Chapter 3
Kai
Iclenched my teeth and growled. My vision hazed with anger as I realized it wasn’t the one person I was so desperate to find.
It was Olen.
Fucking Olen.
My grip on his cloak tightened, and I rolled him onto his back.
Snow scraped against stone beneath his shoulders, and the smell of fresh blood and damp wool filled my nostrils.
Curly, red-brown hair clung to his brow, and a dark smear marked the back of his head where the snow had melted and refrozen around him.
Blood had soaked into his collar and stiffened the fabric.
A knot of dread formed, almost taking me to my knees. If he was this injured, my worst-case fear of what had happened to Hannah might be reality.
“Olen.” I slid one hand beneath his neck and lifted carefully. His head lolled, and cold seeped through my gloves as I pressed my fingers to his throat. A pulse thudded faintly beneath the skin.
I let out a shaky breath. He might have been involved in whatever had happened to Hannah, and he was far more useful alive than dead.
I braced one knee against the stone and tapped his cheek. “Olen.”
No response.
Snow gathered along his lashes. His lips had taken on a bluish color, and his breathing was shallow.
I moved my hand to the back of his head, searching for the injury.
My fingers met the swollen ridge of the wound, and heat radiated from beneath the blood-matted curls.
Someone must have struck him with one of the planters, which was why shattered ceramic was strewn all around.
But his attacker had long since vanished. I couldn’t catch even a trace of whoever it was.
My jaw clenched as I slid an arm beneath his shoulders and hauled him upright enough to keep his airway clear. Steadying his head, I situated him against the wall and then struck his cheeks. “Wake up, Olen. Olen.”
His brow furrowed, and a faint sound scraped from his throat while his eyelids fluttered. His hand rose and grabbed weakly at my robe. “Sire…”
The word slurred as his gaze shifted past me toward the courtyard, panic sparking through the haze. He blinked faster. “Hannah—”
“What about her?” I tightened my hold on him, my jaw tensing.
His arm fell heavily back to his side.
My pulse surged. If he didn’t start talking soon, I’d be slapping him again.
He swallowed hard and winced. “Night Court… I think. Men in black”—he coughed and flinched—“armor and black leather. They were taking her through the access point. They got through the barrier.”
Wards supported those barriers and prevented people from entering. Someone had breached it, or someone had let them in. Where were the guards who were to ensure these points were maintained?
My teeth ground together, and a red haze clouded my vision. Whoever had helped them kidnap Hannah would die. I’d rip them limb from limb myself.
“Guards!” I lifted my head and shouted, the words tearing across the snow-laden stone and echoing off the walls. “To me! Now!”
Torches flared in the distance, and boots pounded against stone as orange light cut through the storm and streaked toward us in wavering lines.
They weren’t moving fast enough, and I needed answers now. I looked back at Olen. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“Just saw them with her. She was tied up.” He forced the words out, eyes glassy as they struggled to focus on my face. “Hands… mouth.”
“How did they breach the wards? Where were the guards?” I tightened my grip beneath his jaw to keep his head steady. The more time that passed, the farther away Hannah was getting from me.
His chest jerked from his irregular breaths.
“Don’t know. But there was a disturbance,” he rasped.
“North side around midnight. I reported it.” His gaze drifted toward the wall, unfocused.
“I went to see the repairs. Had a bad feeling. East wall.” He swallowed again, pain creasing his brow as his hand twitched weakly toward the broken planter scattered across the snow and then toward the inner passage of the wall.
I wanted to punch something. King Bram had found out about her and come for her. Of course he had. He was always trying to collect Aurora Fae, though Fate only knew for what. Even though we didn’t know if she was Aurora or Day, he wouldn’t care. Especially not when she was so beautiful.
Rapid footsteps sounded, and more torches flared, and the commotion of the alerted guards reached us.
“What else?” I demanded, rage boiling through my veins. “What else can you tell me? Where were they taking her?”
“They went in the passage and turned left.” Olen’s eyelids drooped, and his head sagged. “Six of them. Or seven.”
“Sir!” Folge, my captain of the guard, reached me. Snow dusted his hood and face, and his hand was on his sword. Three guards stood behind him with torches.
A fourth crouched beside Olen. He removed a medic bag from his side and pulled out a small tube of waking salts to help bring Olen back to full consciousness. The sharp ammonia scent reached even me, burning the inside of my nostrils. Olen gagged and straightened.
There was no time to waste. “There’s been a breach in the eastern wall, and Hannah has been taken,” I said.
“Get forces out. Search the castle to ensure no traps have been laid and no one is in hiding here. Search for any sign of their path.” We had no way to know which direction they had gone, and the steady fall of snow combined with the masking abilities of the Night Court’s magic meant the trail would have vanished.
Hannah’s apricot and magnolia scent had also vanished in the biting cold of fresh snow and torch smoke.
“Leave no place unsearched. Gather every clue. Olen, what else can you remember?”
Footsteps sounded behind me, the gait firm and familiar.
“I heard the commotion,” my brother said, stopping alongside me.
His hood was down, and his dark hair hung loose with flakes of snow clinging to it.
His charcoal eyes looked almost black in this dim light, and bits of straw clung to his trouser leg, as if he had just been in the stable. “What’s going on?”
It didn’t surprise me that Ashren was awake. He often stayed up when there were tasks to be completed, and that was especially true when I was due to arrive late.
“Hannah has been taken. There was a breach in the eastern wall, and the Night Court took her through our access tunnels. They struck Olen.” I gestured toward him, my mind already cycling through what they were likely doing with her.
