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A shadowy figure landed beside the commander and morphed into a massive demon with a shock of silver-white hair.
Cash.
Henderson appeared two seconds behind. The male witch's locks were even lighter than Cash's. It took real talent to hide yourself when your head was covered in a shimmering veil that caught notice easily.
Unease slithered across my belly. Casimir took my hand and sent soothing emotions across the bond.
"Sir," Cash tilted his head respectfully. "The shifter has located the hatchling."
Kol would loath the codename we were using. It would likely stick with him forever, and it only served him right.
Father stepped forward. "Where?"
"The bailey. It's safe to travel directly there, but you should land near the baily's northeast corner."
Phalen's brow dropped. "What do you mean it's safe?"
"The only combat is occurring outside of the outer wall. The hatchling has secured the bailey and most of the castle. Nik is with him."
The Navita's eyes glittered like rubies. He might be ticked off, but a part of him secretly loved Kol's gumption.
"Well,” he looked over, “let’s go and see what your brother has to say for himself."
As previously planned, Henderson jumped with Casimir and I, while the others went through one of Kree's portals. When we landed, I was facing the corner of the upper bailey.
On one stone wall, flowers bloomed in lilac and plum, their petals stretching to soak up the morning sun. On the corner's other wall, the plants were shriveled and charred. Only the barest hint of red rose blooms could be seen.
Roses were the Queen's favorite. I hated roses.
"Raven!"
My heart pounded as I spun around just in time to catch my brother as he plowed into me. "Kol."
I hugged him fiercely, relieved to see his boyish face alive and well. Grabbing both sides of his head, I lowered to his level. "You are in so much trouble," I whispered.
"I know," he sighed and stepped back.
"But look," he pointed to the center of the courtyard to an intricate structure keening at a low volume.
Large enough to hold two adult wyvern, it looked like it had been constructed out of metallic trees and painted in honey.
Encased inside, hovering inches off the ground, were the Queen and her consort. Their rigid bodies and blank expressions were disturbing. The pair looked like they'd been frozen in time, unable to move or speak.
"Kol, what did you do?" I asked, pushing past him.
He shrugged. "Kept them from escaping."
Father's face was ashen. "How in the Faelands were you able to–"
"It wasn't hard," Kol interrupted, overly confident.
I recognized the brash tone and inwardly cringed. Father was going to rip him apart with whatever diatribe he had been composing in his head since my baby brother decided to go on the lamb.
Luckily, Kol had me to diffuse things. In the short term, that was.
"Father, I think we can expect a full debriefing from the hatchling later."
"Hatchling?" my brother groaned. "I thought we stopped using that dumb name?"
