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Draven brought his mate’s hand to his lips. “I’m not overly concerned, Angel. Let’s revisit after Niklaus explains why he’s come all this way.”
Nik’s dark honey eyes took on a soft glow. “I came here because Brokk and Kol are missing.”
The room was silent as Nik's words sank in. Missing? My stomach rolled in reaction, despite the suspicions I’d already had that they hadn’t made it home.
It was still possible Father had come up with a plan along their journey and rerouted somewhere. He simply hadn’t communicated with anyone yet. Though, he’d assured me he’d send word.
“They took off … maybe two weeks ago?” Nik continued. “Without leaving any details, which is out of character for Brokk to do when he leaves. It didn’t sit right with me and I tried to track them down. I also tried to track you, hoping the three of you were together. I came up empty handed. Then, out of the blue, his ship docked in the middle of the night."
My stomach tightened. “They made it back to Terek?”
Nik’s fingers tapped the armrest. “Technically, I suppose. Il Corvo Negro was seen docked at Dunbar.”
“Dunbar? Father never takes that ship there.”
Dunbar was nowhere near the family residence, which was just beyond Grifton’s Bluff. It was The Navita’s seat of power and only his most trusted lived closeby.
Casimir’s thumb rubbed my knuckles soothingly. “Is docking at Dunbar a concern?” he asked. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Dunbar,” I explained, “is a town with a cove just over the border as you cross into Terek. It’s hidden behind dozens of spells and wards.”
“It’s not so much a town as it is a small naval base,” Nik appended. “Those that Brokk has stationed there, well, let’s just say they work extremely hard guarding the river and our interests.”
“Sounds awesome! Can we visit?” Lyric asked hopefully.
Nik’s head jerked towards her and I held back my grin.
“No traveling for a while longer,” Draven answered his mate, patting her belly affectionately and earning a disappointed huff.
“The crews stationed at Dunbar act first and ask questions later and have no qualms doing so,” I said to Lyric. “They also partake in a variety of vices that no child should witness. It’s not a place Father would take Kol. Not at his age, anyway.”
“Exactly,” Nik agreed. “Brokk sent word to his primary crew, which all reside closer to Grifton’s Bluff, to report to Dunbar at first light. By the time they got there, the ship was gone. Brokk left a message nailed to a post. I was nowhere near either location, so Melecio ported to the safehouse on our border to find me. It’s a home base of sorts when I’m going in and out of Terek and trying to do so quietly.”
“Melecio?” Casimir inquired.
“He’s a djinn who works on the dock in Dunbar,” Nik answered. “He kindly brought me to the edge of the Shadowlands early this morning.”
“What else?” I pushed. Something was missing from his story.
Nik’s teeth clicked, something he did when he’d rather not speak. “Don’t freak out.”
“I don’t freak out and you know it.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“Just spit it out,” I demanded.
“It seems Kol ran off sometime before they crossed into our territory. Your father was able to track him to the edge of Salvia. Once he stepped foot onto the sacred forest’s land, the trail was gone. Brokk apparently came to Terek only to get word to me and his crew that he was taking off to find Kol and that he’d left you at Embour with allies.”
Salvia was an entry point into the Borderlands. Kol knew his way around it, but, as far as I knew, he’d never ventured beyond.
“Kol ran off,” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "And Father went after him."
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Nik said quietly, his gaze landing on me. “I don’t have any other information. Only that Brokk was going to retrieve his son.”
I had a feeling I knew what he was planning.He, being Kol, not my father.
“Raven?”
