Page 55 of Dark Elf Makes Five

His voice carries a breathless quality that makes my chest tighten with dread. Rain continues to batter his shoulders as he stands in the doorway, his brown eyes wide with a concern that confirms my worst fears.

"Yes! Certain of it!"

The words tear from my throat at a pitch that sounds foreign to my own ears—too high, too sharp, like the cry of some wounded animal. My hands shake as I push past him toward the garden steps.

"Mistress, please⁠—"

His fingers close around my wrist with gentle but firm pressure, the calluses on his palm rough against my skin. The restraint sends panic flooding through my veins like liquid fire.

"Those are my siblings, Jorik, I'm going to find them!"

I wrench my arm from his grasp with enough force that he stumbles backward a step. The zagfer's face creases with worry as he reaches for me again.

"The storm could knock you senseless, or you could catch your death of fever in this weather⁠—"

"Let me go!"

I twist away from his second attempt to hold me back and plunge down the stone steps into the garden's chaos. The rain hits me like a painful physical blow, instantly soaking through my dress and plastering my hair against my skull. Behind me, Jorik's voice carries my name through the howling wind, but I'm already running along the gravel path toward the fountain.

"Bran! Lysa! Tobin!"

Each shout scrapes my throat raw as panic clamps around my windpipe like iron bands. The familiar garden has transformed into an alien landscape of swaying shadows and treacherous footing. Water streams down my face, mixing rain with tears I refuse to acknowledge.

"Answer me! Where are you?"

My boots slip on the wet stones as I round the fountain's base, searching frantically for any sign of three small figures. The decorative basin overflows with rainwater, creating muddy streams that snake between the flower beds like miniature rivers.

The path curves toward the orchard wall, and I follow it at a desperate pace that makes my lungs burn. Branches whip across my face as I push through the landscaped shrubs, their leaves heavy with water that dumps fresh torrents down my back.

"Children, please!"

My foot catches on something hidden beneath the saturated grass—a tree root, perhaps, or a decorative stone border. The world tilts sideways as I crash down into the muddy earth, my skirts tangling around my legs and my palms scraping against gravel.

Thick mud coats my hands and knees as I struggle to push myself upright, my boots sliding uselessly against the slick ground. The weight of my waterlogged dress drags at my movements like lead chains.

Two strong arms slide beneath mine, hauling me to my feet with effortless strength. I know those hands before I even turn to see Zerion's sharp features through the curtain of rain.

"Are you hurt?"

His voice permeates the storm's roar with an authority that demands immediate attention. pale grey eyes scan my face with clinical precision, searching for signs of injury.

"The children! I have to find them!"

The words pour from me in a broken sob as I try to pull away from his grip. His fingers tighten around my arms, holding me steady against the wind that threatens to knock me sideways.

"It's too dangerous. You could break your neck stumbling around in this weather."

"I don't care about the danger!"

I throw my weight against his hold, twisting and pulling like a wild thing caught in a snare. The effort proves futile—his strength makes my struggles seem childish.

"Let me go this instant!"

The world spins as he hoists me over his shoulder in one fluid motion, my muddy boots kicking uselessly at his back. Blood rushes to my head as I pound my fists against his spine, shouting protests that the wind swallows before they travel more than a few feet.

Through my upside-down view, I catch sight of Captain Draven's imposing figure near the manor entrance, flanked by Halvren and what appears to be most of the estate's guards and household staff. They stand in formation despite the storm, awaiting orders with the discipline of soldiers.

"Search the entire estate."