Page 80 of A Divided Duty

“What do you need from me?” There was no hesitation.

Chelsea, on the other hand, gasped. She hadn’t been there when I was dealing with Melly, and hadn’t heard in such blunt terms what had happened after Luna abducted her own daughter. I put a hand on her shoulder, as much to stop her from portaling out to start her own search as to steady her.

“According to another of Blind Michael’s Riders, they’d been told what Luna was planning by two people who’d had previous encounters with the Hunt. A woman, who I already found, and a man who ‘ceased to be a brother’ after his older sibling was taken. I know it doesn’t work that way, I know Jessica is still your sister even now, but with the way the purebloods react to death—”

“As soon as it was determined that his brother or sister had stopped their dancing, he would have been treated as an only child,” said Cassandra grimly. “Do you think he’s here?”

“Like I said, I found the woman, and she said he was here in Muir Woods. The carvings in the front hall gave me some idea of who I might be looking for, but I’m perfectly willing to be wrong. Who can you think of in the queen’s court who’s male and might have lost a sibling to Blind Michael?”

“He would have to be from somewhere else,” said Cassie, voice going thoughtful. “I know everyone in the Mists who’s had a local encounter with Blind Michael.”

My shock must have shown on my face because she snorted, shaking her head.

“It’s a small club, no one wants to be a member, and we all talk to each other,” she said. “It took a little while for me to be invited, because I’m a changeling, and I actually got my brother and sisters back, but they were still taken, and so I qualified for membership. No one from out-kingdom has joined us in a while.”

“But someone from out of the kingdom could have been a victim, and you wouldn’t know about it.”

“Right,” she said. “We’ve had a few new arrivals since the breaking of Titania’s Ride. Eion, who I think you know, and Beathan, who came down from Silences when the borders opened. But Eion is from Wild Strawberries.”

“Is he from Wild Strawberries originally, or is that just where he lived most recently?” I asked. “I know he’s not opposed to moving his family around to try to improve their situation. That’s unusual in a pureblood.”

“Even more so in a Hamadryad,” she said. “But he’s here with his wife, sister, and daughters. Would he really be plotting to hurt Rayseline?”

“I don’t know what the man I’m looking for said, or what part in this he had,” I said. “I just know that someone talked, and I need to find them so I can know what was said. Where can I find Eion?”

“Because he came here with his family, he’s not in the standard guards’ quarters, and Hamadryads have specific needs,” said Cassie. “They have a suite of rooms that opens on the back arbor, where they have easy access to trees.”

Chelsea squirmed under my hand. I turned to face her.

“You say you want to be knighted one day,” I said. “That means listening to your knight. That means you don’t run off half-cocked before we figure out exactly what’s been going on.”

“You’re not the knight of me, and according to Quentin, all you ever do is run off half-cocked,” she said stubbornly.

“Okay, one, he is grounded when I get home, and two, that’s me, not him. How often does he go off half-cocked?”

Chelsea looked away, not meeting my eyes.

“How often?”

“Not often,” she mumbled.

“Good. So I need you to stay calm and stay where I tell you to be,” I said firmly. “Or else I’m going to call your father to come and get you. Will you listen?”

“I’ll listen,” she said. She was a convincing-enough liar that I almost believed her.

Almost.

“Great,” I said, and took my hand off her shoulder, turning back to Cassie. “Back arbor, got it. Anything else I need to know?”

“Not that I can think of,” said Cassie. “Only that I’m not sure he’s your guy.”

“They never seem like the guy,” I said. “Chelsea, come on.”

I turned for the door, not looking back to see whether she was following me until I made it out to the hallway and she was still there. I nodded, once, and started walking in the appropriate direction.

“How did you know I wasn’t going to run?”

Chelsea’s question was quiet, subdued, and a little guilty. I finally glanced back at her.