Page 46 of Sun, Moon & Shadow (Fate of Aemoria #1)
“If you can read minds as folk say, how did you fail to uncover the general’s plans?” Callan’s voice rose, something primal crackling within him at the thought of another male pursuing Nova.
Nox’s face fell. Callan realized he’d given voice to a question the Noble Lord had likely asked himself a thousand times in the hours since discovering Nova was missing.
“As you may have gathered from my apology, my ability to enter the minds of others is one I choose not to use unless absolutely necessary.” Nox pressed his lips together. “I consider it an invasion. I allow myself to go so far as a cursory glance to get a general sense of someone.”
Callan wondered if Nox’s speech was an explanation for him or a reaffirmation of his beliefs for Nox himself. Perhaps a bit of both, he decided.
“For instance,” Nox continued, “I feel the rage and fear warring within you at this very moment. However, there are those who are difficult to read. Idrian is one such individual. As is my niece.”
Callan nodded. He supposed it was honorable of Nox to respect the privacy of others, though his decency provided little comfort with Nova missing and no indication of where or for what purpose she’d been taken.
“Though it was Idrian who took Nova,” Nox said, “I believe my brother may have had a hand in the plot.”
Callan followed the two males to Nova’s chamber where the scent of her fear still lingered.
He clenched his fists at his sides when the acrid tang of it found its way to him.
The room was in order—by Nova’s standards.
Discarded clothing hung over the back of a chair and on the knobs of the armoire.
Beside the bed, a precarious tower of books created a makeshift table where a cup of forgotten tea sat next to a stack of his letters.
No signs of a struggle. Nothing to suggest she’d been taken by force.
Callan scanned the chamber, lingering first on her hairbrush lying next to her blades on the vanity, then the bed where she’d been sleeping all the weeks they’d been apart. He ran a hand along the sheets discreetly, the intoxicating scent of her wafting up to meet him.
“No blood,” he said gruffly, shaking his head. “He didn’t harm her.”
“Thank the gods,” Lucan said. “Eight of my guards were slaughtered at their posts along with three servants who happened to be walking the halls.”
“She may have gone willingly,” Nox added. “I believe she considered him a friend.”
A stab of pity pierced Callan’s chest. Nova didn’t have many friends. He gritted his teeth. If the general had betrayed her trust, a gift Nova rarely gave to anyone, it was grounds enough for Callan to punish him. Very slowly.
Pushing past Nox and Lucan, he exited the chamber, following Nova’s scent to the wall at the end of the corridor. He looked left and right before turning to the others, arms held out at his sides, his posture demanding an explanation.
Nox approached and pressed his hand against the polished stone.
A concealed door appeared, leading to a hidden passage.
Callan poked his head through the doorway, sniffing at the air within.
The scent of Nova’s fear, more potent in the enclosed space, combined with the stale smell of ancient stone, undisturbed for gods knew how long.
Lucan held out a moonstone, round and flat, hanging from a silver chain affixed to his pocket.
The stone’s light illuminated a landing and the first several steps of a staircase leading deep underground. Callan observed boot prints in the thick dust on the landing. The layer of dust on the few visible steps, however, was disturbed, as if someone had swept the surface.
“Where does it lead?” Callan asked pointedly, his eyes pinned on Nox.
“The passageway is a relic, an emergency egress from a time when the Estates of every territory were regularly under siege. No one has used this passage for centuries. No one in my guard even knows it exists. But Omen knew. When we were young, he would open the door and dare me to go inside. Pretend to push me in, try to frighten me.” His brow creased with the memory.
“Idrian has always been ambitious,” Lucan said, taking over for his Lord. “Chasing fame and desperate for recognition. Maybe Omen enticed him into abducting Nova in exchange for ruling all of Silvergard.”
“What would your brother want with Nova?” Callan asked, certain the Shadowbringer couldn’t simply be interested in a reunion with his long-lost daughter.
“I can’t say, but I don’t expect his intentions are good.
” Nox took a deep breath and blew it out.
“We can’t spare any soldiers, not with the potential for a full-scale attack on the capital looming.
I would go myself if it weren’t for the imminent threat to the throne.
I know how important Nova is to both of you.
There’s no one I trust more to find my niece and bring her home safely.
But the two of you must leave at once. Idrian and his soldiers already have the advantage of a sizable head start. ”
“Where does the passage lead?” Callan asked again, his jaw set in determination.