Page 160

Arianna sat before the council members and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She hadn’t been here since the incident with Rion and their stares were doing nothing for her nerves. All carried questions in their gazes, but none of them dared voice their opinions. She wondered if Niall had a hand in that.

He’d been more than ecstatic to have her join him, even if he seemed a bit wary that the task might prove too much. But just as she’d said before, she wanted to help. That was the entire reason she’d come to Ruadhán, to help those in need.

Ellie sat in today, mostly because her sister refused to leave her side and Talon was present as well, standing behind her chair.

Declan cleared his throat and looked between her and Niall. “What are we to discuss today, my lord?”

“Everything,” Niall said. “There’s no reason to hide anything from Arianna. If she decides the information is too much, she needs not push herself.” He eyed her again and offered a gentle smile.

The council glanced among themselves, but picked up their papers and began.

Two months had erupted into so much chaos. Her stomach twisted at the thought. They’d sent as many teams out as they could to help manage the situation, but while some cities had readily agreed to end slavery with children, others were capturing those who had been freed and slaughtering them, claiming they wouldn’t have humans roaming their streets without a master.

Children. These were children and mothers. People who couldn’t defend themselves. Arianna hadn’t even demanded the freedom of adults yet and already the Fae were striking out.

Her father, the High Lord of Móirín was doing everything in his power to take in those displaced, as was Alec, the High Lord of Brónach. Fiadh’s High Lord had burned those longing for freedom at the stake and left their bodies to send a clear message. Pádraigín seemed quiet about the situation, neither complying nor standing against it.

But while Brónach had their main cities under control, there were smaller villages and towns that had taken matters into their own hands. The situation was dire in many cases, with citizens refusing to pay taxes. One city was even attempting to separate themselves into their own nation.

All over children. Her stomach rolled and Niall glanced at her before continuing. “I’ll leave to visit with the council in Pádraigín soon and set things straight. It’s important we stand as a united front on this matter, even if things seem dire. We’ll continue to provide aid as we can and use the Queen’s money to fund the events.” He glanced at her. “If that is still acceptable to her?”

“A-Absolutely.” Maybe Niall was right. Maybe she did need to make a public appearance to sooth the masses. She could take Talon and Raevina, not to mention Niall and his seasoned warriors, to protect her. They could—breath left her when she felt Rion’s silent caress, so tentative, so gentle and yielding. Arianna grabbed at the threads and pulled him as close as was possible.

Those in the room had fallen silent. Arianna hadn’t realized she’d jumped to her feet.

Her hands were shaking. “He’s there. He’s alive. He’s—” Arianna stopped herself and glanced around at the council members, then to Niall and her sister. “Rion,” she said simply. “He’s there.”

“Is he okay?” Ellie was on her feet, their meeting forgotten.

“I don’t know.” She tried to study the bond. “He feels so far away. The bond’s so weak.” Or maybe he was.

“Can you tell where he is?” Niall asked, but something in his gaze told her he wasn’t happy. Not really.

“No.” Her hope faded and she tried to send a million questions down the bond. She needed to know where he was and if he needed help, but he didn’t answer. He just kept holding on and caressing that single strand. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“My lady,” Declan said. “We still have—”

Niall held up a hand and the male fell silent. Niall turned to her. “Take all the time you need. We’ll finish up here.”

Ellie followed her into the hall with Talon’s footsteps close behind. She could hear both of their heartbeats. Feel their excitement. Arianna didn’t know where she was going, not until she found herself in front of her room.

“What do we do?” Ellie asked. “Can he tell you anything?”

Arianna tried to focus on the bond again. She sent him more questions, but it didn’t feel as if he received them and Arianna’s new found hope flickered away. She could feel her mate, but it changed nothing. Her stomach soured. They couldn’t communicate. She still had no way to find him.

“Hey.” Ellie rubbed her back. “It’s all right, we’ll figure it out. Can you feel where the bond is coming from?”

Arianna tried to focus again, but a lump formed in her throat. “No. I can’t. I can’t sense anything.” Arianna felt her face drain of color. “He’s scared, Ellie. And I think he’s hurt and I can’t do anything to help him.”

Her hands shook but her sister took them and squeezed. “It’s okay, we’ll find him. He’s alive and he finally answered.”

Arianna’s earlier panic rose though, billowing through her like smoke. “They saw him. Everyone saw what he did. How am I supposed to convince anyone that he didn’t mean it?” Her throat burned with unshed tears. “Gods, Ellie, they already viewed him as a monster before. What are they going to think now? They’re not even going to let him back into the city.”

Ellie rubbed her shoulders. “Shh, it’s okay, calm down. The first thing we need to focus on is finding him. Even if he comes back in irons and has to sit in a prison cell, at least you’ll know where he is.”

“He will not sit in a cell,” Arianna seethed, anger rising at the horrid idea.

“I know, I know, but you can’t break down again. We need you. Your tie to him might be the only thing that helps us find him.”