, and Rafferty settled the horses, the rest of them hurried to the Glaas residence.
Reluctantly, Deckard rang the bell. Calyn appeared only moments later, peeping out tentatively, then throwing the door wide open when she recognized them. “You’re back!” she exclaimed with excitement. “We weren’t expecting you for another day or two. Where’s Thom?”
Brea snorted while Evylin pressed her lips together. “Caring for the horses,” she told her sister. “Might we come in?”
Calyn backed away, holding the door open for them.
“We’re sorry for the late hour,” Deckard said. “But our mission for the king requires haste.”
“Not to worry,” Calyn said, straightening the lace collar of her floral dress. “Mother has gone up to bed, but I believe Father is in his office. I can pull together a bite to eat if you’re hungry?”
Evylin’s nearly empty stomach grumbled at the thought. “That would be divine, Caly.”
They gathered in the kitchen, where Evylin and Calyn scrounged together a simple meal of cured meats, a variety of cheeses, and some bread. It wouldn’t be quite as filling as a meal, but it would do in the present circumstances.
While they clustered around the kitchen bench, eating and resting after their hard ride, Deckard offered his plan for the next day. They’d leave early for Virwoud, as Vayden and Isla suggested. Riding as fast as they could without causing harm to their mounts, it would take them roughly four days to reach the port city. Once there, they would seek out Minister Molloy—whom they referred to as Mr. Molloy in Calyn’s presence—and hope that he could provide an update from the Alliance—whom they referred to as the king.
The bell rang again, and Calyn disappeared momentarily to open the door for Thom, Ethenn, and Rafferty. The men rushed for the remains of the food, stuffing their faces with nearly as much enthusiasm as Evylin.
“Oh, Corporal Loxley,” Calyn broke in abruptly.
They all turned to her. Ethenn’s thick eyebrows pulled together in confusion, a hunk of bread in one hand and a mouth full of cheese.
“I made a discovery,” Calyn announced. “I knew I recognized your name. Though Evie went to town more often, Doli and I would regularly visit Cousin Nelle when we could. Especially when we were younger. But I was sure I knew the name Loxley, so I went digging through my old things, and wouldn’t you know—I found it!”
Swallowing, Ethenn stared at her with evident confusion. “Found what?”
“Loxley!” she said proudly. “I’m friends with your sister, Terrina.”
Ethenn flushed, a strange tension to the clench in his jaw.
“Isn’t that wonderful?” Calyn continued, unaware of Ethenn’s discomfort. “I’d forgotten her maiden name because, well, I called her Rina, and she called me Caly. But when she got married last year, I was invited to the wedding. Her husband is so handsome. I about died when I saw him. But it’s so delightful, isn’t it?”
Evylin watched with amusement as Ethenn took in her sister’s overly enthusiastic explanation. His neck grew redder with the blush, and his jaw tensed. “Her marriage?” he asked.
“Well, yes, that too,” Calyn said. “But I mean her pregnancy. You’re going to be an uncle.”
Everyone turned to Ethenn with congratulations, but Evylin caught the hardness in his glare as well as the shock in Ilain’s.
Ethenn took a deep, steadying breath before muttering, “So it seems.”
“What’s more,” Calyn continued, ignorant of the tension growing in the room, “I was reading through Rina’s letters, and I discovered that your mother, Leannah, was the daughter of Harol Pinnette.”
Evylin’s brow rose, recognizing the name. “Pinnette?”
“Yes!” Calyn beamed. “Harol was our grandfather’s nephew. Which means Corporal Loxley’s mother and our mother are second cousins.” She turned to Ethenn with joy. “We’recousins... Or third cousins. I think.”
Evylin and Ethenn turned to stare at one another, mouths agape. They were related. Not closely, but still. They were family, and they’d never known it.
Evylin smiled. “I always knew I liked you,” she teased.
