Page 100 of Fortune's Blade

And for the first time, I saw Antem’s defiant air falter. For a moment, he looked like what he was, a young man—possibly very young by their standards—who had been trying to prove himself and was in over his head. Way over.

I saw the realization of that settle into him, and it took a lot of the fight along with it.

Rathen saw it, too, and crouched down in front of his captive, his face more sad than angry. “I noticed that one of my family was absent from the fight,” he said heavily. “One who is usually in the thick of things, enjoying demonstrating his prowess. But not last night.

“I feared the worst, but hoped I was wrong.”

Antem looked up at him, but couldn’t seem to hold that piercing gaze. He looked away. Rathen sighed.

“What do we know?” the lord of Eddred asked Regin.

“Not much. Only that Lord Steen mistook Lady Basarab for her sister, Dorina, whom he wished revenge on for attacking and killing some of his people in the arena two days ago. The queen held the usual games at the faire, and they apparently became a bit . . . spicier . . . than usual.”

I started at that, and clenched Louis-Cesare’s hand tightly. Dorina had been at that faire? I saw again the blackened corpses, the piles of the dead, and all my newfound confidence fled into horror.

Louis-Cesare squeezed back, and some of his strength seemed to flow into me, enough that I stayed on my feet. I didn’t know what I looked like, but Regin shot me a glance and then shook his head. “Apologies, my lady. I should have mentioned that the queen and her court departed shortly after the games, and your sister appears to have gone with them, for Steen lost track of her. By the time word reached him, she was nowhere to be found. That was why, when his spies brought him news of you, he assumed that she was here, at Lord Rathen’s court, and came after her.

“Only to find out that fierceness runs in the family.”

I nodded my thanks, feeling a vast surge of relief flow through me, followed immediately by more gnawing anxiety. Because that still didn’t tell me where she was, or what the bastard of Vitharr wanted with her. Or anything at all!

“And the court?” I asked. “Do we know where that is now?”

“Not . . . precisely. I have dispatched scouts to look for it, but it can be . . . elusive. But we will find it, never fear.”

Eventually floated on the air, but went unsaid.

“So, the second attack was spleen on Steen’s part,” Lord Rathen said. “Fury at losing to us in battle and—or so he believed—missing Lady Basarab’s sister yet again.”

Regin nodded, but Lord Rathen still looked puzzled. “And he is upset at her sister for . . . attacking a number of his people in the arena? Do we believe this?”

“No. The boy lies.”

“I should hope so,” Lord Rathen murmured. “Or else the sister is even more fearsome than our own lady.” He smiled at me.

“I meant that he lied about who was at fault,” Regin clarified. “We have a witness that said Steen’s people attacked her, not the other way around, and that it looked as if they had come there specifically for that purpose.”

Lord Rathen frowned, as if trying to parse that, but I didn’t give him time. “Was she hurt?” I asked, my stomach muscles tense. Because I doubted that even Dorina could come through something like that with a whole skin.

But Regin was already shaking his head. “Not seriously. She seems to have emerged unscathed for the most part, after . . .” he hesitated.

“After what?” Rathen said.

“After stealing the form of Lord Steen’s cousin and the commander of his guards, and . . . eating him.”

There was a sudden silence all round, and I didn’t break it. My head was spinning too fast from the rollercoaster of emotion, to the point that I couldn’t do much except hold on to Louis-Cesare. And concentrate on the take away here: Dorina was alive! She had been alive and well just two days ago!

And then the rest of what Regin had said registered.

But I still didn’t speak, because Rathen beat me to it. “What?” he asked politely.

“I know how it sounds,” Regin said heavily. “But that was the story I heard from one of the guards we left behind. He found a witness—the one I was about to tell you about, before we were interrupted.”

“What witness?” Louis-Cesare demanded. “When was this?”

Several nearby men looked at Regin, who in turn looked at his lord.

“I think we should all like to hear it,” Lord Rathen said.

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