It would take over a day and a night to return to the Night Court, and there were several paths they could take to accomplish that goal.
We had scouts and spies throughout the land, but it would take time we didn’t have to get word from them.
“Fate save her,” Ashren murmured grimly. He set his hands on his belt. “How did they breach the wards and get past the guards?”
Turning from Ashren, I grabbed Olen by the shoulders, knocking away the hand of the guard trying to help him. “What else can you tell me?” I barely resisted the urge to smack him back against the wall. “Tell me!”
“Not much.” Fresh blood trickled down his neck as if the wound on the back of his head had reopened. “All I heard was someone said ‘basin’ and ‘fast.’”
“Basin?” Ashren scowled and placed his hand on my shoulder. He continued, “The scouts have reported increased movements near the Blood Basin. The Night Court has a small camp set up there, just beyond the elder tree barrier. Maybe a dozen men, but with enough supplies for a dozen more.”
I straightened, releasing Olen from my grip. The Blood Basin was an old ritual site, a place known for its resonance, where a fae’s magic could be drained and absorbed, and their life force fully crushed. “How long have they been there?” The words escaped me in a low growl.
“Mikhail sent the report yesterday. He couldn’t get close enough to observe details because of their wards and guards.
Aside from the caves, there’s really only one way in, and it’s dangerous at the best of times.
I was preparing a team to investigate,” Ashren responded, straightening his shoulders.
“If they intend to follow the forbidden practices, their presence there is a violation of the neutral laws, but there hasn’t been time to address it, and we don’t know their purpose.
Given the history of that place, it suggests only one thing. ”
“The Blood Basin?” Olen’s face paled to match the snow.
“Yes—yes, I think that’s where they’re taking her.
That might have been what they were saying.
” The medic beside him placed a large bandage against the back of his head, but he pushed the medic back and struggled to his feet.
“There’s no good reason for them to take her there! ”
I grunted, anger making me even harsher.
“Obviously.” It was situated on neutral ground at the border of my court and the start of the Night Court’s territory, and it would take us hours to reach.
If we moved swiftly, we might be there by dawn.
“Is it an armed force? A ceremonial force?” It was clear what they were planning, and I refused to let it happen.
“An armed force,” Ashren scowled. “Bows and swords. One possible mage.” His expression grew tighter. “How long ago was she taken?”
“It was…I think it was nearing the midnight hour when I spotted them,” Olen stammered. He swayed as his hand swept out to steady himself on the wall.
Midnight.
The word landed in my chest and settled there like a stone. That meant they had likely already reached the Blood Basin. And if they had, who knew what they had done with her? Depending on the type of sacrificial ritual, she might already be bleeding out, her blood gathered in the porous stone bowl.
I turned sharply toward Folge. “Have the caribou saddled and ready within fifteen minutes. I want ten riders, fully armed. Bows, blades, cold-weather gear. No banners.”
Folge nodded curtly. “Yes, sir.” He pivoted and barked orders, his voice cutting through the storm as men scattered in every direction.
I faced Ashren. “You remain here. Olen said there was a disturbance in the northern wall. Make sure everything is secured and nothing else has slipped through. Is there anything else you can tell me from the reports?”
“The Night General is on the move again. He was headed toward the Basin as well.” Ashren’s jaw tightened.
My own stomach dropped, and dread crawled beneath my skin.
If the Night General was there, it was an even bigger matter.
“Secure the castle. Double the wards at every breach point. Interrogate the guards on rotation at the north and east walls. If there is a traitor within these stones, you will find them. I want runners sent to every scout within our borders. If they see movement toward the Blood Basin, they signal immediately. No delay.”
“The access point is dangerous. It will be warded.” Ashren’s brows furrowed. “If you wind up in open combat there, you’ll be picked off—”
“I will deal with that when the time comes.” I moved toward the stable as commotion filled the courtyard.
“Wait!” Olen’s voice shook.
I turned in time to see him push aside the medic once more. Blood seeped through the bandage as the coarse cloth tangled in his hair. His fingers dug into the uneven stone wall as he steadied himself and then started forward.
His steps were unsteady. “I’m coming,” he said, voice rough but firm. “Perhaps I can help or remember more. I might be able to—”
I glared at him. Why did he care so much? She was my mate. Not his. Something didn’t add up, but I’d have to figure that out once I’d saved her. “You can barely stand and will slow us down. Manage your own concerns here.”
He lifted his chin, though it trembled with the effort. “I can ride.”
The medic reached for him again, trying to press him back down. Olen swatted the hand away and took one step forward before his knees wavered.
There wasn’t time for this shit!
I caught him by the front of his coat and shoved him back against the wall hard enough that his shoulders thudded against the stone.
“You will remain here. If you think of anything that may be helpful, you will tell Ashren.” I stepped back and looked at the medic.
“Take him to the infirmary and keep him there.” Turning, I resumed walking toward the stable.
“Keep an eye on him,” I muttered to Ashren.
“There’s something off about him, and I don’t know what. ”
Ashren quickened his pace. “You think he might be involved?” His voice was low so that it would not carry on the wind.
I shook my head. “I don’t trust him. Is there anything I must know before I leave?”
The guards and attendants were already leading the caribou from the stable and lining them up. The snow fell faster as the wind strengthened around us.
Ashren glanced at me sidelong, his brow furrowing deeply. “There is one more thing about the Aurora Fae and the Night Court, and now that Hannah is missing and we think she’s in the Blood Basin, it could be relevant and dire.”
My stomach dropped. Was I ever going to be able to protect her?