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“We?What do you meanwe?” Veles snaps, taking a step toward him.
Oryn’s shoulders drop as he rubs a hand down his face. “It is the entire reason we are here in the palace for the guard’s competition. Our females have been going missing.”
Kestral, Cyra, and Asra freeze.
“How long?” Asra asks, his tone like ice.
“A few weeks. My sister was taken not long ago, his wife before that, and there have been many more,” Oryn rushes to explain.
“We have dark creatures entering this kingdom, missing women, and more. It seems the corruption goes beyond the guard,” Cyra says, sharing a look with both Asra and Kestral.
It reminds me of one of the competitors.Sloane.
“One of the competitors approached me after the last trial,” I say without thought.
They all turn to look at me.
“He mentioned overhearing something one of the nights. He said it sounded like someone was being taken,” I tell them.
“Where?” Kestral asks.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Oryn says, but it sounds more like an accusation than inquiry.
I narrow my eyes on him. “I’ve been a little busy.”
“This is important!” he shouts, his eyes filled with fury.
Veles whips out his blade and has it at Oryn’s throat before he can blink. “Speak to her again like that, and I will slice off your tongue.”
Taken aback by Veles’s warning, it takes a moment for me to reply.
“My own blade works just fine,” I tell Veles before glaring at Oryn.
“Of course.” Veles merely smiles at me before pulling his blade back. But not before nicking Oryn’s neck, making him wince.
Oryn steps back and tightens his hand on his blade. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just… I want to find my sister. She’s been gone too long as it is.”
Kestral turns to me, ignoring him. “Did he tell you the location?”
“At the end of the bridge. The entrance from the Sidus side,” I answer.
Once the words are out of my mouth, everyone is up and moving, heading through the corridors and halls within the palace and straight for the bridge. It’s not until we’re halfway there that I realize I haven’t seen one guard.
“Why aren’t there any guards here?” I ask, wondering if they’ve also noticed it.
Cyra gives me a look. “The royals needed to update them on something important.”
“I guess it’s lucky we have chosen to go now, then,” I mumble more to myself at the strange luck we seem to have.
Veles chuckles but covers it with a cough, while Cyra gives me a patient nod and smile.
I narrow my eyes on them both but choose to ignore whatever they’re hiding from me and stay focused on finding more information as we move across the bridge and down the steps to the location Sloane described.
But once we get there, we find nothing. No guards. No women. And after a few minutes of searching, we find no clue left behind either.
We turn, ready to head back, when shadows start to form and someone’s shadow jumps right in front of us. His back is to us, so he doesn’t notice us as he bends over to catch his breath before turning.
His eyes widen as Kestral grabs him before he can disappear and drags him up the steps, assuring he is within the confinements of the shadow-jumping barrier.
