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“I need more light,” she said.
Rothbart stepped close and his scent of parchments and musk tickled her nose. She squatted, searching the ground. “Lower.”
A grumble escaped him, but he did as she asked. He apparently didn’t care for her ordering him about. A small thrill shot through her. She enjoyed getting under his skin.
Her gaze flicked to his black cloak, which brushed against her arm. There was another reason she had offered to help him tonight. With everything falling into place, she needed one last thing.
After Torsten swore his oath in front of Odette, and probably Rothbart, at the upcoming ball, she’d have to make a quick escape.
She needed a portal bean.
“Focus,” he growled, and she met his stormy gaze. He watched her, distrust etched in every feature. Not now. Not yet. Perhaps if she proved herself first.
She pointed to a spot on the ground. “Someone landed here, small feet, most likely women’s shoes.”
He released a breath, hope entering his expression. “And then?”
She reached out and took the lantern from him. This would go faster if she could adjust the light to her needs. Plus, by the look of the threatening clouds overhead, they better hurry before a deluge wiped out any evidence of what happened.
“She went this way.” She tracked the matted grass and small indentations in the dirt. The ground was spongy from a recent rain, so that made her job all the easier. Rothbart followed, an eagerness to his movements. She pressed her lips together, a prick of envy in her chest. Her own mother had never shown as much concern for her as Rothbart did for his stepsister. Odette’s mother had focused more on toughening her daughter, teaching her how to survive in a ruthless world. Of honing her skills to become a killer. She supposed, if she searched hard enough, she could find caring in that. But Odette had never beheld the frantic worry that Rothbart currently emitted, in her mother’s eyes. Not once.
“Have you seen Lina at all?” she asked.
“No,” he said, running a hand over his neck. “I figured she must have flown to safety.”
Odette kept the lantern close to the ground, considering his words. “Or they’re together.”
After a few more moments of following Zoya’s tracks, she felt confident where she was headed and moved faster. “She went toward the gate.”
Rothbart nodded as if this was no surprise. “She’d have to get past it to use the portal beans. I have spells keeping anyone from appearing on the grounds.”
Large sections of grass became more matted. Odette bit her lip.
“What? What’s wrong?” he asked.
She knew this would happen the closer she came to the gate. Maybe it was nothing big. “The prints are becoming obscured by other disturbances.”
“You mean someone pursued her?”
The wind whipped up her hair, seeming to shoot straight through her dress, raising goosebumps along her flesh. “Most likely.”
“If they hurt her…” he seethed, then ducked his head. “This is my fault. My father was a great sorcerer and if he was here, he’d know what to do. He wouldn’t have lost Zoya in the first place. I’ve failed them and now I’m failing Zoya.”
She spun to face him. “You have fought for your sister from the moment you discovered she was in danger. You love her and protect her… I…” She stepped back, suddenly unsure where the passion came from. “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”
He didn’t move, something deep flashing in his gaze. She understood. Her mother had wanted her to be a killer. She’d made Odette into one, but being a killer and living up to her mother’s legacy were two different things. And she had failed. She had failed to kill Rothbart and now… there was a dark twisting in her stomach. Her mother would’ve been disappointed. And yet, Odette didn’t regret that her intended mark stood before her. She felt relieved. And guilty.
And so confused.
A warmth filled her cheeks at her outburst and she redirected her gaze back to the matted grass. “Let’s see if I can find a sign of her beyond the gate. That will tell us if she had a chance to escape.”
They moved past the huge wrought iron entrance guarding Rothbart’s estate. The grass was longer here, and she had to look closely to discover the disturbed areas. A drop of freezing rain plopped onto her head, followed by another and another.
Rothbart looked to the sky and swore.
Odette searched the ground, wanting to give him hope, some sign that his sister was alive. Also, because it most likely meant Lina lived also. The area outside Rothbart’s estate was well trampled. She combed over it as meticulously as possible.
“There.” Her breath caught with unexpected anticipation. “Zoya’s footprint.”
