Page 111 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“Nice try, you’re not going anywhere.”

“Tom, release him. I believe him.” When the adviser gave me an outraged look, I added, “It’s an order.” A muscle flexed in his jaw for a moment before he begrudgingly complied. “Finn, please accept my sincere apology for your wrongful confinement,” I told the lord as Tom removed his shackles, which must have been spelled to be able to restrain him.

“Apology accepted, my Queen.” Finn smiled at me, rubbing his wrists.

“I need to ask you something, and it’s of utmost importance that you answer truthfully,” I went on.

His weary gaze bounced off everyone in the room before he said, “I’ll do my best.”

“During the short time you had my wedding band in your possession, did you tamper with the enchantment that had been placed on it?”

His gaze dropped to my hand, but Lady May still had the ring. “There was an enchantment on it?” he asked, looking back up at my face. He sounded genuinely surprised, but he might be only feigning ignorance.

“Finn, please. This is no time for games. The ring is spelled to be able to find Adrian’s wedding band, but it’s not working. If you know something, I implore you to tell me the truth.”

“I swear I didn’t know the ring was spelled. I didn’t tamper with the enchantment. Why would you need to use your ring to find Adrian’s anyway? Wait a minute, did you lose the king?” he asked incredulously.

“Be careful what you divulge,” Tom said under his breath.

“The king is missing,” I admitted.

“And she said it,” the adviser grumbled.

I suddenly felt on the verge of tears because saying the words aloud made the situation real. “The informants that you mentioned, do you think they can help us locate Adrian?”

Finn took in my distraught expression. “They might.”

“Will you check with them, please?”

There was no doubt that his informants were spies, but I didn’t care at the moment. All I cared about was getting Adrian back. I would resort to any measures to find him.

“I will. I’ll return with an update soon.”

After he had glimmered out, Tom exploded, “I can’t believe you told him! He can’t be trusted!”

“He didn’t poison me, and I don’t think he has anything to do with Adrian’s disappearance. We need to use any and all resources. Speaking of which, where is Killian?”

“He and the Royal Guard are sweeping the area.”

“Good, that’s good.” I started to pace the room. “Do we want to alert the other lords so that they can join our search and rescue efforts?”

“I would advise against it,” Lady May said. “It will cause unrest. Telling them should be our last resort.”

“But isn’t there anything else we can do?”

“There is,” came Tom’s reply. “Thea and I will conduct our own search. We’ll split up and cover the Dellari Province first.”

Thea, who looked sickly pale with worry, nodded weakly.

“Good plan. Emelin will stay with me. I will keep trying the spell attached to the ring,” Lady May concurred.

“Make sure to report back periodically in case someone else finds him,” I said, wringing my hands. After Tom and Thea had glimmered out, I stopped my pacing and asked the Sorceress, “What will happen if we don’t find him in time? Can’t he release the ancient magic into the land? I know it’s not ideal, but if that’s his only choice…”

“He can, but if he is being held against his will, his captors will do everything in their power to prevent that from happening.”

I curled into myself with a low grunt. My chest felt painfully tight. If I lost Adrian, my heart would shatter again, and this time I wouldn’t be able to put it back together. No time would heal that wound. He was my heart, and without him, I might as well cease to exist. It was impossible to imagine a future without him.

“Don’t lose hope,” Lady May said as she lifted my ring over the map and resumed chanting.